QATAR | Page 10

SPORT | Page 9

INDEX
QATAR

3 15, 34, 36
16

REGION
ARAB WORLD
INTERNATIONAL

16, 17
18 31

32, 33

COMMENT
BUSINESS

1 8, 14 16

CLASSIFIED
SPORTS

9 14

Ashghal
to launch
major
wastewater
treatment
projects

1 12

Malik
retires
from
Tests

DOW JONES

QE

NYMEX

17,939.23

11,516.59

48.19

+110.47
+0.62%

-30.35
-0.26%

+2.05
+4.44%

he R
is
bl TA 978
A 1
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in

GULF TIMES

pu

Latest Figures

WEDNESDAY

Vol. XXXVI No. 9896

November 4, 2015
Moharram 21, 1437 AH
www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

Emir meets US first lady

New budget
to focus on
efficiency
in spending

In brief
QATAR | Response

Applications to invest
in new logistics areas
The logistics committee at
the Ministry of Economy and
Commerce (MEC) has received
1,594 applications to invest in new
logistics areas lying to the west
of Al Wakrah, Berkat Al Awamer
and Aba Al Salil. The committee
has extended working hours
during weekends, including on
Friday, November 6, from 3pm
to 6pm to give applicants more
time to submit their documents at
Manateq. The deadline for receiving
applications is 2pm on November
9, while allocation cheques can be
submitted until 2pm on November
12. The number of applications has
exceeded the plots of land offered
for the project.
REGION | Weather

Rare cyclone
batters Yemen
A cyclone with hurricane-force
winds made landfall on Yemens
Arabian Sea coast yesterday,
flooding the countrys fifth-largest
city Mukalla and sending thousands
of people fleeing for shelter. Officials
and meteorologists say the storm is
the most intense in decades in the
arid country. Page 16

The Emir stresses the government

will continue with infrastructure
and human development projects
despite the decline in oil prices

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani meeting with the US first lady Michelle Obama at the Emiri Diwan yesterday.
During the meeting, attended by the delegation accompanying Michelle Obama, they reviewed bilateral relations and
exchanged views on a number of topics of mutual interest, particularly in the educational fields. Michelle Obama is in Doha to
take part in the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), starting at Qatar National Convention Centre today. Page 3

HMC team performs Qatars

rst stem cell transplants

ASIA | Diplomacy

Chinese and Taiwan

leader set to meet
Taiwans President Ma Ying-jeou
will meet his Chinese counterpart
Xi Jinping in Singapore on Saturday,
Mas office said, in what will be the
first meeting between leaders from
the two rivals since the end of a civil
war in 1949. Page 21

By Joey Aguilar
Staff Reporter

amad Medical Corporation

(HMC) has achieved yet another milestone by successfully completing the rst stem cell
transplants in Qatar.
The procedures beneted two expatriates who had an aggressive form
of blood cancer called myeloma.
Considered as a major development
for Qatar in treating blood cancers,
the entire procedure was done by a
team of clinicians at HMCs National
Centre for Cancer Care and Research
(NCCCR).
The team had been trained extensively on bone marrow transplant and
worked with top medical institutions
in the world.
We made a tremendous step forward and this will ensure in the future
that treatment which is available only
abroad is also offered here to our Qatari and expatriate population, Prof
Alexander Knuth, medical director at
NCCCR, told a press conference yesterday.
The team followed the international standards as outlined by the Joint
Accreditation Committee of International Society for Cellular Therapies and the European Bone Marrow
Transplant Organisation where Qatar
is a member now.
The aim is to establish a Transplant Centre of Excellence for the
treatment of cancer in Qatar and the
wider Gulf region, Prof Knuth explained.
NCCCR performs the autologous
transplant which uses the patients
own stem cell for transplant. It is also
known as a highly effective therapy
and the only hope for a cure for people
with blood cancer similar to another
type of procedure called allogeneic
transplant.
For allogeneic, Prof Knuth explained that stem cells come from a

HMC managing director Dr Hanan al-Kuwari exchanging pleasantries with one of

the two patients who successfully underwent the first stem cell transplants in Qatar.
different individual (or donor) than
from the patient.
Initially when we were launching
this programme we were also debating whether we will start with allogeneic versus autologous but we decided
to take the latter because it was easier
for it to establish at this time, he said.
The entire procedure started by
eliminating the cancer from the two
patients and after complete remission
of the disease, autologous transplant
followed.
In Qatar, the NCCCR recorded
about 500 people an average of 160
cases per year who have blood cancers (Qataris and non-Qataris) in the
past three years and are candidates for
the treatment.
Around 30 cases can be treated with
autologous transplant annually. Currently, NCCCRs list has 16 to 17 patients but this keeps changing from
time to time.
Prof Knuth said some patients were
added while others had been removed
from the list depending on their condition.
The disease is more prevalent
among adults (90%) than children
(10%), he stressed but cases would
still depend on the type of disease
since some blood cancers are pre-

dominantly among children, which

are usually lymphatic.
While the percentage is regarded as
a very small minority of children, NCCCR plans to create a paediatric programme for its second phase.
First we establish the adult programme and when all is running well
and receives proper accreditation
then we will move into the other components, Prof Knuth said.
The stem cell transplant centre at
NCCCR features state-of-the-art
equipment and a specialised ward
lauded by many visitors from abroad.
For the past few years, HMC had
been working on the development of
the stem cell transplant programme
in Qatar.
Instead of travelling abroad to seek
medical treatment, HMC managing director Dr Hanan al-Kuwari said
patients can stay in Qatar and benet
from this type of advanced treatment.
Recovery time, as well as the risk of
infection, is less.
Development of programmes like
this is so important because it helps us
deliver the safest, most effective care
for our patients we want to make
sure they are given the best possible
opportunity for a long and healthy
life, she noted. Page 34

atar will put together a state

budget for 2016 that avoids a
big decit despite the effect on
revenues from low oil and gas prices,
HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
al-Thani said yesterday.
It will take the fall in oil prices
into consideration, so as to avoid a big
budget decit that may cause harm,
Sheikh Tamim said in a speech, inaugurating the 44th ordinary session of
the Advisory Council.
He noted that the coming budget
would focus on efficiency in government spending. It would also tend to
promote growth and expansion in nonoil sectors to diversify the economy.
Sheikh Tamim said the government
would continue to spend on building
infrastructure, social welfare projects
and diversifying the economy.
But he said Qatar would in future rely
more on the private sector and give it
more room to operate without competition from state rms. A comprehensive review of all state-owned companies has been carried out, he said.
After submitting this review to the
Supreme Council for Economic Affairs
and Investment, I have directed that
subsidies for a number of these companies be ceased, and some to be privatised, Sheikh Tamim said without
naming the rms.
Sheikh Tamim said the drop in energy prices could help Qatar correct
negative phenomena that had accompanied the countrys astonishing
accumulation of wealth over the past
two decades.
He warned of wasteful spending,
overstaffing and a lack of accountability in the country, and raised concerns
about dependency on the state to provide for everything.
This reduces the motivation of individuals to take initiatives and be progressive, he said.
The Emir said that legislative policies in Qatar were primarily directed to
achieve the goals specied by the Permanent Constitution, namely: to proceed with establishing and developing
the state of law and institutions, organising the three powers of the state,
maintaining and promoting the basic
components of the family and society, and the creative balance between
respect for the citizens rights and the
public interest of the society and the
homeland, and providing means of a
decent life for the Qatari citizen now
and future.
In the past years we issued, with
your valuable contributions and dili-

gent effort, many legislations in all

these elds, especially regarding the
organisation of the state apparatus,
health and education, organising the
economic activity, providing care for
the family and the community, etc. We
still have more to do because our determination to pursue progress for our
country and the well-being of our people is limitless, the Emir said.
Despite the instability in the Middle
East, and the sharp drop in the oil and
gas prices, the Emir said that Qatars
economy had maintained its strength
through 2014 with the growth rate of
GDP at constant prices reaching about
6.1%.
Its importance is noticeable when
compared with the growth rates in the
other oil-exporting countries in the
Middle East and North Africa, where
the growth rate was 2.4%, and with an
average growth rate standing at 3.6%
of gross domestic product in the GCC
countries, to which we belong, the
Emir noted.
What was more striking was that at
the time of a drop of 1.5% in the contribution of the main component of GDP,
which is the oil and gas sector, the nonoil sector contribution had increased
by about 11%, the Emir pointed out.
The Emir said that this growth had
been coupled with the continuation
of a high level of condence in Qatars
economy by global rating agencies. Qatar has achieved advanced positions in
global competitiveness indexes.
Also, a global credit rating institution has upgraded Qatar Stock Exchange to Emerging Markets Status
(EMS) from Frontier Market (FM).
However, the Emir cautioned that
the steep decline in energy prices required alertness.
I stress that it requires caution and
alertness but not fear. Differentiation
here is important, alertness is realistic
and useful in public policies, but fear is
not realistic and harmful, and does not
help in drawing up the right policies, as
it spreads the sort of climate that negatively impacts the economy and investment, and hence becomes like a false
self-fullling prophecy, he underlined.
Caution must prompt us to be frank
with each other, to band together in the
face of challenges, and to be vigilant in
rejecting the two extreme trends: the
unjustied panic on the one hand and
the self-delusion that is reected in
embellishing reality for self-satisfaction, on the other hand.
He noted that Qatar had passed
through much more difficult stages
than the current one when its economy
was not at this level of conguration
and the energy industry in the country
had not reached at such a high level of
development. To Page 12

Oil prices rally on talk of rmer market

AFP
New York

il prices climbed yesterday on

talk of a rmer market ahead of
the US petroleum report, expected to show reneries continued to

gear up to meet higher crude demand.

The US benchmark West Texas Intermediate contract surged nearly 4% as
traders bet that the Department of Energy data will show renery utilisation
rates rose for a third consecutive week
last week, by 0.3 percentage point, according to a Bloomberg News survey.

The DoEs weekly report also was

forecast to show that crude oil stockpiles rose by the smallest amount in
six weeks, 2.25mn barrels.
The oil market continues to reect
an enduring optimism that the reduction in non-Opec investment of the
past year will be sufficient to rebalance

the market and support at least some

degree of upward correction in prices,
said Tim Evans of Citi Futures.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in December jumped
$1.76 to $47.90 a barrel on the New
York Mercantile Exchange, the highest
level in more than three weeks.

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani speaking at the inauguration of the
44th ordinary session of the Advisory Council.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

QATAR

HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser welcomed the First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama to Qatar Foundation. They
discussed ways to help more children in communities across the globe make the critical transition from primary to
secondary education. PICTURE: A R Al-Baker/ HHOPL

Sheikha Moza holds talks

with Michelle Obama at QF
H

H Sheikha Moza bint

Nasser, Chairperson
of Qatar Foundation
for Education, Science and
Community Development
(QF), welcomed the First
Lady of the United States
Michelle Obama to Qatar
Foundation yesterday.
HH Sheikha Moza and the
US rst lady discussed ways
to help more children - particularly adolescent girls
- in communities across
the globe make that critical
transition from primary to
secondary education. They
also explored potential ar-

eas of collaboration between

the Education Above All
foundation, established by
Sheikha Moza in 2012, and
the rst ladys initiative Let
Girls Learn.
During the visit, Obama
also met HE Sheikha Hind
bint Hamad al-Thani, QF
Vice-Chairperson and Engineer Saad Ebrahim alMuhannadi, QF President.
Michelle Obama was also
given a tour of the QF Visitors Centre.
Today, Michelle Obama
will deliver remarks at
the 2015 World Innova-

tion Summit for Education

(WISE), addressing an audience of education leaders
from the region and around
the world about global girls
education and the Let Girls
Learn initiative.
At the opening ceremony
of WISE today, HH Sheikha
Moza will speak on how education has come under attack, both regionally and globally. She will also officially
inaugurate the WISE Summit
and announce the 2015 WISE
Prize for Education Laureate.
Qatar Foundation President Engineer Saad Ebrahim

al-Muhannadi said: We
are honoured to welcome
the rst lady of the United
States Michelle Obama to
Qatar Foundation and to
provide her with an overview of our work.
We are also pleased that
the rst lady will be addressing the international
education conference being
held by WISE and we look
forward to Mrs Obamas
keynote speech and her
contribution and input on
the important subject of the
need for further investment
in education.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

QATAR
Defence Minister meets Nato delegation
HE the Minister of State
for Defence Affairs Major
General Hamad bin Ali
al-Attiyah met a delegation
of the Nato parliamentary
committee headed by Jan
Arild Ellingsen in Doha
yesterday. They discussed
co-operation in the military
field between the two sides

and ways of developing

it, as well as the current
situation in the region.
The meeting was attended
by HE Chief of Staff of
the Qatari Armed Forces
Major General Ghanim
bin Shaheen al-Ghanim,
and senior commanders
of the armed forces. HE

the Minister of State for

Defence Affairs also met
David Cvach, adviser to
the French president for
North Africa and the Middle
East, and Lewis Fassi,
Diplomatic Adviser to the
French Minister of Defence.
They discussed relations
between Qatar and France.

Jail and ne
for drunken
disturbance

FM meets French presidents adviser

Doha Criminal Court

has sentenced a
Nepalese man to two
months in jail for causing
disturbance in a drunken
state to others, local Arabic
daily Arrayah has reported.
The court has also ordered him to pay a ne of
QR3,000. One night, the
defendant went back to his
accommodation after having some drinks. He started
raising his voice and woke
up his colleagues in the
camp while being in an inebriated state.
The person in charge of
the camp tried to calm him
down, but the latter did not
pay heed and began quarrelling with the others. Eventually, the police were called
to bring the situation under
control.
A blood sample was taken
from the man for analysis,
which proved that he was
in an inebriated condition.
Accordingly, the court established his guilt and sentenced him.

