THURSDAY Vol. XXXV No.

9358
May 15, 2014
Rajab 16, 1435 AH

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Qatargas shipping unit
gets Five Star British
safety accreditation
BUSINESS | Page 1
SPORT | Page 1
In brief
QATAR | Ooredoo
Charity auction
raises QR30.16mn
Ooredoos VIP charity auction for
special telephone numbers has
raised a total of QR30.16mn, with
the highest auctioned number
selling at QR10.1mn. As part of
its on-going corporate social
responsibility work, Ooredoo
invited VIP guests and customers
on Tuesday evening to bid for their
favourite number from a range
of 50 special numbers. This is
Ooredoos ninth year of organising
special number auctions, and since
2005, the company has given
millions of riyals to charity and
community projects. The proceeds
of the latest auction will also be
used to implement corporate social
responsibility projects.
REGION | Disease
No Mers emergency
yet, says WHO
Concern about the deadly new
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
(Mers) virus has significantly
increased but the disease is not
yet a global health emergency,
the World Health Organisation
said after a meeting in Geneva
yesterday. The virus, which causes
coughing, fever and sometimes
fatal pneumonia, has been reported
in more than 500 patients, mainly
in Saudi Arabia, and has spread to
neighbouring countries, as well as
in a few cases to Europe, Asia and
the US. It kills about 30% of those
who are infected. Pages 15, 33
ARAB WORLD | Media
Egypt to blame if
health fails: journalist
A jailed Al Jazeera journalist who
has been on hunger strike for over
100 days said he holds the Egyptian
authorities responsible if his health
fails, according to a video aired
yesterday. Abdullah Elshamy was
arrested on August 14 when police
broke up a sit-in of supporters of
ousted president Mohamed Mursi
in Cairo, which led to clashes that
killed hundreds. Elshamy, who
works for the Qatar-based network,
has been on hunger strike since
January 21 to protest his detention
and has yet to face trial, the
network said in a statement.
EAST ASIA | Row
White House
urges dialogue
The White House said yesterday
that a dispute in the South China
Sea over erection of a Chinese
oil rig about 193km of Vietnams
coast needs to be resolved through
dialogue, not intimidation. Page 19
Sadd
reach AFC
Champions
League
quarter-fnals
QATAR
REGION
ARAB WORLD
INTERNATIONAL
COMMENT
BUSINESS
CLASSIFIED
SPORTS
32, 33
1 8, 12 16
9 12
1 12
4 12, 34, 36
13, 14
15
16 31
INDEX
Thecurrent exit permit system,
which requires employers consent
for an employeeto leavethe
country, has now beenproposed
to bereplaced with an automated
systemthat wouldnowrequire
onlytheconsent of theMinistryof
Interior itself
By Salman Siddiqui & Ayman Adly
Staf Reporters
Q
atar has announced its inten-
tion to reform the prevailing
Kafala (sponsorship) system
with a set of new amendments to the
existing labour law.
The amendments will impact all
migrant workers only after it is ap-
proved by the government after going
through its legislative cycle.
Apart from the renaming of the
Kafala law and dropping the word
sponsorship from it, the major
changes proposed in the new labour
law, are:
*modications to the exit permit
system whereby employers consent
would no longer be required and;
*the no-objection certicate (NOC),
presently required by a worker when he
switches jobs, would now be governed
strictly by an employment contract
system.
The major announcement was made
yesterday at a press conference titled
Qatar introduces wide-ranging mar-
ket labour market reforms, where a
several hundred-strong media contin-
gent, comprising international and lo-
cal press, was present.
It was addressed by senior Min-
istry of Interior of cials, including
Brigadier Mohamed Ahmed al-Atiq
(assistant director general of General
Directorate of Border, Passports and
Expatriate Afairs) and Colonel Ab-
dullah Saqr al-Mohannadi (director,
Human Rights Department).
The Ministry of Labour & Social Af-
fairs was represented by Salih Saeed al-
Sahwi (manager, Labour Relations De-
partment) and Ali Ahmad al-Khulai
(director, Planning & Quality Depart-
ment).
The current exit permit system,
which requires employers consent for
an employee to leave the country, has
nowbeen proposedto be replacedwith
an automated system that would now
require only the consent of the Ministry
of Interior itself.
The Metrash 2 e-government sys-
tem will automatically grant an exit
permit to an employee after his/her 72-
hour grace period prior to departure
ends.
Colonel al-Muhannadi said that al-
though the exit permit would no longer
be in the hand of employers, the em-
ployee should notify the employer of
his intention to exit the country.
In the case of a dispute between the
employer and the employee, a special
committee comprising MoI and MoL
would resolve the issue within 72 hours
of submission of such a request, he
added.
Moreover, the employer would no
longer be nancially liable for their
employee after the newlawcomes into
efect. Any nancial obligations in-
curred by the employee while in Qatar
will be governed by the states Civil and
Commercial Law, the of cial state-
ment said.
The NOC that regulates the transfer
of employees to diferent employers
would be replaced with an employ-
ment contract system, which would
allow workers on xed-term con-
tracts to transfer to another employer
at the end of that term. If the employ-
ment contract of a worker is inde-
nite, the employee can switch jobs to
another employer after ve years from
the date of the contract.
Amodel employment contract would
be distributed by the government that
would contain the new terms and con-
ditions contained in the laws. Employ-
ers would be able to add conditions to
the model contract as long as they were
consistent with the new law. All exist-
ing contracts would remain valid until
employers bring them in line with the
new model contract within a one year
grace period from the time the new
lawgoes into efect.
The of cials stressed that the pro-
posed amended law would have to
rst go through its normal legisla-
tive cycle, including evaluation by its
legislative branch, the Shura Council
and nancial entities such as the Qatar
Chamber before it was referred back to
the government for a nal approval.
They, however, did not give any time
frame when the amendments to the
labour law would be ratied and come
into force. Page36
Qatar set to reform
sponsorship system
HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani meeting with members of a delegation from St Joseph Hospital (Al-Fransawi) in Jerusalem, who are on a visit to Doha. During the meeting at the Emiri Diwan yesterday,
the team members expressed their deep thanks and gratitude to HH the Emir for his support to develop and modernise the hospital so as to serve large segments of the Palestinian people.
Emir receives hospital delegation from Jerusalem
Amendments will apply to domestic workers too
The proposed amendments to the labour
law and system will apply to all migrant
workers in Qatar, including domestic work-
ers and unskilled labourers, announced
Brigadier Mohamed Ahmed al-Atiq, assist-
ant director general of General Directorate
of Border, Passports and Expatriate Afairs.
The current stipulation that workers need
to leave Qatar for two years before getting
the permission to work for a new company
would also be abolished. Eventually, work-
ers, who leave the country, could enter
again on a new work visa and new work
contact, unless there were other pending
legal issues, he explained.
Colonel Abdullah Saqr al-Mohannadi, direc-
tor, Human Rights Department, Ministry of
Interior, stated that the proposed modifica-
tions of the labour law were not being
done due to any external pressures from
human rights bodies.
We started to modify the law out of
humanitarian obligations, when we felt that
there was a need to do it as part of devel-
oping and upgrading all the systems of the
country to complete the full legal system in
Qatar, he added.
Colonel al-Mohannadi, al-Khulaifi, Brigadier al-Atiq and al-Sahwi at the press conference yesterday. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil.
Ministry exploring all options to ensure workers rights
By Salman Siddiqui
Staf Reporter
Q
atars labour market is difer-
ent from all over the world, yet
the Ministry of Labour and So-
cial Afairs is exploring all options to
ensure the rights of workers, including
their aspirations for forming associa-
tions, a senior of cial has said.
Answering a question during yester-
days press conference whether workers
wouldget the right toformunions inthe
proposed amendments to the new law,
Ali Ahmad al-Khulai, director of the
Planning and Quality Department at the
Ministry of Labour and Social Afairs,
said Qatar was already doing all it could
to protect the rights of workers.
Qatars labour market is diferent
fromother markets because it is largely
comprised of expatriate workers
He said that in such a challeng-
ing environment the ministry wanted
rstly to ensure the rights of all work-
ers in the country and were ready to
explore all options, including their as-
pirations to formassociations.
Salih Saeed al-Sahwi, Labour Re-
lations Department manager at the
Ministry of Labour and Social Afairs,
said the government wanted to provide
more safeguards to workers and protect
their rights.
According to anof cial statement re-
leased to the media yesterday, the pro-
posed labour law amendments would
be in line with Qatars commitment to
social development as outlined in the
Qatar National Vision 2030.
The statement said that the State of
Qatar would work closely with internal
and external stakeholders in the com-
ing months to strengthen protection
for both employers and employees in
Qatar to ensure sustainable reform.
When the new law goes into efect,
the illegal practice of passport cons-
cation will be addressed by an increase
of the current penalty of a maximumof
QR10,000 to upto QR50,000 for em-
ployers who conscate an employees
passport.
This penalty will be imposed per
conviction for every passport cons-
cated to act as a powerful deterrent to
this illegal practice. For example, if an
employee has been found to have con-
scated 10 passports, the court can
sentence the employer a ne of upto
QR500,000.
One of the reforms proposed in the
existing labour law is regarding pay-
ment of wages electronically to workers
to ensure transparency, monitoring and
timely payment.
The Ministry of Labour and Social
Afairs is also continuing to hire and
train labour inspectors with a target of
300 by end of the year.
These inspectors have judicial pow-
ers to issue penalties for violations
related to workers accommodation,
work sites and occupational health and
safety. The Labour Ministry will sign a
technical co-operation agreement with
the ILO this year to further support en-
forcement mechanisms.
The statement added that Qatar
would be making regular announce-
ments in the coming months to provide
further details on the implementation
of the new legislation and regular up-
dates on reformmechanisms being put
in to place.
The state would be working closely
with local and international compa-
nies over the coming months to provide
support during this transitionperiod, it
was pointed out.
Of cials at the press conference,
however, did not give any timeframe
when the amendments to the law
would be ratied and come into force.
They stressed that the amended law
would have to go through its normal
legislative cycle, including evaluation
by its legislative branch, the Shura
Council and nancial entities such as
the Chamber of Commerce before it
was referred back to the government
for a nal approval.
Ali Ahmad al-Khulaifi at yesterdays
press conference
QATAR
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 4
Qatar participated in the
33rd session of the general
assembly of the Arab Or-
ganisation for Agricultural
Development (AOAD) held
in Kuwait on May 12.
HE the Minister of Environ-
ment Ahmed bin Amer
al-Humaidi led Qatars
delegation to the two-day
meeting which was also
attended by the minis-
ters concerned with the
agricultural development
in the Arab world.
The participants adopted
a number of key recom-
mendations which would
contribute to achieving the
Arab agricultural develop-
ment strategy.
The ministers also ap-
proved in their closing
session the action plan
of the AOAD for the years
2015/16.
The ministers also agreed
on the formation of the
Financial Supervision Au-
thority for the Organisation
for the years 2015-2016.
The authority would com-
prise Qatar, Jordan, Sudan,
Egypt and Mauritania. The
ministers also agreed on
the formation of the Execu-
tive Council of the AOAD
for the 33rd session of
the General Assembly for
2014 to 2016 from Bahrain,
Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman,
Palestine, and Lebanon.
The Arab Organisation for
Agricultural Development
was established in 1970.
HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani, Minis-
ter of Economy and Commerce, yesterday issued a decision
to extend the evening working hours of the Department
of Commercial Registration at the Ministrys branch from
5pm to 8pm starting May 18 until the end of the registration
period.
The decision comes in response to the high demand by the
citizens for registration of companies and institutions partici-
pating in the Al Furjan Markets draw.
The Advisory Councils Public Services and Utilities Commit-
tee held a meeting of its 42nd regular session at its White
Palace premises yesterday under its rapporteur Saqer Fahad
al-Meraikhi.
The council discussed the proposal submitted by the
Councils member Nasser Rashid Sraiya al-Kaabi on building
heights and decided to invite HE the Minister of Municipal-
ity and Urban Planning Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Khalifa bin
Abdulaziz al-Thani to attend its next meeting.
Qatar attends meeting of Arab agricultural forum
Commercial registration dept
evening working hours extended
Advisory Council panel meets
Hungarian President Janos
Ader left Doha yesterday,
wrapping up an oficial visit to
Qatar. The Hungarian
president and the
accompanying delegation
were seen of at Doha airport
by HE the Minister of
Education and Higher
Education Dr Mohamad Abdul
Wahed al-Hammadi and
Qatars envoy to Hungary
Abdullah Hussein al-Jaber.
Hungarian president ends visit
Qatar Chamber
of cials meet
Italian trade team
Q
atar Chamber (QC)
of cials and an Ital-
ian business del-
egation discussed ways of
enhancing co-operation in
trade, investment and in-
dustrial sectors in Doha yes-
terday.
QC vice-chairman Mo-
hamedbinAhmedbinTawar
welcomed the Italian del-
egation.
He praised the existing
relations between Qatar and
Italy, saying that strength-
ening ties in trading, in-
vestment, industrial and
infrastructural domains will
open the way for enhancing
co-operationwith Italy inall
sectors.
He expressed the hope
that the meeting would lead
to successful partnerships
and joint ventures.
The Italian delega-
tion members, including
Silvia Tosi, deputy head
of mission at the Ital-
ian embassy in Doha and
chairperson of Italian
Chamber of Commerce
in Qatar Palma Libotte
expressed their hope that
the meeting would lead
to good partnerships in
many sectors especially
in trading, investment,
agricultural and indus-
trial elds.
QNA
Doha
QATAR
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 6
Kyrgyzstans Minister of EconomyTemir Sarievmet withQatars ambassador MohamedbinArar al-Nuaimi inBishkek. Duringthe
meeting, relations betweenthetwofriendlycountries werereviewedandways of enhancingthemwerediscussed.
Qatar-Kyrgyzstan ties reviewed
QF initiatives hailed
Q
atar Foundation for Education,
Science and Community Devel-
opment yesterday hosted Abdul
Rahman al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, the assist-
ant president of Sudan.
A welcoming committee led by Jas-
simTelefat, group executive director of
Qatar Foundation Capital Projects and
Facilities Management, received al-
Mahdi and his delegation at the Qatar
Foundation visitors centre.
Al-Mahdi was shown a presenta-
tion which outlined the vision of Qatar
Foundation. He was also introduced to
Qatar Foundations educational initia-
tives, community development plans
and scientic research programmes.
He said: Qatar Foundation is an
exemplary organisation that has dem-
onstrated its commitment to the ad-
vancement of education, science and
research, as well as environmentally-
friendly technologies. We believe that
Qatars wise and visionary leadership
has set the foundation for a noble mis-
sion that aims to promote world peace.
We thank Qatar Foundation for the
great eforts it is making across various
elds, which has brought about well-
deserved recognition from across the
world.
At theendof thevisit, al-Mahdi signed
the visitors book and received a com-
memorative gift fromQatar Foundation.
He was on a visit to Qatar, during which
he held meetings with senior of cials to
discuss bilateral relations and means to
developtheminvarious elds.
The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has intensified its
awareness campaign on Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
Coronavirus (Mers-Cov), to update residents of Qatar on related
developments and prevention. Further, the SCH has created
a special page on its website, www.sch.gov.qa, with updated
status of Mers-CoV and which also provides general informa-
tion on the virus.
It also provides instructions on how to avoid contracting the
disease and answers frequently asked questions on the issue.
The contents of the page are in Arabic and English.
Supreme Council of Health intensifies Mers awareness campaign
Al-Mahdi receives a commemorative
gift from Telefat.
QATAR
7
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
HE the Public
Prosecutor Dr Ali bin
Fetais al-Marri holding
talks with US Federal
Bureau of Investigation
Director James Comey.
They reviewed issues
of mutual concern and
reiterated that the legal
institutions in the two
countries will continue
to co-operate. Dr
al-Marri also met
Senators Lindsey
Graham and John
McCain .
Public Prosecutor holds talks with FBI chief
Cabinet approves draft
law on investment funds
T
he weekly Cabinet
meeting, presided over
by HE the Prime Min-
ister and Minister of Interior
Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser
bin Khalifa al-Thani, has ap-
proved a draft law concern-
ing investment funds.
The draft law comes to
cope with the developments
of the capital market and in
conformity with the moni-
toring and supervisory role
of Qatar Financial Markets
Authority (QFMA) onnan-
cial markets and to maintain
condence in trading sys-
temin the nancial markets
and protecting the owners
of securities and their deal-
ers, ina fair, transparent and
competitive manner.
The draft law included
determination of the au-
thorised party to issue a
licence to the investment
fund, namely QFMA, and
set up a registration of in-
vestment funds at the au-
thority and determining the
funds capital upon incor-
poration to at least QR10mn
or its equivalent, and the
founder has to ofer the in-
vestment units of the fund
for public or private sub-
scription within a period
not exceeding two months
fromthe date of the QFMAs
approval.
The draft lawhas author-
ised non-Qataris, either the
natural persons or legal en-
tities, to participate in the
fund in accordance with its
statute.
The Cabinet then ap-
proved a draft decree
amending the standard cus-
toms tarif.
The draft decree stipu-
lates adding subsidiary
items to the GCC standard
customs tarif and deleting
some items of such a tarif
attached to the decree No 53
of 2012.
A proposal of the Min-
istry of Foreign Afairs
amending the Cabinet deci-
sion No 15 of 2011 on setting
up the climate change and
clean development com-
mittee was also approved.
As per the proposal the
vice-chairman of the com-
mittee will be a representa-
tive of the Ministry of For-
eign Afairs and at the same
time attains membership of
the Foreign Ministry in the
committee.
This comes ahead of the
next phase of international
negotiations before the
signing of the 2015 Paris
Convention on Climate
Change.
The Cabinet then re-
viewed the two following
topics and adopted the rel-
evant decisions:
1- Amemo of HE the For-
eign Minister suggesting to
form an ad hoc committee
to consider Qatars access
to the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment
of the Crime of Genocide,
which the UN General As-
sembly adopted on Decem-
ber 9, 1948.
2- The letter of HE the
Minister of Education and
Higher Education concern-
ing the outcomes of the
following meetings held in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
The 14th conference
of the ministers in charge
of education and scientic
research in the Arab world
(March 2014).
The 16th meeting of the
GCC Higher Education And
Scientic Research Minis-
ters committee (Feb.2014).
The 4th interna-
tional forum for Education
(Feb.2014).
The Cabinet also ap-
proved the 3rd executive
draft programme of the
educational and scientic
accord in general education
eld between the govern-
ments of Qatar and Leba-
non for the scholastic years
(2014-2015, 2015-2016
,2016-2017).
A draft agreement on air
services between the gov-
ernments of Qatar and Cape
Verde was also approved.
QNA
Doha
QATAR
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 8
DFI to show
Qatar-made
films at
Cannes festival
Qatar will be represented at
the Cannes Film Festival this
week through Doha Film Insti-
tute (DFI)s participation in the
March du Film, Cannes Short
Film Corner and Producers
Workshop.
The Festival de Cannes is the
pre-eminent international
event for the film industry. It
started yesterday and runs
until May 25.
For the fourth year running,
Qatar is being represented
by a pavilion in the Village
International, a section of
the March du Film that
enables countries from all
over the world to raise the
profiles of their national film
culture.
One of more than 60 pavilions
in the festivals global village of
cinema, the Qatar pavilion will
host industry guests for meet-
ings, professional exchanges
and networking sessions,
and showcase the work of
DFIs film funding and festival
initiatives.
Abdulaziz al-Khater, chief
executive oficer of DFI, said:
The Cannes Village Interna-
tional is a dynamic celebration
of cultural diversity through
film and an important platform
for showcasing our local and
regional talent to the world.
We are honoured to represent
Qatar in this forum, highlight
our emerging talent and
welcome the opportunities
that will develop through our
participation over the next 10
days.
DFI will also showcase films
from Qatar-based filmmakers
through the Cannes Short
Film Corner, a section of the
festival dedicated to showcas-
ing films from more than 90
countries to thousands of
accredited industry guests,
festival selectors and short
film industry specialists.
The Made in Qatar selection
will present 13 short films
made through DFIs educa-
tion initiatives, in addition to
independent productions by
Qatari nationals and those
who call Qatar home.
The Institute will also facilitate
the attendance of 10 film-
makers from Qatar who are
participating in the Producers
Workshop, a programme led
by industry experts designed
to help producers achieve
their goals in the international
film market. Page 24
HMC is regions rst
CEUS training centre
T
he Hamad Medical Corpora-
tion (HMC) has become the
rst medical facility in the re-
gion to be recognised as a centre for
emergency ultrasound training.
The recognition was made of cial
at an award ceremony attended by
of cials from HMC and the Cana-
dian Emergency Ultrasound Society
(CEUS).
The training centre status fol-
lowed the successful completion of
four Emergency Department Echo/
Ultrasound (EDE) courses that have
been ofered at HMC since March
last year.
The courses were the initiative of
a number of specialists in the eld,
comprising Hamad General Hospi-
tal (HGH)s specialist in Emergency
Medicine, Dr Aftab Mohamed Azad,
who was the rst Qatari to complete
the North American Emergency
Medicine Training Programme; di-
rector of a Montreal-based general
hospital, Dr Joel Turner; and HGHs
Emergency Medicine senior con-
sultant and Emergency Medicine
Residency Programme director Dr
Azhar Abdul Aziz.
Fifty-ve emergency physicians,
including 48 from HMC and seven
from Oman, Kuwait and the Unit-
ed Arab Emirates, completed the
courses. In addition, 10 emergency
physicians from HMC were hon-
oured at the ceremony as independ-
ent practitioners, a role that means
they can continue to ofer the train-
ing to other physicians in Qatar.
Speaking at the ceremony, CEUS
president Dr Peter Ross said: It is
truly an honour to inaugurate the
rst CEUS training centre, outside
Canada, in the Middle East. We
share the vision of HMC to enhance
competencies for their residents and
faculty, and we will continue these
eforts in order to reach the ultimate
goal for every physician: to ofer the
best patient care.
The EDE course, which has been
taught to more than 10,000 physicians
internationally, enables physicians to
rapidlydiagnosecritical illnessesforthe
patients who come to emergency de-
partments with often life-threatening
andseriousmedical problems.
Dr Azad, who is designated to be
the rst regional director for the
CEUS inthe Middle East, said: This
is a great achievement for us as we
as a team at HMC are always work-
ing to improve ourselves in every as-
pect, which is reectedinbetter care
for our patients.
He stressed that in emergency
medicine, decisions are often paired
with urgency and critical thinking,
so every single modality of diagnos-
ing signs makes a tremendous dif-
ference to outcomes.
The initiative to have a CEUS
training site in Qatar was backed by
HMCs managing director Dr Hanan
al-Kuwari, Department of Medi-
cal Educations Medical, Research
and Academic Afairs deputy chief
of staf Dr Abdullatif al-Khal and
Emergency Department chair, Pro-
fessor Peter Cameron.
The award ceremony was head-
ed by HGHs medical director Dr
Yousef al-Masalmani, during which
the plaque recognising HMC as the
rst CEUS training site in the region
was received by the Medical Educa-
tion Departments deputy director,
Dr Ismail Helmy, and the assistant
director of Medical Education for
Graduate Medical Education, Dr
Mohamed El Tawil.
A certicate of honour was re-
ceived by HMCs Emergency Medi-
cine Residency Programme director
Dr Abdul Aziz.
Oficials from HMC and the Canadian Emergency Ultrasound Society (CEUS) attend the award ceremony.
QA starts Business One
to Heathrow from today
Q
atar Airways celebrates today the
inaugurationof its newall-premium
dailyserviceBusinessOne between
Doha and London Heathrow, becoming the
rst-ever carrier to operate an all-Business
Class service fromLondonHeathrow.
The new daily service ies from Doha
to London Heathrow Terminal 4 using an
Airbus A319 congured with a single aisle,
2-2 seating conguration, ofering 40pre-
miumBusiness Class seats.
Qatar Airways currently operates ve
daily ights to London Heathrow and the
all-Business Class daily service Business
One is the sixth.
The new additional ight will step up
the frequency on the Doha to London
Heathrowroute from35 to 42 weekly serv-
ices and comes just before Qatar Airways
commences operations on the Doha to
LondonHeathrowroute with its newA380
aircraft, which will operate on QR003 and
QR004 fromJune 17.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said
the Doha to London Heathrow route is
one of the airlines most popular Business
Class destinations.
Qatar Airways newA319 Business Class
seat will have one of the highest specica-
tions for Business Class travel of any air-
line, with wide seats that recline into fully
at beds and a state-of-the-art Oryx en-
tertainment system, featuring more than
1,000 entertainment options.
Passengers can also utilise the SMS
mobile texting GSM and GPRS service on
board this aircraft.
Nowin its 17th year of operations, Qatar
Airways has a modern eet of 134 aircraft
ying to 138 key business and leisure des-
tinations across six continents.
An interior view of Qatar Airways Business
One A319.
QATAR
9
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin
Khalifa al-Thani holding talks with Hungarian President Janos Ader, Sudans
Assistant President Abdel Rahman ElSadig ElMahd and Swedish Minister of
Trade Ewa Bjorling in Doha yesterday. Bilateral relations and ways of
enhancing them were discussed.
PM receives dignitaries
Human rights panel
honours school pupils
Qatar condoles Turkey
mine explosion victims
T
he National Human
Rights Committee
(NHRC) organised
a ceremony honouring the
schools and students par-
ticipating in the programme
held under slogan It Is My
Right As AKid.
Speaking at the ceremo-
ny, Mariam bint Abdul-
lah al-Attiyah, Secretary-
General of the NHRC, said
childhood related issues
receive priority of devel-
opment planning in Qatar
under the leadership of HH
the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad al-Thani.
She added that education
comes at the forefront of
these issues due to its cru-
cial role in the development
process.
Mariam stressed the
importance of the pro-
gramme which aims at
making children aware of
their rights, duties and
obligations and defending
their rights.
Mariam al-Attiyah hon-
oured the schools and chil-
dren participating in the
programme.
H
H the Emir Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad
al-Thani held a tele-
phone conversation with Re-
cep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime
Minister of Turkey, during
which he expressed his con-
dolences and sympathy for
the victims of the coal mine
explosion in Manisa Prov-
ince in Western Turkey.
Separately, HH the Emir
and HE the Prime Minis-
ter and Interior Minister
Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser
bin Khalifa al-Thani sent
cables to the President of
Turkey Abdullah Gul and
the Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan condoling
the victims of the coal mine
explosion.
QNA
Doha
QNA
Doha
Opening of Swedish embassy to boost trade ties
M
ore Swedish companies
are expected to come to
Qatar with the opening
of the countrys embassy at the
PalmTower in West Bay yesterday.
The embassy was inaugu-
rated by the Swedish Minister
of Trade, Dr Ewa Bjrling, in the
presence of embassy of cials
and dignitaries from the Qatar
government.
Minister Ewa Bjrling and
Swedish ambassador Ewa Po-
lano met HE the Prime Minister
Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin
Khalifa al-Thani, the Ministers
of Transport and Health, and
the Deputy Minister of Economy
and Trade.
Speaking to Gulf Times, Dr
Bjrling expressed her desire
to strengthen relations be-
tween Sweden and Qatar with
the inauguration of the Swed-
ish embassy in Doha.
That is something that we
have been working for many
years, she said. Today we have
Swedish exports to Qatar to the
tune of $260mn and approxi-
mately one-third of that from
Qatar to Sweden, there is a huge
potential for increase.
The Qatar-Sweden trade vol-
ume had been increasing until
the nancial crisis in 2009, ac-
cording to Dr Bjrling. Then it
went down. Now its on its way
up again and it can be even bet-
ter, she said.
The Swedish minister said her
discussions with top govern-
ment of cials of Qatar included
future areas for co-operation,
such as infrastructure projects
and Information and Communi-
cation Technology (ICT).
She noted that there are many
Swedish companies that can of-
fer good solutions especially
when it comes to traf c assur-
ing more security and civil toler-
ance against deaths in the traf c.
It will also include civil security
for the airport.
While focusing more on ICT,
she said some of the Swedish
companies will be working on
environmental issues and on
general infrastructure.
She cited Ericssons track
record as the number one Swed-
ish company which specialises
in ICT and now has a project in
Qatar, together with a lot of sub
contractors.
But in the future, the Swedish
minister noted that more will be
done withinthe area of healthcare.
Dr Bjrling also met Qatars
Minister for Health HE Abdulla
bin Khalid al-Qahtani, who is
also the Secretary General of the
Supreme Council of Health.
Dr Bjrling hopes to bring
more Swedish companies which
ofer healthcare solutions and
advanced equipment related to
medical technology.
We know that Qatar is dis-
cussing a lot on future healthcare
plans, how to provide preventive
healthcare for the whole popula-
tion, she said, citing that Qatar
is one of the countries with the
highest amount of type 2 diabetes.
She believes the Qatar gov-
ernment is thinking how these
kinds of diseases can be avoided
and how to better prevent them
in the future especially for the
young generation.
In her meeting with Deputy
Minister for Economy and Com-
merce HE Sultan bin Rashed al-
Khater, the Swedish ambassador
said: We discussed free trade
negotiations between European
Union and GCC countries and
important areas for us to develop
further.
ByJoeyAguilar
Staf Reporter
Swedish Minister for Trade Dr Ewa Bjrling speaks to Gulf Times. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil.
Today we have Swedish
exports to Qatar to the
tune of $260mn and
approximately one-third of
that from Qatar to Sweden
QATAR
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 10
WCMC-Q researchers publish
genetic map of date palm
R
esearchers at Weill Cor-
nell Medical College in
Qatar (WCMC-Q) have
published the rst genetic
map of the date palm, paving
the way for Qatar to become a
leader in date palmgenetics and
biotechnology.
The map has been produced by
the genomics group under the di-
rectionof Dr Joel Malek, assistant
professor of genetic medicine, in
collaboration with Dr Karsten
Suhre, professor of physiology
and biophysics, with help from
colleagues at the Ministry of
Environments Biotechnology
Centre and the Department of
Agricultural Afairs.
The programme, entitled Es-
tablishing World Leadership in
Date Palm Research in Qatar,
was funded by Qatar National
Research Funds NPRP excep-
tional proposal programme that
provided $4.5mn to the research.
The genetic map shows the
order in which the date palms
chromosomes are placed and
also which chromosome is re-
sponsible for reproduction. In
theory, the information could
one day allowgrowers to manip-
ulate the development of seeds,
creating more female fruit-
bearing plants than male plants
- which do not produce dates. It
also places Qatar at the head of
research into the date palm, an
important food source for much
of the Middle East.
Dr Malek said: This is us lay-
ing the foundation for establish-
ing worldleadership indate palm
research. To be a world leader
you have to have infrastructure
andI consider this to be a genetic
infrastructure that will allow us
to be the leaders when it comes
date palmbiotechnology.
Three years ago Dr Malek and
his teamproduceda draft version
of the date palm genome, which
paved the way for the more ac-
curate map. Drs Malek andSuhre
worked with the Ministry of the
Environments Biotechnology
Centre and the Department of
Agricultural Afairs to create the
map.
The ministry provided the
researchers with 150 seeds from
a single female tree. The seeds
were propagated by Ameena al-
Malki at the Biotechnology Cen-
tre. Leaves and DNA were taken
from the seedlings once they
were large enough.
A new process called gen-
otyping-by-sequencing was
then applied which sequenced
portions of the genomes of all
150 seedlings. It allowed the
researchers to look at the par-
ent tree and ascertain how she
passed her DNAto her ofspring.
If you always see two ge-
netic variations being passed
to the seedlings, this meant
they were placed closely to-
gether on the chromosome.
But if the variations were rarely
seen together then it was likely
they are on diferent chromo-
somes, Dr Malek explained.
Through scanning 5,000 vari-
ations in 150 seedlings and not-
ing howoften they appeared, the
researchers were able to build a
map of where the chromosomes
lie. More work now needs to be
done to ascertain for exactly
what each gene is responsible,
for example, gender, size of date,
or resistance to drought.
Dr Khaled Machaca, associate
dean for research at WCMC-Q,
said the research demonstrates
the value of funding novel, re-
gionally relevant, collabora-
tive research between diferent
organisations in Qatar.
The NPRP exceptional pro-
posal (EP) funding the date palm
research was the rst NPRP-EP
awarded by QNRF, Dr Machaca
said, adding that this funding is
beginning to bear fruits by gen-
erating the rst chromosome
map for date palm through col-
laborative eforts of multiple
institutions in Qatar. Dr Malek with the team members.
LuLu Hypermarket Group yesterday launched a Mango Festival under the title Mango Mania. The festival was jointly inaugurated
by Mohamed Sainulabideen, general manager, and Keith Smith, retail operations manager at LuLu Hypermarket, D-Ring Road. More
than 120 varieties of mangoes from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Mexico, Peru, Philippines,
Sri Lanka, Thailand and Yemen, are on ofer. The festival will continue until May 20 in all LuLu Hypermarket outlets in Qatar.
Mango Festival begins at LuLu Hypermarket outlets
Diversions on West Industrial Street
T
he Public Works Authority (Ash-
ghal) has announced two new diver-
sions on West Industrial Street, in
the area between West Industrial Street and
Logistics Village.
The diversions will start on May 17 and con-
tinue until the rst quarter of 2015. The exist-
ing street will be diverted to newly constructed
streets as shown on the attached map.
These two diversions are to facilitate the
construction of the East-West Corridor that
stretches 22km and consists of a dual ve-
lane carriageway. The new expressway will
also include grade separated interchanges,
footways and cycle ways. This will help ac-
cessibility to both New Industrial Area and
the Barwa City development.
Ashghal has requested all drivers to abide
by the speed limit and follow road signs to
ensure their safety.
The project is part of Ashghals Express-
way Programme, which is a nationwide road
infrastructure programme.
The programme includes construction
of more than 980km of roads and 240 new
intersections. It will provide vital transpor-
tation links across Qatar, connecting key
cities, towns and villages with high-quality
national freeways.
QATAR
11
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
CMC suggests intensive inspection campaigns
and awareness drive to combat counterfeiting
T
he Central Municipal
Council (CMC) has made
various recommendations
to combat the menace of coun-
terfeit electrical appliances inthe
local market as these goods pose
serious risks to users.
The CMC recommended that
theConsumer ProtectionDepart-
ment in the Ministry of Economy
and Commerce conduct intensive
inspection campaigns at outlets
to seize counterfeit products. It
should also conduct an awareness
campaign to instruct consumers
on how to identify non-genuine
products and avoid buying them.
Further, the Ministry of Envi-
ronment should conduct a sur-
vey in co-operation with related
entities to identify fake items and
notify consumers accordingly;
the Qatar General Electricity and
Water Corporation (Kahramaa)
should also play an active role in
this, it was suggested.
At its regular bi-weekly ses-
sion, the council recommended
that the Public Works Authority
(Ashghal) should adopt a strategy
to improve street lighting ina way
that saves energy and is the most
adequatefor theareas inquestion.
The CMC also urged the Min-
istry of Municipality and Urban
Planning (MMUP) to study the
possibility of granting residential
plots to locals who have moved
away from Doha to the outskirts
to encourage them to live there.
The MMUP should provide these
areas with all the necessary public
services and infrastructure for the
benet of thepeopleandhelpthem
continuelivinginthoseareas. Oficials at CMCs regular session on Tuesday.
Focus on
solutions
for sewage
disposal
ByAyman Adly
Staf Reporter
T
he issue of sew-
age disposal needs
temporary as well
as permanent solutions,
it was observed during a
meeting organised by the
Public Works Authority
(Ashghal) on Tuesday.
The meeting was held
to brief local media repre-
sentatives on infrastruc-
ture projects inthe country.
The issue of sewage
disposal needs temporary
solutions as well as perma-
nent ones. For instance, the
Al Karaana sewage lagoonis
not an acceptable sight and
each one of us does not like
it. By the end of this year,
Ashghal will be dealing
with more than 90%of this
issue through various solu-
tions and it is expected to
be closed by 2017, HE the
Minister of Municipality
and Urban Planning Sheikh
Abdulrahman bin Kha-
lifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani
pointed out, indicating that
the same applied to Abu
Nakhla area.
Addressing the gath-
ering, Ashghal president
Nasser al-Mawlawi made
a comprehensive presen-
tation on the main infra-
structure programmes in
the country.
He divided these pro-
grammes into three major
categories: the expressway
programme, internal roads
and sanitary drainage,
and the upgrade of drain-
age infrastructure in Doha
city - the Inner Doha Re-
sewerage Implementation
Strategy (Iris).
Al-Mawlawi pointed
out that the expressway
programme aims to pro-
vide a network of efficient
expressways over 980km,
including more than
10,000km of lanes with
more than 240 new inter-
sections.
This also includes all
integrated infrastructure
for Doha and the out-
skirts. Contracts worth
QR38.524bn have been
awarded in this respect so
far, it was noted.
For internal roads and
sanitary drainage projects,
the country has been di-
vided into ve zones. The
total number of sched-
uled projects is 233, which
cover an area of 751sqm.
Currently, there are 172
projects on progress cov-
ering 564sqm.
The third main project
Iris - started in Decem-
ber 2011 and is expected to
be completed by the end
of 2019. When finished,
it will be possible to stop
the use of 35 old sewage
stations in the suburbs of
Doha and replace them
with a central station,
35km away from Doha.
Bank employee gets
eight years in prison
T
he Criminal Court
has sentenced a bank
employee to jail for
eight years and ordered
termination of his em-
ployment for fraudulently
taking QR209,000 from
the account of a client and
forgery of an of cial docu-
ment, local Arabic daily Ar-
rayah has reported.
The verdict also ordered
the return of the amount
and payment of a ne
of QR50,000 by the ac-
cused in addition to his de-
portation upon execution
of the punishments, the
report states.
The accused, a Pales-
tinian, unlawfully took
the money after receiving
a blank, signed cheque
from the client. The latter
had asked the employee
to withdraw the amount,
which he had got as a
loan from the bank, and
deliver it to him, accord-
ing to the report.
However, the employee
told the client that the
cheque had been dam-
aged but then submitted it
for encashment and took
the money. He also forged
a bank statement, which
contained incorrect infor-
mation about the amount
available in the clients
account, the report fur-
ther states.
After going through the
evidence, the court decided
to punish the accused un-
der Article 85 of the Crimi-
nal Law, through impris-
onment, payment of the
amount and imposition of a
ne, the report adds.
PHCC extends lab working hours
In response to patients demands and to provide more
convenient service timings, the Primary Health Care
Corporation (PHCC) has extended the working hours of
11 laboratories in diferent healthcare centres throughout
the country.
If the laboratories earlier provided their services to patients
from 7am to 9am, hitherto they will remain open until 11am
on weekdays. The labs will function on weekends only
for emergencies.
The PHCCs aim is to serve a larger number of patients as
the extension allows more time to process diferent medical
tests according to patients needs.
The time extension is taking place in healthcare centres at
Umm Ghwailina, Airport, Abu Baker Al Sidiq, Omar Bin Al
Khatab, West Bay, Madinat Khalifa, Mesaimeer, Al Rayyan,
Al Wakrah, Al Gharrafa and Al Muntazah.
QATAR
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 12
Tata launches two
new heavy trucks
ByPeter Alagos
Business Reporter
T
here is strong potential
in the Qatari market for
Indian automobiles, spe-
cically heavy vehicles such as
trucks and buses, Indian ambas-
sador Sanjiv Arora saidyesterday.
He was speaking to Gulf
Times during the Middle East
launching of two of Tata Mo-
tors next generation Prima
heavy trucks being exhibited in
Project Qatar 2014 at the Qatar
National Convention Centre.
The trucks are the Tata Prima
6x4 tipper and the Tata Prima
4x2 tractor head.
I would envisage that the
market share of Indian automo-
bile companies such as Tata Mo-
tors is bound to increase in Qatar
in the coming months and years,
Arora explained.
To launch the two trucks, the
ambassador led the ribbon cut-
ting ceremony together with Tata
Motors executive director (com-
mercial vehicles) Ravi Pisharody,
Tata Motors headof international
business RT Wasan, Al Hamad
Automobiles executive director
Mohamed Yousef al-Mana, and
Al Hamad Automobiles general
manager George Annish.
According to Wasan, it took
the company two years to com-
plete testing and trial procedures
for the two vehicles. Having vali-
dated the vehicles performance,
he said Tata Motors was con-
dent that their products will be
well received in Qatar.
He noted that two years is the
normal testing and trial period
for Tata Prima trucks. Every
country has its unique perform-
ance cycle so we wouldjust like to
make sure that the product per-
forms well in Qatar, Wasan said,
adding that the vehicles were
tested on diferent sites and with
diferent clients.
Pisharody said Tata Motors
holds 60% of the market
share in India and noted that
the company is among the
top three truck companies
in India and among the top
three bus companies in the
world.
He added that vehicles
manufactured at Tata Motors
have been designed based on
world-class European bench-
marks.
Citing its 15-year presence
in the country, Pisharody
said he is condent that Tata
Motors will have a great op-
portunityin the Middle East,
particularly in Qatar.
Pisharody also said that
Tata Motors is the only com-
pany with the rights for truck
racing in India. Using British
racing standards, Pisharody
said Tata Motors had organ-
ised a racing event on March
23 this year using the Prima
tractor head as its lead vehi-
cle.
It was greatly motivat-
ing since the racing event had
proven that Tata Prima trucks
are at par with other interna-
tionally renowned vehicles,
Pisharody said.
Al Hamad Automobiles gen-
eral manager George Annish
also expressed optimismin the
future of the Tata Prima trucks
in Qatar. He said: Our expec-
tation is high, especially with
a brand like Tata Prima and
we are expecting good market
share inthe near future.
One of the Prima heavy trucks launched by Tata Motors yesterday
Swiss ambassador Martin Aeschbacher, other dignitaries and oficials are seen at the opening of the first Swiss Education Fair in Qatar
yesterday at Grand Hyatt Dohas Al Aqool Room. The fair which is open from 6pm to 9pm, introduces Swiss private learning institutes,
under the patronage of the Swiss embassy. PICTURE: Nasar T K
Swiss education fair
60 doctors attend Qatari
Course for Board Review
O
tolaryngology, Head &
Neck Surgery (ORL-HNS)
professionals from Hamad
Medical Corporation (HMC), who
are currently preparing for the
Arab Board examination, have at-
tended the seventh Qatari Course
for Board Review in ORL-HNS
held recently at Hamad Bin Khalifa
Medical City.
During the three-day intensive
course, the ORL-HNS profession-
als beneted from focused review
sessions and engaged in discus-
sions on various topics relevant to
the examination.
The course attracted a total of
60candidates fromdiferent coun-
tries, including Qatar, Saudi Ara-
bia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Su-
dan, Iraq and the UAE.
The sessions were organised
under the leadership of Dr Abdul-
latif al-Khal, HMCs deputy chief
of Medical, Academic and Re-
search Afairs, HMCs ORL-HNS
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Sec-
tion head and vice-president, Arab
Board of health specialisation for
ORL-HNS (ENT), Dr Abdulsalam
al-Qahtani, who is also the pro-
gramme director, and Dr Shan-
mugam Ganesan, associate pro-
gramme director and ORL-HNS
(ENT) senior consultant.
Through this course, residents
are given a wonderful opportunity
to meet the professors, who are also
the Arab Board examiners - they
are the ones who prepare and man-
age the clinical and written exams,
so residents have the prime advan-
tage of receiving rst-hand knowl-
edge fromthemand important tips
and guidelines that will assist them
during the examination, Dr Gane-
san noted.
Passing the Arab Board exami-
nation is extremely important as
it will qualify residents to practise
independently as specialists in dif-
ferent Gulf countries.
The guest lecturers invited for
this years course included profes-
sor Mazin al-Khabori, president,
Arab Board of health specialisation
for ORL-HNS (ENT); professor
Salah Mansour, former president,
Arab Board of health specialisa-
tion for ORL-HNS (ENT); pro-
fessor Jamal Ben Amer, profes-
sor of Otolaryngology, faculty of
medicine of Garyounis, Libya; and
professor Ismail Zohdi, HNS Fac-
ulty of Medicine, Cairo University,
Egypt.
A range of topics were covered
during the course lectures, includ-
ing embryology of ears, thyroid
cancer, cochlear implant and hear-
ing aid, fungal sinusitis, physiology
of olfaction, management of cancer
larynx and a thorough overview of
head and neck long cases.
Assistant programme director
and consultant, ORL-HNS (ENT)
section, Dr Aisha Larem, said:
For this years course, along with
discussions about the multiple-
choice questions and other short
ORL-HNS cases, the course also
covered the Objective Structured
Clinical Examination, a newly in-
troduced part of the Arab Board
exam.
Larem explained that the course
has become highly competitive
now as all the residents who have
taken the course in the last two
years have successfully cleared
their examination. This is reect-
ed in the number of interested can-
didates who applied for the course
this year as this time we had almost
double the number of applicants
fromthe previous year.
Guest lecturers at the event. Right: Dr Ganesan addressing the gathering.
Al Hamad Automobiles executive director Mohamed Yousef al-Mana receives a plaque from Tata Motors executive director (Commercial
Vehicles) Ravi Pisharody after the Middle East launching of two Tata Prima trucks at Project Qatar yesterday as Tata Motors head of
International Business RT Wasan, Indian ambassador Sanjiv Arora and Indian embassy deputy chief of mission P S Sasi Kumar look on.
BQFP acquires world rights to
award winning Kuwaiti novel
B
loomsbury Qatar FoundationPublishing
(BQFP) will publish the English edition
of The Bamboo Stalk by Kuwaiti author
Saud Alsanousi, which won the 2013 Interna-
tional Prize for Arab Fiction.
Thalia Suzuma, head of English Publishing for
BQFP, who recently joined the Doha-based pub-
lisher fromHarperCollins UK, won the world Eng-
lish-language rights to the novel from the Susijn
Agency. The Bamboo Stalk takes a close look at the
phenomenon of foreign workers in Arab countries
and deals with the problems of identity, race and
religion through the life of a young man of dual
heritage returning home to Kuwait.
The Bamboo Stalk is a wonderful novel an
efortless, page-turning read; emotionally com-
pelling and powerful. The themes of displace-
ment and mixed roots are universal and handled
with an extraordinary lightness of touch. BQFP
is delighted to be publishing this book for an
English-reading audience around the world, and
we are so pleased to have award-winning transla-
tor Jonathan Wright on board, said Suzuma. The
Bamboo Stalk will be published by BQFP in 2015.
REGION
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014

13
Tehran
welcomes
Riyadh
visit plan
Saudi urges stronger
US-Gulf military ties
CrownPrinceSalman
stressesthat historicand
strategicrelationsbetween
WashingtonandGCC
countrieshavecontributed
tocementingsecurityand
stabilityintheregion
AFP
Jeddah
S
audi Arabias crown
prince called yesterday for
stronger military co-oper-
ation between the United States
and Gulf Arab states whose se-
curity he said was under threat.
Crown Prince Salman bin
Abdulaziz, who also holds the
defence portfolio, made the re-
marks at a meeting in Jeddah
between US Defence Secretary
Chuck Hagel and ministers from
the six-nation Gulf Co-opera-
tionCouncil.
Hagel for his part stressedthat
Washington remained com-
mitted to the regions security
and stability.
We meet today amid persist-
ent threats to the regions secu-
rityandstability,whichneces-
sitate co-ordination in politics
and defence strategies of our
countries, said Prince Salman.
The security of our countries
and our people is in danger, he
added.
The crown prince singled out
concerns over political crises
in some Arab states, as well as
attempts to acquire weapons of
mass destruction and meddling
of certain states in the internal
afairs of others, in an apparent
reference to Iran.
He stressed that historic and
strategic relations between
Washington and GCC countries
had contributed to cementing
security and stability in the re-
gion.
Hagel also called for co-op-
eration in dealing with security
threats.
The security challenges fac-
ing this region threaten the re-
gion as a whole, and no one na-
tion can address themalone, he
said at the end of the meeting.
We agreed on the need for
more co-operation in three ar-
eas: more integratedair andmis-
sile defence co-ordination; clos-
er maritime security integration;
and expanded cybersecurity co-
operation,he said.
US of cials have struggled to
reassure Gulf states, particularly
Saudi Arabia, over an interim
nuclear deal struck with Iran
last year that Riyadh worries will
emboldenTehran.
The GCChas alsobeendissat-
ised with Washingtons cau-
tious approach to arming rebel
forces inSyria.
Hagel said the Jeddah meeting
underlined a shared commit-
ment to preventing Iran from
obtaining a nuclear weapon -
andensuring that its programme
is exclusively peaceful.
Despite Tehrans diplomatic
engagement being a positive
development, Washington and
Gulf states continue to share
concerns about Irans destabil-
ising activities throughout the
region.
This includes Irans sponsor-
ship of terrorism, its support for
the (President Bashar al-) Assad
regime in Syria, and its eforts
to undermine stability in GCC
member nations,he said.
That is why we are commit-
ted to continuing to work to-
gether to reinforce GCC defenc-
es and capabilities,he added.
On Syria, Hagel said the min-
isterial meeting agreed that as-
sistance to the rebels must be
complementary, adding it
must be carefully directed to the
moderate opposition.
The Pentagon said last week
that Hagel aimed to underscore
US security commitments in the
Middle East and to reinforce the
United States unstinting policy
of preventing Iran from acquir-
inga nuclear weaponandfurther
destabilising the region.
After his stop in Saudi Arabia,
Hagel was to head to Amman for
talks onthe Syrianconict.
Agencies
Tehran
I
ran yesterday welcomed a
plan for its foreign minister to
visit Saudi Arabia, stressing
the need to boost relations after
years of strained ties.
The two countries have beenat
odds over Syrias civil war andthe
fallout fromunrest inBahrain.
Riyadhs Foreign Minister
Prince Saud al-Faisal on Tues-
daysaidhe hadinvitedhis Iranian
counterpart, Mohamed Javad
Zarif, to visit the kingdom.
Irans deputy Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir Abdollahian told
the of cial Irna news agency that
Tehranhadyet toreceive Riyadhs
formal invite, but a meeting was
expected.
We have not received the
written invitation yet, but visits
of the countries foreign minis-
ters are on the agenda of Iran,
Amir Abdollahiansaid.
We welcome negotiation and
visits (aimed at) helping to re-
solve the regional problems, to
clear up misunderstandings as
well as expanding bilateral ties,
he added.
In the Syrian conict, Iran has
backed the government of Presi-
dent Bashar al-Assadwhile Saudi
Arabia has been a leading sup-
porter of rebel forces.
Iranian President Hassan Ro-
hani has adopted a conciliatory
tone towards Tehrans neigh-
bours since taking of ce last year,
but while Zarif has visited other
Gulf Arab states, he has not yet
beento Saudi Arabia.
Rapprochement between the
two countries would have rami-
cations across the Middle East,
potentially cooling political and
military struggles in Syria, Iraq,
Lebanon, Bahrainand Yemen.
Top Saudi
defence
posts are
reshuf ed
Agencies
Riyadh
S
audi Arabias King Abdul-
lah yesterday reshuf ed
top defence posts, remov-
ing the deputy minister and the
chief of staf, state news agency
SPAreported.
He also appointed his son
Prince Turki as governor of Riy-
adh region, SPAsaid.
Prince Salman bin Sultan bin
Abdulaziz was removed from his
post as deputy defence minister
upon his request, SPA said, cit-
ingaroyal decree. Hewasreplaced
by Prince Khaled bin Bandar bin
Abdulaziz, thegovernorof Riyadh.
The outgoing deputy minister
is a son of the late Crown Prince
Sultan, who served as a defence
minister for nearly ve decades.
SPAsaidthe king also removed
the chief of staf, General Hus-
seinal-Qabeel, who was retiring,
and replaced himwith his depu-
ty, General Fayad al-Rawyli.
The defence overhaul came a
month after the king removed
the powerful intelligence chief,
Prince Bandar bin Sultan.
Prince Turkis elevation to
one of the most important po-
sitions held by ruling family
members comes months after
another son of the king, Prince
Mishaal, was made governor of
Makkah province.
Until 2011, the position of Ri-
yadh governor had been held for
ve decades by Prince Salman
bin Abdulaziz, who was made
crown prince in 2012.
Prince Turki was born in 1970.
King Abdullah has made a
series of changes and appoint-
ments over the past two years.
The most recent was the ap-
pointment of Prince Muqrin as
deputy crown prince.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel meets with Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Conference Palace in Jeddah yesterday.
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
REGION
14
Iran nuclear talks in key phase
AFP
Vienna
N
uclear talks between Iran
and six world powers
moved up a gear yesterday
as negotiators began in Vienna to
hammer out what could be a his-
toric accord.
After three meetings this year
that Washington says have ena-
bled both sides to understand
each others positions, negotia-
tors aim this time to start drafting
the actual text of an accord, offi-
cials said.
Success could resolve one of
the most intractable geopolitical
problems of the 21st century, but
failure might plunge the Middle
East into conflict and start a re-
gional nuclear arms race.
If the odds of the talks collaps-
ing are high, the stakes of failure
are higher, Ali Vaez, Iran analyst
at the International Crisis Group,
said. Time is of the essence.
The five permanent members of
the UN Security Council plus Ger-
many want Iran to take steps to as-
sure the international community
that it is not about to build a nu-
clear bomb.
In return Iran, which says its nu-
clear activities are purely peace-
ful, wants the lifting of all UN and
Western sanctions, which have hit
its economy hard.
Iranian Foreign Minister Moham-
ed Javad Zarif, installed by bridge-
building new President Hassan
Rohani last year, said after the last
round in early April that there was
agreement on50-60% of issues.
But with both sides sticking to
the mantra that nothing is agreed
until everything is agreedUS
officials liken the process to a Ru-
biks Cubethis is not enough.
Arriving in Vienna on Tues-
day, representatives of both Iran
and the United States sought to
dampen expectations that a deal
was within easy reach, with Zarif
saying a lot of effort was still
required.
A senior US official said the talks
would be very, very difficult and
that there were still significant
gaps, warning that optimism in
some media had gotten way out
of control.
We do not know if Iran will be
able to make the tough decisions
they must to assure the world
that they will not obtain a nuclear
weapon and that their programme
is for entirely peaceful purposes,
the official said.
The parties aim to build on an
interim deal from November un-
der which Iran froze certain ac-
tivities for six months and con-
verted some material in return
for minor sanctions relief.
This expires on July 20, by which
time negotiators aim to have nailed
down the final accord.
One major issue, the Arak re-
actor, appears resolved, with Iran
indicating the design could be
modified to ease concerns that
it could produce weapons-grade
plutonium.
But others, most notably ura-
nium enrichment and the se-
quence of sanctions relief could
be harder to bridge, Kelsey Dav-
enport from the Arms Control
Association said.
Iran already has enough of
low-enriched material for several
bombs if it decided to break out
and use its 20,000 so-called cen-
trifuges to enrich this stockpile to
weapons-grade.
The powers may therefore
want Iran to slash the number of
centrifuges, or to cap output per
machine, but this may be a hard
sell to hardliners in Iran.
Other tricky issues include
tougher inspections by the UN
atomic watchdog and Irans de-
velopment of new centrifuges that
it claims can enrich many times
faster than the current models.
Behrouz Kamalvandi, Irans
atomic agency spokesman, said
yesterday that these machines
could enrich 15 times faster and
were undergoing final mechani-
cal testing.
Research and development is
the countrys absolute right, and
as the supreme leader and the
president have said, this right can-
not be hindered, he told the Irna
news agency.
Also of concern are Irans ballis-
tic missiles, which could carry nu-
clear warheadsit denies wanting
atomic weaponsand its answers
to questions about past alleged
military dimensions to its nu-
clear work.
Iran continues to deceive the
world and advance its nuclear
programme, Israeli Prime Min-
ister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose
country is widely believed to have
nuclear weapons itself, said late
Tuesday in Japan.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif wait for the start of talks in Vienna yesterday.
Qat passion
poses threat
to precious
groundwater
AFP
Sanaa
M
ountainous Yemen
is blessed with more
water than its Ara-
bian desert neighbours but
the national passion for the
stimulant plant qat threatens
to exhaust that precious re-
source.
In the mountains around
Sanaa, farmers are drilling so
many unlicensed boreholes
to irrigate the thirsty crop
craved by the capitals resi-
dentsthat the water table
is falling by as much as 6m a
year.
Engineers now have to drill
1,500m in some areas before
reaching the aquifer.
Qat is an evergreen shrub
native to the Arabian Penin-
sula and the Horn of Africa,
and chewing its leaves and
shoots as a stimulant dates
back centuries.
But it is only in the past half
century that its consumption
has spread from the elite to
become a focal point of Yem-
eni social and business life.
For Yemeni men, an af-
ternoon chewing qat while
decked out in traditional
robes is an opportunity to ce-
ment social ties, seal business
deals, or debate the issues of
the day. But increasing num-
bers of women and teenagers
also indulge in the habit.
Sales of qat in Yemen are
estimated to run to $800mn a
year, a huge sum in a country
ranked by the United Nations
as 160th in the world for hu-
man development, the lowest
in Asia bar war-torn Afghani-
stan.
Only 25,000 acres were giv-
en over to cultivation of the
crop in the 1970s.
But by 2012 that figure had
risen to 414,153 acres, ac-
counting for 12% of Yemens
arable land.
Its attraction to farmers is
not difficult to understand.
According to the agriculture
ministry, qat can earn $5,000
an acre, three times the rev-
enue of any other crop.
It takes five years to get a
harvest from a fruit tree but
just a few months for a qat
plant, and it can be harvested
as many as four times a year.
But each crop comes at a
heavy cost in water usage as
the plants are watered heavily
for a month before harvest-
ing to ensure that the tender
leaves and shoots that users
chew are as soft and moist as
possible.
One days supply of qat for
a single user requires an es-
timated 500 litres of water to
produce.
In Sanaa province alone,
there are 4,000 wells drilled
without authorisation to ir-
rigate qat, water expert Omar
Madhaji said.
Excessive pumping is low-
ering the level of the water
table by 3 to 6m a year, he
warned.
Geologist Ismael al-Janad
said that the Sanaa basin aq-
uifer was being drained at an
unsustainable rate.
The only alternative to
the depletion of the water ta-
ble is to take urgent measures
to prohibit the use of water
pumped from the aquifer for
irrigation, he said.
Water Minister Abdo Razaz
Saleh acknowledged that the
government had failed to stop
unlicensed companies from
digging deep wells.
He said 150 such companies
operate in Sanaa alone, among
950 nationwide.
The upshot is that in a
country that enjoys much
higher rainfall than its neigh-
bour Saudi Arabia, mains wa-
ter is heavily rationed, even
for those who have it.
In Sanaa, a city of some 3mn
people, only 45% of house-
holds have mains water and
the taps are switched on just
twice a week, water authority
chief Ali al-Sarimi said.
Everyone else relies on pri-
vately owned boreholes.
Most people in this area
depend on the well, said Ba-
shir Nashwan as he queued at
one Sanaa pumping station.
The water is provided by
a generous donor. But it is al-
ways crowded and we have to
queue for hours.
Sarifi said just a third of the
3bn cu m of water that Yemen
consumes each year comes
from renewable sources.
The rest comes from aqui-
fers that have taken millions
of years to form and cannot be
replaced.
30 militants, 8 soldiers
dead in Yemen ghting
A general calls the assault
a desperate attempt bya
groupshakenbydefeat to
showit is still ableto fight
back
Reuters
Sanaa
T
he Yemeni army killed
more than 30 Al Qaeda
insurgents in heavy
fighting yesterday, a senior
military commander said,
after the Islamists attacked
military posts in a southern
province where the govern-
ment launched an offensive
two weeks ago.
A military source said the
militants had surprised troops
at military outposts in the Az-
zan and Gol al-Rayda districts
of Shabwa province, killing at
least eight soldiers and spark-
ing a battle that raged for
hours. An army colonel was
among the dead, a defence
ministry source said.
The Yemeni army had cap-
tured both Azzan and Gol al-
Rayda, as well as the Mahfad
district in Abyan province,
earlier this month after heavy
fighting in which scores were
killed on both sides.
Many of the militants, from
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Pe-
ninsula (AQAP) and its affili-
ate, Ansar al-Shariah, fled to
the mountains and turned to
hit-and-run tactics against
security forces and govern-
ment facilities.
Yesterdays raid was one
of their most daring actions
since then. Lieutenant General
Ahmed Saif al-Yafei, head of
the Yemeni armys Third Mili-
tary Command, called the as-
sault a desperate attempt by
a group shaken by defeat to
show it was still able to fight
back.
Dozens of militants have
fled Azzan, while more than
30 elements have been killed
since the dawn of this day, the
state news agency Saba quoted
Yafei as saying.
He said the fighting had re-
vealed that Al Qaeda was re-
cruiting children to fight and
that documents and pictures
showing this would be made
available to the media soon.
A military source, speak-
ing earlier by telephone from
the battlefront in Azzan, said
eight government soldiers and
10 Al Qaeda militants had died
in the fighting before air force
planes were called in to attack
the retreating militants.
A Yemeni journalist who
specialises in covering Al
Qaeda, Abdulrazzaq al-Jamal,
reported on his Facebook page
that the militants had killed
soldiers at a checkpoint and
raised a black flag inscribed
with the words There is no
god but God and Muhammad
is his Prophet over the main
police station in Azzan.
Residents also said that
many people had been forced
to stay indoors as the sound
of fighting rang out over the
town.
Military sources in the field
said the army had forced the
militants to retreat, and that
they had taken their dead and
wounded with them.
The defence ministry said
government forces had also
captured a number of the
militants in Azzan, who were
found in possession of docu-
ments, bombs and explosives
belts.
The stability of Yemen, which
shares a long border with Saudi
Arabia, is an international con-
cern, not least because AQAP
has used it to launch attacks
abroad. The United States has
stepped up its aid and support
for the government and mili-
tary, including drone strikes.
Yemen has been beset by
turmoil since 2011, when mass
protests, part of the ArabSpring
that began in North Africa,
forced long-ruling president Ali
Abdullah Saleh to step down.
Last week, four soldiers were
killed in a gun battle with mili-
tants near the presidential pal-
ace in Sanaa.
On Sunday, a suicide bomber
rammed a car packed with ex-
plosives into a military police
building in the coastal city of
Mukalla, killing at least 10 sol-
diers and a civilian.
Apart from the threat from
Islamist militants, the Arab
worlds poorest country is also
trying to cope with a separa-
tist movement in the south
and a rebel group in the north.
Secure rehab centre for Guantanamo detainees eyed
Yemen is to formally look into
building a secure rehabilitation
centre for Islamist militants - a
move that could hasten the
return of its citizens held in the
US Guantanamo Bay detention
centre on Cuba.
The announcement, which
came in a presidential decree
carried by state media
yesterday, is a significant step
forward for the project, which
is influenced by a similar centre
in Saudi Arabia.
The decree said a committee
had been set up to advance
the project, but did not say if
funds had been earmarked.
The centre would need a high
level of security in a country
beset by militant violence and
with a history of jailbreaks.
Of the scores of detainees who
have been cleared for transfer
or release from Guantanamo,
56 are from Yemen.
Washington halted transfers
of Guantanamo prisoners
to Yemen in 2010 after
Al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula (AQAP), the
movements most active
branch, which is based in
Yemen, was involved in a
plot to blow up an airliner.
A year ago Yemen asked the
United States and Gulf Arab
neighbours to help it finance
the estimated $20mn project.
An expert uses an explosives detector as he checks vehicles at a checkpoint amid fears of Al Qaeda car bomb attacks in Sanaa yesterday.
15
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
ARAB WORLD
Group that led Egypt
uprising to shun vote
Kerry meets Abbas
for informal talks
Brahimi exit
welcomed by
Syria as peace
prospects dim
WHO calls for stepping up alert against Mers
AFP
Cairo
A
dissident movement
which spearheaded presi-
dent Hosni Mubaraks
overthrow in 2011 announced
yesterday a boycott of Egypts
presidential poll that it said
would only serve to enthrone
ex-army chief Abdel Fattah al-
Sisi.
The April 6 movement was
banned last month and its leader
has been jailed, amid a crackdown
by the military-installed regime
on the opposition following the
overthrow of Islamist president
MohamedMursi inJuly.
The secular-leaning group
had backed the armys ouster of
Mursi, but then turned on the
new regime as it clamped down
on dissent.
Sisi, the army chief who top-
pled Mursi, is expected to stroll
to victory in the May 26-27 elec-
tion against his only rival, Ham-
deenSabbahi, a leftist politician.
April 6 does not recog-
nise the electoral process, the
groups chief Amr Ali said in a
press conference.
The elections are only legal
procedures to enthrone Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi, Ali told AFP, urg-
ing April 6 supporters not to vote
and to refuse to recognise the
electoral process.
The political life has been
going from bad to worse dur-
ing the past four months. This
regime does not accept political
pluralism, Ali said.
Sisi, who retired from the
army, has indicated he will have
little patience for protests and
unrest.
His supporters view him as a
strong leader needed to restore
stability in Egypt and kickstart
its ailing economy.
At least 1,400 people, most-
ly Islamists, have been killed
in street clashes since Mursis
overthrow and thousands have
been imprisoned.
Almost 500 security person-
nel have also been killed in a
wave of militant attacks.
Secular-leaning groups such
as April 6 have increasingly pro-
tested against the government,
accusing it of restricting free-
dom while giving police a free
hand to crush dissent.
In December, April 6 founder
Ahmed Maher was jailed for
three years for violating a law
banning all but police-sanc-
tioned protests.
AFP
London
U
S Secretary of State
John Kerry met late yes-
terday in London with
Palestinian leader Mahmoud
Abbas for their first face-to-
face talks since the peace proc-
ess collapsed last month, US
officials said.
The two met in an upscale
hotel for what US of cials have
billed as informal talks, seek-
ing to downplay any hopes of a
breakthrough in Kerrys ill-fated
bid to reach an Israeli-Palestini-
an peace deal.
The door remains open to
the peace process. The secretary
continues to believe that, a sen-
ior State Department of cial said
before Kerry left Washington.
But the purpose of the meet-
ing is more about our ongoing
relationship with the Palestinian
people.
After weeks of angry moves
by both sides, Israel suspended
its participation in the talks on
April 23 after Abbas announced
the Palestine Liberation Organi-
sationwhich is dominated by
his moderate Fatah partywas
seeking a unity deal with the Ha-
mas militants who run the Gaza
Strip.
Washington has branded Ha-
mas a terrorist organisation
since 1993 and has said it must
recognise Israel and renounce
violence.
Top US of cials have already
warned that any Palestin-
ian government which includes
members of Hamas would risk a
freeze in hundreds of millions of
dollars of US funding to the Pal-
estinian Authority.
Under US law the govern-
ment is banned fromsupporting
groups branded as foreign ter-
rorist organisations.
Kerry coaxed the Israelis and
the Palestinians back to the ne-
gotiating table in July after a
three-year hiatus, andboth sides
agreed to keep talking for nine
months.
But the April 29 deadline ex-
pired with the peace process in
disarray, forcing Kerry and his
team to declare a pause in the
negotiations.
Abbas met earlier yesterday
with British Prime Minister
David Cameron.
President Abbas outlined
his plans for a new, technocratic
Palestinian government, com-
mitted to the Quartet principles,
including non-violence and the
recognition of Israel, a Downing
Street spokesman said.
He also expressed his readi-
ness to resume peace talks with
Israel and his hope that this
could be achieved rapidly.
Cameron had urged Abbas
to make progress towards se-
curing the rapid resumption of
peace talks, which remain the
only viable route to a lasting so-
lution.
On Tuesday, Israeli President
Shimon Peres said he hoped for
a return to talks with the Pales-
tinians.
The negotiations with the
Palestinians, led by Secretary
Kerry, are currently paused but
they are not nished, he told a
press conference in Oslo.
Neither side has a better al-
ternative than peace based upon
two states for two peoples. I
hope that the negotiations will
be restarted, he said.
State news agency Sana
says therewerenumerous
reasons for Brahimis failure,
highlighting what it claims
was his interferenceinSyrias
internal afairs
AFP
Damascus
S
yria welcomed yesterday
the resignation of UN en-
voy Lakhdar Brahimi, as
hopes for a resumption of peace
talks dimmed ahead of a contro-
versial election expected to re-
turn President Bashar al-Assad
to of ce.
Damascus accused Brahimi,
who announced on Tuesday that
he will step down on May 31, of
bias and interference in its in-
ternal afairs after he criticised
the planned election as a blowto
peace eforts.
The opposition however
thanked Brahimi for his eforts,
which yielded two rounds of
peace talks but no concrete re-
sults, and said they shared his
frustration over the stalemate
in the conict.
Brahimis departure comes
as Assad campaigns for a new
seven-year term in the June 3
election which the opposition
and much of the international
community have dismissed as a
farce.
The veteran diplomat coaxed
the government and the oppo-
sition to attend peace talks in
Geneva this year, but they broke
down after two rounds, and the
war has slipped into a fourth
year.
Brahimi said on Tuesday he
was very sad that I leave this
position and leave Syria behind
in such a bad state.
To Syrians, he ofered apolo-
gies, once more, that we have not
been able to help them as much
as they deserve; and, tell them
the tragedy in their country shall
be solved.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon
blamed the failure to nd peace
on a Syrian nation, Middle
Eastern region and wider inter-
national community that have
been hopelessly divided in their
approaches to ending the con-
ict.
But Al Watan, a newspaper
close to the Assad regime, put
the blame on Brahimi yester-
day.
Brahimi is Saudi Arabias
man, it said, in reference to the
kingdoms backing for the Sun-
ni-dominated uprising against
Assad.
He demonstrated his partial-
ity for the opposition, particu-
larly during the Geneva meeting,
by expressing his support for the
National Coalition and its chief,
Ahmed Jarba.
State news agency Sana said
there were numerous reasons
for Brahimis failure, highlight-
ing what it said was his inter-
ference in Syrias internal af-
fairs.
A mediator cannot interfere
in the sovereign afairs of states,
it said.
US Secretary of State John
Kerry, who headed to London
yesterday to attend a meet-
ing today of the pro-opposition
Friends of Syria group, insisted
that Brahimi did not fail.
Kerry blamed Assad for the
stalemate, calling him a man
who will not negotiate and
was clinging to power.
The Syrian opposition too
blamed Assad, saying they
shared Brahimis frustration
with the Assad regime for not
engaging constructively in the
political process.
The Friends of Syria meet-
ing is expected to discuss the
humanitarian situation in the
country, as well as ways to raise
the prospects that the regime
will participate in meaningful
political dialogue, a UN of cial
said.
But with the Assad regime in-
sisting on going ahead with the
June 3 election, prospects for a
resumption of peace talks seem
dim.
TorbjornSoltvedt, anexpert at
British risk analyst Maplecroft,
said Assads bid for another term
has removed any pretence that
the Syrian regime is engaging in
meaningful talks with opposi-
tion over a potential transitional
government.
AFP
Geneva
T
he UN health agency yes-
terday warned countries
to bolster their guard
against the Mers virus, which
has killed 152 people in Saudi
Arabia and is causing alarmas it
spreads elsewhere.
The World Health Organisa-
tion said its emergency com-
mittee, which includes global
medical and policy experts,
had agged mounting concerns
about the potentially fatal Mid-
dle East Respiratory Virus.
They reached a consensus
that the situation had increased
in seriousness and that their
concerns about the situationhad
also increased in terms of ur-
gency, Keiji Fukuda, the WHOs
health security head, told re-
porters.
The agency called on coun-
tries to improve infection pre-
vention and control, collect
more data on the virus and to
be vigilant in preventing it from
spreading to vulnerable coun-
tries, notably in Africa.
A total of 571 Mers cases have
been reported to the WHO, of
which 171 have proved fatal. In
many of them, victims caught
the virus in hospital from other
patients, although experts be-
lieve camels may also spread the
disease.
The vast majority of infec-
tions have been reported in Sau-
di Arabia, and cases outside the
kingdom have largely involved
people who had travelled there.
Yesterday the Netherlands
became the 13th country outside
of Saudi Arabia to report a case
of Mers since December.
Fukuda said that while Riyadh
had done its best to stem the
spread of Mers, a WHO team
there still found sub-optimal
infection-control and over-
crowding in hospitals.
Cases have also risen outside
hospitals, possibly because of
the winter season or an increase
in infections among animal car-
riers, Fukuda said.
Saudi Arabias agriculture
ministry has urged citizens to
wear masks and gloves when
handling camels, which are
thought to be the source of the
mysterious coronavirus in the
country.
The risk of Mers gaining the
ability to spread further and
faster has raised the spectre of a
global crisis.
But the WHO has so far
stopped short of declaring an
international health emergency,
which would have far-reaching
implications like travel and trade
restrictions on afected coun-
tries.
Its clear is that there is no
convincing evidence right now
for an increase in the transmis-
sibility of this virus, Fukuda
said.
If it is really associated with
camels, and all of the infections
are fromcamels to people and it
does not become very transmis-
sible among people, then I think
that theres a reasonable chance
that it would stay a regional in-
fection.
Mers is considered a deadlier
but less-transmissible cousin of
the Sars virus that appeared in
Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273
people, 9% of whom died. It
caused huge economic chaos.
Like Sars, it appears to cause
a lung infection, with patients
sufering coughing, breathing
dif culties and a temperature.
But Mers difers in that it can
also cause rapid kidney failure.
It has proven particularly le-
thal among older people and
those with existing health prob-
lems. Page 33
US, Jordan
conducting
war games
AFP
Amman
U
S ground and air forces
held joint exercises with
their Jordanian counter-
parts yesterday as the conict in
neighbouring Syria showed no
let-up.
Among those taking part in
this years war games are more
than 1,000 soldiers and marines
that Washington kept stationed
in Jordan after last years Eager
Lion manoeuvres.
The exercises centred on
the sprawling Muwafaq Salti
air base in the eastern desert,
which has long been seen as the
mostly likely launchpad for any
US intervention in Syria, like
that which Washington briey
threatened late last year.
The Royal Jordanian and US
Air Forces carried out live re
exercises with F-16 and F-18
ghters, and practised aerial
manoeuvres, the of cial Petra
news agency reported.
Inanother part of the air com-
ponent of the exercise dubbed
Falcon Air Meet, Jordanian
special forces and US marines
deployed onto a building from a
BlackHawkhelicopter backedby
Cobras, it added.
The manoeuvres, which are to
last for several weeks andinvolve
thousands of personnel from a
total of 24 countries, came as US
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel
made a lightning visit to Jordan
yesterday for talks on the Syrian
conict.
The Pentagon chief held talks
with Jordans Crown Prince
Faisal and armed forces chief
General Mashal al-Zaben, before
ying on to Tel Aviv, a Jordanian
of cial said.
This visit will highlight the
US commitment to the defence
of Jordan, where more than
1,000 US personnel are on the
ground working closely with
Jordanian defence authorities,
Pentagon press secretary Rear
Admiral John Kirby said last
week.
Saudi announces
fve new deaths
Saudi Arabia announced
yesterday five newdeaths from
Mers, raising the death toll in
the country worst-hit by the
mysterious coronavirus to 157
since it appeared in 2012. The
health ministry also reported
16 new infections with Middle
East Respiratory Syndrome
raising the total so far to 511.
Three women, all over 60, died
in Riyadh, while two men, aged
56 and 57, died in Jeddah, the
ministry said on its website.
A woman comforts her children after their house in the Sahour nieghbourhood of the northern Syrian city of
Aleppo was bombed yesterday.