GCC citizen
jailed over
illicit drugs
A Doha Criminal Court has
sentenced a GCC citizen
to three years in jail for
possessing illicit drugs
meant for consumption and
sale, local Arabic daily has
Arrayah reported.
The court has also imposed a
fine of QR200,000 on him.
Acting on a tip, the Drug
Prevention Department at
the Ministry of Interior and
the police staged a sting
operation and arrested the
defendant.
The drugs were found in
his possession, following a
thorough search.

HE the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah met the French presidents adviser for North
Africa and the Middle East David Cvach in Doha yesterday. They discussed bilateral relations between Qatar and
France and ways of enhancing them in addition to issues of common interest. The Foreign Minister also met Nato
members of parliamentary sub-committee on energy and environmental security led by Jan Arild. Talks during the
meeting focused on ways to enhance co-operation between Qatar and Nato as well as issues of common interest.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

QATAR

QU in pact with SCH to improve maternal health

Q

BRC will conduct the programme

in its laboratories and provide
precision screening and diagnosis.

atar University Biomedical Research Centre (QUBRC) and the Supreme

Council of Health (SCH) recently
signed a technical services testing agreement to implement a
comprehensive screening programme against various pathogenic micro-organisms that may
affect maternal and child health
in Qatar.
The screening programme

places emphasis on viral diseases such as polyomaviruses,

EpsteinBarr virus, Cytomegalovirus, Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus and parvoviruses.
Screening will also be undertaken for some pathogenic bacteria such as helicobacter pylori, one of the leading causes
of gastric ulcer and cancer.
The agreement was signed
by QU-BRC director Dr Asmaa

al-Thani and SCH assistant

secretary for policy affairs Dr
Faleh Mohamed Hussein in the
presence of officials from both
institutions.
Under the terms of the agreement, BRC will conduct the
programme in its laboratories
and provide precision screening and accurate diagnosis for
the identified groups of pathogenic viral and bacterial dis-

eases. The centres researchers

will also establish collaborative activities with QU colleges
and research centres, as well as
various health institutions in
Qatar.
SCH will implement a cohort
study to examine the impact
of genetic and environmental
factors, and transitional and
non-transitional diseases on
the health of the mother dur-

ing pregnancy, as well as on

the foetus and newborn child.
Commenting on the agreement, Dr al-Thani said: For
the council, Qatars national
health authority, to have given
us this project, shows the confidence it places in our competence and capability to execute
it efficiently and effectively,
and at the same time train local researchers to conduct the

kind of research that is related

to the Qatari community. Dr
Hussein noted: The study will
lead to the achievement of the
national vision in the medical
genetics field, and national and
strategic health objectives. In
the light of the output of this
study, preventive strategies
would be implemented to improve maternal and child health
in the country.

Traffic diversion at Al Mukafaha R/A

The Public Works Authority, Ashghal has announced that traffic on
Bin Zaben Roundabout, known as Al Mukafaha Roundabout, will
be diverted to a signal-controlled intersection, newly-built to allow
for the construction of the Al Rayyan Street intersection with Bu
Erayyen Street. The new intersection will ease traffic congestion in
the area throughout the construction period. Al Mukafaha Roundabout will be closed to traffic and commuters will be able to use
the new signal-controlled intersection and any alternative routes
as of Friday morning. The new intersection will include three lanes
instead of the existing two-lanes on the New Al Rayyan Road and
Bu Erayyen Street, thus easing traffic congestion in the area. The
authority has requested road users to use internal and local roads
surrounding the diversion area at the Bin Zaben Roundabout from
1am to 11am on Friday, until work is complete and traffic is diverted
to the new signal-controlled section.

Ministry recalls Renault Captur vehicles

The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has announced
a free recall campaign for Renault Captur vehicles made in 2014,
due to a defect in the installation of the front brake hoses. The
campaign is being jointly conducted with Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana
Company, the authorised distributor of Renault vehicles in Qatar.

10

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

QATAR
Moderate temperatures expected

oderate temperatures are expected in Qatar today even as

strong winds and high seas are
expected in offshore areas, the Met office has said.
The wind speed is likely to reach 25kt in
offshore areas, according to the forecast.
The country will experience moderate

temperatures during the day along with

slightly dusty conditions. The minimum
and maximum temperatures are expected to
be 23C and 33C, respectively, with the forecast for Doha being 27C and 33C.
Partly cloudy and slightly dusty conditions are likely in offshore areas, the weather office has said.

Instagram winner
nds photography
stress relieving
T

petition starts today. Send your

photos shot in Qatar to: tellus@
gulf-times.com. Shortlisted pictures will be posted on the Gulf
Times Instagram account, with the
name of the photographer mentioned.
The picture that gets the maximum
number of likes and unique comments
during a seven-day period will be declared the winner.
A like will get the picture one mark
and a unique comment will fetch two
marks.
The winning picture will be published in the Gulf Times print edition
as well as on the web edition of Gulf
Times, along with a short bio of the
photographer.

he winner of the 10th edition of Gulf Times Instagram

contest is Sana Qureshi, a
23-year-old Indian expatriate, who
works as Recruitment & HRD Executive at Hyatt Plaza Shopping Mall.
The winning picture that celebrates
the essence of prayer and family taken
on the premises of the State Mosque
of Qatar during the holy month of Ramadan is Sanas rst-ever photo to be
recognised.
For Sana, a postgraduate in HR, the
hobby of photography works as a stress
reliever too. And she enjoys capturing
everything around, including seles, of
course!
Contest 11
The 11th instalment of the com-

GT Instagram Contest 10 winning picture. Inset: Sana Qureshi

Ashghal to launch
major wastewater
treatment projects
By Peter Alagos
Business Reporter

atars Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is planning to

roll out big-ticket projects
on wastewater treatment aimed at
increasing production of high-quality treated water from 183mn cu m to
366mn cu m over the next ve years,
an official said.
Speaking at a workshop entitled
Successful Experiences in Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in the
GCC held at the Marsa Malaz Kempinski yesterday, Ashghal president
Nasser bin Ali al-Mawlawi said the
major projects include the Sewage
Treatment Plant project in Al Thakhira, the fth package of expansion
works for the Doha West Sewage
Treatment Plant project, the Doha
North Sewage Treatment Plant
project, and the second package
of the expansion works for Industrial Area Sewage Treatment Plant
project.
This is in addition to the major
Sewage Treatment Plant project in
Southern Doha, which will have an
operational capacity of 500,000 cu

Ashghal president Nasser bin Ali alMawlawi. PICTURE: Jayan Orma

m per day, and will be constructed as
part of the Inner Doha Re-sewerage
Implementation Strategy (Idris).
Over the past 10 years, al-Mawlawi said Ashghal increased its
production of high-quality treated
water from 55mn cu m in 2005 to
103mn cu m in 2010, while in 2014
the production of treated wastewater reached 169mn cu m.
He said Ashghal has set design
standards for treated water produced from main treatment plants.
The standards include multiple
processing stages to reach advanced

QA Al Darb takes part in

career and college fairs
Qatar Airways Al Darb
nationalisation programme
participated in the Sixth Future Career Fair and the Qatar
International College Fair in
Doha recently, supporting
students with career advice
and information.
Qatar Airways National Talent
Management team which
manages Al Darb programme
was on hand at both fairs
answering questions and
providing students with
information about the nine
different training programmes
that the airline offers.

Al Darb regularly supports local career fairs in Qatar as well

as in the UK and the US.
Nabeela Fakhri, Qatar Airways
senior vice president, Human
Resources said: Such local
career fairs are a wonderful
opportunity for the airline to
introduce the different options
it has to offer. Currently Qatar
Airways Al Darb nationalisation programme supports
more than 30 majors and provides nine different training
programmes across a range
of career choices within the
award-winning airline.

tertiary treatment levels by means

of microltration membrane technologies, which have higher efficiency than sand lters.
This has been implemented in
various plants: the West Doha plant
(Al Sailiya), South Doha plant, Industrial Area plant, and the Doha
North new treatment plant, he said.
He added that this technology is also
being implemented at Al Thakiras
treatment plant to produce highquality treated wastewater for use in
non-restricted irrigation.
Al-Mawlawi noted that in 2004,
Ashghal took over wastewater treatment operations not only for environmental protection goals, but also
to enhance the utilisation of water
resources in the country.
In addition to the use of treated
wastewater in restricted and nonrestricted irrigation and green
spaces, al-Mawlawi said Qatar was
moving to expand the use of treated
wastewater for cooling and construction purposes.
Khaled Mohamed al-Emadi,
manager of Quality and Safety Department at Ashghal, and head
of the GCCs Treated Wastewater
Team, said the workshop under-

scores the increasing global need

for the benecial reuse of treated
wastewater and the role it plays in
environment conservation, expanding green spaces, and food security.
Al-Emadi said several countries
are increasing their reuse of treated wastewater for sustainability
and to preserve national and environmental resources for future
generations.
The objective of the GCCs treated wastewater team is to exchange
expertise in the eld of treated
wastewater techniques, raise the
communitys cultural awareness,
apply sustainability according to
international standards, adopt the
most economic ways of treatment,
and implement the use of alternative energy in operating treatment
plants, al-Emadi explained.
During the workshop, Ashghals
Quality and Safety Management
Department was honoured for recently receiving the ISO9001 certicate for Quality Management
System, ISO14001 certicate for
Environmental Management System, and OHSAS18001 for Occupational Health and Safety Management System. Page 15

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

11

QATAR

Family-friendly
attractions at
2015 boat show
T

he 2015 Qatar International Boat

Show (QIBS) will feature a range
of attractions and activities that
will appeal to all members of the family,
the organisers have said.
The event, where exhibitors will
show off their latest and best boats to
potential buyers, will be held at Mourjan Marinas Lusail City from November 10 to 14.
Proceedings on the special VIP opening day, November 10, will begin at 4pm
with HE the Minister of Economy and
Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim
bin Mohamed al-Thani inaugurating
the show for the second year running.
From 6.30pm, the Qatar Coast Guard
will stage a parade of boats. They will
also have a boat sailing simulator on
display in the main exhibitor area.
On the rst day of QIBS 2015, there
will be a parade of 10 boats by the Qatar
Sailing and Marine Sports Federation.

The federation will provide a number

of activities and displays such as kids
sailing and jet skiing.
For water sports enthusiasts, there
will be a wakeboarding demonstration
by Khalid al-Awadhi, a member of the
Kuwait wakeboard team.
Also present at QIBS 2015 will be a
contingent from Blue Marine, an organisation that offers activities such as
jet skiing and yboarding.
It will provide side activities such as
canoeing, y boarding, jet ski racing,
kitesurng, scuba diving, and wakeboarding.
Blue Pearl Watersport Tourism will
also be present at the event.
It specialises in sea-, wind- and human-powered leisure water sports.
They are not just windsurng, kitesurng and kayaking acionados, but
are engaged in stand-up paddle boarding known as SUP.

The 2015 QIBS will be held from November 10 to 14.

Something being shown for the rst

time in Doha is the Gais Speargun.
It is produced by a Qatar start-up
company, which makes these guns for
shing and will highlight them at the
Made in Qatar stand.
Returning to the show for the third
year running is the Harley-Davidson
parade. Last year saw over 50 Harleys
at QIBS.
The organisers have stressed that
QIBS will have a family-friendly environment. There will be a Pirates and
Mermaids kids zone, which will boast
of a play area, as well as activities such
as drawing, painting, storytelling related to boating, the sea, sailing, as well as
a dedicated F&B area.
A variety of meals will be available at
tents managed by ve-star hotels.
The cuisines on offer include Lebanese, Japanese and Italian. Visitors will
also be treated to a salad bar and highend Italian coffee.
The organisers have also lined up an
exhibitors party where professionals
can meet up or make new contacts with
their peers.
Meanwhile, the Qatar Tourism Authority will rent a traditional dhow to
host VIPs and clients.
The closing ceremony will be held at
9.30pm on November 14.

12

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

QATAR

New budget to focus on

efficiency in spending
From Page 1
But the key to passing
through this stage safely is
that each of us should realise that as he beneted
during the times of rapid
growth and high oil prices,
he should also bear with us
the tasks, responsibilities
and burdens of this phase.
The participation by all,
each according to his ability in bearing the burden,
is fair. The citizen has no
problem in making a contribution when he feels that
there is fairness in the matter. Allah does not assign
burden to any soul except
what is within its capacity,
verily true are the words of
Allah, the Emir said.
He urged hardworking
to keep the development
process on the right track,
despite the sharp decline in
the oil prices, because the
right development was the
one that would protect the
country from the negative
effects of oil and gas price
uctuations in the future
and from the risks of changes in the global economy.
Since 2008 we have taken precautions against that
in Qatar National Vision
2030 and in the National
Development Strategy of
the State 2011-2016. On this
occasion, I stress that despite the decline of prices in
the energy market, we will
continue to implement the
infrastructure development
and human development
projects.
The Emir said that Qatar
National Vision 2030 aimed
at transforming Qatar into
an advanced country, capable of achieving sustainable
development and ensuring
the continuation of a decent living standard for its
people, for generations to
come, by seeking to develop
a diversied economy, with
diminishing dependence on
hydrocarbons, and where
investment is directed towards
knowledge-based
economy, and the private
sector grows in importance.
He said that the 20112016 National Development