A student supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted
president Mohamed Mursi holds a yellow flag bearing the four-
fingered Rabaa sign as he stands with others amidst teargas
fired by riot police after clashes broke out during a demonstration
outside Cairo University yesterday. The Rabaa sign is a reference
to the police clearing of Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp in Egypt on
August 14, 2013.
AFRICA
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 16
The US imposed sanctions on five individuals
over ongoing unrest in the Central African
Republic, Washington. The five included three
individuals singled out for punitive measures by
the UN earlier this month, the White House said.
The UN named former president Francois Bozize,
Nourredine Adam, a leader of the Muslim rebel
group Seleka that ousted Bozize in 2013, and
Levy Yakete, a leader of a group that remains
aligned with Bozize. The US move would send
a powerful message that impunity will not
be tolerated and that those who threaten the
stability of the CAR will face consequences, the
White House statement said. Growing attacks
perpetrated by Muslim and Christian militias.
Twenty-two people have been killed and
hundreds of houses destroyed in violence
sparked by cattle rustling in the Indian Ocean
island of Madagascar, a government agency
said yesterday. Some 275 homes were razed and
3,000 people forced to flee during a week of
unrest in the south of the country, the National
Bureau for Risk and Disaster Management said.
The violence was linked to widespread theft
of prized zebu humped cattle, which sparked
clashes between gangs of cattle thieves, known
as dahalos, villagers and the army. A symbol of
wealth, zebu are at the heart of local culture in
the south of Madagascar, where they are eaten
only at weddings or special celebrations.
Several countries have stepped up their
warnings against travel to Kenyas port city of
Mombasa following a wave of attacks linked to
Islamist extremists. Advice from Britain, France
and Australia to their nationals to avoid the
coastal city deals a fresh blow to Kenyas already
embattled tourism sector, as avoiding Mombasa
complicates travel to nearby beach resorts.
Britains Foreign Ofice yesterday became the
latest this week to warn against all but essential
travel to Mombasa, citing recent terrorist
attacks and the continuing terrorist threat in the
area. Australia also updated its travel advice,
urging its nationals to reconsider their need to
travel to both Mombasa and the capital Nairobi.
Tanzanian police have arrested two alleged
witch doctors after an albino woman was hacked
to death for body parts, a rights group said
yesterday. Munghu Lugata, 40, was killed after
attackers hacked of her left leg above the knee
and chopped of three fingers on Monday, said
Under The Same Sun, a group which campaigns
for the rights of albinos. Charles Mkumbo, police
chief of the Simiyu region in northwestern
Tanzania, said that a man and a woman, Gudawa
Yalema and Shiwa Masalu, had been arrested.
Her grossly mutilated body was discovered
outside of her home by her own niece, the
group said, adding that more than 70 albinos
have been killed since 2000.
Britain has ofered Nigeria a surveillance plane
and a military team to help with the search for
more than 200 missing schoolgirls abducted
a month ago by Boko Haram militants, Prime
Minister David Cameron said yesterday. Today
I can announce we have ofered Nigeria further
assistance in terms of surveillance aircraft, a
military team to embed with the Nigerian army
in their HQ and a team to work with US experts
to analyse information on the girls location, he
told parliament. The Ministry of Defence clarified
that one Sentinel plane would be sent. Specialist
teams from the United States, Britain, France
and Israel have been sent to help in the search
operation.
US slaps sanctions on
Central African leaders
22 dead, 3,000 displaced in
Madagascar cattle wars
Western nations issue
fresh travel warnings
Tanzania witch doctors
held after albino murder
UK ofers spy plane to help
Nigeria schoolgirls search
DIPLOMACY FEUDS TOURISM CRIME RESCUE
Boko Haram chief an
obscenity: Soyinka
AFP
Lagos
N
igerianNobel laureate Wole Soyin-
ka has described Boko Harams
leader as an obscenity who is
likely to be incapable of dialogue, as the
government considers opening talks with
the Islamists over the more than 200 ab-
ducted schoolgirls.
The winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize for
Literature told AFP by phone from Los
Angeles that Boko Haram chief Abubakar
Shekau was high on religion and drugs.
For me, we are dealing with a sub-hu-
man species, Soyinka said. How do you
dialogue with that kind of obscenity?
Debate over the prospects of negotiating
with Boko Haramand evenShekau himself
has been a controversial issue in Nigeria
throughout the extremist groups uprising
which has killed thousands.
The issue resurfaced on Monday after
Shekau released a video suggesting the
girls kidnappedfroma secondary school in
the northeastern town of Chibok could be
released in exchange for Islamist prisoners
held by the government.
It is a bind for the nation because the
girls must be secured, Soyinka said, voic-
ing sympathy for the of cials who must
assess the pros and cons of talking to
Shekau.
The shocking mass abductionhas drawn
worldwide condemnation, partly thanks
to a social media campaign supported by
major world leaders and celebrities.
Nigerias President Goodluck Jonathan
has accepted military assistance from the
US, Britain, France, Israel and China to
help with the rescue efort.
Some commentators have suggested
that welcoming help from foreign mili-
taries was an embarrassment for Nigeria,
Africas most populous country and top
economy.
But Soyinka said such critics were
showing a lack of compassionfor the teen-
aged hostages.
I dont know what they are talking
about, he said. This is a global crisis.
In this situation, where we have these
kind of killers, homicidal maniacs who can
go into schools and kidnap hundreds of
girls... all help is welcome, Soyinka said.
For the international community, given
such horrifying violence, intervening is
not a favour, he added. It is a duty.
Activists have organised daily protests
in the capital Abuja demanding the girls
release and demonstrations have also been
held in other cities across the country.
Civil activismis rare inNigeria, with the
prominent exception of massive demon-
strations over the scrapping of a popular
petrol subsidy that shut down the country
in January 2012.
Nigeria has a track record of cracking
down on protests and Soyinka warned
Jonathan against suppressing public anger
over the plight of the girls and the escalat-
ing Boko Haramviolence.
Jonathans administration had better
be very, very careful, because people are in
pain and they have been in pain for a very,
very long time, he cautioned.
A few protests have been disbanded by
the police and there were disputed reports
that Jonathans wife, Patience, had or-
dered the arrest of one protest leader for
falsely identifying herself as the mother
of one of the hostages. If the protests con-
tinue, Soyinka said, the government had
better get out of the way.
Nigerian women protest over terrorism and the governments failure to rescue the
abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
Miners chant slogans as they march in Nkaneng township outside the Lonmin mine in Rustenburg yesterday.
SA police vow crackdown on
intimidation by striking miners
Reuters
Marikana
S
outh Africas police minis-
ter vowed to crack down on
violence against platinum
miners who were trying to re-
turn to work and arrest within
hours strikers he said were be-
hind a campaign of intimidation.
South Africas longest and
costliest strike ever, has taken a
violent turn in recent days, with
four miners killed as more em-
ployees try to report for work at
the worlds top platinum pro-
ducers.
Earlier yesterday, strik-
ing members of the main As-
sociation of Mineworkers and
Construction Union (AMCU)
prevented other workers from
returning to platinum producer
Lonmins shafts, thwarting the
companys eforts to end the 16-
week strike.
In South Africa, the rule of
lawreigns ... Anarchy is not what
is going to be accepted, minis-
ter Nathi Mthethwa told a news
conference later.
Anglo American Platinum
and Impala Platinum have also
been hit by the strike, which has
brought to a halt 40% of global
production of the precious metal
used for catalytic-converters in
automobiles.
Lonmin had been aiming yes-
terday for a mass return of
workers but a spokesman said a
very low number had showed
up. The producers have said
many of the strikers have sig-
nalled a willingness to accept the
latest pay.
Implats mines around the
platinum belt town of Rusten-
burg remain shut while it tallies
the results of votes on its pay
ofer and assesses the security
situation.
AMCUs arch-rival the Na-
tional Union of Mineworkers
(NUM) said its members were
unable to return to work because
of AMCU intimidation.
The charismatic president
of AMCU, Joseph Mathunjwa,
urged his members to stay the
course.
Lets stay strong. Yes its dif-
cult, but lets hold each other
by the hand and stay strong.
Onward! Mathunjwa told thou-
sands of strikers at a rally near
Lonmins Marikana mine.
The strikers, many wielding
sticks, roared their approval to
Mathunjwas remarks at the rally
held near the site where police
shot dead 34 striking Lonmin
miners in August 2012. That sent
spot platinum to two-month
highs over $1,470 an ounce.
Mathunjwa, a Salvation Army
lay preacher who often evokes
both God and class warfare, used
typically combative language,
telling the crowd that the pur-
pose of capital is to destroy
AMCU and its members.
The companies decidedto take
their latest wage ofer directly to
AMCUs members after wage
talks with the union collapsed
three weeks ago.
Mathunjwa said AMCU was
going to the labour court next
week to prevent the rms from
by-passing the union in this way.
The companies said they
would strongly oppose this,
saying in a statement that they
wanted to ensure that employ-
ees are fully informed of the of-
fer, and that they are empowered
to accept or reject the ofer of
their own free will.
The industry has long accused
AMCU of using intimidation to
keep its members in line, allega-
tions it denies.
The companies are ofering
increases of up to 10%that they
say would raise the overall mini-
mumpay package to 12,500 rand
($1,200) a month by July 2017,
including cash allowances such
as for housing.
They say they can go no higher
given rising costs and depressed
prices andLonmins chief execu-
tive Ben Magara said on Monday
restructuring and job cuts were
inevitable as it posted a steep fall
in six-month earnings.
Platinums price, despite yes-
terdays moves, has largely taken
a mutedresponse to the stoppage
as traders have bet there are suf-
cient above-ground stocks to
meet demand which remains far
fromrobust.
AMCUhad initially demanded
an immediate increase to 12,500
rand in the basic wage, exclud-
ing allowances, but softened that
in March to staggered increases
that would amount to 12,500
rand within three or four years -
still a third more than what the
companies are ofering in basic
salaries.
Intentional
spreading of
HIV a crime
in Uganda
Reuters
Kampala
U
ganda has made it a
crime to wilfully and
intentionallytransmit
the HIVvirus andmade it legal
for medical staf to disclose a
patients HIV status to others
without his or her consent.
The law was passed on
Tuesday, a parliamentary
spokeswoman said, in re-
sponse to a resurgence in HIV
infections in a country that
was once hailed as a success in
the global ght against Aids.
Those convicted face up 10
years in prison.
But rights activists said the
law would deter voluntary
testing and further stigma-
tise infection with HIV, which
causes Aids and is primarily
transmitted through unpro-
tected intercourse as well as
from mother to child during
pregnancy.
Evidence from the Ugan-
dan Ministry of Health shows
clearly - criminalisation of
HIV doesnt work, said Asia
Russell, Uganda-based direc-
tor of international policy at
Health GAP, an HIV advocacy
group.
It drives people away from
services, and fuels discrimi-
nation and fear.
Uganda had managed to
cut infection rates from18.5%
of the population in 1992 to
about 5% in 2000, according
to UN gures. But the Minis-
try of Health puts the current
rate at about 7.3%.
While HIV suferers in de-
veloped countries can have
near-normal life expect-
ancy thanks to anti-retrovi-
ral drugs, rather than dying
within perhaps a decade, this
medication is too expensive
for many in Africa. According
to the UN, in 2011 only 54%of
eligible UgandanHIVsuferers
were receiving anti-retrovi-
rals.
The government argues that
the HIV and Aids prevention
and control bill, rst put for-
ward in 2010, is needed to cut
infection rates and reinforce
other government measures to
combat HIV/Aids.
But activists say that, in
addition to violating rights
to condentiality, the law
will be hard to enforce as it
can be very hard to deter-
mine which of two HIV-
positive people infected the
other.
They also note that the law
does not appear to spell out
what constitutes wilful and
intentional transmission,
and whether this would spe-
cically exempt someone who
had sex without knowing that
they were HIV-positive, or
who used a barrier such as a
condom.
Russell saidher group would
petitionPresident Yoweri Mu-
seveni not to sign the bill into
law unless parliament re-
moved the provisioncriminal-
ising transmission of HIV.
Pistorius to undergo
psychiatric tests
AFP
Pretoria
A
South African judge
yesterday ordered that
Oscar Pistorius under-
go psychiatric tests to estab-
lish if he has general anxiety
disorder, in what could be a
pivotal development in his
murder trial.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said
a proper inquiry was needed
to test whether the sprinter
had a disorder that meant he
was not fully responsible for
his actions in shooting his
girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
last year.
The prosecution had asked
Masipa to have Pistorius com-
mitted, after defence psychia-
trist Meryll Vorster claimed
deep-seatedanxiety stemming
from the early amputation
of Pistoriuss legs gave him a
heightened fear of crime.
During two months of tri-
al, Pistoriuss lawyers have
sought to portray himas mani-
cally obsessedwith safety after
a dif cult childhood in which
his fearful mother abused al-
cohol and in the face of high
crime levels in South Africa.
Those factors, they argue,
help explain his reaction on
Valentines Day last year when
he allegedly believed his girl-
friend to be an intruder and
shot her dead through a locked
toilet door.
The accused may not have
raised the issue that he was
not criminally responsible at
the time of the incident in so
many words, but evidence led
on his behalf clearly raises the
issue and cannot be ignored,
Masipa said giving her ruling.
Mental illness or mental
defect are morbid disorders...
not capable of being diag-
nosed by a lay court.
Masipa said a detailed rul-
ing will be issued next Tues-
day, when the court will re-
convene, but indicated she
may be amenable to a proposal
for Pistorius to be treatedas an
outpatient.
The tests were not meant as
punishment, she said, adding
that she was unconcerned by
any delay caused as long as it
was in the interest of justice.
After Masipa gave her
judgement, 27-year-old Pis-
torius clenched his jaw and
pressed his lips together, be-
fore going over to consult with
his legal team.
The star sprinter, nicknamed
the Blade Runner for his j-
shaped prosthetic limbs, could
face up to 30 days of observa-
tion, featuring one-on-one in-
terviews with psychiatrists.
As an outpatient, he would
not stay at a hospital and un-
dergo 24-hour observation, but
visit for his interviews and tests.
A psychiatric panel will de-
termine if Pistorius has a cer-
tiabledisorder that is legally
accepted as a mental illness,
said forensic psychiatrist Sean
Kaliski, who is not linked to
the case.
BokoHarams kidnappinghas createda
global front against the militants
AMERICAS
17
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Appeals court grants stay hours before Texas execution
Reuters
Austin, Texas
A
US appeals court granted a
stay of executionfor a Tex-
as inmate hours before he
was to be put to death on Tuesday
to see if the punishment should
be suspended because the convict
was intellectually disabled.
Convicted rapist and murderer
Robert James Campbell was set to
be the rst inmate executed in the
USsinceabotchedlethal injection
in Oklahoma in April raised new
questions about capital punish-
ment.
Campbell and his attorneys
have not had a fair opportunity to
develop Campbells claim of in-
eligibility for the death penalty. In
light of the evidence we have been
shown, we believe that Campbell
must be given such an opportu-
nity, a three-judge panel of the
US Court of Appeals for the Fifth
Circuit wrote in a decision issued
onTuesday.
Texas of cials were reviewing
the courts order and had no fur-
ther comment, said Lauren Bean,
spokeswomanfor the Texas Attor-
ney Generals of ce. Lawyers for
Campbell also asked the US Su-
preme Court for a stay on grounds
that the problems in Oklahoma
and secrecy surrounding execu-
tion drugs demand a halt to allow
for a sober reection on how the
deathpenaltyis carriedout.
Campbell, 41, was convicted
along with a co-defendant of kid-
nappingAlexandra Rendonfroma
Houston gas station in 1991. The
pair drove her to a desolate area,
rapedher andthentoldher torun.
Campbell then shot her in the
back and left her to die, stealing
her car to get away.
He was to have been put to
death by lethal injection at the
states death chamber in Hunts-
ville at 6pmCDT(2300GMT).
About two weeks ago, Okla-
homa attempted to halt the ex-
ecution of convicted murderer
Clayton Lockett after what prison
of cials said was a blown vein
that made them unsure if the le-
thal cocktail was being properly
administered.
Lockett, mumbling and in ap-
parent pain on a prison gurney
with an IV in his groin, died of an
apparent heart attack 43 minutes
after the procedure started. The
execution was the states rst us-
ing a newthree-drug lethal injec-
tionmix.
The White House saidthe Okla-
homa execution failed to meet hu-
mane standards. President Barack
Obama said it raised questions
about the death penalty and that
he would ask the US attorney gen-
eral tolookintothe issue.
Explorer seeks
speedy dig for
possible Santa
Maria wreck
Reuters
New York
A
n underwater explorer
who believes he has lo-
cated the 500-year-old
remains of Christopher Colum-
bus agship, the Santa Maria,
of the northern coast of Haiti
said yesterday he hopes to begin
excavation as early as next week.
Barry Cliford, a Massachu-
setts marine investigator who
recently led a reconnaissance ex-
pedition to the site, said the start
of any excavation depends on
approval from the Haitian gov-
ernment.
Cliford also said he needs to
locate a facility to potentially
house any of the remains.
He and a team of marine ex-
plorers say evidence strongly
suggests the artifacts from the
shipwreck of Haiti belong to
the Santa Maria, which Colum-
bus used on his maiden voyage
in 1492.
Some experts and Haitian of-
cials have reacted cautiously to
the possible discovery, saying it
is far fromconrmed.
I think the evidence is over-
whelming that the ship is most
likely the Santa Maria, Cliford
said.
Cliford, 68, said he has held
talks with Haiti President Michel
Martelly in order to get approval
to start excavating. He urged
Haitian of cials to take steps to
protect the artifacts, and said
some items appeared to have
been looted fromthe site.
The remains were discovered
in about 10 to 15ft of water near
a reef, according to Cliford and
his exploration team. The dis-
tance of the wreckage froma fort
in Haiti matches a description
Columbus detailed in his diary,
he said.
Among the artifacts found was
a 15th-century cannon.
The Santa Maria was one of
three vessels that left Spain to
look for a shorter route to Asia.
The ship sank on Christmas
Day in 1492 and had to be aban-
doned. After the shipwreck, Co-
lumbus left behind 39 men and
sailed back to Spain on the Nina.
He returned a year later to nd
the fort destroyed and none of
his crewalive.
Clifords teamrst discovered
the wreck of Haiti in 2003, but
was unable to identify the ship.
Yet the discovery of Colum-
bus encampment on nearby
Haiti and data from the ex-
plorers diary prove the heavily
decayed vessel on the sea oor
was the Santa Maria, Cliford be-
lieves.
A replica of Christopher Columbus ship Santa Maria is shown in this circa 1892 handout photo
provided by the US Library.
Newark
picks
Baraka
as new
mayor
Reuters
Newark
N
ewark City Councilman
Ras Baraka declaredvicto-
ry in the race for mayor of
NewJerseys largest city on Tues-
day - the rst citywide election
sinceCoryBooker, Newarks char-
ismatic former mayor, stepped
downtojointhe USSenate.
Baraka, 44, the son of the late
activist and poet Amiri Baraka,
will be tasked with steering Ne-
wark, about 12 miles (19km) from
New York City, as it struggles
with an uptick in violent crime,
unemployment and a possible
state takeover of its nances.
We are the mayor!!! Baraka
said in announcing his victory on
social media website Twitter.
Booker, who served for seven
years as mayor and used his na-
tional prole to help drawbillions
of dollars in investment to Ne-
wark, is nowa USsenator. He won
a special election last October to
succeed Senator Frank Lauten-
berg, who died inof ce.
Former City Council President
Luis Quintana has held the inter-
immayorship.
Barakas rival for the job was
Shavar Jefries, 39, a former as-
sistant attorneygeneral andacivil
rights lawyer.
The candidates touted their
Newark roots in an election seen
as a referendum on the staying
power of gains made by Booker,
including large-scale invest-
ment from Wall Street and Sili-
conValley, most visibly a $100mn
matching grant for school reform
from Facebook founder Mark
Zuckerberg.
The new mayor will also have
totackle the citys most vexingis-
sues, includinganunemployment
rate of 13% among its 277,000
residents and the highest murder
rate inmore thantwo decades.
Baraka has backed a plan
known as Operation Ceasere
that compels gang members to
sever such ties and receive job
training and education.
Jefries and Baraka both put
education reforms at the centre of
their campaigns, voicing careful
support for the controversial One
Newark school reorganisation
plan to consolidate, close or relo-
cate a quarter of the citys schools.
Newark also faces the threat
of a state takeover of its nances
after showing an extraordinary
level of scal distress, state -
nancial of cer TomNef told city
of cials ina letter.
Ashortfall in tax revenue could
leave a gap of about $93mn in the
citys operational budget for 2014.
Some $30mn of that decit was
racked up in Bookers last year in
of ce.
Ras Baraka declares victory in
the race for mayor of Newark.
Bieber accused of
attempted robbery
Reuters
Los Angeles
P
op singer Justin Bieber has
been accused of attempted
robbery, a Los Angeles
Police Department of cial said
on Tuesday, following media re-
ports that he had tried to snatch
a young womans mobile tel-
ephone.
Bieber, 20, has not been ar-
rested or questioned, said LAPD
spokeswoman Rosario Herrera. A
spokeswoman for Bieber did not
immediately respond to a request
for comment.
Detectives have interviewed
the victim, who reported the
alleged crime, Herrera said.
The incident occurred at about
10:30pm on Monday in the Van
Nuys area of Los Angeles.
Media reported Bieber alleged-
ly tried to take a young womans
mobile phone, according to Sgt.
Paul McLaughlin with LAPDs
Devonshire Division, which in-
cludes Northridge andother areas
of the SanFernando Valley.
It was reported to police on
Tuesday. No other information
was available.
Bieber was charged with as-
sault at the end of January. To-
ronto police accused Bieber of
assaulting limousine driver Ab-
dul Mohar after leaving a Toronto
nightclub with a group of friends
on December 30.
Police allege Bieber struck
the driver several times on
the back of the head. The driver
stopped the limo and called po-
lice, who allege Bieber left before
of cers arrived.
The singer faces other charges
in Florida and California after an
eruption of headline-grabbing
cases dating back to January.
In April, he appeared in a Mi-
ami courtroom in connection
with a lawsuit led in June 2013
by a photographer claiming Bie-
bers bodyguards assaulted him.
In a separate Florida case Bie-
ber was arrested January 23 for
driving under the inuence, drag
racing and driving with an ex-
pired licence. That court case is
expected to start on July 7.
Bieber also could also face
vandalism charges by the Los
Angeles County district attor-
ney following the egging of his
neighbours house on January 9,
2014.
Justin Bieber is investigated over allegations he tried to steal a
mobile phone from a woman he thought had taken pictures of
him with it.
Maritime archaeological investigator Barry Cliford talks about discovering what he believes to be
Columbus ship, the Santa Maria of the northern coast of Haiti at a news conference yesterday in New
York. Left: Cliford says all the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence
strongly suggests that this wreck is Columbus famous flagship, the Santa Maria.
Satellite tracking for
civilian ights urged
DPA
Montreal
T
he UNagency that governs
civil aviation pledged on
Tuesday to work on a glo-
bal systemto track civilian ights
as a matter of priority.
Of cials with the Interna-
tional Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO) meeting in Montreal for a
two-dayconference followingthe
disappearance of Malaysia Air-
lines ight MH370 in March said
the systemis expected to provide
authorities with early notice of
abnormal ight behaviour.
ICAO of cials said an indus-
try-led voluntary programme is
the fastest way to get an initial
system of the ground, while the
UN agency continues to work on
binding standards for mandatory
tracking of civilianaircraft.
ICAO council president Dr
Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said the
disappearance of ight MH370
and the crash of Air France ight
AF 447 in 2009 have reinforced
the need for a global system to
track airline ights.
The loss of an aircraft and any
loss of life are always of utmost
concern to ICAOand to the entire
air transport community, Aliu
said.
The unprecedented and
unusual circumstances of ight
MH370 have been particularly
dif cult for civil aviation of -
cials to resolve to this point, and
the lack of denitive answers has
beenmuchharder still for the vic-
tims families to come to terms
with.
In a background paper pre-
sented at the May 12-13 meeting,
ICAO of cials said a high-level
safety conference in 2010 dis-
cussed situations where acci-
dents occurred over the high seas,
including the crash of Air France
ight AF447 a year earlier.
The Paris-bound Airbus 330
crashed into the Atlantic Ocean
on June 1, 2009, three hours after
its take of from Rio-de-Janeiro,
killing all 228 people aboard.
Following an in-depth inves-
tigation Frances Accident Inves-
tigation Bureau recommended
that ICAO make it mandatory
for airliners to regularly trans-
mit basic ight parameters, such
as position, altitude, speed and
heading.
However, ICAO admitted that
despite some initial steps to im-
prove safety over the high seas
and remote areas, even in the
most sophisticatedairspaces such
as Europe and North America, an
aircraft may be subject to air traf-
c control only for the beginning
and the end of its ight.
There have been instances
where an airliner has been miss-
ing for a prolonged period of
time without a positive trace of
its whereabouts, the ICAO pa-
per said. While most of these
incidents were resolved without
consequence, recent history has
demonstrated that is not always
the case.
The paper goes on to suggest
that the airlines might need ad-
ditional means to track their air-
craft.
AMERICAS
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 18
A lucky bidder has snagged a lunch date with Ap-
ple chief executive Tim Cook for the cut-rate price
of $330,000, ComputerWorld reported yesterday.
Thats less than half of the $610,000 a cofee
meeting went for last year. The bid will be treated
as a charity donation to Robert F Kennedy Center
for Justice and Human Rights, auction organiser
Charity Buzz said. The unidentified auction winner
gets to bring a friend along for their lunch with
Cook, and thanks to a surprise add-on, will be a
VIP guest at an upcoming Apple event. Lunch at
Apples headquarters is included, but the winner
must cover the expense of getting there.
The author of a new book released on Tuesday
claims he is the son of the notorious Zodiac killer,
an unidentified serial killer who terrorised North-
ern California in the late 1960s. Gary L. Stewart,
who penned The Most Dangerous Animal of All
with journalist Susan Mustafa, discovered items of
evidence that conclusively identify his father as
the Zodiac Killer. The book claims to present fo-
rensic evidence and a chilling psychological pro-
file that identifies the killer. Stewart, vice president
of a chemical cleaning company in Louisiana, is
not the first person to claim knowledge of the
identity of the elusive criminal.
The hit sitcom Two and a Half Men is to end after 12
seasons, US television network CBS said yesterday.
The series, which stars Ashton Kutcher as a hedonis-
tic bachelor who shares his house with his uptight
brother and nephew, was for several seasons the
top-rated show on US television. It also gained head-
lines thanks to the unconventional of-the-set behav-
iour of its star Charlie Sheen, who was dismissed in
2011 following clashes with the shows producers.
The comedys final season will be a season-long
finale, the network president said. It could even see
a return of Sheen, who was the highest-paid actor
on television during his stint.
A 12-year-old boy who went on a shooting rampage
at his Nevada middle school in October, killing a
teacher and injuring two students before turning
the gun on himself, had complained days earlier of
being teased by classmates, police said on Tuesday.
The local police chief revealed the complaints, made
to a psychotherapist, in a news conference summa-
rising a months-long investigation into the rampage.
Sparks Chief of Police Brian Allen also said the
parents of the child, Jose Reyes-Urtiz, would not be
charged in connection with the incident. Reyes-Urtiz
used a 9-mm semiautomatic handgun his parents
kept in the home.
Two US hospital workers who fell ill after contact
with a patient sufering from Middle East Respira-
tory Syndrome (Mers) have tested negative for
the often-deadly virus, a Florida health oficial said
yesterday. US health oficials had recently con-
firmed the countrys first two cases of Mers since
late April, raising fears about the global spread of
the virus responsible for a worsening outbreak
in Saudi Arabia. More than 500 cases have been
reported worldwide, with about 30% proving fatal.
The WHO said yesterday while its concern over
Mers had significantly increased, the disease does
not yet pose a global health emergency.
Lunch date with Apples
chief goes for $330,000
Louisiana author claims
Zodiac killer is his father
Two and a Half Men
to end after 12 seasons
12-year-old Nevada shooter
complained of being teased
Ill hospital workers test
negative for Mers virus
TECHNOLOGY BOOKS ENTERTAINMENT SHOOTING HEALTH
This piece of steel, once part of the facade of the North Tower, was located at the point of impact where hijacked Flight 11 pierced the building from floors 93 through 99 on display
inside the 9/11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center site in New York City yesterday. The museums oficial dedication ceremony will be held today.
9/11 Memorial Museum
readies for its close-up
Reuters
New York
A
museum commemorat-
ing the Sept. 11, 2001 at-
tacks on New York and
Washington is on the verge of
opening, with wrenchingly fa-
miliar sights as well as artefacts
never before on public display.
Among the rst visitors to the
National September 11 Memo-
rial Museum are victims family
members and others intimately
involved in its creation who will
attend today, after a media pre-
viewyesterday.
The doors open to the general
public on May 21.
The museums two main ex-
hibition spaces, both under-
ground, recall Sept. 11, 2001,
when hijacked planes slammed
into the World Trade Centers
twin towers, the Pentagon and
a eld near Shanksville, Penn-
sylvania, killing nearly 3,000
people.
An In Memoriam exhibi-
tion, on the footprint of the
World Trade Centers South
Tower, commemorates the lives
of victims.
A historical exhibition, on the
footprint of the North Tower,
focuses on the attacks, what
preceded them and what has
happened since.
Some of the most moving dis-
plays are wrecked emergency
vehicles, nearly 2,000 oral his-
tories and poignant personal
items that belonged to victims.
A large hall displays a so-
called slurry, or retaining, wall
that survived the attacks and
a 36-ft column from the Trade
Center site covered with me-
mentoes, inscriptions and miss-
ing posters.
It is incredible, and it will
wind up afecting diferent peo-
ple in diferent ways, depending
on their experiences, said Joel
Shapiro, whose wife Sareve Du-
kat died in the South Tower.
The museum is the result of
eight years of work, with input
from curators, educators, archi-
tects, preservationists, victims
family members, survivors, rst
responders, local residents,
business owners and others.
It has been a key part of a
complex and often contentious
process of rebuilding the World
Trade Center site that was re-
duced to the heaps of rubble and
ash known as Ground Zero.
A recent controversy involved
moving unidentied remains of
victims to Ground Zero. Some
family members objected, say-
ing it was wrong to store themat
what is essentially a tourist site.
Part of the ongoing drama
of the site is that you have 3,000
families, and they dont agree
with each other, said Richard
Hankin, director of a documenta-
ry lm16 Acres that traced the
contentious rebuildingprocess.
Theres so many ways to be
upset, he added.
Bill Clinton
hitsridiculous
claims on
Hillarys health
AFP
Washington
F
ormer president Bill Clin-
ton swatted down Repub-
lican suggestions that wife
Hillarys health could hamper
her potential White House run,
insisting yesterday she is in
better shape than him.
She works out every week,
she is strong, shes doing great,
Clinton said at a scal forum in
Washington.
As far as I can tell she is in
better shape than I am. She cer-
tainly seems to have more stam-
ina now.
Should she choose to run,
the 66-year-old former secre-
tary of state would be the early
Democratic frontrunner in the
2016 presidential race, and Re-
publicans have made no secret
of organising opposition to her
candidacy.
But her husbandscofedat Re-
publican strategist Karl Roves
suggestion that Clinton sufered
atraumatic braininjuryduring
a 2012 fall that caused a concus-
sion.
First they said she faked her
concussion, Bill Clinton said,
alluding to Republican accusa-
tions she had exaggerated her
injury to delay testifying about
a terrorist attack on the US mis-
sion in Benghazi, Libya that
killed four Americans.
Nowthey say shes audition-
ing for a part on The Walking
Dead. I mean, you know, what-
ever it takes,Clintonadded with
a grin.
While he said theres noth-
ing to the suggestions his wife
has been mentally incapacitated,
he turned serious in recognising
the severity of the injury.
It was a terrible concussion
that required six months of very
serious work to get over, he said,
adding that it was something she
never tried to pretend didnt
happen.
Now they say shes really got
brain damage, Clinton said, re-
turning to humorous mode. If
she does then I must be in really
tough shape because she is still
quicker than I am.
It raises a serious issue, even
ina ridiculous way,Clintonsaid.
You cant be too upset about
it. Its just the beginning, theyll
get better and better at it.
HillaryClintondefendsStateDept record
Hillary Clinton, a likely US
presidential candidate in 2016,
yesterday defended her time as
secretary of state as Republican
criticism of her time in govern-
ment mounts.
Clinton told a forum of the
American Jewish Commit-
tee advocacy group that she
played a key role in securing
UN sanctions on Iran in 2010
to try to halt its nuclear ambi-
tions.
I worked for months to round
up the votes, she said in the
first of three speeches she
is giving in Washington this
week.
Scrutiny of her time as Americas
top diplomat has grown after
Republicans in the House of
Representatives announced a
select committee to look into
the 2012 assault in Benghazi,
Libya that killed the US ambas-
sador and three others.
And Clinton has been attacked
because the State
Department
on her
watch did
not designate
Nigerias Boko
Haram group -
which recently
kidnapped hun-
dreds of girls -
as terrorists.
Poor Kentucky has no stomach for Obama
AFP
Jackson
J
im Feltners days are empty.
He is a poor man in the poor-
est county in the US and lives
of government aid.
But the Kentucky resident
has nothing but scorn for
the head of that government,
President Barack Obama, who
has made the fight against
economic inequality one of his
battle cries.
Feltner sits in a plastic chair
outside his ramshackle mobile
home, surrounded by rusty cars
and car parts. He has no televi-
sion.
People around here, he says,
are just surviving, barely. I
know, because Imone of them.
A victim of two heart attacks,
he lives of disability cheques,
and $105 a month in government
food stamps.
Feltner voted for a previ-
ous Democratic president,
Bill Clinton, but now says: I
will vote for anybody against
Obama.
I dont care who runs against
him, Ill vote for him. I dont care
if its a Democrat, a Republican,
an Indian, a Pakistani, even a
Frenchman!
The rst reason is coal. He ac-
cuses Obama of dooming this
mining regionof the Appalachian
mountains with environmental
regulations.
Since 2011, 30% of the min-
ing jobs - around 4,000 - in
the region have vanished.
Competition from natural gas
is another factor in the de-
cline.
Heres what he said about the
coal business: go ahead, build
your coal red energy plants, we
will shut them down, Feltner
alleged.
Is that something for a Pres-
ident to say?, he added. Hes
got a problem with the poor
people.
Eastern Kentucky, a region
that has long depended on
the welfare state, is the epi-
centre of the war on poverty
launched right here in 1964 by
Democratic President Lyndon
Johnson.
But 50 years later, Obama, an-
other Democrat, is held in con-
tempt in these parts.
Nationwide, 63% of low-sal-
ary workers, those making under
$30,000 a year, voted for his re-
election in 2012.
But here inWolfe County, 60%
of voters backed Republican Mitt
Romney. In neighboring coun-
tries Romneys score surpassed
80%.
Wolfe County has the lowest
average income of all the 3,146
counties in America - $31,000
dollars per household annu-
ally.
A massive 41% of its inhabit-
ants live below the poverty line
- dened at $11,670 per person
per year - and 35% receive food
stamps.
The same aversion to Obama is
heard in Jackson, 21km(13 miles)
down the road.
Eric Miller, 28, with bad teeth
and an accent as thick as his tat-
tooed arms, says he does not care
about politics. He voted once,
but cant remember for whom.
But one thing is clear: he does not
like Obama.
I guess Democrats just wor-
ry about money in their pocket,
what they and their friends
are doing. Theyre not worried
about us small people, Miller
said.
The Republicans, they are
the ones that know... raised up
like we have, you know. Know
what its like, what we need,
what shouldnt beentakenaway,
Miller added.
If there werent govern-
ment programmes, it would be
a ghost town, Miller said. He
gets $380 on the sixth of every
month, and with that he has to
support himself and his girl-
friend.
The money is loaded onto
credit cards that are accepted at
certain stores, just for food, al-
though there is a black market
in which goods thus bought can
be exchanged for cigarettes and
painkillers.
Its unfortunate, when the
checks come out, theres a festi-
val atmosphere in Jackson, said
Mike Bryant, chairman of the
Breathitt County chapter of the
Republican Party.
If someone dared say, may-
be we need to rethink this food
stamp programme, theyre go-
ing to hang you from the nearest
tree, he said.
So why is Barack Obama, who
supports food stamps and whose
Democratic allies in Congress
tried and failed to stop a Re-
publican-backed cut in the pro-
gramme, so deeply unpopular?
Racism is a taboo subject
that simmers just under the
surface of many a conversa-
tion here.
Jackson is 98% white, and
the region has checkered
past. In late 2011 a church
further to the east triggered
an uproar by barring mixed
race couples.
But Bryant says voters main
motivation when they go to the
polls are coal and social issues:
abortion, guns and gay marriage,
which he labels the three big-
gies. This is conservative Chris-
tian country.
Political scientist Stephen
Voss of the University of Ken-
tucky says the only thing that
sets local voters apart from con-
servatives inthe rest of the coun-
try is that people here are not
anti-government.
Otherwise, their values are in
line with those of the Republican
Party.
Abortion, coal, the issue of
energy policy, theyre certainly
issues that, depending on the
county, push those voters toward
the Republican party. Not food
stamps, he said.
Were talking relative con-
servatism, Voss added.
Kentucky: People around here are just surviving, barely.
ASEAN
19
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Vietnam mobs set re to foreign
factories in anti-China riots
Reuters
Hanoi/Manila
T
housands of Vietnamese
set re to foreign factories
and rampaged in indus-
trial zones in the south of the
country in an angry reaction to
Chinese oil drilling in a part of
the South China Sea claimed by
Vietnam, of cials saidyesterday.
The brunt of Tuesdays vio-
lence, one of the worst break-
downs in Sino-Vietnamese
relations since the neighbours
fought a brief border war in
1979, appears to have been borne
by Taiwanese rms in the zones
in Binh Duong and Dong Nai
provinces that were mistaken for
Chinese-owned companies.
Apolice of cial in Binh Duong
province, speaking by telephone,
said about 200 people had been
arrested.
We are working on other ar-
eas in the province ... We havent
seen any injuries, the of cial
said.
Photographs posted on so-
cial media sites and blogs, pur-
portedly of the aftermath of the
violence, showed blackened
shipping containers, smashed
windows and several burnt out
vehicles that had been over-
turned.
Some Taiwanese rms had
spray-painted messages on the
road and across their gates say-
ing We Support Vietnam in an
efort to distinguish themselves
fromChinese enterprises.
The rowover the South China
Sea and anti-China violence in
tightly-controlled Vietnamhave
raised fears of an escalation in
tensions between the Commu-
nist neighbours.
I fear a dark chapter in Sino-
Vietnamese relations is now be-
ing written, said Ian Storey, a
South China Sea expert at Sin-
gapores Institute of Southeast
Asian Studies.
And because China wants to
keep that oil rig in place into Au-
gust, these protests could just be
the rst pages.
Tran Van Nam, vice chair-
man of the Binh Duong Peoples
Committee, said around 6,000
workers initially held peaceful
protests on Tuesday, but or-
der broke down when numbers
swelled to about 20,000. Gates
were smashed and rioters set 15
factories on re, he said.
This caused billions of dong
(hundreds of thousands of dol-
lars) in damages and thousands
of workers will have lost their
jobs, Namsaid by telephone.
We urge everyone to stay
calm, exercise restraint and have
faith inthe leadership of the Par-
ty and State.
FY Hong, president of Tai-
wans Formosa Industries Corp,
one of the rms to be attacked,
said about 300 rioters looted
televisions, computers and per-
sonal belongings of workers.
Due to the limited number
of police, they couldnt stop the
looters. The situation was like in
a country where there were no
authorities to protect its people,
Hong said.
Malaysian-listed furniture
manufacturer Latitude Tree
Holdings Bhd said its property
was ransacked, forcing factory
workers to down tools. It did not
know when operations at the
plant could resume.
Everyone is terried, said
Serena Liu, chairwoman of the
Taiwan Chamber of Commerce
in Vietnam.
Some people tried to drive
out of Binh Duong, but looters
had put up road blocks.
A Singapore foreign ministry
spokesman said the premises of
several foreignrms were broken
into and set on re in two Viet-
nam-Singapore joint venture
industrial parks in Binh Duong.
The US said it was monitor-
ing events in Vietnam closely,
and urged restraint fromall par-
ties involved. Taiwans foreign
ministry was in talks with Viet-
namese authorities to ensure the
safety of its citizens.
Storey said the Vietnamese
government wouldnowbe under
increasing pressure to respond,
which could risk a military clash
at sea with China that Vietnam
could not win.
Dozens of ships from both
countries are around the oil rig,
and the two sides have accused
each other of intentional colli-
sions, increasing the risk of open
confrontation.
Vietnams former colonial
master France urgedutmost re-
straint from all sides to defuse
territorial tensions.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Hua Chunying
told reporters that China was
seriously concerned about the
violence and had summoned Vi-
etnams ambassador to protest.
China has demanded the Vi-
etnamese side make eforts to
adopt efective measures to res-
olutely support eliminating ille-
gal criminal acts and protect the
safety of Chinese citizens and
institutions, Hua told reporters.
Hong Kong-listed sports shoe
maker Yue Yuen, which supplies
footwear to Adidas, Nike and
other international brands, said
it had suspended production in
Vietnambecause of the protests,
but there was no damage to its
facilities and its workers were
safe.
A spokesman for global ex-
porter Li &Fung, which supplies
retailers like Kohls Corp and
Wal-Mart Stores Inc with cloth-
ing, toys andother products, said
some of its suppliers in Vietnam
had halted production yesterday
as a precautionary measure. He
gave no further details.
Anti-China sentiment was
also on the rise in Manila, as the
Philippine government accused
Beijing of reclaiming land on a
reef in disputed islands in an-
other part of sea, apparently to
build an airstrip.
The spike in tensions over the
oil- and gas-rich South China
Sea comes two weeks after US
President Barack Obama vis-
ited the region and expressed
support for long-time allies
Japan and the Philippines, both
of which are locked in territo-
rial disputes with China.
Vietnam is also stepping up
ties with the US.
China claims almost the en-
tire South China Sea, an area
rich in energy deposits and an
important passageway tra-
versed each year by $5tn worth
of ship-borne goods.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philip-
pines, Taiwan and Vietnam also
have claims on the area.
Philippine foreign affairs de-
partment spokesman Charles
Jose said China had been mov-
ing earth and materials to John-
son South Reef, known by the
Chinese as Chigua and which
the Philippines calls Mabini
Reef, in recent weeks.
He said China was reclaim-
ing land in violation of the
Declaration on the Conduct of
Parties in the South China Sea,
an informal code of conduct for
the region.
However, Richard Bitzinger,
a military analyst at the S. Ra-
jaratnam School of Interna-
tional Studies in Singapore,
said the airstrip was unlikely
to be a strategic game-changer
in the South China Sea because
of the difficulty in building a
workable runway on the atoll.
It would be a nice tool to
have in the box of options
to project power, but it is
probably going to be far too
small to have a huge impact,
Bitzinger said.
Neighbours haverival
claims in South ChinaSea;
Chinapositions oil rig of
Vietnamese coast;
Dozens of vessels nearby
raise risk of escalation
Agency
identies
suspects
in graft
probe
Reuters
Jakarta
A
graft scandal that has
engulfed the top levels
of Indonesias oil min-
istry widened yesterday, with
the anti-corruption agency
identifying the head of par-
liaments energy committee
and a company executive as
suspects in the case.
The Corruption Eradica-
tion Agency (KPK) added the
two suspects to its investi-
gation of the former head of
energy regulator SKKMigas,
Rudi Rubiandini, who was
sentenced to seven years in
prison last month for accept-
ing more than $1mn in bribes.
The graft case threatens to
undermine Indonesias at-
tempts to attract more in-
vestment from global energy
rms, several of which have
threatened to scale back op-
erations due to uncertainty
about the investment envi-
ronment.
KPK spokesman Johan
Budi said one of the two sus-
pects was the chairman of
parliaments energy commit-
tee, but only identied him
by his initials S.B. It is KPK
policy not to give a suspects
full name.
The lawmaker is suspected
of violating bribery laws.
Sutan Bhathoegana is head
of parliament committee VII,
which oversees energy, natu-
ral resources and environ-
ment.
(We) suspect corruption
took place in connection to
the revised budget for 2013
at the energy and mineral
resources ministry with the
suspect S.B. as chairman of
parliament committee VII,
Budi was quoted as saying to
reporters on TVOne news.
Bhathoegana denied any
wrongdoing in the Rubiandi-
ni case, Antara news reported
in February. The lawmaker,
who is a member of the rul-
ing Democratic Party, did not
answer repeated calls follow-
ing the KPK announcement
yesterday.
Firefighters rest near a damaged Chinese-owned shoe factory in Vietnams southern Binh Duong province yesterday. Right: Protesters wave flags and hold placards on a street outside a
factory building in Binh Duong yesterday, as anti-China protesters set more than a dozen factories on fire in Vietnam.
Two elderly Catholic nuns were
injured yesterday in what inves-
tigators suspected as a botched
robbery attempted outside a
church in Malaysia, police said.
The nuns, aged 79 and 69, were
found at dawn by church workers
sprawled just outside the com-
pound of the Church of Visitation
in Seremban town in the state of
Negeri Sembilan, about 56 kilome-
tres south of Kuala Lumpur.
One of the victims sufered head
injury and was brought to a hos-
pital in Kuala Lumpur to undergo
surgery while the other victim suf-
fered contusions to her body and
was in stable condition, a police
source said. Investigators believe
the incident was a botched robbery
attempt, the source said, without
providing details. The attack
occurred amid lingering tension
between the countrys Muslims ma-
jority and Christian minority. The
government prohibited in 2008 a
Catholic weekly publication from
using the world Allah, claiming it is
only Muslims who have the right to
use the word.
A two-week-old girl was found de-
hydrated but alive next to the bod-
ies of her slain parents in southern
Thailand, police said yesterday.
On Tuesday evening villagers
found the child asleep in a ham-
mock near the bodies of her par-
ents who had been killed at least
two days ago in their hut, said
Police Lieutenant Colonel Virat
Kotsaeng, of Than Toh district, in
Yala, about 800 kilometres south
of Bangkok. The infant was rushed
to a nearby hospital and survived.
The childs parents were Myanmar
migrant workers on a rubber
plantation. They had both been
killed by axe blows to the head,
police said. We suspect this was
the result of a private quarrel, as
nothing was stolen, Virat said.
Two Catholic nuns
injured in attack
Baby found next
to slain parents
TENSION
CRIME
Malaysia premier urges changes to prevent another MH370
AFP
Kuala Lumpur
M
alaysias prime minister has
called for international avia-
tion regulators to implement
real-time tracking of airliners to pre-
vent a recurrence of the baf ing dis-
appearance of ight MH370, while ad-
mitting missteps in the rst days of the
crisis.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal
yesterday, Najib Razak conceded that a
chaotic public message and slow start
to search and rescue operations in the
early days of the planes disappearance
were a mistake.
But he calledfor changes that would
make it harder for an aircraft to simply
disappear, and easier to nd any air-
craft that did.
The International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) held a special
meeting earlier this week in Montreal
to discuss growing calls for real-time
tracking of aircraft by satellite, cloud
storage of black box data and other
innovations.
One of the most astonishing things
about this tragedy is the revelation that
an airliner the size of a Boeing 777 can
vanish, almost without a trace, Najib
wrote.
In an age of smartphones and mo-
bile Internet, real-time tracking of
commercial airplanes is long overdue.
Najib also said regulators should
change crucial communications sys-
tems to prevent them being manually
shut of.
Malaysia has said MH370s trans-
ponder, which relays an aircrafts loca-
tion, and its Aircraft Communications
Addressing and Reporting Systems
(ACARS), which transmits information
on a planes mechanical health, appear
to have been shut of around the time it
went missing.
The Malaysianpremier also lent sup-
port to calls to extend the battery life of
the location beacons for aircraft ight
data recorders and to expand the ca-
pacity of cockpit voice recorders.
Black box beacons have a battery life
of about 30 days. The European Un-
ion has proposed increasing that to 90
days.
Cockpit voice recorders can now
only record the last two hours of pilot
conversations. In MH370s case, any
conversations that took place as the
plane was diverted early in its mysteri-
ous ight wouldhave beenoverwritten.
Some of the changes being consid-
eredby the industry were rst proposed
after Air France ight 447 crashed in
the Atlantic in 2009, killing 228 people,
but little has been done.
These changes may not have pre-
vented the MH370 or Air France 447
tragedies. But they wouldmake it hard-
er for an aircraft to simply disappear,
and easier to nd any aircraft that did,
Najib said.
The global aviation industry must
not only learnthe lessons of MH370but
implement them. The world learned
from Air France but didnt act. The
same mistake must not be made again.
The ICAO meeting this week is ex-
pected to lead to a working group that
should present its recommendations
within ve months.
MH370 vanished on March 8 during
a ight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing
with 239 people on board.
Despite a massive international
search inthe IndianOcean, no trace has
been found.
Thai government, election body postpone talks
Reuters
Bangkok
A
meeting between Thai-
lands interim prime
minister and the Elec-
tion Commission to x a date
for polls that the government
hopes will break a stalemate was
postponed yesterday due to se-
curity concern over the venue, a
commission of cial said.
The government sees the
polls as the best way out of
a protracted crisis that has
brought sporadic violence to the
streets of Bangkok, threatened
to tip the economy into reces-
sion and even raised fears of
civil war.
But the governments oppo-
nents would probably reject a
general election anyway in the
belief the ruling party would
win it. They want electoral re-
formaimed at ending the inu-
ence of ousted former premier
Thaksin Shinawatra before an-
other vote.
The government has asked
to delay the meeting due to se-
curity concerns over the venue
location, said Election Com-
missioner Somchai Srisutthi-
yakorn told reporters. We will
meet with the government to-
morrowat a diferent venue.
Government spokesmen were
not available for comment.
Somchai did not elaborate
but the talks were planned at a
government complex in north
Bangkok near an anti-govern-
ment protest site occupied by
more radical demonstrators.
The turmoil that began with
the eruption of anti-govern-
ment protest six months ago
is the latest phase in nearly
10 years of hostility between
the royalist establishment and
Thaksin, a former telecommu-
nications billionaire who won
huge support among the rural
and urban poor but angered the
Bangkok-based elite. He was
deposed by the military in a
2006 coup.
Last week, the Constitutional
Court threw Prime Minister
Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksins
younger sister, and nine of her
cabinet ministers out of of ce
for abuse of power.
But the remaining ministers
selected a new premier and the
caretaker government is hoping
to survive until a new election
can be held that Yinglucks Puea
Thai Party would probably win,
giventhe enduring popularity of
her brother.
The Election Commission,
which has been accused of sym-
pathising with the protest move-
ment, said earlier it was unsure
whether polls could go ahead on
July20, as tentativelyagreedwith
Yingluck, given the short time
and instability. It is also unclear
whether acting Prime Minister
Niwatthamrong Boonsongphai-
san has the authority to issue a
decree for a newelectiondate.
Niwatthamrong told foreign
media on Monday the election
date might have to be pushed
back.
But for the government, an
electionis the onlywayforward.
Its opponents, on the other
hand, are almost bound to boy-
cott and disrupt it, as they did in
February, resultingintheelection
thenbeingdeclaredvoid.
Thaksin has lived in self-exile
to avoid a jail term for a 2008
conviction for graft, but remains
a huge inuence. He or his loyal-
ists have woneveryelectionsince
2001, but his enemies attribute
that to money politics and want
reforms of the electoral system
by an appointed peoples coun-
cil before another vote. Protest
leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a
former deputy prime minister
in a government led by the pro-
establishment Democrat Party, is
pushing the Senate to appoint an
interimprime minister to oversee
reforms aimed at ending Thak-
sins inuence.
But the government says it still
has a mandate and its legions of
rural-basedRedShirtsupport-
ers have warned of violence if the
government is deposed. One un-
dercurrent of a crisis that is in-
creasingly dividing rich and poor
is deep anxiety over the issue of
royal succession. King Bhumibol
Adulyadej, the worlds longest-
reigning monarch, is 86 years old
and spent the years from2009 to
2013 inhospital.
Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn
does not command the same
devotion as his father, but some
Thaksin supporters have recently
been making a point of their loy-
altytothe prince.
Protesters from both aides are
out in force in diferent parts of
Bangkok and its outskirts. Some
analysts are warning that the cri-
sis could bring more intense vio-
lence which could in turn trigger
a coup.
The game plan of the anti-
government protesters is to in-
stall their own prime minister.
If this happens the pro-govern-
ment side will not accept it and
conict will break out and force
the military to intervene, said
political analyst Kan Yuenyong
at the Siam Intelligence Unit
think-tank.
Thailands Election Commissioner
Somchai Srisutthiyakorn speaks
during a news conference in
Bangkok yesterday.
AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 20
Tibets toppropaganda oficial vowedtoseal and
stifle theInternet inanefort todefangseparatist
groups intheHimalayanregion, Chinas cabinet
saidyesterday. DongYunhu, Tibets propaganda
department head, madetheremarks onMonday,
theStateCouncils informationoficesaid, as China
seeks tostampout ethnic unrest after a stringof
violent attacks blamedonXinjiangseparatists. We
must bringdownpressurefromthesky, findand
confiscatematerials ontheground, andseal and
stifletheInternet - theholytrinityof supervisionand
control of thesystem, Dongsaid. (This is) tocut of
Tibetanseparatist propaganda frominfiltratingand
destroyingall manner of communication.
South Koreas defence ministry said yesterday
that a suspected crashed drone spotted by
a walker was a false alarm - it was actually
the door of a portable toilet. A passer-by had
reported seeing what he thought was the
wreckage of a drone caught among rocks
and trees in a fenced of military area, while
walking on a hillside in southern Seoul. But an
investigation team sent to the area found that
the object was actually the broken door of a
portable toilet, a defence ministry spokesman
said. The door was a similar sky blue colour
to three drones recovered by South Korea in
March and April.
Taiwans President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday
denied a report that he holds a US green card
and owes the US government T$500,000
($16,556) in taxes. The report, appearing in
the Next Magazine, alleged that Ma holds US
permanent residency and is therefore subject
to the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance
Act. President Ma made it clear in 2008 that
he had already renounced the green card that
he obtained as a student more than 20 years
ago, said presidential spokeswoman Li Jia-fei.
President Ma would like to shoulder full political
responsibility and resign if it turned out to be
true.
US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy
yesterday pledged US support for the clean-up
at Japans tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear power plant after her first visit to the
site. Kennedy, dressed in a white radiation
protective suit with her name taped on the back
and a mask covering her face, went inside a
damaged reactor building where she saw how
Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) is removing
fuel rod assemblies from a cooling pool.
We stand ready to help in any way we can,
Kennedy, 56, told reporters after her visit, when
she made a stop at a Tepco facility near the
nuclear power plant.
Wearing a protective suit and a mask, US
Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy
listens to an executive of Tokyo Electric Power
Co during her visit to the tsunami-crippled
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant at Okuma town
in Fukushima prefecture.
Tibet oficial vows to seal
Internet to stop separatists
S Korea crashed drone
turns out to be toilet door
Taiwans Ma dismisses
US green card report
US pledges help to Japan
for Fukushima clean-up
CRACKDOWN FALSEALARM TRUEORFALSE? SUPPORT
Smog police outgunned in
Beijings war on pollution
Beijing authorities handle 5-6,000
complaints a month; Team of 500
inspectors struggling to cope;
Workload rising as Chinacracks
down on pollution; Air in capital
far dirtier thanrecommended
levels
Reuters
Beijing
E
nvironmental inspectors in Beijing
are scrambling to keep pace with a
rising number of cases as the city
tries to impose tough new standards on
thousands of polluting rms, highlight-
ing the growing logistical problems fac-
ingChinas war onsmog.
The Chinese capital has been at
the frontline of a war against pollu-
tion declared by Premier Li Keqiang
in March, and 652 industrial facilities
were punished for breaching environ-
mental regulations there in the rst
four months of 2014.
Beijings eforts are part of a prom-
ise made by the central government to
reverse the damage done by decades
of untrammeled growth and beef up
powers to shut down and punish pol-
luting rms.
But the citys 500-strong squad of
environmental enforcers have strug-
gled to cope with the sheer volume of
complaints.
We have a total of 500 inspectors
throughout the city, and it is certainly
far, far from enough to ensure proper
oversight, said Li Xiang, an inspec-
tor with the municipal environmental
protection bureau.
Li was speaking at the teams head-
quarters in the northwestern outskirts
of the city, where a eet of grubby
white inspection vans was being pre-
pared for a newoperation.
Actually there are just too many
cases, he added, noting that the city
environmental bureau is nowhandling
around 5,000-6,000 complaints a
month.
One after another they come to our
department and it becomes impos-
sible - we can only adopt a guiding
role and do our best to set up standard
working procedures for the most im-
portant cases.
Making matters worse, some rms
are slow to cooperate, with bosses
refusing to sign documents, blocking
vehicles from entering the premises
and on occasion resorting to verbal
abuse.
The problem is not just in Beijing,
where harmful particle concentrations
known as PM2.5 are 156%higher than
the recommended national standard
and over four times the daily level rec-
ommended by the World Health Or-
ganisation.
Hundreds of smaller, less prosper-
ous cities across the country face even
bigger challenges.
According to the Energy Founda-
tion, a non-government US advisory
group, China had a total of 2,935 of-
cials involved in environmental pro-
tection by the end of 2011, compared
with 17,106 in the US.
It also estimated that Chinas envi-
ronmental budget in2012 amounted to
just $0.40 per member of the popula-
tion, compared with $25 in the US.
Researchers have said that while
Chinas environmental legislation has
improved in recent years, authorities
have struggled to keep pace with the
growth of the economy.
That expansion has brought thou-
sands of polluting factories into exist-
ence without the equivalent increase
in the states regulatory powers.
We have had this race between
economic growth and environmental
protection, and even though we have
the policies, and even if they are efec-
tively implemented, we are still quite
overwhelmed by the rapid economic
growth, said Qi Ye, director of the
Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public
Policy.
Beijing has seen its population grow
66%and the total number of vehicles
by nearly 200% between 1998 and
2012, putting huge pressure on regu-
lators when it comes to implementing
policies like fuel standards.
Li Kunsheng, director of the vehicle
emissions centre of the Beijing En-
vironmental Protection Bureau, told
Reuters that while Beijing only per-
mits vehicles that conform to tough
fuel standards, the city has neither
the technology nor the boots on the
ground to enforce its rules.
We check local cars very strictly,
but for those coming into the city from
outside, we can only rely on transport
police to stop and check them, he
said. Large numbers of vehicles have
problems, and relying on this method
doesnt really solve anything.
Last month, China passed long-
awaited new amendments to its 1989
Environmental Protection Law, giving
legal backing to the army of environ-
mental inspectors and promising ad-
ditional powers to monitor and punish
violators.
The new environmental law does
have something to say about expand-
ing environmental enforcement pow-
ers, so we will certainly get bigger,
said Yan Xiangyang, head of the Bei-
jing environmental bureaus inspec-
tion of ce.
We will certainly get stronger, but
I cant say how many more people we
will get. That isnt our decision.
White lion cubs play with each other in their enclosure in Hangzhou zoo in Hangzhou, east Chinas Zhejiang province. The three white lion cubs, born three weeks ago, were abandoned by their
mother and now rely on dog milk to survive, local media reported.
Babies day out!
A woman poses with portraits taken as part of the Inside Out art project by French artist JR at Xintiandi area
in Shanghai. JR and his team set up a photo studio and printing equipment in a truck to capture portraits of
locals and tourists, which were then displayed in public.
Inside Out art!
Worlds oldest sperm found in Australia
AFP
Sydney
T
he worlds oldest and best-pre-
served sperm, dating back 17mn
years, has been unearthed in Aus-
tralia, scientists said yesterday.
The sperm from an ancient species
of tiny shrimp was discovered at the
Riversleigh World Heritage Fossil Site,
an area in the far north of the state of
Queensland where many extraordinary
prehistoric Australian animals have pre-
viously been found.
They include giant, toothedplatypuses
and esh-eating kangaroos.
Mike Archer, from the University of
New South Wales School of Biological,
Earth and Environmental Sciences, who
has been excavating at Riversleigh for 35
years, saidthe spermwas anexciting nd.
These are the oldest fossilised sperm
ever found in the geological record, he
said.
The sperm are thought to have been
longer than the males entire body, but
were tightly coiled up inside the sexual
organs of the fossilised freshwater crus-
taceans, known as ostracods.
We have become used to delightfully
unexpected surprises in what turns up
there, he added of Riversleigh.
But the discovery of fossil sperm,
complete with sperm nuclei, was totally
unexpected. It now makes us wonder
what other types of extraordinary preser-
vation await discovery in these deposits.
Aresearch teamledby Archer collected
the fossils in 1988 and sent themto John
Neil, a specialist ostracod researcher at
La Trobe University in Melbourne, who
realised they contained fossilised soft
tissues.
He drew this to the attention of sev-
eral European specialists, including Re-
nate Matzke-Karasz from the Ludwig
Maximilian University in Munich and
Paul Taforeau from the European Syn-
chrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble,
France.
A microscopic study revealed the fos-
sils contained the preserved internal
organs of the ostracods, including their
sexual organs.
Within these were the almost perfectly
preserved giant sperm cells, and within
them, the nuclei that once contained the
animals chromosomes and DNA.
The researchers, whose ndings are
published in the journal Proceedings of
the Royal Society B, estimate the sperm
are about 1.3 millimetres long, slightly
longer than the shrimp.
Archer said that about 17mn years ago
the site where the fossils were found was
a cave in the middle of a vast, biologically
diverse rainforest.
Tiny ostracods thrived in a pool of
water in the cave that was continually
enriched by the droppings of thousands
of bats, he said.
His UNSW colleague Suzanne Hand,
a specialist in extinct bats and their eco-
logical role in Riversleighs ancient envi-
ronments, said the steady rain of drop-
pings would have led to high levels of
phosphorous in the water.
This couldhave aidedmineralisationof
the soft tissues.
This amazing discovery at Riversleigh
is echoed by a few examples of soft-tis-
sue preservation in fossil bat-rich depos-
its in France, she said.
So the key to eternal preservation of
soft tissues may indeed be some magic
ingredient in bat droppings.
Abbott defends
tough budget
AFP
Canberra
A
ustralian Prime Minister Tony
Abbott yesterday defended his
tough rst budget which saw
swingeing cuts to health and educa-
tion spending in an attempt to slash the
countrys massive decit.
The moves triggered anger and claims
of broken election promises, but con-
servative Abbott said his administration
was being upfront with the public about
the state of the nations nances.
This budget is not about making the
government popular, Abbott said.
This budget is about doing the right
thing by our country and that, in the
end, is what the voters want.
The plan released Tuesday aims to
bring the decit down from its current
A$49.9bn (US$46.6bn) to A$29.8bn
next year, with the government plan-
ning to reach a surplus around the end
of the decade.
It includes federal cuts of Aus$50bn
to health funding and Aus$30bn to ed-
ucation over the next 10 years, leaving
state governments to pick up the slack.
Anewtax will be levied onhigh earn-
ers while welfare and family benets
will be tightened and young people will
have to wait six months before claiming
unemployment benet.
The pension age will rise to 70 by
2035 and people will have to pay a mod-
est fee to visit the doctor, with some of
the revenue raised directed towards a
medical research fund.
Abbott faced a barrage of questions
in parliament about whether he had
broken a pre-election promise of no
new taxes as he attempted yesterday to
sell the policies.
This is a fundamentally honest
budget,he said. The most fundamen-
tal commitment I made was to get the
budget back under control.
Thecuts to health andeducationhave
prompted a furious reaction from state
governments, who now face shortfalls
from the winding back of the commit-
ments promised by the previous Labor
government.
What we saw last night from Can-
berra was a kick in the guts to the peo-
ple of New South Wales, state Premier
Mike Baird, a fellow conservative, told
reporters in Sydney. What services
would (they) like us to cut here in New
South Wales on the back of the funding
cuts that weve seen overnight?
Labor has vowedto vote against some
of the governments decisions, includ-
ing a Aus$7 payment to see the doctor
and the raising of the pension age.
Question time in parliament was
dominated by the budget, with Ab-
bott forced to fend of questions about
whether his promises of no new taxes
amounted to deceit. After six years of
dysfunction, the people of Australia
were looking for some leadership, Ab-
bott told parliament.
They were looking for a government
that was prepared to make not the easy
decisions but the hard decisions.
BRITAIN
21
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Parents at a school whose headteacher was
suspended and banned from teaching have
launched a petition for her return. Jo Shuter was
suspended from King Solomon High School in
Ilford on Tuesday after an investigation found
her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct
at her previous school. Shuter admitted a string
of allegations including abusing the expenses
system at Quintin Kynaston school in St Johns
Wood. The National College for Teaching and
Leadership yesterday banned her from teaching,
and King Solomon High School said it had no
choice but to suspend her. But supporters
yesterday branded the ruling grossly unfair.
George Osbornes father-in-lawhas urged that
fracking should happen only in derelict northern
areas. Lord Howell of Guildford claimed wealthy
homeowners in the South would be unimpressed
by the amount of compensation being ofered for
allowing the controversial gas drilling to take place.
It follows a similar intervention by the Tory peer
last July, when he attracted criticismfor saying that
fracking should be carried out in desolate areas
of the North-East. This time he said: Every time
ministers open their mouths to claimthat fracking
must start everywhere around Britain, and not just
in carefully selected and remote (derelict) areas,
they lose thousands of Tory votes.
Detectives were yesterday continuing to
question a former colleague of missing chef
Claudia Lawrence after arresting him on
suspicion of murdering her. Bachelor Michael
Snelling, 59, was arrested on Tuesday at
his home in the Heworth area of York, less
than half a mile from where Lawrence lived.
He was employed as a lab technician in the
department of biology at York University
where Lawrence,35, also worked until being
made redundant last year. He is now a project
co-ordinator for the mental health charity Mind.
Forensic oficers were yesterday searching his
house and an area behind a garage.
Ten bus passengers were taken to hospital after
the vehicle ploughed into a tree. Windows on the
63 service to Clerkenwell Green were smashed
and part of its frame left mangled after the
crash in Blackfriars Road, Southwark. Fire crews
from the City, Euston and Lambeth were called
to the scene along with London Ambulance
Service. Witness Josephine Suherman posted on
Twitter: Just saw a 63 bus on Blackfriars Road
crashed into a tree, windows smashed, loads of
ambulances. Twenty-three passengers were on
board. Some were treated as walking wounded
at the crash site while others had to be taken to
nearby hospitals.
Royal Mail has apologised to an Indian-origin
man for racist abuse against him by an
employee. The man, who has been asked to
remain anonymous for fear of further attacks,
was walking along a street in Bangor town in
Northern Ireland on Friday afternoon when
a Royal Mail van drove alongside him and its
passenger shouted racist comments at him,
the Belfast Telegraph reported yesterday. The
company wrote to apologise to the victims
partner after she contacted the company to
complain. The woman said she was unhappy
with the companys response and did not feel the
incident was being taken seriously.
Parents seek banned
headteachers return
Lord Howell repeats
warning over fracking
Police continue quizzing
man over missing chef
10 injured as bus
smashes into tree
Royal Mail apologises
for racial abuse
EDUCATION PEOPLE LAWAND ORDER ACCIDENT CRIME
Kate Middleton phone
hacked 155 times
Reuters
London
T
he former royal editor of
Rupert Murdochs News of
the World tabloid admitted
for therst timeat aLondoncourt
yesterday that he had hacked the
voicemails of Prince William and
Prince Harry, and Williams wife
Kate Middleton.
Clive Goodman, who was jailed
in 2007 for illegally accessing the
voicemails on the mobiles of royal
aides, told the jury at the Old Bai-
ley court he had hacked Queen
Elizabeths grandsons in search of
stories while working at the now-
defunct tabloid.
Middletons phone was hacked
155times, Williams35andHarrys
nine times, the court was told. He
targeted Middleton, who married
William in 2011, on Christmas
Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing
Dayin2005.
Despite her often changing the
PIN number to access her voice-
mails, she was repeatedlyhacked.
The last time was on August 7,
2006, the day before police ar-
restedGoodman.
William was hacked for the
rst time inlate January2006, the
court heard, the rst time it had
been revealed that his voicemails
hadbeenaccessed.
Despite numerous hackings of
the royals, Goodman said detec-
tives had never before asked him
about his tapping of the princes
phones.
Policereopenedtheirinvestiga-
tionintophone-hackingin2011.
The subsequent scandal rocked
the British establishment and led
Murdoch to closing the 168-year-
oldNews of the World.
Goodman, 56, is now on trial
accused with the papers former
editor Andy Coulson, later Prime
Minister David Camerons media
chief, of authorising illegal pay-
ments topublic of cials.
Coulson and Rebekah Brooks,
another former editor and later
chief executiveof Murdochs Brit-
ishnewspaper armarealsoontrial
accused of phone-hacking of-
fences.
All seven defendants on trial
denythe charges.
Goodman had been absent
from court since falling ill in
March during cross-examination
from Coulsons lawyer Timothy
Langdale.
Salmond misleading
Scots, says Osborne
Reuters
London
F
inance Minister George
Osborne yesterday ac-
cused the leader of Scot-
lands independence campaign
of misleading the Scottish
public by continuing to base
his plans for independence on
sharing the pound with the
United Kingdom.
In a 90-minute cross-exam-
ination by parliaments Scot-
tish Afairs Committee Osborne
hammered home the British po-
litical establishments message
that there was no prospect of an
agreement to share sterling with
an independent Scotland.
Scotland holds a referendum
on September 18 which could
end the countrys 307-year-old
union with England.
Currency has been a hot-but-
ton issue in the debate between
nationalists and the British
government, who want to stop
Scotland breaking away.
Scottish National Party (SNP)
leader Alex Salmond has ac-
cused the government of bluf,
bluster and bullying over its
position, arguing that a currency
union could happen and that it
would be mutually benecial.
I would suggest that Alex
Salmond should look in the mir-
ror when he makes those asser-
tions because he is not being
straight with the people of Scot-
land, Osborne said. I am ab-
solutely clear there will not be a
currency union if Scotland votes
to become independent - no ifs,
no buts.
In February Britains three
main political parties launched
a unied campaign intended to
warnScots that a currency union
was of the table no matter who
won a general election in May
next year.
Since then, opinion polls have
narrowed but nationalists still
have ground to make up ahead
of the September 18 vote and
the Better Together campaign
against a split has been criticised
for taking an overly-negative
approach.
Yesterday a TNS poll found
support for Scotland to vote to
leave had nudged up one per-
centage point to 30% while op-
position rose one point to 42%,
leaving 28% undecided. Os-
borne was also withering about
the prospect, mooted by nation-
alists, of Scotland continuing
to use sterling without a formal
agreement from London - a so-
called sterlingisation - even
if the British government was
powerless to stop such an ar-
rangement. I dont think it is
feasible. I think frankly its a bit
of a red herring, Osborne said,
citing a history of economic
turbulence in Panama and Mon-
tenegro, both of which use the
US dollar without a formal cur-
rency union. Scotlandis a much
bigger economy, a much richer
economy, a much more sophisti-
cated economy, he added. The
idea that Scotland could adopt
the Panama or the Montenegro
approach is just not credible, it
wouldnt last. It would be pretty
disastrous for Scotland to even
try that.
UK ag could
be changed if
Scots vote for
independence
Reuters
London
F
or centuries the Union
Jack has been the symbol
of British power across the
globe but a bid by secessionists
in Scotland to break the union
with England has thrust the fu-
ture of the red-white-and-blue
ag into question.
Gracing gunboats, guitars and
even iPhones, the Union Flag
has by turns served as a banner
of imperial might and of British
identity for everyone frommon-
archs to the Sex Pistols.
But Scotlands white-on-blue
diagonal St Andrews cross could
be cut out of the ag if Scots vote
to leave the United Kingdomin a
referendumon September 18.
As the Union Flag has not
been adopted as Britains of-
ficial flag, even the prospect
of independence has unfurled
a quandary for admirers as no
one has full authority over the
flag.
This situation is terribly
British in that we are almost
unique among developed na-
tions in muddling through, said
Charles Ashburner, chief execu-
tive of the London-based Flag
Institute, a charity that studies
and documents ags.
Virtually every other country
has this sorted out, with legisla-
tion for the ag and its use, and
this needs to change for the UK
if Scotland votes for or against
independence.
With three overlapping cross-
es, the ag merges the English
red-on-white cross of St George,
Scotlands St Andrews cross and
Irelands red-on-white diagonal
cross of St Patrick.
The red dragon of Wales is not
included inthe ag, which traces
its history to 1606 when King
James VI of Scotland joined the
ags of Scotland and England.
For admirers, the Union Flag
is an expression of patriotism
for the United Kingdom and the
calling card of a lucrative indus-
try selling popular British cul-
ture to the world.
But for opponents, the ag
symbolises an archaic British
jingoismthat helped an English-
led warrior nation occupy a
far-ung empire and dominate
the Welsh, Scots and Irish.
So powerful is its symbolism
that riots erupted in Northern
Ireland last year after nationalist
politicians voted to remove the
ag from Belfast city hall on all
but 17 days of the year.
Above the Scottish parliament,
the St Andrews Saltire has cen-
tral position anked by the Euro-
peanUnionag, aringof 12golden
stars against azure, and the Union
Flag. But eventhe idea of breaking
the unioncouldunravel the Union
Flag into some of its parts, which
are used by national supporters at
the soccer World Cup or the Six
Nations rugby union champion-
ship.
Its aunionag, soif theres no
union we dont need it anymore,
JosieAlderton, anEnglishresident
of Carlisle in northern England
near the Scottishborder, said.
Each of the nations, England,
Scotland, Ireland and Wales,
have their own ags, why would
we need to keep this one?
When asked what would hap-
pen to the Union Jack if Scot-
land voted for independence,
a spokesman for Prime Minis-
ter David Cameron declined to
speculate, saying the govern-
ment was focused on making the
case for the United Kingdom to
stay together.
Change could have conse-
quences far beyond Britain: it
features on the flags of more
than 20 countries includ-
ing Australia and New Zea-
land as well as on the flag of
the US state of Hawaii, Barack
Obamas birthplace.
Its a union fag, so if theres
no union we dont need it
anymore
Inspirational teen
loses cancer battle
London Evening Standard
London
T
eenage fundraiser Stephen
Sutton, who touched the
hearts of the nation and
raised more than 3mn for char-
ity, yesterday lost his battle with
cancer.
The 19-year-old died peace-
fully in his sleep after being re-
admittedtohospital withbreath-
ingdif culties.
His mother Jane said: My
heart is bursting with pride but
breaking with pain for my cou-
rageous, seless, inspirational
son who passed away peacefully
in his sleep in the early hours of
yesterday morning. The ongo-
ing support and outpouring of
love for Stephen will help great-
ly at this dif cult time, in the
same way as it helped Stephen
throughout his journey.
We all know he will never be
forgotten, his spirit will live on,
in all that he achieved and shared
withsomany.
David Cameron, who was one
of a number of high-prole peo-
ple to visit Stephen in hospital,
led the tributes, calling him an
inspiration.
The prime minister said: Im
deeply saddened to hear that
Stephen Sutton has died. His
spirit, bravery and fundraising
for cancer researchwereall anin-
spiration.
Labour leader Ed Miliband
said: Tragic news that Stephen
Sutton has passed away. His
bravery and determination to live
life to the full was an inspiration
tous all.