Strategy had crystallised the

development priorities during this period, which include sustaining economic
prosperity, upgrading infrastructure, raising natural
resource management efficiency, diversifying the national economy, activating
the private sector role and
promoting human development, especially in the elds
of education, health and environment protection.
Preparatory work, he
said, had begun to draw up
the National Development
Strategy 2017-2022. Here
I would like to indicate
through you to the ministers
and all the staff involved in
the National Development
Strategy within and outside
the state apparatus, that the
items I have mentioned are
objectives that could be accessible through a clear-cut
action plan with proper indicators and benchmarks to
measure the implementation success.
The Emir emphasised the
need to plug the gaps in the
planning framework, improve co-ordination across
the sector and among different sectors and to focus
on outputs and outcomes.
It is true that international ratings published by
newspapers from time to
time about the ranking of
Qatar in this or that eld are
encouraging and optimistic,
but what is most important
is our own assessment of
the results and how much
are they real and tangible?
Regarding the efficiency
and feasibility of government spending, the Emir
said that the general budget
for the scal year 2016 was
being prepared to begin on
January 1. It would take the
fall in oil prices into consideration, so as to avoid a big
budget decit that might
cause harm that surpassed
the balance of payments to
the overall economy.
The Emir said that the
high oil prices had brought
immense benets to this
country and its people, but
no one denied the accom-

panying negative phenomena, namely, the tendency

towards wasteful spending,
some overstaffing in institutions and the lack of accountability for mistakes in
many cases, because availability of funds could be used
to cover up failure in some
institutions.
It might also lead to dependency on the state to
provide for everything,
which reduced the motivation of individuals to take
initiatives and be progressive.
We must transform the
mandatory spending control at this stage into an
opportunity to face those
drawbacks and we should
not miss this opportunity,
the Emir stressed.
He noted that the coming budget would focus on
efficiency in government
spending. It would also tend
to promote growth and expansion in non-oil sectors
to diversify the economy.
The Emir said that the ination rate for the current
year was expected to be in
the range of 2%, and despite
the fact that this rate was
low, the government should
not hesitate at encouraging competition and at the
same time controlling prices to achieve nancial and
economic stability.
On strengthening the
private sector and economic
diversication as well as
limiting the states competition with the private
sector, the Emir said that
a comprehensive review of
all state-owned companies
had been carried out.
After submitting this review to the Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and
Investment, I have directed
that subsidies for a number
of these companies be
ceased, and some to be privatised, and management
of some be transferred to
the private sector, and government corporations and
companies not to compete
with the private sector, and
opportunities for this sector
to implement government

projects be enforced.
But the private sector in
Qatar must assume its responsibilities and take the
initiative too, and not to
wait for the state to be a patron. The patron state caters forincapable citizens,
children and the elderly.
In addition to that, Qatar
has been ranked rst in the
world in spending to subsidise consumer products,
but when it comes to business, it must not be a patron
state of business. Because
that is an area of private initiative.
The Emir said that the
state must strengthen the
business sectors by arranging investment conditions,
eliminating
bureaucratic
bottlenecks and preparing
an incubating infrastructure for the projects. But the
rest depended on the business sector itself, he said.
In addition, this sector
was supposed to be more
than just an intermediary between the state and
foreign companies, he said
Surely, foreign companies
are indispensable, but we
want to see the domestic
capital contribution, its initiatives and willingness to
take risks in developing the
national economy in order
to make prot.
HH the Emir said that
the state undertook vigorous efforts for developing
economic zones, logistics,
and storage facilities. Two
industrial zones have been
launched during 2014 and
2015.
The government continued to put forward projects
for tender to increase storage capacity and reduce operational costs for investors.
This does not solve the
whole problem as we must
also address the unjustied rise in real estate prices.
Everyone knows that high
operational costs in all areas
would eventually reach the
state and inate its budget.
This is no longer possible.
The Emir stressed that
it was necessary to remove
the bureaucratic obstacles

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani addressing the 44th ordinary session of the Advisory Council yesterday.
encountering investment,
especially some procedures
that had turned into mere
stumbling blocks hindering
work.
This also applied to some
duplication among the ministries, and frequent changes in the procedures, transactions, requested forms
and licences, which tended
to confuse citizens, as well
as local and foreign investors, he said.
Many would not venture
to invest if the investor was
requested every day to ll
out a new form, a new licence; or if several conditions were changed many
times during the submission of the application,
he said. It was necessary
to standardise as much as
possible the procedures at
ministries, for the citizen
and the investor by means
of one-stop shop concept.
This idea must nd its
way through to be implemented in a comprehensive
manner. Surely, there is no
investment without conditions. However, the conditions and procedures in our

country must be clear, complex free and stable, the

Emir said.
I have directed the government to hammer out
a strategy to increase the
contribution of manufacturing industry to GDP,
particularly, those based on
knowledge. It is necessary
for Qatar to produce at least
part of its food. I hope that
these plans will nd their
way into implementation,
the Emir said.
I would like to take a
short pause to address the
Qatari youth, Qatars economy cannot dispense with
foreign expertise and labour, this is true, yet Qatar
cannot be built without you.
It cannot be built on a limited number of professions
and specialties that are pursued by all.
There is a complete and
vital sectors of the state
such as the eld of security,
army and police, and even
planning,
management,
engineering, medicine and
scientic research, where
we need Qatari youth, and
Qatari youth must turn to

all specialties and take their

homeland into account
when taking decisions.
Citizenship, he said, was
not a set of privileges, but
rst and foremost was a
sense of belonging to the
homeland. This affiliation
entailed a set of rights and
duties towards the society
and the state. Citizenship
is also a responsibility, the
Emir underlined.
A citizen has the right to
benet from the wealth of
his country. But the citizen
must ask himself from time
to time, what did I give for
my country and my community? What are the best
ways to be useful?
And what can I do to
contribute to the national
wealth of my country so
that future generations can
also benet. This is what we
mean when we say that the
real wealth of nations is the
human resource and the real
source of its poverty is also
the human resource. Thus,
countries differ from each
other, the Emir said.
I also affirm here before you that if this is what
expected from the citizen,
then what is expected from
anyone in a public position
is much more than that. In
this sense, we will not tolerate nancial and administrative corruption, or abuse
of public positions for private purposes, or abandoning professional standards
for a personal interest, the
Emir said.
Our pursuit for economic diversication and
reducing
the
dependence on oil and gas does
not mean that we will not
pay adequate attention to
maintain and develop this
sector, because this sector
has enabled us to achieve
growth rates during a period
of 15 years, which are among
the highest growth rates in
the world, and this growth
is the one that helped to
achieve qualitative leaps in
all economic, human and
social elds, and it will remain for a long time a major
component of the GDP and
a source of wealth used to
expand the production base
for future generations.

On foreign policy, the Emir

said that Qatar continued its
effective collective and bilateral work in various Gulf,
Arab, Islamic and international frameworks.
I emphasise here on
continuing our efforts with
our brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
to strengthen our collaboration at all political, economic, social, and security
levels and on developing
the councils action mechanisms so as to be able to
face the regional and global challenges and changes
and to achieve the interests
of our people. We are also
most keen to strengthen
the fraternal relations with
all brotherly Arab countries
which are desperately in
need of unifying their ranks
and positions and to deepen
co-operation to cope with
the risks and challenges
they encounter.
To the same extent, the
Emir said that Qatar paid
great attention to defending Arab and Islamic causes, achieving international
peace and security, adhering to international legitimacy and building friendly
relations that respect common interests with the
countries of the world and
which are based on mutual
respect and non-interference in internal affairs.
In these days in which
we witness the uprising of
the Palestinian people to
defend themselves against
the practices of the occupation and protect the sanctities of the Arab and Islamic
Umma as a whole, and the
legendary steadfastness of
the Syrian people in defending their right to a decent life in their homeland,
I reiterate our commitment
to these just causes and to
our principles vis-a-vis all
Arab issues, the Emir said.
Everyone has become
aware that Qatar does not
change its principles. We
may conduct an introspection and evaluate our actions in order to correct
errors if they occurred,
because only God does not
make an error, but we do not
change our principles.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

13

QATAR

Emirs policies have resulted in

comprehensive development
QNA
Doha

Council holds first meeting of 44th session

atar has seen a comprehensive development in

various sectors, including industry, education, health,
infrastructure, and housing, under HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad al-Thani, HE the
Speaker of the Advisory Council
Mohamed bin Mubarak al-Khulai has said.
Addressing the inaugural session of the 44th ordinary session of the Advisory Council, the
Speaker said these sectors have
seen tremendous progress which
have boosted the countrys development process.
He referred to the directives of
the Emir to launch the construction of 2,000 residential villas
in the southern region of Doha
for Qataris who come under the
housing system.
Thanking the Emir for inaugurating the session and for his unlimited support to the Council,
the Speaker expressed the Councils gratitude for the continuous
accomplishments achieved by
the government under the wise
directives of the Emir.
HE al-Khulai said that the
Advisory Council denounces Israels recent violations, including the frequent incursions in Al
Aqsa Mosque and the attacks on
the Palestinians and urged the
Arab and Islamic worlds to take
urgent action against this blatant aggression at the holy sites.
He stressed that the Palestinian cause will remain the main
issue for the Arabs and Muslims,
praising in this regard the position of the Emir in support to the
Palestinian people for the restoration of their inalienable and

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arriving at the Advisory Council to inaugurate the Councils 44th ordinary session yesterday.
Right: HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani attending the inaugural session of the Advisory Council.
legitimate rights and establish
their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The Speaker said that the Advisory Council is looking forward to achieving peace and
stability in Syria, and expressed
the Councils support for Qatars
policy in this regard. He pointed
out that the Emir has recently
sponsored the education of 100
Syrian students in Universite
Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne.
On Yemen, the Speaker
praised the Renewal of Hope
operation under the leadership
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
to restore legitimacy, security
and stability in the country, and
to defend the safety and security of the Gulf Co-operation
Council, stressing in this regard
the importance of a political
solution in accordance with the

Gulf initiative and the outputs

of the comprehensive national
dialogue and the Conference of
Riyadh, and the application of
UN Security Council Resolution
No. 2216 of 2015.
On Libya, HE al-Khulai said
that the Council hopes the Libyan dialogue under the auspices of
the United Nations will succeed.
He described terrorism as a
threat that has no religion or
homeland, and requires to be
confronted in all its forms, but he
cautioned that it should not be
confused with legitimate resistance for freedom, stressing that
the resistance is the result of occupation or aggression against
peoples.
The Speaker said that the
Council hopes all success for the
upcoming GCC summit, due to
be held in Saudi Arabia.

E the SecretaryGeneral of the Advisory Council Fahad

bin Mubarak al-Khayareen
hailed HH the Emir Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thanis
speech at the inauguration
of the 44th ordinary session of the Advisory Council,
which included the countrys
achievements as well as future policies and plans.
In a statement to reporters, al-Khayareen congratulated the government
and the Qatari people on
the occasion, stressing that
the Advisory Council enjoys
special attention by HH the
Emir, and HH the Father
Emir, who consistently provided support to the Council and highly appreciated
its role.
The Secretary-General of
the Advisory Council noted
that Advisory Council seeks
to achieve the desired objectives, expressing hope
that the 44th ordinary session of the Advisory Council
will meet the legislative requirements of the state.
Al-Khayareen said that
the speech of the Emir drew
future plans to continue the
economic and social prosperity of the State, support
its institutions and develop

them to fuli the aspirations

in the current economic circumstances.
He pointed out that the
achievements of the State
of Qatar at the external level
made it a hub for peace, unity, dialogue and stability.
He asked God Almighty
to preserve HH the Emir
and the wise government to
achieve prosperity, growth
and stability in the State of
Qatar to serve its citizens
and achieve their aspirations.
The Secretary-General
of the Advisory Council
thanked HE the Speaker of
the Advisory Council, his
deputy and the members of
the Council for their efforts
and co-operation with the
Secretariat of the Council
and its staff.
Meanhwile HE the Minister of Public Health Abdullah bin Khalid al-Qahtani
said that the Emirs speech
at the opening of the Advisory Councils 44th regular
session has clearly identied the major goals of the
nation to achieve comprehensive and sustainable
development based on solid
foundations that take into
account the different challenges and means to overcome them through clear
programmes and action
plans.
The Minister said the

speech of the Emir looks

into the future with a conscious vision that improves
the utilisation of potential
capabilities for the benet
of this generation as well as
the future generations.
The ultimate goal of the
Emirs leadership is to build
a t, educated and capable
citizens who can efficiently lead the development
march, the Minister said
adding that all the ambitious strategies and plans
revolve around this goal.
The Minister stressed
the Qatari peoples keenness on the implementation
of the vision of the Emir so
that Qatar continues making great achievements and
progress in various elds.
Separately,
Advisory
Council Controllers Mohamed Abdullah al-Sulaiti
and Ahmed Mohamed
Obaidan also praised the
content of the Emirs
speech.
Speaking to QNA, al-Sulaiti said the Emirs speech
was comprehensive and focused on development, economic and domestic issues,
which stresses his keenness
on the welfare of the State
and its people and achieving
the goals in the next phase.
Al-Sulaiti said the speech
focused on economic issues
such as the diversication
of income sources, the ex-

ecution of development
projects, and strengthening
the economy to establish
Qatar as a major economic
power and incubator in the
region.
He
also
highlighted
the speechs content that
touched on youth, inviting them to work in all
elds, saying that they must
shoulder responsibility and
return the favour to the
homeland.
He lauded the existing
co-operation between the
Cabinet and the Advisory
Council, stressing that the
council will carry out its
legislative role in the new
session as it had in previous
sessions and will work to
conclude all the legislations
that will be referred by the
Cabinet.
For his part, Obaidan
highlighted the content of
Emirs speech focusing on
the domestic and economic
affairs in particular, noting that the directives of
the Emir are a roadmap to
support the economy and
would make Qatar one of
the big economies.
As mentioned in the
Emirs speech, Obaidan
said, the Qatari youth must
stay away from dependency
and actively engage in the
different elds of work and
the national, economic and
development construction.