Stephen, from Burntwood in
Stafordshire, was rst diag-
nosed with bowel cancer aged
15, and was told in December
2012 that his condition was
incurable. His story hit the
headlines after he wrote a last
goodbye to friends and family
online when his lung collapsed
three weeks ago.
He posted a picture of him-
self in a hospital bed giving his
trademark thumbs-up sign,
writing: Its a nal thumbs-up
from me. Ive done well to blag
things as well as I have up till
now, but unfortunately I think
this is just one hurdle too far.
Its a shame the endhas come
so suddenly...Thats it from me.
But life has been good. Very
good.
The blog quickly went viral
and soon led to his fundraising
target of 10,000 smashed as
celebrities including Benedict
Cumberbatch, Simon Cowell
and Stephen Fry highlighted
his plight on social media and
urged people to donate.
Comedian Jason Manford,
who also championed Stephens
cause and helped raise money,
said he was a credit to hu-
manity. He would live long
in the memory of thousands,
if not millions, of people, he
said,Ricky Gervais wrote: RIP
Stephen Sutton. A true hero
& inspiration to us all, while
cricketer Kevin Pietersen said:
So sad to hear the news about
StephenSutton. What anamaz-
ing, seless and immensely in-
spirational young man.
Money was yesterday pouring
into Stephens fundraising page
at a rate of 700a minute.
Queen Elizabeth II talks to an unidentified man while watching her horse Tower Bridge compete in the Novices Heavyweight Hunter class on day one of the Royal Windsor
Horse show in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Berkshire, yesterday. The event runs from May 14 to 18.
Queen attends Royal Windsor Horse show
Clive Goodman, the former royal editor of The News of the World
leaves the Old Bailey courthouse in London yesterday.
BRITAIN
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 22
Govt not
allowed to
appeal
over halted
fraud trial
Reuters
London
T
he ministry of justice has
beenbarredfrominterven-
ing in a court appeal over
whether a judge was right to halt
a fraud trial after defendants said
they could not nd senior lawyers
torepresent thembecause of gov-
ernment cuts tolegal aid.
Three senior judges in Lon-
dons Court of Appeal said they
had received notice that Justice
Minister Chris Grayling wanted
to present valuable material
and answer questions at the
closely-watched hearing, which
could lead to a string of high-
prole trials being derailed.
But the judges, who said they
would make a decision on the ap-
peal inashort spaceof time, said
theCourt of Appeal couldonlyex-
amine material that had also been
seenbythe lower court.
The lower courts decision this
monthtodismissthecasebrought
by Financial Conduct Authority
(FCA) over an alleged land-bank-
ing scamhas become the focus of
aheateddebateover Britains legal
system and a row over barristers
payafter legal aidrateswerecut by
30%for so-called Very High Cost
Cases (VHCC).
In throwing out the case,
known as Operation Cotton,
judge Anthony Leonard accused
the state of a failure to provide
the necessary resources to per-
mit a fair trial.
Prosecutors worry that the
dispute between the Bar (bar-
risters) and the ministry of jus-
tice (MoJ), which has sparked
unprecedented walkouts by law-
yers, will afect similar cases and
allowcriminals to walk free.
Seeking to overturn judge Le-
onards ruling, the FCA argued
that the defendants in Operation
Cotton could have found ad-
equate legal representation, that
the judge could have adjourned
the trial in the expectation the
government would resolve the
impasse.
Number of
Romanian,
Bulgarian
workers falls
GuardianNews andMedia
London
T
he number of Romanians
and Bulgarians working
in Britain has gone down
since border controls on them
were fully lifted in January, ac-
cording to the Of ce for National
Statistics.
The rst of cial numbers of
Romanians and Bulgarians in the
UK workforce undermine pre-
dictions that hundreds of thou-
sands would ood into Britain
once the doors were fully open to
them.
One ex-Ukip MEP even
claimed 1.5mn would come look-
ing for work.
The Liberal Democrat chief
secretary to the Treasury, Danny
Alexander, said the gures give
the lie to Ukips scaremonger-
ing on immigration while the
chairman of the Commons home
afairs committee, Keith Vaz,
claimedthat those who predict-
ed the end of the world on Janu-
ary 1 - such as Nigel Farage -
nowowed the public an apology.
The labour force survey gures
show that there were 122,000
Romanians and Bulgarians na-
tionals working in Britain in
March this year - a fall from
125,000 in December, just before
the last of the seven-year transi-
tional controls were lifted on the
newEU members on January 1.
This was 19,000 more than in
March 2013, showing that the
numbers increased by 20% be-
fore the controls were lifted.
During that time, self-em-
ployed migrants and those work-
ing for multinational companies
were able to come to work in
Britain.
The fall may be accounted
for by Romanians and Bulgar-
ians deciding to work in other
EU countries such as Germany
- which also lifted nal border
controls on the two countries on
January 1 - rather than come to
Britain.
The ONS also published g-
ures for the UKworkforce broken
down by country of birth, which
includes long-term settlers and
people who are now British citi-
zens.
By this measure their numbers
also fell and were down by 4,000
in the rst three months that
controls were lifted but were up
by 28,000 on the same period 12
months earlier.
The overall labour force sur-
vey gures show British workers
have takenmore than75%of new
jobs in the UK economy during
the past 12 months.
UK nationals took 563,000 of
the 741,000 extra jobs that had
been created, compared with the
178,000 that went to foreign na-
tionals.
The detailed gures show that
there are now 2.7mn foreign na-
tionals in the UK workforce of
30mn - just under 10% - which
includes a rise of 74,000 in the
rst three months of 2014.
This is almost entirely ac-
counted for by an increase of
75,000 from workers from east-
ern Europe, including Poland.
There will also be 60,000 fewer
short-termworkers fromRoma-
nia and Bulgaria coming to Brit-
ain this year after the closure of
a seasonal agricultural workers
scheme.
Ukip responded to the gures
by ignoring the fall in Roma-
nians and Bulgarians in the UK
workforce. Huge increase of
292,000 foreign workers in past
year demonstrates that the coali-
tion immigration policy has been
anabject failure,tweetedFarage.
Sir AndrewGreen, of the anti-
immigration pressure group Mi-
grationwatch, also dismissed the
fall in the Romanian and Bulgar-
ian gures, saying: These quar-
terly statistics always uctuate.
The latest annual gures show
an increase of 28,000 in a period
when restrictions were in place
for nine months, and added that
he stood by his prediction that
250,000 more would come over
the next ve years.
But Vaz said: Those, includ-
ing Ukip, who promised the end
of the world on January 1, now
owe the public and those from
Romania andBulgaria a full apol-
ogy.
He said the gures were un-
surprising to himas he had been
at Stansted airport on January 1
and seen howthe supposed ood
was little more than a trickle.
It would appear now that
many may have actually left the
UK. There is a clear need for an
estimate to be produced on mi-
gration whenever EU countries
accede.
Drugmakers, charities
sign animal research deal
Reuters
London
M
ore than 70 medical
bodies in Britain, in-
cluding Pzer, Glaxo-
SmithKline and AstraZeneca,
have signed a pledge to be more
open about their use of animals
in scientic experiments.
The Concordat on Openness
on Animal Research was pub-
lished yesterday after lengthy
negotiations among scientists,
universities, medical chari-
ties, drug rms, journalists and
members of the public.
It covers activities in the UK
only, but was signed by 72 or-
ganisations based in Britain
and overseas, such as US-based
Pzer which is seeking to buy
AstraZeneca.
This widespread support
for openness demonstrates the
change in attitude we have seen
fromthelifesciencesectoroverthe
last few years, said Geof Watts,
who chaired the steering group
thatdrewuptheagreement.
Britons broadly support the
use of animals in experiments,
under strict conditions andonly
when there is no alternative.
An Ipsos MORI poll con-
ducted in 2012 found around
80% of those asked were
conditional acceptors of the
use of animals in scientific re-
search - they approved of it for
medical purposes, under good
conditions.
But around a fth of Britons
are unhappy about the use of
animals in research.
Many say they would like to
know more about what goes on
in laboratories where animal
experiments are conducted.
Some 4.11mn experiments
were carried out on animals in
Britain in 2012, the vast major-
ity of them (74%) on mice. The
concordat obliges signatories
to be clear about when, how
and why animals are used, and
enhance communications with
the media and the public about
such work.
It also commits them to
being proactive in providing
opportunities for the public
to find out about research us-
ing animals and report each
year on progress and experi-
ences.
Jan Creamer, chief executive
of the National Anti-Vivisec-
tion Society, which opposes use
of animals inscientic research,
dismissed the agreement as
empty words.
This concordat, penned
by big-pharma lobbyists, is
nothing more than a ploy to
appear open about animal ex-
periments, whilst withholding
details of grisly, failed and du-
plicate tests, she said in an e-
mailed statement.
Scientists use animals in
medical, veterinary and basic
research to develop medicines
and other treatments for hu-
mans and animals, and to un-
derstand biological processes.
Researchers often refer to
animal models to describe
how animals are used to simu-
late the physiology of humans
or a medical condition that af-
fects humans.
Bombing victims
families suing govt
Agencies
Belfast
R
elatives of 33 people killed
in loyalist bombings in the
Irish Republic 40years ago
are suing the British government
over alleged collusion.
As the anniversary of the 1974
Dublin-Monaghan bombs ap-
proaches, lawsuits have been
launched against the ministry of
defence, chief constable of the
Police Service of Northern Ire-
land and the Northern Ireland
secretary.
Derek Byrne, who survived an
attack in the Irish capital, and
Patrick Askin, whose 44-year-
old father Paddy was killed in
Monaghan, are leading the dam-
ages action over the worst single
day of atrocities in the Troubles.
Kevin Winters, solicitor for
the group, said the lawsuit was
being taken to seek discovery of
documents that would support
allegations of collusion between
loyalist bombers and the British
state.
For want of a better descrip-
tion, a cover-up, he said.
Saturday May 17 is the 40th
anniversary of the attacks. Thir-
ty-three people were killed, in-
cluding a pregnant woman, and
almost 300 people injured in no-
warning bombs, three in Dub-
lin and one in Monaghan in the
space of 90 minutes. The Ulster
Volunteer Force was blamed.
Twenty-ve people repre-
senting some of the survivors
andnext-of-kinof those killedin
the attacks have come together
for the action in the Belfast High
Court in which they claim some
of those involved were British
agents.
Their case states that the ter-
rorists were from Northern Ire-
landandmany were employedby
organs of the British state at the
time.
Winters added that the army,
police and British government
were responsible as they were
aware of who was involved in the
bombing raid but did nothing to
stop them, or investigate them
after.
He said: This legal action is
taken against a background of a
series of previous attempts by
the families to seek justice.
Model Kate Moss poses for pictures with Australian actress Cate Blanchett (centre) as they
attend a dinner to celebrate the work of The Royal Marsden cancer centre hosted by Prince
William, the Duke of Cambridge at Windsor Castle, west of London, yesterday.
Royal Marsden gala dinner
Drones to keep watch on vulnerable birds
GuardianNews andMedia
London
M
ilitary technology used
to hunt downinsurgents
in Afghanistan has been
taken up by Britains biggest na-
ture conservationcharity to safe-
guard some of the countrys rar-
est birds.
The Royal Society for the Pro-
tection of Birds (RSPB) is using
a remotely controlled drone to
spy on the nests of endangered
breeds and monitor the progress
of reintroduced species.
It was created by Nigel
Butcher, the charitys answer
to James Bonds lethal gadget
inventor Q, at its new Centre
for Conservation Science in
Sandy, Bedfordshire, southern
England. A lot of our stuff fil-
ters down from military use,
Butcher said.
We built the copter about a
year ago and have added bits and
pieces to it since, like radio track-
ing, thermal imaging and wide-
angle cameras, Butcher said.
Breeding patterns of bitterns
and marsh harriers can be seen
without disturbing precious
habitat, and the RSPB is also us-
ing the drone to monitor how
cranes and corncrakes are faring
as they are reintroduced to the
UK. It also plans to reach inac-
cessible nests over wetlands for
the BBC Spring Watch series at
the Minsmere reserve on the east
coast.
In the case of a marsh harrier,
we might want to use it to check
on the state of a nest without
traipsing in, Butcher said. We
dont like to put cameras close to
nests until the eggs have hatched,
because the birds can be prone to
deserting the nest.
The main advantage of the
craft is how quiet it is. It only
has six little electric motors
so it is almost drowned out by
ambient sound and the wind,
and doesnt disturb the birds,
Butcher added.
The thermal imaging camera
can track birds and mammals at
night, when many species are
most active.
And like a combat drone, the
RSPBs model can be piloted
remotely using a live video
feed. The team prepared to
capture night footage of the
elusive corncrake in the Cam-
bridgeshire Fens by practis-
ing on chickens. Its tricky
to get heat signatures off
birds because the feathers are
such good insulators. We did
some trial runs with my wifes
chickens, and found that the
head and feet give off a signal,
Butcher said.
The preparation paid of. The
teamlmed grainy footage of the
bird in thick reed beds. We were
very pleased with that because
its not been done before with
a thermal imager, said Andrew
Asque, Butchers assistant.
But despite its benign purpose,
the project and the growing use
of drones for international con-
servation projects has prompted
alarmabout privacy.
Chris Sandbrook, a lecture in
conservation leadership at Cam-
bridge University, said: What
the RSPB are doing with drones
sounds like a good thing, and Im
sure they will be accompanying
it with some sensible messaging
to reassure the public that there
are not Al Qaeda operatives hid-
ing in reed beds, he said. But if
you lived next to an RSPB reserve
and saw one of these things y-
ing around at the end of your
garden, and didnt know why
it was there, you might be a bit
worried.
American actress Kirsten Dunst, Danish actor Viggo
Mortensen and English actress Daisy Bevan attend the
UK premiere of The Two Faces Of January at The Curzon
Mayfair in London yesterday.
Star turnout
Those, including Ukip,
who promised the end
of the world on January
1, now owe the public a
apology
EUROPE
23
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
T
he wail of the siren was
greeted by craning necks
and expectant gazes but
the ambulance zipped past and
left no clue to the hundreds hud-
dled in the dark, hoping for news
of their loved ones.
Outside the hospital in the
Turkish town of Soma, relatives
waited through the night behind
a double police cordon as the
death toll of a blast at the nearby
coal pit soaredabove 200andbe-
reaved the entire town.
Hundreds were still trapped
yesterday and a fewwere rescued
alive but in the commotion of the
massive rescue efort undertaken
by the Turkish authorities, fami-
lies struggled to get answers.
Im waiting, said Zulfer
Yildirim, sinking back into her
headscarf as thelatest ambulance
run yielded no fresh information
and the ash of the beacon faded
in the night.
Gunduz left for work this
morning as he always does. We
heard at about 5pm and now its
3am, still no news, she said.
Around her the crowd of
mothers, sisters, wives, children
and colleagues stood completely
silent, transxed in a mixture of
dread and expectation.
A total of 787 workers are be-
lieved to have been trapped by
the blast that went of early af-
ternoon on Tuesday at the Soma
Komur companys mine, in one
of Turkeys worst industrial ac-
cidents.
Twelve hours after disaster
struck, many relatives had no
idea whether their loved ones
were being treated in a hospital,
lined up in a makeshift morgue
or ghting for their lives a mile
deep.
I dont know where my uncle
is, said Rabia Karakilic, strug-
gling to contain her anguish.
Look at how late it is. They
still havent found him, said the
young woman. We sometimes
feel hope but its really hard not
to knowwhere he is.
Suddenly, two hospital em-
ployees walked over to the fami-
lies with a loudspeaker and be-
gan calling out names of miners
treated in their department.
Two women broke rank from
the crowd, tears of hope welling
up in their eyes.
We only deal with the least
serious cases here, one doctor
told AFP, declining to provide
any gures. Most of the patients
are treated for asphyxia and res-
piratory problems.
A few miles away from Soma,
a town about 150 miles of Istan-
bul in Turkeys Aegean region, an
improvised morgue was set up
for the miners who were pulled
out dead.
This time the gloom in front
of the hospital was disrupted by
screams.
A stretcher carrying one of the
relatives soon cut through the
crowd, which promptly walled
itself back in silence.
All said that they would not
leave without some news on the
fate of the missing miners.
Were waiting for our uncle
Kubilay, said Umut Demiroren.
We hope hell make it, God will-
ing, were hoping for good news.
We wish this on everybody, not
just our family.
Anger was beginning to build
up around the pit itself, with
some miners challenging Soma
Komurs assurances the com-
pany hadcompliedwith all safety
norms and arguing their col-
leagues were killed by corporate
greed.
But in front of the hospital, the
families had no time for the poli-
tics of the accident and remained
entirely focused on their agonis-
ing wait.
Its the rst time something
like this has happened here, said
Harun Unzar, a miner who came
to enquire about the fate of his
colleagues.
We had lost one of our friends
once but this is enormous ...
they say its a transformer that
exploded but we dont know if
thats true.
All the victims are our
friends, he said, weeping. We
are a family and today that family
is devastated. We have had very
little news andwhenit does come
its very bad.
Towns close-knit mining family bracing for the worst
AFP
Soma
Rescuers carry a miner who sustained injuries after the mine explosion to an ambulance in Soma.
H
opes were fading yester-
day for an estimated 120
people still trapped in a
collapsed mine in Turkey, as the
death toll reached 238 and edged
closer to becoming the countrys
worst-ever industrial disaster.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan inspected the site in the
western town of Soma in Manisa
province, a day after an electri-
cal fault caused an explosion that
collapsed parts of the mine.
We have witnessed one of
the biggest work accidents in
our recent history, Erdogan told
reporters. We have mobilised
the states resources in the face
of such a large-scale and painful
incident.
He said gures remained un-
certain but mining operators
thought 120 workers were still
trapped.
Erdogan said inquiries would
be launched into the causes of
the disaster, but remained unre-
pentant about the governments
responsibility.
Such accidents happen, he
said.
He compared it to mining ac-
cidents in other countries, say-
ing 204 people died in the UK
in 1862 and 361 people in 1864.
There is something in literature
called work accidents.
The death toll by midday had
reached 238, most killed by car-
bon monoxide poisoning. Three
days of national mourning have
been declared.
Fires and toxic gases were
complicating eforts by 400 res-
cue workers, said Energy Minis-
ter Taner Yildiz.
The miners are all thought to
have gas masks, but it was not
clear howlong they would last.
Earlier reports said that 787
workers were underground when
the blast occurred, but many
were able to escape.
I must say that our hopes
about rescue eforts inside are
fading, said Yildiz.
Anger could be seen build-
ing among the hundreds of dis-
traught family and friends gath-
ered at the site where Erdogan
gave a press conference, with
some kicking his vehicle and
calling for his resignation.
Meanwhile, Turkish police
red tear gas and water cannon
at around 800 protesters, mostly
students, who marched towards
the energy ministry in Ankara,
accusing the government and
mining industry of negligence,
an AFP photographer at the
scene said.
Tear gas was also used to dis-
perse around 50 protesters who
threweggs at the mining research
directorate in Istanbul, another
AFP photographer reported.
Only a handful of miners were
seen pulled from the collapsed
mine yesterday morning, many
of themalready dead.
One emerged wearing an oxy-
gen mask and was immediately
rushed to hospital.
As victims were taken away on
stretchers, friends and relatives
tried to pull away the sheets cov-
ering the corpses.
Most sat silently on benches,
their faces blank with shock,
while others scoured a list of the
wounded posted up on a wall
alongside the name of the hospi-
tal they were taken to.
Harun Unzar, a colleague of
the missing miners said that he
had lost a friend previously but
this is enormous.
We are a family andtoday that
family is devastated. We have had
very little news and when it does
come its very bad, he said.
A security source told AFP
there were pockets in the mine,
one of which was open so rescu-
ers were able to reach the work-
ers, but the second was blocked
with workers trapped inside.
Fire of cials were trying to
pump clean air into the mine
shaft for those who remained
trappedsome 2kmbelowthe sur-
face and 4kmfromthe entrance.
Explosions and cave-ins are
common in Turkey, particularly
in private mines, where safety
regulations are often outed.
Turkeys worst mining ac-
cident happened in 1992 when
263 workers were killed in a gas
explosion in a mine in northern
Zonguldak.
A lawmaker from the main
opposition Republican Peoples
Party (CHP) said it submitted a
parliamentary motion 20 days
ago to investigate work-related
accidents at coal mines in Soma
but it was rejected by the govern-
ment.
The CHPs Manisa deputy
Ozgur Ozel told local media: We
receive tip-ofs every day that
workers lives are under threat.
We lawmakers from Manisa are
tired of going to miner funerals.
Tuesdays explosion was be-
lieved to have been triggered by
a faulty electrical transformer
around 1230 GMT.
Turkeys ministry of labour
and social security said the mine
was last inspected on March 17
and was found to comply with
safety regulations.
But Oktay Berrin, a miner, said
workers were not protected un-
derground.
There is no security in this
mine, he told AFP. The unions
are just puppets andour manage-
ment only cares about money.
Energy Minister Yildiz prom-
ised the government would not
turn a blind eye to negligence.
We will do whatever neces-
sary, including all administrative
and legal steps, he said.
The mining company Soma
Komur said it had taken maxi-
mummeasures to ensure safety.
The accident happened de-
spite maximum safety measures
and inspections, but we have
been able to take prompt action,
it said.
France, Germany and the Eu-
ropean Union all ofered their
condolences and assistance.
It is a tragedy that provokes
great emotion, President Fran-
cois Hollande said in a state-
ment. Turkey can count on the
support and solidarity of France
in this ordeal.
Soma is a key centre for lignite
coal mining andis locatedaround
250kmsouth of Istanbul.
Turkey races to save
trapped coal miners
AFP
Soma
Security guards stand near a mock cofin left by protesters blaming
the ruling AK Party (AKP) government on the Soma mining disaster.
O
pposition politician
Ozgur Ozel held a miners
helmet aloft in parlia-
ment last month as he demanded
an investigation into a spate of
mining accidents in the western
Turkish town of Soma.
His call was rejected by depu-
ties from Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogans ruling AK Par-
ty, whose overwhelming parlia-
mentary majority enables them
to block almost every opposition
motion.
Two weeks later, some 240
workers have been pulled dead
from a mine in the town and
more than 100 remain trapped, a
disaster likely to prove the dead-
liest of its kindinTurkish history.
The oppositionsaid it had only
been a matter of time.
As images of soot-smeared
survivors and grieving families
were beamed around the world,
the accident threw the spot-
light on Turkeys poor record on
workplace safety and on what
the governments critics say is its
wilfully lax regulation.
Our proposal was aimed at
preventing accidents like this,
Ozel, a local MP from the main
opposition Republican Peoples
Party (CHP), told Reuters by tel-
ephone fromSoma.
He blamed leasing arrange-
ments implemented by Erdog-
ans AK Party over the past dec-
ade, which allowed private rms
to run formerly state-run mines,
for ruining safety standards.
The only way to increase
protability is to cut downcosts,
he said. Workers health, secu-
rity and accident prevention are
seenby mine operators as expen-
sive, invisible and a burden. This
is where savings are made rst.
The labour ministry said late
on Tuesday its of cials had car-
ried out regular inspections at
the Soma mine, most recently in
March, and that no irregularities
had been detected.
The mines operator, Soma
Komur Isletmeleri, defended
its working practices yesterday,
saying that its staf were union-
ised and all had insurance and
social security benets, and that
its site was inspected every six
months.
But the rmhas made clear its
ambition to cut costs since tak-
ing over the mine in 2005.
Soma Holding owner Alp Gur-
kan was quoted as telling the
Hurriyet daily in 2012 that his
company had vowed to extract
coal at just a fth of the price in-
curred by the state.
Our engineers and workers
didnt come from outer space.
Its just a matter of good plan-
ning and implementing the pri-
vate sector working style,he was
quoted as saying.
He said the state-run Turkish
Coal Enterprises extracted coal
in Soma at a cost of around $130-
140 per tonne but Soma Holding
guaranteed it would extract coal
at a cost of $23.8 per tonne when
it took over mines there in 2005.
Such talk had long worried
workers in Soma, a closely-knit
mining district, more than a
tenth of whose 105,000-strong
population is employed by the
industry.
We were feeling at risk after
the privatisation. What they care
about is making more money at
the end of the day, said Hasan
Dogan, 27, a relative of one of the
men still trapped, watching news
reports in a canteen outside So-
mas hospital. We have nothing
to do but pray to Allah to deliver
justice to those responsible.
Erkan Akcay, a local MP for
the opposition MHP, said Erdog-
ans AK Party had failed to heed
warnings on mine safety and
that privatisation, subcontract-
ing and leasing practices, along
with inadequate inspections, had
caused a rise in accidents.
The accident statistics in
some private mining companies
in Soma are blood-curdling, he
said in a statement on his web-
site, adding there were 5,000
workplace accidents last year
in Soma alone, 90% of them in
mines.
The responsibility for the
deaths of our workers in Soma is
onthe shoulders of AKPdeputies
now making statements on tel-
evision, he said.
Akcay said workers died anav-
erage of 8.5 times more frequent-
ly in Turkey than in the European
Union, of which Turkey aspires
to be a member.
There were 880,000 work ac-
cidents between 2002 and 2013,
13,442 of themfatal.
Spotlight on the
regulation of
mining industry
ByDarenButler, Reuters
Istanbul
People pray during the funeral of a miner following the Soma mine explosion.
F
rench lawmakers observed
a sombre minutes silence
yesterday in memory of
slain photojournalist Camille
Lepage as the country mourned
a precocious young talent cut
down while pursuing her pas-
sion.
Aged 26, the British-trained
photographer had begun to es-
tablish herself as a rising star in
a ferociously competitive indus-
try when she was caught up in a
deadly shoot-out between rival
militia in the Central African
Republic, where she had spent
recent months chronicling the
impoverished countrys sectar-
ian bloodletting and its impact
on the civilian population.
Lepages body was recovered
by French peacekeeping troops
on Tuesday evening.
She had been on an assign-
ment with members of the anti-
balaka Christian militia earlier
in the week when they were am-
bushed by ghters linked to rival
militia groups.
At least 10 ghters died in the
ensuing battle in the village of
Gallo in the west of the former
French colony.
French authorities have
opened an investigation while
the UN Security Council con-
demned the killing and urged the
Central African government to
ensure that those responsible are
brought to justice.
Friends and family paid trib-
ute to a strong-willed character,
described by her mother Mary-
vonne as an exceptional girl
who was doing exactly what she
wanted to do.
Camille had a force of per-
sonality that meant she was not
always easy to live with, her
mother said. But she knewwhat
she wanted. She was passionate
about what she was doing.
At the time of her death, Lep-
age was working with Hans Lu-
cas, a small Paris-based agency
which helped her get her work
published by major international
media, including the New York
Times, the Washington Post, the
Sunday Times and the Guardian.
Born in Angers in the Loire
Valley, Lepage left France as an
18-year-old to study journalism
at Solent University in South-
ampton, England.
She had been in the Central
African Republic since Septem-
ber of last year, staying on long
after the countrys collapse into
chaos had slipped of the front
pages.
France mourns slain photographer cut down in her prime
AFP
Paris
Journalists charged over snooping
DENMARK
Danish police have charged two journalists and a leading magazine
publisher over alleged payments to a rogue IT expert in return for
celebrity credit card data.
Police raided the journalists homes and the ofices of Aller Media,
just over a week after charging a man for supplying gossip
magazine Se & Hoer with confidential information from an online
payment company.
Le Monde editor quits after revolt
FRANCE
Natalie Nougayrede, first female editor-in-chief of French daily Le
Monde, quit yesterday after a power struggle with top staf who last
week staged a protest over her plans to revamp the newspaper.
Last week, seven senior editors stepped down from their posts after
growing disputes over a planned new print format, a tablet edition
and disagreements over planned personnel changes.
EUROPE
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 24
M
ovie stars poured onto
the Cannes red carpet
yesterday for a glitter-
ing ceremony heralding the start
of the worlds biggest lm festi-
val after critics savaged opening
movie Grace of Monaco.
Nicole Kidman, Soa Coppola,
Willem Dafoe, Chiara Mastroi-
anni, and jury head Jane Cam-
pion were among the big names
who walked up the 24steps of the
Palais des Festivals in the French
Riviera resort.
Ryan Gosling, David Cronen-
berg and Sophia Loren are also
set to make an appearance later
in the 67th Cannes Film Festi-
val, where directorial big guns
will go head-to-head in a year of
comebacks, swansongs and star
debuts.
But for lmmakers behind the
opening movie, the festivities
promise to be bittersweet as the
Monaco princely family furi-
ously disavowed a lm they say
bears no resemblance to reality
and critics who got a sneak pre-
viewmade no secret of their con-
tempt.
The cringe-factor is iono-
spherically high, the Guard-
ian lm maestro Peter Bradshaw
wrote. A eet of ambulances
may have to be stationed outside
the Palais to take tuxed audienc-
es to hospital afterwards to have
their toes uncurled under general
anaesthetic.
Rather than illustrate her life
as whole, the movie focuses on
a period of high tensions be-
tween the tiny state on a rock and
France in 1962 that prompted the
princess to turn down an ofer by
Alfred Hitchcock to return to her
beloved acting.
Kidman portrays an unhappy
Grace who sleeps in a separate
bedroom to Prince Rainier, even
contemplating divorce before
rising up to the challenge of be-
ing a princess and helping her
lost husband solve the political
crisis with France.
Graces children Prince Albert
II and his sisters Caroline and
Stephanie have publicly disa-
vowed a lm that they say has
been misappropriated for purely
commercial purposes.
This lm should never have
existed, Stephanie of Monaco
told local daily Nice Matin.
Describing the controversy
as awkward in a press confer-
ence yesterday afternoon, Kid-
man sought to reassure the fam-
ily that the lmbore no malice
towards them or towards Grace
and Rainier, played by a chain-
smoking TimRoth.
Its ctionalised, its not a bi-
opic, she said, echoing what the
lms French director Olivier Da-
han has previously stated.
As if this was not enough, Da-
han had been locked in a long-
standing tussle with US distribu-
tor Harvey Weinstein over the
nal version of the lm.
Weinstein had reportedly con-
sidered dropping the rights to the
lm altogether, but Dahan said
yesterday that an agreement had
been reached under which the
movie mogul will distribute the
French directors version in the
United States.
There is no dispute anymore,
everything has been resolved.
Were working together, and Im
happy about it, Dahan told re-
porters.
According to entertainment
industry magazine Variety,
Weinstein will acquire the rights
for considerably less money than
what he had originally planned to
pay.
The glitzy Cannes opening
kickedof at 1915 (1715 GMT) with
a ceremony hosted by French ac-
tor Lambert Wilson. Eighteen
lms will compete for the cov-
eted Palme dOr prize during the
May 14-25 extravaganza.
The festival will see Canadian
heartthrob Gosling showcase
his directorial debut Lost River,
and lms by 25-year-old whizz
kid Xavier Dolan, veteran direc-
tor Jean-Luc Godard and Men in
Black actor Tommy Lee Jones will
also compete.
On the sidelines of the movie
competitions, muscle men and
action heroes Sylvester Stal-
lone, Harrison Ford and Arnold
Schwarzenegger will take a trip
to the resort on board a tank to
promote The Expendables 3.
Abel Ferraras racy Welcome to
New York in which Gerard De-
pardieu plays a character much
like the disgraced former head of
the International Monetary Fund
Dominique Strauss-Kahn will
also get a private industry pre-
viewduring the festival.
And to seal of this years fes-
tivities, US Cannes-lover Quen-
tin Tarantino will showcase A
Fistful of Dollars at the closing
ceremony, in a glitzy celebration
of the 50th anniversary of spa-
ghetti westerns.
67th Cannes lm fest opens
AFP
Cannes
Nicole Kidman poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the opening
ceremony and the out-of-competition screening of the film Grace of
Monaco (Grace de Monaco) during the 67th Cannes Film Festival.
French actor and Master of Ceremony Lambert Wilson delivering a speech during the opening ceremony
of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
S
wedish lm director Malik
Bendjelloul, whose docu-
mentary Searching for Sug-
ar Man won an Oscar last year,
has killedhimself, his family said,
triggering tributes for a man who
chased the world for stories to
tell.
Police said Bendjelloul, who
was 36, had died late on Tues-
day in the Stockholm area. His
brother later conrmed local
media reports that he had com-
mitted suicide.
I can conrmmy brother has
taken his own life, Johar Bend-
jelloul said in a text message to
Reuters.
Searching for Sugar Man,
structured like a mystery, fol-
lowed two South African jour-
nalists trying to track down
American singer Sixto Rodriguez
after his disappearance from the
public scene.
Rodriguez hadfailedto achieve
fame in the United States but,
unbeknownst to him, had be-
come a popular and inuential
folk icon in South Africa.
Searching for Sugar Man swept
major awards from the US di-
rectors, producers and writers
guilds, and won audience and
special jury awards at the Sun-
dance FilmFestival.
It also helped make Rodriguez,
nowaged 71, better known in the
United States and led to a revival
of his musical career.
Sony Pictures Classics, the
lms distributor, led the tributes
to Bendjelloul.
Much like Rodriguez himself,
Malik was a genuine person who
chased the world for stories to
tell, it said in a statement.
He didnt chase fame, fortune
or awards, although those ac-
colades still found him as many
others recognised his storytell-
ing, the statement said.
Fellow directors mourned his
passing.
He made a great lm&will be
missed, US lmmaker Michael
Moore said on Twitter.
His former employer, Swedish
public service broadcaster SVT,
saidit wouldruna memorial pro-
gramme about Bendjelloul.
Nicholas Wenno, a reporter
at Swedens daily Dagens Ny-
heter, described the lmmaker
as a whimsical genius who saw
the world in his own way, who
seemed fuelled by atomic en-
ergy.
We are many that will mourn
you, Wenno added.
Bendjelloul was born in the
town of Ystad near Malmo in
southern Sweden, according to
lmdatabase IMDB.com.
He also directed television
documentaries about rock sing-
ers Elton John, Rod Stewart and
Bjork and German electronic
music pioneers Kraftwerk, the
Swedish FilmInstitute said.
Searching for Sugar Man director dead
Reuters
Stockholm
This photo taken on December 18, 2012 shows Academy
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul, who died
on Tuesday in Stockholm.
A
record 33.3mn people
around the world were
internally displaced by
conict in their countries at the
end of last year, 16% or 4.5mn
up on 2012, an international re-
port said yesterday.
The report by the Norwegian
Refugee Council said nearly
two-thirds of the global total
were in just ve countries
Syria, Colombia, Nigeria, the
Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC), and Sudan.
Syria, with at least 6.5mn
driven from their homes in
three years of ghting between
government forces and insur-
gents and foreign ghters back-
ing them, took over rst place
ahead of Colombia, sufering
fromdecades of guerrilla wars.
The Middle Eastern country
accounted for 43% 3.5mn of
all the new internally displaced
people (IDPs) around the globe
in 2013, a total of 8.2mn, ac-
cording to the report presented
at a Geneva news brieng.
Council secretary general Jan
Egeland, a former top United
Nations of cial, said that the
report reveals a frightening re-
ality of life inside Syria, where
on average now one family is
being displaced every minute.
Colombia, which has seen
major moves towards peace in
the most recent conict but also
sufers from crime-based vio-
lence, saw an increase in IDPs
for the 10th year in succession,
bringing the total to 5.7mn at
the end of 2013.
Nigeria had not previously
provided gures for the dis-
placed but now sets the total at
3.3mn, driven by inter-commu-
nal and inter-religious violence
which rst began to afect the
African state in the late 1990s.
The report endorsed that es-
timate, noting that the gure
was climbing fast as a result
of the insurgency by Islamist
Boko Haramghters andwhat it
called heavy-handed counter-
insurgency operations by the
Nigerian army.
The Councils Internal Dis-
placement Monitoring Centre
has put together the annual
report for 15 years based on in-
formation from governments,
relief organisations, United Na-
tions agencies and its own ob-
servers on the ground.
In international diplomatic
and aid parlance, IDPs are dis-
tinct fromrefugees who are de-
ned as people who have been
forced to cross frontiers into
other countries.
The total of IDPs in the DRC,
also the scene of decades of
violence as armed groups have
fought for control of natural re-
sources, reached at least 2.9mn,
and in almost equally troubled
Sudan it reached 2.4mn.
Millions driven from homes
by civic violence, says report
Reuters
Geneva
F
ormer Italian prime min-
ister Silvio Berlusconi
repeated accusations yes-
terday that he had been forced
out of of ce at the height of the
eurozone crisis in 2011 as the re-
sult of a plot by European Union
of cials.
Berlusconis comments fol-
lowed the publication of a book
by former US treasury secretary
Timothy Geithner which sug-
gested that the US government
had been asked to help force
Berlusconi to resign as the crisis
escalated in late 2011.
At one point that fall, a few
European of cials approached
us with a scheme to try to force
Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi out of power; they
wanted us to refuse to support
IMF (International Monetary
Fund) loans to Italy until he was
gone, Geithner wrote in his
book, Stress Test: Reections on
Financial Crises, extracts from
which appeared in the Italian
press this week.
We told the President about
this surprising invitation, but
as helpful as it would have been
to have better leadership in Eu-
rope, we couldnt get involved
in a scheme like that, Geithner
wrote. We cant have his blood
on our hands, I said.
Berlusconi resigned in No-
vember 2011 after months of
tension on nancial markets
led to fears that investors could
refuse to buy Italian bonds,
sending the eurozones third-
largest economy into default
andbreaking the single currency
apart.
The 77-year-old media ty-
coon, currently serving a com-
munity service sentence after
being convicted of tax fraud last
year, said that the book showed
there had been a clear viola-
tion of democratic rules and an
attack on the sovereignty of our
country.
The plot is an extremely se-
rious piece of news which con-
rms what Ive been saying for
some time, he told Rai state tel-
evision in an interview.
Berlusconi, the leader of Ita-
lys main centre-right party, has
frequently accused European
authorities and Italys head of
state, President Giorgio Napoli-
tano, of mounting a coup to
remove himfromof ce in 2011.
He made similar accusations
earlier this year following the
publication of a book based on
interviews with his successor
Mario Monti and others, which
said Monti had been sounded
out as a potential replacement
premier months before Berlus-
conis government fell.
Yesterday Berlusconi repeated
accusations that Napolitano had
been in contact with Monti, the
former European Commissioner
appointed to lead the techno-
crat government that succeeded
Berlusconi, well before the nal
crisis.
Napolitano issued a state-
ment yesterday, saying that he
was unaware of any pressure
exerted on Berlusconi, who re-
signedafter a split inthe centre-
right camp left him without a
reliable parliamentary majority.
He said Berlusconis resigna-
tion had been ofered freely
and responsibly and that it
had been caused solely by Ital-
ian political and parliamentary
events.
Berlusconi has stepped up his
attacks on Brussels and euro-
zone policy makers during the
campaign for the May 25 Euro-
pean Parliament elections, en-
couraged by opinion polls that
show rising dissatisfaction with
the EU.
With less than two weeks to
go, his Forza Italia party is in
third place in opinion polls with
about 20%, behind Prime Min-
ister Matteo Renzis centre-left
Democratic Party, on around
34%, and the anti-establish-
ment 5-Star Movement, on
about 25%.
Many of his supporters re-
mainconvincedthat his removal
was engineered by foreign pow-
ers.
Montis government imposed
a series of austerity measures
aimed at restoring market con-
dence but failed to halt a steep
rise in Italys public debt or re-
store growth, and ended its term
deeply unpopular with ordinary
voters.
Berlusconi says he was forced out by EU plot
Reuters
Rome
As I was saying: Berlusconi insists Napolitano was in on the plot.
A
100-carat yellow dia-
mondhas soldfor 14.5mn
Swiss francs ($16.3mn)
to a private buyer, the star lot
in a Geneva jewellery sale that
Sothebys auction house said
fetched 125.5mn francs overall.
The Graf Vivid Yellow,
weighing 100.09 carats, set a
record for a yellow diamond,
the chairman of Sothebys
Switzerland, David Bennett,
said in a statement yesterday
after Tuesdays sale.
With its exceptional size
anda superb dafodil colour, the
Graf Vivid Yellow is a truly ex-
traordinary diamond with im-
mense presence, Bennett said.
However, the gemfailed to hit
the bottom end of its estimate,
with a hammer price of 12.8mn
francs.
Sothebys had expected that
the cushion-shaped diamond,
of which neither the seller nor
buyer were identied, would
reach a hammer price of be-
tween 13.4mn and 22.3mn
francs.
The total price, which
Sothebys said was equivalent
to $163,331 per carat, includes
commission fees known as the
buyers premium.
It gave no reason for it miss-
ing the estimate.
Yellow diamond sold
for $16mn at auction
Reuters
Geneva
Picture taken on April 11 in
central London, shows a
Sothebys employee with the
Graf Vivid Yellow, at 100.09
carats one of the rarest yellow
diamonds of its size.
F
rench Environment Min-
ister Segolene Royal criti-
cised her male colleagues
yesterday, calling them cock-
sure machos.
Angry with the resurgence in
parliament of an environment
tax that she wants to bury, Royal
used a magazine interview to
accuse her male colleagues of
being patronising.
If they think they can muz-
zle me, theyre mistaken. Yes,
I do speak my mind. This is
my right and I will defend it
whatever happens, Royal, the
former partner of President
Francois Hollande and mother
of his four children, said in the
Paris Match interview.
She denounced a political
class she saidwas mostly com-
posed of cocksure machos.
In the interview, she criti-
cised Finance Minister Michel
Sapin for siding with a parlia-
ment committee which pro-
posed to maintain plans for
the controversial green tax on
trucks a line she has opposed.
Royal said Sapin had hidden
his close ties to the chairman of
that committee.
I had to discover this by
chance, she said.
Frances Royal criticises colleagues
Reuters
Paris
EUROPE
25
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
E
urope is partly to blame
for the crisis in Ukraine
although this is no excuse
for Russian behaviour towards
the former Soviet republic, Ger-
man Chancellor Angela Merkels
deputy said yesterday.
The tone struck by Vice-
Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, head
of the Social Democrats (SPD),
contrasts with that of conserva-
tive Merkel who has pinned re-
sponsibility on Russia for ex-
acerbating the crisis, which has
soured ties between Moscowand
the West.
Certainly, the European Un-
ion has also made mistakes, al-
though this does not justify Rus-
sias behaviour, Gabriel told the
German daily Rheinische Post.
It was certainly not smart to
create the impression in Ukraine
that it had to decide between
Russia and the EU, the economy
minister added. But again: That
was not and is not a justication
to plunge a country into chaos.
Merkels spokeswoman said
Gabriels remarks stood for
themselves and she declined fur-
ther comment.
Germany had a very unied
position on the Ukraine crisis,
she added, namely to ease ten-
sions by creating conditions for a
national dialogue.
Last year then-Ukrainian
president Viktor Yanukovych
turned his back on a trade and
association agreement with the
European Union to seek closer
economic ties with Russia.
His decision triggered mass
protests that toppled himin Feb-
ruary.
Russia then seized and an-
nexed Ukraines Russian-major-
ity Crimea region, citing threats
from what it called far-right
radicals in the new Kiev govern-
ment.
On Monday, Merkel rejected
criticism from her SPD prede-
cessor Gerhard Schroeder, a per-
sonal friend of Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
Schroeder had said Europes
approach towards Ukraine and
Russia was one reason for the
crisis.
Gabriel also said an armed
conict must be avoided under
any circumstances. People are
afraid of being dragged into a
military confrontation, he told
the Rheinische Post.
Germany has supported sanc-
tions imposed on Russia over
the Ukraine crisis but both Mer-
kel and her SPD partners have
stressed the importance of pur-
suing diplomacy at the same
time.
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, also a Social Demo-
crat, visited Kiev on Tuesday and
has played a part in establishing
talks between politicians and
civil groups inUkraine that start-
ed yesterday.
Its about creating condi-
tions in Ukraine under which
the country can decide freely
and independently on its future,
Gabriel said.
EU partly to blame for Ukraine crisis
Reuters
Berlin
Gabriel: It was certainly not smart to create the impression in Ukraine
that it had to decide between Russia and the EU.
C
stands for Crimea,
D for Donetsk,
and P for Putin
Russian schoolchildren have
been ofered a new way to learn
the alphabet in the wake of the
Ukraine crisis.
Behind the project is a pro-
Kremlin youth movement named
Set (Network) which says its
version of the ABCs symbolises
Russias values and helps pro-
mote patriotism among school-
children.
This is a collection of key
national symbols, a spokesman
for the youth movement, Gleb
Samokhvalov, told AFP.
The project has seen the crea-
tion of a teaching tool showing
each letter in the 33-letter Rus-
sian alphabet accompanied by
a word and picture, including
those for the Crimean peninsula
annexed by Russia in March, the
restive Donetsk region in east
Ukraine and President Vladimir
Putin.
Theletter Astands for Anti-
Maidan, a reference to Ukraines
Maidan protest movement that
ousted Kremlin-backed presi-
dent Viktor Yanukovych in Feb-
ruary.
B stands Berkut, a Ukrainian
riot police force that the govern-
ment used to violently break up
pro-West protests earlier this
year in Kiev.
Samokhvalov said that the al-
phabet was recently presented at
a school in the eastern Siberian
city of Irkutsk and the port city
of Sevastopol in Crimea.
The youth movements initia-
tive has drawn criticism for at-
tempts to politicise education
and local of cials in Irkutsk have
distanced themselves from the
project.
However, Nina Vveden-
skaya, an education of cial in
the Irkutsk administration, told
AFP that the presentation of the
alphabet at the school was an
oversight.
C is for Crimea, P for Putin a
new way to learn Russian ABCs
AFP
Moscow
P is for Putin, okay?
U
kraines interim leaders
pushed a plan yesterday
to allow the regions a
greater say over their afairs, but
the exclusion of separatists from
round table talks cast doubt over
whether the move could defuse
the crisis.
The talks brought together
politicians and civil groups in an
efort to quell a pro-Russian re-
bellioninthe industrialised Don-
bass region of eastern Ukraine,
which has triggered fears of a
break-up of the republic.
They came at a tense moment
for Kiev. On Tuesday, seven sol-
diers were killed in an ambush
near the city of Kramatorsk, the
deadliest attack on security forc-
es since they were sent to tackle
the uprising in the east in April.
Voters in the eastern regions
of Donetsk and Luhansk (also
spelled Lugansk) backed self-
rule in two referendums held on
Sunday despite protestations
from Kiev, which sees Russias
hand behind the rebellion and
denounced the votes as illegal.
After the voting, rebel leaders
in Donetsk and Luhansk called
for their regions to become part
of Russia although this call has
not been taken up by Moscow.
When the round table talks
opened in the parliament build-
ing in Kiev, the countrys main
leaders sharply attacked Russia,
with acting president Oleksandr
Turchinov accusing Moscow of
launching systematic action to
destabilise eastern and southern
regions of Ukraine to produce
anexplosive situation.
And, in comments angled at
the separatist rebels who were
excluded from the talks, Prime
Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said:
We will conduct a dialogue with
all those who do not shoot and do
not kill citizens.
But Yatseniuk went on to press
a decentralisation plan ceding
greater powers to the regions
which the Kiev authorities hope
will address disafection in east-
ern Ukraine and help undercut
the inuence of rebels seeking to
break altogether with Kiev and
join the Russian Federation.
Such a scenario is seen by Kiev
as pointing a way to resolving the
crisis.
Using mechanisms for
changing the constitution, we
should be able to de-centralise
power and confer additional
powers on regional authorities
... create a real balance (between
central and regional authori-
ties), he said.
Under the plan regions could
hold back a portion of taxes for
direct use in improving infra-
structure andconditions for local
businesses.
Gowever, the plans architects
are keen that they do not allow
discussion of federalisation
an idea that has been pushed
by Russia and the separatists
which they fear would lead to
too-great autonomy and weaken
the grip of the central govern-
ment.
Ukraines wealthiest business-
man, Rinat Akhmetov, whose
mining and steel-producing em-
pire stretches across the Don-
bass, threw his weight behind
the decentralisation strategy, de-
scribing it as theonly right way
of ending the crisis.
I strongly believe that Don-
bass can be happy only in a unit-
ed Kiev, he said in a statement
issued by his holding company,
SystemCapital Management.
Yesterdays talks brought to-
gether ministers, politicians,
candidates for the presidential
election on May 25, business
leaders and local of cials.
Kievs exclusion of the rebels
whomit describes as terrorists
fromthe talks has drawn criti-
cismfromabroad.
Moscow has said there should
be direct talks between separa-
tists and Kiev.
Among those to express hope
in the talks was German Chan-
cellor Angela Merkel, who said
the more representatives were
present, the better.
The unrest in Ukraine and
Russias annexation of Crimea
have contributed to the worst
East-West crisis since the 1991
collapse of the Soviet Union.
In the rebel redoubt of Slo-
viansk (also spelled Slavyansk
and Slaviansk) yesterday, Vy-
acheslav Ponomaryov, the self-
appointed mayor, said he had
heard nothing of the round table.
The Kiev junta organised
that? ... Our rst condition for
talks with the Kiev junta is the
immediate pullout of all the
troops of the Ukrainian army
fromthe territories of the Donet-
sk, Kharkov and Luhansk regions
... as long as they are on our ter-
ritory there will be no talks, he
declared.
There have been no public ne-
gotiations between separatists
and the government since the
crisis began in early April.
There is no reason to expect
any concrete decision (from
the talks), independent ana-
lyst Volodymyr Fesenko said. If
there are not people in authority
from the east at these talks, this
round-table will lose all sense.
Ukraine holds talks
rebels not invited
Reuters
Kiev
A general view of the participants during government talks yesterday in Kiev.
Pro-Russian militants stand guard at a checkpoint in Donetsk. The
government in Kiev is holding talks to defuse the bitter conflict, but
without separatist representatives.
S
haken by deadly violence
last week, residents in the
southeastern Ukrainian
city of Mariupol are now patrol-
ling the streets with a big dose
of help from billionaire power-
broker Rinat Akhmetov.
The public was terried
and the police demoralised,
39-year-old Yury Zinchenko said
of the atmosphere in the normal-
ly placid port city after clashes
on Friday that ended with seven
people killed and dozens injured.
There was a lot of looting of
shops, car theft, chaos, a feel-
ing of a power void, he told AFP.
We had to react.
Zinchenko is the director of
the Ilyich Steel metallurgical fac-
tory, a huge regional company
that is part of Akhmetovs Met-
invest industrial empire.
Akhmetov is Ukraines rich-
est man and an inuential force
in eastern Ukraine, where pro-
Russian separatists have vowed
to break away.
He has kept to the middle
ground in Ukraines escalating
crisis, making few public state-
ments as violence has raged be-
tween government troops and
the pro-Moscowrebels in his in-
dustrial stronghold.
But after the Mariupol clashes
Metinvest stepped forward to
help, saying that it would work
with local police to defend civil-
ians fromlooters and criminals.
The Ilyich factory, which em-
ploys 30,000 people, then re-
cruited men to help bring order
to the city after the mayhemthat
left corpses lying in the streets
and buildings gutted fromre.
Its completely legal. Our
people patrol together with the
police, they dont carry weap-
ons, Zinchenko said. Already
the looting has stopped and
there are no more armed men in
the city. The situation is much
calmer.
Patrols of about a dozen men
were seen this week strolling
through the streets side-by-side
with police of cers, recognisable
by their jackets emblazoned with
the factory name.
Similar patrols will be formed
in other cities in the Donetsk re-
gion where Akhmetov owns fac-
tories, Zinchenko said.
The factory has also helped
police in Mariupol with purchas-
es of gasoline after their head-
quarters was destroyedina blaze.
Ilyich, named after Bolshevik
revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich
Lenin, is the main employer in
the Azov Sea port city of 500,000
and the entire region.
We love our country, we are
for a united Ukraine. We are pa-
triots, Zinchenko said, as two
yellow-and-blue Ukrainian ags
ew in the wind by the entrance
to the companys of ces.
Akhmetov, whose fortune is
estimated by Forbes magazine at
more than $11bn (8bn euros), is a
key gure for the regional econ-
omy.
Mariupols Ilyich plant alone
provides 25% of the Donetsk re-
gions budget in tax payments.
Careful to keep all his options
open, Akhmetov has walked a
ne line between Kievs new
pro-West authorities and the
pro-Russian separatists in east
Ukraine.
Akhmetov has vouched sup-
port for Ukraines territorial in-
tegrity and is helping restore or-
der in Mariupol, but he has also
met rebel leaders and demanded
that Kiev put a stop to the mili-
tary operation against them.
He has good reason to be care-
ful.
Separatists have asked Mos-
cow to annex the regions of
Donetsk and Luhansk and it is
unclear what impact that would
have on Akhmetovs assets there
or whether he is likely to make al-
lies with any potential separatist
government.
Separatist newspaper Voice of
the People has not been kind to
Akhmetov, whose holdings range
fromenergy to Ukraines national
phone operator Ukrtelekom, de-
nouncing oligarch vampires in
the region and calling for an end
to Nazi-oligarch gangland in
Ukraine.
Reports have said that he is
nancing separatist groups, but
Akhmetov the epitome for
many of the oligarchs who made
vast fortunes after the Soviet col-
lapse with questionable methods
has denied this, also insisting
he has no plans to sell his Ukrain-
ian assets.
Billionaire Akhmetovs
empire on the frontline
ByNicolas Miletitch, AFP
Mariupol
Akhmetov: has kept to the middle ground.
A woman walks past a looted gun store in Mariupol.
The countrys largest telecom service provider
Bharti Airtel has got the initial go-ahead from
the Department of Telecom (DoT) for its Unified
Licence (UL) in Delhi and Kolkata service areas
using any technology. Bharti Airtel needs to pay
Rs20.3mn as non-refundable entry fee for UL.
According to sources, the company is expected
to get the UL by the end of this month. The new
UL guidelines came in place in August 2013
replacing the existing United Access Service
Licence (UASL) regime. All mobile phone firms
will have to mandatorily move to the new
regime. The migration to UL allows telecom
companies to provide all services under one
permit using any technology.
Airtel gets initial nod
for unified licence
Nine die in road
accident near Mysore
Four killed in Gurgaon
village water tank crash
Chandy calls for easy
lending norms by banks
Six workers were injured at Tamil Nadus
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP)
yesterday when hot water spilled on them
while they were carrying out maintenance
work, a senior oficial said. Hot water spilled
on them while they were working on a pipeline.
They have been admitted to hospital. There is
nothing to worry about their safety, R S Sundar,
KNPP site director, said. He denied reports that
a boiler had burst in the first unit of the KNPP
and said the reactor was functioning properly.
M Pushparayan, an activist of the Peoples
Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE),
said: We are not sure where the injured workers
have been admitted.
Six hurt in Kudankulam
nuclear plant accident
REACTOR
Nine people, among them three children and
three women, were killed yesterday when a
speeding truck collided with a mini bus near
Mysore, police said. The accident took place
near Kamlapur village, about 50km from
Mysore, police oficier Abhinav Khare said. The
dead, who were in the bus, were returning to
Mangalore from Tamil Nadu after a vacation.
Six people in the bus were injured and taken
to hospitals at Hunsur and Mysore. The bus
driver died on the spot. The truck driver has
been arrested, Khare said. The truck was hired
by the state-run Bharat Petroleum to transport
gas cylinders from Mangalore to other parts of
Karnataka as well as Tamil Nadu.
TRAGEDY TELECOM ACCIDENT INITIATIVE
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy yesterday
said commercial banks should join the state
governments initiative to check illegal money-
lending rackets by providing loans to the needy
people. Besides making profit, the banks have
a social responsibility to the people, he said.
Chandy said the cabinet earlier in the day
discussed the issue of illegal moneylenders,
who charge extremely high rates of interest.
The cabinet will ask the banks to see that they
make their lending process easier and simple. Of
course, they have to ensure that their business is
done properly and they should earn their profit,
the chief minister said. Police have launched a
drive against illegal moneylenders.
At least four people were killed in a village near
Gurgaon after a water tank collapsed on them,
police said yesterday. The accident happened
in a ready-mix plant on Tuesday night. Police
oficial Aman Singh said: Over half-a-dozen
labourers were having bath and washing their
clothes in Kankrola village when suddenly a
water tank collapsed on them. Three people died
on the spot while another succumbed to injuries
on way to the hospital. All the victims were males
and are yet to be identified. We have registered a
case against the manager and the management.
One critically injured person was admitted to
a private hospital. Some other people sufered
minor injuries.
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
INDIA
26
Afordable
homes still
a dream for
most Indians
Thelow-cost housing
segment represents a $150bn
business opportunity, but the
challenge for developers lies
in earning suficient margin
returns
Reuters
Ahmedabad
A
low-cost housing project
in Boisar, a satellite town
outside Mumbai, ofers
a taste of how hard it will be for
Narendra Modi to full a pledge
to provide afordable homes for
every Indian family if, as expect-
ed, his party wins Indias elec-
tion.
India needs about 19mn low-
cost homes - roughly dened as
costing Rs1mn ($16,700) and be-
low- to shelter an urban popula-
tion expected to nearly double to
600mn by 2030 from2011.
Consultants Monitor Deloitte
estimated that the low-cost
housing segment represented a
$150bn business opportunity,
but the challenge for developers
lies in earning suf cient margin
returns.
At Boisar, a modest industrial
town 100km north of Mumbai,
Tata Housing is close to com-
pleting the construction of 1,200
cheap homes. But faced with
disappointing prot margins the
developer has beenforcedto raise
prices, redening the notion of
what is afordable.
It is a tough model, said
Brotin Banerjee, CEO of Tata
Housing, which has invested up
to Rs40bn ($666mn) in low-
cost homes, with about 20,000
units built or under construction
across the country.
Market prices for Tatas low-
cost apartments in Boisar have
more than doubled to Rs1.8mn
($30,000) since of-plan sales
began in 2009 when the devel-
oper sold most homes.
But, Tata has failed to generate
margins of more than 20%it had
sought and now expects to earn
15 to 16%, far below the margins
of 30 to 50% that mid-tier and
premium housing projects earn
developers.
The Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), led by prime ministerial
front-runner Modi, promised in
its election manifesto to adopt
a low-cost housing policy that
would ensure every family in
Asias third-largest economy has
a home by 2022.
While details are scarce, it
aims to make land more eas-
ily available to developers, and to
provide them with incentives to
build cheaper homes.
In India, housing is a state
and not a federal subject, and it
is unclear who will foot the bill
in a country where government
nances are stretched, and land
prices are under almost constant
upward pressure in overcrowded
megacities like Delhi and Mum-
bai.
Tata Housings Banerjee said
costs rose and margins shrank in
Boisar because project approvals
were delayed, and the company
had to bring in basic infrastruc-
ture like roads, water and elec-
tricity - services it had expected
the government to provide.
I would be pleasantly sur-
prised if this government or the
new government were to really
implement and execute things
which they should be doing and
which in their manifestos they
profess to do. Denitely anything
would be better thandoing noth-
ing which has been the case so
far, said Banerjee.
For future projects Banerjee
plans to build on land which has
the basic infrastructure and to
secure project approvals before
selling any units of-plan- moves
that will help protect margins but
also make the homes dearer.
Value & Budget Housing Corp
(VBHC), founded by former Citi-
group Inc banker Jaithirth Rao
and backed by private equity rm
Carlyle Group, has also changed
its denition of afordable hous-
ing to units of Rs3mn and be-
low from a range of Rs500,000
to Rs900 in 2009, according to
Vivin Mathew, CEO for Indias
western region.
Unless the government gives
a direct subsidy (to developers)
it is very dif cult, or unless you
make a really small apartment, I
do not see howelse you can do it
under a million rupees, he said.
This is putting low-cost homes
out of reach for many price-sen-
sitive buyers, said Madhusud-
han Menon, chairman at Micro
Housing Finance Corp (MHFC),
which mainly lends to peo-
ple with an income of between
Rs12,000 to 30,000 a month.
In Gujarat, where Modi is chief
minister and which boasts the
largest stock of afordable hous-
ing in India, a policy was intro-
duced in January to encourage
developers to build cheap homes.
Still in its infancy, the policy
invites developers to build low-
cost homes on public land and
subsidises part of the building
cost. Developers can also build
on their own land, where they are
allowed to construct taller build-
ings.
Sanjay Shah, founder and CEO
of DBS Communities, which
builds low-cost homes in Gu-
jarat, plans to construct 50,000
units by 2020 from5,000 today.
When Shah started four
years ago he capped the maxi-
mum price at Rs1mn, but scarce
land, a lengthy approval process
and insuf cient cheap capital
has forced him to increase it to
Rs1.5mn.
He also failed to meet his mar-
gin expectation of 30 to 35%,
and said that if costs keep rising
and there is not enough govern-
ment support it would soon be
Rs1.75mn.
We want to have reasonable
prots but we are not greedy.
High-rise residential buildings are seen behind a cluster of houses at a slum in Mumbai. India needs about
19mn low-cost homes to shelter an urban population expected to nearly double to 600mn by 2030 from
2011.
She Taxi proves a big hit in Kerala
ByAshraf Padanna
Kochi
S
he Taxi, Indias rst 24x7
women-only cab service
launched in Kerala, where
women outnumber men, has
proved a big hit within just ve
months of its launch.
The state-supported project
has generated more than
Rs1.5mn in revenue during this
period thanks to an increase in
women passengers looking for
safe travel options within and
outside cities.
The service owned and oper-
ated by women was rst intro-
duced in the state capital Thiru-
vanathapuram in November
with an initial eet of ve cars.
Now, the eet size has increased
to 20providing safe ride to some
9,000 women.
Kochi will be the second city
in Kerala to have the facility
when Chief Minister Oommen
Chandy ags of a eet of 15
custom-made taxis on May 19.
She Taxi is the rst of-cam-
pus project initiated by the
Gender Park, established by
Keralas Department of Social
Justice to unify all activities
aimed at attaining gender eq-
uity and safety.
Social Justice Minister M K
Muneer said the taxis will soon
be introduced in Kozhikode and
in a phased manner in other lo-
cations.
Hyderabad and Bangalore too
have expressed interest in repli-
cating the She Taxi model.
The project has achieved re-
markable progress both in terms
of popularity andearnings inthe
last six months. We started this
business model to help women
entrepreneurs earn a monthly
income of at least Rs20,000, but
the incomes are comfortably
above that level, Muneer said.
Actress and dancer Manju
Warrier is the goodwill ambas-
sador of the she taxis, which
has become a boon for women
working at odd hours, especially
in the business process out-
sourcing (BPO) industry as the
service can be booked via mo-
bile phones and online.
She Taxi has opened up a
whole new avenue of employ-
ment for women, said K M Ab-
raham, additional chief secre-
tary in charge of the department
of social justice.
A sector like transport is not
something that women entre-
preneurs readily enter into, but
the massive public response to
the She Taxi has changed that.
Once the service expands to
other cities it is going to trans-
form the lives of thousands of
women in Kerala.
The taxi service is owned and operated by women for women.
Agencies
Hyderabad
P
olice killed three people
after opening re to break
up religious clashes in Hy-
derabad yesterday, of cials said.
The violence broke out in the
old quarter of Hyderabad, the
capital city of Andhra Pradesh,
which has a sizeable Muslim
population.
Trouble erupted after some
people attacked houses and
shops of a religious minority fol-
lowing rumours that a religious
ag had beenburnt.
Securityforces clampeda cur-
fewon the area and the situation
was under control, said Police
Commissioner CVAnand.
Police initially tried to break
up the mob using sticks but then
had to open re to disperse the
clashing groups,Anand said.
At least three people died in
hospital of bullet wounds.
In the clashes, 15 people, in-
cluding 10 policemen, were also
injured. A few houses and shops
were set are by the attackers
and some cars and two-wheelers
were also damaged.
The bodies of two victims,
both in their 20s, were shifted to
the government-run Osmania
General Hospital and the third,
aged 38, was taken to Gandhi
Hospital for autopsy. The injured
were admitted to the two hospi-
tals.
Relatives of the victims al-
leged that the assailants armed
with swords and knives entered
their houses and attacked them.
They said the police opened re
without using teargas or batons.
A police of cer, however, jus-
tied the ring, saying it was
needed to control the situation.
The violence comes as India
awaits the result tomorrow of
a marathon general election in
which the Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) is expected to sweep to
power.
Critics of Modi have voiced
fears that a BJP victory could
stoke religious tensions.
Extra police and paramilitary
forces were rushed to the area
as shopkeepers around Hydera-
bads historic Charminar monu-
ment downed shutters for fear of
more violence.
As tension spread to the ad-
joining areas of the old city of
Hyderabad, police imposed pro-
hibitory orders.
Police in India, which has
been swept by deadly religious
violence numerous times in the
past, are sensitive about identi-
fying communities involved in
clashes.
Hyderabad police declined to
say who was involved in yester-
days rioting.
Anand appealed to residents
to co-operate with police in re-
storing peace.
Hyderabad Police Commis-
sioner Anurag Sharma also vis-
ited the areas adjoining Kishan
Bagh and reviewed the situa-
tion.
Governor E S L Narasimhan
reviewed the lawand order situ-
ation with Chief Secretary P K
MohantyandDirector General of
Police B Prasada Rao. The gov-
ernor appealed to the people to
maintainpeace.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP)
chief N Chandrababu Naidu,
YSR Congress party president Y
S Jaganmohan Reddy, Telangana
Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader K
Chandrasekhara Rao and Majlis-
e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM)
chief Asaduddin Owaisi also ap-
pealed for peace.
Owaisi also demanded a
throughprobe intothe police r-
ing and the violence.
One person was killed and
many were injured in violence in
the same area over a similar inci-
dent in2006.
The last major episode of re-
ligious violence was reported in
August 2013 in Muzafarnagar
district in the northern state of
Uttar Pradesh. At least 50people
were killed.
3 killed as police open re after
religious violence in Hyderabad
A mob carrying swords and sticks stands next to police after clashes between two communities on the outskirts of Hyderabad yesterday.
27
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
INDIA
Yet to decide on any
alliance: Patnaik
Nobody automatically
qualies for a US visa
Top BJP leaders meet
to discuss strategies
Rahul was
no match
for Modi,
says Jaitley
IANS
Bhubaneswar
O
disha Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik yes-
terday said his Biju Ja-
nata Dal (BJD) is yet to decide
on supporting any alliance for
the formation of the central
government.
There is no thought on any
alliance at all at the moment,
he told reporters here.
Patnaiks reaction came a
day after senior BJD leader
Pravat Tripathy told a TV
channel that there would
be no problem in extending
conditional support to the
Bharatiya Janata Party-led
National Democratic Alli-
ance (NDA) in the larger in-
terest of the state.
Patnaik said: I do not know
about that. I want to state here
quite clearly that no decision,
no thought has been taken on
any alliance.
Tripathy, BJD chief whip in
the outgoing state assem-
bly, on Tuesday said:
It will not be wrong
for a regional party
like the BJD to extend
conditional support to
the NDA.
Meanwhile, BJD
vice president
Kal pat ar u
Das said it
was Tri-
pat hys
p e r -
sonal opinion and the party
has so far not made any change
to its earlier stand of main-
taining equal distance from
both the Congress and the
BJP.
In Mumbai, BJP leader
Gopinath Munde, exuding
condence of securing a ma-
jority to form the next gov-
ernment, ruled out seeking
the support of the Nationalist
Congress Party.
There is no question of the
NCPjoining the NDA. We shall
not require them, Munde
said, responding to specula-
tion Sharad Pawars party was
likely to ofer support to the
NDA.
Munde reiterated his oft-
repeated stance that the ve-
party Grand Alliance in Ma-
harashtra would bag at least 35
of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats
they jointly contested.
In New Delhi, Congress
leader and three-time minis-
ter A K Walia denied she met
BJP president Rajnath Singh.
But a BJP source said
Rajnathji had a meet-
ing with Walia on May
11, a day before the
nal roundof election.
Walia, who was
a health minister in
the Delhi Congress
gove r nme nt
led by Shei-
la Dikshit,
i nsi sted
it was
untrue.
IANS
Washington
E
ven as exit polls suggested
that Narendra Modi may
emerge as the next prime
minister, the US continued to
act cagey on the issue of a visa
for the Bharatiya Janata Party
leader.
As you know, we dont talk
about visa applications. Were
looking forward to working
with the new Indian govern-
ment when theyre elected,
State Department spokeswom-
an Jen Psaki said on Tuesday
when asked if Modi would get
a US visa if he became prime
minister.
But Im not going to specu-
late on that given, obviously, the
results havent been announced
yet, she added sticking to the
standard State Department for-
mulation.
Washington has shunned
Modi since revoking his business
visa in2005 for his allegedrole or
inaction during the 2002 Gujarat
riots.
However, signalling a major
change in its outlook since the
emergence of Modi on the na-
tional scene, outgoing US am-
bassador Nancy Powell met the
Gujarat chief minister in Febru-
ary.
Psaki claried that heads of
state and heads of government
are eligible for A1 visa classica-
tion under the Immigration and
Nationality Act 1952.
But no individual automati-
cally qualies for a US visa, she
saidthough theUS lawexempts
foreign government of cials,
individuals - including heads of
state and heads of government
for certain potential inadmissi-
bility grounds.
Im not going to get into any
greater level of detail, Psaki
said.
Im not speculating. Obvi-
ously, Im not going to speak
on visa applications, she re-
peated when asked about a visa
for Modi if and when he comes
to the US in the event of his be-
coming the prime minister.
Asked if it was standard prac-
tice for all foreign heads of state
or heads of government to sit
down with a consular of cial
and apply and be interviewed for
a visa, Psaki said: Well, anyone
can apply for a visa.
But beyond that, I dont
think I have more to add on visa
applications.
Meanwhile, a leading US ex-
pert has suggested that Wash-
ington reach out to Modi.
Whatever else may be be-
lieved about Modi, there is uni-
versal agreement that he is a
decisive leader, writes Ashley
J Tellis, Senior Associate South
Asia Programme at Carnegie
Endowment for International
Peace, a leading Washington
think tank.
In many ways, Modi, with
his natural assertiveness, may
be even better positioned than
(former prime minister Atal Bi-
hari) Vajpayee to rebuild the bi-
lateral relationship, he wrote in
an article titled Productive but
Joyless? Narendra Modi and US-
India Relations.
Tellis also suggested that de-
nial of a US visa to Modi may
cloud India-US relations.
Obviously, engagement will
not come easily because of the
uncomfortable fact that Wash-
ington and Modi managed to
start out on the wrong foot, he
wrote.
The complications attending
Modis personal history are likely
to afect the future trajectory of
US-Indianrelations inunhelpful
ways.
But even though Modis
personal feelings toward Wash-
ington are not particularly
warm today, he is not likely to
go out of his way to spite the
United States out of personal
pique, he wrote.
If both sides can avoid step-
ping on each others toes, espe-
cially in South Asia - an arena
in which Modi will be fiercely
protective of Indias preroga-
tives - the United States could
find itself in a potentially pro-
ductive bilateral relationship
with India, Tellis wrote.
Partyleaders insist the
BJP-led National Democratic
Alliancewill get aclear
majority
Agencies
New Delhi
L
eaders of the Bharatiya
Janata Party huddled
in meetings yesterday
to discuss strategy after exit
polls forecast a sweeping vic-
tory for the party when results
of the marathon election are an-
nounced in two days.
BJP leader and Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi, who
campaigned on a pledge of de-
velopment, investment and jobs,
is expected to become Indias
14th prime minister at the head
of a coalitionafter the of cial re-
sults tomorrow.
Senior party figures Rajnath
Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Su-
shma Swaraj, who are all ex-
pected to hold major cabinet
positions, held meetings in
New Delhi.
Weve got lots to discuss,
said Singh, referring to post-poll
scenarios and strategies.
Singh, currently the BJP pres-
ident, was mum on who would
get which senior jobs.
But media reports suggested
Swaraj, currently the BJP lead-
er in the Lok Sabha, the lower
house of parliament, might get
the external afairs portfolio
while veteran BJP leader Arun
Jaitley would become nance
minister.
Singh might end up with the
home ministry, the reports add-
ed.
Singh was more forthcom-
ing on the outcome of the elec-
tion, insisting that the BJP-led
National Democratic Alliance is
getting a clear majority.
One thing is sure is that
Narendra Modi is becoming the
next prime minister of India,
Singh told reporters after ar-
riving in Ahmedabad, the main
commercial city of Gujarat, for
another set of planning meet-
ings with Modi and other BJP
leaders.
The meetings took place amid
speculations over the role party
veteran L KAdvani will get in the
newgovernment.
Singh said a decision on this
will be taken by top party lead-
ers, but did not make it clear if
Advani will be a part of the deci-
sion making process.
Gadkari earlier said former
prime minister Atal Bihari Va-
jpayee and Advani are our
founder members, our most
senior leaders. The partys par-
liamentary board will take an
appropriate decision at an ap-
propriate time (about Advani).
The guidance of Advaniji is
very important, he added.
Swaraj described her meet-
ings with Singh and Gadkari as
courtesy call.
It is true they had come to
meet me but it was purely a
courtesy meet. Before the dec-
laration of election results, all of
us wanted to meet each other,
Swaraj said.
The BJP is forecast to win
the most seats in the 543-seat
Lok Sabha but Indias exit polls
have been proved wrong in the
past.
Rahul Gandhi, who headed a
lacklustre campaign for Con-
gress which has held power for
a decade, has denied that his
party is staring at almost cer-
tain defeat - despite voter un-
happiness at a sharply slowing
economy and widespread cor-
ruption.
Gandhi, the partys vice presi-
dent, was derided throughout
the campaignby Modi as a reluc-
tant shehzada (prince).
Regional parties hinted they
might join Modis coalition after
the nal results are declared.
Attention was specially fo-
cused on the powerful All India
Anna Dravida Kazhagam party
headed by J Jayalalithaa, which
rules Tamil Nadu and is expected
to win about 20 seats.
K Malaisamy, a senior AIAD-
MK leader, said Modi is a great
friend of Jayalalithaa even if
they may difer politically.
If he becomes prime minis-
ter, then madamwould like close
ties, Malaisamy told NDTVs
television news.
Jayalalithaa was more circum-
spect, telling reporters: Lets
wait for the results.
Regional parties often bar-
gain hard for cabinet portfolios
or special nancial assistance in
return for supporting a national
government.
Amit Shah, Modis closest
aide who has predicted the al-
liance will win 290 to 305 seats,
said the BJP will accept support
fromany party even if it has just
one elected MP if it believes in
our agenda.
IANS
New Delhi
S
enior Bharatiya Janata
Party leader Arun Jait-
ley yesterday asked the
Congress whether it had the
capacity to accept that party
vice president Rahul Gandhi
could not measure up to
their prime ministerial candi-
date Narendra Modi.
Does the Congress honestly
have the capacity to accept that
as the undeclared prime min-
isterial candidate of the party,
Rahul Gandhi did not measure
up in comparison to Narendra
Modi? Being a party controlled
by family, it is inherent in the
belief of the Congress that the
family can do no wrong, Jaitley
saidinhis blog.
The Gandhis never make a
mistake. Either they are being
misguided or the responsibil-
ity of failure belongs to some-
body else, he added.
JaitleyalsocriticisedExternal
Afairs Minister Salman Khur-
shidandCommerce andIndus-
tryMinister AnandSharma.
Salman Khurshids reac-
tion to my comment on Prime
Minister Mammohan Singh
was indeed disappointing.
What was intended to be a
gracious comment on the eve
of the prime ministers fare-
well was retorted to by Salman
in anger, if not discourteous.