Vodafone Qatar to upgrade network

odafone Qatar has

announced a further
modernisation of its
network at an investment of
QR650mn.
The company has also
said it is offering all port-in
customers and new postpaid users a money-back
promise.
We are committed to offer people in Qatar the best
from one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, Vodafone
Group Plc. In the past year
alone, we have invested
more than QR650mn in our
network infrastructure and
are committed to continu-

ally investing in Qatars ICT

sector, which will play a key
role in realising this great
nations ambitions, said
Kyle Whitehill, CEO, Vodafone Qatar.
In January this year, Vodafone began upgrading all
its network sites, the company said in a statement.
More than 200 new
outdoor and indoor sites
have been installed and
customers are now enjoying 300% more data
capacity, 300% more 4G
coverage and 30% more 3G
coverage. A special focus
has been on increasing the
capacity in the most popu-

lated areas in Qatar, with

Wakrah and Sheehaniya
the latest areas to benet
from an additional 30%
capacity boost, the statement notes. Moreover,
just in time for the desert
camping season, 21 sites
have been activated in the
most popular camping areas, including Sealine and
Fuwairit.
Meanwhile, Vodafone is
offering all port-in customers and new postpaid users a
money-back promise. This
means customers who are
not completely satised in
their rst 30 days of joining
can have their money back.

them success in their duties

and in serving the people of
the State of Qatar under the
wise leadership of HH the Emir
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
al-Thani.
He called upon the council to
elect a speaker to the council,
according to the provisions of
Article 9 of the councils Rules
of Procedure.
The Council unanimously
re-elected HE Mohamed bin
Mubarak al-Khulaifi as the
Speaker.
The Council also unanimously
re-elected HE Issa bin Rabia alKuwari as Deputy Speaker and
Dr Ahmed Mohamed Obeidan
and Mohamed Abdullah alSulaiti as Rapporteurs.

HH the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani and HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin
Khalifa al-Thani with other dignitaries at the inaugural session of the Advisory Council yesterday.

Advisory Council chief hails Emirs speech

QNA
Doha

The Advisory Council

yesterday held its first regular
meeting of the 44th session
under the chairmanship of the
eldest member HE Hamed Ali
al-Alhbabi.
At the outset of the meeting,
the Councils SecretaryGeneral Fahd bin Mubarak
al-Khayareen read out the
Decree No. 42 of 2015 calling
upon the Advisory Council
to convene its regular 44th
session. The Decree stipulated
that the Council shall convene
on Tuesday, Muharram 20, 1437,
corresponding to November
3, 2015.
Then HE al-Ahbabi delivered
a speech welcoming the
council members wishing

With Vodafones network modernisation, never

before has browsing the Internet, social networking,
watching videos and making downloads on your mobile been so fast, seamless
and enjoyable wherever you
may be, said Ramy Boctor, chief technology officer,
Vodafone Qatar. Our money-back promise is a rst
in Qatar and the region for
a telecommunications operator to make such a bold
promise, but its a promise
we are condent of. Were
certain customers who try
our all new network will
love it.

14

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

QATAR

Commercial Bank wins

award in Kuala Lumpur
C

ommercial Bank has won

an award at the recent
MasterCard Innovation
Forum held in Kuala Lumpur for
its Manchester United Titanium
MasterCard, the bank said in a
statement.
The bank said the Manchester United Titanium MasterCard was awarded for being the
most innovative affinity product
across the entire Middle East
and North Africa (Mena) region.
Commercial Bank is the exclusive nancial services partner in Qatar of Manchester
United. The partnership offers
a range of Manchester United
nancial products, including a
current or savings account with
a debit card and two types of
Manchester United credit cards.
All Manchester United cardholders enjoy a 10% discount at
Manchester United stores and
online, plus holders of the Manchester United Titanium MasterCard are automatically enrolled into Commercial Banks
market leading reward points
programme.
With Commercial Bank rewards, customers can book
ights to any destination with
any airline and with no blackout
dates or can redeem their reward
points for instant discounts at
Qatars leading retailers: IKEA,
51 East, Sharaf DG, and Damas,
among others.
Commercial Banks Manchester United Titanium MasterCard
was awarded the most innovative
affinity product after industry
leaders recognised that in developing the product, Commercial Bank showed a strong un-

Commercial Bank officials with the innovation award from MasterCard.

derstanding of consumer needs,
which delivered a highly-impactful payment solution, ultimately
driving strong business results
through innovation.
Since the launch of the Manchester United partnership with
Commercial Bank, customers were given the opportunity
to access a world of benets
not available elsewhere in the
marketplace.
This included Commercial
Banks hosting of a fan event

with Manchester United legends

in Doha to watch a live game, offering once-in-a-lifetime VIP
trips to watch Manchester United play at Old Trafford with access to watch Manchester United
rst team players train, offering
exclusively-signed Manchester
United memorabilia, and places
for their children to participate
in a rst-of-its-kind, free, Manchester United Soccer Camp held
in Doha.
Dean Proctor, executive gen-

eral manager (consumer and

private banking), said, We are
extremely delighted to win such
a prestigious award from MasterCard, which is in recognition of the innovative product
that Commercial Bank brought
to market with our Manchester
United Titanium MasterCard.
Our exclusive partnership with
Manchester United was a rst in
the Qatar marketplace, allowing Commercial Bank to provide
customers an opportunity to

get up close and personal with

one of the worlds most famous
sporting brands.
The Manchester United
branded debit and credit card
designs were also the rst-ofits-kind in Qatar and with the
benets that accompany our
products, it truly demonstrates
our spirit of innovation and our
desire to make everything possible for our customers. Our cobranded credit and debit cards
with Manchester United have
surpassed all our forecasts and
more importantly has met with
signicant positive customer
feedback. We thank MasterCard
Worldwide for their support in
helping to ensure the products
we launched were considered to
be the best in class.
Pankaj Kathuria of MasterCard Worldwide said, We are
proud to be associated with the
team involved in the launch of
the Manchester United Titanium MasterCard and our congratulations go to Commercial
Bank on winning this award for
innovation.
Manchester Uniteds Group
managing director, Richard Arnold, said: Winning this award
for the Manchester United Titanium MasterCard demonstrates
exactly why the club is in partnership with Commercial Bank.
Its ability to create an award
winning product not only offers
our fans an excellent nancial
product, but also brings them
closer to the club they support.
On behalf of Manchester United, I congratulate Commercial
Bank on winning this prestigious
award.

Dr Antoine Hyafil shaking hands with French ambassador Eric

Chevallier at a ceremony recently.

French honour for

HBKU director

r Antoine Hyal, director of programmes for

executive education at
Hamad bin Khalifa University
(HBKU), has been awarded the
Knight of the National Order
of Merit (Chevalier de lOrdre
National du Mrite) by French
President Franois Hollande
for contributing to the quality
of French-Qatari relations.
Dr Hyal received the medal
from French ambassador Eric
Chevallier at a ceremony held
on November 2 at the HBKU
Student Center which was
attended by HBKU president
Dr Ahmad Hasnah, as well as
family, friends and colleagues.
I feel very fortunate to have
been able to play a part in using
education to help with Qatars
development, Dr Hyal said.
Participating in the early
growth of HBKU and developing a new concept for a
multidisciplinary
masters
degree that focuses on energy,
after having established HEC
Paris in Qatar, has been an extraordinary adventure, which
probably could only have taken place here, he added.
Dr Hyal is responsible for

devising and overseeing the innovative Executive Master in Energy and Resources programme
currently offered by HBKU. He
was previously the founding academic dean of HEC Paris in Qatar. Prior to coming to Qatar, he
was dean of the faculty at HEC
Paris in his native France.
As the initial holder of the
Deloitte-Socit Gnrale Chair
in Energy and Finance, he was
instrumental in the creation of
the HEC Paris Energy in a Carbon Concerned Economy certicate and the HEC Paris EMBA
Energy Major. Dr Hyal holds
a Doctorate in Financial Economics from HEC Paris and the
University of Orlans.
In presenting the award, the
French envoy highlighted the
signicant contribution made
by Dr Hyal in promoting academic collaboration between
Qatar and France.
This award acknowledges
his longstanding commitment
to education and research.
Professor Hyal is an outstanding gure of the FrenchQatari friendship since he
was Founding Dean of HEC in
Qatar in 2012, the envoy said.

New 2016 Ford Explorer packs more features

T

he new 2016 Ford Explorer, which offers more

technologies than previous models to enhance the driving experience, has arrived in
Qatar.
New technologies include
front and rear cameras with
washers, enhanced active park
assist with perpendicular park
assist, park-out assist and
semi-automatic parallel parking, smart-charging USB ports,
hands-free liftgate and air
curtains.
Explorer, which has sold well
over 7mn units since its introduction in 1990, is the centrepiece of Fords global utility vehicle line-up because it delivers
an ideal combination of form
and function, said Raj Nair, Ford
Group vice president and chief
technical officer, Global Product
Development.
The front and rear cameras
have wide-angle lenses and
come equipped with a washer

a class-exclusive, segment-rst
feature. The enhanced active
park assist system uses ultrasonic sensors and electric powerassisted steering to help drivers
with parallel parking and perpendicular parking manoeuvres.
The park-out assist helps a
driver pull out of parallel parking spots. The system controls
the steering wheel, while the
driver operates the accelerator
and brake pedals, and shifts the
vehicle into gear.
The smart-charging USB
ports, located in the front and
rear of the vehicle are able to
charge smart devices up to two
times faster than conventional
ports. With the hands-free liftgate, a traveller need only kick
his or her leg below the centre of
the rear bumper to open or close
the liftgate.
Standard air curtains create a
high-pressure region of air that
impacts the outer surface of the
wheels and tires. The result is

airow held close to the vehicle

body, minimising drag.
A number of features, while
not new for Explorer, are also
available on the 2016 model.
They are adaptive cruise control and collision warning with
brake support, lane-keeping
system, Blind Spot Information
System, Cross-traffic alert, auto
high-beams, and inatable rear
safety belts.
The standard 3.5-litre V6
engine for base, XLT and Limited models with 294 PS at
6,500rpm and 346 Nm of torque
at 4,000 rpm is paired with a
six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission. The Explorer
Sport churns out 470 Nm of
torque at 3,500rpm.
For the exterior, signature
lighting surrounds the LED
headlamps, giving the vehicle a
continuous glow. Other features
include a standard dual-panel
moonroof, premium silverpainted front and rear skid plate

The new 2016 Ford Explorer has arrived in Qatar.

elements, and an all-new 18 and
20-inch wheel line up.
Explorers intelligent fourwheel drive with Terrain Management System reassesses
conditions about 20 times faster
than the blink of an eye providing precise handling and
traction.
Intelligent four-wheel drive
continuously monitors wheel

Number of participants in
Civil Defence Exhibition up
T

he fth Civil Defence Exhibition and Conference

has witnessed a signicant
rise in the number of participants
with 97 local and international
companies taking part in the
event, representing 1,250 international manufacturing agencies.
Arranged in a 15,000sqm area,
the major exhibiting agencies
include the General Directorate of Civil Defence, Lakhwiya, Qatar Rail, and Chubb Fire
Company, among others.
Teyseer Industrial Supplies
and Services, IGI Technologies,
G4S Secure Solutions, Alfardan
Group, Al Baraa Security & Safety, Al Amana Security & Safety,
Al Aman Security & Safety, Fahad Trading & Contracting, National Fire Fighting Manufacturing, and Woqod were also some
of other major companies that
participated in the event.
The Civil Defence pavilion
consisted of advanced equipment and vehicles of the agency.
Officers from the General Directorate of Civil Defence introduced its equipment and
projects to visitors, which in-

Brigadier Abdullah bin Mohamed al-Suweidi, Organising Committee chairman of the Civil Defence Exhibition
& Conference, joins other participants.
cluded a large number of students and delegates from other
GCC countries.
Lakhwiyas pavilion showcased the equipment used for
search and rescue operations
and latest diving devices used for
rescue operations in water. Rescue cylinders used for breathing
while surrounded by harmful
chemical leaking and earthquake
sensors were some of the devices

displayed in the pavilion. Awareness lms were also shown for

education purposes.
Metro Project developments,
on the other hand, were screened
in the Qatar Rail pavilion. The
project works in progress were in
line with the guidelines and terms
of security sectors, including civil
defence. The Qatar Rail project
gives great importance for safety
measures. Safety workshops and

site visits and mock drills were

conducted in order to raise the
level of workers safety.
Chubb Fire is a leading company working in the eld of
safety and security devices. The
company had participated in all
the previous civil defence expos.
Chubb Fire officials said the company has hosted 17 international
rms from Germany, the UK,
Portugal, Canada, and Croatia.

speed, throttle position and

steering wheel angle to determine vehicle conditions and
driver intent. The system then
determines the optimal amount
of front and rear torque for the
given conditions to prevent slip
from even occurring, which
helps keep the vehicle surefooted on virtually any terrain.
In sand, grass or gravel mode, the

antilock braking system changes

its pulse rate, which allows material to build up in front of the
wheels, acting as a doorstop of
sorts to help slow momentum.
To help maintain efficiency,
in most steady-state cruising conditions the new Explorer equipped with intelligent
four-wheel
drive
seamlesslyandquicklytransferstorque

between the front and rear wheels.

A newly rened, intelligent
four-wheel-drive gauge display
shows power being distributed
to front and rear wheels under all conditions from heavy
four-wheel-drive system usage to when the system is not
transmitting power at all.
Explorer
Sport
customers looking for a more dynamic
driving experience will benet
from unique steering gear, front
and rear springs, struts and rear
dampers.
Exterior styling updates such
as positioning the grille and LED
headlamps even higher, adding a new closed-off lower roof
rack with channels that cascade
rainwater off the vehicle and a
new rear spoiler, also improve
aerodynamics.
The 2016 Explorer features
more robust headlamps, with
available LED signature lighting,
standard LED low-beams and
available LED fog lamps.

MoI, university sign agreement

he Ministry of Interior (MoI), represented by

the General Directorate of Civil Defence, has
signed an agreement with the University of
Central Lancashire (UCLan), UK, in order to provide a diploma in reghting management at Ras
Laffan Emergency & Safety College (RLESC).
The agreement will come into effect in January
next year.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior
Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani
witnessed the signing on the sidelines of the opening of the Civil Defence Exhibition in Doha.
On behalf of the MoI, Civil Defence director-general
Brigadier Abdullah Mohamed al-Suwaidi signed the
agreement, while UCLan was represented by Dr Gary
Bond, professor of materials chemistry and associate
head of school, School of Forensic and Applied Sciences.
Brigadier al-Suwaidi said the agreement is the
outcome of co-ordination between the MoI, Qatar Petroleum and the university and adds further
academic value to RLESC.