On the commerce minister,
Jaitley said:
Every time Anand Sharma
appears on television, he is
angrier than ever before. He
conveys the impressionhe was
bornto rule andhis right is be-
ing forcibly snatched away.
The BJP leader on Tuesday
said history would have re-
corded the prime minister dif-
ferently if he had taken a stand
against scams and frauds.
If he had stood up and
cancelled the coal blocks al-
location once the fraud was
revealed or cancelled the 2G
licences himself rather than
wait for the court to do it, I
have no doubt that history
would have recorded himvery
diferently, Jaitley wrote.
The blog appeareda dayafter
the 10-phase general elections
across28statesandsevenunion
territories ended on Monday.
Exit polls indicate that the BJP
would surge ahead when votes
get counted tomorrowand oust
the Congress-led United Pro-
gressive Alliance that has been
inpower for a decade.
Jaitley added that Singhs
inability to speak up withinhis
own party may compel histo-
rians to take a diferent view
of him.
With an element of schol-
arship, he was always well
read and well prepared on any
subject. And yet, when he ad-
dressed the country, he never
came out as aleader. The reason
for not coming out as a leader
was clear. He never wanted to
rockthe boat,Jaitleysaid.
Attacking Congress presi-
dent Sonia Gandhi, Jaitley said
Singh was vested with lim-
ited powers and had to keep the
party andits rst family ingood
humour onall major decisions.
Thus, when the reform
process was blocked on ac-
count of decisions of the Na-
tional Advisory Council or
when (Congress vice presi-
dent) Rahul Gandhi tore apart
the papers of objectionable
ordinance, the prime minister
was perceived as a non-leader
who had to accept everything
without his opinion mattering
signicantly, he said.
A sari bearing the image of Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial
candidate Narendra Modi is displayed at a shop in Mumbai yesterday.
BJP leaders Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari meet Gujarat Chief Minister and the partys prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Gandhinagar yesterday.
Sonia hostsdinner in PMshonour
Congress president Sonia
Gandhi yesterday hosted a
farewell dinner in honour of
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh in NewDelhi. Central
ministers and Congress
general secretaries were
among those present at the
dinner at Gandhis 10Janpath
residence. The dinner was held
two days before votes polled
in the Lok Sabha election are
counted. The prime minister
will submit his resignation to
President Pranab Mukherjee
on May 17. Singh on January
3 addressed his final press
conference and announced
his retirement after a decade
at the helmof two successive
United Progressive Alliance
governments.
LATIN AMERICA
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 28
Cuba-born
man denied
citizenship after
50 years in US
AFP
Orlando, Florida
M
ario Hernandez, 58,
passed multiple back-
ground checks to serve
in the US Army and as a fed-
eral prison guard trusted enough
to watch over Oklahoma City
bomber Timothy McVeigh.
It wasnt until he retired from
government service and began
in 2013 to apply for a passport to
take his wife ona cruise that Her-
nandez, brought to the US from
Cuba at age 9, discovered he was
not a US citizen.
Hernandez applied for natu-
ralisation but in November was
rejected by the US department of
homeland security.
Now, immigrationlawyer Eliz-
abeth Ricci, who led an appeal,
fears the agency, caught in what
she called a P R nightmare, is
preparing criminal charges ac-
cusing him of falsely holding
himself out as a citizen.
This feels likemywholeworld
is being turned upside down,
Hernandez said. Im very
afraid.
Hernandez arrived with his
family fromin 1965 aboard a so-
calledFreedomFlight.
Under the Cuban Adjustment
Act of 1966, he was eligible to
apply for a green card, or per-
manent resident status, after one
year and for naturalisation after
ve years.
Hernandez said he long
thought the military took care
of his naturalisation paperwork
when he enlisted in 1975 during
the VietnamWar.
Ricci said federal law allows
immigrants who serve during a
designated period of hostility
to skip directly to naturalisa-
tion.
In the appeal, Ricci wrote that
Hernandez, then 19, gave army
recruiters in California his immi-
grationdocuments andwas taken
to what he thought was an immi-
grationjudge.
The judge reviewed the paper-
work, administered what Her-
nandez believed to be an oath of
naturalisation, andchangedHer-
nandezs name by dropping one
of his surnames.
Hernandez then was taken
back to his Army recruitment
post where he took a second oath
with other soldiers and joined
themona trainto Fort Polk, Lou-
isiana, according to the appeal.
After an honourable discharge
in 1978, Hernandez worked for
the federal and Florida state gov-
ernments, including the US de-
partment of justices bureau of
prisons, which conducted back-
ground checks on employees
every ve years.
They dropped the ball, over
and over and over, despite having
unlimited resources,said Ricci.
Ricci said Hernandez also
qualies for naturalisation under
a provision for aliens who make
an extraordinary contribution
to national security. Hernandez
couldstart the standardve-year
naturalisation process as if he
just arrived from Cuba and did
not serve the country, but choos-
es not to.
Im a veteran, Hernandez
said. I feel like Imbetrayed.
Inthe twoweeks since she led
the appeal, Ricci said the gov-
ernment requested Hernandez
provide a sworn statement con-
cerning when, where, how and
why Hernandez claimed to be a
US citizen, including his voting
records.
Ricci said the information
sought appearedto be relatedto a
criminal prosecution rather than
an attempt to correct his legal
status.
I think the federal govern-
ment is mortied how they
dropped the ball so many times
and theyre turning it around
and putting the burden on himto
prove he is not a criminal, Ricci
said.
A spokesman for US Citizen-
ship and Immigration Services
could not be reached for com-
ment. Ricci said she previously
represented two other clients
with similar experiences in the
military.
Stable and lasting peace
is possible, insists FARC
Reuters
Havana
T
he chances for a sta-
ble and lasting peace
have never been better,
Colombian rebels said before
peace talks yesterday in the
latest sign that President Juan
Manuel Santos could receive
a boost from the negotiations
ahead of the May 25 election.
Santos, engaged in a tight-
ening re-election campaign,
might benet from any break-
through between now and the
rst round of presidential elec-
tions, in which his leading ri-
val has threatened to break of
peace talks.
The Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC) and
the Colombian government
have held talks in Havana over
the last year-and-a-half, seek-
ing to end 50 years of conict.
There are possibilities for
a stable and lasting peace in
Colombia like never before,
but obviously there have to be
mutual concessions, Rodrigo
Granda, a member of the FARC
negotiating team, told report-
ers in Havana. Whoever breaks
this peace process inHavana, no
matter who the president is, will
have to pay a very high political
price, an enormous one, Gran-
da said just before sitting down
with the government.
The two sides are working a
partial accord on eradicating
illegal drug crops, which would
be the third of ve major agree-
ments that would then be revis-
ited in a sixth and nal phase of
a comprehensive agreement.
The FARC has battled a doz-
en Colombian governments
in a Marxist-inspired struggle
against inequality. It has also
turned to kidnapping and coca
production to nance itself.
Santos, of the centre-right,
has bet his political legacy on
bringing peace to the Andean
nation and said the FARC has
little choice but to turn in their
weapons.
His once solid lead in public
opinion polls has disappeared,
and right-wing rival Oscar Ivan
Zuluaga has closed the gap.
Although Santos still leads in
most surveys, a poll released by
Centro Nacional de Consultoria
(CNC) on Tuesday showed Zu-
luaga with a slight lead.
Zuluaga belongs to the par-
ty of former president Alvaro
Uribe, whose popularity rose
by taking a hard line against the
FARC.
Zuluaga has threatened to
break of peace talks if he wins
and the FARCdoes not declare a
unilateral cease-re.
Neither Santos nor Zulu-
aga appears likely to receive the
50% of the vote needed to win
in the rst round, in which case
the election will be decided in a
second round between the top
two nalists on June 15.
Venezuela opposition
likely to boycott talks
Roussef campaign
ad draws criticism
Reuters
Caracas
V
enezuelas opposi-
tion warned that talks
with the government of
President Nicolas Maduro are
in crisis due to repression of
student demonstrations and of-
cials refusal to grant conces-
sions that could defuse three
months of street protests.
Ramon Guillermo Aveledo,
head of the opposition umbrella
group MUD, said Socialist Party
leaders have undermined the di-
alogue with constant insults and
a refusal to consider amnesty for
opposition-linked prisoners.
We can say today, thirty days
after the process started, that
the dialogue is in crisis and it
is the fault of the government,
said Aveledo in a statement.
An opposition source said it
was unlikely they would attend
todays scheduled next round of
talks, which are being mediated
by representatives of the Vati-
can and Unasur group of South
American nations as a way to
stem this years unrest.
Maduro on Tuesday night
said he did not plan to halt dia-
logue and hoped the next round
would go forward. The MUD is
also seeking the release of dem-
onstrators arrested during re-
cent protests, as well as partici-
pation in the selection of new
leaders of Venezuelas electoral
council.
In what has been the Opec
members worst unrest in a dec-
ade, at least 42 people have died
in violence around the protests
and about 800 have been in-
jured. About 150 people remain
in jail from nearly 3,000 round-
ed up since February.
Aveledos comments may also
be aimed at boosting pressure
on the government to release
former Caracas police commis-
sioner Ivan Simonovis, who was
sentenced to a 30-year prison
term for his involvement in a
2002 coup that briey oust-
ed late socialist leader Hugo
Chavez.
Freeing Simonovis has been a
rallying cry for the opposition.
Supporters say Simonovis suf-
fers osteoporosis and is held in a
tiny cell without daylight.
Reuters
Sao Paulo
A
controversial new cam-
paign ad has made class
divisions a key theme in
Brazilian President Dilma Rous-
sefs battle for re-election in
October.
The combative video, released
online by Roussefs Workers
Party this week, suggests a deep-
ly polarised campaign ahead in
which the incumbent will try to
shift attention away from Bra-
zils current economic malaise
and focus instead on how life
improved for the poor over the
last decade.
The ad shows a rural family
happily driving in a truck loaded
with goods. Then they pass a
dust-covered, downtrodden ver-
sion of themselves fromthe past,
walking along the side of the road
and carrying heavy boxes.
We cant let ghosts from the
past come back and take away
everything we achieved, a nar-
rator says.
The ad is designed to appeal to
the some 40mn Brazilians who
have been lifted from poverty
under 12 years of leftist Workers
Party rule.
Many acquired trucks, wash-
ing machines and other big-
ticket consumer goods for the
rst time.
Despite that progress, Brazil
still has one of the worlds biggest
gaps between rich and poor, and
class divisions remain a fact of
politics and daily life.
The ad drew an immediate re-
buke from Roussefs leading ri-
val in the election, senator Aecio
Neves of the centrist Brazilian
Social Democracy Party (PSDB),
who accused the ruling party of
scaring and threatening people
inorder to try to stay inpower.
Polls show that Neves party,
which governed from 1995 to
2003, is still vulnerable to accu-
sations that it is the party of Bra-
zils rich elite.
Under President Fernando
Henrique Cardoso, the PSDB
tamed hyperination, which
caused poverty to fall. But those
years also saw double-digit un-
employment and the privatisa-
tion of many state-run compa-
nies, which the Workers Party
has repeatedly characterised as
beneting the rich.
Roussefs support has sagged
in polls, in part because of high
ination and economic growth
that has averaged just 2% since
she took of ce in2011.
However, she still leads her ri-
vals and her backing among the
poor remains strong. In a poll
released earlier this month by
Datafolha, Roussef led Neves by
a margin of 47% to 17% among
the lowest income group, fami-
lies making less than about $700
a month.
In the highest income group,
Roussef led Neves by only two
percentage points.
Overall, among all groups, she
still has a 19-point lead.
Riot police detain a man during a protest by merchants
in front of the Customs Building in Managua, Nicaragua.
Protesters claimed that slow service at customs was
delaying goods from being imported across the border.
Protester detained
Honduras police remove a barricade by supporters of former president and member of Parliament Manuel Zelaya. Protesters were evicted by authorities after trying to
force their way into the parliament building in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The military police had earlier ousted by force parliament deputies of the opposition Refundacion
Freedom Party led by Zelaya.
Honduras unrest
Mexico to purge corrupt cops in violence-plagued state
AFP
Mexico City
M
exicos government
has decided to increase
military control over
security in the northeastern bor-
der state of Tamaulipas andpurge
corrupt police to counter a surge
in drug cartel violence.
Clashes between cartel gun-
men and troops as well as street
gunghts among gang members
have left more than 80 people
dead in the state since April 5.
Authorities have blamed much
of the recent violence on an in-
ternal power struggle within the
Gulf cartel following the arrests
of key leaders, but the gang has
also been at war with the rival
Zetas cartel in recent years.
Some 2,000 people protested
against the violence inthe Gulf of
Mexico port city of Tampico on
Sunday.
After a national security meet-
ing in Reynosa, which borders
the US state of Texas, Interior
Minister Miguel Angel Osorio
Chong announced a newphase
to break up gangs, seal of drug
traf cking routes and ensure res-
idents can count on trustworthy
police.
He said Tamaulipas will be
divided into four security zones
with a military of cer in charge
of each.
The authorities will widen the
use of intelligence gathering to
combat cartels and send more
federal forces to cities, ports,
airports, border crossings and
roads.
Authorities will conduct re-
views of the state and municipal
police forces as well as the Tama-
ulipas prosecutors of ce, to root
out bad apples.
We will not tolerate any pub-
lic servant who has links with
organised crime or who has com-
mitted acts of corruption, Oso-
rio Chong said.
Ten state police of cers have
been detained in connection
with an ambush that killed the
regions chief of investigations
on May 5, according to Mexican
media.
The chief of bodyguards of
Governor Egidio Torre Cantu
is under investigation over the
crime. Osorio Chong insisted
that the administration of Presi-
dent Enrique Pena Nieto had
made progress against organised
crime, detaining eight of the 12
most wanted men in Tamaulipas.
The violence in the state can
be explained in large part by the
breakdown within these groups
caused by the strong actions of
the Mexican state, the minister
said.
The resurgence of violence fol-
lowed a relative lull in violence in
Tamaulipas, a state that has wit-
nessed some of the most grue-
some drug-related crimes that
have left 80,000 people dead in
Mexico since 2006.
In another state plagued by
drug cartel violence, Michoacan
in the west, a mayor was arrested
on Tuesday on suspicion of links
to organised crime.
The arrest of Jesus Cruz Valen-
cia, mayor of the town of Aguilil-
la, was the thirdof a mayor inMi-
choacan in the past two months.
The state is a bastion of a cartel
called the Knights Templar. The
states number two of cial was
arrested in April on charges of
colluding with drug traf ckers.
PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN
29
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
A US drone killed three suspected militants in
north-western Pakistan yesterday, the first such
airstrike in nearly five months, oficials said. The
unmanned aircraft fired missiles on a suspected
hideout and a car used by militants in Khyber
tribal district near the Afghan border, a local
administration oficial said.
It was not immediately known which group was
targeted but Pakistani Taliban frequently use the
route to travel across the porous border. The last
drone attack in the country was on December
26. Strikes were halted since then apparently
to facilitate the governments peace talks with
militants.
Pakistan and Iran will work to amend an
agreement covering a transnational gas pipeline,
which wont be completed by end of 2014 as
envisaged under the contractual obligation,
Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister
Shahid Khaqan says. Lets be realistic.
The Iran-Pakistan (IP) pipeline cannot be
completed this year, he says in an interview
to Express Tribune newspaper published
yesterday.
He was speaking upon his return from Iran
where Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had taken
a high level oficial delegation for talks on
diplomatic and economic issues.
Police in north-western Pakistan arrested
an Islamic school teacher and two others on
charges of raping a teenage college girl, oficials
said yesterday. Three men lured the victim
through another female student on the pretext
of dropping her home after school on Tuesday,
local police chief Zulfikar Jadoon said. They then
raped the girl in the car, he said. Chief suspect
Qari Naseer is a Quran teacher at an Islamic
school in a village, Jadoon said. A mob of angry
people threw stones at a police vehicle when
the suspects were brought to court yesterday
morning. Convictions in rape cases are rare in
Pakistan.
The Nawaz Sharif government is set to introduce
new taxes in the upcoming budget, in addition
to Rs80bn it hopes to collect this fiscal year by
withdrawing tax exemptions. We have to levy
taxes for higher revenue collection in 2014-
15, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman
Afzal Bajwa told reporters after briefing the
Senate Standing Committee on Finance on the
performance of tax machinery. The statement
is in contrast to Finance Minister Ishaq Dars
pledge last week that the budget 2014-15 will not
bring new taxes. In its first budget, the Pakistan
Muslim League-N government introduced more
than Rs200bn taxes.
The Pakistan government will finance multi-billion
rupees mega development projects in the upcoming
national budget for fiscal year 2014-15, which begins
on July 1, including Lahore-Karachi motorway, metro
bus service, various projects of Pak-China economic
corridor regarding establishment of rail and road
linkages, oficial sources say. The government has
decided to include Havelian Dry Port, upgradation
and construction of rail link fromHavelian to
Gwadar, upgradation of KarakoramHighway,
land acquisition for Lahore-Karachi Motorway,
completion of Metro Bus service in Rawalpindi/
Islamabad and construction of Dasu and Bhasha
hydropower projects.
US drone strike kills three
militants in Pakistan
New chapter opens for
Iran-Pak gas pipeline
Seminary teacher arrested
for rape of college girl
Pakistan govt plans new
taxes in next budget
Funds to be allocated for
mega projects in Pakistan
OFFENSIVE ENERGY CRIME REVENUE SCHEMES
Afghan poll
result to be
released today
A
fghanistans presidential
election result will be an-
nounced today, of cials
said, after a one-day delay over
fraud investigations into the rst
round of voting to nd a succes-
sor to Hamid Karzai.
Full results from the April 5
election were released late last
month, but the nal declara-
tion will factor in the outcome of
weeks of deliberation over fraud
allegations.
In the preliminary results,
none of the eight candidates
gained more than 50% of the
vote, pointing to a second round
run-of between the two top
names as Afghanistan undergoes
its rst democratic transfer of
power.
The head-to-head contest
would pit former foreign minis-
ter Abdullah Abdullah, who took
44.9% of the rst-round vote,
against ex-World Bank econo-
mist Ashraf Ghani, on 31.5%.
The Independent Election
Commission (IEC) issued a state-
ment yesterday saying it would
release the results at 11amtoday.
Karzai, who has ruled since
the Taliban were ousted in
2001, is constitutionally barred
from a third term in of ce, and
the next president will lead Af-
ghanistan into a new era as US-
led combat troops withdraw by
the end of the year.
Abdullah said yesterday that
his campaign had evidence of
fraudulent voting that could
have a signicant impact on -
nal results.
Election of cials have pencil-
led in June 14 for the run-of.
On Sunday, Abdullah received
a major boost with the endorse-
ment of third-placed Zalmai
Rassoul, a close ally of President
Karzai, who has stayed publicly
neutral in the election.
Another costly, and poten-
tially violent, election could be
avoided by deal-making in the
coming weeks and Rassouls
support for Abdullah increased
pressure on Ghani to concede.
The United Nations mission
has welcomed Afghanistans
conduct of the vote but warned
of cials that they must address
all fraud allegations openly.
The 2009 election, when Kar-
zai retained power after defeat-
ing Abdullah, was marred by bal-
lot-stuf ng in a chaotic process
that shook the multinational ef-
fort to develop the country after
the Talibans 1996-2001 regime.
The rst-round election last
month was hailed as a success,
with turnout far better than in
2009 and the Taliban failing to
launch a major attack despite
threats to disrupt the vote.
Arun-of vote in June at the
height of the Talibans tradition-
al ghting season is likely to
prove more dif cult for Afghani-
stans stretched security forces.
Abdullahs support is strong-
est in Tajik and Hazara ethnic
areas due to his role as a close
advisor to the late Ahmad Shah
Massoud, a celebrated Tajik
leader who fought the Taliban.
Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun who
spent many years studying and
teaching in the United States,
has repeatedly said he will ght
on despite falling behind Abdul-
lah in the rst round.
Both candidates have pledged
to explore peace talks with the
Taliban and sign a deal with
Washington that could allow up
to 10,000 US troops to stay on
after this year on a training and
counter-terrorismmission.
AFP
Kabul
Thefinal result would be
announced todayat 11 am
; In the preliminary results
none of the eight candidates
gained morethan 50%of
votes
Afghan men protest following a suspected Taliban rocket attack during the night, in Ghazni province yesterday. Tens of Ghazni
residents gathered in front of the provincial governors ofice in the city, carrying the body of a dead child who was killed in rocket
attack at their house in Qalai Qazi area of Ghazni. A suspected Taliban rocket attack on the city hit a residential house in Ghazni killing
three people including a child and a woman, oficials said, with three children wounded in the attack.
Protest against rocket attack
Pakistan govt tells Indian
journalists to leave
P
akistan has ordered the
only two Indian jour-
nalists stationed in the
country to leave within a week,
telling them their visas would
not be renewed, of cials said
yesterday.
Meena Menon of The Hindu
newspaper and Snehesh Alex
Philip of the Press Trust of India
(PTI) news agency were given
letters late on Tuesday telling
them they must leave Pakistan
by May 20.
Both journalists had been
posted in Pakistan for less than
a year and no reason was given
for the decision to deny them
newvisas.
Meanwhile, the Indian gov-
ernment yesterday criticised
Pakistans move to expel the
journalists as a retrograde
step for bilateral ties.
It is regrettable and un-
fortunate that the two Indian
correspondents in Pakistan
have been asked to leave pre-
maturely and suddenly only
a few months after their ar-
rival there, Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Syed Akbaruddin
said.
Not allowing independent
journalists to function is a ret-
rograde step, especially as free
ow of information between
India and Pakistan has long
been recognised as an impor-
tant condence building meas-
ure, he said.
Indian media reported that
NewDelhi would raise the mat-
ter with Pakistan, but there was
no of cial conrmation.
Philip said the authorities on
Tuesday night asked him and
Menon to leave the country.
No reason was given for the
government refusal to extend
the visas, he said.
The move comes just days
before the results of Indias
general election, with Narendra
Modi expected to triumph.
Pakistan and India have
fought three wars since inde-
pendence from British rule in
1947 and relations are perenni-
ally strained.
The nuclear-armed arch-ri-
vals have had an arrangement in
place since the 1980s allowing
a small number of journalists
to work in each others capital
cities, but there has been no
Pakistani reporter in New Delhi
since 2010.
The two Indian journalists
based in Islamabad have been
asked to leave by May 20th, an
information ministry of cial
said.
Their visas expired and
they were informed that
there will not be further ex-
tensions, the of cial said on
condition of anonymity with-
out giving any reason for the
decision.
MK Razdan, the editor-in-
chief and CEO of PTI, said there
was no rationale and no rea-
son for the move.
It is a unilateral action and
absolutely no reason has been
given, Razdan said.
We have other arrange-
ments for news coverage in
Pakistan but since decades the
norm has been that the main
correspondent to Pakistan is
sent fromIndia.
He added it was too early to
say whether the agency would
apply to send a replacement for
Philip.
The Pakistan government led
by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
has sought to improve ties with
India since its election in May
last year.
But there are fears of renewed
tensions if Modis right-wing
Bharatiya Janata Party comes to
power in Delhi.
Indian journalists working
in Pakistan have complained
in the past of harassment by
authorities including constant
monitoring by intelligence
agents.
Just days before the general
election last May, the New
York Times correspondent in
Pakistan, Declan Walsh, was
expelled at short notice with
little explanation given.
AFP
Islamabad
It is regrettable and
unfortunate that the two
Indian correspondents in
Pakistan have been asked
to leave prematurely
and suddenly only a few
months afer their arrival
there
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah speaks during a press conference in Kabul yesterday.
Militants attack Nato
supply terminal
Five rebels killed as
rival groups clash
P
akistani troops yesterday
foiled an attack on a Nato
supply terminal in the
northwest, killing one attacker
and forcing others to ee, of -
cials said.
The attack was mountedinthe
Jamrud area of the Khyber tribal
district that borders Afghani-
stan, said government of cial Ali
Sher.
The militants started ring
on the terminal and tried to en-
ter it, Sher said, adding that the
attack involved up to 12 people
armed with automatic weapons
and mortars.
The Frontier Corps retaliated
and forced the militants to ee,
leaving one dead body behind.
An intelligence of cial in Jam-
rud conrmed the attack.
Pakistan is a key supply route
for the US-led mission in land-
locked Afghanistan, particularly
as Nato forces prepare to with-
draw troops and equipment by
the end of this year.
Nato supply trucks, which
carry everything from fuel to
munitions and food, often come
under attack on their journey
between the Pakistani port city
of Karachi and border crossing
points.
Pakistani supply lines have
been disrupted in the past be-
cause of tensions between the
US and Pakistan.
They were closed for nine
months between November
2011 and July 2012 following
a friendly re incident in
which coalition forces killed
24 Pakistani soldiers in an air
strike.
A
t least ve militants died
during a shootout be-
tween rival factions in a
restive Pakistani tribal region
near the Afghan border on Tues-
day, militant and intelligence
sources said
Supporters of Tehreek-e-
Taliban commander Khan Said
Sajna and followers of the late
TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud
clashed in the Shawal area of the
troubled North Waziristan dis-
trict, a security of cial told AFP.
Two militants from Sajna
and three from Hakimullah
Mehsud group have been killed
in the exchange of re between
the two factions. Three other
people have been injured,an in-
telligence of cial told AFP.
Sources in the rival militant
groups also conrmed the at-
tack.
The ght was temporar-
ily halted after local elders asked
the two groups for a ceasere
to take out the dead bodies and
rescue the injured, a militant
source said.
Inghting between diferent
Taliban factions has killed doz-
ens of people in the area in re-
cent weeks.
The latest attack comes weeks
after the Pakistani Taliban for-
mally ended a ceasere called to
promote talks with the govern-
ment. These negotiations were
aimed at ending the militants
bloody seven-year insurgency.
Prime Minister Nawaz Shar-
ifs government began negotia-
tions with the TTP through in-
termediaries in February, with
the ceasere beginning March 1.
AFP
Islamabad
AFP
Islamabad
A polio worker administers polio vaccine to a child, who arrived from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
province, during a vaccination campaign at a bus stop in Rawalpindi. Pakistans failure to stem the
spread of polio triggered global emergency health measures, with the WHO recommending all
residents must show proof of vaccination before they can leave the country.
Anti-polio campaign
The United Nations
mission has welcomed
Afghanistans conduct
of the vote but warned
of cials that they
must address all fraud
allegations openly.
PHILIPPINES
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 30
Philippines warns China
may be building airstrip
AFP
Manila
T
he Philippines warned
yesterday that China may
be building an airstrip
on a reef in the South China
Sea, boosting the superpowers
claim to most of the strategic
Asian waters.
Filipino surveillance aircraft
have been monitoring large-
scale reclamation and earth-
moving activity on Chinese-
held Johnson South Reef since
January, the defence depart-
ment said.
Asked if China was build-
ing an airstrip on the reef, also
claimed by the Philippines and
Vietnam, Foreign Secretary Al-
bert del Rosario said: Thats
one possibility.
Chinese foreign ministry
spokeswoman Hua Chunying,
would not conrm the Philip-
pine claim, but asserted the
outcrop was Chinese territory.
Whatever construction
China carries out on the reef is a
matter entirely within the scope
of Chinas sovereignty. I dont
know what particular inten-
tions the Philippines has in car-
ing so much about this,she said
at a regular press brieng yes-
terday. Last week, the Chinese
press downplayedthe activity at
the reef, saying it was merely to
renovate the living facilities for
troops stationed there.
We can conrmthat there is
ongoing reclamation or earth-
moving activities in that por-
tion, Filipino defence depart-
ment spokesman Peter Galvez
told reporters yesterday.
It has been getting bigger
and bigger.
Del Rosario told reporters the
Philippines had led a diplo-
matic protest against Chinas
reclamation works on the reef
last month, but Beijing rejected
it on grounds the reef is part of
Chinese territory.
The Philippines calls the
outcrop the Mabini Reef, while
China calls it Chigua Reef. In-
ternationally, it is recognised as
the Johnson South Reef.
It is part of the Spratly chain,
and is located about 300 kilo-
metres west of the large western
Philippine island of Palawan.
China seized the reef and
other outcrops fromVietnamin
a deadly 1988 skirmish.
It is not the rst time the
Philippines has made allega-
tions against China over con-
struction at disputed outcrops
in the sea.
In September last year, Ma-
nila accused Beijing of laying
concrete blocks on disputed
Scarborough Shoal that it said
couldbe aprelude to construc-
tion.
However, in an embarrass-
ing about-face, Manila dropped
the allegations weeks later after
concluding that the concrete
blocks were previously-existing
structures.
The Philippines said China
took efective control of the
shoal in 2012, stationing patrol
vessels andshooing away Filipi-
no shermen, after a stand-of
with the Philippine Navy.
Beijings claim to nearly all
of the South China Sea, which
straddles vital sea lanes and is
believed to sit on vast oil and
gas reserves, has strained its ties
with neighbours.
Earlier this month, Vietnam
accused China of ramming
its ships in an encounter near
another part of the sea where
Beijing had deployed a deep-
sea oil rig.
Those actions were de-
scribed as provocative by US
Secretary of State John Kerry
in a phone call to Chinese For-
eign Minister Wang Yi.
The Philippines in March
filed a formal plea to the UN
challenging Beijings alleged
territorial claims to about 70%
of the South China Sea, in de-
fiance of Chinese warnings
that it would seriously damage
their already-frayed relations.
Manila contends that, under
international law, it has exclu-
sive rights to exploit the re-
sources of waters and outcrops
within its exclusive economic
zone, defined as those within
370 kilometres of its coast.
Beijing has rejected UN ar-
bitration and urged Manila to
settle the dispute through bi-
lateral talks instead.
The Chinese claims to the
sea also overlap those of Tai-
wan as well as Brunei and Ma-
laysia.
Meanwhile, the Philippines
said yesterday two of the 11
Chinese fishermen arrested
last week by Filipino police in
another area of the Spratlys
were flown to Guangzhou late
Tuesday.
Manila filed charges against
their nine colleagues for
poaching and collecting pro-
tected species, but freed the
two because they are minors.
Thedefencedepartment has
saidFilipinosurveillance
aircraft havebeen
monitoringlarge-scale
reclamationand
earthmovingactivityon
Chinese-heldJohnson
SouthReef sinceJanuary
A handout picture provided by the Philippine National Police-Maritime Special Boat Unit (SBU) yesterday
shows confiscated turtle carcasses seized from Chinese poachers, at the port of Puerto Princesa city.
Polluted
water
kills eight
AFP
Alamada
H
ealth of cials are test-
ing for cholera and other
diseases after eight peo-
ple died and hundreds more fell
ill in a remote area in the Philip-
pines, possibly from contami-
nated water, authorities said
yesterday.
Most of the victims are chil-
dren from the southern town
of Alamada who sufered from
diarrhoea, said Lyndon Lee Suy,
head of the government agencys
infectious disease unit.
It looks like it came from
their water. Their water comes
from a stream, he said, adding
that results from the tests --
which are trying to determine if
the deaths were caused by chol-
era or other diseases -- should
be available by the weekend.
Lee Suy said eight residents of
the farming town had died and
496 others fell ill, including 144
who remained in its small hospi-
tal for further treatment.
Many of the hospital rooms
were crammed wall-to-wall
with cots holding stricken pa-
tients, an AFP journalist who
visitedthe facility this weeksaid.
Inthe corridors, more patients
waited for treatment amid a tan-
gle of dextrose tubes.
Residents said most of the pa-
tients came fromAlamadas jun-
gle outskirts.
The concern is we have to
make sure the patient will not
sufer from dehydration, Lee
Suy said.
Maritime row triggers concern on Manila-Beijing economic ties
DPA
Manila
T
ension over disputed territories
in the South China has raised
concern that security and po-
litical issues could hurt the Philippines
economic relations with China, ana-
lysts said yesterday.
Political analyst Ramon Casiple said
the worlds second-largest economy is
also the second-largest export market
for Philippines products.
Chinas aggressive stance in push-
ing its territorial claims is counter-
productive, but giventhe volume of the
relations between these two countries,
we can weather this storm, he said.
Casiple, who heads the Institute
of Political and Electoral Reforms in
Manila, said China is more important
to the Philippines than the other way
around.
But he said he believes the two na-
tions can maintain economic and trade
relations despite their maritime disa-
greements.
Casiple noted that new Chinese
Ambassador to Manila Zhao Jianhua
has characterised the territorial dis-
pute as a small part of a bigger and
multi-faceted relationship between
the two neighbours.
The Philippines can only dispatch
one or two coast guard ships to the
contested areas, while China has
launched an organised eet of ships in
areas claimed by Manila as well as Ha-
noi.
I think Chinas recent aggressive
behaviour in disputed areas with Viet-
nam and the Philippines is a response
to the impact made by recent visit of
US President Obama in Asia, and the
recent signing of an enhanced defence
agreement between Philippines and
US, he said.
Last year, despite the increased ten-
sion over disputes in the South China
Sea, China remained one of the biggest
trading partners of the Philippines.
The Philippine Statistics Authority
said shipment to China accounted for
nearly 15%of total exports in February,
worth $683mn, an 80%increase year-
on-year.
Economist and former budget sec-
retary Benjamin Diokno said the rift
would hurt trade and tourism in the
Philippines.
China is the Philippines second-
biggest export market. There are a lot
of Chinese tourists in the Philippines.
So the impact is lower trade and slower
tourism, Diokno said.
Joselito Canasa, 42, owner of an In-
ternet shop in Quezon City, said China
has no respect for its neighbours as it
displays its might as a big power. Chi-
na aggressively pushes its presence be-
yond its territorial boundary, he said.
These disputedareas are withinour
exclusive economic zones.
There are many Chinese business-
men here who, I think, will tend to side
with Chinas interests, he said.
ChinaisthePhilippines
second-biggest export market.
Therearealot of Chinesetourists
inthePhilippines. Sotheimpact is
lowertradeandslowertourism
Detained Italian envoy
allowed to see doctor
AFP
Manila
A
n Italian diplomat de-
tained in the Philippines
for alleged child abuse
will be allowed to leave prison
briey to undergo medical treat-
ment, a government prosecutor
said yesterday.
Daniele Bosio, the Italian
ambassador to Turkmenistan,
sufers from a kidney condi-
tion and blood sugar problems
that may have been worsened
by his stressful connement in
a crowded cell, a member of his
family said.
The 46-year-old diplomat
was holidaying in the Philip-
pines when he was arrested ve
weeks ago following a complaint
by a childrens advocacy group
who alleged they saw him act-
ing inappropriately with three
homeless boys at a park near
Manila.
Of course, I dont want to
risk his health condition... so I
decidedthat it is best to grant his
request for a medical check-up,
state prosecutor Agripino Bay-
bay told reporters.
Bosio was earlier detained in
a tiny cell with dozens of other
people at a police station about
an hours drive from the Philip-
pine capital.
The prosecutor said the Ital-
ian would have to return to the
cell after his treatment and at-
tend more investigative hearings
aimed at determining if there is
enough evidence for him to be
charged with a crime.
The notoriously slow Philip-
pine judicial system means the
proceedings could drag on for
months.
Bosios brother Andreas said
the diplomat, who was sus-
pended from his post after his
arrest, would consult a specialist
in Manila.
His familyinsists he is innocent
and he was only trying to help lo-
cal street children when he was
arrested.
They have described him
as a frequent backpacker who
even provided nancial sup-
port to a childrens school in the
Philippines.
Philippine policemen escort 46-year-old detained Italian diplomat
Daniele Bosio (centre) upon arrival at the Hall of Justice building in
Binan town, Laguna province, south of Manila yesterday, to attend the
preliminary investigation at the prosecutors ofice.
A boy watches as hundreds of farmers and their water bufalos parade along a main street during the annual Kneeling Carabaos
Festival in Pulilan town, Bulacan province, north of Manila yesterday. Water bufalos, locally known as carabaos, are led during a
parade in the streets of the town every 14th and 15th of May to honour its patron saint of farmers San Isidro Labrador (Saint Isidore
the Worker). The carabaos will kneel in front of a church to give thanks for a year-long bountiful harvest, according to the organiser.
Festive celebration
Presidential spokesman downplays tainted list
ByJoel MSyEgco
Manila Times
M
alacanang yesterday
joined lawmakers in
belittling the list given
by Janet Lim-Napoles to former
senator Panlo Ping Lacson,
saying the unsigned af davit
was just amere scrap of paper.
The listwhat does it
prove? And given the af davit,
which is unsigned, how do we
proceedwith that?spokesman
Edwin Lacierda said during a
news brieng.
He noted that Justice Sec-
retary Leila de Lima has in her
possession an af davit signed
by Napoles that named three
senators and ve congress-
men who allegedly received
kickbacks from their Priority
Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF) or pork barrel disburse-
ments.
Quoting de Lima, Lacierda
said the af davit is a work in
progress. He added that more
names will be added to the
signed list as investigation
progresses.
Its really a work inprogress.
Yes, theres already aninitial af-
davit, signed and notarised by
Napoles, submittedto (de Lima)
yesterday (Tuesday). But the
same covers only the lawmakers
in the rst batch of PDAF cases
already led, and the Malam-
paya fund (scam), the Palace
of cial said.
He noted that the Depart-
ment of Justice (DOJ) is waiting
for the completion of the more
extended af davit which ex-
pectedly covers the entire list.
SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL
31
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Lanka did not succumb to
pressure in 09: minister
P
resident Mahinda Ra-
japakse refused to suc-
cumb to pressures exerted
by some countries to end the
military campaign against the
LTTE in 2009, a top Sri Lankan
minister has said.
Government spokesman and
Minister of Information Ke-
heliya Rambukwella said some
countries had put pressure on Sri
Lanka whenthe war was reaching
a decisive stage in 2009.
Some countries sent ad-
vance teams and even were
ready to send ships. But the
President (Rajapakse) refused
to give in, he said at a gather-
ing in the central district of
Kandy yesterday.
Rambukwellas reference to
the international pressure was
apparently aimed at the visit of
the then British foreign minis-
ter David Miliband and his then
French counterpart Bernard
Kouchner to meet Rajapakse
in 2009.
Rambukwella said the inter-
national pressure during the
2009 conict was much more
serious than the Indian gov-
ernment intervention in 1987,
when the Sri Lankan troops
were closing in on the hide-
out of LTTE leader Velupillai
Prabakaran.
This time there were more
than dhal drops, he said refer-
ring to the Indian Air Forces air
dropping of rations to the north-
ern Sri Lanka citizens during the
1987 military ofensive against
the nowbanned LTTE.
India believed Sri Lanka was
willfully starving the popula-
tion in the north as a military
tactic hence decided to airdrop
supplies.
Sri Lanka has, since the end
of the war ve years ago, faced
three consecutive UN Human
Rights Council resolutions call-
ing for urgent reconciliation
measures for the Tamil minority.
The US-backed resolutions
were supported by leading
Western nations. Japan, along
with India, was two of the 12
countries which abstained
during the vote in March in
Geneva.
Rambukwella said Sri Lan-
ka had taken steps to achieve
reconciliation with the Tamil
minority and the government
Agencies
Colombo
Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella
Probe executions by
troops: rights body
Bangladesh introduces Bengali in all spheres
T
he Bangladesh govern-
ment yesterday directed
all its of ces to imple-
ment within 15 days a high court
order on introducing Bengali in
all spheres.
A high court bench on Febru-
ary 17 ordered that the writing of
all signboards, nameplates, ve-
hicles number plates or any kind
of announcement be in Bengali,
bdnews24.comreported.
Foreign embassies and enti-
ties were, however, exempted.
The court had issued the order
on a petition led by Yunus Ali
Akhand, a lawyer. The court also
ordereda halt to the use of mixed
languages - Bengali and Eng-
lish - in the print and electronic
media. The defendants had been
asked to implement the order
within a month.
As the order has not been car-
ried out within that time limit,
the petitioner led for contempt
of court against the defendants
April 6.
The bench on April 29 direct-
ed authorities to implement its
order on the use of Bengali and
report by May 15.
Kamal Abdul Naser Chowd-
hury, public administration sec-
retary, said government of ces
had been told to implement the
court order within 15 days.
The exercise would be re-
viewed after 15 days, the
secretary said.
He said private of ces, too,
would be asked to switch to Ben-
gali. The information secretary
also had been asked to use Ben-
gali in mass media, Chowdhury
said.
IANS
Dhaka
Buddhist devotees lining up to bathe or to pour pots of water around the roots of the sacred Bo tree on Vesak Day, on the compounds of the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya
temple near Colombo yesterday. Vesak is the full moon day which marks the birth, enlightenment and parinirvana or passing away of the Buddha. The Buddhist majority
populated Sri Lanka celebrates this day with religious observances and colourfully lit lanterns, pandals and dansalas, where food and refreshments are ofered to pedestrians
since giving is considered to accrue merit.
Vesak Day celebrations in Lanka
Labour migration has become fashion in Nepal: of cial
A
lmost half a million
Nepalis migrated to for-
eign countries in search
of job opportunities in 2013, as
leaving the country has become
increasingly fashionable, ac-
cording to director general of the
department of foreign employ-
ment, Krishna Hari Pushkar.
The number of people want-
ing to leave the country is in-
creasing day by day. Many are
ready to accept the same type of
job they would get in Nepal for
a similar remuneration as go-
ing abroad has become a fash-
ion rather than just a necessity,
Pushkar said in an interview
with Xinhua.
The number of job seekers go-
ing abroad increased by 59,506
in 2013 over the previous year.
Some 492,532 people looked
for greener pastures according
to a recently published report,
among them were 461,769 male
and 30,763 female. The top des-
tinations are Malaysia, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emir-
ates (UAE) and Kuwait.
Data showed that last year,
41,044 people per month and
1,349 per day made their luggage
and left the country.
Although those going abroad
with permission of the depart-
ment of foreign employment are
492,532, the number of those
using illegal channels cannot
be ascertained, according to
Pushkar.
Of cially we say that there
are currently 3mn Nepalis work-
ing abroad but in reality the
number might reach almost
5mn, Pushkar explained.
Because of the open border
with India, many Nepalis use the
southern neighbor as a spring-
board, bypassing the govern-
ment and the department of for-
eign employment.
Young people use illegal chan-
nels to full their dreamof going
abroad because they nd Ne-
pals bureaucracy too slow and
unfriendly.
According to Pushkar, under-
employment and a youthful age
structure have contributed to
the predominance of economi-
cally motivated international
migration fromNepal.
The country is now facing
challenges of large-scale migra-
tion with many migrants, such
as Ram Bahadur Pun, ready to
work hard for money.
I have been living in Saudi
Arabia for the past 16 years. I am
working ina supermarket but my
life is full of sacrices as I almost
never see my family in Nepal,
Pun said.
When asked why he does not
try to nd a job in Nepal he an-
swered that he doesnt believe
he can nd something suitable
to his demands in his homeland.
A study by UN Women in 2013
states that a majority of Nepa-
lese womenwho have beento the
Gulf nations on foreign employ-
ment would prefer to stay back
in the country if they could earn
as little as Rs8,000 ($80) per
month at home.
Investigations also show that
some economic migrants can go
as far as applying for a refugee
status in Western countries.
About 3,000 people visit the
department of foreign employ-
ment every day, but with limited
human resources, the institu-
tion is unable to provide timely
service.
Pushkar mentioned that
they issue less working permits
nowadays in an attempt to dis-
courage people from leaving the
country, but numbers show that
thats not enough as the coun-
trys structural problems must
be solved rst to stop large-scale
migration fromNepal.
IANS
Kathmandu
Many are ready to accept
the same type of job they
would get in Nepal for a
similar remuneration as
going abroad has become
a fashion rather than just a
necessity
has set in a programme to en-
gage those who have a negative
image of the country.
The military yesterday banned
public ceremonies to com-
memorate civilians killed dur-
ing a conict in the northern
and eastern part of the coun-
try, amid fears that support for
Tamil rebels may be revived,
of cials said.
Military spokesman Briga-
dier Ruwan Wanigasuriya said
that no public gatherings will
be allowed in the northern and
eastern parts of the country to
remember those killed.
Even two or three families
will not be allow to gather in
a house to have remembrance
ceremonies as it will turn into a
public gathering, he said.
The main university in the
northern capital Jafna is closed
until next Tuesday to prevent
students organising commemo-
rative events to remember those
killed in the nal stages of the
conict, which ended on May 18
ve years ago.
Tamil rebels of the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
fought for an independent
homeland for minority Tamils.
The military decision came as
the government claimed that it
had evidence there was an efort
under way to revive the LTTE.
The Sri Lankan government
is planning to hold its own cer-
emonies to mark the fth an-
niversary of ending of the
conict.
President Mahinda Rajapakse
will preside over celebrations on
May 18 to mark Victory Day.
An estimated 40,000 civil-
ians were killed during the nal
stages of the battle which was
conned to the northern part of
the country.
Appointment
of SC judges
sparks row
A
ppointment of eight
judges of the Supreme
Court (SC) of Nepal has
run into controversy as law-
makers of major political par-
ties yesterday expressed their
reservation over the selection
of some judges.
Few weeks ago, judicial
council (JC), a body mandated
to recommend the names of
judge for SC, has recommend-
ed the names of eight people.
During the parliamentary
hearing on Tuesday morning,
cross-party lawmakers raised
the questions about the in-
tegrity and fairness of those
recommended people saying
that it should be amended.
Each recommended people
will have to face the parlia-
mentary hearing to get the
appointment.
In the meeting of Parlia-
mentary Hearing Committee,
Nepali Congress lawmakers
said that the names of eight
people should be endorsed
claiming that their image is
clean, while second largest
party CPN-UML and the op-
position party UCPN (Mao-
ist) said some of the people
who have been recommend-
ed as have a bad image and
reputation.
After the disputes, chair-
man of Hearing Committee
Kul Bahadur Gurung decided
to call the members of JC to
furnish their details regarding
the people who have badrepu-
tationandimage. Now, it is the
responsibility of JC to prove
that those recommended peo-
ple are not controversial.
Though the SC is regarded
as an independent and impar-
tial court in Nepal, judges are
appointed on the basis of their
proximity to political parties.
IANS
Kathmandu
Power-shedding
in Nepal cut by
two hours
P
roviding welcome relief
to consumers, Nepals
state-owned power
monopoly has announced
curtailment in load-shed-
ding from 12 to 10 hours daily
efective yesterday.
The Nepal Electricity Au-
thority (NEA) on Tuesday
announced a new load-shed-
ding schedule stating that
there will be 70-hour power
cuts a week, down from 84
hours a week earlier, Xinhua
reported.
The decrease in power out-
age hours has been attributed
to the rise in the water level
and water ow in most of Ne-
pals rivers due to the begin-
ning of monsoon and the de-
crease in energy demand.
Nepal sufers power crisis
during the winter seasonwhen
most of the countrys river-
based projects generate only
35% of their capacity while
energy demand doubles at the
same time as compared to the
wet season.
The south Asian country
records growth in energy de-
mand by 100MWannually.
Though the Himalayan na-
tion can generate an estimated
83,000MW of commercial-
ly-viable electricity from its
hydro resources, it has an
installed capacity of barely
750MW. The demand upon
the national power grid is of
the order of 1,000MW.
IANS
Kathmandu
B
angladesh should set up
an independent body to
investigate evidence that
the paramilitary Rapid Action
Battalion (RAB) was responsi-
ble for extrajudicial executions,
disappearances, torture and
other serious abuses over many
years, Human Rights Watch
said in NewYork yesterday.
Following the abductionand
apparent contract killings of
seven people by members of
RAB and other security forces
in Narayangunj district May
2, state minister for home af-
fairs Asaduzzaman Khan an-
nounced that Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina had ordered law
enforcement agencies to en-
sure that all those responsible
were found and punished.
The high court, acting on its
own motion, directed that any
investigation into the killings
be conducted by a specially
constituted body independent
of the security forces, and is-
sued an arrest warrant against
three RAB of cers to be tried
before civilian courts.
After years of refusing to
investigate RAB, the govern-
ment has changed course and
reacted quickly to the Naray-
angunj murders, said Brad
Adams, Asia director at Hu-
man Rights Watch, in an open
letter to Hasina.
This is welcome and hope-
fully marks a shift away from
years of impunity for RAB
and other security forces.
The prime minister must now
broaden the probe and cre-
ate an independent process to
ensure accountability for all
cases, not just Narayangunj.
With a deeply polarising gure like Narendra Modi
set to become Indias next prime minister in a couple
of days, the question uppermost in everybodys mind
is simple: Is this the end of India as the world has
known the largest secular democracy for close to seven
decades?
Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Partys chest-thumping,
rabble-rousing stalwart, who is adept at mixing the
mantra of growth and globalisation with a heavy dose
of nationalism and religious piety, is preparing to leave
Gujarat where he has been chief minister for more than
10 years to occupy the prime ministers 7, Racecourse
Road residence in New Delhi. Its a move that could
alter the course of Indias history for better or worse.
For a party that won only two seats in the 1984
general elections and just about managed to cobble
together a coalition in 1996 following the communal
polarisation of the nation after the demolition of
the Babri mosque, an absolute majority, which some
exit polls predict for them, would be like a one-time
pauper winning a mega millions jackpot.
But while the almost sagely gure of Atal Behari
Vajpayee denitely helped dispel to a large extent
any misgivings about the BJP which Indias religious
minorities and secularists had then, the situation now
is far more distressing for more reasons than one.
To start with, the BJPs election campaign was
conducted on the plank of the Gujarat model of
development which projected Modi as a near-divine
gure who can make
age-old ills like poverty,
unemployment and
corruption disappear in
the blink of an eye.
In Uttar Pradesh,
which with its 80
parliamentary seats
plays a key role in
national politics, Modi
told people at one of
his rallies that he will
change the face of the
poverty-stricken state
in just ve years.
You gave 60 years to other rulers, I request you to
give only 60 months to us. We are sevaks (servants
of people), we will work day in and day out for your
prosperity, he told tens of thousands of supporters in
Gorakhpur.
Its a boast that has instant appeal but tremendously
dif cult to carry out because Uttar Pradesh alone has
a population of 200mn which is 55mn more than that
of the worlds largest country, Russia. To make matters
worse, it is a state where the populace is hopelessly
divided along caste and religious lines with many of
its leaders boasting criminal records that would make
members of the Sicilian maa look like juveniles.
Also, the BJPs communal rhetoric targeted at
Muslims has also blighted its image further. Of course,
everybody is aware that the BJP is the political arm of
extremist Hindu organisations like the RSS and the
VHP, but there was little visible efort to engage the
minorities who remain deeply suspicious of Hindutva.
Modi, however, has said he will represent all Indians
and not just the Hindus if he becomes the prime
minister, but the question is will he allow himself to be
dominated completely by the RSS based in the central
Indian city of Nagpur?
If this turns out to be the case, India is in for trouble.
But if Modi indeed manages to evolve as a mature leader
as many predict and deliver on even a quarter of the
promises the BJP made, he would have done his job.
Will Modi-ed India
be a better place
after the elections?
P.O.Box 2888
Doha, Qatar
editor@gulf-times.com
Telephone 44350478 (news),
44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery)
Fax 44350474
Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah
Editor-in-Chief : Darwish S Ahmed
Production Editor: C P Ravindran
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
COMMENT
32
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Everybody
is aware that
the BJP is the
political arm of
extremist Hindu
organisations
like the RSS and
the VHP
The ongoing investment
by Qatar Inc. in the British
capital London demonstrates
the continued condence in
Europes economic
powerhouse
By Updesh Kapur
Doha
I
n November 2012, a reception
at the Museumof Islamic Art
in Doha marked the of cial
announcement of a British
tradition.
Acelebration of two cultures,
a friendship spanning years and a
relationship that was set to go from
strength to strength.
Britain has long ventured into
celebrating tie-ups, whether twinning
its cities with those far aeld
promoting cross cultural exchanges, or
on a larger scale forging partnerships
on a country level that go far beyond
just boosting economic activity.
When the opportunity to join
hands with Qatar and boost historic
ties for a year of cultural celebration,
Britain had no reservations. The Doha
unveiling was followed a month later
in December 2012 by a formal launch
of the initiative on home turf at a top
London hotel.
The year 2013 was to be one of
celebration, forging newpartnerships
between Qatar and the UKin the
elds of art, culture, lm, education,
sport and science through a year-
long programme of events in both
countries. Among the highlights
was the visit to Qatar of the Prince
of Wales and his wife Camilla, the
Duchess of Cornwall.
Qatar UK2013 Year of Culture
was the second bilateral exchange
programme year initiated by Qatar
Museums Authority, in partnership
with the British Council, Qatars
Ministry of Culture, Arts and
Heritage, and the British Foreign and
Commonwealth Of ce.
Showcasingthe deep-rootedbilateral
relations betweenQatar andthe UK, the
programme for 2013 provideda platform
onwhichtobuildnewlong-term
partnerships betweeninstitutions, in
order togenerate greater engagement in
bothcommunities througha sharedlove
of arts andculture.
The UKinitiative followed the
success of the Qatar Japan cultural
tie-up in 2012, while this year, the
third cultural programme which Qatar
is focusing on, is Brazil.
The success of any such programme
can be measured in diferent ways.
Its easy to reect on a spike in visitor
numbers on the back of heavily
promoted activities. But its not just
about the euphoria surrounding the
events calendar. Its more than that.
Its about legacy. Howone can build
on the success of a large-scale event is
what will be tangible and measurable
maintaining the momentumto
drive continued awareness being the
objective.
Development of trade and
commerce play a key role. Decision
makers look to secure newcontracts
and be part of the growing bond
between nations. Countries build
on such initiatives through state and
ministerial visits, and high-prole
businessmen conducting trade
missions.
Bilateral trade between the UKand
Qatar is estimated to be worth over
QR30bn with the numbers growing
yearly.
The ever-growing exchange
programmes enable people to work
and study across borders in countries
that share two-way cultural co-
operation.
Sustaining a marked increase in
visitors, reporting more trade traf c
and fuelling additional cross-cultural
programmes is the true benet of the
rst full-blown activity engaged in.
In the case of Qatar and the UK,
Prince Charles visited Doha in
February, his second in less than a
year. He met representatives from
diferent faiths and took time to
meet researchers and environmental
scientists at the Museumof Islamic
Art. With a fascination for urban
sustainability and environmental
issues, his visit demonstrated a
desire to learn more about a nation
developing at rapid pace.
Earlier this year, the British embassy
organised a British Festival in Doha to
build on the legacy of the 2013 cultural
initiative. It continued the momentum
of last year which engaged more than
175,000 people through a programme
of 80 events. The month-long festival
in March focused on education,
commerce and, of course, culture and
included trade missions involving
British companies seeking to boost
business ties in Qatar.
The ongoing investment by
Qatar Inc. in the British capital
London demonstrates the continued
condence in Europes economic
powerhouse.
Easing visa restrictions for Qatari
nationals visiting the UKis perhaps
one of the most signicant measures
introduced. Visa-free entry into any
country is seen as a great stride to ease
movement of people.
The free-visa waiver programmes
means no need to provide any
biometric data, nor visit a visa
application centre. After simply
completing an online formbefore
travel, a visa waiver is issued almost
immediately via a secure website.
Ease of travel has a knock on efect
that, in turn, generates a host of other
benets.
The number of Qatari students
taking degrees in the UKhas risen
signicantly in recent years. So too
has medical tourismfromQatar and
the Gulf as a whole. World-renowned
physicians based in the UK, mainly
London, have attracted a growing
number of Qatari clients seeking
treatment year on year.
Britain has been riding on the crest
of a wave despite facing economic
woes with concerns of a property
boom, in particular in the capital,
creating an articial bubble just
waiting to burst.
The alarmists will always paint a
bleak picture. But the love afair with
London seems to be growing from
strength to strength.
As gateway to Britain, London
remains a magnet for those looking to
do business or simply to go on holiday.
As the summer vacation approaches,
London will bustle like never before.
Capitalising on the legacy of one
of the most successful Games in
Olympic history when London hosted
the worlds foremost sporting event
in 2012, celebrations helped lift the
countrys economy and enhance the
feel good factor.
Just look at the gures.
In 2013, London received more
visitors than ever before, thanks to a
bumper year for tourism.
Newly-releasedstatistics bythe
International Passenger Surveyshowed
the capital welcomeda record16.8mn
visitors in2013, more thana million
extra tourists thanthe previous record-
breakingyear in2006.
By contrast, Britain as a whole
welcomed 33mn visitors, a 6%
increase on 2012, spending 21bn
across the country, up 13%compared
with the previous year. In London,
tourists spent a record 11.2bn over
1bn more than in 2012 on shopping,
hotels, restaurants and visitor
attractions.
Visitors fromthe Middle East,
excludingthe UnitedArabEmirates,
averageda dailyspendof 173 last year.
UAEvisitors came next, averaging156
per dayfollowedbythose fromEgypt,
Nigeria andNorway.
Many London attractions, including
the British Museum, Natural History
Museumand National Gallery,
experienced huge increases in visitor
numbers in 2013 and interest levels are
not likely to wane.
The French made the most visits
last year, at 3.93mn, but they were only
the 37th biggest spenders, averaging
71 a day. US visitors, traditionally
those with the deepest pockets, made
2.79mn visits in 2012, spending an
average of 115 a day.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said:
These record-breaking gures are
a tribute to the outstanding mix of
culture, art, music and sport to be
found here and more is planned.
Withmajor international sporting
events includingthe RugbyWorldCup
andthe Tour de France andspectacular
exhibitions at the Tate andthe British
Museumthis year, it is clear that this
wonderful citywill not rest onits
laurels. The legacyof the successful
2012 LondonOlympics is strongandwill
forever remainwithus.
British tourismchiefs and trade
delegations highlight the Games
legacy in marketing campaigns and
discussions to ensure the spotlight on
London continues with vigour.
Today marks the rst-ever all-
business class ight by Qatar Airways
that is scheduled to take-of this
afternoon. Destination: London.
Next month sees the national airline
introduce its rst super jumbo Airbus
A380 with a daily capacity of over 400
seats. Destination: London.
Just weeks before the events of
Qatar UK2013 kicked of, the ag
carriers inaugural long-haul ight of
its rst Boeing 787 Dreamliner took to
the skies. Destination: London.
Air capacity between Qatar and
the UKhas grown steadily on the
back of strengthened relations. Being
an economic driver of any nation,
aviation cannot be ignored. Airlines
build business, they carry passengers,
transport freight and importantly
strengthen brand awareness of the
countries they y to and from.
Todaythere are around1,800seats a
dayyingonBritishAirways andQatar
Airways the agcarriers of Britain
andQatar respectivelyeachway
betweenLondonandDoha. The gure
will surpass 2,000whenthe A380takes
tothe skies fromHamadInternational
Airport inthe middle of next month.
The skies are bridging air corridors,
making themcloser and making
themfaster to travel through more
frequently. Today, Doha and London
enjoy seven daily ights between two
carriers on this very busy air bridge.
Cecille Elbleidi, Britishcharge
dafaires inQatar, said: There is a
long-standingrelationshipbetween
Qatar andthe UK. Bilateral relations
have never beenstronger. These strong
ties are built onestablishedtrust and
mutual support betweenfriends.
Qatar is a valued, strategic partner
for the UK, and we are cooperating in
a growing number of areas foreign
policy, trade and investment, energy,
culture, sport, education and training
to name a few. We will continue to
work to further strengthen these ties
over the coming decades.
As a footnote, the attraction of
London is so strong that it nowboasts
the largest number of billionaires of
any city in the world, beating New
York and Moscow.
AccordingtoThe Sunday Times Rich
List, Londonhas become the hubfor the
super-rich, nowaccountingfor 72 of the
104UK-wide billionaires, representing
10%of all the billionaires inthe world.
The love afair with the British
capital is truly on a roll.
London calling: the love
afair with the British capital
There is a
long-standing
relationship between
Qatar and the UK
Iconic London: Newly-released statistics by the International Passenger Survey showed London welcomed a record 16.8mn visitors in 2013, more than a million extra
tourists than the previous record-breaking year in 2006.
London, a magnet for the world. Many London attractions, including the British Museum, Natural History Museum and
National Gallery, experienced huge increases in visitor numbers in 2013 and interest levels are not likely to wane.
COMMENT
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 33
In todays global business
environment it is not
enough to be either
a low-power-distance leader
or a high-power-distance
leader
ByErin Meyer
Paris
W
hether you feel
the best boss is
more of a facilitator among equals or
a director who leads fromthe front, to
succeed in international business you
need the exibility to adapt your style
to your cultural context.
This lesson was brought home to
me when I taught a group of Heineken
executives. Heineken, of course, is
a Dutch brewing company. When
you visit Heinekens headquarters
in Amsterdam, you will nd a lot of
tall blond Dutch people and also a
lot of Mexicans. In 2010, Heineken
purchased a big operation in Monter-
rey, Mexico, and nowa large number
of head-of ce employees come from
northern Mexico.
Among them is Carlos Gomez,
who described to my class his ex-
periences since moving to Amster-
dam a year earlier. It is absolutely
incredible to manage Dutch people
and nothing like my experience
leading Mexican teams, Gomez said,
because, from my experience, the
Dutch do not care at all who is the
boss in the room.
The amount of respect we show
to authority is deeply rooted in the
culture we are raised in. We begin, as
young children, to learn howmuch
deference should be shown to an older
sibling, a parent, a teacher and later,
in business, these same ideas impact
howwe viewthe ideal relationship
with our boss or subordinates.
For someone such as Gomez, who
has learned to lead in a culture where
deference to authority is relatively
high, it is both confusing and chal-
lenging to lead a teamwhere the boss
is seen as just one of the guys. In this
case, the challenge was particularly
strong, as the Netherlands is one of
the most egalitarian cultures in the
world.
Gomez explained: I will schedule
a meeting in order to roll out a new
process, and during the meeting my
team starts challenging the proc-
ess, taking the meeting in various
unexpected directions, ignoring
my process altogether, and paying
no attention to the fact that they
work for me. Sometimes I just watch
them astounded. But often I just
feel like getting down on my knees
and pleading with them, Dear col-
leagues, in case you have forgotten
I...am the boss.
Geert Hofstede, one of the rst
researchers to look at the idea of
what good leadership looks like in
diferent countries, coined the term
power distance, which he dened as
the extent to which the less power-
ful members of organisations accept
and expect that power is distributed
unequally. As subsequent research-
ers continue to explore and research
this topic we have been looking at
questions such as, howmuch respect
or deference is shown to an authority
gure?
If you want to communicate a
message to someone two levels above
or belowyou, should you go through
the hierarchical chain? When you are
the boss, what gives you your aura of
authority?
The answers to these questions
vary dramatically depending on what
country you come from. One of my
INSEADcolleagues, Professor Andr
Laurent polled hundreds of managers,
asking: Is it important for a manager
to have at hand answers for most of
the questions subordinates may raise
about their work? While 45%of
the Japanese sample claimed it was
important for the boss to have most
of the answers, only 7%of Swedes
thought the same way.
One Swedish manager commented:
Even if I knowthe answer, I probably
wont give it to my stafbecause I
want themto gure it out for them-
selves! Conversely, one Japanese
executive said, I would try not to ask
my boss a question unless I was pretty
sure he knewthe answer.
Most East Asian countries are high-
power-distance cultures. One of the
many reasons for this is the strong
impact of Confucianism. Confucius
believed that mankind would be in
harmony with the universe if everyone
understood their role in society and
behaved accordingly. He devised a
systemof interdependent relation-
ships, in which the lower level gives
obedience to the higher, while those
who are higher protect and mentor the
lower.
In order to understand many East
Asian hierarchies, it is important to
think not just about the lower level
persons responsibility to follow, but
also about the responsibility of the
higher person whether father, boss
or elder to protect and care for those
lower down whether sons, staf or
youth. Although Confucius has been
dead for centuries, anyone leading a
teamin China can benet fromunder-
standing these principles.
During a research project I con-
ducted with my colleague Elsie Shen,
we interviewed Steve Henning, an
Australian who had lived in China for
many years. In China, the boss is
always right, Henning reected, and
even when the boss is very wrong, he
is still right. Gradually he had learned
to understand and respect this system
of reciprocal obligations. Your team
may followyour instructions to the
letter, but in return, you must under-
stand your role to coach and take care
of them, he explained.
Ina hierarchical culture, protect your
subordinates, mentor them, always
lookout for their interests, andyoumay
reapmanyrewards. As Henningput it:
There is great beautyingivinga clear
instructionandwatchingyour com-
petent andenthusiastic teamwillingly
attackthe project without challenging
youeverystepof the way.
In todays global business envi-
ronment it is not enough to be either
a low-power-distance leader or a
high-power-distance leader. You
may find yourself leading a team
with both Dutch and Chinese em-
ployees (as well as Italians, Swedes
and Mexicans). You need to develop
the flexibility to manage up and
down the cultural scale.
Often this means going back to
square one. It means watching what
makes local leaders successful. It
means explaining your own style
frequently. It may even mean learning
to laugh at yourself.
But ultimately it means learning
to lead in diferent ways in order to
motivate and mobilise groups who
followin diferent ways fromthe folks
back home.
Erin Meyer is an af liate professor of
Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD.
She is also the author of The Culture
Map: Breaking Through the Invisible
Boundaries of Global Business.
Leading across cultures: learn to adapt your style
Letters
Live issues
Should I worry about catching Mers?
By Luisa Dillner
London
W
ith no antiviral drugs
or vaccines to treat it,
Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome (Mers) has
been called a killer bug with good
reason. In Saudi Arabia, where at
least more than 490 people have been
infected, 152 have died some of them
health workers who caught it from
patients.
Public health of cials have issued
warnings about wider dissemination
of the virus during times of
pilgrimage. Kuwait, Qatar, the United
Arab Emirates and Oman have all had
people arriving with Mers and, last
week, America joined the list when
a man travelled by plane fromSaudi
Arabia, through London, to visit
family near Chicago before he became
ill (he is recovering).
The Public Health England
(an executive agency of Britains
Department of Health) is known to
have contacted UKpassengers sitting
three rows in front or behind the
afected man. The period between
exposure to the virus and developing
symptoms (cough, fever, shortness
of breath) is 14 days which is a long
time to wait. So would it be better
to avoid going abroad this year or
should we stop being paranoid and
realise the risk of getting infected
wherever you are in the world is small?
Mers is a newtype of coronavirus,
a family of viral infections that causes
common colds as well as Sars (severe
acute respiratory syndrome). Mers
causes respiratory infections that lead
to pneumonia and, potentially, kidney
failure.
The virus can be passed through
close contact between people but is
not spread easily otherwise more
people would be infected. Also Mers
isnt a robust virus and can be killed
by household disinfectants. It can be
diagnosed by a laboratory test.
There is growing evidence that
the virus hangs on in camels in the
Middle East. Acase report fromthe
US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention linked the Mers infection
of a 43-year-old man in Jeddah with
sick camels he had been looking after
for three weeks.
Public Health England advises
travellers to the Middle East to avoid
unnecessary contact with camels,
including rawcamel meat or raw
camel milk.
To avoid the spread of infections
between humans, you should wash
hands regularly with soap and fully
dry them, and should not touch your
eyes, nose or mouth. You should use
disposable tissues when coughing or
sneezing.
The ministryof healthinSaudi Arabia
recommends that those over 65 or with
chronic diseases, pregnant women,
andchildrenunder 12 postpone any
pilgrimages while the number of people
infectedwithMers is rising. But the risk
is small, andit seems a newcoronavirus
emerges everycouple of years. If you
worrytoomuch, youwouldnever go
anywhere.GuardianNews andMedia
Dr Luisa Dillner heads BMJ Group
Research and Development .
A dangerous
practice
Dear Sir,
Who never dreams of having his
own cheetah or a white tiger? They are
so cute!
But then are wild animals supposed
to be pets? Is it fair to them? Well no, it
is not fair to them.
Many people treat wild animals
the same way as domestic ones. They
dont realise that they are wild. People
love them, they think that the animals
are happy with them, but they are not.
Moreover, the way they are treated
could be horrible.
Its illegal in some countries to have
a wild animal, but that doesnt stop
people fromkeeping them. In Qatar, it
is illegal to keep wild animals as pets
but they are smuggled in and some
people keep them.
Some animals are badly treated:
they get declawed and they have their
canine teeth taken of. Its not howa
living being is supposed to be treated.
Some owners consider themlike
babies: they are even made to wear
diapers!
If not properly kept and fed, wild
animals could pose a big hazard to
people.
They belong in their natural habitat
and not in the hands of individuals as
pets.
Wild animals also pose serious
health risks to humans. Many of them
are carriers of zoonotic diseases, such
as Monkey Pox and Salmonellosis,
all of which are communicable to
humans.
We need to be aware of the
consequences of keeping wild animals
at home, especially the ones who are
dangerous. There is the constant fear
of themescaping and harming people
in the community.
Ilhyana, Kylian, Jason, Jesus andAli
International School of London,
Qatar
Lets not
overreact
Dear Sir,
Ignoring the vehement statements
made against me by a fellowstudent
of the school near religious complex
(Gulf Times, May 14), I would like to
bring the voice of reason back into
the ongoing debate on Indian schools
in this column which, it seems, has
become some sort of a complaint box.
Many students would like to spend
some time outdoors even in these hot
days.
They shouldnt mind then a short
2-5-minute walk while leaving for
school or coming home.
As an assistant prefect, I witnessed
the other day a classroomof fourth
graders arguing with their PE teacher
to take themout to play sports, even in
this 40+Ctemperature. The children
are ne, its us who are overreacting.
Afewletter writers wanted the
schools to use minibuses to transport
children. But many entrances and
side streets are too small for even
minibuses to negotiate.
I also approached transport of cials
to nd out more about this. They say
the QR350 per head transport fee
would not be enough to cover the
expenses if minibuses are used for
school transport.
I do knowthe feel of the scorching
sun on my back, and I personally walk
more than 170mfromthe main gate
to my doorstep, with my 10-year-
old sister. So why amI defending
the school? Because my individual
convenience cannot outweigh that
of the 40 other people in my bus,
including teachers - regardless of what
services the school could have done
for me.
So I must beg the following question
of the student: is this a concern that
is truly avoidable or is this a plea for
convenience?
Aditya Karkera
Grade 11
School near religious complex
Pleasesend us
your letters
Bye-mail
editor@gulf-times.com
Fax 44350474
Or Post
Letters to the Editor
Gulf Times
P O Box 2888
Doha, Qatar
All letters, which are subject to ed-
iting, should have the name of the
writer, address and phone number.
The writers name and address
may be withheld by request.
Three-day forecast
TODAY
SATURDAY
High: 38 C
Low: 29 C
High: 39
Low : 31 C
Weather report
Around the region
Abu Dhabi
Baghdad
Dubai
Kuwait City
Manama
Muscat
Riyadh
Tehran
Weather
today
Clear
Clear
Clear
P Cloudy
P Cloudy
Clear
P Cloudy
Cloudy
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 Clear

Max/min
26/18
22/13
36/27
17/10
27/18
16/13
31/26
37/27
28/24
19/13
34/26
34/28
12/05
34/25
19/10
37/26
26/17
15/10
21/13
23/11
34/27
22/14
25/15
Weather
today
Clear
Clear
P Cloudy
C Rain
Clear
P Cloudy
M Cloudy
C Storms
T Storms
C Rain
T Storms
P Cloudy
Rain
M Cloudy
C Rain
C Storms
Clear
T Storms
C Rain
P Cloudy
T Storms
Rain
Fishermens forecast
OFFSHORE DOHA
Wind: NWLY 15/22KT
Waves: 5/7 Feet
INSHORE DOHA
Wind: NW-NELY 8/15 KT
Waves: 2/4 Feet
High: 39 C
Low : 28 C
FRIDAY
Hot during the day with slight dust
and some clouds
P Cloudy
Clear
Max/min
40/30
42/31
41/29
43/31
42/30
44/30
43/32
31/18
Weather
tomorrow
Clear
P Cloudy
Clear
P Cloudy
Clear
Clear
P Cloudy
P Cloudy
Max/min
40/31
41/30
40/31
42/30
43/29
43/31
42/30
Max/min
27/19
23/16
37/27
17/10
28/18
20/13
33/26
37/28
29/24
21/15
32/26
34/28
13/04
34/25
24/16
36/26
32/18
16/09
24/10
20/10
33/27
22/15
24/17
Weather
tomorrow
M Cloudy
Clear
P Cloudy
C Rain
Clear
P Cloudy
P Cloudy
P Cloudy
T Storms
Clear
C Storms
P Cloudy
C Storms
M Cloudy
P Cloudy
C Stroms
C Storms
C Rain
P Cloudy
Clear
C Storms
C Storms
Clear
31/18
C
Particles of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) coronavirus that
emerged in 2012 are seen in an undated colourised transmission electron
micrograph.
QATAR
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 34
Qatar Tourism Authority and United Nations World Tourism Organisation Themis Foundation oficials with participants at the regional workshop titled Strategy in Tourism Destination.
Strategies to boost
tourism discussed
at QTA workshop
Q
atar Tourism Authority (QTA) and the
United Nations World Tourism Organi-
sation (UNWTO) Themis Foundation are
conducting a regional workshop titled Strategy
in TourismDestination.
The programme is training 39 participants
fromQatar and the Mena region on the key skills
needed to build successful destination tourism
strategies. It is part of the second phase of a co-
operation agreement between QTA and the UN-
WTO, signed in February 2014.
In addition to providing participants with the
essential knowledge, skills and tools, the week-
long training workshop is also hosting a discus-
sion forum on the matters surrounding destina-
tion tourismstrategies.
Senior representatives of the UNWTO as well
as tourismprofessionals are leading the sessions,
emphasising situational analysis, strategic plan-
ning models and tourism development strategy.
The workshop also includes excursions to exist-
ing and potential tourist destinations to study
themand assess the potential for growth.
The participants will present their proposals
on the nal day of the workshop to a panel, which
includes representatives from QTA and the UN-
WTO.
Developing the tourism human capital in Qa-
tar is one of the key pillars of the Qatar National
Tourism Sector Strategy 2030, with QTA having
already taken concrete steps towards that direc-
tion by partnering with leading organisations such
as the UNWTO, said Hassan al-Ibrahim, director
of Strategy Development and head of the Tourism
Industry Development Committee at QTA.
The workshop is hosting lecturers and partici-
pants from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman,
Morocco, Yemen, Sudan, Nigeria andthe UNWTO.
Local lecturers and participants are members
of Qatar Museums Authority, the Qatar Olympic
Committee, Katara, Qatar destination manage-
ment companies and tour operators, and QTA.
Omar Valdez, executivedirector of theUNWTO
Themis Foundation, said: With this regional
course, QTA has promptly addressed the train-
ing needs of the main stakeholders in the coun-
try, as well as opening it to other representatives
from the Mena region, thus making this training
activity aninternational forumfor discussionand
exchange of knowledge and experiences.
Q-Post logistical
support for QRC
ByJoseph Varghese
Staf Reporter
T
he General Postal Corpo-
ration (Q-Post) will pro-
vide logistic assistance
to Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) by
sponsoring the distribution of
QRC literature and brochures for
an initial period of one year. QRC
will provide the staf members of
Q-Post with training in diferent
areas.
An agreement to this efect
was signed yesterday by Q-Post
chairman, Abdul-RahmanAli al-
Aqaily, and QRC Secretary Gen-
eral Saleh bin Ali al-Mohannadi.
During a press conference
at the Q-Post headquarters,
al-Aqaily said that Q-Post will
sponsor QRCin its activities.
We will take care of the dis-
tribution of QRCs publications
and newsletters, particularly in
relation to humanitarian cam-
paigns. The initial period of the
agreement is for one year, he
said.
QRC will provide Q-Post
staf with hands-on rst aid
training, informative workshops
on the international humanitar-
ian law and the Geneva Conven-
tions, and the opportunity to
participate in QRCs annual dis-
aster management camp which is
an internationally celebrated 10-
day event, al-Mohannadi said.
This agreement is a further
step taken by QRC to augment
its resources and mobilise nan-
cial and non-nancial support to
proceed with its commitments in
the best interest of humanity at
large.
Al-Aqaily said: QRC is one of
the leading non-prot organisa-
tions that work to improve so-
ciety. Co-operation with such
charitable organisations is a top
priority for Q-Post, which trans-
lates into initiatives to support
organisations that serve human-
ity worldwide,
The of cial said the agree-
ment is another step by QRC to
enhance mutual relations, ensure
collective benet from available
expertise and potentialities, and
facilitate access to diferent seg-
ments of society andthe business
community for higher visibility
through inuential supporters
like Q-Post.
Such partnerships are crucial
for promoting social responsibil-
ity as a fundamental corporate
strategy and fullling institu-
tional duties towards society and
its humanitarian and volunteer-
ing organisations, motivated by a
rmbelief in the values of public
interest, spirit of initiative, and
contribution to sustainable de-
velopment, al- Mohannadi said.
He said QRCs initiatives in-
clude diverse activities such as
ambulance, relief, and humani-
tarian services. QRC also con-
ducts training and education
of diferent targeted social cat-
egories, such as schoolchildren,
employees, and the youth. These
include rst aid courses, disaster
management camps, lectures on
the international humanitarian
lawand principles of humanitari-
an action, health and professional
education, training of volunteers,
and many other activities.
Al-Aqaily exchanging the MoU with al- Mohannadi. Picture: Shaji Kayamkulam
Unplugging for Global Accessibility Awareness Day today
I
nanefort to raise awareness
about the importance of ac-
cessibility to digital content
for those with special needs or
disabilities, Mada, Qatar As-
sistive Technology Centre, will
participate in the Global Acces-
sibility Awareness Day (GAAD)
today.
The Global Accessibility
Awareness Day is a community-
driven efort aimed at dedicat-
ing one day to raise the prole
and introduce the topic of dig-
ital (web, software, mobile app/
device) accessibility and people
with diferent disabilities to the
widest audience possible.
The initiative aims to help
people in Qatar understand the
impact of living with a disabil-
ity in daily life.
The community-driven ef-
fort calls upon all computer us-
ers in the country to participate
in GAAD by unplugging a com-
puter mouse to experience how
digital content is not equipped
for those with disabilities.
David Banes, CEO of Mada,
said: This is an excellent op-
portunity to raise awareness in
Qatar, a nation which is one of
the most digitally savvy coun-
tries in the world. There is a
growing need for accessible
digital design and this initiative
falls in line with Madas mis-
sion.
Mada has called upon citizens
of Qatar to support the cause
through the use of social media,
bypostingsupport tothe aware-
ness dayonFacebook, Twitter or
Google+withthe hashtag#gaad
#qatar. Users are encouraged to
participate in a competition to
raise awareness by submitting a
video illustrating the dif culties
faced when trying to use a web-
site to Mada at info@mada.org.
qa The best videos will be se-
lected and uploaded to the Mada
YouTube page.
Details are available online
@madaqatc on Twitter, Face-
book (https://www.facebook.
com/madaQATC) and YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/
qatcmada
Vodafone seeks compelling First ideas
V
odafone has called upon every-
one inQatar to connect to www.
rsts.com in order to turn one
of their dreams into a reality.
Vodafone is ofering people across
10 countries, including Qatar, the op-
portunity to Pitch Your First a new
Vodafone Firsts initiative to encourage
everyone to do something remarkable
for the rst time, with mobile technol-
ogy playing a role in bringing the expe-
rience to life.
People who have a compelling
First idea will be able to share their
ambitions at www.rsts.com.
Vodafone judges will select the best
proposals from 10 shortlisted nalists
in each country; the shortlist will then
be put to an online public vote, with
one winner in each market seeing his/
her dreambecome a reality.
Vodafone has also commissionedre-
search across 10 countries asking more
than 10,000 people what would be
their dreamrst experience.
The answers range from the emo-
tionally moving to the downright bi-
zarre, including possessing magical
powers and riding an ostrich.
In Qatar, answers included a trip to
Makkah, travelling the world, pilot-
ing a jet, skydiving, starting ones own
business and owning a home.
Vodafone Group brand director Bar-
bara Haase said: Our new Pitch Your
First initiative will expand Firsts even
further, and we look forward to help-
ing people turn great ideas into great
experiences.
As part of the Pitch Your First
launch, Vodafone has announced a
series of new Firsts, including an au-
dience in Berlin playing with German
band Booka Shade as the audiences
smartphones became part of a unique
performance in Booka Shades First
Orchestra of Phones.
Agroup of people inthe Netherlands
will take their rst hot-air balloonride,
sharing the experience with family and
friends over mobile with the encour-
agement of Dutch grandmothers An
and Ria the stars of a Vodafone First
in April 2014 when they took their rst
ight.
An emerging artist or band will win
the opportunity to play their rst-
ever stadium show in front of 80,000
people at Wembley Stadium. Footage
of their performance will be crowd-
sourcedfromaudience smartphones to
create a unique music video.
Vodafone is also encouraging peo-
ple to make a video of their own re-
actions using a smartphone or tablet
front-facing camera as they achieve
something amazing for the rst time.
These short videos capturing the joy,
surprise and excitement at the exact
moment in someones life when they
achieve something amazing for the
rst time are what Vodafone calls
Lies.
Lies capturing the expressions
of 53 people as they experience their
First, including a young boy riding a
horse, a couple seeing the rst scan of
their unborn child and a man conduct-
ing an orchestra, will be projected onto
iconic buildings around the world.
A screen-grab from the Pitch Your First
website.
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
QATAR
36
Dusty conditions continue to prevail in Qatar. The Qatar Meteorology Department had forecast on Monday a surge in mercury and a strong northwesterly wind (locally
known as Bawareh) from Tuesday until Saturday, bringing waves of dust. Visibility is expected to be poor during the day and gradually improve by night. The main reason for
the onset of Bawareh is the deepening of the Indian monsoon low over the Eastern Gulf region which causes a rise in temperature over coastal areas and deserts.
PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam
Dusty conditions prevail
Reformed
labour law
to cover
domestic
workers
By Salman Siddiqui
Staf Reporter
T
he proposed amendments
to the labour law of Qatar
will be applicable to all
workers in the country, including
domestic workers, a senior MoI
of cial said yesterday.
During the Q&A session at the
press conference yesterday, Brig.
Mohamed Ahmed al-Atiq, Asst.
Director General of General Di-
rectorate of Border, Passports
and Expatriate Afairs, MoI, was
asked whether the proposed
changes would be applicable
only to the blue collar labourers
at construction sites or would it
also apply to the domestic work-
ers.
The law when it comes into
efect [after going through the
Shura Council and gets govern-
ment approval] will be applicable
to all workers, including domes-
tic workers, he said.
At present, domestic workers
do not come under the Qatars
labour law.
According to Qatars National
Human Rights Committee An-
nual Report 2011, domestic
workers are the group of work-
ers most at risk of being abused,
in part because of the systemic
problems which leave domestic
workers without legal protection
for their rights.
The rights of domestic work-
ers remain an important chal-
lenge because they are the group
most exposed to transgressions,
due to the lack of legislation to
regulate their afairs and em-
ployment relationships, and the
fact that they are not subject to
the labour law, the report said.
Recently, Amnesty Interna-
tional had said in its report My
sleep is my break: Exploitation of
domestic labour in Qatar that
Qatari authorities were failing to
protect more than 80,000 for-
eign nationals, mostly women,
performing domestic labour in
the country.
Women interviewed by AI had
reported false promises on key
issues like pay and working con-
ditions, seven-day or even 100-
hour working weeks, threats,
physical abuse and rape.
While cases of sexual assault
were dealt under the criminal
law, there were no legislative
mechanisms to deal with their
labour issues such as withheld
salaries etc.
Of cials at the press confer-
ence, however, did not give any
timeframe when the law would
be ratied and come into force.
They only stressed that the pro-
posed amended law would have
to go through its normal legis-
lative cycle, including evalu-
ation by its legislative branch,
the Shura Council and nancial
entities such as the Chamber of
Commerce before it was referred
back to the government for a nal
approval.
Brig. Mohamed Ahmed al-Atiq, Asst. Director General of General Directorate of Border, Passports and Expatriate Afairs, MoI at the press conference yesterday.
PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil
A several hundred-strong media contingent, comprising international and local press, present at the press conference.
Reforms fail to impress Amnesty, Ituc
I
nternational organisations
like the Amnesty Interna-
tional and the International
Trade Union Confederation
(Ituc) have expressed their dis-
appointment with the labour re-
forms announced by Qatari au-
thorities yesterday.
Amnesty International said
the proposals fell far short of the
fundamental changes needed
to address labour issues in the
country and were in contrast to
the ndings of the international
law rm DLA Piper, which was
commissioned by the govern-
ment to review Qatars labour
law.
Based on todays announce-
ment the proposals appear to be
a missed opportunity. The gov-
ernment claims it is abolishing
the sponsorship system, but this
sounds like a change of name
rather than substantive reform,
said James Lynch, Amnesty In-
ternationals researcher on mi-
grants rights in the Gulf.
In particular, it remains un-
clear how proposed reforms to
the exit permit will work in prac-
tice, and whether under the new
proposal employers will retain
the ability to object to workers
leaving the country.
Among the new measures
taken by the government are
additional penalties for breach-
ing the Labour Law and confis-
cating passports, and increased
recruitment of labour inspec-
tors.
While some of the measures
announcedtoday are positive and
if implemented would improve
conditions for workers, they do
not go nearly far enough, said
James Lynch.
The government statement
makes no mention of a time-
frame withinwhich most reforms
will be implemented.
According to Amnesty, the
DLA Piper report said the spon-
sorship or kafala system, was no
longer the appropriate tool for
the efective control of migra-
tion in Qatar and stated that the
government should review and
reconsider the necessity of an
exit visa.
Lynch said many of the nd-
ings and recommendations are
consistent with Amnesty Inter-
nationals own research.
However, the Ituc was more
critical of the proposed reforms
and said steps should be taken
to do away completely with the
provisions of the old sponsor-
ship system.
Sharan Burrow, General Sec-
retary, Ituc, said in a statement
that the changes were designed
to make it easier for employers to
find migrant workers and they
failed to meet international la-
bour standards set by the In-
ternational Labour Organisa-
tion .
No time frame or process as-
sociated with the reforms has
been detailed.
It added: The exit visas will
remain in place, with the Inte-
rior Ministry now deciding who
can leave the country. There is
no freedom of association, no
minimum wage, and no efective
labour compliance system.
Employees
to benet
ByJoseph Varghese
Staf Reporter
T
he proposed changes to
the labour law announced
yesterday by the Qatari au-
thorities will benet employees
as there will be no ban period for
seeking new jobs with other em-
ployers, a Doha-based legal ex-
pert said.
Speaking to Gulf Times, Nizar
Kochery said that the proposed
changes will provide more free-
dom for the workers. It will also
take care of the concerns of the
employees to a great extent.
The legal systemof the coun-
try is very efective. But, a fewill-
minded employers misuse them
and create troubles for the work-
ers. The proposed changes will
largelyaddress this issue andpro-
vide fair treatment to everyone.
Earlier, article 4 in the spon-
sorship lawof 2009restricted the
entry of the employees for a pe-
riod of two years if the employee
is banned by the employer. But
the present proposal will help the
employees to seek new jobs once
their stipulated period of con-
tract is over. Now the employees
can look for other employers and
change their jobs without any ban
after completing the period in the
contract.
Kochery, however, pointed out
that article 43 of the Labour Law
of 2004 prevents the employees
to look for employment for two
years without the permission of
the employers if their services are
terminated.
Employers could use this pro-
vision to stop the workers from
seeking employment with other
organisations. How will this
clause be addressed in the new
law and what changes will come
into efect in this regard? In this
case, the article 43 must be made
null and void so as to make the
proposed changes to benet the
employees,he said.
Similarly, the legal expert also
pointed out that article 61 of the
Labour Law of 2004 gives the
right to the employers to termi-
nate the services of the employees
without giving any end of term
benets on account of miscon-
duct, irregularity to work, negli-
gence or other similar reasons.
This provision also is a con-
cern and I am hopeful that this
issue will be properly addressed
when the entire proposals take
shape into newlaws.
As for the proposal for the exit
permit system, Kochery observed
that moreclaricationisneededin
the implementationof the system.
We are not sure how it will
be evolved out and what will be
the criteria for emergency exit
permits. I am condent that the
proposal, when codied, all these
concerns will be taken care of by
the authorities,he stated.
The lawyer also suggested that
eventhoughthe lawstipulates that
passports as well as the copy of the
employment contract must be giv-
entotheemployees, someemploy-
ers donot followthepracticestill.
There must be a provision for
the employees to get a copy of the
contract. If the employees do not
get a contract copy fromthe em-
ployers, the Ministry of Labour
may make provisions to supply
a copy of the same at a minimal
cost. These issues alsomaybe ad-
dressed inthe newchanges.
He also raised the issue of
modications to the contract as
per the guidelines providedbythe
government. What happens to
the employers if they do not fol-
low these guidelines and do not
make suggested changes to the
contract?
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Rajab 16, 1435 AH
BUSINESS
GULF TIMES
US retail sales
slow; growth
outlook bright
LNG imports
growing at
record pace
APRIL BRAKE | Page 16 CHINA SMOG | Page 13
Emirs patronage for
Iata AGM in June ,
says Qatar Airways
Q
atar Airways yesterday announced the pa-
tronage of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad al-Thani for this years 70th Inter-
national Air Transport Association (Iata) Annual
General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport
Summit, which will take place at the Ritz-Carlton
Hotel in Doha fromJune 1 to 3.
Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar al-
Baker said, We are honoured by the patronage of
HH the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Tha-
ni, which in itself highlights the significance of
hosting such an important event. We await with
great anticipation the opportunity to host such
an important global aviation event in our home
country. The coming months represent a period
of significant progression for Qatar Airways, with
our move to Hamad International Airport and the
continued expansion of our young and growing
fleet of aircraft. As such, this Iata AGM repre-
sents the perfect opportunity for us to showcase
the State of Qatar and its importance as a global
aviation hub.
The AGM, a critical aviation annual event, is be-
ing hosted by Qatar Airways and represents just the
fourth time the AGM has taken place in the Middle
East in Iatas history, with the event last hosted by
Jordan in 1997.
More than 230 airlines around the world are
members of Iata and the forthcoming AGM is ex-
pected to receive more than 1,000 senior aviation
industry delegates as well as 200 international me-
dia representatives in Doha.
Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 17
years of operation. The airline currently operates a
moderneet of some 134aircraft to 138 key business
and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle
East, Africa, Asia Pacic, North America and South
America.
Over the next few months, Qatar Airways net-
work will grow further with the addition of Al Ho-
fuf, Saudi Arabia (May 15), Istanbul Sabiha Gken
Airport, Turkey (May 22), Edinburgh, Scotland
(May 28), Miami, US (June 10), Haneda, Japan (June
18), Dallas/Fort Worth, US (July 1, 2014) andDjibou-
ti (July 27, 2014).
EXCLUSIVE TRIP: Page 3
Project Qatar exhibitors
tour major infrastructure
projects in Doha
Qatar cost of living surges
2.8% in April on rent, food
By Santhosh V Perumal
Business Reporter
Qatars cost of living, based on consumer price index (CPI), rose 2.8% year-
on-year in April mainly on rising rents and costlier food, garments and
entertainment, according to oficial figures.
The CPI inflation was up 0.2% compared to the previous month, said the Ministry
of Development Planning and Statistics, which released the figures yesterday.
In a recent report on Qatar, the International Monetary Fund had said inflation is
expected to be benign for this year; while Bank of America Merrill Lynch expects
it to mildly harden this year.
The rent, fuel and energy group, which is the most influential and carry the
maximum weight of 32.2% in the CPI basket, recorded an increase of 6.3% y-o-y
in April 2014. The index was up 0.7% from the previous months level.
After eliminating the efect of rent, the overall index was up 0.1% from the
previous months level and showed an increase of 1.6% when compared to April
2013, according to ministry figures.
According to QNBs projection, the countrys 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 segment, which has a weight of 20.5% in the
CPI basket, saw its index gain 1.2% y-o-y in April 2014. It was up 0.1% from the
previous months level.
However, apprehensions are that transport sector might face higher inflationary
pressures in the coming months owing to the recent 50% hike in retail diesel
prices.
Food, beverages and tobacco, which has a weight of 13.2% in the CPI basket, saw
a 0.6% acceleration y-o-y in April 2014, while it fell 0.4% from March.
Entertainment, recreation and culture, which carries a weight of 10.90% in the
CPI basket, saw its group index shoot up 2.7% compared to April 2013 and it was
up 0.5% compared to the previous months level.
Furniture, textiles and home appliances, which has a weight of 8.2% in the CPI
basket, saw its group index surge 5.1% y-o-y in April this year and it was up 0.7%
from March 2014.
The garments and footwear group, which carries 5.8% in the CPI basket, saw its
price spurt 4% y-o-y in April 2014 and 0.3% against the previous months level.
The medical care and medical services group, which has a 2% weight, reported a
0.6% increase y-o-y in April 2014. However, the index was unchanged compared
to the previous months level.
However the miscellaneous goods and services segment, which has 7.2% weight
in the CPI basket, saw its group become cheaper by 1.8% y-o-y in April 2014. The
index fell 0.4% from the previous month.
Qatargas shipping unit gets Five Star safety accreditation
Q
atargas shipping depart-
ment has achieved the
maximum Five Star Ac-
creditation in Occupational Health
and Safety Management and the
Four Star Accreditation for En-
vironmental Standards and Prac-
tices awarded by the British Safety
Council (BSC).
The departments achievement
follows an intensive evaluation
conducted by BSC auditors and is
in recognition of its continued ef-
forts to set the standardas a premier
company and to safely, ef ciently
and reliably manage and operate all
of its resources.
As one of the worlds most pres-
tigious health, safety and envi-
ronmental auditing organisations,
the BSC conducts a programme to
benchmark the management sys-
tems of companies against current
global best practices through its in-
ternationally acclaimed Five Star
Audit scheme.
Qatargas chief executive of cer
Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa al-Thani
receivedthe awardfromAlex Botha,
BSC chief executive, at a special
ceremony held at the Qatargas head
of ce in Doha.
Sheikh Khalid said, We are
honoured to receive this prestig-
ious recognition as evidence of our
continued eforts to promote world
class standards and integrate best
practices into our business per-
formance. Qatargas shipping de-
partment has set yet another mile-
stone and today we are proud to be
the rst Qatari organisation to have
achieved this highly signicant glo-
bal recognition. We are committed
to maintaining and enhancing our
performance to ensure we continue
to meet the highest global stand-
ards through the years to come.
Botha said, The British Safety
Council warmly congratulates the
shipping department of Qatargas
for achieving the maximum ve
stars in the British Safety Councils
Five Star Occupational Health and
Safety Audit andfor achieving afour
star rating in the Five Star Environ-
mental Audit. All of those working
at Qatargas Shipping Department
have made these achievements pos-
sible, through their dedication and
commitment to preventing injury
and ill health in the workplace and
to achieving excellent environmen-
tal and sustainability performance.
The British Safety Council
is proud of our association with
Qatargas and their commitment
to keeping their employees and
workplaces healthy and safe and to
achieving the highest levels of en-
vironmental and sustainability per-
formance.
The Five Star Occupational
Health and Safety Audit provides a
detailed, independent evaluation of
an organisations entire health and
safety management system and ar-
rangements to ensure the risk of ac-
cidents and ill health at work is be-
ing properly managed.
The environmental audit pro-
vides an independent evaluation
of an organisations environmental
and sustainability policies, proc-
esses and practices to ensure sus-
tainable environmental practices
are being followed at all times. The
audits are available to organisations
of all sizes and sectors around the
world.
The coming months are a period of significant growth for Qatar Airways with its move to Hamad International Airport and the continued expansion of the young
and growing fleet.
Sheikh Khalid with Botha and senior Qatargas executives at the ceremony where Qatargas shipping unit was given the British Safety
Councils Five Star accreditation.
BUSINESS
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 2
Egypt pound
hits new low
Reuters
Cairo
T
he Egyptian pound weak-
ened yesterday at an ex-
ceptional central bank
sale of $1.1bn aimed at supplying
dollars to importers of essential
foodstufs, allowing it to hit a
new all-time low in the of cial
market.
In a country where subsidised
food is considered essential to
averting social unrest, tight -
nances have been hindering pay-
ments for food commodities,
traders have said. Egypt is the
worlds biggest wheat buyer.
The central bank announced a
cut-of price of 7.0950pounds to
the dollar at the auction, weaker
than at the last central bank for-
eign exchange sale held on Mon-
day, when the cut-of price was
7.0451.
In the interbank market, the
dollar changedhands for as much
as 7.1049 pounds, the lowest ac-
cording to ThomsonReuters data
going back to the 1990s.
The rates banks are allowed to
trade dollars that are determined
by the results of the central bank
sales, giving the bank efective
control over of cial exchange
rates. The central bank sold the
entire amount it had ofered.
Egypt has been sufering from
asustaineddollar shortageas po-
litical turmoil following the 2011
uprising against veteran leader
Hosni Mubarak unnerved foreign
investors and tourists, tradition-
ally major sources of foreigncur-
rency.
Egypts foreign reserves
rose to $17.489bn in April from
$17.414bn in March, but are still
markedly lower than the $36bn
seenbefore the 2011 revolt.
Banks and traders say some
of the funding problems which
surfaced early last year have re-
emerged.
This auction is intended to
cover and clear all pending food
backlogs to secure availability of
staple foodcommodities over the
coming period, the central bank
said ina statement.
Yesterdays auction is sig-
nicantly larger than the $40mn
foreigncurrencysale Egypt holds
three times a week.
At its last exceptional dollar
auction on January 27, the cen-
tral bank sold $1.5bn at a cut-of
price of 6.9518 Egyptianpounds.
The Egyptian pound has
dropped more than 10 times in
a row at the sales as the central
bank allows it to weaken, hitting
successive lows.
Onthe blackmarket, the dollar
traded at around 7.49/52 yester-
day afternoon, slightly stronger
than Tuesdays rates of 7.52/54, a
trader said.
The bank introduced regular
dollar sales in December 2012 to
counter a runonthe pound.
Some Arab Gulf countries
pledged more than $12bn in aid
to Egypt after the army deposed
former president Mohamed
Mursi last July after mass pro-
tests. But even the Gulf aid has
not prevented Egypts current
account recording a decit of
around $1.5bn between October
and December.
Its a managed depreciation.
It makes sense to have a depre-
ciation of the pound to bring it to
a more realistic level,said Angus
Blair, chairman of business and
economic forecasting think-tank
Signet.
Depreciation is part of an
economic policy programme that
Egypt requires. It couldbe part of
getting the house in order ahead
of presidential elections.
Italian investments in
Qatar near 3bn since
2008, says diplomat
ByPeter Alagos
Business Reporter
L
arge-scale rms and medium-
sized Italian companies have
infused an estimated 2.5bn to
3bn into Qatars economy since 2008,
an Italian embassy of cial said.
Silvia Tosi, deputy head of mission
at the Italian embassy, spoke with Gulf
Times yesterday at a business net-
working session hosted by the Italian
Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, in co-
operation with the Italian Trade Com-
mission (ITC) and the Qatar Chamber
(QC).
Tosi particularly referred to the
1.7bn Red Line North Package that
Qatar Rail awarded in 2013 to Italian
contractor Salini Impreglio, which is
part of a consortiumthat included Ko-
rean rm SK Engineering and Oman-
based Galfar Engineering.
The consortiumwill be constructing
the 11.4km underground tunnel of the
northern section of the metro project.
We estimate that over the last ve to
six years, the presence of Italian com-
panies in Qatar facilitated around more
or less 1bn worth of investments.
Adding the 1.7bn from the Red Line
North Package in 2013, investments
would be estimated to have reached
2.5bn to 3bn, Tosi said.
She noted that Italys presence in the
country is stable, adding that Italian
companies endorsed by the embassy,
ITC, and the Italian Chamber are ready
to have a good part of Qatars multi-
billion dollar infrastructure projects.
When asked if more Italian compa-
nies are expectedto invest inQatar, Tosi
expressedoptimismandsaid, My hope
is that we canhave the whole part of the
more than $200bn worth of projects in
Qatar. But this is absolutely unrealistic,
of course, but we really hope that we
could have a good part of it, but what is
important is that we are ready.
Tosi also cited the dominant pres-
ence of Italian companies in Project
Qatar and described Italys strong par-
ticipation in the event as a sign that
trade relations between Qatar and Italy
are extremely healthy and growing
steadily.
During Project Qatar, Tosi said Ital-
ian Ambassador Guido de Sanctis has
been meeting Italian exhibitors to ex-
plain how the embassy can support
their businesses from an institutional
point of view.
She also lauded the eforts of the
ItalianChamber for organising the net-
working session, which gathered some
60 Italian companies at the QC head-
quarters in Doha.
Tosi described the networking ses-
sion as an extremely important event
in order for the Italian Chamber to be
credible in the eyes of Qatari business-
men and companies.
Aramco, Sumitomoface
highercostsforpetchem
plant expansion
The expansion of a
petrochemicals complex
in Saudi Arabia owned by
Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo
Chemical is now expected
to cost 32bn riyals ($8.5bn),
higher than previously
estimated, the joint-venture
said yesterday.
The expansion plan, which
aims to increase output from
the plant as well as introduce
higher-margin products, was
originally estimated to cost
around $7bn.
But in a stock exchange
filing yesterday, PetroRabigh
said: Total investment in
the project is around 32bn
riyals according to current
forecasts.
The statement did not give
any reason for the change
in price, but said the project
- situated on Saudi Arabias
Red Sea coast - was still due to
come online during 2016.
A company spokesman
declined to provide further
information.
The joint-venture, known
as PetroRabigh, has had a
number of setbacks because
of maintenance issues in 2013
at its existing facility including
power cuts and an outage
at its ethane cracker. A new
marketing deal with its parent
firms in December has helped
alleviate the pressure on
profits from the maintenance
problems. Both Aramco and
Sumitomo have also made
firm commitments to the
expansion project, known as
Rabigh II, since giving it the
final go-ahead in 2012.
Under the plan, an existing
ethane cracker will be
expanded and a new
aromatics complex built
that will make higher-value
petrochemical products and
have a capacity of 1.72mn
tonnes per year.
PetroRabighs existing plant
can produce an annual
18mn tonnes of refined
products and 2.4mn tonnes of
petrochemical products.
Rabigh II will produce ethylene
propylene rubber (EPR),
thermoplastic polyolefin
(TPO), methyl methacrylate
(MMA) monomer, polymethyl
methacrylate (PMMA) among
other products.
To fund construction of Rabigh
II, both Sumitomo and Aramco
will put in around 100bn, with
the rest coming from project
financing, Sumitomo Chemical
President Masakazu Tokura
told reporters in November.
Infrastructure longevity in focus at AmCham Qatar talk
The American Chamber of Commerce
in Qatar (AmCham Qatar) yesterday
hosted Dr Max Clark, CH2M HILL
Technology lead, at the latest edition of
its Distinguished Speaker Series.
Influential business leaders in Qatar
gathered at the Marriott Hotel for the
talk. Following the opening remarks
by AmCham Qatar chairman Robert
A Hager, Clarks talk, on Highway
Operations and Maintenance in the
Region, ofered fresh insights into
how global best practice can help
prolong the lifespan of infrastructure
developments in Qatar and the region.
He covered common challenges faced in
infrastructure longevity and explained
the consequent need to integrate
maintenance into development plans.
AmCham Qatar members, engineers,
consultants and experts were engaged
in a thoughtful discussion following his
presentation.
Clark is a specialist in structural civil
engineering with more than 12 years
of experience with seven spent in the
Middle East. He currently serves as the
deputy project director for Group 1 of the
Expressways project.
We are grateful to AmCham for
providing us with the opportunity to
share our expertise on this topic. The
objective of this talk was to shed light
on the efort needed to look after the
infrastructure assets currently being
built in Qatar, Clark said.
Hager said, We are delighted to host
special guest Dr Max Clark at AmCham
Qatars Distinguished Speaker Series.
High level knowledge sharing on
key topics such as infrastructure
and highway maintenance in the
projects sector plays an essential
role in supporting the robust growth
and diversification of Qatars private
sector toward the National Vision
2030.
This series continues to provide
AmCham Qatar members and decision
makers in Qatars business community
with in-depth insights into topics and
trends afecting their operations.
Clark addressing business leaders at AmCham Qatars Distinguished Speaker Series.
Italian companies are ready to have a good part of Qatars multibillion dollar infrastructure projects, says Tosi. PICTURE: Peter Alagos
BUSINESS
3
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
UAE bourses slip ahead
of MSCI upgrade details
Reuters
Dubai
B
ourses in the UAE and Qatar slipped ahead of an an-
nouncement from index compiler MSCI detailing
their upgrade to emerging market status.
Bourses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha edged down
slightly on the eve of an announcement from index com-
piler MSCI detailing which stocks fromthe UAE and Qatar
will become part of its emerging markets index and with
what weights.
Dubais index slipped0.2%to 5,319 points as most stocks
declined, although Emaar Properties jumped 5.8%after it
signed an agreement with Dubai Municipality to work on a
newmixed-use beachfront development.
Abu Dhabis bourse fell 0.4% to 5,016 points. Etisalat
dropped 0.9% after the telecom operator completed its
purchase of a 53% stake in Maroc Telecom for 4.14bn
($5.67bn).
Egypts benchmark climbed 1.9% to 8,467 points, its
highest close since late March.
Talaat Moustafa jumped 5.5% after the property de-
veloper posted a 15-percent rise in rst-quarter after-tax
prot.
Ezz Steel gained 5.8% after the rm said its 2013 prot
was 134mnEgyptianpounds ($19mn), up from8mnpounds
in 2012.
The positive sentiment also lifted other stocks and the
index broke through resistance at 8,400 points, the level at
which earlier rallies in April and earlier this month faltered.
The technical element played a major role today
(Wednesday),saidChamel Fahmy, vice-president for sales
and trading at Egypts HCSecurities and Investment.
I think the current upturn in stocks might continue.
People have the conviction that as we are approaching the
presidential elections, this will give a boost to the stock
market. The market might still have 200-300 points up-
side.
Former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expectedto win
the May 26-27 presidential electionand Egyptianinvestors
hope he will bring stability and help revive the economy.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, Saudi Arabias index edged up
0.04%to 9,820 points; Kuwaits measure fell 0.1%to 7,395
points, Bahrains index was at at 1,468 points, while
Omans benchmark index slipped 0.1%to 6,755 points.
Exhibitors at Project Qatar
explore major Doha projects
P
roject Qatar 2014 has organised
an exclusive tour for its exhibi-
tors, to explore some of the major
projects taking place in Qatar.
These include presentations and a
site visit to Lusail City, Doha Metro,
and Msheireb Downtown Doha. The
tour enabled the exhibitors to get rst-
hand information about the progress of
and an in-depth look at each project.
The delegates also explored key de-
velopment projects taking place in
Doha with an opportunity for them to
promote their products, services, and
solutions.
Project Qatar project manager
Rawad Sleem said, Project Qatar is
not only an exhibition platformfor the
construction industry, but an expert
facilitator in providing our esteemed
exhibitors with the opportunity to visit
these mega-projects happening in Qa-
tar and meet with their project manag-
ers to discuss potential opportunities.
George Ayache, general manager,
IFP Qatar and organiser, Project Qatar,
said, Structural and ecological trends
are shaping the construction and in-
frastructure environment in Qatar. To
thrive in this environment, we have
invited our exhibitors to meet with the
most exciting and compelling projects
under construction in Qatar. As part
of achieving the Qatar National Vision
2030, these projects are excellent ex-
amples of strategy in action.
Exhibitors were given the opportu-
nity to meet with Qatar Rail of cials
to discuss the Doha Metro, which is
an integral part of the Qatar Rail De-
velopment Programme. Consisting
of four lines, the Doha Metro network
will cover the Greater Doha area and
connect to Qatars key locations from
town centres and vital commercial and
residential areas throughout the city. In
central Doha, the Metro will be under-
ground, whilst at the outskirts andsub-
urbs, it will mainly be at ground level or
elevated.
The Lusail City project, which ex-
tends across an area of 38sq km in-
cludes four exclusive islands that will
encompass not only new residential,
commercial, hospitality, and retail op-
portunities, but a full array of com-
munity needs, complete with schools,
mosques, medical facilities, sport, en-
tertainment and shopping centres. It
plans to accommodate 200,000 resi-
dents, 170,000 employees and it will
also welcome over 80,000 visitors.
As part of the strategic presentations,
the attendees were briefed on the inter-
nal and external designs and latest de-
velopments inthis world-class project.
Msheireb Downtown Doha aims to
transformthe centre of the capital city,
recreating a way of living that is root-
ed in Qatari culture. Msheireb is the
worlds rst sustainable downtown re-
generation project.
It will revive the old commercial dis-
trict inspired by traditional Qatari her-
itage and architecture, but also include
a modern architectural element with
its simple design and consideration to
space, light and climate control. Utilis-
ing the latest in sustainable technolo-
gies, Msheireb will also adhere to the
highest standards in green building.
Exhibitors expressed their admira-
tion on the projects progress. Angelo
Alessandroni, general manager, CE-
MAR, said: I found the presentations
and site tours to be informative, diverse
and well-curated. It was an exemplary
excursion with fellow delegates and
experts across the global construc-
tion industry. It was very informa-
tive to hear the presenters of the three
mega-projects discussing the progress
of these complex and high prole de-
velopments. In particular, the site tours
were absolutely fascinating. These
schemes are pushing boundaries with
world leading cutting-edge design and
solutions.
Qatar Steel stand draws many visitors
Qatar Steel took part in the 11th International
Construction Technology & Building Materials
Exhibition Project Qatar, held under the auspices
of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister,
Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani.
Project Qatar attracted about 2,100 local and
international exhibitors from some 47 countries
from all over the world, who showcased
their expertise, products and services in the
constructions sector.
The exhibition is one of Middle Easts leading for
construction and building materials.
Qatar Steels stand, with its outstanding design
derived from Qatars original heritage, attracted a
large number of visitors and customers. Samples
of Qatar Steels high quality products of rebar and
wire rod were displayed.
Qatar Steel managing director and general
manager Ali bin Hasan al-Muraikhi said, Project
Qatar is a good opportunity for construction and
building companies to meet, communicate and
further consolidate their business relations. The
exhibition provided investment opportunities
for participants, and ofered comprehensive and
suitable solutions to many problems and topics
related to this important sector.
Qatar Steel, as a national steel producer, was keen
to participate in Project Qatar 2014, due to the role
the steel sector plays in the countrys economic
development as commercial, residential and
industrial infrastructure developments in Qatar
increase, in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World
Cup, and in line with the 2030 Qatar National
Vision.
Qatar Steel is constantly striving to achieve
growth, expansion and development, and
through its participation in Project Qatar it aims
to enhance its leading position in local and Gulf
markets. Taking part in such an event allows us to
network efectively, have direct contact with our
traders and customers in the Middle East and GCC
countries, with a view to building up continual and
successful business relation and partnership with
them.
QSE edges lower on domestic selling pressure
By Santhosh V Perumal
Business Reporter
Increased net selling pressure from domestic institutions
yesterday landed the Qatar Stock Exchange in the negative turf,
although capitalisation was on the rise.
Profit-booking at the insurance and bank counters led the
20-stock Qatar Index (based on price data) to fall 0.11% to
13,160.6 points.
The market witnessed sporadic selling in the first 45 minutes
to drive the index down, after which it gained for a short period
but only to see selling for the next one hour or so to drop below
the 13,100 mark. However, some last minute buying propped up
the market at the fag end, but again to see some strong profit-
booking. Buying pressure once again dominated the trading
ring at the closing hours.
Local retail investors were seen exerting bullish momentum to
the market, which is up 26.79%year-to-date.
The index that tracks Shariah-principled stocks was seen to
fall faster than the other indices in the market, where trading
volumes were on the rise.
Overall, trading was skewed towards realty, banks, industrials
and transport equities.
The 20-stock Total Return Index was down 0.11%to 19,625.3
points, the All Share Index (with wider constituents) by 0.05%
to 3,351.54 and the Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.21%to 4,310.43,
while.
All the three indices factored in dividend income as well.
Insurance stocks plunged 2.48%and banks and financial serv-
ices (0.29%); whereas telecomgained 0.86%, transport 0.37%,
industrials 0.33%, real estate 0.17% and consumer goods rose
0.16%.
Major losers include Industries Qatar, QNB, Qatar Insurance,
Doha Insurance, Doha Bank, International Islamic, Masraf Al
Rayan, United Development Company, Mazaya Qatar and Salam
International Investment.
However, Ezdan, Ooredoo, Vodafone Qatar, Qatar Islamic Bank,
Commercial Bank, al khaliji, Aamal Company, Nakilat and Gulf
International Services bucked the trend.
Market capitalisation expanded 0.49% to QR742.11bn. Small cap
equities notably gained 1% and large cap 0.09%; whereas micro
and mid caps lost 0.93%and 0.55%respectively.
Domestic institutions net profit-taking surged to QR68.29mn
against QR35.7mn the previous day.
Foreign institutions net buying sunk to QR31.69mn compared
to QR43.65mn on Tuesday.
Qatari retail investors net buying soared to QR46.85mn against
QR12.28mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari individual investors net profit-booking fell to
QR10.26mn compared to QR22.23mn on Tuesday.
Total trading volume rose 15%to 26.91mn stocks, value by 12%
to QR1.14bn and transactions by 2%to 11,684.
The real estate sectors trading volume shot up 77%to 7.97mn
equities, value by 76%to QR232.08mn and deals by 97%to
3,148.
The transport sector sawits trading volume surge 28%to
3.14mn shares and value by 28%to QR89.88mn, while transac-
tions fall 8%to 909.
The market witnessed a 7% expansion in the industrials sectors
trading volume to 4.22mn stocks, 5%in value to QR204.18mn
and 2%in deals to 2,966.
The banks and financial services sector reported a 6%gain
in trading volume to 6.55mn equities and 25%in value to
QR410.92mn but on a 7%fall in transactions to 2,761.
However, the consumer goods sectors trading volume plum-
meted 35%to 1.44mn shares, value by 52%to QR76.27mn and
deals by 46%to 858.
The insurance sectors trading volume plunged 30%to 0.6mn
stocks, value by 37%to QR34.02mn and transactions by 41%to
364.
The telecomsectors trading volume declined 11%to 2.98mn
equities, while value soared 20% to QR92.67mn. Deals were
down 9%to 678.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and
government bonds.
Abu Dhabis bourse fell 0.4% to 5,016 points yesterday.
Qatar Steels stand, with its outstanding design derived from Qatars heritage, attracted a large number of visitors and customers during Project Qatar.
Project Qatar 2014 has organised an exclusive tour for its exhibitors, to explore some of the major projects taking place in
Qatar. These included presentations and a site visit to Lusail City, Doha Metro, and Msheireb Downtown Doha.
Libyas
El Feel
oileld
restarts;
El Sharara
closed
Reuters
Tripoli
L
ibyas El Feel oileld has
restarted production, Na-
tional Oil Corp (NOC) said
yesterday, as it moves slowly to
restore some output following
protests that closed elds and
ports.
The government saidonMon-
day it had reached an agreement
with protesters to reopen the
western El Sharara, El Feel and
Wafa oilelds and the pipelines
connecting them to the Zawiya
port.
Expectations and doubts
about the return of the oilelds
have driven global oil prices this
week.
The El Sharara oileld, the
largest at 340,000 bpd, was still
closed yesterday, because pro-
testers had not yet opened the
pipeline valve to the port, eld
manager Hassan Sadiq said.
They (protesters) reopened
the valves for the Wafa and El-
Feel oil elds but not for Shara-
ra, he said. We are ready to
resume work once the valves are
reopened.
NOC spokesman Mohammed
El Harari said El Feel was pump-
ing more than 35,000 bpd, help-
ing to slightly boost national
output to 250,000 bpd, still far
short of Libyas roughly 1.4mn
bpd before the protests started.
El Feel, which has a pre-shut-
down production capacity of
85,000 bpd, is jointly operated
by NOCand Italys ENI.
Harari said gas was owing
from Wafa, but he did not know
whether pumping of liquid con-
densates had resumed.
Three years after a NATO-
backed revolt toppled Muammar
Gadda, Libyas oil infrastruc-
ture remains the target of pro-
tests and shutdowns, usually by
brigades of former rebels who
refuse to disarm or recognise the
states authority.
The western pipeline network
has been closed by protesters
since March, forcing the shut-
down of the elds.
Analysts say Libyas oil output
is vulnerable to newand contin-
ued protests, given that opposi-
tion groups are fractured and
lack a joint leadership.
In the east of Libya, a govern-
ment deal to reopen two major
oil ports controlled by another
rebel movement looks likely to
unravel over the movements
opposition to the appointment
of a newprime minister.
Thedeal reachedinApril ledto
the reopening of the two smaller
eastern terminals of Hariga and
Zueitina, but the larger ports of
Ras Lanuf and Es Sider remain
shut pending more talks.
BUSINESS
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 4
Russia wants exporters
to be paid in roubles
Reuters
Kaliningrad
R
ussia, keen to dodge threatened
Western sanctions on its compa-
nies over the Ukraine crisis, said
yesterday it was looking at ways for ma-
jor state-owned exporters such as en-
ergy giants to be paid in roubles.
The idea of major exporters being
paid in roubles rather than dollars has
been gaining ground in recent weeks in
response to sanctions imposed by the
West on of cials and companies over
Russias annexation of Crimea and an
uprising in Ukraines east.
There are certain risks, but we are
preparing a mechanism, we are working
on it, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov
told reporters during a visit to Russias
Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.
There are certain costs for exporters
and for the buyers of our export prod-
ucts because they will have to buy rou-
bles, and the rouble is now somewhat
volatile, plus there is the payment of
commission, he said.
In response to Russias actions in
neighbouring Ukraine, the US has sanc-
tioned 18 Russian companies, prevent-
ing US banks fromprocessing their dol-
lar transactions.
Western governments have so far re-
frained from sanctioning major state
companies, but they have threatened
more sanctions that could target key
sectors such as energy and banking if
Russia further escalates the crisis in
Ukraine.
Andrei Kostin, chairman of Russias
second largest bank VTB, backed the
rouble payment idea last month as a step
to reduce the Wests inuence over the
Russian economy.
Kostin referred to calls by high-
ranking Western leaders to isolate Rus-
sia, practically destroying the Russian
banking sector, using modern nuclear
weaponry - dollar payments, he told
a conference, in comments cited by the
Vedomosti newspaper.
Kostin said just three state-owned
companies, gas company Gazprom, oil
producer Rosneft and arms exporter
Rosoboronexport had around $230bn in
exports between them, accounting for
44%of all Russian exports.
Gazpromsaid yesterday it was talking
to its clients about possibly moving to
rouble payments, but that it would not
make any change unilaterally.
We are conducting certain consulta-
tions with our clients. This is a bilateral
process, one cannot unilaterally present
a bill in roubles, it needs to be agreed
with clients, spokesman Sergei Ku-
priyanov said. A spokesman for Rosneft
said that Rosneft is sticking to contract
obligations and will conduct payments
in the currency of the contract.
In an interviewwith Russia 24 televi-
siononMonday, Deputy Finance Minis-
ter Alexei Moiseev said the government
was in discussion with major state-
owned companies about the possible
transfer of their export contracts into
roubles.
Where there are additional incon-
veniences that arise from using the
national currency, these are not very
signicant. One denitely needs to put
up with these inconveniences because
the additional security that arises from
this is very signicant, Moiseev said, in
comments cited on the nance ministry
website.
The proposal for making rouble pay-
ments compulsory would not apply to
privately-owned exporters, Moiseev
said.
Under the proposal, the buyers of ma-
jor Russian exports would still be able to
pay in any currency, Moiseev said, but
a bank would need to convert the cur-
rency into roubles before it was received
by the Russian exporter.
Moiseev described the additional
banking transaction costs as minimal.
Large London banks, which are
oriented towards the London currency
market, practically all offer competi-
tive contracts for converting roubles
and for hedging rouble currency risk,
he said.
However, the idea came under re
from Alexei Kudrin, Russias inuen-
tial former nance minister, who said
the additional costs it would impose on
importers of Russian goods would make
Russian exports less competitive.
The foreignimporter will have to buy
roubles in Russian banks, spend money
on banking commissions and take on
the exchange rate risk, Kudrin said in
comments to the Kommersant newspa-
per, cited on his personal website.
He said importers were likely to pass
some of these costs on to Russian ex-
porters, leading to lower revenues and
taxes.
We are in tough competition and the
requirement to buy with roubles inevi-
tably worsens the position of our com-
panies in tenders, Kudrin said.
Barclays to make big investments in Africa
Bloomberg
Johannesburg
B
arclays, the UK lender cutting
7,000 investment banking jobs
over the next two years, is in-
jecting capital into its Africanbusiness
as returns from the continent exceed
its target for 2016.
The combined return on equity, a
measure of protability, from invest-
ment and corporate banking in Af-
rica is 18%to 19%, Stephen van Coller,
head of Barclayss Johannesburg-
based Absa Capital, said in a phone
interview. That compares with the
London-based banks global goal of a
12%return by 2016.
Van Coller said Africa wont be af-
fected by the plan announced by
Barclays on May 8 to cut a quarter of
employees at its investment bank and
19,000 jobs across the company. Bar-
clays CEO Antony Jenkins said greater
focus will be put on African and con-
sumer-credit card units that are less
capital intensive.
As long as we hit the return on eq-
uity targets, its ne, said van Coller,
who reports to Maria Ramos, chief
executive of cer of Barclays Africa
Group. It has made us more the mas-
ters of our own destiny.
Barclays, which bought a control-
ling stake in what was Absa Group
in 2005, last year sold the bulk of its
African operations to its South Afri-
can business and increased its stake
to 62.3%. Banks from Citigroup to
Standard Chartered are competing on
the continent as growth rates in many
African nations outpace those in de-
veloped countries.
Absa Capital has a lot of growth
opportunities because theres not
much there in the rest of Africa at the
moment, Tracy Brodziak, a bank-
ing analyst at Old Mutual Investment
Group, said in a telephone interview
fromCape Town.
SECplansto
boost small
stockstrading
The US Securities and
Exchange Commission
(SEC) plans to tell stock
exchanges in the next
fewweeks to implement
a programme that will
test ways of boosting
trading in smaller stocks,
an agency oficial said.
The trading experiment
could be used to test
other market- structure
changes, SEC Trading
and Markets Director
Stephen Luparello said
at a Securities Industry
and Financial Markets
Association conference
in NewYork. The agency
will issue an order to
stock exchanges that
outlines how the pro-
gramme should work,
he said.
You want to take ad-
vantage of what you can
learn fromthat pilot,
Luparello said. One of
the ways to do that is to
create a little variety in
diferent buckets that
allows you to study mul-
tiple things at once.
The pilot programme is
meant to test whether
widening the minimum
price increment, or tick,
at which shares are
quoted improves the
market for less liquid
stocks. The SEC has
been considering the
experiment for more
than a year as some
lawmakers in Congress
have pushed legislation
to force a change.
Siluanov: Working on a new payment mechanism.
Russianeconomywill
hurt more if Ukraine
crisisgoes: IMFchief
International Monetary Fund
chief Christine Lagarde warned
Russia that its economy, already
facing lower economic growth
because of the crisis in Ukraine,
would face still further decline if
tension with the West is allowed
to continue.
Clearly the situation is already
having consequences, she said
after meeting German Chancel-
lor Angela Merkel and the heads
of other multilateral bodies,
including the World Bank.
We have revised growth
projections for Russia. That is
provided that the situation is
resolved. If it was not ... that
would clearly deteriorate the
situation, Lagarde told a news
conference in Berlin.
The IMF has already cut its 2014
growth forecast for the oil- and
gas-based Russian economy to
just 0.2% from an earlier 1.3%,
which was the rate of growth
last year.
The Fund says sanctions over
Ukraine, imposed by the US, the
European Union and Japan, are
scaring of investors.
The IMF is providing a $17bn
bailout for Ukraine but has
warned that it would need
re-designing if the country
loses territory in the east to
pro-Russian separatists, after
already seeing its Crimean terri-
tory annexed by Moscow.
Without political stability,
stabilising the economy will
be dificult, said Lagarde. She
added that low inflation and the
geopolitical risks in the heart of
Europe pose a threat to global
growth, which the IMF currently
sees at 4.7% this year.
Lagarde: Call for political
stability.
BUSINESS
5
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Investors wary of crowded periphery euro debt
Reuters
London
G
lobal investors cut back on
overstretched bets in May, re-
ducing US equities while add-
ing back emerging market assets and
raising cash, a closely watched survey
showed. They also viewed peripheral
euro debt as the most crowded trade.
The monthly survey by Bank of
AmericaMerrill Lynch,whichpolled170
fund managers with combined assets of
$455bn, showed investors boosted cash
levels tothe highest since June 2012.
Asset allocation to equities fell to
a net 37% overweight in May from a
net 45% last month. The net reading
shows the diference between over-
weight and underweight positions.
Investors cut US stocks, spooked
by weak growth data and a sharp fall
in technology shares, while those who
are overweight Japan - which led the
early part of the global equity rally -
fell to a net 7%, the lowest since Feb-
ruary 2013.
European equity holdings rose to a
net 36%overweight. At the same time
however, some 35% of investors think
long eurozone peripheral debt is the
most crowded trade, up from 19% in
April. Investors are all aboard the pe-
riphery train. But we think growth in
Europe is going to slow down. Lead-
ing indicators have been slowing down
and we saw that today as well, said
Obe Ejikeme, European equity and
quant strategist at BofA.
If you are in the riskiest part of the
eurozone its going to be a problem.
Yield-hungry investors have been
pouring cash into Europes peripheral
debt, sending yields of Italy, Spain and
Ireland - countries prominent in the
eurozone debt crisis - to record lows.
But growth momentum is fading. A
ZEWmonthly survey of German eco-
nomic sentiment showed on Tuesday
that analyst and investor sentiment in
Europes biggest economy declinedfor
a fth consecutive month in May to its
lowest level in nearly 1-1/2 years.
New report reveals scale
of LME warehouse woes
Reuters
London
T
he London Metal Exchange (LME)
has just released the rst of its
promised new reports, detailing
registered stocks by warehouse operator
and the length of load-out queues at af-
fected locations.
Cue, pun intended, a collective sigh of
relief from the analyst community who
has up to now had to guess-timate queue
length based on the LMEs previous per-
location data.
Indeed, up to now the only way of as-
certaining for sure howlong it would take
between cancelling an LME warrant and
receiving the metal at queue-jammed lo-
cations was to actually cancel some metal.
Anecdotally, this is just what some of the
markets biggest players have been do-
ing, using single-lot cancellations to test
queue length.
Now, we all get the same information,
albeit only on an end-month basis. The
LME is still sensitive to releasing higher-
frequency information lest it give more
sophisticated operators an information
advantage.
That in itself is a big step forward and
a long overdue one. Given the problemof
queues has dogged the LME for several
years, it seems extraordinary that it has
taken so long for the exchange to actu-
ally conrmsomething as basic as waiting
time.
Beyond that, the rst report has some
good news and some bad news for the
LME. The goodnews is that the number of
queue-afected locations has fallen from
ve to four and that the number of loca-
tions with queues in excess of 50 days is
just two.
The bad news is that the report reveals
howa small number of warehouse opera-
tors control just about all the exchange-
registered stocks, underlining the lack of
efective competition in the LME ware-
housing space.
When the LME rst unveiled its pack-
age of reforms to its creaking warehouse
system back in July 2013, there were ve
locations experiencing long load-out
queues.
Nowthere are just four, Johor in Malay-
sia dropping of the list.
Moreover, there are just two locations
with queues in excess of 50 calendar days,
the threshold for the LMEs proposed
load-in-load-out formula for forcing
queue decay. That proposal is now on ice
as the exchange appeals a UK High Court
ruling that its consultation process was
awed.
No surprises that the two are Vlissingen
in the Netherlands and Detroit in the US,
both of which have more than a million
tonnes of aluminium awaiting physical
load-out. Vlissingen is owned by Pa-
corini, the warehousing arm of Glencore.
The report reveals the full extent of its
dominance inwhat was once a Dutch sh-
ing port. Only one other operator, World-
wide Warehouse Solutions (WWS), holds
any metal and that just 300 tonnes. The
rest of the 2.24mn tonnes sitting in Vliss-
ingen at the end of April was in Pacorini
sheds.
The aluminium load-out queue at
Vlissingen was 748 calendar days at the
end of last month. That for other LME-
registered metals, excluding nickel, tin
and steel, which have separate load-out
requirements, stood at 63 days.
Detroit is where the queues rst be-
gan and it will still take 683 days to get
aluminium out of sheds operated by the
dominant operator, Metro, owned by
GoldmanSachs. The queue for other met-
als is 186 days.
Both Pacorini and WWS have some
foot-hold in Detroit but held just 33,930
tonnes between them at the end of April,
comparedwith the 1.56mntonnes inMet-
ro sheds. The other two locations to fea-
ture in the LMEs report are New Orleans
and Antwerp.
Pacorini held almost 89% of the reg-
istered tonnage (much of it zinc) in New
Orleans at the end of April, with Metro
accounting for the balance. The Pacorini
queue stood at 44 days for all metals, im-
plying no dominant queue.
A similar situation exists at Antwerp
where the all-metal queue at Im-
pala Terminals, the warehousing arm of
Tragura, was 27 days.
But Impala has been beating a steady
retreat from the LME warehousing busi-
ness and that gure is likely to fall fast.
Impala held just 42,761 tonnes of reg-
istered tonnage in Antwerp at the end of
April with 27,494 tonnes of that awaiting
load-out, a fraction of the tonnages in-
volved at the other three locations.
Perhaps more revealing than the queue
length at specic operators was what the
new report says about the broader LME
warehousing landscape.
It is a landscape largely dominated by
just four players, namely Pacorini, Metro,
Steinweg and Henry Bath, the latter one
of the assets included in JP Morgans sale
of its physical commodities business to
Mercuria.
Between them they were storing just
over 95% of all LME-registered metal at
the end of April.
Dominant among the dominants is
Pacorini, which was storing almost half
of all LME stocks. This is in part a direct
consequence of the load-out queues. Both
Pacorini and Metro used rental revenues
from the queues to nance incentives
to attract more metal, outbidding those
without similar critical mass.
The LMEs load-in-load-out formula
was conceived as a way to break this vi-
cious circle and although it is currently on
hold pending legal appeal, Metro seems to
have changed its behaviour accordingly.
No metal went onto LME warrant at
Metro sheds in Detroit last month, con-
rming suggestions that Goldman Sachs,
deluged by negative publicity and a urry
of lawsuits, has clipped its warehousing
arms wings.
Historic silver price
benchmark bites the
dust as banks pull out
Reuters
Singapore/London
T
he 117-year old London
silver price benchmark
- or x - will cease on
August 14, its operator said, as
regulatory scrutiny of price-
setting intensies across mar-
kets.
The x is set once a day by
banks getting together via tel-
ephone to work out a price,
based on deals between their
clients. It is used by producers,
consumers and investors who
use it to base contracts on.
Silver miners also often use
it to set terms to rene and sell
the metal. End-users - elec-
tronics manufacturers and
consumers in the chemical,
electrical and solar power sec-
tors - can use it in procure-
ment contracts. The surprise
announcement by the London
Silver Market Fixing has left a
vacuum, which could be lled
by an electronic alternative.
The London Bullion Market
Association has expressed its
willingness to assist with dis-
cussions among market par-
ticipants with a viewto explor-
ing whether the market wishes
to develop an alternative to the
London Silver Fixing, the sil-
ver xer said in its statement.
Players have been investi-
gating alternatives to the gold
x, with bullion banks con-
templating a move to electron-
ic platforms that would shed
more light on the process.
Some said they were taken
aback by the silver x loss.
Im a customer of the x,
and I have to say, Im com-
pletely in the dark about this,
one precious metals trader
said. A source close to Britains
Financial Conduct Authority
(FCA) said it was pursuing fre-
quent talks with the adminis-
trators of price benchmarks.
You are likely to see an in-
creased professionalisation of
benchmarks as an industry,
the source said.
The London Metal Exchange
(LME) currently distributes
gold and silver spot prices and
forward rates on behalf of the
London Bullion Market Asso-
ciation (LBMA).
We are always looking at
ways to expand our product of-
fering, and are ready to expand
our range of price discovery
and post-trade tools to fur-
ther service the precious met-
als market, the LME said in a
statement.
The gold and silver xes,
along with other commodity
benchmarks, has come under
increasing scrutiny by regula-
tors in Europe and the US since
the London Interbank Ofered
Rate (Libor) manipulation case
last year.
Deutsche Banks decision
earlier this year to leave the x
process raised questions about
its future as a process.
The banks are also facing
lawsuits accusing them of al-
leged gold price manipulation.
The lawsuits have not tar-
geted the silver x, but in a
ve-year probe the US Com-
modity Futures Trading Com-
mission investigated allega-
tions that some of the worlds
biggest bullion banks distorted
silver futures prices.
After 7,000 staf hours of
investigation, the regulator
found no evidence of wrong-
doing and dropped the probe
last September.
Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC
and Bank of Nova Scotia will
continue to participate in the
x until the August deadline,
London Silver Market Fixing
said in a statement.
SouthAfrican
banksface
rising badloans
South African banks face
an increase in bad loans
due to rising interest
rates and the prevalence
of unsecured lending,
ratings agency Moodys
said yesterday.
The central bank hiked
its repo rate by 50 basis
points to 5.5%in January
and analysts polled by
Reuters forecast the
benchmark rate to rise
again to 6.5%in 2015.
That will put more
pressure on households
whose debt levels are
equal to almost three-
quarters of their dispos-
able incomes.
Moodys forecast banks
non-performing loans
to rise to 4.2%of gross
loans in 2014-15 from
3.7% at the end of 2013.
One small lender, African
Bank, is already showing
the strain. Last week, the
countrys biggest pro-
vider of unsecured loans
warned it would swing to
a first-half loss because
of higher-than-expected
bad debt.
Higher interest rates and
other sources of income
such as fees and com-
missions will buttress
revenue and net interest
margins - a measure of
howmuch money banks
make fromtheir loans -
but profitability will come
under pressure as the
lenders have to make
more provisions for sour-
ing debt, Moodys said.
BUSINESS
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 6
Sony posts $1.26bn fiscal year loss on PC-exit cost
Struggling electronics giant Sony lost $1.26bn in
the fiscal year to March, the once-mighty firmsaid
yesterday, blaming costs tied to its exit fromthe
personal computer business as it undergoes a pain-
ful restructuring.
The Japanese firmbooked a whopping shortfall of
128.37bn yen ($1.26bn), and forecast a 50bn yen net
loss in the current fiscal year to March 2015, as it
saw losses narrow in its hard-hit television business.
Revenue increased 14.3%to 7.76tn yen owing to
a weak yen, record sales for its newPlayStation 4
video games console and strong demand for its
smartphones. The companys woeful bottomline
results come a day after it said it would not pay bo-
nuses to senior executives for the third straight year.
Moodys has downgraded its credit rating on Sony
to junk, saying the company must do more to repair
its battered balance sheet.
Investors were shocked this month when Sony
warned it would lose more than the 110bn yen
shortfall it had forecast just three months ago,
when it said it would cut 5,000 jobs in its strug-
gling computer and television units. Sony President
Kazuo Hirai has led a sweeping restructuring,
including asset liquidisation that saw the $1.0bn
sale of Sonys Manhattan headquarters.
Macys
Department store operator Macys stuck to its full-
year profit forecast as business picked up after a
severe winter in the US that hurt first-quarter sales.
Macys also raised its dividend and increased its
share buyback programme, helping to push the
companys shares nearly 2%in morning trading on
the New York Stock Exchange.
The (weak business trend) improved in April when
the weather began to turn in northern climate
zones. We see this as a good sign moving forward
into the second quarter, Chief Executive Terry
Lundgren said in a statement.
Macys net income rose 3.2%to $224mn, or 60
cents per share, in the three months to May 3.
Revenue fell 1.7%to $6.28bn.
Analysts on average had expected a profit of 59
cents per share, on revenue of $6.46bn.
Comparable-store sales fell 1.6%. Analysts polled by
Consensus Metrix had expected a rise of 1.30%.
Deere
Deere & Co yesterday reported a stronger-than-
expected quarterly profit but trimmed its outlook
for full-year sales of its green-and-yellow farm
equipment, citing deteriorating conditions in the
former Soviet Union.
Sales of Deeres tractors and harvesters fell a
worse-than-expected 12%during the quarter, the
company said, but aggressive cost cuts and a lower-
than-expected tax rate helped ofset that weakness.
The execution was terrific during the quarter,
but the signs of a cyclical peak are growing, said
Longbow Research analyst Eli Lustgarten. Deere
posted a second-quarter profit of $980.7mn, or
$2.65 a share, down from$1.08bn, or $2.76 a share,
a year earlier.
Analysts on average had expected $2.48 a share,
according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue fell 9%to $9.95bn.
The company, the worlds largest maker of farm
equipment, has warned that demand for its prod-
ucts will fall in most markets following a bumper
crop that sent commodity prices lower.
Butit acknowledged the weakness would be greater
than it expected, with sales of agricultural equip-
ment to be down about 7% in fiscal 2014.
Brembo
Italian brakes maker Brembo reported a 74%rise
in first-quarter net profit, boosted by higher sales
and higher profit margins which it expects will keep
showing year-on-year growth for the remainder of
the year.
The company, which supplies brakes to carmakers
including Ferrari and Porsche, said net profit for the
first three months rose to 35.9mn euros ($49.2mn)
from 20.6mn the previous year, while revenues
were up 20%at 446.9mn euros.
Order book projections confirmthat revenues
and margins will show a good growth also in the
remainder of the year, the company said in its
statement.
Brembo, which has been involved with Formula
One racing since the mid-1970s, said the quarter
had benefited frompositive developments across
all market segments and geographical areas.
Germany and the US remain the groups top
markets, but we are also seeing renewed activity in
those European markets, including Italy, where we
have sufered the most in the recent past, Chair-
man Alberto Bombassei said in a statement.
In Italy, among European countries most hit by a
six-year slump in auto sales that only now show
modest signs of recovery, Brembos sales grew by
12%in the first quarter.
Puma
Puma, the German maker of sportswear and equip-
ment, said yesterday that profits fell in the first
quarter, hit by volatile exchange rates.
Puma said in a statement that its net profit fell by
29.2% top 35.6mn ($48.8mn) in the period from
January to March.
Underlying or operating profit was down 25.8%at
58.6mn on a 7.1% drop in sales to 725.7mn.
The groups first-quarter sales and operating
margin were in line with our expectations, yet
negatively impacted by adverse currency afects,
said chief executive Bjorn Gulden.
Currency volatility in Russia, Turkey, North Amer-
ica, Latin America, India and Japan had a negative
impact on sales in euro terms, he explained.
Adjusted for such factors, sales would have de-
creased by just 0.5% in the January-March period.
Nevertheless, Puma said it was sticking to its full-
year targets.
2014 will be a turnaround year for Puma, said CEO
Gulden. Based on the results of the first quarter
and our assumptions at the beginning of the year
which foresawstable currenciesour expectations
for full year net sales and both underlying and net
profit remain unchanged, he said.
RWE
RWE, Germanys second-biggest power supplier, cut
its full-year forecasts yesterday after it said profits
took a tumble in the first three months.
RWE said in a statement that its net profit fell 35.5%
to 838mn ($1.2bn) in the period fromJanuary to
March. Underlying or operating profit was down
18.4%at 1.91bn and revenues declined by 8.6%to
14.663bn.
As expected, the extremely mild winter and ongo-
ing crisis in conventional electricity generation
resulted in earnings shortfalls in the first quarter of
2014, said chief executive Peter Terium.
However, even though the first quarter reflected
the dificult environment in the energy sector, I can
take positive stock nevertheless, Terium said.
RWE nowexpects net profit to come out at 1.2-
1.4bn instead of 1.3-1.5bn as previously forecast.
Petronas
Malaysian state energy firm Petronas said yester-
day its first quarter net profit slipped eight%despite
higher revenue due to added operating expenses.
The oil giant saw revenue rise 10%to 84.05bn ring-
git ($26.09bn) compared to the same period last
year, but higher depreciation and impairment costs
sawnet profit fall to 18.76bn.
This comes after one of the best years ever, with
the companys profit increasing 10%to 65.59bn
ringgit for the 2013 financial year.
Petronas, Malaysias only representative in the For-
tune 500, said in its financial report that its higher
first quarter revenue was due to increased produc-
tion that met stronger consumer demand and a
favourable slide of the ringgit against the US dollar.
Excluding the efect of the higher depreciation,
amortisation and impairment expenses during the
quarter, EBITDA slightly increased by 0.3bn ringgit
as compared to the same period in 2013, it said.
Sales of petroleum products were up seven%
from the corresponding period last year, but were
offset by a fall in crude oil pricesas much as
3.9% for Brent.
CORPORATE RESULTS
Emerging markets buy
cheap dollars to pile
up record reserves
Bloomberg
New York
N
ations from Colombia to Indo-
nesia are taking advantage of the
longest emerging-market curren-
cies rally since 2009 to pile up record re-
serves, bolstering their ability to fend of
the next foreign-exchange crisis.
The 12 developing nations with the
biggest foreign reserves outside of China
added $34bn in the past three months,
lifting their combined holdings to $2.98tn
onApril 30, the most since Bloomberg be-
gan compiling the data in 2008. A gauge
of 20 emerging-market currencies is re-
covering after tumbling in February to the
lowest level since April 2009.
It makes sense to make hay while the
suns shining, as they may have used up
some reserves, Clyde Wardle, a strategist
at HSBCHoldings Plc, said in a phone in-
terviewfromNewYork on May 8.
Emerging-market reserves were de-
pleted by $22bn in January alone as na-
tions fended of currency speculators to
tackle the fallout fromthe Federal Reserve
cutting bond-buying and global politi-
cal and nancial instability. Since then,
the currencies gauge has rallied 5% from
the February low, with policy makers now
buying dollars to temper the gains, which
make exports more expensive, while giv-
ing themselves more resources to help
curb sellofs in the future.
Bloombergs index of 20 major emerg-
ing-market currencies fell 3% in January
in the worst start to a year since 2009,
in a rout sparked by events ranging from
the Feds decision to start pulling back on
stimulus to a slowdowninChinese manu-
facturing and the devaluation of Argenti-
nas peso. Turkey and South Africa sought
to stem a run on their currencies by rais-
ing interest rates.
Of the dozen biggest reserve hold-
ers among developing economies, In-
dia, Indonesia and Turkey boosted their
holdings the most as government eforts
to tame volatility and narrow current-
account decits succeeded in luring back
overseas investors. Some countries
where reserves seemed to be under pres-
sure, like India and Indonesia, have re-
covered, Alan Ruskin, the global head of
Group-of-10 foreign exchange at Deut-
sche Bank AG in New York, said in a May
7 phone interview.
Indias cofers expanded 7.6% since
the end of January through yesterday to
$285bn after touching a three-year low
of $247bn in September. Indonesias re-
serves gained 4.9% and Turkeys rose
4.1%. The reserve pools have expanded
as global investors returned to buying the
nations assets. Foreigners hold record
amount of Indonesian local-currency
bonds, while they increased their Indian
holdings by 21% this year, spurring a 6%
surge inthe rupiah versus the US currency
and a 4%rise in the rupee.
Net overseas purchases of Turkish debt
were $697mn this quarter, trimming net
selling this year to $2.9bn. The lira has
climbed 3.3%versus the dollar in 2014.
China, not included in the reserves in-
dex because its size would skew results,
boosted foreign reserves by $126.8bn in
the rst quarter to a record$3.95tn. Russia
has been an exception among developing
economies, depleting its reserves to stem
losses in the rouble triggered by the coun-
trys escalating conict with neighbour-
ing Ukraine. Bank Rossii sold $24.7bn and
2.5bn ($3.4bn) in the past two months
as international sanctions against of -
cials including President Vladimir Putin
prompted investors to pull money from
Russia.
The rouble has weakened 5.4%this year
against the dollar, the worst perform-
ance after Argentinas peso among 24
emerging-markets currencies tracked by
Bloomberg.
For the medium term, reserve deple-
tion is an important risk to watch, Jacob
Nell, a London-based economist at Mor-
gan Stanley, said in an e-mail on May 12.
For countries that rely on exports for
economic growth, building reserves helps
temper currency gains to maintain com-
petitiveness in global markets.
Colombia saw reserves rise 0.7% in
March to $41.8bn, the biggest increase
since September, as the pesos almost
5% advance over the past three months
allowed it to buy the US currency more
cheaply. Its the fourth best- performer
among developing currencies during
that period, data compiled by Bloomberg
show.
The nance ministry of the Andean na-
tion, which exports coal, oil, and cofee,
will restart dollar purchases as a competi-
tive exchange rate is for the benet of
the country, minister Mauricio Cardenas
said on Twitter yesterday.
In South Korea, where exports ac-
count for about half of the $1tn economy,
foreign-currency reserves climbed to a
record $354bn by the end of March as the
central bank said it would move to stabi-
lize the currency if necessary. The won
has strengthened 2.5 this year.
A very-appreciated currency will in
the short term reduce the competitive-
ness of the local economy - its a logi-
cal move to try and take the most of the
inows by adding to international re-
serves, Gabriel Gersztein, head of Latam
currency strategy at BNP Paribas SA in
Sao Paulo, said May 7. A country with a
high level of reserves is a country thats
better prepared to weather any kind of
nancial crisis.
Asian bourses
mixed after new
Wall St record
AFP
Tokyo
A
sianmarkets were mixed
yesterday, with another
record-breaking close
on Wall Street ofset by prot-
taking after the previous days
healthy gains.
The euro was slightly rmer
after taking a hit froma survey
which showed German inves-
tor sentiment at an 18-month
low, raising concerns about
Europes biggest economy.
Tokyo eased 0.14%, or 19.68
points, to 14,405.76, Sydney
was at, dipping 0.03% or 1.7
points to 5,496.5, andShanghai
eased 0.14% or 2.82 points to
2,047.91.
Seoul closed 1.41% higher,
adding 27.90points to 2,010.83.
Hong Kong advanced 1.03%, or
230.39 points to 22,582.77.
In other markets, Bangkok
added 1.52%or 20.89 points to
1,396.03; telecoms company
Advanced Info Service gained
4.31%to 242baht, while Bang-
kok Life Assurance rose 4.55%
to 74.75 baht.
Jakarta closed 1.43% higher,
or 70.24 points, to 4,991.64;
cement maker Indocement
Tunggal Prakarsa rose 5.27%
to 23,975 rupiah, while lender
Bank Danamon fell 0.69% to
4,300 rupiah.
Kuala Lumpur rose 0.70%or
13.12 points to nish at a record
high 1,879.20; Hong Leong
ended 3.8%higher at 16ringgit
while Kuala Lumpur Kepong
gained 2.0%to 24.88. Fraser &
Neave dropped 0.8% to 18.10
ringgit. Taipei rose 0.65%, or
57.22 points, to 8,875.16; Tai-
wan Semiconductor Manu-
facturing Co jumped 1.24% to
Tw$122.0 while smartphone
maker HTC was 0.93% higher
at Tw$163.0.
Wellington put on 0.27%, or
14.02 points, to 5,213.40; Ma-
nila closed 0.40%higher, add-
ing 27.63 points to 6,880.44.
Metropolitan Bank and Trust
was unchanged at 86 pesos
while Ayala Land rose 1.88%to
32.60 pesos.
Traders took their foot of
the pedal after Tuesdays rally
in Asia, which was inspired by
a big pick-up on Wall Street
thanks to big gains for tech
shares.
Sensex snaps 4-day winning streak
Indian shares retreated yes-
terday fromrecord highs hit in
the prior session, snapping a
four-session winning streak as
investors booked profits in blue-
chips such as HDFC Bank ahead
of the release election results
tomorrow.
Indian shares have surged on
widespread expectations that
the opposition Bharatiya Janata
Party, and its prime minister
candidate Narendra Modi, are
set to win a majority in the
countrys elections when results
are unveiled tomorrow.
Indias NSE index has gained
21.50% since Sept 13 when Modi
was named as BJPs prime min-
isterial candidate, with foreign
investors buying heavily.
Their net purchases ac-
celerated over the previous
three sessions, reaching a net
Rs63.39bn ($1.06bn) when
including index futures.
The benchmark BSE index
fell 0.24%, or 56.11 points, to
end at 23,815.12 after hitting a
record high of 24,068.94 on
Tuesday.
The broader NSE index ended
flat at 7,108.75, after touching
an all-time high of 7,172.35 a day
earlier.
Among blue-chips, HDFC
Bank declined 1.6%after making
a life high of 800 rupees on
Tuesday, while Reliance Indus-
tries ended 1.7% lower.
Bharat Heavy Electricals
slipped 1.2%after surging 10.2%
on Tuesday, while Larsen &
Toubro ended 1.1%lower.
LATEST MARKET CLOSING FIGURES
7
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
BUSINESS
Qatar National Bank
Industries Qatar
EzdanHoldingGroup
Ooredoo Qsc
Mesaieed Petrochemical Holdi
Masraf Al Rayan
Qatar Islamic Bank
Qatar Electricity & Water Co
Commercial Bank Of Qatar Qsc
Qatar Fuel Co
Gulf International Services
Doha Bank Qsc
Vodafone Qatar
Barwa Real Estate Co
Qatar Gas Transport(Nakilat)
Qatar International Islamic
Qatar Insurance Co
Qatar Navigation
Aamal Co
United Development Co
Al Ahli Bank
Al Khalij Commercial Bank
Qatari Investors Group
Qatar National Cement Co
Mannai Corporation Qsc
Al MeeraConsumer Goods Co
Qatar General Insurance & Re
Gulf WarehousingCompany
MedicareGroup
Qatar Industrial Manufactur
Mazaya Qatar Real Estate Dev
Salam International Investme
National Leasing
WidamFood Co
Qatar Islamic Insurance
Zad Holding Co
DlalaHolding
Al Khaleej Takaful Group
DohaInsuranceCo
Qatar & Oman Investment Co
Islamic Holding Group
Qatar Cinema & Film Distrib
195.00
190.40
29.20
147.40
34.40
50.00
93.50
188.60
68.80
232.40
100.70
65.00
18.50
38.20
25.35
87.00
78.70
99.00
18.30
26.00
52.90
23.89
65.50
145.00
119.00
185.00
44.30
56.00
87.90
46.60
19.75
14.20
31.00
62.70
71.50
77.60
41.10
38.05
25.05
14.52
71.00
42.50
-0.81
-0.31
6.18
0.96
-0.29
-0.60
1.85
-0.68
0.44
0.65
0.90
-0.31
0.49
0.53
1.00
-3.23
-3.32
0.10
3.33
-0.19
0.76
2.23
1.55
0.07
-0.75
0.00
0.00
-1.75
-1.57
0.00
-0.75
-1.32
-0.48
-0.32
-1.38
0.13
0.00
-1.68
-0.79
-1.89
-0.42
1.19
260,766
273,679
6,021,132
291,731
555,558
1,768,495
471,318
122,151
668,225
177,541
216,308
250,337
2,691,166
667,228
2,968,814
1,259,217
290,053
131,766
2,483,460
680,218
27,050
613,683
390,012
26,663
77,861
37,690
4,250
41,373
114,632
73,509
597,569
1,008,472
126,122
43,882
41,676
150
625,150
73,430
192,991
419,778
61,716
968
QATAR
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
Saudi Hollandi Bank
Al-Ahsa Development Co.