HE Sheikh Abdullah witnessing the signing of the

agreement between the Ministry of Interior and
University of Central Lancashire.
The new diploma course will be provided for operations officers and help raise their professional and academic level. He added that the diploma, which requires
two years of study, is the rst of its kind in the region.

Tissco is a major participant in civil defence expo

Teyseer Industrial Supplies and
Services Company (Tissco) is a
prominent participant at the fifth
Civil Defence Exhibition, which
concludes today at the Doha
Exhibition and Convention Centre.
An ISO 9001 certified company,
Tissco is focused on supplies and
services of electro mechanical
industrial products in Qatar.
Tissco is associated with international
brands like Holmatro, a leader in
rescue equipment; Mobiak, the

European firefighting and suppressing

pioneers; Hughes, the leading
manufacturers of safety showers;
a wide range of safety shoes from
multinational sources; intrinsically
safe mobile phones, laptops, torches
and other gadgets from E-Com and
usable in oil fields; Brady scaf tags;
Sperian gas detectors; personal
protective equipment; Karam body
harness; and Venus breathing
apparatus among others.
With showrooms in the Industrial

Area as well as Doha and the Barwa

Village, Tissco has penetrated
into the industrial as well as major
project sectors for almost all their
requirements, particularly their safety
and security equipment requirements.
At this years Civil Defence
Exhibition, Tissco has focused on
displaying and demonstrating
two products emergency rescue
equipment from Holmatro,
Netherlands; and other firefighting
items from Mobiak, Greece.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

15

QATAR

Ashghal urged
to be prepared
for wet season
By Ayman Adly
Staff Reporter

egular maintenance of the

available infrastructure for
rain drainage should be conducted to ensure the readiness of the
network when heavy rains come, the
civic council stressed yesterday.
The Central Municipal Council
(CMC) agreed with the view of the
Public Works Authority (Ashghal)
that temporary solutions for the
issue of rain water accumulation
on the countrys roads should be
adopted rather than constructing a
permanent and costly drainage network.
Hamad Lahdan al-Muhannadi,
CMC vice-chairman, said there are
more pressing infrastructure priorities scheduled until 2022, and the
issue of a comprehensive rain water
drainage system is not as urgent.
CMC member Jassim al-Malki
called for an effective and regular
maintenance process to make sure
that the system would work properly

in case of rain. He pointed out that

the rainy season in the country is
not long or regular and it is not also
heavy or recurrent to the degree that
necessitates the construction of an
expensive comprehensive network
for drainage.
CMC member Mohamed bin Zar
al-Hajiri observed that the accumulation of rain water, resulting in
stagnant water ponds, especially on
the highways of Al Shamal, is mostly
due to bad and improper designs
of roads. He said that such roads
should be designed to let the water
drain to the desert.
Meanwhile, the council approved
the recommendation of its services and public utilities committee
in this regard. It mainly stressed
that the municipalities concerned
should provide an adequate number
of suction trucks well equipped to
meet the demand immediately in
case of heavy rains.
Such vehicles could be stationed
at the highways or the points of
roads known for water-logging during rain. Also, municipalities should

maintain close co-ordination with

Ashghal to provide instant and temporary solutions for each of these
situations.
At its regular biweekly session
yesterday, CMC discussed a suggestion to improve the safety and security of the various bus stops across
the country.
CMC members asked that Mowasalt should at least provide such
stops with adequate shades during
the summer season in particular to
ease the difficulty for waiting passengers. Further, bus stops need to
be re-distributed according to the
changing population density in the
country.
The council handled also a suggestion to establish a major public
garden or park at Al Khor Municipality, as most of the public gardens
at Al Khor and Al Thakhira are of
small size and hence not adequate
for families. Both suggestions were
referred to the CMC services and
public utilities committee for further study and consultation with
entities concerned.

Qatar branded taxis drive past Big Ben in London as part of the Qatar Destination Brand promotional campaign.

Destination branding in
the spotlight at WTM

QF surveys search response to R&D

By Joseph Varghese
Staff Reporter

atar Foundation Research

and Development (QF R&D)
will be collate public opinion through a series of surveys to
provide a comprehensive view of
the research and development landscape in Qatar.
R&D activities are critical to the
countrys transition into a knowledge-based economy, as envisioned
by Qatar National Vision 2030 and
outlined in national and sectoral
strategic development plans.
QF R&D, one of the main pillars
of Qatar Foundation for Education,
Science and Community Development ( QF), has commissioned Qatar
University Social & Economic Survey
Research Institute (SESRI) to conduct the surveys as part of the Baseline Measurement Survey on General

Public Awareness, Appreciation and

Support for Research project.
Due to commence this month,
the R&Ds research project supports
QFs on-going mission to cultivate
in Qatar a culture of active citizenship, life-long learning and interest
in research.
A workshop was held between QF
R&D and SESRI to formalise objectives, design and methods ahead of
the launch of the surveys. Participants discussed the need to identify
a national representative measure of
perceptions, knowledge, and support for R&D in Qatar.
SESRI will begin reaching out to
nationals and white-collar expatriates, seeking their opinion with regard to expectations and perceived
benets of R&D in Qatar. This brief

and condential survey will be conducted by telephone from SESRIs

calling centre, targeting a statistically
drawn sample of the resident population. Additional electronic surveys
will be conducted with members of
academia, public and private sectors,
in addition to the media.
The results of these surveys are
expected to provide a comprehensive view of the R&D landscape in
Qatar, which in turn, will assist in
identifying avenues for increasing
awareness and support among the
different target groups, and constructing a context-specic model
of engagement with research, science, and technology. The survey
results will also serve as the baseline
for monitoring public support over
time.

estination branding is a crucial

element in how well a countrys
tourism system can function cohesively, Dr Taleb al-Rifai, secretary
general, the World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO), said yesterday, speaking at
the UNWTO Ministerial Summit, hosted
at the ongoing 36th edition of the World
Travel Market (WTM) in London under
the title Destination Branding New
Challenges in a Changing Market.
Qatar has developed a brand, Qatar
Destination Brand to position the country as a premium tourist destination that
offers authentic experiences rooted in
the nations culture and heritage. It was
unveiled at the WTM on Monday.
It is more important to create a
unique experience than a marketing tagline, al- Rifai said.
The brand has to be authentic, per-

BAE helps budding engineers spread wings

pcoming young aerospace

engineers from BAE Systems
recently hosted a series of
skill-building workshops and careeroriented presentations for students
across Qatar.
Supported by Qatar University (QU),
the weeklong visit was part of BAE
Systems STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics) educational outreach programme, which has
been actively engaging with students
and educators in Qatar since 2010.
Samantha Surmon and Adam Rule,
both graduate engineers in BAE Systems Air division in the UK, hosted
workshops on the Theory of Flight
and gave students the opportunity to
explore the daily life of an engineer
in a large international company. Between October 25-29, presentations
were held at QU College of Engineering (CENG) while workshops were held
at independent secondary schools for
boys and girls.
Presentations at QU gave invaluable insights into how STEM subjects

can help guide and propel careers for

aspiring Qatari engineers while the
workshops at secondary schools focused on aerospace engineering with
special emphasis on the history of
ight, Newtons Third Law, thrust,
drag, lift and air resistance. After students were briefed on key concepts of
ight, they were split into groups and

challenged to design and build paper

aeroplanes competing for the best
design. These activities served to help
the students understand the basic
physics behind everyday engineering
innovations such as aircraft.
Approximately 100 students attended the interactive STEM workshop.

sonal, and credible otherwise you are

exposing your destination to issues and
crisis, which will damage a lot more than
the good that you expect the brand to do.
Al-Rifai stated that developing solid
tourism products would in turn make
tourists, as well as industry partners
and citizens, the greatest brand ambassadors.
The secretary general stressed the
growing importance of tourism as a
central pillar of growth in todays economy. UNWTOs latest data shows 4.3%
growth for global tourism in the rst nine

months of 2015, which promises to make

this the fth consecutive year of growth
for the global industry.
This industry is so vital to todays
world, not only in creating jobs and addressing economic decits, but because
we are the industry that deals with the
decit of smiles and happiness, he concluded.
Meanwhile the Qatari pavilion at the
WTM is attracting a large number of visitors from around the world who are eager to know about the tourism potential
of the country.

Ooredoo waives connection fee for new

business messaging service customers

Students attending the BAE Systems-QU STEM workshop last month.

Snapshots of Qatar on displayed at the countrys pavilion at the WTM in London.

oredoo has launched a

new offer for businesses
looking to reach out to
customers and employees via
SMS, with a special promotion on
business messaging accounts.
The Ooredoo business messaging service is a mobile marketing tool that provides companies
with a cost-effective and efcient way to send bulk SMS to
large groups of people, according
to a statement.
Now, all new customers who
activate a new business SMS account during the promotion period will not have to pay a connection fee (saving QR1,500), and
will be able to enjoy the rst three
months rental for free, saving a
further QR300 per month (up to
the value of QR900).
The offer applies to companies
that choose either the standard

business messaging service or the

business messaging packs, which
offer bundles of high-volume
SMS and savings for customers.
Customers can choose from
Pack 150,000, which includes
2.3mn text messages; Pack
300,000, which contains more
than 5mn text messages; and Pack
450,000, which offers 8.5mn text
messages.
Businesses that use the standard or business SMS packs also
benet from free alphanumeric
short codes and can rent additional easy-to-remember short
codes to support their campaigns.
Ooredoo has designed its business messaging service so that
companies can effectively communicate with their customers
and employees.
The offer ends on February 1,
2016.

New booking feature on the app

Ooredoo has launched another mobile innovation this week a new self-service feature that
enables customers to book appointments at
Ooredoo shops from their device. Using the new
feature, customers can choose the branch they
want to visit and the time they want to meet an
Ooredoo advisor, saving them time and ensuing
a fast and effective appointment.
The feature is available via the free Ooredoo app,
and combined with a new approach to queue
management will streamline services and reduce
waiting time. The app also allows customers to
locate the nearest branch, adding more accessibility. The mobile app is available for free download
on the iTunes Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android).
Customers will receive a photo confirmation
on their mobile device when they book their
appointment via the app. They can scan this
when they arrive at their selected Ooredoo store
and will then receive an SMS when an adviser is
ready to meet them.

Jumbo Mega Promotion woos shoppers

umbo Electronics is holding its annual mega promotion until November 15. Launched recently, the
promotion is running across all 16 Jumbo Electronics outlets in the country.
A range of LG products, including
Super UHD TVs, refrigerators, washing
machines, smartphones, Hi- systems,
appliances, air-conditioners, projectors
and more, are available at special prices
as part of the promotion, according to
a statement. Products of other brands,
such as Lenovo and HiSense smartphones and Apple iPhone 6s, are also
available at special rates.
In addition, Harman Kardon, JBL,
Brother, Indesit, Ariston and Oscar
are also part of the Mega Promotion,
which includes gift vouchers, combo
deals and attractive prices, the statement notes.

Jumbo Electronics is also offering

0% interest in 6/12 EMI schemes from
leading banks such as Doha Bank, QNB,
Commercial Bank, Mashreq and Ahlibank, subject to terms and conditions.
Other benets include free extended
warranties, double points on Jumbo
digits and possibility to earn and redeem Nojoom points.
Jumbo is also offering a Scratch &
Win scheme. On every QR1,000 worth
of purchases made on a single invoice,
Jumbo is giving one scratch coupon that
gives customers a guaranteed win.
No lucky draws but everyone is a
winner. There are over 5,000 gifts worth
more than QR500,000 to be won, according to the statement.
Jumbo Electronics has partnered with
well-known restaurants in Qatar, such
as Nandos, Burger Gourmet, Tama-

rind Indian, Lifestyle and Biryani Hut,

to provide gift vouchers, as well as with
Q-Tickets to offer movie tickets to customers as part of the promotion.
Other gifts to be won include Timex
watches, Adidas bags, headphones
from Harman Kardon, JBL and AKG,
JBL Go portable Bluetooth speakers, LG
DVD players, LG Leon smartphone, LG
bedding cleaners, LG microwaves, LG
washing machine, LG 55 Ultra HD TV,
LG 65 Ultra HD TV and others.
During the promotion, a sele contest
is being conducted by Jumbo. Customers need to visit Jumbos Facebook page
- facebook.com/jumboqatar - to take
part in the contest and win prizes on a
weekly basis.
Video Home & Electronic Centre is the
sole distributor of LG, Harman Kardon,
JBL, Brother, Indesit and Ariston in Qatar.

Gifts worth over QR500,000 are to be won as part of the promotion, besides various special offers.

16

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

REGION/ARAB WORLD

Iran arrests three pro-reform journalists: reports

AFP
Tehran

ranian authorities have arrested

three
pro-reform
journalists, one of whom has
been critical recently of Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
news agencies reported yesterday.
State television said the elite
Revolutionary Guards had ar-

rested several members of an inltration network linked to hostile

Western governments who were
working in the countrys media
and social networks.
It did not give details, but said
they would be published later.
The Ilna news agency, which is
close to Irans reformists, had earlier reported the arrest of journalists Issa Saharkhiz and Ehsan Mazandarani, but did not say when

they were detained or on what

charges.
Saharkhiz was released in 2013
after serving three years in prison
for insulting Khamenei and publishing anti-regime propaganda.
He was head of media at the
culture ministry under reformist
president Mohamed Khatami, who
was in office from 1997 to 2005.
In recent months, he had criticised Khamenei and other senior

gures in interviews with foreign

media.
Mazandarani runs the reformist
daily Farhikhtegan. He was previously arrested in 2009 for acting against national security and
contact with foreigners, at a time
of protests against the re-election
of hardline president Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad.
Separately, the Mehr news
agency, close to moderate con-

servatives, announced the arrest

of Afarine Chitsaz, a journalist
with government newspaper Iran.
Earlier yesterday, state television reported the arrest of a Lebanese-American, Nezar Zaka, on
suspicion of having links to the US
intelligence community.
The television report did not
give details of when or where the
suspect had been arrested but
identied him as Nezar Zaka and

said he was suspected of multiple close ties to the US military

and intelligence communities.
The broadcaster aired photographs of what it said was Zaka in
military uniform on a US base.
Four Iranian-Americans are
also being held in Iran. They include Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, who has
been held since July last year on
spy charges.