Al-Baha Development & Invest
AceArabiaCooperativeInsur
Allied CooperativeInsurance
Arriyadh Development Company
Fitaihi Holding Group
ArabiaInsuranceCooperative
Al Abdullatif Industrial Inv
Al-AhliaCooperativeInsuran
Al AlamiyaCooperativeInsur
Dar Al Arkan Real EstateDev
Al Babtain Power & Telecommu
Bank Albilad
Alujain Corporation (Alco)
Aldrees PetroleumAnd Transp
FawazAbdulazizAlhokair & C
Alinma Bank
AlinmaTokio 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
AmanaCooperativeInsurance
AnaamInternational 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
AstraIndustrial Group
Alahli Takaful Co
Aseer
AxaCooperativeInsurance
Basic Chemical Industries
Bishah Agriculture
BankAl-Jazira
Banque Saudi Fransi
United International Transpo
BupaArabiaFor Cooperative
Buruj CooperativeInsurance
Saudi Airlines Catering Co
Methanol Chemicals Co
City Cement Co
EasternCement
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 IndustryAnd Deve
FalcomPetrochemical Etf
Gulf General CooperativeIns
JazanDevelopment Co
Gulf UnionCooperativeInsur
Halwani Bros Co
Hail Cement
Herfy Food Services Co
Al Jouf AgricultureDevelopm
Jarir MarketingCo
Jabal Omar Development Co
Al Jouf Cement
Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co
Knowledge Economic City
KingdomHoldingCo
Saudi Arabian Mining Co
Malath Insurance
Makkah Construction & Devepl
Mediterranean & Gulf Insuran
Middle East Specialized Cabl
Mohammad Al Mojil Group Co
Al Mouwasat Medical Services
National AgricultureDevelop
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
41.20
21.62
13.50
70.07
30.33
24.26
23.22
24.21
44.68
59.43
98.85
13.60
37.96
43.99
24.45
49.61
191.79
18.47
71.61
56.81
38.56
63.61
67.66
24.30
26.37
136.05
39.03
45.38
87.92
29.16
44.10
49.82
68.58
28.11
77.74
51.24
63.07
61.95
30.89
47.80
44.74
69.75
43.20
31.60
74.50
90.87
55.47
162.29
16.85
26.01
61.50
14.52
96.00
17.55
46.63
116.50
34.50
66.52
64.04
33.60
47.35
21.20
30.40
76.85
24.90
137.44
49.32
201.07
48.28
18.81
16.34
23.12
26.81
39.12
23.95
86.77
36.44
16.89
12.55
98.13
44.42
27.18
16.56
35.78
31.05
31.87
43.24
36.52
29.08
29.05
19.10
92.21
61.77
21.51
36.90
66.61
17.76
0.00
-0.78
0.00
2.64
-0.88
0.00
-0.68
0.50
0.20
-4.16
0.98
-0.73
0.40
1.15
-0.97
-0.48
0.27
-0.11
-0.18
2.58
-0.77
0.62
-0.41
0.00
-0.15
4.95
-0.46
-2.09
0.01
2.89
0.27
0.08
-0.55
0.39
-1.47
1.09
2.14
1.54
-0.23
-0.40
2.59
0.00
0.23
-1.00
0.13
-4.12
0.53
0.08
1.08
-0.69
0.00
-0.68
-0.24
1.80
0.00
0.04
0.00
-0.73
-4.09
0.00
0.21
2.12
9.79
-1.34
0.00
-1.53
5.84
-0.09
0.42
0.27
1.05
-0.56
-0.70
5.27
3.23
0.13
2.02
4.26
0.00
1.76
9.68
0.30
2.73
-1.43
2.48
0.03
-1.32
-0.79
0.97
3.64
0.16
-0.04
-0.37
1.03
-0.30
-0.57
1.43
116,945
13,082,599
-
1,286,393
820,631
1,205,901
1,703,509
1,387,755
310,953
1,457,732
629,380
37,902,280
892,120
638,558
1,461,831
391,400
114,727
11,950,636
327,820
516,161
633,340
515,008
569,162
-
1,120,644
1,021,027
3,887,757
1,632,808
380,837
2,730,595
599,405
498,417
195,987
158,266
829,304
611,657
408,168
444,006
2,858,821
467,391
1,780,472
-
1,128,333
165,823
1,309,908
755,378
418,849
127,370
4,805,298
553,796
130,051
5,144,379
385,613
6,859,844
1,346,133
115,297
-
848,379
5,661,213
100
914,298
8,481,163
5,239,187
72,788
551,034
117,626
3,241,275
62,021
3,675,629
2,753,707
26,564,619
2,858,996
357,821
27,511,473
3,365,738
166,255
2,507,477
5,676,857
-
101,600
4,741,285
1,027,123
22,603,471
1,674,873
746,871
1,372,928
1,771,628
918,973
964,542
9,881,551
9,465,479
10,704
88,432
895,381
671,604
2,351,282
5,423,575
SAUDI ARABIA
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
Saudi British Bank
Sabb Takaful
Saudi Basic Industries Corp
Saudi Cement
Sasco
Saudi Dairy & Foodstuf Co
Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co
Al Sagr Co-Operative Insuran
Saudi Advanced Industries
Saudi Arabian Coop Ins Co
Salama Cooperative Insurance
SambaFinancial Group
Sanad Cooperative Insurance
Saudi Public Transport Co
Saudi Arabian Refinery 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
Saudi Hotels & Resort
Arabian Shield Cooperative
Saudi Investment Bank/The
Saudi Industrial Development
Saudi Industrial Export Co
49.70
47.00
119.46
110.71
29.75
103.00
162.75
41.35
28.84
52.67
43.85
40.20
21.66
33.67
79.83
33.50
13.55
69.91
13.80
70.55
131.82
16.40
43.20
78.76
39.40
59.06
26.39
23.79
75.07
1.02
-1.24
-0.67
-0.53
-0.90
-0.12
-0.01
-0.62
-1.87
-1.74
-2.32
-0.64
1.55
-0.91
-1.14
0.00
0.15
0.23
-1.50
0.47
-0.36
0.18
-0.41
-0.48
0.87
1.69
-0.42
2.59
-2.46
52,026
1,136,050
3,037,634
78,322
1,082,681
84,658
203,882
408,543
1,912,756
444,339
1,541,872
1,102,242
3,252,723
1,207,447
888,548
-
2,822,313
238,658
4,735,945
242,233
82,677
2,677,733
3,955,498
172,747
1,823,138
1,302,754
275,322
6,785,175
904,458
SAUDI ARABIA
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
Aayan Leasing & Investment
Aayan Real EstateCo
Burgan Co For Well Drilling
Al Ahli Bank Of Kuwait
Abyaar Real EastateDevelopm
Acico Industries Co Kscc
Al-Dar National Real Estate
Afaq Educational Services
Al Arabi Group Holding Co
Agility
Al-AhleiaInsuranceCo
Ajwan Gulf Real Estate Co
Aviation LeaseAnd FinanceC
Al Aman Investment Company
Kuwait Real EstateHolding C
Al-DeeraHolding Co
Al-Eid Food Co
AlimtiazInvestment Co Kscc
Alkout Industrial Projects C
Al MadinaFor FinanceAnd In
Al Mal Investment Company
Al Mudon Intl Real Estate Co
Ahli United Bank (Almutahed)
Al-Nawadi Holding Co K.S.C
First Investment Co Kscc
Al-Qurain Petrochemicals Co
Alrai MediaGroup Co
Al Salam Group Holding Co
Alshamel International Hold
Commercial Real Estate Co
Amar Finance& Leasing Co
Amwal International Investme
Aqar Real Estate Investments
Arab Real EstateCo
Ajial Real Estate Entmt
Alargan International Real
Arkan Al Kuwait Real Estate
Arzan Financial Group For Fi
Automated Systems Co
Advanced TechnologyCo
Ahli United Bank B.S.C
Al Bareeq Holding Co Kscc
Bayan Investment Co Kscc
Boubyan Intl Industries Hold
Bahrain Kuwait Insurance
Boubyan Bank K.S.C
Boubyan Petrochemicals Co
Burgan Bank
Gulf Cable & Electrical Ind
Kuwait Cable Vision Sak
LivestockTransport &Tradng
Commercial Bank Of Kuwait
Combined Group Contracting
City Group
National Cleaning Company
Coast Investment Development
Dulaqan Real Estate Co
Danah Alsafat Foodstuf Co
Educational Holding Group
Egypt Kuwait Holding Co Sae
Ekttitab Holding Co S.A.K.C
EnergyHouseHolding Co Kscc
Equipment Holding Co K.S.C.C
Al-EnmaaReal EstateCo
Kuwait Bahrain International
Eyas For High & Technical Ed
Commercial Facilities Co
Fujairah Cement Industries
First Dubai Real EstateDeve
Flex Resorts & Real Estate
Kuwait Foods (Americana)
First Takaful InsuranceCo
FutureCommunications Co
FutureKidEntertainment And
Gulf Bank
Gulf Cement Co
Gulf FranchisingKscc
Gulf FinanceHouseEc
Gulf Glass Manuf Co -Kscc
Gulf Investment House
Gulf InsuranceGroupKsc
Gulf North AfricaHolding Co
Gulf PetroleumInvestment
Kuwait GypsumManufacturing
Hayat Communications
Hilal Cement Co
Hits Telecom Holding
Human Soft Holding Co
Intl Financial Advisors
Ifa Hotels & Resorts Co. K.S
Ikarus Petroleum Industries
Injazzat Real State Company
Inovest Co Bsc
Investors HoldingGroupCo.K
Independent PetroleumGroup
International Resorts Co
Housing Finance Co S.A.K.C
Ithmaar Bank Bsc
JazeeraAirways
Jeeran Holdings
Kipco Asset Management Co
Kuwait Building Materials
Kuwait Business Town Real Es
Kuwait Cement Co
Kuwait ChinaInvestment Co
Kuwait National CinemaCo
Kuwait Medical Services Co
Kuwait Co For Process Plant
Kuwait Finance& Investment
Kuwait FinanceHouse
Kuwait FoundryCo
Kuwait &Gulf LinkTransport
Kuwait Hotels Co
Kuwait International Bank
Kuwait InsuranceCo
Kuwait Investment Co
Kuwait &MiddleEast FinInv
Kout FoodGroup
Kuwait PackingMaterials Mfg
Privatization Holding Compan
Kuwait Projects Co Holdings
Kuwait Real EstateCo
Kuwait Slaughter HouseCo
Kuwaiti Syrian Holding Co
Kuwait Invest Co Holding
77.00
95.00
240.00
435.00
49.00
330.00
30.00
158.00
188.00
850.00
460.00
53.00
255.00
77.00
43.50
35.00
0.00
78.00
0.00
35.00
38.50
104.00
690.00
120.00
91.00
255.00
130.00
99.00
184.00
100.00
73.00
54.00
85.00
50.00
214.00
218.00
118.00
69.00
465.00
930.00
242.00
0.00
87.00
98.00
0.00
540.00
760.00
570.00
750.00
43.00
242.00
690.00
1,140.00
450.00
132.00
54.00
0.00
78.00
146.00
290.00
62.00
88.00
130.00
81.00
0.00
330.00
265.00
89.00
91.00
47.50
2,820.00
0.00
162.00
118.00
370.00
114.00
72.00
48.50
650.00
37.50
550.00
47.50
85.00
160.00
83.00
218.00
49.00
390.00
62.00
220.00
184.00
83.00
78.00
17.00
450.00
68.00
39.00
45.50
440.00
63.00
112.00
160.00
34.00
420.00
67.00
860.00
0.00
295.00
80.00
820.00
330.00
98.00
0.00
315.00
310.00
160.00
51.00
800.00
540.00
66.00
740.00
82.00
0.00
35.50
0.00
1.32
-1.04
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.13
-7.69
0.00
0.00
2.41
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-2.25
-2.78
0.00
2.63
0.00
-2.78
2.67
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.96
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.33
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.01
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.32
6.17
1.68
0.00
-1.72
0.00
0.00
1.89
0.00
-3.70
0.00
0.00
-1.59
-2.22
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.85
1.14
1.11
0.00
0.71
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.37
0.00
-6.49
3.19
0.00
0.00
0.00
-2.06
1.19
0.00
-3.49
-5.22
-2.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.08
0.00
-2.50
-12.82
0.00
-1.45
-1.27
-3.19
1.15
0.00
0.00
0.00
-2.86
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.67
-4.76
0.00
0.00
-3.92
0.00
0.00
8.77
-2.44
-1.92
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-3.53
0.00
0.00
0.00
991,750
250,001
100,000
1,014
2,070,594
28,112
7,780,996
22,100
15,000
3,322,267
340
1
210,000
843,507
55,000
3,042,926
-
1,975,848
-
1,199,941
710,000
2,196,244
184,556
24,284
144,000
298,283
15,444
233,500
250
1,748,375
315,000
144,100
50,000
654,886
10,200
200,000
67,500
1,000
5,980
1
5,944,950
-
3,025,791
401,000
-
41,631
759,730
536,613
84,556
61,224
246,900
2,500
500
6,346
263,290
2,554,667
-
417,958
49,137
40,000
540,350
65,420
602,846
50,000
-
45,250
83,424
361,846
112,615
5,000
22,320
-
2,000
50
1,090,625
297,772
48,000
22,178,233
22,004
1,740,658
743
3,312,880
287,320
50
741,000
10,000
612,600
23,800
1,348,650
13,010
430,664
1,000,000
1,994,830
48,304,157
1,250
2,423,961
2,485,805
17,255,633
975,113
140,130
32,717
50
1,117,426
981
233,442
2,000
-
9,400
74,080
1,076,487
35,905
1,269,021
-
82,738
1,000
1,277,279
321,800
127,100
103
686,166
609,735
3,617,037
-
1,934,900
-
KUWAIT
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
Voltamp Energy Saog
United FinanceCo
United Power Co
UnitedPower/EnergyCo- Pref
Al MadinaInvestment Co
Taageer Finance
Salalah Port Services
Asafa Foods Saog
Sohar Poultry
Shell Oman Marketing
Shell Oman Marketing - Pref
Smn Power Holding Saog
Al Shurooq Inv Ser
Al SharqiyaInvest Holding
Sohar Power Co
Salalah Beach Resort Saog
Salalah Mills Co
Sahara Hospitality
Renaissance Services Saog
Raysut Cement Co
Port ServiceCorporation
Packaging Co Ltd
Oman United InsuranceCo
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 & TourismCo
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 EuropeFoods 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 FinanceCo
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 PoultryFarms
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 MushroomCompany
Gulf Invest. Serv. Pref-Shar
Gulf Investments Services
Gulf International Chemicals
Gulf Hotels (Oman) CoLtd
Global Fin Investment
Galfar Engineering&Contract
Galfar Engineering -Prefer
Financial Services Co.
Flexible Ind Packages
0.45
0.15
1.54
1.00
0.00
0.14
0.65
1.02
0.21
2.11
1.05
0.55
1.04
0.25
0.38
1.38
1.42
2.45
0.65
2.19
0.44
0.48
0.41
0.27
1.55
1.20
0.14
2.42
0.28
2.27
0.25
0.40
0.30
0.00
0.36
0.00
0.49
0.52
0.28
0.00
0.22
0.00
4.70
0.64
0.04
0.09
0.16
0.23
0.00
1.00
0.79
0.66
3.64
2.44
1.45
0.57
0.19
0.52
0.00
0.10
0.00
0.04
2.05
0.70
0.15
0.76
0.00
0.30
3.75
0.00
0.29
0.16
0.00
0.00
1.65
0.00
2.42
0.86
0.27
0.15
0.31
0.00
1.25
0.19
0.08
0.42
0.25
0.28
0.22
11.50
0.14
0.23
0.43
0.16
0.02
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
-1.95
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-3.57
1.86
0.92
0.00
-0.97
0.00
0.98
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.22
0.00
-4.29
0.00
0.00
-0.56
0.00
0.00
0.00
-0.72
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-2.51
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-0.35
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-2.23
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-3.97
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
2.22
0.00
0.00
-2.05
-5.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-
-
-
-
-
157,330
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
142,900
4,070
-
-
-
1,093,661
25,000
148,447
-
32,000
-
917,066
-
-
-
-
275,780
-
420,430
-
-
1,158,375
-
-
-
299,530
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4,925,155
-
-
31,455
-
-
-
-
176,437
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
19,940
-
-
-
200,000
-
-
7,830
-
-
-
-
-
77,500
-
-
5,347
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5,599,453
-
-
19,758
198,730
-
-
-
OMAN
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
Financial Corp/The
Dhofar Tourism
Dhofar Poultry
AloulaCo
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 & GypsumPro
Marine Bander Al-Rowdha
Bank Sohar
Bankmuscat Saog
Bank Dhofar Saog
Al Batinah Hotels
Majan College
Areej VegetableOils
Al JazeeraSteel Products Co
Al Sallan Food Industry
AcwaPower Barka Saog
Al-OmaniyaFinancial Service
Taghleef Industries Saog
Gulf Plastic Industries Co
Al JazeeraServices
Al Jazerah Services -Pfd
Al-Fajar Al-AlamiaCo
Ahli Bank
Abrasives Manufacturing Co S
Al-Batinah Intl Saog
0.15
1.00
0.18
0.53
0.53
0.24
1.30
0.00
0.00
1.28
0.25
0.16
0.26
0.33
0.06
0.00
0.00
0.22
0.64
0.33
1.13
0.47
5.00
0.45
0.00
0.73
0.35
0.00
0.39
0.52
0.55
0.75
0.18
0.05
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-4.19
0.00
0.00
-3.45
0.00
0.00
0.90
0.00
-0.60
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.89
0.00
0.55
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-
-
-
-
63,659
1,400
-
-
-
-
-
337,350
-
-
126,493
-
-
158,660
2,634,500
37,342
-
-
-
6,500
-
30,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
OMAN
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
National Takaful Company
Waha Capital Pjsc
Union InsuranceCo
Union National Bank/Abu Dhab
United InsuranceCompany
Union Cement Co
United Arab Bank
AbuDhabi National Takaful C
AbuDhabi National EnergyCo
Sudan Telecommunications Co$
Sorouh Real Estate Company
Sharjah InsuranceCompany
Sharjah Cement & Indus Devel
Ras Al KhaimaPoultry
Ras Al Khaimah Co
Rak Properties
Ras Al-Khaimah National Insu
Ras Al Khaimah Ceramics
Ras Al Khaimah Cement Co
National Bank Of Ras Al-Khai
Ooredoo Qsc
UmmAl Qaiwain Cement Indust
Oman & Emirates Inv(Emir)50%
National MarineDredging 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
Investbank
InsuranceHouse
Gulf Medical Projects
Gulf LivestockCo
GreenCrescent InsuranceCo
Gulf Cement Co
Foodco Holding
FinanceHouse
First Gulf Bank
Fujairah Cement Industries
Fujairah Building Industries
Emirates Telecom Corporation
EshraqProperties CoPjsc
Emirates Insurance Co. (Psc)
Emirates Driving Company
Al DhafraInsuranceCo. P.S.
DanaGas
Commercial Bank Internationa
Bank Of Sharjah
AbuDhabi Natl Co For Buildi
Al WathbaNational Insurance
Intl Fish Farming Co-Asmak
Arkan Building Materials Co
Aldar Properties Pjsc
Al Ain AhliaIns. Co.
Al KhaznaInsuranceCo
AgthiaGroupPjsc
Al Fujairah National Insuran
AbuDhabi Ship Building Co
AbuDhabi National Insurance
AbuDhabi National Hotels
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
AbuDhabi Aviation
1.05
3.15
1.20
6.55
2.00
1.51
7.25
7.20
1.27
1.16
0.00
4.05
1.18
1.50
1.71
1.17
3.18
3.50
1.49
8.32
140.50
1.26
1.50
8.45
6.90
2.00
3.50
3.70
14.15
1.32
0.00
3.24
3.00
1.40
2.39
6.29
1.12
1.47
5.50
3.60
17.15
1.15
1.60
11.40
1.74
8.00
3.70
6.50
0.91
2.30
2.02
1.14
5.35
6.55
2.45
4.08
45.00
0.70
5.30
300.00
3.00
6.30
3.50
6.51
8.04
3.17
3.96
-4.26
0.00
1.55
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-0.78
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-0.85
0.00
0.00
-2.61
-0.36
0.00
-0.79
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.07
-2.22
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-5.88
-3.29
3.97
0.00
-0.29
1.77
0.00
-0.87
-4.40
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.11
0.00
-2.42
2.70
0.00
-0.91
4.26
-0.97
0.00
-2.78
0.00
0.00
-5.36
0.00
0.00
-1.66
-0.12
-2.46
7,207
14,527,728
-
1,112,196
-
-
-
-
1,774,165
-
-
-
251,000
-
-
13,334,678
-
143,550
1,495,562
149,945
-
70,000
-
-
-
2,191,791
-
-
3,297,785
1,814,162
-
-
-
-
618
-
52
1,194,802
245,200
369
3,671,870
96,205
-
3,575,234
63,995,181
-
-
-
43,258,008
-
543,125
497,038
-
5,000
773,520
78,565,018
-
31,315
205,833
-
70,807
-
-
2,584,839
4,447,788
481,265
UAE
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
United Paper Industries Bsc
United Gulf Investment Corp
United Gulf Bank
United FinanceCo
TrafcoGroupBsc
Takaful International Co
Taib Bank -$Us
Securities & Investment Co
Seef Properties
Sudan Telecommunications Co$
Al-Salam Bank
Delmon PoultryCo
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 MonetaryGroup
Global Investment HouseKscc
Gulf FinanceHouseEc
Bahrain FamilyLeisureCo
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
0.00
0.13
0.00
0.00
0.23
0.15
0.00
0.00
0.20
0.00
0.23
0.00
0.33
0.73
0.18
0.05
0.17
0.00
0.29
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.19
0.12
0.20
0.80
`
1.35
0.25
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.81
0.00
0.54
0.16
0.85
0.00
0.67
0.44
0.37
2.10
0.85
0.00
0.85
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.88
0.00
0.00
-2.01
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
-2.98
0.00
0.00
-1.48
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-
889
-
-
23,678
40,000
-
-
15,297
-
30,000
-
1,835,177
265,496
68,100
960,000
154,200
-
10,700
-
-
-
20,000
5,000
3,061
7,000
5,000
20,000
6,970
-
-
-
47,117
-
2,000
20,000
1,800
-
3,289,755
5,268,824
359,370
1,125
2,604
-
124,776
BAHRAIN
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
Kuwait ReinsuranceCo Ksc
Kgl Logistics Company Kscc
Mabanee Co Sakc
Al-Madar Finance& Invt Co
ManafaeInvestment Co
Manazel Holding
Real EstateTradeCenters Co
Markaz Real Estate Fund
Marine Services Co
Kuwait Financial Centre
Al Masaken Intl Real Estate
Mashaer Holdings
Al-Massaleh Real Estate Co
National Ranges Company
Al-MazayaHolding Co
Mena Real Estate Co
Al Mowasat Health Care Co
Al Maidan Dental Clinic Co K
Metal & Recycling Co
Mushrif Trading & Contractin
Mubarrad Transport Co
Munshaat Real Estate Project
Kuwait Resorts Co Kscc
Nafais Holding
National Petroleum Services
National Bank Of Kuwait
National Consumer Holding Co
National Industries Co
National International Co
National Industries Grp Hold
National Investments Co
National MobileTelecommuni
Noor Financial Investment K.
National Real Estate Co
National Slaughter House
Osoul Investment Kscc
OulaFuel Marketing Co
Palms AgroProductionCo
ShuaibaIndustrial Co
Kuwait Portland Cement Co
Pearl Of Kuwait Real Estate
Kuwait Pipes Indus & Oil Ser
Kuwait United PoultryCo
UmmAl Qaiwain Cement Indust
Qurain Holding Co
Real Estate Asset Management
Refrigeration Industries Co
Kuwait Remal Real EstateCo
Ras Al Khaimah Co
Al Safat Real EstateCo
Al-Safat Tec Holding Co
Safwan Trading & Contracting
Salbookh Trading Co K.S.C.C
Sanam Real Estate Co Kscc
Sharjah Cement & Indus Devel
Securities House Kscc
Al Safat EnergyHoldingComp
Securities Group Co
Heavy Engineering And Ship B
150.00
180.00
1,140.00
50.00
62.00
43.50
43.00
0.00
144.00
148.00
81.00
194.00
78.00
16.50
132.00
47.00
180.00
0.00
128.00
104.00
75.00
162.00
102.00
83.00
620.00
990.00
73.00
216.00
75.00
250.00
152.00
1,800.00
144.00
160.00
160.00
78.00
200.00
128.00
244.00
1,400.00
20.00
0.00
160.00
102.00
30.00
108.00
330.00
98.00
132.00
39.00
52.00
495.00
82.00
63.00
97.00
83.00
41.00
120.00
154.00
0.00
-2.17
1.79
0.00
0.00
-3.33
0.00
0.00
-6.49
0.00
-1.22
0.00
-2.50
-13.16
0.00
-5.05
0.00
0.00
1.59
0.00
0.00
-2.41
2.00
5.06
0.00
1.02
0.00
0.00
1.35
0.00
0.00
1.12
1.41
0.00
0.00
1.30
-1.96
0.00
1.67
0.00
-4.76
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.03
3.13
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.20
0.00
1.04
0.00
-1.20
0.00
1.32
30,132
1,903,598
137,185
24,000
10,000
3,704,601
78,684
-
2,600
50,000
140,700
400
40,000
14,441,179
714,400
411,680
10,000
-
5,100
60,010
231,322
1,615,265
2,647,108
3,709,905
1
734,544
630
15,068
1,353,050
884,647
102,938
9,828
474,822
2,222,422
50
22,928
47,549
36,470
526,115
8,474
122,357
-
50
64,333
1,450,727
100
20,000
553,004
19,693
665,690
60,000
1,000
29,602
916,300
60,600
841,024
3,116,827
1,281
72,614
KUWAIT
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
8
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
BUSINESS
Exxon Mobil Corp
Microsoft Corp
Johnson & Johnson
General Electric Co
Wal-Mart Stores Inc
ChevronCorp
Procter & Gamble Co/The
Jpmorgan Chase& Co
Verizon Communications Inc
Intl Business Machines Corp
At&TInc
Pfizer Inc
Coca-Cola Co/The
Visa Inc-Class A Shares
Merck & Co. Inc.
Walt Disney Co/The
Intel Corp
Cisco Systems Inc
United Technologies Corp
HomeDepot Inc
Mcdonalds Corp
Boeing Co/The
American Express Co
3MCo
Unitedhealth Group Inc
Goldman Sachs Group Inc
Caterpillar Inc
NikeInc -Cl B
DuPont (E.I.) DeNemours
Travelers Cos Inc/The
102.38
40.28
101.02
26.92
78.72
126.22
81.42
54.51
48.21
189.80
36.46
29.18
41.15
211.58
56.36
81.39
26.47
22.86
118.09
76.86
102.78
133.55
88.80
142.02
77.32
159.70
106.70
74.21
67.86
92.85
0.02
-0.35
0.00
0.00
-0.53
0.29
-0.23
-0.20
0.75
-1.24
0.72
-0.07
0.09
-0.23
1.09
-0.84
0.08
0.00
-0.55
-0.53
-0.72
0.07
-0.33
-0.29
-0.92
-0.36
-0.42
-0.52
0.25
-0.06
2,336,463
7,696,744
1,372,256
6,880,310
2,130,053
1,644,504
2,266,706
3,831,205
4,809,277
1,696,800
9,031,295
13,437,104
3,215,959
554,538
3,108,357
1,762,859
6,009,115
18,181,874
640,554
1,991,490
1,302,166
958,135
618,393
965,809
962,631
721,548
1,292,270
1,171,883
903,549
513,985
DJIA
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
Whitbread Plc
Wpp Plc
WolseleyPlc
WilliamHill Plc
Weir Group Plc/The
VodafoneGroupPlc
United Utilities Group Plc
Unilever Plc
Tui Travel Plc
Tesco Plc
Travis Perkins Plc
TullowOil Plc
Severn Trent Plc
St Jamess PlacePlc
StandardCharteredPlc
SsePlc
Sports Direct International
Smith & NephewPlc
Smiths Group Plc
StandardLifePlc
ShirePlc
Sage Group Plc/The
Schroders Plc
Sainsbury (J) Plc
Sabmiller Plc
RsaInsuranceGroup Plc
Randgold Resources Ltd
Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc
Royal Mail Plc
RioTintoPlc
RexamPlc
Reed Elsevier Plc
Royal Dutch Shell Plc-B Shs
Royal Dutch Shell Plc-A Shs
Royal Bank Of Scotland Group
Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc
Pearson Plc
Persimmon Plc
Prudential Plc
PetrofacLtd
Old Mutual Plc
Next Plc
National Grid Plc
Wm Morrison Supermarkets
Melrose Industries Plc
Mondi Plc
Marks & Spencer Group Plc
Meggitt Plc
LondonStockExchangeGroup
Lloyds Banking Group Plc
Legal &General GroupPlc
Land Securities Group Plc
Kingfisher Plc
Johnson MattheyPlc
Itv Plc
Intertek Group Plc
Imperial Tobacco Group Plc
Imi Plc
Intercontinental Hotels Grou
Intl Consolidated Airline-Di
Hsbc Holdings Plc
Hammerson Plc
Hargreaves LansdownPlc
GlaxosmithklinePlc
GlencoreXstrataPlc
Gkn Plc
G4s Plc
Fresnillo Plc
Friends Life GroupLtd
Easyjet Plc
Experian Plc
Diageo Plc
Crh Plc
Capita Plc
Compass Group Plc
Centrica Plc
Carnival Plc
Coca-Cola Hbc Ag-Cdi
Bt Group Plc
British Sky Broadcasting Gro
BurberryGroup Plc
Bp Plc
Bunzl Plc
Bhp Billiton Plc
British Land Co Plc
Bg Group Plc
Barratt Developments Plc
British American Tobacco Plc
Barclays Plc
Babcock Intl Group Plc
Bae Systems Plc
AstrazenecaPlc
AvivaPlc
ArmHoldings Plc
AntofagastaPlc
Ashtead Group Plc
AggrekoPlc
Aberdeen Asset Mgmt Plc
Admiral GroupPlc
Associated British Foods Plc
Anglo American Plc
#N/A Invalid Security
4,160.00
1,243.00
3,434.00
348.00
2,695.00
222.10
836.00
2,657.00
432.60
296.30
1,740.00
883.50
1,900.00
787.00
1,314.00
1,536.00
762.50
924.00
1,342.00
390.80
3,341.00
400.10
2,617.00
327.70
3,227.00
488.50
4,608.00
1,030.00
573.00
3,374.00
511.50
889.00
2,562.50
2,347.00
331.80
4,935.00
1,159.00
1,385.00
1,410.00
1,208.00
209.40
6,565.00
861.00
196.30
288.30
1,044.00
464.90
482.40
1,801.00
77.10
227.40
1,105.00
408.30
3,291.00
179.10
3,100.00
2,664.00
1,577.00
2,210.00
388.90
617.50
589.00
1,233.00
1,623.50
327.40
384.80
256.50
836.50
302.50
1,662.00
1,083.00
1,878.00
1,682.00
1,123.00
996.00
327.10
2,390.00
1,436.00
373.60
844.00
1,520.00
503.50
1,682.00
1,995.00
719.50
1,252.00
377.00
3,464.50
251.30
1,251.00
411.80
4,654.00
531.50
890.50
795.00
835.00
1,702.00
429.60
1,428.00
2,965.00
1,641.50
0.00
-0.74
-1.35
-0.41
-0.32
-0.04
1.02
0.18
0.15
-0.28
0.19
-0.91
-0.79
0.69
-1.25
0.46
1.79
-1.36
-0.48
-0.30
0.03
-0.12
-1.45
-0.38
-3.33
1.16
1.12
0.37
0.19
1.24
1.31
0.39
0.11
-0.93
-0.97
0.85
0.96
1.13
-1.35
-0.14
-0.74
0.58
0.46
1.12
0.26
-1.77
1.26
-0.70
0.10
-0.39
0.27
-0.26
0.36
-2.20
-0.12
-6.23
1.04
0.45
0.83
-0.41
-1.57
1.06
0.94
-0.32
-0.82
-0.98
0.05
2.40
1.39
0.83
0.24
1.69
0.35
-0.65
0.36
1.58
1.08
-1.20
0.21
-0.35
-1.52
-0.33
0.66
0.60
1.53
0.63
-1.34
-2.41
0.41
-1.59
0.89
0.59
0.26
0.66
-1.77
2.05
-2.79
1.25
-1.35
-1.38
-0.03
0.24
0.00
351,797
3,384,223
305,584
2,773,568
298,079
67,645,154
2,056,292
1,726,247
1,988,112
11,230,445
291,862
2,015,241
430,147
2,430,025
6,140,603
2,036,496
1,257,796
1,310,952
459,967
3,043,376
897,148
1,854,976
129,893
7,667,331
1,278,313
2,466,287
381,058
4,455,756
1,203,669
4,001,269
1,190,044
2,469,502
2,912,240
2,749,133
8,419,828
803,954
2,419,185
1,119,827
2,820,566
1,083,587
6,786,454
306,490
4,876,255
6,336,743
2,797,059
1,349,847
2,472,835
1,521,310
653,985
68,734,489
12,324,231
1,771,813
3,022,347
249,186
33,422,631
271,037
1,041,381
602,287
669,411
4,890,671
26,469,804
1,327,771
589,786
6,151,650
14,920,080
2,714,356
4,906,405
802,154
2,555,994
2,030,495
2,054,077
1,987,484
1,077,828
562,166
5,630,393
13,803,156
425,374
140,961
12,934,108
4,821,172
681,697
18,305,488
395,303
6,462,818
2,628,221
5,450,809
3,927,166
1,782,087
25,755,183
1,155,975
4,736,006
2,893,938
4,918,174
2,973,959
2,017,921
1,433,303
932,476
2,522,586
478,056
300,808
3,459,266
-
FTSE 100
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
Inpex Corp
DaiwaHouseIndustryCo Ltd
Sekisui HouseLtd
KirinHoldings CoLtd
JapanTobaccoInc
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 PharmaInc
Eisai Co Ltd
Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd
FujifilmHoldings Corp
Shiseido Co Ltd
Jx Holdings Inc
1,449.00
1,876.00
1,281.00
1,421.00
3,442.00
4,054.00
660.00
720.00
391.00
6,008.00
416.00
3,871.00
4,565.00
1,225.00
4,017.00
1,708.00
2,616.00
1,727.00
511.00
-1.02
-0.48
0.55
1.57
-0.29
0.60
0.15
1.98
0.51
-0.07
0.97
-0.97
0.02
0.99
0.17
-0.35
0.23
-0.29
0.00
5,263,500
2,120,000
2,392,300
2,569,000
3,276,300
1,157,900
2,947,000
5,782,000
6,603,000
552,000
6,534,500
1,388,100
2,037,300
6,025,700
1,284,700
1,538,500
1,061,900
1,538,700
7,873,200
TOKYO
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
Bridgestone Corp
Asahi Glass Co Ltd
Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Meta
Sumitomo Metal Industries
KobeSteel Ltd
JfeHoldings Inc
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd
Sumitomo Electric Industries
Smc Corp
Komatsu Ltd
Kubota Corp
Daikin Industries Ltd
Hitachi Ltd
ToshibaCorp
Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Nidec Corp
Nec Corp
Fujitsu Ltd
Panasonic Corp
Sharp Corp
SonyCorp
Tdk Corp
KeyenceCorp
Denso Corp
Fanuc Corp
RohmCo Ltd
KyoceraCorp
Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd
Nitto Denko Corp
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Nissan Motor Co Ltd
Toyota Motor Corp
HondaMotor Co Ltd
Suzuki Motor Corp
Nikon Corp
HoyaCorp
Canon Inc
RicohCoLtd
Dai Nippon Printing Co Ltd
Nintendo Co Ltd
ItochuCorp
Marubeni Corp
Mitsui & Co Ltd
TokyoElectronLtd
Sumitomo Corp
Mitsubishi Corp
Aeon Co Ltd
Mitsubishi Ufj Financial Gro
ResonaHoldings Inc
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdin
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Gr
Bank Of Yokohama Ltd/The
Mizuho Financial Group Inc
Orix Corp
DaiwaSecurities Group Inc
NomuraHoldings Inc
Nksj Holdings Inc
Ms&Ad InsuranceGroup Holdin
Dai-Ichi LifeInsurance
Tokio MarineHoldings Inc
T&DHoldings Inc
Mitsui Fudosan Co Ltd
Mitsubishi Estate Co Ltd
Sumitomo Realty & Developmen
East JapanRailwayCo
West JapanRailwayCo
Central Japan RailwayCo
AnaHoldings Inc
Nippon Telegraph & Telephone
Kddi Corp
Ntt Docomo Inc
TokyoElectric Power CoInc
Chubu Electric Power Co Inc
Kansai Electric Power Co Inc
TohokuElectric Power Co Inc
Kyushu Electric Power Co Inc
TokyoGas CoLtd
SecomCo Ltd
YamadaDenki Co Ltd
Fast Retailing Co Ltd
Softbank Corp
3,528.00
556.00
276.00
0.00
135.00
1,902.00
1,617.00
1,374.00
24,510.00
2,269.00
1,420.00
5,981.00
709.00
403.00
1,193.00
5,708.00
294.00
662.00
1,095.00
277.00
1,805.00
4,190.00
39,285.00
4,487.00
17,245.00
5,550.00
4,632.00
8,850.00
4,768.00
578.00
920.00
5,680.00
3,445.00
2,820.00
1,567.00
3,167.00
3,320.00
1,172.00
984.00
11,160.00
1,192.00
697.00
1,570.00
6,009.00
1,307.00
1,989.00
1,202.00
574.00
518.00
435.00
4,185.00
541.00
204.00
1,649.00
796.00
624.00
2,741.00
2,443.00
1,505.00
3,088.00
1,312.00
3,306.00
2,501.00
4,315.00
7,634.00
4,126.00
12,800.00
228.00
5,879.00
5,581.00
1,685.00
393.00
1,166.00
938.00
1,046.00
1,153.00
556.00
6,154.00
361.00
32,445.00
7,234.00
1.58
0.54
-0.36
0.00
-0.74
0.48
-0.74
0.66
0.53
0.75
5.89
-0.05
-0.14
0.25
-0.58
0.55
2.08
0.30
1.01
1.84
1.06
0.24
1.02
2.05
-0.38
1.09
0.48
1.54
0.87
1.05
0.77
0.53
0.53
2.58
-4.04
0.54
0.48
-0.51
2.93
1.13
2.23
1.16
1.23
-1.22
-0.38
0.76
0.42
-0.69
-3.00
-1.58
-0.69
-0.37
0.49
1.73
1.79
1.13
1.48
1.24
0.33
0.72
1.86
1.01
2.17
4.10
-0.65
0.39
0.63
0.00
2.23
-3.86
1.26
0.00
0.34
0.75
1.06
0.09
-0.36
0.89
-0.55
-0.72
-0.62
4,983,000
2,911,000
20,991,000
-
28,955,000
1,584,400
3,871,000
3,548,600
156,900
3,163,400
9,399,000
797,200
28,761,000
15,336,000
4,771,000
759,600
10,771,000
8,660,000
7,022,200
30,277,000
6,976,600
786,400
182,700
2,012,800
630,900
505,700
874,800
537,700
819,000
15,457,000
12,460,800
6,397,800
2,916,100
2,881,500
7,436,500
992,400
4,593,200
3,781,000
2,292,000
531,900
7,532,000
8,572,000
8,772,100
630,100
3,863,900
6,573,600
2,569,900
55,430,400
16,701,900
20,505,000
7,557,200
4,504,000
56,311,100
7,806,600
14,419,000
34,897,100
693,400
878,200
1,995,200
1,316,900
2,297,400
4,381,000
4,589,000
4,178,000
834,500
649,100
267,800
2,791,000
2,697,300
5,159,500
6,491,900
5,542,200
1,970,000
2,423,700
1,134,800
1,736,600
10,142,000
483,100
6,329,700
475,400
8,495,800
TOKYO
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
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
CathayPacific Airways
Cheung Kong Holdings Ltd
ChinaCoal EnergyCo-H
China Construction Bank-H
ChinaLifeInsuranceCo-H
China Merchants Hldgs Intl
ChinaMobileLtd
ChinaOverseas Land & Invest
China Petroleum & Chemical-H
ChinaResources Enterprise
ChinaResources Land Ltd
ChinaResources Power Holdin
ChinaShenhuaEnergyCo-H
ChinaUnicomHong Kong Ltd
Citic Pacific Ltd
Clp Holdings Ltd
Cnooc Ltd
Cosco Pacific Ltd
Esprit Holdings Ltd
Fih MobileLtd
Hang Lung Properties Ltd
Hang Seng Bank Ltd
Henderson Land Development
2.86
32.90
3.49
5.01
8.18
22.40
15.18
133.30
4.45
5.50
20.25
23.75
75.85
19.84
7.12
22.35
16.02
19.82
21.85
12.24
13.90
62.65
13.30
10.34
11.64
3.93
23.60
127.00
48.35
1.06
0.15
1.75
2.24
1.61
0.00
1.34
0.23
1.37
2.04
0.25
-0.63
0.93
4.09
0.99
1.36
5.95
3.99
0.92
-0.33
1.31
0.32
1.53
1.77
0.34
-1.50
1.07
-0.24
0.31
7,051,120
2,105,656
458,805,207
22,303,076
9,201,642
14,039,168
2,746,000
3,863,338
23,209,433
316,619,660
29,749,348
3,693,845
20,493,844
92,039,166
92,688,341
1,602,000
33,064,000
11,317,859
14,566,996
37,355,909
13,569,326
2,207,372
54,316,105
6,687,199
3,435,969
5,136,394
6,228,010
684,986
2,948,654
HONG KONG
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
Hong Kong & ChinaGas
Hong Kong Exchanges & Clear
Hsbc Holdings Plc
Hutchison WhampoaLtd
Ind & Comm Bk Of China-H
Li &FungLtd
Mtr Corp
NewWorld Development
PetrochinaCoLtd-H
Ping An InsuranceGroup Co-H
Power Assets Holdings Ltd
Sino Land Co
Sun Hung Kai Properties
SwirePacific Ltd-A
Tencent Holdings Ltd
Wharf Holdings Ltd
18.02
142.40
80.10
100.20
4.79
10.98
29.10
8.60
9.23
57.50
69.85
11.94
100.70
91.15
514.00
54.25
0.22
1.21
1.20
0.91
2.13
1.86
0.17
3.61
-0.11
0.44
0.43
2.05
1.87
1.00
1.28
1.40
5,180,874
4,157,556
12,839,687
4,498,215
321,508,683
16,092,244
1,683,667
56,214,798
97,153,481
18,432,572
2,105,441
8,271,727
7,180,392
1,401,727
4,010,970
9,766,193
HONG KONG
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
WiproLtd
Ultratech Cement Ltd
United Spirits Ltd
Tata Motors Ltd
Tata Power Co Ltd
Tech MahindraLtd
Tata Consultancy Svcs Ltd
Tata Steel Ltd
Sun Pharmaceutical Indus
Sesa Sterlite Ltd
State Bank Of India
Reliance Industries Ltd
Power Grid Corp Of India Ltd
Punjab National Bank
Oil & Natural Gas Corp Ltd
Ntpc Ltd
Nmdc Ltd
Maruti Suzuki IndiaLtd
Mahindra& MahindraLtd
Larsen & Toubro Ltd
Lupin Ltd
Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd
Jindal Steel & Power Ltd
Itc Ltd
Infosys Ltd
Indusind Bank Ltd
Idfc Ltd
Icici Bank Ltd
Hindustan Unilever Ltd
Hindalco Industries Ltd
Hero Motocorp Ltd
Hdfc Bank Limited
Housing Development Finance
Hcl Technologies Ltd
Grasim Industries Ltd
Gail IndiaLtd
Dr. Reddys Laboratories
Dlf Ltd
Coal IndiaLtd
CiplaLtd
Cairn India Ltd
Bharat PetroleumCorp Ltd
Bank Of Baroda
Bajaj Auto Ltd
Bharat Heavy Electricals
Bharti Airtel Ltd
Axis Bank Ltd
Asian Paints Ltd
Ambuja Cements Ltd
Acc Ltd
524.55
2,240.60
2,680.85
442.35
84.75
1,837.60
2,216.10
452.35
612.15
197.15
2,282.55
1,045.50
112.00
834.40
368.10
125.50
159.20
2,085.20
1,085.45
1,394.50
965.90
859.45
261.55
365.65
3,254.10
537.05
121.35
1,409.40
577.50
141.20
2,431.00
775.45
888.85
1,411.40
2,976.75
395.55
2,518.35
160.60
343.30
394.55
339.45
518.65
957.85
2,041.75
216.40
323.20
1,636.50
556.90
223.95
1,388.05
-0.88
0.90
-0.81
0.32
0.18
0.83
0.23
5.91
0.50
2.18
0.28
-1.68
-0.75
4.27
-1.21
2.20
4.91
-0.25
-3.34
-1.05
0.08
-0.19
6.47
1.33
-0.34
0.52
-0.08
0.61
-0.02
-0.70
0.08
-1.61
-1.93
-1.50
2.18
0.53
-3.54
5.42
3.39
1.01
0.92
1.82
9.11
3.26
-1.16
1.25
-0.74
3.06
1.04
-0.15
1,501,638
248,310
761,261
3,147,367
4,545,795
722,984
767,343
12,945,198
1,597,093
10,327,158
3,204,471
4,894,677
5,243,426
4,259,623
5,049,709
10,875,131
4,985,656
361,467
10,806,240
2,417,213
533,792
826,088
4,284,384
7,347,583
681,838
1,412,161
9,595,792
4,085,551
713,552
13,139,292
450,680
2,245,229
3,653,686
1,015,665
96,427
1,214,414
1,091,628
18,977,895
7,570,805
1,677,040
1,942,921
892,545
7,329,277
235,267
8,404,952
2,880,573
1,522,815
1,432,995
1,574,552
335,081
SENSEX
CompanyName Lt Price %Chg Volume
WORLD INDICES
Indices Lt Price Change
GCC INDICES
Indices Lt Price Change
Dow Jones Indus. Avg
S&P 500 Index
Nasdaq CompositeIndex
S&P/Tsx Composite Index
Mexico Bolsa Index
Brazil Bovespa Stock Idx
Ftse100Index
Cac 40 Index
Dax Index
Ibex 35Tr
Nikkei 225
JapanTopix
Hang Seng Index
All Ordinaries Indx
Nzx All Index
BseSensex 30Index
Nse S&P Cnx Nifty Index
Straits Times Index
Karachi All ShareIndex
JakartaCompositeIndex
16,659.70
1,894.72
4,117.50
14,696.29
42,155.79
54,287.54
6,878.49
4,501.04
9,754.39
10,613.90
14,405.76
1,183.15
22,582.77
5,475.90
1,072.32
23,815.12
7,108.75
3,259.09
21,288.34
4,991.64
-55.74
-2.73
-12.67
+16.48
-81.04
+380.08
+5.41
-3.98
-0.04
+26.70
-19.68
+4.80
+230.39
+0.53
+2.99
-56.11
+0.00
+36.66
+106.11
+70.24
Doha Securities Market
Saudi Tadawul
Kuwait Stocks Exchange
Bahrain Stock Exchage
Oman Stock Market
Abudhabi Stock Market
Dubai Financial Market
13,160.60
9,819.89
7,395.29
1,468.12
6,754.50
5,015.81
5,318.74
-14.14
+3.70
-8.31
-0.25
-6.84
-19.38
-8.45
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 ofer 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 UAEDIRHAMS BAHRAINI
DINAR
KUWAITI
DINAR
Visitors pass a sign inside the main atrium of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) group headquarters. The LSE closed up
0.08% to 6,878.49 points yesterday, boosted by upbeat unemployment data and a growth forecast upgrade from the Bank
of England.
European markets mixed
amid poor eurozone data
AFP
London
E
uropes main stock markets end-
ed mixed yesterday as investors
digested downbeat industrial
production data in the eurozone, deal-
ers said.
Wall Street slid lower after two days
of record closing highs.
After spending most of the day in
negative territory as some investors
booked prots, London and Frankfurt
recovered in afternoon trading.
Londonclosedup 0.08%to 6,878.49
points, boosted by upbeat unemploy-
ment data and a growth forecast up-
grade fromthe Bank of England.
Frankfurt was essentially at at
9,754.39 points, of a few hundredths
of a point from a record close set on
Tuesday, while the CAC 40 in Paris
drifted down 0.09% to 4,501.04 but
still remains close to six-year highs.
Madrid climbed 0.25 while Mi-
lan slid 0.34%, but Lisbon tum-
bled 3.4% as investors punished
bank shares following poor results.
London benetted from data show-
ing that Britains unemployment rate
dropped to a ve-year lowpoint of 6.8%
inthethreemonthstoMarch, astheeco-
nomic recoverygathers strength.
The London stock market was hit by
a high number of UK companies going
ex-dividend, meaning their stock no
longer carries the right to recently de-
clared dividends.
The top faller however was British
commercial broadcaster ITV, whose
share price slumped 6.2% to 179.1
pence after a weak earnings update.
On the upside, shares in Compass
rallied 1.6% to 996 pence after the
British catering rm said Wednesday
it will return 1.0bn ($1.7bn, 1.2bn)
to shareholders via a special dividend.
The group also rampedup its interim
shareholder dividend by 10% to 8.8
pence per share.
In Frankfurt, RWE was the heavi-
est faller after Germanys second-
biggest power supplier cut its full-
year forecasts and posted tumbling
rst-quarter prots. RWEs share
price sank 2.2%to 27.02 euros.
US stocks slid yesterday following
mixed earnings reports, snapping a
two-day streak of record closing highs
on the Dowand S&P 500.
In midday trade, the Dow Jones
Industrial Average shed 0.30% to
16,664.51 points.
The broad-based S&P 500 slid
0.15%to 1,894.64, while the tech-rich
Nasdaq Composite Index lost 0.23%to
4,120.47.
In foreign exchange deals, the euro
rose to $1.3718 from$1.3701 late in New
York on Tuesday.
Sterling slid against the euro and the
dollar as dealers concluded that the
Bank of England (BoE) was in no hurry
to raise British interest rates, dealers
said.
The European single currency rose
to 81.73 pence from 81.43 pence on
Tuesday, while the British pound slid
to $1.6784 from$1.6823.
The price of gold advanced to
$1,305.25 an ounce on the London Bul-
lion Market from $1,296.50 on Tues-
day.
BUSINESS
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 12
Temasek, GIC to lead
global SWF acquirers
Bloomberg
Singapore
G
IC Pte and Temasek Holdings
Pte, Singapores state-owned
investment rms, are set to lead
global sovereign investors in acquisi-
tions for a second year after emerging
as the most active in 2013.
The $15.7bn spent by both companies
accounted for about a third of direct
investments by state investors globally
last year, according to data compiled
by the London-based Institutional In-
vestors Sovereign Wealth Center. Te-
masek and one of its units announced
two purchases in March that amounted
to $8.9bn, or 57%what the two compa-
nies investedlast year, according to data
compiled by Bloomberg.
The acquisitions may set the mo-
mentum for Temasek and GIC amid
signs of a global recovery. US data on
exports and consumer condence re-
leased this month added to a spate of
data showing the worlds largest econ-
omy is gaining steam heading into the
second quarter.
I wouldnt be surprised if GIC and
Temasek beat last years level of invest-
ments, said Song Seng Wun, a Singa-
pore- based economist at CIMB Group
Holdings Bhd. The global recovery is
becoming more entrenched. Investors
should buy assets before they get more
expensive, and GIC and Temasek are
faster than other state funds in seizing
the opportunities.
Direct investments refer to strategic
acquisitions rather than investments
made as part of an index-linked port-
folio, usually intermediated by an asset
manager or bank, according to the Sov-
ereign Wealth Center.
Temasek in March agreed to buy a
25%stake in the retail armof Hutchison
Whampoa Ltd for HK$44bn ($5.7bn) and
one of its units inthe same monthofered
to take over Olam International Ltd in a
deal that values the commodity trader
S$5.3bn($4.2bn). GICwas part of a group
that bought the Time Warner headquar-
ters inNewYorkfor $1.3bninJanuary.
The combined $15.7bn spent last year
by GICand Temasek accounted for 32%
of all transactions among their peers,
according to the Sovereign Wealth
Center. Thats the biggest share of all
direct investments by state investors,
the data showed.
It dwarfs the percentage of invest-
ments by state funds of Norway, Abu
Dhabi and China, which each manage
moreassets thanGICandTemasekcom-
bined, accordingtotheSovereignWealth
Centers website. Norways state fund,
the worlds biggest, deployed $5.3bn last
year and China Investment Corp $1.9bn,
according to the research.
Temasek is set up as a holding com-
pany, and mergers and acquisitions
is where its expertise lies, said En-
rico Soddu, an analyst at the Sover-
eign Wealth Center. GIC has been
increasing its direct investments only
recently in line with the insourcing
trend amongst sovereign funds to save
on fees to asset management compa-
nies but also because their capabilities
have grown, he said. Soddu added that
the increase in transactions this year
is not surprising because they will
mainly stem from the two large deals
by Temasek and also because 2013 was
a relatively quiet year.
The total value of the 184 direct in-
vestments by sovereign wealth funds
in 2013 reached $43.5bn, 23%less from
the previous year invalue, mainly inline
with a drop in cross- border mergers
and acquisitions, according to the data.
In 2012, the Qatar Investment Au-
thority was the biggest sovereigninves-
tor worldwide, with a share of 32% of
global investments, equalling $16.4bn,
according to the data by the Sovereign
Wealth Center.
GIC made 40 direct investments last
year and Temasek 38, the data showed.
Among GICs major transactions in
2013 were the purchase of a 50% stake
in Londons Broadgate of ce complex
and the acquisition of a 28.5% stake in
Goldman Sachs Group Incs European
insurance business.
Temasek bought a 5.04% stake in
Spanish oil company Repsol SAfor 1bn
($1.4bn) last year. The rms liqueed
natural gas unit Pavilion Energy Pte in
November said it would pay $1.3bn for
a 20%stake in three gas blocks ofshore
Tanzania in East Africa. This years
purchase of the stake in A.S. Watson &
Co, the retail arm of billionaire Li Ka-
shings Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, was
Temaseks biggest so far, according to
data compiled by Bloomberg, and gives
the Singapore state-owned investment
company a stake in a business with
more than 10,000 stores worldwide.
Breedens Investments Pte, the
wholly-owned unit of Temasek ofer-
ing for the shares in Olam, on April 29
said 10.3% of the shareholders already
accepted the ofer. If Breedens bought
all the shares not already owned at the
time of the ofer by a Temasek unit, it
could pay as much as S$4bn.
Temasek and its unit Seatown Hold-
ings International, together with in-
vestment rm RRJ Capital Ltd, agreed
to invest in NN Group, the insurance
business of Dutch lender ING Groep
NV, according to a April 30 statement
by ING. Temasek and Seatown are con-
tributing a combined 525mn, accord-
ing to the statement. We invest over
the long termin sectors which are good
proxies to our key investment themes,
said Stephen Forshaw, a spokesman at
Temasek. The mix of our portfolio may
change fromtime to time, not to t any
target that we have, but to cater to new
opportunities that emerge.
Temaseks holdings jumped to a
record S$215bn in the year ended March
2013, as surging global stock markets
bolstered assets. The rmis the ninth-
biggest state investor with an estimated
$173bn of assets, according to the Sov-
ereign Wealth Center website. Its to-
tal investments were S$20bn in the 12
months ended March 31, 2013, accord-
ing to the Singapore investment rms
latest annual report, published in July.
Thats more than double the amount
invested four years earlier.
GIC ranks fth with an estimated
$315bn of assets, according to the Sov-
ereign Wealth Center.
We look at the long-term perform-
ance of the total portfolio rather than
the performance of individual asset
classes or investments, GICs Group
chief investment of cer LimChowKiat
said in an e-mail. Our patient capital
allows us to benet from holding in-
vestments that take longer to realize
their potential.
GICs 20-year annualised real rate of
return, or gains on top of global ina-
tion that it uses as its main metric, was
4% in the 12 months through March
2013, up from 3.9% the previous year,
the state fund said in its latest annual
report in August.
Temaseks total shareholder return,
which includes dividends, widened
to 8.9% in the year ended March 2013,
from1.5%in the previous year. It aver-
aged 16%since its inception in 1974.
Singapores political stability and the
size of the economy are helping GIC
and Temasek to have better access to
overseas markets, said Friedrich Wu, an
adjunct associate professor at Nanyang
Technological University in Singapore.
Trade-dependent Singapore is seen
beneting from an improving outlook
for global expansion. The Asian Devel-
opment Bank forecasts Southeast Asian
growth to accelerate to 5.4% in 2015
from5%this year, according to an April
1 report. The US, euro area and Japan
will collectively grow 2.2% next year
from1.9%in 2014, the ADB said.
Consumer condence was near the
second-highest level in more than six
years, the Bloomberg Consumer Com-
fort Index showed last week. The big-
gest gain in US exports in nine months
helped narrow the trade decit in
March, pointing to a revival of global
demand that will help the economy
strengthen. The island nation is ranked
among the top ve countries on Trans-
parency Internationals 2013 Corrup-
tion Perceptions Index. The US placed
19th for corruption perceptions, while
China was number 80.
Emerging markets including Brazil,
Indonesia, South Africa and Turkey
have undervalued assets, said Wu,
adding that many of them are long-
termand potentially protable.
Being a small and harmless country,
Singapores sovereign wealth funds are
perceived to be politically neutral by
host governments, and hence have the
advantage of not being under intense
political scrutiny,Wusaidinane-mail.
A customer pays for her purchases in a Watsons store in Hong Kong. Singapores state-owned investment firm Temasek this year bought a stake in AS Watson & Co, the
retail arm of billionaire Li Ka-shings Hutchison Whampoa.
Bloomberg
Hong Kong
C
itic Pacic, which is ac-
quiring $36bn of assets
from its state-owned
Chinese parent, agreed to sell
$5.1bn of shares to investors in-
cluding the countrys social se-
curity fund.
The National Social Secu-
rity Fund will buy HK$16.8bn
($2.2bn) of shares, while China
Life Insurance Co will invest
$500mn, the steelmaker and
property developer said in a
Hong Kong exchange ling.
Other investors include the state
investment rms of Qatar and
Singapore, the ling shows.
Citic Pacic, which will be
renamed Citic Ltd, is raising
funds to pay for the acquisi-
tion and restore its public oat.
The company said last month it
will buy assets fromparent Citic
Group Corp, the countrys rst
state-owned investment Corp,
ranging from nancial services
to energy and property.
The transaction comes as Chi-
nese President Xi Jinping advo-
cates the most sweeping changes
since Deng Xiaopings liberalisa-
tion in 1978, including loosening
yuan trading and allowing more
private investments in state
businesses. The deal, which is
the biggest asset injection into
a Hong Kong-listed unit from
China, may become a model for
similar moves by government-
controlled companies.
AIA Group Ltd, the second-
largest Asia-based insurer by
market value, will buy $300mn
of shares, while a company con-
trolled by Agricultural Bank of
China Ltd will invest $200mn.
An investment arm of Bank of
China Ltd, the countrys fourth-
largest lender, has committed
$250mn. Citic Pacic is selling
2.9bn shares at HK$13.48 each to
a total of 15 investors, according
to the ling. The sale price rep-
resents a 3% discount to yester-
days closing price inHong Kong.
The company will fund nearly
80%of its acquisition by selling
HK$223bn of newshares to Citic
Group, according to an April
exchange ling. The remaining
HK$63bn will be paid in cash.
Citic Pacic plans to issue
16.58bn shares to its parent com-
pany at HK$13.48 each, accord-
ing to the April statement. The
Hong Kong stock exchange has
granted a waiver allowing Citic
Pacic to have a public oat of at
least 15%, the statement shows.
The unit Citic Pacic is ac-
quiring has 225bn yuan ($36bn)
in shareholder equity. Its nan-
cial-services holdings, includ-
ing stakes in Citic Securities Co
and China Citic Bank Corp, ac-
counted for 87%of pretax prot
last year.
Citic Pacic
to sell $5.1bn
shares to
investors
BUSINESS
13
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Reuters
Singapore
C
hinas imports of liqueed nat-
ural gas (LNG) are growing at
a record pace as it aims to use
cleaner fuels to cut smog in big cities,
creating a powerful new source of de-
mand that has the potential to reshape
the market for the super-chilled gas.
Rising Chinese demand gives LNG
producers such as Chevron , Royal
Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil and Total a
crucial new sales avenue as they weigh
whether to go ahead with $180bn in
investments into potential new or ex-
panded LNG projects.
Producers face rising costs in Aus-
tralia where many LNG projects are
based and uncertainty about longer-
term demand in Japan and South Ko-
rea, the worlds top two buyers of the
fuel.
The Chinese, though, are spending
billions of dollars in buying LNG-re-
lated interests overseas and in building
new import terminals. LNG imports
are up 35% to 5.62mn tonnes in the rst
quarter against the year-ago period,
according to customs data.
And imports are set to rise by a third
this year, according to research rm
Energy Aspects. They grew 25% annu-
ally over the last four years, Thomson
Reuters Point Carbon says.
Producers are certainly looking at
China, because thats the only market
right now that will ofer 2-3mn tonnes
deals, said Gavin Thompson, head of
Asia Pacic gas and power at consul-
tancy Wood Mackenzie.
By the end of this decade, China
could overtake South Korea to become
the worlds second-biggest LNG buyer
behind Japan.
The consultancy forecasts Chinas
imports to rise to 61mn tonnes in 2020
from 18mn tonnes last year, led by
supply from Australia. By comparison,
South Koreas state-run Korea Gas
Corp (KOGAS) expects demand to rise
to 45mn tonnes by 2020 from 40mn
last year.
Japan and South Korea have in-
creased LNG consumption to replace
lost nuclear power, but uncertainty re-
mains about the future of idled nuclear
plants amid safety and cost concerns.
Chinas state energy companies,
meanwhile, are already competing for
supply by securing equity stakes in
projects across the globe.
Malaysian state-owned oil rm
Petronas said in April it will sell a 15%
stake in its $11bn LNG export terminal
on Canadas Pacic Coast to Chinas
Sinopec Group and state-owned pow-
er group China Huadian Corp .
China plans to more than double its
natural gas supply capacity to 400bn
cubic metres per year by 2020. Still,
uncertainty remains about the pace of
growth in a country where energy use
is dictated by politics.
And consistently high LNG prices
in Asia since the Fukushima disaster
could hamper demand growth in Chi-
na, as the country remains more price
sensitive than Japan and South Korea.
Nevertheless, Asian prices are
widely expected to fall as a new wave
of Australian supply hits the market
in the next 3-4 years, further boosting
Chinese demand, industry observers
say.
Chinas import needs also depend
on how successful it is in developing
its own unconventional gas resources.
China, believed to hold the worlds
largest reserves of shale gas, hopes to
replicate the US production boom.
Whether or not China develops its
own natural gas production can make a
huge swing in the global demand, said
David Carroll, vice president of the In-
ternational Gas Union.
Until now, at least, it seems Chinas
state energy rms have focused mostly
on securing gas from projects abroad
and shipping it to a string of new LNG
imports terminals. Import capacity is
slated to rise from the current 31mn
tonnes per year at nine terminals to
over 80mn tonnes by 2018, when an-
other 15 import terminals either ap-
proved or already under construction
begin operations.
Add to that another 13 terminals
that are either planned or proposed
and capacity could top 110mn tonnes
by the beginning of the next decade. By
comparison, Japan last year imported
87mn tonnes of LNG.
Beijings LNG imports
growing at record pace
Samsungs crown prince in
focus as father hospitalised
Reuters
Seoul
Unassuming, media-shy and, as yet,
unproven, Jay Y Lee is the unoficial heir-
apparent to lead Samsung Electronics Co,
as the worlds biggest technology group by
sales approaches a crossroads after years
of explosive growth.
The only son of Samsungs frail 72-year-
old chairman Lee Kun-hee, Jay has been
groomed for years to take over the sprawl-
ing South Korean family-run chaebol,
a conglomerate with interests spanning
technology and insurance to shipbuilding
and construction. Samsung Groups 2012 rev-
enue of 380tn won ($371bn) was more than a
quarter of South Koreas nominal GDP.
The younger Lee, 45, became Samsungs
vice chairman in 2012 after a spell as chief
operating oficer in what appeared to be a
well-choreographed long-termsucces-
sion plan. But his fathers ill-health Lee
senior was hospitalised for a heart attack
at the weekend has raised concerns over
whether Jay is ready to take control.
(Our) vice chairman is a strategic
thinker and is very tenacious, said a senior
Samsung executive, who didnt want to be
named as hes not authorised to talk to the
media. Hes been doing things that senior
executives cant easily resolve on their own.
For example, he spends a lot of time meet-
ing key clients and then manages to cut a
deal that would seemalmost impossible.
Weve actually benefited significantly
fromhis deal brokering and strategic deci-
sion making. Hes been doing far more than
what many people outside Samsung might
guess. Hes been learning for years from
the chairman and has already been deeply
involved in daily operations.
Fluent in English and Japanese and
dubbed the Crown Prince of Samsung by
local media, Jay Lee has become the public
face of Samsung in recent years, at meet-
ings with corporate leaders, and politicians
fromChina and the US, building relation-
ships for a group which had been regarded
as secretive.
When South Koreas president invited
Google Inc CEO Larry Page to visit Seoul
a year ago, one of the first to meet him
was Lee, who flewPage to a display plant
south of the Korean capital to show of the
latest technology Samsung was working
on, including flexible screens that could po-
tentially be fitted to Google Glass wearable
devices. The two firms havent signed a
deal on supplying bendy screens, but have
since agreed global patent cross-licensing
in a joint attack against Apple Inc defying
speculation of fraying ties as Samsung, the
biggest smartphone maker using Googles
Android platform, develops its own mobile
operating system. Lee has generally
shunned the limelight. He has no oficial
Twitter account and little is known of him
outside the company - bar a high-profile
divorce in early 2009. He has a degree in
East Asian History fromSeoul National Uni-
versity, an MBA fromJapans Keio University
and completed a business administration
doctoral programme at Harvard. He joined
Samsung Electronics in 1991.
While some critics say Lee doesnt have
the experience for the top job, and lacks
his fathers charisma, insiders say his quiet,
urbane manner disguises a steely determi-
nation and a tenacity to get things done.
He was born with a silver spoon. We
dont know whether he is capable of run-
ning (things) yet as he has no track record,
said a senior oficial at Samsung Electron-
ics, who asked not to be identified.
However, a second Samsung executive
who worked closely with Lee said he was
very insightful, was on top of key issues
and asked probing questions. Hes very
sharp and thinks outside the box, said a
third executive at the group founded by
Lees grandfather in 1938.
A fourth executive, who has known Lee
since childhood, said he is very committed
to work and a serious businessman.
Other insiders have noted that despite
his powerful position, Lee takes time to
reply personally to e-mails and enjoys
horse-riding and golf. Beyond the confines
of Samsungs headquarters, investors said
Lee would naturally be under pressure to
succeed, but this could be an opportune
time to hand over power as smartphone
growth slows and the group looks to new
businesses to drive future growth. Sam-
sungs mobile business is expected to show
a first annual profit decline in three years as
smartphone sales weaken.
The new businesses Samsung has been
preparing are starting to take shape, and
I think they will start showing us some-
thing concrete fromthis year, said Hong
Jeong-woong, a fund manager at Alpha
Asset Management in Seoul. Its inevitable
hell feel pressured to prove his abilities
to become chairman, so we may see
Samsung pick up the pace on pushing new
businesses. I think the risk of any manage-
ment vacuumis small.
Dow Jones
Beijing
C
hina yesterday accused
Gl a x o S mi t h Kl i n e s
former China chief of or-
dering subordinates to commit
bribery that resulted in billions
of yuan in revenue.
At a press brieng, of cials
from Chinas Ministry of Public
Security alleged that the execu-
tive, UK national Mark Reilly, or-
dered his sales team and other
employees to bribe hospital doc-
tors, healthcare organisations and
other parties on a large scale to
boost drug sales inChina.
Gao Feng, a ministry of cial
spearheading the probe of the
UK pharmaceutical company,
said revenue that came from al-
leged bribery amounted to sev-
eral billion yuan since Reilly
joined Glaxos China operation
in 2009. Glaxo pushed up the
prices of drugs in China-in some
instances as much as seven times
the price compared with other
countries-to fund its own brib-
ery, Gao alleged.
Gao alleged that in previous
years, Glaxo formed an emergen-
cy team to disrupt law-enforce-
ment investigations into whether
it engaged in bribery. Glaxos
acts of bribery penetrated all as-
pects of the companys business
operation, he said.
A spokesman for the UK drug
company didnt immediately re-
spond to a request for comment.
Glaxo has previously said that
some of its employees may have
brokenChinese laws and that it is
assisting the investigation.
Reilly couldnt immediately
be reached. Glaxo has said Reilly
had returned to China to assist
with the investigation after leav-
ing last summer. A ministry of-
cial yesterday said Reilly is still
in China. A spokesman for the
British Consulate in Shanghai,
where Glaxos China headquar-
ters is located, said it is providing
consular assistance.
Gao praised the UK drug
maker, saying it has held a re-
sponsible attitude during the
investigation and has provided
assistance.
Chinese of cials said they had
completed the investigation and
turned the matter over to pros-
ecutors. It is nowthe duty of the
prosecutors and the court to deal
with it, he said.
The accusations are a major
setback for the big drug maker in
a market long seen as promising
by the pharmaceutical industry.
China has been an important
source of sales growth for the
company and other pharmaceu-
tical makers in recent years.
Experts say the countrys un-
derfunded medical system en-
courages widespread bribery and
corruptionamong hospitals, staf
and local governments. Other
drug companies have come under
of cial scrutiny for their pricing
practices since the Glaxo investi-
gation began.
A PetroChina plant is seen in Daqing. Chinas imports of liquefied natural gas are growing at a record pace as it aims to use cleaner fuels to cut smog in big cities.
Reuters
Beijing
A
three-way investment
deal between China, Ja-
pan and South Korea will
go into efect on Saturday, Chi-
nas ministry of commerce said
yesterday, despite tension be-
tween the neighbours.
The China-Japan-Republic
of Korea Agreement for Promo-
tion, Facilitation and Protection
of Investment has been signed
by all three countries two years
after the deal was reachedinMay
2012, the of cial Xinhua news
agency said, citing the ministry.
The agreement will create
stable, favourable and trans-
parent conditions for invest-
ment, Xinhua said.
The implementation of the
deal comes as China and Japan
have waged a war of words over a
group of Japanese-controlled is-
lets in the East China Sea, called
Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in
China. Japanese and Chinese pa-
trol ships have been playing cat-
and-mouse near the islands, and
the US, despite President Barack
Obamas assurances that it would
defend its ally Japan, is wary of
being drawninto any clash.
Chinas ties with Japan have
long been coloured by what Chi-
na sees as Japans failure to atone
for its brutal wartime occupa-
tion. Korea and China both suf-
fered under Japanese rule, with
parts of China occupied in the
1930s and Korea colonised from
1910 to 1945. Japan also has a
dispute with South Korea over a
remote island in the sea between
them.
The three countries are also
negotiating a trilateral free trade
deal, though a breakthrough is
seen to be a long way of.
The US is leading a push for a
Trans-Pacic Partnership (TPP)
regional trade deal, which in-
cludes Japan, but a deadlock
between the two countries has
held up progress on the wider
12-country trade agreement in
recent months. Neither China
or South Korea are party to those
negotiations, though Seoul has
expressed interest in joining ef-
forts to establish the TPP free
trade bloc that wouldencompass
about 800mn people and almost
40%of the global economy.
Three-way
trade deal
efective on
Saturday
Lee: To prove the mettle.
Glaxo ex-China
chief accused of
asking staf to
commit bribery
BUSINESS
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 14
PBoC calls for faster
home loans in slump
Bloomberg
Beijing
C
hinas central bank called on the
nations biggest lenders to accel-
erate the granting of mortgages, a
sign that developers prices cuts and in-
centives alone wont boost a slumping
housing market and economy.
The Peoples Bank of China told15 banks
yesterday to improve ef ciency of serv-
ice, give timely approval and distribution
of mortgages to qualied buyers, accord-
ing to a statement posted on its website. It
also urged lenders to give priority to fami-
lies buying their rst homes and strength-
en their monitoring of credit risks.
Premier Li Keqiang is seeking to put
a floor under a slowdown in the worlds
second-largest economy. The housing
market has become a drag on growth as
developers, facing a surplus of empty
units and falling sales, put the brakes on
new construction. Home sales fell 18%
in April from the previous month, ac-
cording to data from the National Bureau
of Statistics.
Chinas property sector has started
a correction and that will last this year,
Zhang Zhiwei, Hong Kong-based chief
China economist at Nomura Holdings Inc,
said. More investors are more convinced
than a couple of months ago that the sec-
tor is going downwards.
The Shanghai Stock Exchange Property
Index, which tracks 24 developers listed
on the citys exchange, rose 0.5% as of
yesterday, trimming this years decline to
4.3%. China Vanke Co, the nations big-
gest developer by market value, climbed
1.3%to 7.63 yuan in Shenzhen trading, af-
ter jumping as much as 4%, the most since
March 21. Developers scaled back housing
starts by 25%in the rst quarter, the big-
gest reduction ever, according to Nomura.
To lure buyers, Vanke dropped prices in
Beijing, Hangzhou and Chengdu by as
much as 15% since March, according to
China Real Estate Information Corp Vanke
andPoly Real Estate Group Co are allowing
buyers to delay making down payments
for as long as three years in Changsha, the
capital of Hunan province, according to
realtor Centaline Group.
The central banks request to improve
lending ef ciency comes as Chinas eco-
nomic slump worsens, with unexpected
decelerations in industrial output and in-
vestment growth.
Factory production rose 8.7% in April
from a year earlier, according to the sta-
tistics bureau, down from8.8%in March.
Fixed-asset investment excluding rural
households increased 17.3% in the rst
four months of the year, the slowest for the
period since 2001.
For the last four years, China has en-
acted restrictions to cool its housing
market as prices soared. The government
increased the minimum down-payment
requirement for second homes to 60%.
The rst-tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai,
Shenzhen and Guangzhou raised the de-
posit for second properties to 70% last
year after prices jumped.
Price increases are moderating this year.
They climbed 9.1% in April from a year
earlier, slowing for a fourth month, ac-
cording to SouFun Holdings Ltd, the na-
tions biggest real estate website.
During the boom years, speculators
using shadow nancing, or non-bank
loans, helped spur the construction of
excess housing across China. The surplus
now includes more than 10 ghost cities
haunted by empty apartment blocks in
places like northern Ordos, according to
SouFun.
More than 10mn homes sit empty in
China, and the number could rise to 18mn
within two to three years, Nicole Wong,
Hong Kong-based head of property re-
search at CLSA Ltd, said on May 12. She
cited estimates based on the companys
one-year survey in 12 Chinese cities.
Chinese banks trimmed property lend-
ing in the rst quarter as authorities kept
liquidity tight to curb shadow nancing.
Mortgage lending expanded 20.1% in the
period froma year earlier, down from21%
at the end of last year, according to data
fromthe PBoC.
The supply is abundant while demand
is the question mark, Bei Fu, Standard &
Poors Hong Kong-based property credit
analyst, said. What exacerbates the de-
mand uncertainty is the tightening bank
lending.
Lenders inBeijing andShenzheninApril
imposed a longer mortgage approval proc-
ess, at least two months in some cases,
according to Centaline Group, parent of
Chinas biggest real- estate brokerage that
tracks home lending in 20 cities. Lenders
are also charging rst-time buyers inter-
est rates 10%above the 6.55%benchmark
of the central bank, ending discounts of as
much as 15% available before November,
according to Centaline.
During the Labor Day holiday on May
1-3, typically a time of robust sales of new
homes, they dropped 47% in 54 cities to
236,000square meters (2.5mn square feet)
froma year earlier, according to Centaline.
To bring buyers back, developers in-
cluding Shimao Property Holdings Ltd in
Shanghai and Beijing-based Sino-Ocean
Land Holdings Ltd cut prices at more than
40 projects since March. Discounts have
spread from smaller cities with a massive
oversupply of housing to big cities includ-
ing Shanghai and Guangzhou, where de-
mand remains strong.
Developers may increasingly adopt
more exible pricing strategies, Credit
Suisse Group AG analysts led by Hong
Kong- based Jinsong Du wrote in an April
28 report. They anticipate deeper and
widespread price cuts if sales dont pick
up.
Impessimistic about Chinas property
market, Du said.
At least six smaller Chinese cities since
April have started relaxing curbs on home
purchases by speculators and investors.
Tongling, in the eastern Anhui province,
will give tax breaks to rst-home buy-
ers for properties smaller than 144 square
meters, the city government said May 5 on
its website.
Lan Shen, a Beijing-based economist
at Standard Chartered Plc, said the cen-
tral government will have to provide more
support for the housing market to recover.
The PBoC statement probably still
wont give much incentive for commer-
cial banks to make mortgage loans because
this part of their business is not very prof-
itable, she said. They might shorten the
period of approving mortgage loans as a
gesture to respond to the central bank, but
not much on lowering the rate.
Nomuras Zhang said that he expects
further easing of lending, such as the re-
moval of purchase restrictions in sec-
ond- and third-tier cities. He said the
government may also cut banks reserve
requirements by 50basis points inthe sec-
ond quarter and a further reduction in the
thirdquarter, making it easier for develop-
ers to get nancing.
Reuters
Tokyo
T
he wide gap between Japans interest rates and
those of Brazils has attracted investors to the
yen carry-trade for Brazilian assets in spite of
emerging market risks.
Borrowing cheap yento fundpurchases of Brazilian
stocks and bonds has proven a winning strategy so far
this year. Some analysts, however, think investor sen-
timent could cool with Brazils interest rates not ex-
pected to rise further and on potential political risks.
The Bank of Japans massive monetary stimulus
unfurled 13 months ago has kept Japanese rates at
rock-bottom levels, in sharp contrast with Brazils
11%benchmark.
With most other major currencies such as the dol-
lar andtheeurooferingyields onlyslightlybetter than
the yen, retail andinstitutional investors are looking to
higher-yielding emerging markets. The feel-good fac-
tor of the forthcoming World Cup is also giving senti-
ment towards Brazil a boost.
With all the hype of the World Cup, the overall
sentiment is one of buoyancy, said Bart Wakabayashi,
head of forex at State Street Global Markets in Tokyo.
Theres still reasontolike the long-Brazil trade.
Although a slowing Brazilian economy dented Jap-
anese appetite for the real in 2012-13, the real became
popular again after the Brazilian central bank raised
its benchmark Selic by a total of 3.75 percentage
points in nine straight increases since April 2013. But
with the countrys ination rate rising less than ex-
pected in April, expectations are growing the central
bank will pause its monetary tightening cycle.
BRL-denominated uridashi bonds targeted at
Japanese retail investors rose sharply this year as a
percentage of emerging market issuance, evenas total
uridashi issuance has shrunk, Brown Brothers Har-
riman data show.
As of last month, BRL-denominated uridashi issu-
ance has comprised more than half of total emerging
market uridashi issuance, up from an average share
of 29%in 2007-2013. The potential for hefty returns
has not escaped the notice of even some traditionally
conservative Japanese investors, and market sources
with access to institutional ow data cite increased
carry-trade activity in recent months.
A senior of cial at Japans second-largest private
life insurer Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co told a news
conference last month the insurer would not buy
Japanese government bonds at current lowyields and
that it added Brazil to its stock and bond portfolios
last nancial year.
According to Thomson Reuters Eikons carry trade
model, a yen investment in the Brazilian real would
have earned more than 7% so far this year, with
Sharpe ratio of 1.93, a level that suggests a goodreturn
in comparison to risk.
In comparison, the Australian dollar returned
about 3.6%with Sharpe ratio of 1.57.
The real has gained about 5% against the US dol-
lar but it has stabilised since mid-April as the mar-
ket expects Brazilian rates to stop rising soon, leading
some market players to question how long investors
will keep buying.
Our clients who have already investedinBrazil ask
about the risks, said Masashi Murata, senior curren-
cy strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman in Tokyo.
Most say they want to wait until the next central
bank meeting, because they want to check the stance
on hiking rates, he said.
Ashift in Brazils monetary policy could come even
before the World Cups June 12 kick-of. The Banco
Central do Brasil will conclude a two-day meeting on
May 28, which couldheraldthe endof the widening of
the interest rate diferentials that have made the trade
so attractive. Brazils October presidential election
also clouds the outlook. President Dilma Roussef
was once considered the favourite to win a second
term, but has slipped in recent polls, and an upset
could lead to market volatility.
The recent situation is good for Brazil, but some
professional investors think US Treasury yields will
rise more, so they dont have to invest in riskier as-
sets, like Brazils, for higher yields,
Japan investors target Brazil for yen carry-trade
Dealers work at a foreign exchange firm in Tokyo. The wide gap between Japans interest rates and those of Brazils has attracted investors
to the yen carry-trade for Brazilian assets in spite of emerging market risks.
Nissan JV firm
eyeing 20% of
Beijing electric
car market
AFP
Tokyo
Nissans joint venture firm in
China has said it is aiming to
secure a fifth of the fledgling
electric vehicle market,
which it expects to boom as
authorities get to grips with
choking air pollution.
Dongfeng Motor Company
has ambitions of claiming a
20% segment share with its
local Venucia brand which
will be rolled out in Septem-
ber, the companys president
said Tuesday.
We will thrive with
Venucia e30 in China, said
Jun Seki, who heads the joint
venture between Chinese
firm Dongfeng and Nissan,
Japans second-largest car-
maker which is the maker of
the Leaf electric vehicle.
We need some prepara-
tions in the first fiscal year
but will eventually target... a
20% segment share.
Seki was upbeat on the
future of electric vehicles
in China, where he said the
government was giving
generous corporate and con-
sumer incentives to increase
sales of environmentally
friendly cars.
You may think the 20%
share goal sounds too high,
he said. But we already have
a very good share in the
global electric car market.
The 20% goal is not too
aggressive. We could aim
even higher.
Environmental concerns
are mounting in China,
where decades of unfettered
growth have created harmful
pollution, and choking smog
regularly envelops major
cities.
The communist govern-
ment, wary of growing public
anger, is trying to grapple
with air pollution it estimates
costs as much as $300bn a
year through health prob-
lems and premature deaths.
Electric vehicles have
been seen as a potential
solution to the exhaust gases
that blight busy cities the
world over, with supporters
touting their zero-tailpipe
emissions.
Nissan has been one of the
sectors biggest boosters in
the global market.
But despite the Chinese
governments eforts to pro-
mote ownership of electric
vehicles, demand has disap-
pointed.
Last year, Chinas auto
sales surged 13.9% to
21.98mn vehicles, accord-
ing to an industry group,
but sales of new energy
vehicles which includes
fully electric cars and hybrids
were tiny at around 25,000
over the past two years
according to the China Pas-
senger Car Association.
Nissan said around
30,000 green cars were
sold in China in fiscal 2012.
Like other Japanese au-
tomakers, Nissans Chinese
venture sufered a dent in
sales in late 2012 and into
last year, Seki said, after the
eruption of a Tokyo-Beijing
row over disputed islands
sparked a consumer boycott
of Japanese brands.
The island dispute forced
Dongfeng Motor Company
to push back its goal to sell
2.0mn vehicles both elec-
tric and combustion engine
by fiscal 2015, Seki said.
Once we get to sell 2.0mn
units, I am confident that
we can gain a 10% market
share, he said. We want to
achieve the goal in 2017 or
by 2018. Dongfeng is aim-
ing to sell 1.43mn units in the
current fiscal year, he said.
Hotels and residential buildings stand in the Sanya Bay district, Hainan Province. Chinas central bank called on the nations biggest lenders to accelerate the granting of mortgages.
A man gets into a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle for a test
drive in Beijing. The auto giants joint venture firm in China
has said it is aiming to secure a fifth of the fledgling electric
vehicle market in the country.
BUSINESS
15
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
ECB readies package of rate
cuts and targeted measures
Includes possible cut in all three
rates; cut would come targeted
LTRO or ABS purchase plan; ABS
plan would take longer to become
operational thanLTRO; aimof
targeted measures is to stimulate
lending to SMEs; Praet tells German
paper deposit rate cut possible
Reuters
Frankfurt
T
he European Central Bank is pre-
paringapackageof policyoptions
for its June meeting, including
cuts in all its interest rates and targeted
measures aimed at boosting lending to
small- and mid-sized rms (SMEs).
Five people familiar with the meas-
ures being prepared detailed plans in-
volving a potential rate cut, including
the ECBs deposit rate going negative
for the rst time, along with the tar-
geted measures SME measures.
The package ofers some stimulus
for the eurozone economy but falls
short of the large-scale efect the ECB
could unleash with a major programme
of quantitative easing (QE) money
printing to buy assets. Such a QE plan
is still some way of.
AJune rate cut is more or less a done
deal, said one of the ve sources who
spoke to Reuters on condition of ano-
nymity.
A second source echoed that senti-
ment, and added: This will be the rst
major central bank to move to a nega-
tive deposit rate. That would move the
exchange rate.
ECB Executive Board member Peter
Praet also toldGermanweekly newspa-
per Die Zeit the central bank could cut
its deposit rate into negative territory
as part of a package of policy measures
that could also include a targeted long-
termrenancing operation (LTRO).
The latter is a method of boosting
bank liquidity in the eurozone with an
eye to increasing lending.
The rst two sources spoke to Reu-
ters of a cut of 10-20 basis points,
probably in all three ECB rates. The
main renancing rate is currently at
0.25%.
Both sources expected the move to
bring down the currency exchange rate
but said the ECB had made no calcula-
tion of howmuch it was likely to fall by,
and had no target for the euro.
The ECB declined to comment when
asked about the plans.
ECB President Mario Draghi said
last week the Governing Council was
comfortable with acting next time
its June 5 policy meeting but wanted
to see updated economic projections
fromthe banks staf rst.
Negative deposit rates are a possi-
ble part of a combination of measures,
Praet told Die Zeit. We are preparing
a range of things. We could again lend
banks money for a longer time frame,
possibly with conditions attached.
Praet did not see the ECB embark-
ing on US-style QE unless economic
conditions deteriorated: I think it will
only come to that if the eurozone econ-
omy and ination develop signicantly
worse than we expect, he said.
The ECBs deposit rate already
stands at zero and a cut into negative
territory would see it essentially charge
banks for holding their money over-
night a move that could spur more
lending, though analysts are unsure
howbanks would react.
The ECB is concerned by the euros
strength and low ination, which
Draghi is worried could get stuck in
what he calls a danger zone below
1%. At 0.7%, ination is running well
below the ECBs target of just under
2%.
AndrewBosomworth, a senior port-
folio manager at bond fund Pimco in
Munich, said a cut in all three ECB in-
terest rates and a newLTRO would be a
light cocktail, like a Campari Orange.
If you only cut rates and introduce
an LTRO yes, itll have an impact
but it wont be as strong as, for exam-
ple, (also) pushing out the xed-rate
full allotment another six to 12 months
andabolishing the SMPdrain,Bosom-
worth added.
The ECBs xed-rate full allotment
procedure sees it lend banks as much
cash as they want at a xed interest
rate at its regular renancing opera-
tions. With the SMP sterilisations, the
ECB seeks to ofset its past purchases
of government bonds made under its
Securities Markets Programme (SMP).
Extending the xed-rate full allot-
ment would extend the timeframe over
which the ECB lends banks as much
money as they want at a xed rate, and
ending the SMP sterilisation would re-
lease billions of euros into the market.
All four measures together rate
cut, LTRO, extending xed-rate full
allotment and abolishing the sterilisa-
tion operation fromthe SMPbond-buy
plan would be a a powerful cocktail.
Thats got vodka in it, said Bosom-
worth.
The ECB is also concerned about
weak lending to SMEs.
Another source was less sure the
new staf forecasts would merit policy
action but conrmed a package was
under discussion should the Council
decide to act. Some analysts believe
a small cut in the ECBs interest rates
would have little impact.
In February, ECB Executive Board
member Benoit Coeure told Reuters
the idea of cutting the deposit rate into
negative territory was a very possible
option, before adding: But youshould
not expect too much of it.
Should it decide to cut rates, the ECB
is looking at also deploying either a
targeted long-term loan operation, or
LTRO, or else announcing a purchasing
programme to buy asset-backed secu-
rities (ABS) comprised of bundled SME
loans.
The targeted LTRO, which ECB
staf have been working on for weeks,
would come with conditions attached
on achieving a measurable increase of
banks lending to SMEs.
The operation could be even longer
than 3-year LTROs the ECB deployed
in late 2011 and early 2012 to head of a
funding crunch.
Three years has to be the minimum
if we want to have an impact on boost-
ing lending to small business, one of
the sources said. It may be for longer
as well.
As an alternative to the targeted
LTRO, the ABS purchase plan would
see the ECB buy bundled packages of
SME loans. This could be announced in
June with a viewto coming into opera-
tion late this year, two sources said.
The idea behindthis secondoptionis
to build the market in Europe for SME
loans bundled as ABS, with a view to
making it larger and more liquid to aid
the ow of credit to the smaller rms
that formthe backbone of the eurozone
economy.
While developing this purchase
plan, the ECB is also lobbying banking
regulators in Basel to loosen the capital
requirements on banks holding high-
grade ABS.
One of the ve sources said the ABS
purchase idea was on the table but,
because it would take time to make it
operational, the measure might not be
announced in June.
Another said the ABS purchase plan
for securitised SME loans was prema-
ture and not ripe for decision or an-
nouncement in June, adding: What
you should expect is an LTRO that
could be even more than 3 years at a
xed rate.
That would lend teeth to the ECBs
forward guidance on rates. Asked how
conditionality of banks increasing
lending to SMEs could be enforced, he
said that there could be for example a
4-year LTRO at a xed rate of 25 basis
points with an interest rate penalty if a
bank did not meet the conditions.
The tools being prepared are con-
sistent with measures Draghi identi-
ed in an April 24 speech in which he
explained how the ECB would respond
to three broad scenarios.
To respond to a de facto tightening
of monetary policy caused by market
moves like further euro gains, Draghi
indicated the ECB could cut rates.
To deal with problems transmitting
its policy to all parts of the eurozone,
he said the bank could deploy an LTRO
targeted at encouraging bank lending
or an ABS purchase programme.
Under a third scenario of a deterio-
ration in the medium-term ination
outlook, Draghi said on April 24 the
ECB could respond with a broad-
based asset purchase programme
potentially QE. However, just a few
days later at a meeting with German
lawmakers Draghi played down the
prospect of QE any time soon.
He mentioned quantitative eas-
ing in this context but made clear that
were still some way of QE, a source
who attended the meeting with Ger-
man lawmakers said.
One of the sources who spoke to
Reuters for this story also said QE was
some way of but another said he could
imagine further measures potentially
being examined later this year.
Its not QE yet, the source said of
the package being prepared for June.
This is now, and autumn is later. You
could think about some more things
then if it is well prepared.
A view of the main entrance to the European Central Banks (ECB) new headquarters under construction in Frankfurt. ECB is preparing a package of policy options for
its June meeting, including cuts in all its interest rates and targeted measures aimed at boosting lending to SMEs.
At least six foreign exchange employees at
Credit Suisse in London and New York, including
head of FX spot trading in London Danny Wise,
have left the Swiss bank in a cost-cutting drive, a
source familiar with the matter said yesterday.
Their departure is part of cost cuts in the banks
Macro Products Group within its Fixed Income,
Currencies and Commodities (FICC) division and
is not related to a global probe into allegations
of collusion and price-rigging in the foreign
exchange market, the source said. The job cuts
represent a tweaking of Credit Suisses fixed
income division, the source said.
BHP Billiton is in talks to sell its Australian nickel
business, the top global miner said yesterday,
in line with its aim of simplifying the company.
BHP said it was examining all options for
Western Australia-based Nickel West, including
the sale of all or parts of the business, which
includes the Mt Keith, Clifs and Leinster mines,
the Kalgoorlie smelter, Kambalda concentrator
and the Kwinana refinery. The process of
engaging with third parties has commenced,
BHP spokeswoman Fiona Hadley said. Were not
going to speculate on the timing or outcomes of
the review.
Citigroup has fired 11 more people, including
four senior executives, after an ongoing internal
investigation found lax controls and bogus loans
at its Mexican unit Banamex, according to an
internal memo sent to employees yesterday.
Of the four managing directors that were
terminated, two were business heads in Mexico.
Further disciplinary action could be taken against
other employees both inside and outside of
Mexico as the investigation continues, the memo
said. Citigroup said in February it had discovered
at least $400mn of fraudulent loans at Banamex,
prompting the bank to reduce its 2013 profit.
The British unemployment rate has fallen to a
five-year low point of 6.8%, oficial data showed
yesterday, as the economic recovery gathers
strength. The rate for the January-March period
compares with 6.9% for the three months to the
end of February, the Ofice for National Statistics
(ONS) said in a statement. The ONS added that the
number of unemployed fell by 133,000 people to
2.21mn between January and March. Employment
surged to 30.43mn which was the highest
level since records began in 1971. Meanwhile, the
number of people claiming jobseekers allowance
fell in April to 1.12mn people.
Sears Holdings Corp said yesterday that it was
considering the sale of its 51% stake in Sears
Canada, a move that could mean all of the
Canadian department store operator goes
up for sale. Sears Holdings, which operates
more than 2,300 stores in the US and Canada,
said it would hire an investment bank to help
explore alternatives for its stake in the Canadian
company. Desjardins Securities analyst Keith
Howlett said that suggested Sears had already
decided to exit Canada, but had not yet
determined how. Potential buyers include major
landlords and pension funds.
Credit Suisse chief FX spot
dealer and 5 others quit
BHP Billiton in talks to sell
Australian nickel business
Citigroup fires 11 more
at its Mexican unit
British unemployment
rate drops to 6.8%
Sears mulls sale of its
51% stake in Canadian arm
COST-CUTTINGDRIVE SIMPLIFYINGCOMPANY FRAUD PROBE FIVE-YEAR LOW EXIT PLAN?
Bank of England hikes 2015 forecast as outlook brightens
AFP
London
T
he Bank of Englandhikedits 2015
growth forecast yesterday and
said that the British economy
was heading back towards normal as
the recovery picks up speed.
Gross domestic product (GDP) was
set to growby 2.9%next year, upgraded
fromthe previous estimate of 2.7%, the
central bank said in a statement.
The economy was expected to ex-
pand by 3.4% in 2014, and by 2.8% in
2016, but both gures were unchanged
fromthe prior forecasts given in Febru-
ary.
The UK economy continues to
perform strongly ... The economy has
started to head back towards normal,
BoE governor Mark Carney told report-
ers at a press conference, presenting
the banks latest outlook.
The BoE also forecast that annual
ination would remain close to its gov-
ernment-set 2% target over the next
two to three years.
Carney added that policymakers an-
ticipated that the economy would move
from a recovery supported by house-
hold spending, to an expansion that
was sustained by business investment.
The BoE meanwhile sharply revised
down its expectations on unemploy-
ment, predicting that the jobless rate
would fall to 5.9%in two years.
Of cial data published earlier yes-
terday showed that the key unemploy-
ment rate dipped to a ve-year low
point of 6.8% in the January-March
period, from6.9%in the three months
to February.
As time has moved on and the re-
covery has been sustained, the econ-
omy has edged closer to the point at
which bank rate will need gradually to
rise, Carney noted yesterday.
The exact timing will inevitably
be the subject of considerable specu-
lation and interest, he said, adding
that the answer would depend on the
progress of the economy and in par-
ticular the measure of slack or spare
capacity.
The Bank of England has kept its key
lending rate at a record-low 0.50% for
more thanve years, since March 2009,
in order to stimulate economic growth.
Amidst the excitement, output is
close to regaining its pre-crisis level.
We should not forget that the economy
has only just begun to head back toward
normal, Carney added.
Securing the recovery is like making
it through the qualifying rounds of the
WorldCup. That is anachievement, not
the ultimate goal.
The real tournament is just begin-
ning and its prize is a strong, sustained
and balanced growth.
The economy picked up speed in the
rst quarter of 2014 with growth of
0.8%. It has nowexpanded for ve suc-
cessive quarters despite worries about
the impact of state austerity measures.
Analysts said the latest BoE forecasts
would stoke expectations that inter-
est rates could increase before Britains
next general election due in May 2015.
The details to date indicate conr-
mation of what the markets are cur-
rently expecting that is that the
rst rate increase will occur in the rst
quarter of 2015, probably February,
said analyst Derek Halpenny at Bank of
Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ in London.
The BoE had pledged last year not to
consider arate rise until unemployment
fell to at least 7.0%, but was forced to
adjust its guidance after the jobless rate
fell far faster than anticipated.
Bank policymakers must now deter-
mine whether all the spare capacity in
the economy has been absorbed before
considering hiking rates.
UBIs offices
searched;
executives
under probe
Reuters
Rome
Italian magistrates are investigat-
ing three executives at Unione
di Banche Italiane (UBI), Italys
fifth-biggest lender, as part of a
probe into alleged obstruction
of regulators, four sources with
knowledge of the situation said.
Earlier yesterday tax police
searched the ofices of several
managers at the banks head-
quarters in the northern city of
Bergamo, two sources said.
The sources said UBIs chief
executive Victor Massiah as well
as the chairmen of the banks
supervisory and management
boards were placed under
investigation. UBI declined to
comment.
The banks shares were down
3.8%to 6.1350 by 0934 GMT,
with traders saying reports of
the probe had caused the slide
in price.
Veteran Italian banker Giovanni
Bazoli, chairman of the supervi-
sory board of Intesa Sanpaolo,
was also being investigated
because of his role as chairman
of the steering committee of an
association of UBI shareholders,
one of the sources said.
Intesa Sanpaolo and a spokes-
man for Bazoli declined to
comment.
Also under investigation is
Giampiero Pesenti, chair-
man of Italian cement maker
Italcementi, the sources said. A
company spokesman declined
to comment.
Two of the sources said the
probe was linked to UBIs leasing
unit, whose former managers
and board members were fined
360,000 euros last year by the
Bank of Italy, which oversees the
banking sector.
A document about the fines
which appears on the central
banks website dated October
2013 alleged that there were
failures in the organisation, in
the internal checks and in the
management of credit at UBI
Leasing.
News of the probe overshad-
owed UBIs first-quarter results,
which were released before the
market opened yesterday and
initially sent the share price 1%
higher. The results were good,
its the news of the searches
thats hurting the stock, one
Milan-based trader said.
The bank said its net profit for
the three months more than
doubled thanks to rising operat-
ing revenues and its stock of bad
debt, a sore point for lenders
in the eurozones third biggest
economy, edged down slightly.
UBI, one of 15 Italian banks set
to undergo a health check by
European regulators, said it
would hold a conference call
with analysts on the results at
1300 GMT.
Its net profit more than doubled
to 58.1mn ($79.6mn), up from
26.5mn in the same period last
year and ahead of the consensus
of analysts forecasts of 53mn
according to a survey distrib-
uted by the bank.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
BUSINESS GULF TIMES
US retail sales slow, but
growth outlook upbeat
Reuters
Washington
U
S retail sales braked sharply in
April after strong gains in the
prior two months, but that did
little to change views the economy was
poised for faster growth this quarter.
The Commerce Department said on
Tuesday retail sales edged up 0.1%last
month, held back by declines in re-
ceipts at furniture, electronic and ap-
pliance stores, restaurants andbars and
online retailers.
The consumers are catching their
breath after a rebound from the win-
ter freeze, but we do remain on track
to see stronger consumer spending ...
through the remainder of this year,
said Robert Dye, chief economist at
Comerica in Dallas.
Retail sales, which account for a
third of consumer spending, rose 1.5%
in March, the biggest gain in four years.
That followed a healthy increase in
February and reected the release of
pent-up demand after a brutally cold
start to the winter.
Economists, who had forecast sales
advancing 0.4%last month, said a late
Easter could have caused dif culties
smoothing the data for seasonal uc-
tuations, causing the sharp swing from
March to April.
Prices for US Treasury debt rose
on the data, while the dollar gained
against a basket of currencies. US
stocks rose marginally, with the Dow
Jones industrial average and Stand-
ard & Poors 500 index both inching to
record levels.
Data such as employment as well as
manufacturing and services industries
surveys have suggested the economy
regained strength early in the second
quarter. Growth was held down to a
0.1% annual rate in the rst quarter
by bad weather and a slow pace of re-
stocking by businesses.
However, output will likely be re-
vised down to show a contraction. A
second report from the Commerce
Department showed retail inventories
excluding auto stocks barely rising in
March.
The government had assumed a big
increase in these stocks when it made
its advance GDP growth estimates last
month.
March trade, construction spending
and factory inventory data, which the
government did not have in hand for
the GDP estimate, have also suggested
downward revisions to output.
But growth is expected to top a 3%
rate this quarter.
While a gauge of consumer spending
slipped in April, economists said the
weak growth performance at the start
of the year had probably made house-
holds more careful about spending.
Its possible that consumers are be-
ing a bit more cautious in their spend-
ing habits as they await conrmation
that the economy is, in fact, poised to
reaccelerate, said Jim Baird, chief in-
vestment of cer at Plante Moran Fi-
nancial Advisors in Kalamazoo, Michi-
gan.
So-called core sales, which strip
out automobiles, gasoline, building
materials and food services and corre-
spond most closely with the consumer
spending component of GDP, dipped
0.1%in April.
That followed a 1.3% advance in
March. Still, economists were largely
unframed by the drop and said con-
sumer spending was on track to post
a third consecutive quarter of robust
growth, citing a rming labour mar-
ket.
Despite an overall seemingly weak
April retail sales report, thanks to the
pop in March, the second quarter is
starting of at a higher level that is con-
sistent with strong consumption in the
quarter, said Bricklin Dwyer, an econ-
omist at BNP Paribas in NewYork.
In a separate report, the Labour De-
partment said import prices fell 0.4%
last month after rising 0.4%in March.
In the 12 months through April, import
prices fell 0.3%.
Weak import prices are helping to
keep ination muted. The lack of ina-
tion pressures in the economy suggests
the Federal Reserve could keep mon-
etary policy very accommodative for a
while evenas labour market slack starts
to ease.
The US central bank slashed over-
night interest rates to a record low of
zero to 0.25% in December 2008 and
pledgedto keep themlowwhile nursing
the economy back to health. The Fed is
scaling back the amount of money it
is injecting into the economy through
monthly bond purchases.
While declines in receipts at elec-
tronics and appliance stores, furniture
outlets and food services and drink-
ing places restrained sales last month,
sales at auto dealerships rose.
There were also increases in sales at
building materials and garden equip-
ment and supplies dealers, clothing
stores and sporting goods shops.
Shoppers browse in a Brookstone store at the concourse of Rockefeller Center in New York. US retail sales braked sharply in
April after strong gains in the prior two months, the Commerce Department said.
Google self-driving car coming around the corner
AFP
Mountain View, California
A
white Lexus cruised along a road
near the Google campus, brak-
ing for pedestrians and scooting
over in its lane to give bicyclists ample
space.
The car eased into a turn lane, waited
for a green light and a break in traf c,
then continued on its way in the Silicon
Valley city of Mountain View.
It even avoided stopping on train
tracks.
But there was nobody holding the
wheel. What looked like the work of a
conscientious driver was a Google car
making all the moves with an AFP
reporter in the back seat.
Google used machine learning to
teach cars how people drive and, from
there, to anticipate what motorists in
surrounding traf c are likely to do.
Computers have really good reac-
tion times. They dont get distracted,
drowsy, fall asleep, and they dont
drive drunk, Google self-driving car
software team lead Dmitri Dolgov told
reporters getting an intimate look at
prototypes at the Computer History
Museum.
They dont need to stop messing
with the radio to see what is happening,
or even take time to move a foot from
the gas pedal to the brake.
The bustling street crowd paid lit-
tle heed to the self-driving car, which
sported a whirling gadget on top about
the size and shape of a large cofee can.
The roof-top device used radar and
lasers to track everything around it.
Acamera peeking out fromthe Lexus
front grill watched what was ahead.
Data is processed by onboard com-
puters programmed to simulate what a
careful driver would do, but at super-
human speeds. And, naturally, the
Google autonomous car was connected
to the Internet.
A Googler from the technology
titans test driving team had a laptop
computer that showed what the car
saw everything from cyclists and
traf c signals to orange cones and
painted lines in the street.
Another Googler was in the drivers
seat, ready to take over in the unlikely
chance a human was needed to make a
driving decision.
A red button could be hit to grab
control fromthe computer. Atap of the
brake would do the same.
Development of the self-driving car
began ve years ago, part of a special
project headed by Google co-founder
Sergey Brin.
If you are in a car commercial, that
is driving we enjoy, said project direc-
tor Chris Urmson. If you are commut-
ing to work, that is not fun.
While most people have cars that
boast seating for four or more people
and that can achieve racing speeds,
statistics show that much road time is
clocked by solo drivers going closer to
30 miles (48km) per hour. Google cars
navigate using detailed digital maps
showing what streets are supposed to
look like, then concentrate processing
power on assessing real-world vari-
ables such as traf c.
The cars cant drive places where
Google hasnt mapped roadways down
to implied speed limits, elevations of
traf c signals, and curb heights, ac-
cording to mapping team lead Andrew
Chatham.
It tells the car what the world looks
like empty, then the job of the soft-
ware is to gure out what is going on,
Chathamsaid.
Prototype Google cars have driven
more than 100,000 miles on public
roads, always with someone ready to
take the wheel.
There have been two accidents
while cars were on auto-pilot. Both
times, vehicles were rear-ended while
stopped at traf c signals, according to
Urmson.
We are at the point where we are re-
ally convincedwe have crackedthis and
can make it work, Urmson said of self-
driving cars being trusted on roads.
Urmson sidestepped predicting
when Google self-driving cars might
hit the market, but said he is deter-
mined to make it happen by the time
his six-year-old son reaches driving
age.
Brin has publicly stated the even
more ambitious goal of having the cars
ready less than four years fromnow.
A panel of urban development and
transportation specialists that took
part in the event billed the self-driving
car as a quantum leap in safety that
could prevent many of the approxi-
mately 33,000 roadway deaths in the
US each year.
Instead of owning cars, people could
summon them when needed and be
chaufeuredplaces while they text, chat
on phones, put on make-up or do other
distracting tasks some motorists at-
tempt while driving.
This is not a science project, this
is reality, said former General Motors
vice president Larry Burns.
It is something you need to em-
brace; there is nothing to fear.
A Google self-driving car is seen in Mountain View, California. Google used machine learning to teach cars how people
drive and to anticipate what motorists in surrounding trafic are likely to do.
Retail sales up 0.1%, well below
expectations; core retail sales slip
0.1%; import prices fall 0.4%, fuel
prices drop
Pzer pledges to ring-fence key new drugs in AstraZeneca deal
Pfizer CEOquestioned byUK
lawmakers for a second day; rejects
suggestion critical drugs could be
delayed; UK minister, scientists
seek longer commitment on
UKjobs
Reuters
London
P
zer said it would ring-fence the
development of important drugs
if it acquiredAstraZeneca, reject-
ing a charge from the British company
that a takeover would disrupt impor-
tant research and put lives at risk.
As we put these companies together,
we will continue with our pipeline, AZ
will continue with theirs, Pzers chief
executive Ian Read told lawmakers on a
second day of questioning about what
could be the biggest ever UK corporate
deal. We would ring-fence any impor-
tant products and they would continue
to be developed. There is absolutely no
truth to any comment that some prod-
ucts of critical nature would be de-
layed getting to patients, if anything we
would accelerate that to patients.
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday that
Pzers proposal risked disrupting its
research and delaying getting life-sav-
ing newdrugs to market, as well as un-
dervaluing the business.
What will we tell the person whose
father died from lung cancer because
one of our medicines was delayed
and essentially was delayed because
in the meantime our two companies
were involved in saving tax and saving
costs? the British companys chief ex-
ecutive Pascal Soriot said on Tuesday.
On a second day in Parliament fo-
cused on the concerns of the science
community, Read faced calls from a
committee of lawmakers and other
speakers for Pzer to extend its com-
mitment to UK jobs and research from
ve years to 10 or more.
I would like to see a longer period
than that (ve years), science minister
David Willetts told the committee.
British Prime Minister David Cam-
eron said he was seeking the best pos-
sible guarantees fromPzer.
This government has been abso-
lutely clear that the right thing to do
is get stuck in to seek the best possible
guarantees on British jobs, on British
investment, and British science,he told
lawmakers inparliament yesterday.
The US boss had earlier defended his
ve-year horizon, saying it was enough
time to select medicines that had the
greatest chance of approval and the
biggest opportunity to meet the needs
of patients.
Pzer had changed its R&D strategy
to avoid lengthy, and ultimately fruit-
less, research by bringing in commer-
cial and development expertise at the
proof of concept stage in the assess-
ment of experimental drugs, he said.
Its very important for me for pro-
ductivity to ... hold (scientists) ac-
countable, to say Im allocating you
capital on a ve-year period and Im
going to review that on ve-year peri-
ods, he said.
Pzer has indicated it could raise its
ofer for Britains second-biggest drug
maker from $106bn, if AstraZeneca
is prepared to talk, but lawmakers are
deeply concerned about the impact of a
takeover on the countrys science base.
The US company has a record of
making deep job cuts after past takeo-
vers of companies including Wyeth,
Warner-Lambert and Pharmacia.
Read said yesterday there would like-
ly be fewer scientists in a newly com-
bined company than currently work in
the two rms, but he declined to put
any numbers on it.
Nobel laureate Paul Nurse, the presi-
dent of the Royal Society, Britains na-
tional academy of science, wrote to
the chairman of Parliaments science
committee Andrew Miller to express
his concernthat Pzers promises so far
were vague and inadequate.
Pzers ve-year commitment in-
cludes completing AstraZenecas new
research centre inCambridge, retaining
a factory in the northwestern English
town of Maccleseld and putting a fth
of its research staf in Britain if the deal
goes ahead.
But it has also said this could be al-
tered if circumstances changedsignif-
icantly and Scottish-born Read said
he could not commit to maintaining a
specic R&Dbudget for Britain.
Nurse said a ve-year pledge was
simply not good enough.
A ve-year commitment to the UK
is insuf cient. A commitment of at
least 10 years is required. Science is not
a quick win, he wrote.
AstraZeneca has rejected Pzers
cash-and-stock ofer, which was worth
50 pounds a share at the time it was
made on May 2, arguing it has a bright
future as an independent business,
with a pipeline of promising newdrugs.
So-called Parliamentary select
committees cannot block corporate
transactions but they can question ex-
ecutives ferociously, as banks, energy
companies andRupert Murdochs News
Corp have all found out in the past.
No fnal deal on
Pacifctradepact
expectednext week
Pacific trading partners are not
expecting to reach a final agree-
ment on an ambitious free trade
pact at a ministerial meeting in
Singapore next week, a senior
US oficial said yesterday.
A US-Japan summit last month
had shaken the two countries
free of a stalemate over access
to Japans farmand auto mar-
kets in the Trans-Pacific Part-
nership (TPP), but more work
was needed before a broad
agreement could be reached,
the oficial said.
The deadlock between
Japan and the US, the biggest
economies in the 12-nation TPP,
has held up progress on the
wider trade agreement in re-
cent months as other countries
awaited the outcome of the
negotiations.
TPP negotiators, fromcountries
including Canada, Australia,
Mexico and Malaysia, are in
Vietnamthis week for another
round of negotiations and min-
isters will meet on May 19-20 in
Singapore.
We will make sure we are on
the same page and then give
instructions to our teams to get
back to work and work through
the remaining issues, the
senior oficial said.
This is a check-in meeting. This
is not a ministerial where we
expect to reach a final agree-
ment.
The senior US oficial, who
asked not to be named, said the
next stage of TPP negotiations
involved other countries also
sitting down to work out market
access issues with Japan.
Once it was clear what each
country could get fromthe deal
in terms of exports, it would
be time to focus on setting
common rules on issues such
as labour, the environment and
intellectual property, he said at
a briefing for journalists.
The US oficial also urged China
to showleadership on an agree-
ment to eliminate duties on
billions of dollars of technology
products, which will be under
discussion at a meeting of Asia-
Pacific trade ministers in China
this weekend.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Rajab 16, 1435 AH
SPORT
GULF TIMES
Arsenal can
deal with
pressure:
Wenger
FOOTBALL | Page 4
TENNIS
Federer
sufers shock
loss to Chardy
Page 6
NBA | Page 8
Thunder down
Clippers with
last-minute
rally
Dramatic draw sees Sadd
qualify for quarter-fnals
AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Belhadj and Ibrahim score as Sadd hold on for a 2-2 scoreline against Irans Foolad
ByJoeKoraith
Doha
I
t was a match in which Al Sadd were
buried under the statistics that were
stackedupagainst them. But intheend
it was the Qatar club who produced
a dramatic 2-2 draw against Irans Foolad
Khouzestan in the second leg of the Asian
Champions League pre-quarter-nals and
qualifyfor the quarter-nals.
The match was held in front of a
packed, vociferously cheering crowd at
the Ghadir Stiadium in Ahwaz, Iran. It
was a venue where Foolad hadnt lost any
of their matches inthe group stage of this
competition so far. In fact, such has been
Foolads dominance in the defence that
they had sailed through the group stage
undefeated.
In the rst leg, Foolad were able to sti-
e the Sadd strikers who had multiple
chances but could not nd the back of
the net. In yesterdays game Sadd started
the game knowing that they had to score
early to get the crucial away goal and put
pressure on their opponents.
And thats what they did. Except
they had the Foolad goalkeeper, Sousha
Makani, to thank for his error in judge-
ment. In the 16th minute, Sadd attacked
on the counter, sending the ball forward
to Nadir Belhadj who surged forward
with Foolad defender Abdollah Karami
running next to him. Belhadj ran to the
edge of the box and then red in a shot
across the face of the goal. Foolad keeper
Makani didnt cover his far post well and
the ball went in. It was an elementary er-
ror fromMakani but Saddplayers werent
complaining as they had the crucial lead.
And then just when it looked like
Foolad were beginning to dominate the
proceedings, Sadd doubled their lead.
In the 29th minute Belhadj ran down the
left ank and then crossed the ball into
the centre for Khalfan Ibrahimwho took
one touch and then red it into the top
right corner. Makani got a hand to it but
couldnt save it. Two shots that could
have been saved but werent and Sadd
were enjoying a comfortable two away-
goal cushion.
In the 35th minute Foolads Luciano
Periera received the ball right inside the
six-yard box and he dribbled past one
defender but his shot hit the post.
This period of play saw both teams ex-
changing possession. In the 39th minute
Belhadj could have increased Sadds lead
but this timehis shot was savedbyMakani.
Then in the 42ns minute it was Fool-
ads turn to miss a chance. A free kick
outside the box saw the ball being de-
livered to Karami who headed it towards
Luciano. The Brazilian attempted an
overhead kick but the shot went over the
bar. Asimple header could have provided
a diferent result.
The first half ended with the score
2-0 in favour of the Qatar club. And
with Foolad needing three goals to pull
off a win, the home side were in a lot of
trouble.
Foolad responded right from the start
of the second half and were mounting
constant attacks. In the 68th minute the
ball rebounded to Soroush Rae after a
goal mouth scramble but his shot was
saved by the keeper.
In the 72st minute Sadd skipper Raul
was substituted with the visitors feeling
condent that they had this result in the
bag. But Fooladwasnt readytogive upyet.
Theymatchwasnowbeingplayedlarge-
ly in the Sadd half and buoyed by the loud
cheering bythe full capacitycrowd, Foolad
players started to create more and more
chances. Andinthe 74thminute, the pres-
sure induced an error fromSadd defender
Abdelkarim Hassan who unnecessarily
brought down Rae. Hassan received his
second yellowof the match and Sadd were
reduced to 10 men. Luciano scored from
the spot toreduce the decit.
This goal invigorated the Foolad side
and wave after wave of attack followed.
In the 87th minute, a mistake by Sadds
Hasan al-Haydos gave the ball away
to Foolads Ayoub Vali, who send in a
perfect cross into the centre. Luciano
jumped up and produced a great header
to level the scores.
The momentum had swung wildly
and Foolad seemed to believe that they
could go on and get that winner. In the
91st minute Omid Khaledi red in a shot
which hit the post and the rebound fell to
Karami who too red it in but Sadd keep-
er Saad al-Sheeb was able to save it.
Sadd were hanging on by the skin of
their teeth and frantically clearing the
ball. But though Foolad bent their backs
into getting the winning goal, Sadd were
able to hold on for an incredible draw.
The nal whistle sawwild celebrations
from the Sadd players. To have survived
such an onslaught was indeed com-
mendable. Foolad keeper Makani was
sobbing uncontrollably after the match.
If it werent for his mistakes the result
could have been a diferent story.
Sadd have produced the perform-
ance their coach Hussein Ammouta
had asked of them and now find them-
selves in the quarter-finals of the Asian
Champions League.
Qatars Al Sadd players celebrate after scoring a goal during their AFC Champions League knock-out stage match versus Irans Foolad at Ghadir stadium yesterday. (AFP)
AFP
Sydney
D
eparting Japanese star
Shinji Ono inspired a
dramatic comeback by
Western Sydney Wan-
derers as they scrambled into the
AFC Champions League quarter-
nals on away goals against San-
frecce Hiroshima yesterday.
Ono, in his nal game before
returning to Japan, created two
second-half goalsone ve min-
utes fromtimefor a 2-0 win and
3-3 aggregate score, enough for
the Wanderers to scrape through
by virtue of their away goal in last
weeks 3-1 defeat.
In the South Korean capital the
2013 runners-up FC Seoul also
went through on away goals de-
spite losing 2-1 to Kawasaki Fron-
tale for 4-4 on aggregate, follow-
ing last weeks 3-2 win.
The Wanderers looked headed
for the exit in the round of 16 but
the tie turned 10 minutes after
half-time, when Shannon Cole
smashed in a volley after being
teed up by Ono.
And following waves of at-
tacks, the decisive goal came on85
minutes when Brendon Santalab
blastedhome after more deft work
from Ono, who will now leave for
Consadole Sapporo.
The Wanderers sawout the ve
minutes of stoppage time to pre-
serve their advantage and go into
the drawfor the two-legged quar-
ter-nals in August.
I believe in this team and we
believe inourselves andthats why
we have a good result tonight,
Ono said afterwards.
Wanderers coach Tony Popo-
vic, who steeredhis teamto the A-
League grand nal, is also losing
Dutch midelder Youssouf Hersi
to Perth Glory.
Its been a great year and Im
really pleased for the players,said
Popovic, who played ve seasons
as a defender for J-League cham-
pions Sanfrecce.
Its great to send the play-
ers who are leaving out on a high
and Im just honoured to be head
coach of this club.
It is only the third time an Aus-
tralian team has reached the AFC
quarter-nals after Adelaide
United in 2008 and 2012.
In Seoul, Sergio Escudero put
the hosts 1-0 up after eight min-
utes only for Kawasaki to keep the
tie alive through Yu Kobayashis
equaliser on 29 minutes.
Late substitute Yasuhito
Morishima curled a sumptuous
shot into the net in stoppage time.
But it was too late for Kawasaki to
rescue the tie after they shipped
twolategoals inlast weeks rst leg.
Seoul and the Wanderers join
holders Guangzhou Evergrande,
Pohang Steelers, Al Ain and Al It-
tihad in the quarter-nals draw,
with two more ties still to be set-
tled in the Western zone.
Ono inspires thrilling
Wanderers comeback
AFC ROUND-UP
Shinji Ono (centre) of Australias Western Sydney Wanderers celebrates
victory against Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Sydney yesterday. (AFP)
Results
Western Sydney Wanderers (AUS)
2 (Cole 55, Santalab 85) Sanfrecce
Hiroshima (JPN) 0 (Western Sydney
Wanderers win 3-3 on aggregate -
away goals)
FC Seoul (KOR) 1 (Escudero 8) Kawa-
saki Frontale (JPN) 2 (Kobayashi 29,
Morishima 90+2)
(FC Seoul win 4-4 on aggregate - away
goals)
FOOTBALL
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 2
Expectations were already muted, but Englands
chances at the World Cup have now been written
of by the government. An assessment by the
Home Ofice about extending pub opening hours
during the tournament came to the conclusion
on Tuesday that Roy Hodgsons team could fail to
even reach the knockout phase in Brazil. The re-
port concluded: While England are certain to be
playing in the matches in the first period, there is
a high probability that they will not be playing in
the later matches. Some lawmakers rounded on
the downbeat tone, with a peer from the opposi-
tion Labour Party, Lord Richard Rosser, comment-
ing: It is good to know what the government
think of Englands prospects. A source close to
Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May,
however, denied that the government believed
Englands chances were non-existent.
Four young fans responsible for a homophobic
banner which saw Bayern Munich fined by UEFA
will repay the club and undertake community serv-
ice. European footballs governing body UEFA fined
Bayern 10,000 euros ($13,774) after the youths
from Bayerns Tirol-based fan club displayed a Gay
Gunners banner, aimed at opponents Arsenal
during the Champions League last 16 second leg
on March 11. Because of the banner, Bayern were
also ordered to close part of their stadium for their
quarter-final at home against Manchester United,
meaning the loss of 150,000 euros in revenue
on unsold tickets. Bayern oficials have told the
parents they must each pay the Bavarian giants
2,000 euros towards the fine and do community
service in Munich. The youths will do ten hours of
community service in the summer on top of the
fine, a Bayern spokesman said.
Just six percent of Germans believe the national
football team will win the World Cup in Brazil, a
poll showed yesterday. While Germany are one
of the pre-tournament favourites, just 11 percent
of respondents belelive the team can reach the
final, according to the poll for Stern magazine.
Forty-one percent believe Joachim Loews team
will go out at the semi-final stage and 28 percent
said that Germany would only make it as far as
the quarter-finals. Four years ago, in a similar
survey around five weeks before the competition
got underway, nearly 39 percent of Germans said
they saw their team taking home the World Cup
in South Africa. Loew has taken Germany to at
least the semi-finals of Euro 2008, the 2010 World
Cup and Euro 2012. The latest poll was conducted
by the Forsa institute on May 8 and 9 among
1,002 people.
Portugese authorities have charged Brazils na-
tional coach Luiz Felipe Scolari with tax fraud, less
than a month before the World Cup starts. Scolari
is accused of hiding about seven million euros
($9.6 million) in income when he was Portugals
coach between 2003 and 2008. He has strongly
denied any wrongdoing. But the inquiry threatens
to taint Brazils preparations to host the World
Cup, which starts on June 12. Scolari coached
Brazil to their World Cup triumph in 2002 and has
returned to the national side for the campaign on
home territory which they are favourites to win.
Portugal reached the World Cup semi-finals in
2006 when Scolari was in charge. I made all my
income tax declarations correctly, Scolari said in
a statement. I always declared my earnings in all
the countries I worked in. If there is something
wrong it is not of my doing.
Two London-based players feature in Iran coach
Carlos Queirozs preliminary 30-man squad
for the World Cup. Fulham midfielder Ashkan
Dejageh and Charlton striker Reza Ghoochan-
nejad are among 10 foreign-based players in the
squad, which will be trimmed to 23 by June 2.
The Iranians have had a troubled build-up to the
tournament and last month Queiroz started a
training camp in South Africa with only 12 players.
The Portugese coach is also embroiled in a row
with the Iran Football Federation about his players
not having enough kit ahead of the tournament.
Queirozs squad are currently training in Austria.
Iran, playing in the World Cup finals for the fourth
time after 1978, 1998 and 2006, have been drawn
in Group F alongside Argentina, Nigeria and
Bosnia-Hercegovina, and open their campaign
against the Nigerians on June 16.
Govt writes of Englands
World Cup chances
Fans to pay Bayerns UEFA
fine over ofensive banner
Germans pessimistic over
national teams prospects
Scolari charged with tax
fraud in Portugal
Two London-based players
in Iran World Cup squad
Three-lunged Park
enjoyed every bit of
his breathtaking ride
Reuters
Seoul
F
rom a boy who drank frog juice to
help him grow, to a star of world
football lapping up fame and ac-
claim at Manchester United, Park
Ji-sungs path to becoming Koreas great-
est ever soccer player is the stuf of dreams.
Once deemed too small and frail to
make the grade, Parks brand of high oc-
tane football, built around unquestion-
ing discipline and bottomless reserves of
energy, thrilled fans around the world and
put South Korea on the soccer map.
A rare blend of talent and humility, the
energetic midelder brought the curtain
down on his career yesterday with typical
modesty, giving himself a seven out of
10 for his achievements.
With four English Premier League ti-
tles, two Dutch championships and a
UEFA Champions League winners medal
in his trophy cabinet, few would object if
he gave himself another couple of points
in his self appraisal.
I was so lucky. Fortunate, said Park
when asked to sumup his career yesterday.
I have achievedmore thanI ever thought I
would. Imtruly grateful for all the support
I have received and I will live the rest of my
life thinking howI canpay it back.
Addressing the media at his Park Ji-
sung Football Centre in Suwon, on the
outskirts of Seoul, the 33-year-old told re-
porters his worn out knee would no longer
let himperformthe way he once could.
On the stage in front of him, his father
had dressed mannequins torsos in the
uniforms of all the teams Park had played
forfrom elementary, middle and high
school, through to Myongji University,
KyotoPurpleSanga, PSVEindhoven, Man-
chester United and Queens Park Rangers.
Theproudestmomentforme
wasofcoursethe2002World
Cup. Themostinfuential fgure
inmylifeisGuusHiddink. He
tookmeabroadafertheWorld
Cupandthatwastheturning
pointofmylife
There is one he treasures more than
the rest, though, the one he would choose
to wear if he was forced to pick. I would
choose to wear the national team uniform
becauseit was mylifetimedreamtowear it.
Had it not been for the belief of his
coaches at Suwon Technical High School,
however, when Park was a quiet, scrawny
kid struggling to compete against bigger,
stronger players, he may never have got the
chance to pull onthe South Korea strip.
Parks father was so worried about his
lack of size as a youngster he made him
drink boiled frog extract to give him en-
ergy and help himgrow.
Whether it was his constant battles with
bigger opponents, or a desire to prove his
doubters wrong, or even the efects of the
frog juice, Park worked harder, ran further,
practised longer thananyone else.
He dedicated himself to improving
his close control, his touch and passing,
and built up his endurance levels to such
an extent fans nicknamed The Oxygen
Tank and Three-Lunged Park.
After university, Park left for Japan and
guided Kyoto to the J-Leagues second
division title in 2001, and the Emperors
Cup in 2002, but it was during the World
Cup on home soil that year when his star
shone brightest.
Park ourished under the guidance of
Guus Hiddink, the Dutch master who led
the Koreans to the World Cup semi-nals.
The proudest moment for me was of
course the 2002 World Cup, said Park,
whose goal against Portugal sealed Ko-
reas spot in the knockout stage for the
rst time.
The most inuential gure in my life
is Guus Hiddink. He took me abroad after
the World Cup and that was the turning
point of my life.
Park joined Hiddink at PSV Eindhoven
after the WorldCup, andafter a slowstart,
took the Dutch league by storm.
His all-action style caught the eye of
then Manchester United manager Alex
Ferguson, who shelled out almost $7 mil-
lion to buy himin 2005.
While some believed he would be no
more than an expensive substitute at
United, going as far as to dub him Park
bench, the Korean soon won the sceptics
over with his dynamic forays on the anks
and seless playing style.
He would also sufer one of the big-
gest disappointments of his career when
he was surprisingly dropped for the 2008
Champions League nal against Chelsea
despite having played every minute of the
quarter and semi-nals.
Ferguson called it the hardest decision
of his career. Park said he was happy the
team won and that he would have other
opportunities to play in big games.
Ayear later, Park lined up for Manches-
ter United against Barcelona at Romes
Olympic Stadium, becoming the rst Ko-
rean to play in a Champions League nal.
Looking to the future, Park said he
would still be involved with Korean foot-
ball in some capacity, but ruled out the
possibility of following his mentor Hid-
dink into management.
I have no intention of becoming a
coach, he added. Ill probably think
about becoming an expert in sports ad-
ministration, thats just one possibility.
But I will do anything I can to help South
Korean soccer advance and develop.
SPOTLIGHT
I was so lucky, fortunate. I have achieved more than I ever thought I would
Reuters
Turin
A
player who causes an
opponent to leave the
pitch becauseof abad
tackle should also go
of the elduntil his victimhas
been treated, UEFAs referee-
ing chief has suggested.
Pierluigi Collina said
that it was unfair that a team
should play with one man less
because of a heavy challenge
fromthe opposition.
The Italian suggested that a
player whois bookedfor achal-
lengewhichleaves anopponent
needing treatment should wait
on the touchline until his vic-
timis ready to go back on.
Football gives anadvantage
to the player who committed
the foul, Collina told report-
ers. It gives an advantage to
those who should not be given
an advantage.
Maybe in the future we
couldtell the player (who com-
mitted the foul) to leave the
eld as well, and (they both)
enter the eld together, when
the other player is ready.
Any such suggestion would
have to be proposed to the
International Football Asso-
ciation Board (IFAB), which is
responsible for making chang-
es to the laws of the game. It
would also certainly have to
be tested in amateur or youth
football before a nal decision
is made.
Collina also repeated UEFAs
criticism of the so-called tri-
ple punishment and said a
distinction should be made
between saving a goal and
denying the opposition a
clear scoring opportunity.
Under the present rules, a
player who denies an oppo-
nent a clear scoring chance in
the penalty area will concede
a penalty, be sent of and sus-
pended for the next match.
UEFA asked earlier this year
for the rule to be changed, and
for the red card to be replaced
with a yellow, but IFAB re-
ferred the request to its two
specialist panels for further
discussion.
The issue has been repeat-
edly discussed over the last
few years and IFAB says it has
been unable to nd a satisfac-
tory alternative.
Collina said that the scoring
opportunity was restored by
the awarding of the penalty, so
there was no need for the red
card. To have the chance re-
stored and the player sent of,
its too much, he said.
However, Collina said it
was diferent when a player
stopped the ball from going
in, as Luis Suarez famously did
by punching a goalbound shot
of the line in Uruguays World
Cup quarter-nal against
Ghana in 2010.
We are talking about an
obvious scoring chance and
not saving a goal. Suarez was
saving a goal, so having a pen-
alty kick (for Ghana) is not
restoring the same situation.
So when a goal is saved, this is
another matter.
Teams get unfair
advantage from
heavy tackles:
UEFA ref chief
OPINION
UHLSPORT HITS BACK OVER
SHODDY IRAN TEAM KIT ROW
The German kit supplier to Irans World Cup squad hit back
yesterday over allegations that it has provided shoddy gear,
including shrinking socks and shirts, to the players.
Uhlsport, in a statement, said it was shocked and shaken
by claims that it supplied second-rate outfits to the Iranian
side ahead of the tournament in Brazil.
The claim that players have not received suficient soccer
jerseys for the tournament is wrong and absurd, the company
said. We have used the same standards for Iran as we use for
every other association or club that we work with.
Iran team coach Carlos Queiroz criticised Uhlsport on Sunday,
saying the shirts his players used in qualifying games in Qatar
and South Korea were not proper for humid conditions. This
could have put Iran out of the World Cup, he said of the strips,
before going on to lambast the Iran Football Federation for fail-
ing to provide proper boots or ensure enough clothing.
If you have one tracksuit per player, morning and after-
noon, it cannot be good, added Queiroz, former boss of Real
Madrid and the Portuguese and South African national sides
as well as a former assistant coach at Manchester United.
Several Iran players backed the managers claims, telling
reporters that their socks and shirts shrank when washed.
Mohamed Nahavandian, President Hassan Rohanis chief
of staf, yesterday called for unity and for diferences to be
settled. Everyone should support the national team and we
should try to solve its problems as soon as possible, Nahavan-
dian said, noting that the situation would be followed diligent-
ly. Until the time that the team travels to Brazil, the (football)
federation will brief the government on a weekly basis.
ADIEU: Once deemed too small and frail to make the grade, Park Ji-sungs brand of high octane football thrilled fans around the world and put South Korea on the world
soccer map. The energetic Korean midfielder brought the curtain down on his career yesterday with typical modesty, giving himself a seven out of 10 for his achievements.
FOOTBALL
3
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
AFP
Barcelona
I
njured Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Val-
des said goodbye to his club and fans yes-
terday, bemoaning a cruel year.
But he still found time to ofer his thanks
to key gures in his career, including Pep Guar-
diola and the late Tito Vilanova, while making
no mention of under-pressure coach Gerardo
Martino.
Valdes, who was sidelined for seven months
after surgery for a knee injury in March and had
already announced plans to leave at the end of
the season, wrote an open farewell letter sealing
his departure.
Unfortunately, I couldnot say goodbyeplay-
ing football as I would have liked, the 32-year-
old Spain international said in the letter, which
was published online on the Barcelona site.
But that is life sometimes and this year has
beencruel for me inthat sense,the keeper said.
Valdes thanked former Barcelona coach Pep
Guardiola, nowwithBayernMunich, wholedBar-
celona to unparallelled success from2008-2012.
Thanks Pep for having opened the door for
me to play a game that I did not know, for being
my guide on the journey one must take to seek
success, which we found together.
Valdes had a special word for the late Tito Vi-
lanova, who died on April 25 after a long battle
with cancer. Vilanova was in charge of Barcelo-
na for just one season after Guardiolas depar-
ture but had to step down to pursue his treat-
ment for cancer of the salivary gland.
Thank you Tito! Wherever you are, I thank
you for teaching us not only the way to win as
a team but also the strength and character to
confront life.
The letter contained no mention of current
coach Martino, who admitted to a disappoint-
ing season earlier this month when it seemed
the teamhad no chance of winning the league.
There are times when you ask for a second
chance and other times when you dont think
you deserve it, so I will see what I think, Mar-
tino said on May 3. Since then, however, a se-
ries of surprise results has left Barcelona with
a chance of winning the league if they can beat
Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou this Saturday,
the last match day of the season.
Valdes bids farewell to Barca afer cruel year
SPOTLIGHT
Hamburg under
pressure as Fuerth
seek play-of upset
DPA
Hamburg
B
undesliga stalwarts SV Hamburg
need to reverse a run of ve suc-
cessive defeats if they want to
avoid unprecedented relegation
fromGermanys top ight.
Losing at home to second-division
Greuther Fuerth today would not ab-
solutely seal Hamburgs fate in the rel-
egation/promotion play-ofthere is a
return leg on Sundaybut coach Mirko
Slomka badly needs a positive result in
front of frustrated home fans.
Captain Rafael van der Vaart believes
playing the rst leg at home will not nec-
essarily be a disadvantage against the side
that nished third in the second division.
The pressure is certainly always there
with two such important games, no mat-
ter where you play the rst game, he told
the clubs website.
Hamburg have not been
relegatedsince theBundesliga
was launchedin1963, but the
three-timeleaguechampions
andformer Europeanchampion
haveexperiencedtheir worst-
ever season under three
diferent coaches
But I believe that if we manage not to
concede a goal at home it would be an ad-
vantagefor us (toplaythesecondlegaway).
Inthe end though there are two games, 180
minutes, to showthat we are better.
Hamburg have not been relegated since
the Bundesliga was launched in 1963, but
the three-time league champions and
former European champion have expe-
rienced their worst-ever season under
three diferent coaches.
Slomkasacked by Hanover in Decem-
berwas taken on in February on a two-
year contract, which is also valid for the
second division.
Hamburg had previously dismissed
Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk after start-
ing the season with Thorsten Fink.
Hamburg have already played Fuerth
this season, beating the side fromBavaria
1-0 in the German Cup in September
under interim coach Rodolfo Cardoso fol-
lowing Finks sackingthanks to a goal
fromPierre-Michel Lassoga.
Lasogga was back from injury and on
target in Saturdays 3-2 defeat at Mainz
in what was an improved Hamburg per-
formance. He is incredibly important for
the team, van der Vaart said of the striker
who is on loan from Hertha Berlin. He
ghts, holds the ball up well and scores a
lot of goals, and hes a great guy as well.
Hamburg midelders Tolgay Arslan
(thigh strain) and Ivo Ilicevic (muscle
problem) are injury doubts for the visit of
a club who are eager for another Bundes-
liga adventure.
Fuerth played in the Bundesliga for the
rst time in the 2012-13 season, but went
straight back down with only four wins
and none at all at home - a Bundesliga
record.
Coach Frank Kramer believes his side
are equipped to cause Hamburg problems
in their own stadium.
Fuerth may be the outsiders on pa-
per but have the best scoring record in
the second division, and Kramer believes
Hamburgs defencewith the most goals
conceded in the rst division - can be ex-
posed on the break.
Both teams are strong in attack and
will be trying to get forward, and both will
be willing to take certain risks, he said.
BUNDESLIGA
The pressure is certainly always there with two such important games
Hamburg, the only ever-present club since the Bundesliga was founded in 1963, will be relegated from Germanys top flight if they lose their playof clash to Greuther Fuerth.
AFP
Munich
B
ayern Munich star
Franck Ribery ad-
mits he faces a race
against time to be
t for Saturdays Germany
Cup nal showdown against
Borussia Dortmund in Berlin
due to a back injury.
I feel good, but 90 minutes
could be dif cult, admitted
the 31-year-old France star af-
ter training yesterday.
Ribery has been able to train
with the team since Tuesday
but admits it has been frus-
trating to miss training recent-
ly because of the pain.
There hasnt been much
Ive been able to do and it
makes it dif cult to get into a
rhythm, he said.
Bayern are also waiting on
midelder Bastian Schwein-
steiger who sufered a strained
knee ligament in Saturdays
nal Bundesliga match against
Stuttgart.
Director of sport Matthias
Sammer said they are look-
ing at the injury on a day-
to-day basis and coach Pep
Guardiola will make a decision
with Schweinsteiger, who has
been unable to train all week.
With the Bundesliga se-
cured, Bayern are eager to n-
ish the season with the dou-
ble to compensate for being
knocked out of the Champions
Leagues semi-nals after a
4-0 drubbing at the hands of
Real Madrid.
The Cup nal is a repeat of
the 2013 Champions League
nal and Berlins imposing Ol-
ympic Stadium will host the
fourthandnal timeBayernand
Dortmund meet this season.
Borussia lead this seasons
Der Klassiker series with
two wins to Bayerns one after
Dortmunds 3-0 league rout in
Munich last month.
The German Cup nal is
on a par with the Champions
League nal for us, said Guar-
diola who is hoping to win his
fourth title of the season hav-
ing also lifted the UEFA Super
Cup and Club World Cup.
There are several sub-plots
to this seasons nal.
Bayerns Germany mid-
elder Mario Goetze will be up
against his former club.
And Poland striker Robert
Lewandowski will be mak-
ing his nal appearance in the
yellow and black shirt before
joining Bayern next season.
The hot-shot has vowed
to end his four years in Dort-
mund with another title hav-
ing scored a hat-trick against
Bayern in the 2012 cup nal
when Munich were routed 5-2
by Dortmund.
Lewandowskis a fantastic
player and we have to watch
out for him, conceded Bay-
erns Brazil centreback Dante.
But its not all about him
on Saturday. They also have
(Marco) Reus, (Pierre-Emer-
ick) Aubameyang and several
other players who can hurt us
going forward.
We need everyone to be at
the top of their game onSatur-
day. I dont just mean the elev-
enthat start the match and Im
not talking about an ordinary
good performance. We really
need 18 top, top performances
to beat Borussia Dortmund.
While Bayerns form took
a sharp dip after winning the
Bundesliga title in March with
a record seven games to spare,
Dortmund nished the season
in style by winning eight of
their nal ten matches, includ-
ing that 3-0victory inMunich.
Our preparation wasnt
ideal, said Dante with regards
to Bayerns last meeting with
Dortmund.
We played Manchester
United (in the Champions
League quarter-nal, second
leg) on the Wednesday before
and were a little preoccu-
pied with the semi-nal draw
on the Friday, so we perhaps
didnt give Dortmund the at-
tention they deserve. Thats
no excuse thoughDortmund
were the better team.
Ribery in
doubt for
Cup fnale
GERMAN CUP
FOOTBALL
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 4
Arsenal can deal
with any kind of
pressure: Wenger
AFP
London
A
rsenal manager Arsene Wenger
yesterday expressed condence
that the pressure of the clubs
nine-year trophy drought will
not derail his side in Saturdays FA Cup
nal against Hull City.
You dont play with the history, he
said. You play with your quality and
your desire to play well. It is an opportu-
nity and we have to take a distance with
time. We need to just turn up and play
well.
Arsenal last wona trophy in2005, when
they beat Manchester United on penalties
in the 2005 FA Cup nal. They have since
lost two League Cup nals, in 2007 and
2011, and been beaten by Barcelona in the
2006 Champions League nal.
No matter what the result will be, this
cluband this is always most important
can deal with the consequences of any
game, Wenger added.
What is important is that we come out
of the game and have the feeling that we
gave absolutely our best, our total energy
to play at our best, and then you always
accept the consequences.
No matter how much we talk about
it, you can win and lose, but you want to
come out of the game feeling you have
done the maximumto winandthat is what
we want to achieve. Meanwhile, Wenger
says that he is happy to eld Bacary Sagna
and Lukasz Fabianski in the nal despite
uncertainty over their futures.
The contracts of France right back Sa-
gna and Poland goalkeeper Fabianski are
due to expire shortly andboth have reject-
ed new deals from the club, but Wenger
has no qualms about selecting them.
On Sagnas situation, Wenger said: I
told you many times that its exactly the
same as last week. The ball is in his camp
and I cannot inuence that.
Asked if he had any concerns about
playing the 31-year-old, Wenger replied:
Not at all. I told you many times: for me
a professional is to give your best until the
last day of your contract.
Thats for me the real professional. I
dont doubt his integrity, his desire to win
and his commitment at all.
Fabianski has played in the domestic
cup competitions for Arsenal this season,
with countryman Wojciech Szczesny the
rst-choice goalkeeper for league and
Champions League matches.
Despite reports that he, too, could leave
the club during the close season, Wenger
again dismissed suggestions that it would
afect his focus.
The answer is exactly the same, said
the Frenchman. Honestly, I have always
acted like that because it would basically
mean the guys are not professional.
I have done that with Samir Nas-
ri, with Robin van Persie, with every-
one when I knew they left or had a good
chance to leave. I always played them. If
they deserve to play, they play.
Wenger reiterated his opinion that Jack
Wilshere will be fully t to take part in the
World Cup with England, having been in-
cluded in national coach Roy Hodgsons
23-man squad on Monday.
The 22-year-old midelder made his
comeback from a fractured foot in Arse-
nals 2-0 season-ending win at Norwich
City on Sunday, having been on the side-
lines since early March.
How has he been this week? Good, he
works hard,saidWenger. We have a hard
session today (Wednesday) again and he
progresses. He played 30 minutes at Nor-
wich. That was planned, he came out well.
I think if you ask me about the World
Cup, he should just have enough time to
be fully t. While Wilshere could start
against Hull, Arsenal will give late tness
tests to fellow England midelder Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain and Belgian club
captain Thomas Vermaelen.
FA CUP FINAL
No matter what the result will be, this club can deal with the consequences
Arsenal will meet Hull City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, which is their last chance to land a silverware this season. Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal last won a trophy in 2005,
when they beat Man United in the 2005 FA Cup final. They have since lost two League Cup finals, and been beaten by Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final.
Reuters
Sweimeh, Jordan
L
ionel Messi would trade all his
Barcelonasuccess for aWorldCup
winners medal with Argentina to
sit alongside the games greats,
according to compatriot Ossie Ardiles.
That is how important the World
Cup is for him, said Ardiles, who was
inthe Argentina teamthat wonthe 1978
World Cup at home inBuenos Aires.
Ardiles, speaking to delegates at
the Soccerex Asian Forum held by the
banks of the Dead Sea, said that while
Messi might be regarded by some as
the best player the world has seen, a
World Cup win is vital for his legacy.
Messi, 26, has claimed 21 club prizes
with Barca and has also won the World
Youth Cup in 2005 and 2008 Olympics
with Argentina. Next months World
Cup will be his third after being used
sparingly as a substitute in 2006 and
playing in 2010.
Right nowMessi might be regarded
as the greatest player in the whole his-
tory of the game but he would give all
the medals he has won with Barcelona
just to win one World Cup, that is how
important it is for him, said former
midelder Ardiles.
To be considered alongside the top,
top guys like Pele and Diego Maradona
andso on, he not only needs to be inthe
World Cup but to win it.
Ardiles also said that he regarded
Argentina as favourites to win the
tournament in neighbouring Brazil,
but joked he could not say anything
else if he wanted to remain popular
back home.
On a more serious note he said that
while Brazil clearly had a very good
chance, home advantage was a lot less
important than it once was. It is a fact
that no European teams have won the
World Cup in South America but after
saying that it doesnt mean it is going
to stay like that forever.
Three or four teams from Eu-
rope have a big chance in Brazil, but
though Brazil are playing at home, be-
ing at home is not a big advantage any-
more. Players play all over, things have
changed. It is alot less thanit usedtobe.
At the beginning of the tournament
it can be an advantage but if things
dont go well for a young team like
Brazils it can be like a boomerang ef-
fect. The pressure grows andgrows and
comes backandcanhit youhard. There
is so much pressure, it is tremendous.
Ardiles played at the 1978 and 1982
WorldCups andgaveafascinatinginsight
into howhe felt about the experience.
I did not enjoy playing in the World
Cup. You are always worried about
howyou are going to perform, the oth-
er team, I did not enjoy it.
But, of course, whenthe nal whis-
tle went in 1978 and we were champi-
ons, you feel happiness, ecstasy, pure
joy, and its beautiful and a unique
moment in your life - and that feeling
lasted for a long time.
I enjoyed it after the World Cup but
not while I was playing in it.
Asked if wives and girlfriends were
around the Argentine camp when they
won in 1978, Ardiles replied: Its a very
bad idea having wives and girlfriends
around. Some players want to have the
wife andthe girlfriendnext door. Its a bad
idea. In 1978 we didnt see our wives for
months, but we survivedandwon. In1982
we had the wives and we were terrible.
Messi needs World Cup win to join greats: Ardiles
FOCUS
Reuters
Barcelona
B
arcelona are ready
to grasp their sec-
ond chance with both
hands and snatch the
Spanish title from Atletico
Madrid in a winner-takes-all
clash this weekend, midelder
Xavi said yesterday.
Barca looked out of the run-
ning for top spot a few weeks
ago but with the leading three
sides in Spain all stuttering the
title has boiled down to Satur-
days match in the Nou Camp.
Atletico have 89 points,
three more than Barca who
have drawn their last two
matches, but a win for the
hosts would see them retain
the trophy courtesy of a better
head-to-head record.
We saw the situation as
black and that we had lost the
league but football has given
us another chance, Xavi told
a news conference. We play
at home in front of our fans
and we have all in our favour
to win. The crowd need to get
behind us due to what we are
playing for.
This is an historic chance
and it will be a spectacular -
nal. Anyone who thought that
we still had chances would
have been considered crazy.
With a rst title since 1996
within touching distance
Atletico have picked up only
one point from their last two
games since reaching the
Champions League nal.
Xavi, however, believes
Atletico are still the team in
the driving seat. It will be very
dif cult as they are the best
teamdefensively in Europe, he
said. They pressure a lot, work
hard together and have difer-
ent attacking options.
It will be a rocky ride as
they are the teamplaying best.
From ve games that we have
faced them we have lost once
and drawn four. The key for
us will be to score early so that
they will have to come out.
Xavi said winning the title
would be the ideal riposte to
those who claimed that the
teamwas in terminal decline.
We have had a great gen-
eration and we can continue to
do big things over the coming
years, he said. It is a tremen-
dous nal. It would be the ic-
ing on the cake for this genera-
tion to win.
Barca ready
to seize 2nd
chance: Xavi
LA LIGA
NASRI LEFT OUT OF FRANCE SQUAD
France coach Didier Deschamps on Tuesday left Manchester
City midfielder Samir Nasri out of his 23-man squad for this
years World Cup in Brazil. Neither 26-year-old Nasri, who
has won 41 caps, nor Monaco captain Eric Abidal, capped 67
times, feature in the squad or on the seven-man standby list.
He is a player of great quality, but Samirs performances
for France have not been of the standard of those with his
club Manchester City, Deschamps said after revealing his
squad. He is an important player and a first-pick for Manches-
ter City and that is not the case for France.
And when he is a substitute he is not happy, and that is felt
by the squad as a whole. That is why he is not on the list.
Nasri responded to the news of his exclusion by tweeting:
Thanks for all your messages of support thats life another
world cup spent at home what doesnt kill you makes you
stronger (sic). However, Nasris girlfriend Anara Atanes did
not hold back, tweeting under @_Anara_: F*** france and f***
deschamps! What a s*** manager!
Nasri, who was also left out of Raymond Domenechs squad
for the 2010 World Cup, last played for France in the 2-0 defeat
to Ukraine in the first leg of last Novembers World Cup qualify-
ing play-of. Abidal also played in that game before losing his
place, and Deschamps admitted that he preferred to take a
younger player than the former Barcelona man, who is now 34.
There are eight players aged under 25 in the squad, includ-
ing Real Sociedad winger Antoine Griezmann, who made
his international debut against the Netherlands in March,
and 21-year-old duo Raphael Varane of Real Madrid and Paul
Pogba of Juventus.
Kolkata win big against Mumbai
IPL
Harsh Kalan
IPLt20.com
R
iding on a timely half-century
by opener Robin Uthappa (80),
Kolkata Knight Riders registered
a big six-wicket win over the
Mumbai Indians with eight balls to spare.