3 years
minimum
jail term
for stone
throwers

Cyclone
wreaks
havoc in
Yemen
Images posted on social
media show heavy floods
hitting the streets of Mukalla,
the provincial capital of
Hadramout
AFP
Aden

rare tropical cyclone has

slammed into Yemen, triggering heavy ooding and
causing enormous damage in a
region of the war-racked country
dominated by Al Qaeda, a senior
official said yesterday.
Packing winds of more than
100km per hour, Cyclone Chapala
made landfall in the southeastern provinces of Hadramout and
Shabwa, Minister of Fisheries
Fahd Kafain said.
The damage is enormous and
we fear human losses, said the
minister, part of a commission set
up to deal with the cyclone that
brewed in the Arabian Sea.
The World Health Organisation
said that it had delivered trauma
kits for 1,000 patients in Mukalla
and was providing fuel for hospitals and ambulances.
It said Hadramout and Shabwa
had a combined population of
about 1.8mn people including
more than 100,000 internally
displaced and 27,000 refugees
and migrants.
The storm earlier wreaked havoc on the island of Socotra located
350km off the Yemeni mainland.
More than 200 people were injured and dozens of houses and
hamlets were severely damaged
or washed away, said Salem Zaher, mayor of the islands main
district Hadibo.
Images posted on social media
showed heavy oods hitting the
streets of Mukalla, the provincial
capital of Hadramout, bringing
further misery to Yemenis already
beset by poverty and rampant unrest.

The Yemen Post newspaper

described the city as being under water, saying on Twitter that
Chapala drowns city with 40
inches of water.
Cars were half-submerged in
muddy water while seafront roads
were badly damaged by high
waves.
The rainfall from Chapala is
far beyond anything ever witnessed in this arid area which is
not used to cyclones, the UN
weather agency said on Monday.
The very severe cyclonic
storm brought maximum sustained winds of 130km per hour
with gusts of up to 145km per
hour when it made landfall, it said
in a joint update yesterday with
Indias meteorological agency.
But Chapala has since rapidly
lost strength, it said.
Due to rugged terrain, dry
air intrusion, increase in vertical
wind shear and decrease in divergence, the system weakened rapidly into a cyclonic storm and will
further weaken into a depression
during (the) next 12 hours, it said
in a statement.
Mukalla has been mostly controlled by Al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula since April.
The militants have taken advantage of the chaos that has engulfed the country since Houthi
Shia rebels overran the capital Sanaa in September 2014 to
tighten their grip on the sprawling southeast.
Oman downgraded its state
of alert, saying the cyclone had
moved westwards and would not
directly hit the sultanate.
However, the Omani meteorological agency warned that waves
as high as 3m were still expected
to hit the shores of Dhofar and Al
Wusta provinces.
Impoverished Yemen is already facing a deep humanitarian
crisis with a severe lack of food
and medicine caused by the conict.

AFP
Jerusalem

A Palestinian journalist inspects the damage to the offices of the Al Hurria radio station after an Israeli raid in Hebron yesterday.

Israeli army raids, shuts

Palestinian radio station
AFP
Hebron

he Israeli army yesterday

raided and shut down a
Palestinian radio station,
conscating equipment and
causing signicant damage, after the military accused it of celebrating attacks on Israelis.
Dozens of soldiers barged into
the offices of the Al Hurria station in Hebron in the occupied
West Bank in the early hours of
the morning, the stations executive director said in a video
posted online.
The army said the station was
shut down and that its coverage
glories attacks against Israelis.
Ayman al-Qawasmi, Al Hurrias director, said soldiers approached the building around
2am.
We thought it was related
to the campaign of arrests but
were surprised to see they were
targeting the radios premises,
he said.
Unfortunately they destroyed everything inside the
building, there is nothing left...
They conscated broadcasting

equipment, microphones.
An AFP photographer at the
station said damage caused by
the raid was considerable, with
equipment and signs torn from
walls and furniture upturned.
The Union of Palestinian
Journalists said the station was
informed it would be closed until April, calling the decision an
awful and heinous crime which
reects the (Israelis) barbaric,
criminal, terrorist mentality towards Palestinian media.
The Israeli army said media
incitement was a key factor in
the aggravation, encouraging
and celebration of the recent
wave of terror.
The station, the army said,
encourages stabbing attacks,
violent riots and reports false
and malicious claims of security
forces executing and kidnapping Palestinians in order to
provoke violence.
In the past two weeks, around
20 young Palestinians have been
shot by Israeli forces in and
around Hebron. The army has
accused them of trying to stab
Israeli security forces or settlers.
Palestiniansincluding media outlets such as Al Hurria

have in some cases disputed the

official version of events, claiming some of the dead were either
unarmed or did not represent a
direct threat.
Al Hurria was formed in the
Gaza Strip in 2002 by Fatah, the
political party of Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, the
Israeli army said.
After the strip was taken over
by Hamas, the station moved
to Hebron in the West Bank, it
said.
Israel has closed the station
twice before, in 2002 and 2008.
Nine Israelis, 68 Palestiniansaround half of them alleged attackersand an Arab
Israeli have been killed in a wave
of violence since the start of October.
*Israel denounced yesterday
a European Union proposal to
label products from Jewish settlements, saying it would damage the peace process with the
Palestinians.
An EU decision on whether
to require labelling on all products imported from Jewish settlements in the occupied West
Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan
Heights is expected next week,
media reported.

Iranian police
close down
KFC outlet
Iranian police have swooped
in to shutter a fried chicken
shop using the brand name of
US fast food giant KFC, local
media said yesterday.
Police closed the KFC
restaurant as it didnt have
authorisation and had been
operating under a false
licence, reported the news site
of Irans Young Journalist Club,
which is affiliated with state
television.
The fast food joint, KFC Halal,
had only been open for three
days, the site said.
No American fast food chain
has a restaurant in Iran, Ali
Fazeli, head of the Iranian
chamber of commerce, was
quoted as saying by the Ilna
press agency.
Food products from Iranian
KFC have nothing to do with
KFC in the United States, he
said.
In accordance with orders
from the supreme leader
(Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), we
do not give any authorisation
to Western brands in the fast
food sector, Fazeli added.

His employer says he has been

found guilty in an outrageous injustice. Iranian officials have not
detailed the charges of which he
has been convicted but have said
that he can appeal.
Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif has said Iran is trying to
resolve Rezaians case from a humanitarian point of view.
Tehran does not recognise dual
nationality for its citizens.

Speaking before a visit to

Europe aimed at countering the move, Deputy Foreign
Minister Tzipi Hotovely said
any such ruling would undermine the chances of peace negotiations.
The two sides have not talked
peace for more than 18 months.
Hotovely told reporters during a visit to the Barkan industrial zone near the West Bank
settlement of Ariel that she
would visit Spain, France and
Germany this week in a lastditch bid to convince the EU to
drop the proposals.
Hotovely, a member of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahus
right-wing Likud party, said
she considered the settlements
a part of Israel so there was no
difference between labelling
products from them and other
areas.
Labelling, it is very clear to
say, is the pure boycotting of Israel, she said.
There are over 200 territorial disputes around the world.
We dont see Europe has the
motivation to inform the consumer in Europe on the other
200 areas. Europe is singling out
Israel, she later told AFP.

sraels lawmakers have voted

to impose a minimum threeyear jail sentence on stone
throwers, the Knesset website
said, weeks after the premier
vowed war on those who pelt
security forces with rocks.
The law was approved late
Monday by 57 votes against 17
and comes as a surge of unrest
in Israel and the occupied West
Bank has entered its second
month.
The new legislation was
backed by the government
of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu who declared war
in September on stone throwers.
Netanyahu pledged tougher
penalties after a 65-year-old
Israeli died when he lost control of his car, with police saying
the accident in East Jerusalem
was caused by Palestinian stone
throwing.
Since then Palestinian protesters have stepped up attacks
with stones against Israeli security forces and civilians in the
West Bank and in East Jerusalem.
The law adopted by the Knesset stipulates that judges would
only be able to issue suspended
sentences to stone throwers in
exceptional circumstances.
It also adds rocks to the list of
harmful tools in the countrys
penal code.
Those convicted would have
their social security benets cut
off while in jail, as would the parents of minors convicted.
Right-wing lawmaker Nissan
Slomiansky who presented the
law said the measures were necessary to dissuade stone throwing which he described as attempted murder.
A minimum punishment
is necessary to create a deterrent and uproot the assumption
that its just a stone, said the
MP who belongs to the religious
Jewish Home party.
Jamal Zahalka, an opposition
MP for the Joint List, a coalition of Arab-Israeli parties, denounced the law saying it would
only add oil to the re.
Fires cannot be put out with
gas, and this law is throwing gas
on a re, he said.

Guards clash at Aden

presidential palace
AFP
Aden

Armed tribesmen from the Popular Resistance Committees, supporting forces loyal to Yemens President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, fire
from a tank in the area of Sirwah, west of Marib city, yesterday.

uards at the presidential

palace in Yemens second
city Aden clashed yesterday with militiamen providing
security for the complex in a dispute over unpaid wages, a military source said.
At least two members of the
presidential guard were wounded in the shootout, the source
said.
The clash reects a state of
chaos that prevails in Aden, the
countrys main southern city
which pro-government forces
backed by Saudi-led coalition
air strikes recaptured from Shia
rebels in July.
The presidential guard is led
by a son of President Abd-Rabbu
Mansour Hadi, who returned
briey to Aden in September
from exile in Riyadh, to where he
has since gone back.

Soldiers from the force clashed

with ghters from the Popular
Resistance, a group of southern
factions that fought alongside
Hadi loyalists against the Iranbacked Houthi rebels, the military source said.
The ghters were protesting a
delay in their wages, the source
added.
The ghting has subsided, but tension remains at the
Maashiq palace, the source
added.
The palace was severely damaged during the ghting between
Hadi loyalists and the rebels,
but was recently repaired by the
United Arab Emirates, which
along with Saudi Arabia is taking
a lead role in supporting Hadi.
Hadi declared Aden a temporary capital after he ed
house arrest in Sanaa in February, months after the insurgents
overran the capital unopposed.
He later left for Riyadh as the
Houthis approached Aden.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

17

ARAB WORLD

Chalabi, key lobbyist for invasion of Iraq, dies

AFP
Baghdad

hmed Chalabi, a key lobbyist for the US-led invasion of Iraq who was
blamed for providing false intelligence on weapons of mass destruction to justify it, died of a
heart attack yesterday.
The 71-year-old head of parliaments nance committee
died this morning of a heart attack, Prime Minister Haider alAbadi said in a statement offering

condolences for his death.

He dedicated his life to opposing the dictatorial regime and
played a major role in building the
political process and democracy in
Iraq, Abadi said.
Iraqi leaders including parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi, Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari,
Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, a senior
commander of Shia-majority volunteer forces, and various top ofcers came to Chalabis house to
pay their respects.
In a statement on his death,
the interior ministry described

Chalabi as having worked for the

salvation of the Iraqi people from
dictatorship.
Living in exile as head of the Iraqi National Congress (INC), which
opposed Saddam Hussain, Chalabi
became a White House favourite
for information he provided which
supported the US justication for
attacking Iraq in 2003.
But he lost favour after the invasion when information regarding
Saddams alleged possession of
weapons of mass destruction and
links to Al Qaeda turned out to be
false.

Chalabi: controversial figure

He was also accused of providing information to Iran.
Iraqi police and US forces
raided his home in May 2004 and
seized documents and computers.
The only formal charge laid was

putting forged banknotes into circulation after the raid turned up a

small number in his home.
Chalabi was long dogged by allegations of corruption and was
convicted by a Jordanian court of
embezzling funds from the collapsed Petra bank in 1992, a case
he claims was politically motivated.
Born in October 1944 to a
wealthy Baghdad family, Chalabi
left the country in 1956 and spent
most of his life in Britain and the
United States, where he received a
doctorate in mathematics.

He organised a Kurdish uprising

in northern Iraq in the mid-1990s
but hundreds of people were killed
and he later ed, returning only
when US-led invading forces took
control.
Undaunted, he provided a
steady stream of briengs which
were used to bolster the case for
the 2003 war.
Key figures in US president
George W Bushs administration hoped Chalabi and the INC
might take over Iraq as an interim government after the fall
of Saddam.

But because of its long years

outside Iraq, his group was little
known and little liked at home.
Plans for a smooth and easy political transition fell apart, and instead Iraq was plagued by years of
bloodshed.
Following the invasion, Chalabi, a secular Shia, was one of
the main proponents of the deBaathication drive to remove
alleged Saddam supporters from
public life, which alienated Iraqs
Sunni Arab minority and fuelled
the insurgency against US-led
forces.