Chasing a 142-run target, the hosts made
sure they did not make heavy weather of
the run-chase by building handy partner-
ships, and eventually, earning their team
two valuable points as the race to the
Playofs picks up pace.
Earlier, KKR won the toss and asked the
visitors to bat rst. MI ended up at 37 for
two after the powerplay.
But Rayudu then stabilised the innings
with his skipper, Rohit Sharma. The two
batters added 35 runs at less than a run-
a-ball. At the halfway stage, the pair had
taken MI to 62 for two as the KKR bowlers
were bowling in the right areas and en-
suring there was no width on ofer.
Rayudu (33) then perished in the 12th
over of the bowling of Piyush Chawla,
who he was trying to slamout of the park.
Rohit Sharma was then joined by Corey
Anderson in the middle. The pair then
took the MI score past the 100-run mark
in the 16th over. However, after plunder-
ing 16 of the rst ve balls of that over
bowled by Morkel MI lost Anderson
(18) of the last delivery. Rohit Sharma (51)
then added another 23 runs with Kieron
Pollard. However, the MI skipper was
cleaned up by Sunil Narine in the nal
over shortly after he had brought up his
half-century. Thanks to some tight bowl-
ing by KKR, the visitors could only man-
age 141 for ve in 20 overs.
While Morkel picked up two wick-
ets for the home team, Sunil Narine and
Shakib al-Hasan who claimed a scalp
each boasted a sub-six economy-rate.
In response, Robin Uthappa and Gau-
tamGambhir gave KKR a good start. The
experienced pair added 50 for the rst
wicket, as they kept chipping away at the
modest target. However, Gambhir (14)
was cleaned up by Harbhajan Singh in the
eighth over, after which Manish Pandey
came in to bat. Even the second-wicket
pair stitched together a valuable stand
worth 46 runs, during which Uthappa
brought up his half-century before
Harbhajan Singh struck again; he bowled
Pandey (14) out, leaving KKR on 96 for
two in 14.1 overs.
Yusuf Pathan then ensured KKRs run-
chase did not go of track. With Shakib
al-Hasan for company, the middle-order
batsman brought his team within strik-
ing range of the target. And while Lasith
Malinga bagged Shakibs (9) wicket in the
19th over, by then the hosts were just four
runs shy of victory. Yusuf (20*) nally
took the Knight Riders over the line with
a four of Malinga. As a result, KKR got
home with six wickets in hand and eight
balls to spare. Robin Uthappa
Kings XI batters
make light work of
heavy chase
Harsh Kalan
IPLt20.com
T
hanks to the combined ef-
forts of their batting unit
including Wriddhiman Saha,
Manan Vohra, Glenn Max-
well and George Bailey Kings XI
Punjab comfortably chased down the
206-run target set by Sunrisers Hy-
derabad. While Naman Ojhas stel-
lar half-century was the talk of the
town at half-time, Sahas early blitz
soon overshadowed all performances
that preceded it. And after a record-
setting start that included KXIP
bringing up the fastest 100 and 150 in
IPL history the middle order did the
trick for the table-toppers.
Earlier, George Bailey won the toss
and elected to eld rst. The deci-
sion seemed to have worked for SRH
as Shikhar Dhawan, who was well
supported by Aaron Finch, got of to
a good start. After getting his eye in,
the SRH skipper played a big role in
plundering 26 runs of Sandeep Shar-
ma in the fth over. Thanks to these
early exploits, SRH notched up 55
SPOTLIGHT
Saha, Vohra, Maxwell and Bailey comfortably chase down Sunrisers 206-run target
AFP
Essex, London
A
lastair Cooks quickre
knock helped ensure
Sri Lankas rst match
in England this season
ended in defeat. England captain
Cook struck 71 as Essex made 161
for ve in a one-day match re-
duced by rain to 21 overs per side
at Chelmsford on Tuesday.
In reply Sri Lanka were re-
stricted to 146 for nine in pursuit
of a Duckworth/Lewis adjusted
target of 169, with seamer Oliver
Newby taking three wickets for
36 runs in his ve overs.
After Sri Lanka captain Dinesh
Chandimal wonthetossandelect-
ed to eld, only two overs were
possible before rainstoppedplay.
When the match eventu-
ally resumed, Essex lost a trio of
wickets in quick succession with
England all-rounder Ravi Bopara
lbw for a second-ball duck to
Dhammika Prasad as the hosts
slumped to 21 for three.
But wicketkeeper Ben Foakes
helped Cook add 82 for the
fourth wicket and made 51 before
he was caught by Ashan Priyan-
jan of Tillakaratne Dilshan.
Left-handed opener Cook
facedjust 49 balls with four fours
and two sixes in an innings that
ended when he was caught of
Suranga Lakmal.
On a pitch ofering plenty of
seam movement, Newbya loan
signing from Lancashirehad
Kusal Perera lbw and then pro-
duced a near unplayable delivery
akinto a fast leg-break to capture
the prize wicket of Sri Lanka star
batsman Mahela Jayawardene.
England left-arm spinner
Monty Panesar, took two for 27
in four overs, including bowling
Dilshan (22) with an armball.
But Panesar, whose elding
has long been a source of deri-
sion, made arguably his greatest
contribution to Essexs victory
came when, with Chandimal
having made 31 at better than a
run-a-ball, he took a ne catch
above his head at long leg of a
well-hit hook.
Chaturanga de Silva hit two
sixes of Newby but it was not
enough to deny Essex victory.
Sri Lanka continue their tour
with one-day games against
county sides Kent and Sussex on
Friday and Sunday respectively.
Cook sets up Essex
win over Sri Lanka
SRI LANKA TOUR OF ENGLAND
AFP
Lahore
P
akistan conrmed yes-
terday it had agreed to
play six full series of
cricket against India
with of cial backing, the rst
since the 2008 Mumbai terrorist
attacks suspended play between
the teams.
Pakistan is expected to host
four of the matches over the
next eight years, after its crick-
et board said it had signed a
memorandum of understand-
ing with India on the issue, and
pending a legal agreement.
The Future Tours Program
(FTP) for Pakistan between 2015
and 2023 will have six tours with
India, four of which will be host-
ed by Pakistan, Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) chief operating of-
cer Subhan Ahmed told AFP.
Reports had been circulating
since last month that a full series
would be played between the two
nations as early as next year after
the PCB conditionally agreed to a
reorganisation of the games ad-
ministration, the International
Cricket Council (ICC), which
will give India a bigger say in its
governance.
India suspended all bilateral se-
ries with Pakistan in the wake of
the2008attacks, whichNewDelhi
blamed on militants based across
the border. The Pakistan teamdid
tour India for a short limited over
series in December 2012-Janu-
ary 2013 but a full series was not
agreed by the Board of Control for
Cricket inIndia (BCCI).
Ahmad said the six tours
would involve 14 Tests, 30 one-
days and 12 T20s. The PCB ex-
pected the tours to be written
into legally binding agreements
as soon as possible, he added.
The PCB wanted the rst of
the series to be played on home
ground but if the security situa-
tion was not conducive to it the
match will be played in the Unit-
ed Arab Emirates.
Pakistan, India to
resume play
HIGHLIGHT
Alastair Cook of Essex Eagles hits the ball towards the boundary
against Sri Lanka as Dinesh Chandimal looks on during a Tour match
between Essex and Sri Lanka at Ford County Ground.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakistanraisesplayers salaries
Pakistan announced yesterday
that its cricketers on central
contracts would get a 25 per cent
salary increase and a 35 per cent
rise in match fees this year.
The hike will be backdated to
January, when the players con-
tracts had been up for renewal.
The PCB (Pakistan Cricket
Board) is pleased to announce
revision in the national team
players central contracts,
which will now see players
getting a raise of 25 per cent in
their monthly retainers... in all
categories, the board said in a
statement.
This increase will be in addi-
tion to a further 25 per cent
increase in Test match fee and
10 per cent increase in One Day
International match fee for the
players.
The system of bonuses has
also been revised to incen-
tivise outstanding individual
performances and series wins,
the PCB said.
SCORECARD
Hyderabad T20innings
AJ Finch b ShivamSharma............................................... 20
S Dhawan* c ShivamSharma b Dhawan ...................45
NV Ojha not out ................................................................... 79
DA Warner run out (Vohra/Sandeep Sharma) ....... 44
MC Henriques c Miller b Sandeep Sharma 0
IK Pathan c Miller b Dhawan ............................................... 1
KV Sharma not out ................................................................... 1
Extras (lb 1, w 11, nb 3) ...........................................................15
Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) ............................................ 205
(10.25 runs per over)
Did not bat: KL Rahul, DW Steyn, A Mishra, B Kumar
Fall of wickets: 1-65 (Finch, 8.1 ov), 2-88 (Dhawan, 11.1
ov), 3-169 (Warner, 18.1 ov), 4-183 (Henriques, 18.4 ov),
5-196 (Pathan, 19.2 ov)
Bowling: Sandeep Sharma 4-0-65-1, MG Johnson
4-0-26-0, Shivam Sharma 4-0-31-1, AR Patel 4-0-40-0,
R Dhawan 4-0-42-2.
Punjab T20innings
(target: 206 runs from 20 overs)
V Sehwag c & b Kumar .......................................................... 4
M Vohra run out (Kumar) ...................................................47
WP Saha st Ojha b Sharma .......................................... 54
GJ Maxwell c Steyn b Mishra ...........................................43
DA Miller not out ....................................................................24
GJ Bailey* not out .................................................................. 35
Extras (lb 3, nb 1) ...................................................................... 4
Total (4 wickets; 18.4 overs) 211 (11.30 runs per over)
Did not bat: AR Patel, MG Johnson, ShivamSharma, R
Dhawan, Sandeep Sharma
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Sehwag, 0.2 ov), 2-95 (Saha, 7.1
ov), 3-125 (Vohra, 9.1 ov), 4-159 (Maxwell, 13.1 ov)
Bowling: B Kumar 3.4-0-38-1, DWSteyn 4-0-51-0, MC
Henriques-2-0-36-0, KV Sharma 4-0-46-1, A Mishra
4-0-32-1, IK Pathan 1-0-5-0
runs in the powerplay without losing a single
wicket. In fact, the rst-wicket pair brought
up 65 runs, before Finch (20) was dismissed
by Rishi Dhawan in the ninth over.
By the halfway stage, SRH had posted 72
for one with Shikhar Dhawan (45) going great
guns, alongwithNamanOjha for company.
After Dhawan departed, Ojha and David
Warner joined in the blitz and took Sunrisers
to 205 for ve in 20 overs.
In response, KXIP lost Virender Sehwag
(4) in the rst over. However, Wriddhiman
Saha took charge of the innings as Manan
Vohra played a great supporting role to him.
As a result of an early onslaught, KXIP raced
past 50 in the fourth over of the run-chase
and ending up with a whopping 86 runs in
the powerplay.
Afters Sahas dismissal, another big-hit-
ter Glenn Maxwell came in to bat, and he
did not take too long to unleash his willow.
He took Punjabpast the 100-runmark injust
7.3 overs the fastest that any team has got
to triple digits in the IPL.
However, Maxwells (43) 22-ball blitz was
ended by Amit Mishra in the 14th over. But by
then the run-chase equation had come down
drastically 47 runs of 41 balls. The SRH
bowlers then bowled a few tight overs, which
induced a lofted shot fromGeorge Bailey that
was claimed by Warner; but after replays sug-
gested that the elder had grassed it, the KXIP
skipper got a much-neededrespite.
Given that there were no boundaries hit
during a three-and-a-half-over stretch
leading up to the 18th over, the SRH bowlers
had snuck their teamback into contention
as the run-chase equation read 26 runs of 18
balls. But Bailey then struck a welcome six,
followed by a four, to bring the required run-
rate down to a run-a-ball. He then, struck
another maximumand a boundary, and took
Dale Steyn for 22 runs in the 18th over. With
just four needed of two overs, Bailey and
Miller took their team across the line with
ve wickets in hand and eight balls to spare.
Glenn Maxwell (BCCI)
SCORECARD
MUMBAI T20innings
LMP Simmons b Shakib Al Hasan ............................. 12
CM Gautam c SA Yadav b Morkel ............................. 8
AT Rayudu c SA Yadav b Chawla.............................. 33
RG Sharma* b Narine ........................................................ 51
CJ Anderson c Chawla b Morkel ................................18
KA Pollard not out ............................................................ 10
AP Tare not out ......................................................................2
Extras (lb 1, w 5, nb 1)......................................................... 7
Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) .......................................... 141
(7.05 runs per over)
Did not bat: Harbhajan Singh, SL Malinga, JJ
Bumrah, PP Ojha
Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Gautam, 2.2 ov), 2-35 (Sim-
mons, 5.1 ov), 3-70 (Rayudu, 11.5 ov), 4-115 (Ander-
son, 15.6 ov), 5-138 (Sharma, 19.2 ov)
Bowling: M Morkel 4-0-35-2, UT Yadav 3-0-24-0,
Shakib al Hasan 4-0-21-1, SP Narine 4-0-18-1, PP
Chawla 4-0-32-1, YK Pathan 1-0-10-0
KOLKATAT20innings (target: 142runs from
20overs)
RV Uthappa b Simmons ............................................. 80
G Gambhir* b Harbhajan Singh .................................14
MK Pandey b Harbhajan Singh ..................................14
YK Pathan not out............................................................ 20
Shakib Al Hasan c Rayudu b Malinga ....................... 9
RN ten Doeschate not out .............................................. 0
Extras (lb 1, w 4) ....................................................................5
Total (4 wickets; 18.4 overs) ...................................... 142
(7.60 runs per over)
Did not bat SA Yadav, PP Chawla, MMorkel, UT
Yadav, SP Narine
Fall of wickets 1-50 (Gambhir, 7.2 ov), 2-96 (Pan-
dey, 14.1 ov), 3-116 (Uthappa, 15.6 ov), 4-138 (Shakib
Al Hasan, 18.3 ov)
Bowling: SL Malinga 3.4-0-30-1, JJ Bumrah 3-0-
23-0, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-22-2, PP Ojha 4-0-25-0,
LMP Simmons 3-0-34-1, KA Pollard 1-0-7-0
CRICKET
5
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
SPORT
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 6
New dad Federer blown
of court by Chardy
TENNIS
Unfortunately, when I had the lead I couldnt stretch it. Thats how it happened today
AFP
Rome
J
eremy Chardy caught new
father Roger Federer on
the hop at a wind-blown
ATP-WTA Rome Masters
yesterday, winning their second
round match 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).
The upset loss, in just over two
hours, came barely a week after the
32-year-old Federer became father
to his second set of twins, boys this
time round as opposed to girls the
rst occasion.
Unfortunately, when I had the
lead I couldnt stretch it. Thats
how it happened today. We both
struggled at time in the wind - at
the end it was a shot here or there
that decided the match, said the
Swiss. The fourth-seed, who has
never won the Rome title, decided
to come and have a go on the clay
of the Foro Italico after consulting
with wife Mirka and his team. With
himin Rome was part-time coach-
ing consultant Stefan Edberg.
Conditions were brutal for a
match played amid great bursts of
red clay blowing regularly through
the air. The conditions made it
dif cult to prepare a proper game
plan or execute the way you want-
ed. Youcant take as much risk, you
just put the ball in play rather than
going for it, said Federer.
Federer swept the opening set
but began to fade in the second
as a charged-up Chardy made his
move. Federer, whjo salvaged seven
of eight break points in the nal
set, saved a rst match point. But
he could not touch a freak Chardy
crosscourt return which landed
on his shoelaces. Hes not going
to make that one very often, But
it happens and credit to him. He
fought his way back into the match
and got it, said Federer.
In womens second-round play,
Serena Williams showed no sign of
the thigh injury which forced her
withdrawal from a Madrid semi-
nal as the top seed beat Andrea
Petkovic 6-2, 6-2. However, her
sister Venus bowedout beaten6-4,
6-2 by 13th seeded Spaniard Carla
Suarez.
Seventh seed Andy Murray took
revenge for a defeat a year ago as
he beat Marcel Granollers to open
with a 6-2, 7-5 victory into the
third round. The Spaniard had
benetted in 2013 when the Scot
had to quit their second-round
contest with the back pains which
eventually forced him to undergo
surgery last autumn. The match
was also played in the days swirl-
ing dustbowl conditions.
I dida very goodjob, it was hard
conditions: it afects signicantly
the way you play and the way you
would like to play, said Murray. I
tried to serve high percentage. But
when you throw the ball up from
one hand it can blow behind or
in front of you and, it depends on
what side of the court you are on.
But you have to play the wind, try
to use it in your advantage if you
can. I thought I did a good job of
that.
Murray will next face resurgent
Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who beat
Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 as
a return from a shoulder injury
starts to pay of positively. Murray
has never beenbeateninve previ-
ous meetings with Melzer, with the
pair last facing each other in the
2011 Australian Open.
Murray, playing in Rome for the
ninth time, is trying to kick-start
his delayed clay season which be-
gan only last week with a win and a
loss in Madrid. His best showing in
Rome was a 2011 semi-nal.
AFP
Tokyo
Y
ou wont catch Kei Nishikori
snarling, scowling at opponents
or yelling at umpires, but the
unassuming 24-year-old has a
re in his belly every bit as strong as the
games ercest gladiators.
Having just become the rst Japanese
to crack the worlds top 10 in mens ten-
nis, the sky could be the limit for the
record-breaking Nishikoriif his fragile
body holds up. Where Rafael Nadal stares
daggers across the net at rivals, Nishikori
shuf es almost apologetically along the
baseline, a toothy grin belying his swash-
buckling style.
Nishikori, who has risen to nine in the
world rankings, came agonisingly close to
beating Nadal for the rst time in seven
meetings in last weekends Madrid Open
nal before injury struck again. In control
at 6-2, 4-3, he felt a twinge in his hip and
went on to lose the second set 6-4 before
retiring at 0-3 in the third.
But after wins in Memphis and Barce-
lona already this year, the Florida-based
Nishikori has demonstrated he has the
weapons to topple the giants of tennis.
Shuzo Matsuoka, the rst Japanese play-
er to win an ATP title in 1992, believes
Nishikori could even produce a shock
Grand Slam triumph this year, which
would give Asian tennis a further boost
following the success of Chinas Li Na in
the womens game.
Theres a new generation of players
coming through to challenge the big four,
he told AFP, referring to Nadal, Roger Fe-
derer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
He has the ability. Ive been watching
Kei since he was 11. He has the touch of
a genius, great imagination. He has shots
in his locker you just cant teach, added
Matsuoka. Breaking into the top 10is just
the start.
SOTOUGH
Nishikori burst onto the scene as an
18-year-old by winning in Delray Beach
as a 244th-ranked qualifier in 2008,
and is a huge celebrity in Japan. Despite
winning five ATP titles to date, Nishiko-
ris career has been blighted by injuries,
most notably in 2009 when he needed
elbow surgery and feared he might not
play again. But Matsuoka tipped him to
join the Grand Slam winners club.
You saw in the Nadal match, his crea-
tivity and speed, said Matsuoka, whose
run to the 1995 Wimbledon quarter-nal
sparked a tennis boom in Japan. I dont
think anyone doubts he can win Grand
Slams.
Given his rst racquet when he was
ve, Nishikori has come a long way since
leaving his family home in mountainous
Shimane prefecture, western Japan as a
bashful 13-year-old and arriving at Nick
Bollettieris academy in Bradenton, Flori-
da, unable to speak a word of English.
Earmarkedfor success at anearly age by
the Japan Tennis Association, Nishikori
has repaid them in gold, proving a cash
cow for the domestic game and this year
propelling his country to the Davis Cup
quarter-nals.
Meanwhile, the decision to hire former
French Open winner Michael Chang as
coach late last year looks an inspired one.
Chang is exactly what Kei needed, said
Matsuoka of the 1989 French Open cham-
pion. Its not just about howmuch game
you have, but also tactics and resilience.
Nishikoris best Grand Slam perform-
ance to date was the quarter-nals in
Melbourne two years ago. But if he con-
tinues on his upward curve, favourable
draws await at the four majors, and Stan-
islas Wawrinkas Australian Open victory
in January suggests the eld is more open
than previous years.
Kei has the potential, said Japans
former Davis Cup captain Eiji Takeuchi,
who also feels the high-ying Nishikori
has a Grand Slamcrown in him. He was
always a shy kid but once he stepped on
court, a switch icked on inside him. He is
so tough. He could be aiming for the top
ve already.
Sky is the limit for record-breaking Nishikori
SPOTLIGHT
Agencies
Paris
H
ooker Benjamin Kay-
ser is to miss Frances
three-Test tour of
Australia in June be-
cause of a neck injury, his club
Clermont said.
The 29-year-old, capped 24
times by France, will undergo
surgeryona cervical hernia and
will likely be out of action for
several months, the club said.
Coach Philippe Saint-Andre
was already without preferred
hooker Dimitri Szarzewski
(ankle), and he now has Guil-
hem Guirado and Christopher
Tolofua vying for the number
2 shirt. France play Australia
in Brisbane on June 7, in Mel-
bourne a week later and then in
Sydney onJune 21.
NEWCASTLE FALCONS
SWOOP FORITALYS FURNO
English Premiership side New-
castle announced the sign-
ing of Italy international lock
Josh Furno from French club
Biarritz. I am delighted to be
joining Newcastle Falcons,
24-year-old Furno said in a
statement. I amreally looking
forward to meeting all the boys
and getting downto work.
Furno has won 18 caps for
Italy and impressed during this
years Six Nations. He is New-
castles ninth new signing for
next season.
PORICAL LEAVES STADE
FRANCAIS FORLYON
Full-back Jerome Porical has
left Stade Francais to join
newly-promoted Lyon on a
three-year deal, the latter club
said. The 28-year-old Porical,
champion of France in 2009
with Perpignan whom he left
in 2012 for Stade Francais, has
played 142 matches in the Top
14and 36inthe EuropeanCup.
The full-back, who has also
won four France caps, is Lyons
10th recruit ahead of the 2014-
15 season.
ALL BLACKS TOPLAY
US INCHICAGO
The New Zealand Rugby Un-
ion conrmed they would play
the United States in Chicago en
route to Britain for their end-
of-seasontour.
TheNZRUhadspokenopen-
ly for several months about the
possibilityof playingtheEagles
in the U.S. as they seek to ex-
pand the All Blacks brand into
non-traditional rugbymarkets.
The Nov. 1 match will be at the
Chicago Bears home ground of
Soldier Field. The world cham-
pions then head to Britain to
play England, Scotland and
Wales onsuccessive weekends.
Kayser out of
Australia tour
RUGBY ROUND-UP
Kei Nishikori is the first Japanese to crack the worlds top 10 in mens tennis. (AFP)
Cardif: Gavin Hensons
hopes of taking part in a
Welsh trial match that could
see him selected for next
months two-Test tour of
South Africa are set to be
crushed.
The 32-year-old Bath
centre, one of the most gifted
players of his generation but
with a chequered past of
the field, has not played for
Wales since being injured
during a 2011 World Cup
warm-up game against Eng-
land in Cardif.
However, he was included
in 26-man Probables squad
that will play the Possibles
at Swanseas Liberty Stadium
on May 30 in the kind of trial
match that was a well-know
fixture during rugby unions
amateur era but which Wales
last used in 2000.
But it now appears unlikely
that Henson, and other Wales
players at Premiership clubs,
will be released for the trial.
English and French teams
are under no obligation to
release their players for the
game as it is not a full Test
match as defined by the
International Rugby Board.
Premiership Rugby has
a policy to only release non-
England players under the
conditions of IRB Regulation
9, a Premiership Rugby
spokesman said. This regula-
tion covers international re-
lease for every Test country
across the world. This trial
match does not fall under IRB
Regulation 9.
Even if Bath were to re-
lease him, Henson will likely
need to come through the
west country clubs European
Challenge Cup final against
English rivals Northampton
the week before if he is to be
fit for the trial game.
Northampton wing George
North could miss the trial if
the Saints are in the Premier-
ship final at Twickenham
on May 31 while the Racing
Metro trio of Jamie Roberts,
Mike Phillips and Dan Lydiate
could also be absent if their
club is in the French Top 14
final the same weekend.
Several Wales players are
set to miss the Springbok
series through injury, includ-
ing captain Sam Warburton,
Leigh Halfpenny, Justin
Tipuric, Scott Williams and
Richard Hibbard.
And the fact Rhys Priest-
land, who sufered a knee
injury last weekend, has not
been named in either of the
trial teams, indicates the
Scarlets outside-half will be
ruled out as well.
Wales coach Warren
Gatland is due to announce
his 31-man squad for the tour,
which includes Tests in Dur-
ban and Nelspruit, immedi-
ately after the trial match.
Hensons
Welsh recall
in doubt
SECOND ROUND
WOMEN: Agnieszka Radwanska
(POL x3) bt Paola Ormaechea
(ARG) 6-3, 6-2; Samantha Stosur
(AUS) bt Elena Vesnina (RUS) 6-2,
6-3; Christina McHale (USA) bt
Camilla Giorgi (ITA) 1-6, 6-3, 6-1;
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x13)
bt Venus Williams (USA) 6-4, 6-2;
Varvara Lepchenko (USA) bt Sloane
Stephens (USA x16) 6-2, 6-2; Franc-
esca Schiavone (ITA) bt Garbine
Muguruza (ESP) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5);
Simona Halep (ROM x4) bt Madison
Keys (USA) 5-7, 6-0, 6-1; Sara Errani
(ITA x10) bt Ekaterina Makarova
(RUS) 6-2, 6-3; Serena Williams
(USA x1) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER)
6-2, 6-2
MEN: Andy Murray (GBR x7) bt
Marcel Granollers (ESP) 6-2, 7-5;
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) bt Marin Cilic
(CRO) 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3; Ivan Dodig
(CRO) bt Lukas Rosol (CZE) 6-1,
6-2; Jeremy Chardy (FRA) bt Roger
Federer (SUI x4) 1-6, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6);
Tommy Haas (GER x15) bt Igor
Sijsling (NED) 7-6 (8/6), 6-1; Mikhail
Youzhny (RUS x14) bt Andrey
Golubev (KAZ) 7-5, 4-1, retired Jo-
Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x11) bt Kevin
Anderson (RSA) 7-6 (16/14), 7-6 (7/5)
RESULTS
Frances Jeremy Chardy en route to
an upset win over Switzerlands Roger
Federer at the Rome Masters. (AFP)
SPORT
7
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
L
awyers for Formula One
boss Bernie Ecclestone
will have to wait until
late July for their chance
to cross-examine a jailed former
banker who is the key prosecu-
tion witness in thebnaire Brit-
ons bribery trial.
Gerhard Gribkowsky, former
chief risk of cer at German
state-owned bank BayernLB,
has told a court in Munich that
Ecclestone bribed him when
they worked together in the mo-
tor sport.
Ecclestone is accusedof chan-
nelling $44mnto the Germanfor
smoothing the sale of a stake in
Formula One held by BayernLB
to the private equity rm CVC
eight years ago.
The 83-year-old Ecclestone,
who denies wrongdoing, could
face up to 10 years in prison if
found guilty and a conviction
would end his long grip on a
business he helped to create.
Ecclestones lawyers wanted
to challenge Gribkowskys ver-
sion of eforts on Wednesday but
little time was available after his
evidence had taken up two and a
half days.
Now the defence team is in
the happy position of having
16 minutes to put questions
before we break for lunch,
judge Peter Noll said light-
heartedly.
He set July 30 as the date for
cross-examination to save hav-
ing to reschedule other witness
appearances.
The case is only being heard
for a day or two each week to
allow Ecclestone to continue to
run the Formula One business
he has built into a global money
spinner.
Prosecutors allege that Eccle-
stone favoured CVC as the new
owner because it was committed
to keeping himon as chief exec-
utive of the business.
Ecclestone admits making
multimndollar payments toGrib-
kowskybut saysthiswastosilence
the German, who he said was
threatening to make false claims
about his tax status that could
have jeopardisedhis fortune.
Gribkowsky had become in-
volvedinFormula One after Bay-
ernLB acquired a 47% stake in
the business following the col-
lapse of the Kirch media group
in 2002.
The Munich court jailed him
for 8-1/2 years in 2012 for cor-
ruption over the payments from
Ecclestone.
Star witness to be recalled in Ecclestone trial
SPOTLIGHT
AFP
Munich, Germany
Bernie Ecclestone
R
ed Bull denied re-
ports yesterday that
Formula One world
champion Sebastian
Vettels early season struggles
were due to his car having a
crooked chassis.
The 26-year-old German
was given a new chassis
for last weekends Span-
ish Grand Prix in Barcelona
and charged to fourth de-
spite starting 15th following
a five-place penalty for a
gearbox change.
Media reports in Germany
suggested the previous chas-
sis, while supposedly no dif-
ferent to the replacement that
was used in pre-season test-
ing, was crooked but the team
said there was no evidence of
that.
The old chassis has not
been found to be distorted,
chief engineer Paul Monaghan
said in response to a query.
The investigation is ongo-
ing as the extent of the checks
is vast in order to be thorough.
No one error can be consid-
ered an entire explanation and
requires further work to that
completed prior to and within
the Spanish GP.
Changes to some ancillary
equipment and preparation
procedures has resulted from
the checks made thus far,
Monaghan added.
Once all the information is
available, Red Bull will address
the points foundinorder toim-
plement a complete solution.
PLAYING CATCH-UP
Vettel, winner of the last
four championships and
the final nine races of 2013,
has been fighting more for
points than podiums so far
this year.
The German complained of
a lack of feel from the car as
Formula One entered a newV6
turbo hybrid era after ditching
the old V8 engines.
Red Bulls engine partners
Renault have also been playing
catch-upwitha power unit that
has been less competitive than
the dominant Mercedes one.
However, Vettel has also
been outperformed by his new
Australian team mate Daniel
Ricciardo, who started and
nished third in Spain and was
disqualied from second in
Australia.
Team principal Christian
Horner said after Sundays
race that it looked like the Vet-
tel of old was returning, how-
ever.
(In 2013) his condence
was high, he was on the crest
of a wave, and then you can
walk onwater. He hadthe feel-
ing from the car everything
was going for him, the Briton
told reporters.
Thats what he has
been searching for with
RB10, and this weekend
you could see in the race
the recovery drive that
he had, the fastest lap, he
hunted down the Ferraris.
It looked like he had got
his mojo back.
Struggling McLaren could
go radical
McLaren may take a more
radical approach to their For-
mula One car if they are still
uncompetitive by July, racing
director Eric Boullier said on
Tuesday.
The team, who ousted Mar-
tin Whitmarsh as principal
in January after their worst
season since 1980, have failed
to score a point in three races
despite having the same power
unit as dominant Mercedes.
Jenson Button and Danish
rookie Kevin Magnussen n-
ished11th and12th inSpainlast
Sunday while former McLaren
driver Lewis Hamilton chalked
up his fourth successive win
with Mercedes, who have won
every race so far.
Boullier told reporters that
the team, whose form has
plunged since Magnussen was
second and Button third in the
Australianseason-opener, was
starting from quite far back
but had everything in place to
recover.
I think the real question
about how capable we are at
catching up and how fast we
can catch up will be fromAus-
tria to Silverstone, he told re-
porters.
Im not saying were going
to win at Silverstone, Imsay-
ing well knowmore about our
capability to catch up by these
races.
I dont think we will shift
our focus onto 2015,he added.
But its possible that we will
draw a line after Silverstone
andwe may go with more radi-
cal concepts.
McLaren are switching to
Honda power units next sea-
son.
The teams home Brit-
ish Grand Prix on July 6 is
the ninth round of the 19 race
championship, and McLaren
failed to score a point at Sil-
verstone last year.
The second most successful
team in Formula One history,
after Ferrari, failed to secure
a single podium nish in 2013
and last won a race in Novem-
ber 2012.
They are still without a title
sponsor and the run of three
races without a point is their
worst since 2009 when they
drew a blank in Spain and the
three successive races. They
are currently sixth in the con-
structors championship.
Boullier hoped to see an
improvement in Monaco next
week.
Wehaveseenvery, verysig-
nicant progress in the wind
tunnel in the last fewweeks, so
I think we need to just under-
stand where we are, where we
want to go,said Boullier.
Red Bull
say Vettels
chassis not
distorted
FORMULA ONE
AFP
London
Marquez staying with Honda
for two more years
M
otoGP world cham-
pion Marc Marquez
has signed a two-
year extension to his
contract with Honda, the Japa-
nese manufacturer said yester-
day.
I am very happy to an-
nounce my renewal with HRC
(Honda Racing Corp), the
21-year-old Spaniard said in a
statement.
I had always dreamt about
being part of the Repsol Honda
Team, and thanks to Honda the
dreamcame true a year anda half
ago. Everything happened very
quickly last season, and I would
have never imagined that I could
achieve what we did.
Marquez became the youngest
ever champion in motorcyclings
top class last season and has won
all four of the races frompole po-
sition so far this year.
He has a 28-point lead in the
championship ahead of this
weekends French Grand Prix at
Le Mans.
MotoGP
AFP
Madrid
MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez
Ulissi gives Italy first
stage win of Giro
D
iego Ulissi gave Italy
their rst stage win of
the Giro dItalia and
his second career vic-
tory in the race yesterday when
he won the 203 kilometres fth
stage fromTaranto to Viggiano.
The 24-year-old Lampre rid-
er, who won his previous stage
in the Giro three years ago, beat
home veteran Australian Cadel
Evans while Julian Arredondo
of Colombia was third in stage
afected by strong winds and
heavy downpours.
Evanss compatriot Michael
Matthews retained the overall
leaders pink jersey.
Matthewss Orica team had
performed impressively in run-
ning down an 11-man breakaway
which at one point had a lead of
six minutes over the peloton.
A further attack by Italian
Gianluca Brambilla was also
brought to an end 1500 metres
from the nish as the Katusha
team of experienced Spaniard
Joaquim Rodriguez reeled him
in.
Evans launched the sprint for
the line but Ulissi went past him
and eased home, for his third
stage win of the season, while
Matthews was sixth.
Todays sixth stage is one of
the longest of the race at 247km
from Sassano to Montecassino,
with the closing stages a 8.7km
climb.
CYCLING
Evanss compatriot Michael Matthews retained the overall leaders pink jersey
AFP
Rome
Italys Diego Ulissi celebrates his victory as he crosses the finish line of the fifth stage of the 97th Giro dItalia, Tour of Italy, 203 km from Taranto
to Viggiano, yesterday in Viggiano.
F
ormer Tour de France
winner Bradley Wig-
gins maintained the
overall lead after the
third stage of the Tour of Cali-
fornia which was won by Aus-
tralian Rohan Dennis on Tues-
day.
Team Skys Wiggins, who
dominated the second stage
time trial in Folsom, now has a
24 second overall lead on Den-
nis with ve stages remaining in
the race.
Dennis, of Garmin-Sharp,
powered his way through hot
and mountainous conditions
Tuesday to complete the 174
kilometre road course from San
Jose, California, to Mount Dia-
blo in four hours, 56 minutes and
two seconds.
Wiggins took the lead with
about six kilometres to go but
Dennis jumped clear of the pack
in the nal kilometre to take the
victory in sweltering conditions
where the temperatures reached
about 33 Celsius (92 Fahrenheit).
Wiggins said he was satised
with his nish in the tough con-
ditions.
It doesnt get much hotter in
a race and my biggest concern
today was just exploding, the
Brit said. On the last climb I
just wanted to ride a good tem-
po. I did that and then it was just
about getting to the top at the
end.
Wiggins, who followed up his
2012 Tour de France triumph by
winning Olympic time trial gold
in London, nished the third
stage in ninth place, 20 seconds
adrift of Dennis.
Portugals Tiago Machado
was second in the stage which
nished with a seven kilometre
climb up Mount Diablo. Ameri-
can Lawson Craddock was third,
two seconds behind Machado
and eight seconds back of the
leader.
It was difficult to know
who was in the group riding
on the front. That was prob-
ably the only mistake I made as
Rohan Dennis took a little bit
of time. I perhaps underesti-
mated that hed be there so we
just need to keep a closer eye
on him on the next ones, Wig-
gins said.
Hopefully today was
about as hard as it should
get for the boys. I think the
next two days should, fin-
gers crossed, be a bit more
straightforward.
Omega Pharma rider Mark
Cavendish said he was glad the
day was over.
Grim day in the mountains.
Whoever wants to do a 30 kilo-
metre climb is either lying or
sick, he said.
Dennis is second overall, 24
seconds behind Wiggins while
Machado is third, 65 seconds
back.
The Tour of California con-
tinues Wednesday with the
166-kilometre scenic fourth
stage fromMonterey to Cambria
on the Pacic coast.
Bradley Wiggins holds onto lead
TOUR OF CALIFORNIA
AFP
California
SPORT
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 8
Johnson
shrugs of
criticismfrom
embattled
Clippers
owner
Basketball great Earvin
Magic Johnson shrugged
of the latest character
assault leveled at him by
Donald Sterling, calling the
Los Angeles Clippers owner
delusional and suggest-
ing Sterling acted out of
desperation to keep the NBA
from seizing his team.
Hes reaching. Hes trying to
find something that he can
grab on to help him save his
team, and its not going to
happen, Johnson told CNN
on Tuesday, a day after Ster-
ling accused him of being a
poor role model for children
and of doing little to help the
black community.
Sterlings comments about
Johnson, one of the most
revered figures in US sports,
left many scratching their
heads. NBA Commissioner
Adam Silver issued a state-
ment apologising to Johnson
for being degraded by such
a malicious and personal
attack.
Sterlings CNN interview on
Monday marked his first
public comment since com-
ing under fire nearly three
weeks ago, when TMZ.com
posted an audio recording of
him berating a female friend
for publicly associating
with black people, including
Magic Johnson.
The resulting furor led Silver
days later to declare Sterling
banned for life from the Na-
tional Basketball Association,
and to call on the 29 other
team owners who make up
the NBA Board of Governors
to strip Sterling of team
ownership.
Such an unprecedented
move requires a three-
fourths vote of the board. It
remains to be seen whether
Silver will muster the votes
he needs, and whether
Sterling will give up the
team he has owned for 33
years without fighting back
in court.
In his CNN interview that
aired on Monday, Sterling,
80, apologised for racist
comments that he claimed
he was baited into making
by the 31-year-old woman
who recorded the conversa-
tion, who uses the name V.
Stiviano.
He also further stoked
outrage by lashing out at
Johnson, the charismatic
former Los Angeles Lakers
point guard who stunned
the sports world in 1991
when he announced he had
contracted HIV and was
retiring at the peak of his
NBA career.
What kind of a guy goes to
every city, he has sex with
every girl, then he catches
HIV and - is that someone
we want to respect and tell
our kids about? Sterling told
CNNs Anderson Cooper. I
think he should be ashamed
of himself.
Thunder down Clippers
with last-minute rally
T
he Oklahoma City
Thunder staged a re-
markable last-minute
rally to defeat the Los
Angeles Clippers 105-104 in
Game Five of their Western
Conference semi-nal series on
Tuesday.
Trailing by seven points with
just 49 seconds remaining,
Oklahoma Citys two leading
players scored the games last
eight points to steal victory in
front of a raucous home crowd
and take a 3-2 lead in the best-
of-seven series.
Forward Kevin Durant hit a
three-pointer and a layup, and
guard Russell Westbrook, who
led all scorers with 38 points,
nailed three clutch free throws
to guide the second-seeded
Thunder to victory.
Faith, Westbrook told re-
porters of a game the Thunder
trailed for most of the night.
We just did a good job of stay-
ing together. We kept chipping
away and playing together.
Despite forward Durants of
night by his lofty standards, 27
points on just 6-for-22 shoot-
ing, the Thunder kept ghting
back with chances to take the
lead in the fourth.
There was denitely frus-
tration, Durant said. I just
tried to stick with it. Russ car-
ried us the whole game. Put me
in position to go out there and
hit those shots and to win the
game.
For a long time a home vic-
tory appeared unlikely as each
time the Thunder got within
range, it seemed like Clippers
reserve guard Jamal Crawford
had an answer.
Whether it was a jump shot
or drive to the basket, the shot
maker became a momentum
stopper. That included draining
a three-pointer to push the lead
to 101-88 with less than four
minutes remaining.
Westbrook and Durant made
back-to-back jumpers to cut
lead to eight points with 3:19
on the clock. Durant then sank
a pair of free throws and guard
Reggie Jackson got a breaka-
way layup to get Oklahoma City
within four.
The Clippers went to forward
Blake Grif n, who was fouled
on a drive. He made the rst but
missed the second free throw
attempts.
However, Los Angeles got the
rebound and guard Chris Paul
made the Thunder pay with a
jumper with 49 seconds on the
clock but Oklahoma City re-
fused to concede defeat.
CONTENTIOUSCALL
Durant scored ve straight
to get the Thunder within two
points before Westbrook stole
the ball fromPaul and passed it
to Jackson for a layup attempt
that was knockedout of bounds.
The ball stayed with the
Thunder, a call Clippers coach
Doc Rivers disagreed with.
It was our ball, Rivers said.
Everybody knows it was
our ball. The bottom line is
they (officials) thought it was a
foul and they made up for it. In
my opinion, lets take away the
replay system. Because thats
our ball, we win the game. We
got robbed because of that
call.
Los Angeles compounded
the problem when Paul fouled
Westbrook on a three-point
attempt. Westbrook made all
three to give Oklahoma City a
one-point advantage with six
seconds left.
The Clippers still had a
chance to steal the victory and
got the ball to Paul. He drove to
the basket, but Jackson deect-
ed it and forward Serge Ibaka
came up with the steal to seal
the win.
Probably the toughest thing
Ive been through basketball
wise, a disconsolate Paul said.
Its me. Everything that
happened there at the end is on
me. The turnover with 17 sec-
onds left; assuming they are
going to foul is probably the
dumbest play Ive ever made.
Then to even put it in the of-
cials hand to call a foul on a
three, is just bad basketball.
Grif n led the Clippers with
24 points and 17 rebounds,
Paul added 17 points and 14 as-
sists, and Crawford came of the
bench to score 19.
Game Six is in Los Angeles
today, where the third-seeded
Clippers will be hoping to send
the series to a decider.
WIZARDS STAY ALIVE BY
ROUTING PACERS
Marcin Gortat tallied 31
points and 16 rebounds as the
Washington Wizards staved of
elimination with a 102-79 win
over the Indiana Pacers in game
ve of their NBAplayof series.
Gortat had a double double
by the end of the second quar-
ter for the Wizardswho still
trail in the second round series,
three games to two, despite a
dominating victory Tuesday.
Washington seized a com-
manding 24-point lead in the
third quarter in front of a crowd
of 18,165 at the Bankers Life
Fieldhouse arena inIndianapolis.
Teammate John Wall, who
scored 17 of his 27 points in the
third, said after the game, I was
locked in. I didnt say anything
to anybody (before game ve). I
just wantedtocome inlockedin.
Gortat said he has good
chemistry with Wall.
He plays good or bad, I have
his back. I told him that before
the game, said Gortat.
The Wizards were facing
elimination for the rst time in
the playofs, and, insteadof get-
ting their golf clubs ready for a
summer of fun, they stayedalive
and improved to ve wins and
one loss on the road in the 2014
postseason.
They dominated on the glass,
out-rebounding the Pacers 62-
23 on Tuesday.
NBA
Thunder score eight points with 49 seconds remaining; Series shifts to LA with Oklahoma City 3-2 ahead
AFP
Los Angeles
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant shoots as Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Grifin defends in the first quarter of game five of
the second round of the 2014 Playofs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Tuesday.
Results
Eastern Conference
at Indiana
Washington 102 Indiana 79
(Indiana leads series 3-2)
Western Conference
at Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City 105 Los Angeles 104
(Oklahoma City leads series 3-2)
P
atrick Kane solidi-
ed his reputation as
the NHLs most clutch
playof performer as
the Chicago Blackhawks beat
the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in over-
time to win their second round
playof series 4-2.
Kane scored the game win-
ner and series clincher at 9:42
of overtime on Tuesday as the
defending Stanley Cup cham-
pions beat the Wild in six games
to reach the NHL playof semi-
nals.
It was nice to see the puck in
the net and get the series over
with, Kane said.
The 25-year-old American is
making a habit of scoring clutch
Stanley Cup playof goals for
the Blackhawks. He scored the
overtime winner in game six of
the 2010 Stanley Cup nals to
claim his rst championship
ring. Three years later, Kane
earned his second ring and won
the Conn Smythe Trophy as
the most valuable player of the
postseason.
Kane and Blackhawks captain
Jonathan Toews have combined
to score seven of the Black-
hawks eight-game winning
goals in the 2014 postseason
Tuesdays winning goal was
the result of a weird bounce
of the back boards that fooled
Minnesota goalie Ilya Bryzgalov
who was expecting the puck to
hit the glass and sail behind the
net.
Kane drove to the front of the
net, pick up the loose puck at
the side and lifted a backhand
just under the crossbar and past
Russias Bryzgalov in front of a
crowd of 19,396 at the Xcel En-
ergy Center arena.
The play started with a shoot
in by Chicago defenceman
Brent Seabrook who got an as-
sist on the play.
Kris Versteeg also scored and
Corey Crawford came up with
34 saves for the Blackhawks,
who await the winner of the
other second round Western
Conference battle between the
Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim
Ducks.
Erik Haula picked up the lone
goal for the Wild, while Bryz-
galov stopped 25 shots in the
season-ending loss.
LUNDQVISTSRANGERSBEAT
PENGUINS TO ADVANCE
Henrik Lundqvist continued
his game-seven dominance
Tuesday, stopping 35 shots
as the New York Rangers beat
the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1
to reach the National Hockey
League playof semi-nals.
Lundqvist, of Sweden, has
won each of his last ve elimi-
nation contests and he im-
proved to 10-2 in his career in
game sevens.
ForwardBradRichards scored
the winner in the second period
for the Rangers who rallied from
a 3-1 series decit to win the
NHL second round playof se-
ries four games to three.
They advance to the nal four
wheretheywill facethewinner of
another quarter-nal seriesgame
seven between Boston-Montreal
set for Wednesdaynight.
Finlands Jussi Jokinen scored
the lone goal and netminder
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 18
shots for Pittsburgh who are 7-7
all-time in game sevens.
Richards scored the win-
ner on the power play with just
under eight minutes gone in
the second period after taking
a pass from fellow Canadian
Martin St. Louis.
Richards positioned himself
near the goal line to the right of
Fleury where St. Louis fed him
the pass. It was Richards fourth
goal of the playofs.
Blackhawks advance to fnals
NHL
AFP
Toronto
Results
NY Rangers 2 PITTSBURGH 1
(NY Rangers win the best-of-seven
series by 4-3)
Chicago 2 MINNESOTA 1
(Chicago win the best-of-seven series
by 4-2)
Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks makes a glove save of
a shot by Justin Fontaine of the Minnesota Wild during the second
period in Game Six of the Second Round of the 2014 Stanley Cup
Playofs on Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota
Cabrera HR in 9th
rallies Tigers past
Orioles 4-1
M
iguel Cabrera hit a
three-run homer of
Tommy Hunter with
two outs in the top of
ninth inning while Victor Mar-
tinez added a solo shot to give
the Detroit Tigers a 4-1 victory
over the Baltimore Orioles.
Orioles center elder Adam
Jones homered inthe rst inning.
The ninth-inning dramat-
ics cost Orioles starter Ubaldo
Jimenez the win after he threw
seven shutout innings, allowing
three hits and two walks while
striking out seven.
Elsewhere, rookie pinch-
hitter Greg Garcia was hit in the
ribs by a Justin Grimm pitch in
the bottom of the 12th inning
with the bases loaded to record
his rst major-league RBI and
give the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-3
win over the Chicago Cubs.
Seth Maness (1-2) worked
arounda two-out double andin-
tentional walk to garner the win
in a four hour, 39-minute mara-
thon game.
Juan Francisco homered, dou-
bled and drove in two runs to
power the Toronto Blue Jays to
a 5-4 victory over the Cleveland
Indians at Rogers Centre.
Francisco, getting the start at
third base, homered in the fth
inning, his sixth of the season,
and hit a run-scoring double in
the sixth.
BASEBALL
AFP
New York
Results
Detroit 4 BALTIMORE 1
NY Mets 12 NY YANKEES 7
LA Angels 4 PHILADELPHIA 3
TORONTO 5 Cleveland 4
San Diego 2 CINCINNATI 1
KANSAS CITY 5 Colorado 1
MILWAUKEE 5 Pittsburgh 2
MINNESOTA 8 Boston 6
HOUSTON 8 Texas 0
ST. LOUIS 4 Chicago Cubs 3
ARIZONA 3 Washington 1
OAKLAND 1 Chicago W Sox 0
Tampa Bay 2 SEATTLE 1
LA DODGERS 7 Miami 1
Atlanta 5 SAN FRANCISCO 0
FEATURES
9
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Rooney takes two trainers
on holiday before WCup
FOOTBALL
England need spin to turn them back into a force
CRICKET
ByAndyBull
theguardian.com
E
nglands fortunes turned at
2.07pm on December 12, 2008,
three minutes before tea on
the second day of the rst Test
against India. Or 2.07pmand a fewex-
tra seconds. Because Graeme Swanns
rst ball inTest cricket was short, wide,
and cut for four past point by Gautam
Gambhir. His second, however, pro-
voked an appeal for a catch at short leg.
And his third won him his rst wicket,
as Gambhir tried to pad away a delivery
that would have gone on to hit his of-
stump. Three balls later, Swann had his
second, when Rahul Dravids bat was
beaten by a delivery that ripped back in
fromoutside of.
This over ignited an extraordinary
Test career. A year later, Swann was
ranked as one the worlds top ve Test
bowlers, and by the following March he
was up at No2. Between then and that
nal sorry Ashes tour of 2013, Swann
spent only a couple of months outside
of the worlds top 10. Inthe ve years he
played the game his last Test started
two days after the anniversary of his
rst he bowled more overs, and took
more wickets, than any other player in
Test cricket. And, for the rst time in
a generation, England had a spinner as
good as any in the world.
For all the hullaballoo about Kevin
Pietersen, much as Jonathan Trott will
be missed, dif cult as it will be to nd
another keeper to cover for Matt Pri-
or, it is, as several shrewd judges have
pointedout , Swannwho will be hardest
to replace. He was, as Marcus Tresco-
thick has just written, the biggest cat-
alyst in turning England fromthe third
or fourth best teaminthe world to No1,
something they achieved within three
years of his debut, and which they had
last done back in 1980. England won 30
of the 60 Tests Swann played, and he
took 155 wickets at 22.66 in those vic-
tories.
England, says Mushtaq Ahmed,
who has just left his job as the ECBs
spin coach, or for that matter no team
can expect to be nNo1 in Test cricket or
retain their top position for long with-
out having a wicket-taking spinner.
That description, wicket-taking, is
key. Swanns overs were just a little
more expensive than those of a couple
of the players who came before him, like
Ashley Giles and Monty Panesar, but he
took wickets at a quicker rate than any
English spinner since the second world
war, and did it at a lower average than
anyone since Derek Underwood.
Swannwas oftendescribedas anor-
thodox spinner, but the label was nev-
er quite right. His grip, as he explains
in this video, was unusual in that he
tucked the tip of his middle nger back
into his palm. He spun the ball of the
third knuckle of his forenger and the
second of his middle nger, which was
one reason why he is the only English
nger spinner who can make the ball
turn at 2,200 revolutions per minute,
as opposed to the 2,000-odd that most
manage. In that regard, he was unique.
Those extra revolutions gave his de-
liveries more drift in the air, and more
spin of the pitch. That allowed him to
succeed even when conditions didnt
suit. More than half of Swanns wickets
came in Englands rst innings in the
eld, at a rate of one every 10 overs and
a cost of 32 runs each. And when he was
neutralised, he was able to slip back a
gear and operate as a holding bowler, as
he didinAustralia in2010-11. That dual
ability allowed England to play him as
part of a four-man attack. In those ve
years, Swann bowled a little less than
a quarter of the sides overs and took a
little more than a quarter of their wick-
ets. Oh, and he elded at slip, and aver-
aged just over 22 with the bat.
The blunt truth is that there is no one
in English cricket ready or able to take
on that kind of role in the team, which
is why Mushtaq has just said that while
he thinks Moores is a brilliant coach
and a good person even he will nd
it dif cult to turn around Englands
Test ranking. Monty Panesar is still
the most accomplished spinner in the
country. But, of course, he cant bat
and isnt much cop in the eld. And it is
much harder to play himin a four-man
attack because he isnt nearly as threat-
ening as Swann in the rst innings,
where he takes his Test wickets at a rate
of one every 15 overs and at an average
of 43 apiece.
England could couple Panesar with
an all-rounder higher up the order,
of course, but right now there are still
clouds lingering over his head after his
misadventures at Sussex last summer.
Swanns other longstanding under-
study, James Tredwell, is playing for
Sevenoaks, having been dropped from
Kents championship side. Among the
young pretenders, Simon Kerrigan is
still in rehabilitation after his ugly Test
debut last summer, Scott Borthwick
is a capable bat but looks a long way
from being ready to ply his leg-spin at
Test level. Yorkshires Azeem Raq is
in the countys second XI, as is Danny
Briggs at Hampshire. Adam Riley, in
ne early-season form at Kent, has
only played 24 rst-class matches. And
Middlesexs Olly Rayner has only taken
six wickets in 12 innings so far this year.
Which is why many good judges
think Moores will turn to Moeen Ali, a
man who has only just started to think
of himself as an all-rounder, and ask
him to play a supporting role in a five-
man attack. Ali has a doosra, which he
learned from Saeed Ajmal, so there is
a little devil about him. He is a bet-
ter bowler than many appreciate, but
perhaps not quite so good as some
others hope. He took 61 first-class
wickets at 29.66 each in the cham-
pionship in 2012 and 2013. But even
so, it will be asking an awful lot of a
young man to bowl out India, or Sri
Lanka, on the fifth day of a Test this
summer, just as it will be expecting a
lot of the England side as a whole for
them to succeed without a frontline
spinner. For the time being, though, it
seems as if that is what they will have
to do. It is an old problem for England,
and one to which Swann provided a
rare, and exceptional, solution.
ByDominic Fifield
The Guardian
W
ayne Rooneys eagerness to
make a positive impact at
the World Cup in Brazil has
prompted him to take two
tness trainers to Portugal this week to
ensure he is fully recovered from a groin
complaint by the time England begin their
training camp inthe Algarve next Monday.
The Manchester United forward, who
missed his clubs last three games of the
domestic season with the injury as well as
a stomach bug, was named in Roy Hodg-
sons 23-man squad on Monday. The se-
lection appears bold and progressive, with
only 11 survivors from Euro 2012 and six
who have played at a previous World Cup,
with places for the relative international
newcomers RaheemSterling, Ross Barkley
and the Southampton trio of Adam Lal-
lana, Luke Shawand Rickie Lambert.
The only slight tness doubt that re-
mains is Phil Jones, who has a damaged
shoulder. Evertons John Stones and the
Liverpool full-back Jon Flanagan are the
only two of the seven stand-by play-
ers who will travel with the full squad to
Vale do Lobo for a ve-day training camp
when the squad assembles after having
this week of to relax. Rooney ew out for
his break in Portugal on Monday with two
tness trainers, hired at the 28-year-olds
expense, as he bids to be in peak condition
ahead of the nals.
Hes going with two trainers, and
[Uniteds head of tness] Tony Strudwick
has beenintouch with us wanting to know
about the pitch in Vale do Lobo, Hodgson
said. This is a free week, a week where
players go of and many do go to Portugal,
where they have homes. Wayne is going on
holiday there and hes not alone. A few of
them are going out to Portugal. If theyve
got houses out there, thats where they go
on their week of. Immore than happy for
the players to forget football for a week
and get mentally prepared for the weeks
ahead.
But Wayne is so determined to be up
andrunning whenwe get there onthe 19th
of May that hes going to continue his pro-
gramme so hell be able to join in straight
away. His attitude is hes desperate to be
up and running on the 19th May [when the
squad travel to their base in Vale do Lobo].
Imnot as desperate for himto be fully t
on the 19th Imthinking more about the
Italy game on 14 June but its still quite
laudable that thats the way hes thinking
and Imnot trying to dissuade him. But if
I do get there on the 19th and the tness
people say he needs two or three days, I
wont be shedding any tears.
Rooney still has much to prove at the
World Cup, having failed to score in Ger-
many in 2006 and South Africa four years
later, his preparations for both having
been severely disrupted. The striker had
sufered a fractured metatarsal at Stam-
ford Bridge towards the end of the 2005-
06 season and was short of match tness
during a tournament that ended with a red
cardinthe defeat onpenalties by Portugal.
He injured an ankle in the run-in to a pro-
lic domestic campaign four years later
and his performances in the nals were
subdued and personal issues occupying
his mind.
He had chosen to visit Las Vegas before
Euro 2012, where he was suspended for
the rst two group games, and, despite
scoring in the third to secure Englands
progress, looked sluggish as the team de-
parted at the knockout phase.
But the attitude and the desire are
there, said Hodgson, who will attend It-
alys friendly against the Republic of Ire-
land at Craven Cottage on 31 May to scout
Englands rst Group D opponents in the
esh. Its not right to put the hopes of
the nation on the shoulders of one man.
The four forwards weve selected are
very good. Im hoping the responsibility
for scoring Englands goals is shared and
that might give Wayne the chance to show
the other aspects of his game. Has he got
the ability? Yes, he has. Lets hope he can
show the formthat makes Wayne Rooney
the player he is. The England manager
praised the impact made by Sterling,
Barkley and Jordan Henderson over the
course of the domestic season, suggesting
the youngsters had imposed their abil-
ity on my thinking. He had paid his latest
visit to St Marys on Sunday to watch Lal-
lana and Shaw, who are the subject of bids
fromLiverpool and United.
Yet Hodgson has stressed he will de-
mand his players are focused solely on
England and the nals ahead in the build-
up to Brazil, with agents discouraged from
visiting their clients in Vale do Lobo, Mi-
ami or Rio de Janeiro.
I have made it clear to them already,
and they are perfectly happy with it: Eng-
landis Englandandyour clubis your club,
he said. The two are not married togeth-
er. I dont try, as England manager, to have
any efect on you and your club and what
you do at your club. On the other hand,
you must accept when you come here it is
us that matter, so a medical will have to be
done outside of England time. They can
do it in their spare time, say on a free af-
ternoon, but we are denitely not going to
have agents swirling around or a situation
where a player has to leave the camp.
I chose this squad because I really be-
lieve its right for this moment. Time could
prove me wrong. Circumstances canprove
me wrong and results can certainly prove
me wrong but I feel comfortable because
a lot of thought has gone into this squad.
Wehaveagonisedover certaindecisions,
AshleyCole or Luke Shawbeingthe obvious
one, but weve made our nal decision in
good faith. We believe its a good squad. We
believe in the players. Ill allowother people
todecide whether it was boldenough.
England striker determined to hit the
ground running in Brazil
SPORT
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014 10
Al-Rajhi, Dabrowski
to represent
Overdrive in Egypt
QFA, Shell to
host Koora Time
Fan Zone during
Emir Cup fnal
Al-Balooshi riding high afer strong 2014 start
CROSS-COUNTRY RALLYING FOCUS
DRAG RACING
It is not an easy rally and there is sure to be strong competition
Agencies
El Gouna, Egypt
S
audi Arabian driver Yazeed al-
Rajhi and Polands Marek Dab-
rowski will drive a pair of Over-
drive Racing Toyota Hiluxes in the
Pharoans Rally, round ve of the 2014FIA
World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies,
which takes place between El Gouna and
Cairo in Egypt on May 19-24.
The pair currently hold fourth and
second in the FIA World Cup points
standings and realise the importance of
collecting vital championship points at
the third of the long-distance marathon-
type rounds of the prestigious FIAseries.
Partnered by German co-driver Timo
Gottschalk, al-Rajhi began his challenge
for a rst ever FIAWorld Cup title in dev-
astating style by winning both the short-
er Russian and Italian Baja rounds of the
championship. But the decision not to
drive a Toyota in Abu Dhabi was a costly
one and a series of punctures and a rear
axle problem sidelined the Riyadh driver
in Qatar. He has now recovered from a
health scare at a recent special stage rally
in Jordan and is relishing the challenge of
kick-starting his title push.
Dabrowski and fellow Polish naviga-
tor Jacek Czachor have been the model
of consistency this season in their Team
Orlen Toyota Hilux. The pair were third
in Italy and Qatar, fth in Russia and sev-
enth in Abu Dhabi. They trial the Russian
championship leader Vladimir Vasilyev
by 65 points and knowthat a podiumn-
ish in Egypt would boost their challenge
for the title.
Our team has started the season well
and we are well-placed in the FIA World
Cup with four drivers in second, third,
fourth and seventh places in the cham-
pionship standings, said Overdrive team
director Jean-Marc Fortin. Yazeed has
been given the all clear to return to rac-
ing after being taken ill in Jordan and be-
ing forced to miss the Rally of Argentina.
He knows the importance of a top three
nish in Egypt. Marek also needs to con-
tinue adding to his points tally. It is not
an easy rally and there is sure to be strong
competition.
After scrutineering and administra-
tion at the Red Sea town of El Gouna and
a super special stage on Monday, May
19th, the challenging ve-day rally leaves
the eastern Egyptian town on May 20th
en route to the southerly historic city of
Luxor onthe banks of the Nile, via a series
of spectacular tracks over ancient camel
caravan trails.
From there, on May 21st, the route
heads southwest across the desert to an
overnight bivouac in Dahkla, initially via
tracks that connect Upper Egypt with
the Western Oasis. The terrain becomes
rockier, with plateau crossings and teams
will experience the rst of the dunes.
The route then turns north towards the
Libyque desert andcrosses sandstone and
limestone trails en route to the bivouac in
Baharia, on May 22nd.
The fourth selective section is a loop
stage around the Baharia oasis on May
23rd and uses ancient trails once used to
transport gold and salt from Chad and
Sudan for sale in Egypt and numerous
sandy tracks and dune crossings.
The fth and nal section takes teams
from Baharia to a nish in Cairo at the
Pyramids in Giza on Saturday, May 24th.
The stage leaves the depressions of the
Libyque desert and crosses the Giza pla-
teau to return to the Nile valley.
FIA World Cup for Cross-Country
Rallies standings
1. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS) 135 pts
2. Marek Dabrowski (POL) 70 pts
3. Adam Malysz (POL) 66 pts
4. Yazeed al-Rajhi (KSA) 60 pts
4. Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (QAT) 60 pts
6. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE) 48 pts
7. Reinaldo Varela (BRA) 46 pts
8. Boris Gadasin (RUS) 27 pts
9. Yayha al-Helai (UAE) 24 pts
10. Martin Kaczmarski (POL) 22 pts
By Sports Reporter
Doha
T
he Qatar Football As-
sociation (QFA) and Qa-
tar Shell will once again
join forces to celebrate
the HH Emir Cup nal by host-
ing a football-themed Fan Zone
for spectators on Saturday from
3:30pm at Khalifa Stadium, As-
pire Zone.
This years Koora Time Fan
Zone takes on an urban street
theme demonstrating that foot-
ball, the nations favourite sport,
can be played anywhere, any-
time, and in any environment.
The QFA and Qatar Shell are
joined for the rst time by acti-
vation partners the Ministry of
Interior, Civil Defence, Toyota
and Sony who are guaranteed to
elevate the fan experience.
For those not able to get their
hands on tickets for the highly
anticipated nal between last
years runners up Al Sadd and
newcomers Al Sailiya, the Koora
Time Fan Zone includes a gi-
ant screen and viewing area
open to the general public. Visi-
tors will also have the oppor-
tunity to learn more about and
register for the QFA and Qatar
Shell agship programme, IlAb
WeYana, which is based on the
FutbolNet methodology created
by FC Barcelona Foundation.
Targeting children aged seven to
12, the programme is designed
to provide children with access
to additional hours of exercise
throughout the academic year.
This exciting event builds on
the long standing relationship
betweentheQFAandQatar Shell.
Qatar Shell has been sponsoring
HH Emir Cup for nine consecu-
tive years, and in February 2013
the two partners announced the
launch of their corporate social
responsibility initiative, Koora
Time, which aims to improve the
health and well-being of Qatars
youth through football, in line
with the Qatar National Vision
2030.
QFA president Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa bin Ahmad al-Thani
said, We are excited about the
Koora Time FanZone. It is anop-
portunity for the whole family to
get active and join in celebrating
HH Emir Cup Final in an enjoy-
able environment. This event
will mark the ninth anniversary
of the QFA and Qatar Shell part-
nership.
Qatar Shell managing director
and chairman Wael Sawan said,
We believe that more football
will lead to healthier youth. We
encourage everyone to join us,
get active and support their team
at what will be the biggest Koora
Time Fan Zone yet. This initia-
tive demonstrates our commit-
ment to the Qatar National Vi-
sion 2030 and Qatars National
Development Strategy 2011-
2016, which seeks to improve the
health and well-being of Qatars
youth.
Agencies
Commerce, Georgia
D
ubai native Khalid al-Balo-
oshi is feeling pretty good
about things these days. Af-
ter reaching the nal round
of eliminations for the second time this
season, its quite clear that the former
Pro Mod champion continues his im-
pressive evolution into a Top Fuel driv-
er. Al-Balooshi and his teammate, 2013
World Champion Shawn Langdon, roll
into this weeks event near Atlanta,
Georgia looking for another solid out-
ing for the Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top
Fuel team, the three-time and defend-
ing World Championship team owned
by HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-
Thani.
The two Al-Anabi drivers enter this
weekends 34th annual Summit Racing
Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals,
the seventh of 24 races making up the
United States 2014 NHRA Mello Yello
Drag Racing Series, in search of more
success and perhaps another race win.
Qualifying is set for Friday and Satur-
day with eliminations scheduled for
Sunday.
Al-Balooshi, who won Februarys
season-opening race in California, ad-
vanced to his second nal round of the
season last month in Houston; he is of
to the best start of his three-year Top
Fuel career. In the rst six races of the
season, al-Balooshi has a win, a run-
ner-up nish and nine round wins; he
is fth in points. Last year at this time,
he had two semi-nal appearances, six
round wins and was tied for sixth in
points. Six races into his 2012 rookie
season, he had no round wins and was
13th in points. The rst Middle Eastern
driver to compete in a major US Mot-
orsports series has made tremendous
progress since his rookie season.
I feel very goodabout what our team
has been doing this year, al-Balooshi
said. We won the rst race but then we
had some problems with the tune-up.
The last two races have been very good
for both Al-Anabi cars. Shawn (Lang-
don) went to a nal round; we went to
a nal round with the gold Al-Anabi
team. I made a mistake in the race with
Antron (2012 World Champion Antron
Brown in the Houston nal round); I
got the car out of the groove. I amsorry
that happened, and I will do my best
not to do that again. I think we are get-
ting back to the way we ran in the rst
race.
I know everybody on our team is
working his hardest; I thank everyone for
his hard work. I knowmy crewchief (Ja-
sonMcCulloch) is tryinghis best tomake
our car one of the best inthe show. When
theseasonstarted, I saidI thought wehad
a good hot rod. I still think that. Our hot
rod is very good. Our teamis very good. I
think we can win another race for Sheikh
Khalidsoon.
Langdon, the 2013 NHRAMello Yello
Top Fuel World Champion, has made
huge strides in the last two races with
a nal round appearance in Charlotte
and a seminal run in Houston one race
ago. The teamhas qualied in the top-
four positions at ve of the six races
this year, and now, the race-day per-
formance is starting to come around as
well. His fourth-place points position
is his highest of the season - the teams
hardwork incrafting its tune-up is now
starting to pay dividends.
Its looking like we may have turned
the corner in our season, Langdon
said. The Al-Anabi car is denitely re-
sponding better to what weve beendo-
ing, and we appreciate Sheikh Khalids
patience while weve worked on things.
Nowits just trying to keep progressing
and keep that Sunday tune-up going
the right direction. Weve qualied well
all season; weve just had some incon-
sistencies on Sunday, but I think weve
turned the corner now. The cars de-
nitely running better, and were push-
ing to try to get that rst winof the sea-
son. Just like any other year, once you
get that rst win out of the way, were
hoping more will followshortly after.
Marek Dabrowski holds second in the FIA World Cup after four rounds.
Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel driver Khalid al-Balooshi races to his quarter-final victory over Leah Pritchett in Houston last month.
It is anopportunityfor the
wholefamilytoget active
andjoinincelebrating
HHEmir CupFinal inan
enjoyableenvironment.
This event will markthe
ninthanniversaryof
theQFAandQatar Shell
partnership, QFApresident
SheikhHamadbinKhalifa
binAhmadal-Thani said
POSTER
11
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Former Brazilian striker | Two-time World Cup winner | Three-time FIFA World Player of the Year | The Phenomenon
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Thursday, May 15, 2014
GULF TIMES
SPORT
Arabi outplay Jaish
3-0 to enter semis
EMIR CUP
ByYashMudgal
Doha
A
l Arabi outplayed El
Jaish in straight sets
3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-
17) to enter the semi-
nals of the Emir Cup Volleyball
here at the Arabi Stadium In-
door Hall yesterday.
Nineteen-time champions
Arabi playedtotheir true poten-
tial to register its second con-
secutive victory over Jaish in the
rst outing of the tournament.
Arabi, who won the its rst sil-
verware since 2012 defeating
Jaish in the recently concluded
Qatar Cup nal, took just one
hour to enter the last four stage
of the tournament.
Arabi played a near-perfect
three sets with each player con-
tributing in equal measure. Ib-
rahim (18 points) was the most
consistent player in the match.
With minimum efort, he un-
leashed numerous winners and
his blocking was of top quality.
His performance was instru-
mental in Arabis good show.
Cooli (15 points) and Brazilian
Thiago (nine points) were also
outstanding on the court.
Playing without the experi-
enced Kenyan opposite spiker
Philip Maiyo, the army team
was not able to replicate the
performance they displayed in
the Qatar Volleyball League and
Qatar Cup. The reigning double
FederationCupchampions Jaish
could not come up with any
ght against their much superi-
or opponents. Apart from a few
smashes by Rafael de Oliveira
and Mubarak Awil, they found
it hard to break Arabis defence.
Rafael scored 18 points for his
side and Awil scored 12. Ser-
bian star Milos Stevanovic set
up well, but their overall attack
lacked power to win a single
set. The German professional
Christian Pampel also showed
ashes of brilliance as he scored
six points.
In the seminal, Arabi will
take on winner of the last quar-
ter-nal which will take place
between domestic giant and de-
fending champions Al Rayyan,
who nished runners-up in the
FIVB Club World Champion-
ship in Belo Horizente, Brazil
recently and Al Wakrah today.
Rayyan had lost to Russias Be-
logorie Belgorod (25-16, 21-25,
21-25, 15-25) in the nal.
It was a good game for us.
We played according to our
plan. We kept our rivals under
pressure with an all-court game
to nish the match in straight
sets. We are hoping for another
good show in the seminals,
Arabi coach Mohammad al-
Bahri said. Im very satised
that we are winning againafter a
gap of two years. Imhappy with
my team. We are high on con-
dence after Qatar Cup win and
after todays victory Im sure
well play well in the upcoming
matches to nish the season on
a high, he added.
Qatar League runners-up Po-
lice, who defeated Sadd in the
quarter-nals, will meet Ahli
tomorrow in the other semi-
nal. The nal is slated for
Sunday. The Qatar Volleyball
Association (QVA) has decided
to revise the format of the 35th
edition of the prestigious tour-
nament to make it shorter as
champions Al Rayyan was com-
peting in the FIVB Club World
Championship, which nished
in Brazil last Sunday.
Unlike in the past seasons,
where eight teams were drawn
into two pools, the Emirs Cup,
featuring the top four teams
from the league and as many
qualiers, in a straight knockout
afair this time.
Al Arabis Juantorena smashes one past El Jaish defenders during the Emir Cup, yesterday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma
Bhavans Public School (top) and Lebanese School perform between
the matches in support of the 42nd edition of the Emir Cup.
Arabi will take on winner of the last quarter-final between Al Rayyan and Al Wakrah
BySports reporter
Doha
H
H the Emir Cup this
year has attracted
many schools to per-
form between the
matches in support of the 42nd
edition of the prestigious tour-
nament.
A total of six schools were in-
vited by the Qatar Football As-
sociation (QFA) to perform at
diferent matches of the tour-
nament. Schools include The
Philippine School Doha, Leba-
nese School, Al Khor Interna-
tional School (AKIS), Jordanian
School, Bhavans Public School,
and MES Indian School (MES).
Over hundreds of students,
families, and friends attended in
support of the Emir Cup match-
es. The performances has really
helped bring fans to the stadium.
QFA also invited diferent ex-
pat communities to attend the
matches.
Zema Sheikh, Senior Com-
munications Of cer at AKIS
commented: Al Khor Interna-
tional School (AKIS) is extremely
proud to participate inthis years
prestigious Emirs Cup. In the
true spirit of sportsmanship and
teamwork, our school perform-
ance was a real labour of love for
Qatar that is home to our truly
diverse, international student
community, representing over
50 nationalities. On behalf of
our entire school, I would like
to thank His Highness for this
honour that we will treasure for
many years to come.
Al Khor International School
is set to performbefore the kick-
of of the nal match of the Emir
Cup. Students are rehearsing
energetically ahead of the nal
match to showcase a spectacular
performance.
Schools perform
at Emir Cup
FOOTBALL
A total of six schools
were invited by the Qatar
Football Association
to perform at diferent
matches of the tournament.
Schools includeThe
Philippine School Doha,
Lebanese School, Al Khor
International School,
Jordanian School, Bhavans
Public School, and
MES Indian School
By Sports Reporter
Doha
Q
atars Al Rayyan went down ghting
to Al Kuwait 77-78 in the GCC Bas-
ketball Clubs Championship 2014
here at the Aspire womens gym
yesterday.
Rayyan took a 23-18 lead in the rst quarter
and was leading 57-56 at the end of the third
quarter, but riding on a strong showby Marko
Milic and Rashed Airbah, Kuwait rallied to
beat Rayyan.
Milic was in ne touch as he found his shot
on the crucial moments of the game and n-
ished with 27 points for the winners. Milic
was ably supported by Airbah, who scored 22
points with four three-pointers and Jasmin
Perkovic, who also chipped in with 15 points
for the visitors.
For Qatar team Musa Yaseen and Boney
Watson contributed 16 points each, while
Zuza Jurica and Malek al-Abdulla scored 14
and 15 points, respectively.
In the second match of the day, Marshall
Sean dropped 27 points including four three-
pointers and three clutch free throws as UAEs
Al Ahli defeated Saudi Arabias Al Ittihad 75-
69. Tidiane Samb was also in full ow as he
sank 25 points for his side.
For Ittihad, Marwani scored 22 points and
Byron Simmons scored 21 points.
Defending champions Al Sadd, who got to
a winning start by defeating Omans Nizwa
107-94 on Sunday, is the other Qatari side in
the tournament. Al Wasl of UnitedArab Emir-
ates and Manama of Bahrain are the other
teams in the tournament.
Rayyan go down fghting to Al Kuwait, Ahli beat Ittihad
BASKETBALL
An Al Ittihad player score against Al Ahli. UAEs Al Ahli defeated Saudi Arabias Al Ittihad 75-69. PICTURES: Anas Khalid
Al Rayyans Mohamed Mohamed (centre) attempts to score against
Al Kuwait during their GCC Clubs Championship match.