Russia stance
suggests gap
with Iran on
Assad future
Comments by Russias foreign
ministry appear to suggest
a difference of approach
compared with Iran on the
question of keeping Assad in
power
Reuters
Moscow

ussia does not see keeping

Bashar al-Assad in power
as a matter of principle,
the foreign ministry in Moscow
said yesterday in comments that
suggested a divergence of opinion with Iran, the Syrian presidents other main international
backer.
Fuelling speculation of RussianIranian differences over Assad, the
head of Irans Revolutionary Guard
Corps suggested on Monday that
Tehran may be more committed to
him than Moscow was.
However, one senior regional
official cautioned against reading
too much into the public statements on Assad, saying there is no
difference between Russia and Iran
over him. They agree on his staying in office, and that it is up to the
Syrian people to elect their president, the official said.
Russia and Iran agreed on his
staying in office, and that it was up
to the Syrian people to elect their
president.
While Russia and Iran have been
Assads foremost foreign supporters during Syrias four-year-old
war, the United States, its Gulf allies and Turkey have insisted the
president must step down as part
of any eventual peace deal.
Talks in Vienna on Friday
among the main foreign players
involved in diplomatic efforts on

Syria failed to reach agreement on

Assad.
Asked by a reporter yesterday if
saving Assad was a matter of principle for Moscow, Russian foreign
ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: Absolutely not, we
never said that.
We are not saying that Assad
should leave or stay, RIA news
agency quoted her as saying.
But another regime change in
the Middle East could be a catastrophe that could simply turn
the whole region into a large black
hole, she added.
Zakharova said Russia had not
changed its policy on Assad and
that his fate should be decided by
the Syrian people.
But her remarks appeared to
suggest a difference of approach
compared with Iran, which has
sent forces to ght alongside Assads military and the Lebanese
Hezbollah group, which it backs,
has also sent ghters.
The head of Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General
Mohamed Ali Jafari, acknowledged that Russia may not care if
Assad stays in power as we do. The
Tasnim news agency quoted him
on Monday as saying: We dont
know any better person to replace
him.
Nevertheless, the senior regional official, who is familiar
with diplomatic contacts on Syria,
poured cold water on any suggestion of a split. Forget it. There is
no Russian-Iranian difference over
the matter of Assad, the official
told Reuters.
Syrias deputy foreign minister
rejected the idea of a transitional
period sought by Western states
that want Assad removed from
power.

We are talking about a national

dialogue in Syria and an expanded
government and a constitutional
process. We are not at all talking
about what is called a transitional
period, Faisal Mekdad said during
a visit to Iran.
He said Assad had been elected
president by a large majority and
the Syrian people had conrmed
there was no alternative to him as
leader.
Assads Syrian and foreign opponents, however, dismissed last
years election as a sham.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov will meet UN Syria envoy
Staffan de Mistura in Moscow today to discuss attempts to start a
dialogue between Damascus and
the opposition, Moscows foreign
ministry said.
At the talks in Vienna, where
Russia was the leading player,
Moscow said it wanted opposition groups to participate in future
discussions on the Syria crisis and
exchanged a list of 38 names with
Saudi Arabia.
The list included mostly former
and current members of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces
(SNC), Syrias Western-backed
political opposition bloc, Kommersant newspaper reported yesterday.
On the battleeld, a newlyformed US-backed Syrian rebel
alliance advanced against Islamic
State in the northeast province of
Hasaka yesterday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
Syrian government forces and
allied militia clashed in erce
battles with IS ghters southeast
of Aleppo city, the Observatory
said.

Emergency personnel carry a body following an air strike yesterday in the rebel-held side of Aleppo city.

Moscow says opposition

guided planes to targets
AFP
Moscow

ussia said its jets bombed

24 targets in Syria yesterday using co-ordinates
supplied by opposition representativesthe rst time Moscow has claimed to work with
opposition groups since it began
its air offensive.
The co-ordinates of all of these
targets were given to us by opposition representatives, senior
military official Andrei Kartapolov said, without specifying the
groups involved.
Russia announced contacts
with the Syrian opposition as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was
due to meet the United Nations
Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura in
Moscow today.
Moscow said it had set up

working co-ordination groups

aimed at bolstering the ght
against the Islamic State, but said
the identities of those involved
were being kept secret.
Such close co-operation will
allow us to unite the efforts of the
government troops with other
patriotic forces in Syria that used
to be in the opposition and act as
a united front against the common enemyinternational terrorism, the defence ministry said in a
statement.
Deputy foreign minister Mikhail
Bogdanov called the contact with
the opposition groups useful,
both for ghting terrorism and
promoting the political process,
while speaking to Interfax news
agency.
The Russian defence ministry
said the latest strikes hit targets
close to Palmyra, Deir al-Zor,
Ithriya and eastern Aleppo with

assistance from the opposition,

destroying terrorist command
posts, munition stores and antiaircraft artillery.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
warplanes believed to be either
Russian or those of the Syrian regime bombed the Islamic State
groups de facto capital Raqa yesterday, killing at least 23 people
including 13 militants.
Moscow has been bombing targets in Syria since September 30,
when it launched an offensive in
support of forces loyal to President
Bashar al-Assad against IS jihadists and other terrorist groups.
Our aim both in Syria and anywhere else is to ght terrorism rst
of all, Russian President Vladimir
Putin said in Moscow yesterday.
But the US and its allies, who are
involved in a separate air campaign
against IS, have accused Moscow

of primarily hitting more moderate groups ghting Assads regime.

Russias defence ministry said
its planes carried out joint training yesterday with the US-led
coalition force that is also conducting strikes in Syria on what
to do if their planes got dangerously close.
It said the simulation saw Russian planes y at the minimum
safe distance from the planes of
the US-led coalition, establish radio communications and inform
each other of their ight plans in
both English and Russian.
Moscow said that since the start
of the operation it has hit 2,084
targets in 1,631 sorties, including
52 training camps and 287 command posts.
It said it has managed to cause
signicant losses to the terrorists and to undermine their morale.

Experts examine black boxes of crashed airliner

AFP
Cairo

nvestigators yesterday began

examining the two black boxes from the Russian airliner
that crashed in Egypts Sinai Peninsula, as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the probe would
take time.
Sisi described a claim by the
Egyptian branch of the Islamic
State militant group that it downed
the Airbus A321 that crashed on
Saturday killing all 224 people on
board as propaganda.
The examination of the black
boxesone which recorded onboard conversations and the other
ight datastarted at around
midday, an Egyptian civil aviation
ministry official said.
The probe could last several
weeks or months if the recordings
in the black boxes have been damaged, sources said. Russias government commission overseeing
the investigation was also due to
meet yesterday.
The St Petersburg-bound plane
operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia crashed 23 minutes after

A handout picture taken on Monday and released yesterday by Russias emergency ministry shows
Russian emergency services personnel working at the crash site in Egypts Sinai Peninsula.
taking off from the Red Sea resort
of Sharm El Sheikh.
Most of the passengers were
Russian tourists.
Kogalymavia said the plane
crashed due to external action,

and that there was no technical

fault or human error. It insisted the
aircraft was in an excellent technical condition.
Within hours of the crash, the
Egyptian affiliate of IS based in the

Sinai claimed it had downed the jet

in retaliation for Russian air strikes
targeting fellow militants in Syria.
When there is propaganda that
it crashed because of ISIS, this is
one way to damage the stability

and security of Egypt and the image of Egypt, Sisi told the BBC,
using an alternative acronym for
IS.
The plane was at 35,000 feet
altitude. Believe me, the situation
in Sinaiespecially in this limited
areais under our full control.
Sisi warned the probe could
take years as in the case of PanAm ight 103 from London to
New York that was brought down
by a bomb and crashed into the
Scottish town of Lockerbie in
1988.
It takes time to clarify the incidents. You had the Pan-American that crashed over Europe. It
took years before you reached the
truth about the real reasons why it
crashed, Sisi said.
On Monday, US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper
said it was unlikely that IS was
involved in the Kogalymavia plane
crash but did not rule out the possibility.
Alexander Neradko, head of
Russias aviation authority, criticised the airlines comments ruling
out technical fault or human error,
saying they were premature and
not based on any real facts.

Cairo, Moscow and Washington

have downplayed the IS claim, although analysts have not ruled out
that a bomb may have been planted on board.
Experts say the fact that debris
and bodies were strewn over a
wide area points to a mid-air disintegration of the aircraft.
IS militants in the Sinai are not
thought to have missiles capable
of shooting down a plane at the
altitude at which the Airbus was
ying.
That leaves two possibilities
a technical fault that caused the
plane to disintegrate, or an explosion caused by a bomb smuggled
on board, according to experts.
US officials told CNN and other US television networks that a
military satellite had detected a
heat ash at the time of the crash,
which could point to a catastrophic event during ight, possibly a
bomb explosion although analysts
were considering a range of potential causes.
Among other possibilities cited
by CNN were the explosion of a
malfunctioning engine or a structural problem with the plane.
Search operations have been ex-

tended to a radius of 40km.

Every centimetre of the crash
site should be inspected to look
for buried corpses and parts of the
plane, Russian Emergency Minister Vladimir Puchkov said in a
video conference with the Russian teams at the site, adding that
drones and satellites could also be
used if necessary.
President Vladimir Putin has
described the crashRussias
worst air disasteras a huge tragedy.
Without any doubt everything
must be done to create an objective
picture of events so that we know
what happened and can react accordingly, he said.
Relatives of the victims have begun the process of identifying the
bodies after two planes delivered
the remains of many of them to St
Petersburg.
Family members had already
been providing DNA samples at a
crisis centre set up near St Petersburgs Pulkovo airport, now the
site of an impromptu memorial
where people have brought owers
and cuddly toys to commemorate
the victims, many of them children.

18

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

AFRICA

Pistorius lawyers battle

to avoid murder charge
AFP
Pretoria

Abducted aid workers

freed in east Congo

ourteen aid workers kidnapped two

days ago by unidentied assailants
in the eastern Rutshuru region of
Democratic Republic of Congo have been
released, the UN said yesterday.
Dozens of people have been kidnapped in Rutshuru this year by armed
militias and criminal gangs. The area is
still plagued by rebel groups following
a 1998 to 2003 war that killed millions,
mostly from hunger and disease.
The group of 14 kidnapped on Sunday were employees of a Congolese
non-governmental organisation.
We are very happy to learn that
the 14 aid workers kidnapped on Sunday have been released, the UN Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) in Congo said on its
Twitter feed.
Local government officials could not
be reached for comment.

Reuters
Kampala

scar Pistoriuss lawyers yesterday fought to keep him from

returning to jail as state prosecutors argued for a murder conviction in a combative appeal hearing a
fortnight after he was released.
The Paralympic sprinter was found
guilty last year of culpable homicide - a
charge equivalent to manslaughter after shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva
Steenkamp on Valentines Day in 2013.
During sharp exchanges between
his lawyer and the ve judges at the
Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, the killing was again re-lived
in front of a packed courthouse that
included Steenkamps mother June.
At the crux of the appeal was how
trial judge Thokozile Masipa interpreted the principle of dolus eventualis - awareness of the likely outcome of
an action - under which she acquitted
Pistorius of murder.
(Judge Thokozile Masipas) analysis of dolus eventualis seems to me to
be wrong, Judge Eric Leach said.
When he red the bullets, did he
know there was somebody behind the
door?
Were talking about intent.
Pistorius lawyer Barry Roux fought
back, arguing that the original trial
verdict could not be challenged on its
factual ndings.
(The judge) was saying... my factual nding is that when he red the
shots thinking it was an intruder, he
genuinely believed the deceased was in
the bedroom.
He genuinely believed he was in
danger and thats why he red.
State prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued
that Pistorius should be convicted of
murder as he intended to kill whoever
was behind the toilet door through
which he red four bullets.
Firing through the door at torso
level into a small cubicle... the foresight must be that someone would
die, Nel said.
The court reserved judgement on
the case, and is expected to take some
weeks before announcing its decision.
The National Prosecution Authority
appeared condent of overturning the
culpable homicide verdict.

Museveni,
rival cleared
to run in
2016 election

South African ruling party African National Congress womens league members sing and dance as they protest against Oscar Pistorius outside the appeal court in
Bloemfontein yesterday.
We rmly believe that the prosecution team presented very persuasive
and compelling arguments, and therefore we have reasonable prospects of
a successful appeal, NPA spokesman
Luvuyo Mfaku told AFP.
Pistorius, 28, was released on October 19 - just one year into his ve-year
jail term - to spend the remainder of
his sentence under house arrest at his
uncles mansion in Pretoria.
If he was found guilty of murder, he
would face a minimum of 15 years in
prison.
Pistorius, who has not been seen in

public since his release, did not attend

the hearing.
Im here to support Gerrie Nel
and the team, Reevas mother June
Steenkamp told AFP.
We are saying he must stay in
jail, said Khosi Mojapi, a 33-year-old
member of the African National Congress Womens League, outside the
court building. We say stop abusing
women.
A lone Pistorius supporter held a
sign reading Hands off Oscar Pistorius, Give Oscar Pistorius a break.
Legal experts said it was difficult

to predict the outcome of the appeal

given the unexpected - and sometimes
unprecedented - legal twists and turns
that have characterised the high-prole case.
The appeal judges could alter the
original trial verdict and send the case
back to the high court for a new sentence.
Pistorius may also make his own appeal to South Africas Constitutional
Court - the countrys highest court.
But defence lawyers say Pistorius
could not afford further legal battles,
having already paid huge legal bills.

Mozambique tries to rein in armed Renamo

Zimbabwe arrests journalists over elephant poaching story

Zimbabwean police yesterday arrested
three journalists at a state newspaper
over a story implicating police and
parks officers in the poisoning of some
60 elephants, saying their report was
false.
Authorities arrested Sunday Mail
editor Mabasa Sasa, the papers
investigations editor Brian Chitemba
and reporter Tinashe Farawo late on
Monday. They are being held at Harare
Central Police Station.
The trio are charged with communicating false statements prejudicial
to the state, police spokeswoman
Charity Charamba told reporters in the
capital.
The newspaper report alleged that a
police assistant commissioner, rangers
in the parks and wildlife department,
an Asian businessman and several
junior officers were being investigated
for the recent poisoning of at least 60

elephants in separate incidents.

The police however said there
was no internal investigation being
conducted into their officers who were
allegedly involved in elephant poaching and that the story was untrue.
The editor and reporters of The
Sunday Mail cannot be allowed to hide
behind the privilege of journalism to
peddle falsehoods, said Charamba.
We therefore appeal to all journalists to verify all sensitive information with a view of writing accurate
information.
A media watchdog, the Voluntary
Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ)
condemned the journalists arrest.
Its barbaric in a democracy. It
infringes on the constitution which
provides for freedom of expression,
said VMCZ director Loughty Dube.
The police should simply have
asked for a retraction, issued a state-

Pistorius shot Steenkamp, a model

and law graduate, at the peak of his fame,
following his historic performance in
2012 when he became the rst doubleamputee to race at Olympic level.
In the shootings aftermath, he lost
his glittering sports career, lucrative
contracts and status as a global role
model for the disabled.
His release on house arrest after
serving one-sixth of his sentence was
in line with normal treatment of South
African convicts, but was criticised by
womens rights groups and many others in the country.

gandas electoral commission

yesterday approved veteran
leader Yoweri Musevenis bid
to extend his three decades in office,
kicking off campaigning for the presidential election due in early 2016.
The commission also gave the green
light to Musevenis ally-turned-rival
Amama Mbabazi, a former prime minister, to run in the election.
Museveni, 71, in power since 1986, is
one of Africas longest-ruling leaders.
His critics accuse him of wanting to be
president for life and of grooming his son,
army brigadier Kainerugaba Muhoozi, to
succeed him, charges he denies.
Opposition leaders had initially
planned to challenge Museveni as a coalition, but were unable to unite behind
a single candidate.
The reason I keep coming up is because I am able to do the work, Museveni said yesterday, touting his role
in leading Uganda to strong economic
growth and a measure of political stability after years of turmoil. Were
now at a stage for take-off, he said.
Mbabazi, who was sacked as prime
minister in 2014, had originally stood
against Museveni as a candidate for the
nomination of Ugandas ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) but
will now run on an independent ticket.
Mbabazi said yesterday he aimed to
help ensure a peaceful transition... a
change-over from one generation to
the next.
A third candidate, long-time opposition gure Kizza Besigye who has
been nominated by Ugandas largest
opposition party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), is expected to be registered on Wednesday as a candidate in
the presidential election.
Museveni has appeared keen to show
his physical agility amid rumours of
failing health. At a weekend NRM conference he was shown on television
running from his seat to the podium.
The electoral commission said it
would likely approve the candidacy of
10 presidential candidates, although
the main contest is expected to be between Museveni, Mbabazi and Besigye.
Mbabazi and Besigye have said they
have not abandoned hopes of agreeing on a single opposition candidate to
challenge Museveni, but mutual suspicions remain strong.

ment with the correct position or registered their complaint through VMCZ.
Charamba also announced that
police had in August arrested a man
at Harare international airport with 62
elephant tusks weighing 618kg worth
$154,000.
Last month, two other men were
arrested for illegally possessing ivory
and firearms.
In another separate case, two men
were also arrested last month for stealing 100kg of cyanide at a factory warehouse in the second city of Bulawayo.
Scores of elephants have died from
poisoning by suspected poachers
near Zimbabwes main game reserve
and near the border with Botswana in
recent months. Some of the carcasses
were found without tusks.
Officers from the parks department
have been arrested in connection with
the incident.

resh clashes between Mozambican government forces and

the main opposition Renamo
party resulted in several deaths, police said yesterday, while denying
reports that more than 200 had been
killed.
The government has vowed to disarm Renamo, which has refused to
accept the results of last years elections that returned the long-ruling
Frelimo party to power.
Renamo, which waged a 16-year
civil war in the southern African nation until 1992, has threatened to take
power by force in central and northern Mozambique, where there have
been a number of recent skirmishes.
The latest clashes began last
Wednesday in Morrumbala in the
centre, where Renamo has recently
installed a new military base.
Police spokesman Inacio Dina did
not release a specic death toll, but

said the gure of more than 200 reported by some newspapers and on
social media was false.
There sure is human and material losses, but not of this size, he
told a news conference in the capital
Maputo.
Home minister Basilio Monteiro
declared Friday at Gorongosa in central Mozambique that government
forces would continue their campaign
to disarm Renamo until its last base
was dismantled, state news agency
AIM reported.
Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama
has accused the government of two
recent attempts to assassinate him,
including an attack on his convoy last
month in which 24 people died.
Our focus is to continue collecting
weapons from the Renamo residual
forces, and if they dont do it voluntarily, we will continue our operations
to retrieve them said Dina.

Ouattara vows economic inclusion in second term

By Loucoumane Coulibaly, Reuters
Abidjan

vory Coasts President Alassane

Ouattara yesterday pledged to ensure
that more of his compatriots reap
the benets of the West African nations
post-war economic revival as he was
sworn in for a second ve-year term.
The head of the Constitutional
Council, the countrys highest legal
authority, meanwhile, said the body
backed his plan to revise the constitution to remove a controversial nationality clause at the root of a decade of
political turmoil.
Ouattara won a landslide victory
last month in the rst presidential
election since a brief civil war killed
over 3,000 people in the wake of the
last presidential poll in 2010.
The peaceful October 25 vote was
a boost for Ivory Coasts democratic
credentials and offered crucial reassurance of the countrys stability to
investors who have ooded into the
worlds top cocoa grower as its economy has taken off.
Only lasting peace, strong institu-

tions and Ivorians who place national

interest above all else will allow our
country to irreversibly join the ranks
of the great democracies and developed nations, Ouattara said after taking the oath of office.
All six of his election rivals were
present at a swearing-in ceremony at
the presidential palace in the commercial capital Abidjan that was
also attended by Senegals President
Macky Sall and President Thomas
Boni Yayi of Benin.
Ouattaras re-election bid was buoyed by an economy that has grown
by around 9% over the last four years,
making Ivory Coast one of the top
performers in Africa as other countries have been hobbled by a global
commodities crash.
However, while Ouattaras leadership has been largely credited with the
revival, many Ivorians claim they have
been left behind.
We must accelerate the distribution of the fruits of growth, especially
for our societys most disadvantaged,
he said, adding that he would push for
more processing of agricultural products to create jobs for Ivorian youth.

Ouattara also promised to do more

to foster reconciliation in a country
still deeply divided along political and
ethnic lines.
Many supporter of ex-president
Laurent Gbagbo heeded a call by hardliners from his Ivorian Popular Front
party to boycott the vote last month.
Gbagbo, whose refusal to accept
Ouattaras rst win sparked the 2011
civil war, is awaiting trial before the
International Criminal Court charged
with crimes against humanity.
Before his 2010 victory, Ouattaras
political opponents, including Gbagbos supporters, raised questions over
his national origins as a pretext to bar
him from running for the presidency.
His exclusion became a symbol
for the perceived marginalisation of
northerners who often have ethnic
and family connections that straddle
the borders with neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea.
In an interview with Reuters ahead
of his re-election, Ouattara vowed to
change the constitution to scrap a nationality clause that states that presidential candidates parents must both
be natural-born Ivorian citizens.

Ivory Coasts President Alassane Ouattara gestures in front of the honour guard after he was sworn in at the Presidential Palace
in Abidjan yesterday.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

19

AMERICAS
JUSTICE

CRIME

ACCIDENT

TELEVISION

ENTERTAINMENT

Judge orders deposition

of Cosby by ex-model

Sheriffs sergeant sent

to prison for jail beating

Wreckage of US cargo ship

El Faro found off Bahamas

New Star Trek series

will air from 2017

Snoopy honoured
on Walk of Fame

Bill Cosby and his former lawyer were ordered

on Monday to give sworn depositions in the
defamation lawsuit brought by an ex-supermodel
who says they falsely called her a liar after she
publicly accused the comedian of sexually
assaulting her three decades ago. Judge Debre
Katz Weintraub refused Cosbys request to dismiss
the defamation lawsuit filed by Janice Dickinson,
and said Cosby and his former lawyer Martin
Singer must testify in the case before November
25. The judge stipulated nothing in her order would
override attorney-client privilege. Cosbys lawyers
said they would appeal her decision. Dickinson is
one of more than 50 women who have publicly
accused Cosby of sexual assault.

A former Los Angeles County Sheriffs

Department sergeant who was convicted
of beating a visitor to a downtown jail and
then falsifying reports about the incident was
sentenced on Monday to eight years in prison.
Eric Gonzalez, 46, and two deputies were found
guilty earlier this year of violating the victims
civil rights in a case stemming from a wideranging FBI investigation into corruption and civil
rights abuses in the Los Angeles jail system. In
all 15 current or former members of the Sheriffs
Department have been convicted of federal
charges in connection with that investigation. The
two former sheriffs deputies who were convicted
are scheduled for sentencing later this month.

A large ship found in deep water off the

Bahamas is the lost freighter El Faro that sank
with 33 crew members in a hurricane last
month, US authorities said. The wreckage, in an
upright position and intact on the ocean floor,
was initially detected by a US Navy salvage
team over the weekend at a depth of nearly 3
miles (5km). It was found in the vicinity of El
Faros last known location off Crooked Island
in the southeastern Bahamas, the US National
Transportation Safety Board said. The Navy
salvage tug Apache subsequently deployed a
deep ocean remotely operated submersible,
CURV-21, equipped with a camera to confirm
the identity of the ship.

Cult TV franchise Star Trek will boldly return to

the small screen with a brand-new series in 2017,
CBS said, sparking a frenzy among its millions
of fans around the world. The series will air
exclusively in the US from January 2017 but will
be available largely behind the paywall on CBSs
subscription channel. The original Star Trek
told the story of the flight crew aboard the USS
Enterprise spaceship, which ventured around the
galaxy exploring new worlds. The new series will
introduce new characters seeking imaginative
new worlds and new civilisations, while
exploring the dramatic contemporary themes
that have been a signature of the franchise since
its inception in 1966.

Every dog has its day, and on Monday was

Snoopys, as Charlie Browns cartoon sidekick
joined the list of Hollywood legends with his own
star on the citys Walk of Fame. In a ceremony
honouring the worlds best-known and most
accomplished beagle, Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce president Leron Gubler presented
the Peanuts comic strip dog - represented by
an actor in a human-sized Snoopy suit - with the
2,563rd named star embedded in the sidewalk
along Hollywood Boulevard. As the outsized
alter ego and best friend to underdog hero
Charlie Brown, Snoopy was the original Joe
Cool, a world-famous novelist, and a celebrated
World War I Flying Ace, Gubler said.

Trumps new
book offers
his take on
countrys ills
AFP
New York

onald Trump published

a book about the ills of
America to another media
frenzy yesterday, signing copies
for fans, insulting his rivals on the
campaign trail and telling Americans to elect him president.
Crippled America: How to
Make America Great Again, offers the everyday reader his
take on the problems facing the
country and why they should
elect him to the White House to
x them.
He invited the world media
to Trump Tower to welcome
its launch before signing copies for excited fans who queued
for hours and travelled from far
and wide in the hope of meeting
him, as he tops the polls, less
than 100 days before the rst
statewide nominating contests.
I think Im going to get the
nomination and win the White
House. I think beating Hillary Clinton is going to be easy
because her record is so bad,
he announced, deftly elding
questions, and dishing out jokes
and insults at the expense of the
other candidates.
Jeb Bush is a poor messenger who falls asleep at the podium, Marco Rubio is over
rated with discredited personal nances and a disaster with
credit cards and Ben Carson
lacks energy, he said.
The manifesto runs to a modest 169 pages, then nishes with
three extra pages about his personal nances and another 17page section entitled about the
author. It is on sale as a hardback for $25.
Its release comes a week after

the former reality TV star was

accused, with his closest rival
retired neurosurgeon Carson,
of peddling fantasy economic
policies at the Republican debate.
The billionaire glowers on the
cover, by his own admission a
terrible, horrible, nasty picture that was chosen to reect
his anger and unhappiness
about the current state of US
affairs.
Trump said he was donating
all prots from the book - which
he told reporters was selling
like hotcakes - to a multitude
of causes.
Several hundred fans queued
to have their copies signed,
many of them leang through
the book, others wearing his
Make America Great Again
campaign hat and one woman
even clutching a Trump doll.
Lorie Shockley, a nurse from
Ohio, said she drove eight hours
with her boyfriend last night
and will drive straight back
home, just to get Trump to sign
two copies of his book, one for
her and one for her son.
I think its like historic, its
pretty unbelievable, she said at
the prospect of meeting him.
Im
anti-establishment,
she said. Trumps no nonsense
message about what is wrong
with career politicians appeals
to her.
Even if he doesnt make it, I
still think that he has changed
the dynamics of politics and
whats going on right now in our
country.
Marcel, a German tourist on
his rst trip to New York, was
combining the Trump event
with the Statue of Liberty and a
basketball game.
I think its easy to read, he

said. Maybe it will be getting

more concrete when I read it
further, but right at the moment not in-depth analysis I
would say.
The tome eshes out Trumps
politics in 17 chapters, under
headlines such as Health Care
Is Making Us All Sick and The
Right To Bear Arms, mixed
with copious grandstanding
about his business acumen.
There are pictures of his photogenic family, an angelic-looking Trump as a child, one from
his rst communion and meeting the late president Ronald
Reagan (a great guy), but half
the illustrations are technicolour pictures of his real-estate
projects.
The businessman waxes
lyrical on his tried and tested
themes: an economy overtaken
by China, simplifying the tax
code, making a better, affordable healthcare system and ending illegal immigration.
He stands by his controversial
pledge to build a wall along the
Mexico border - citing as inspiration Israels security barrier in
the West Bank and saying Europeans also wanted walls to stop
immigrants.
In a chapter on foreign policy, he calls the world a terrible
mess and calls for the defeat
of the self-proclaimed Islamic
State extremist group - without spelling out how - quipping that their forces probably
wouldnt even fill the Yankee
Stadium.
The book is published by
Threshold Editions, a conservative imprint of Simon and
Schuster, that has previously
edited work by Republican
hawk former US vice president
Dick Cheney.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a news conference before a public signing for his new book Crippled America: How
to Make America Great Again, at the Trump Tower Atrium yesterday in New York City.

Ryan says transport bill to

get lots of amendments
Reuters
Washington

ew US House Speaker
Paul Ryan said yesterday
that a long-term transportation bill would undergo an
open process in the House of Representatives this week, with lots
of amendments receiving votes.
Ryan, in his rst news briefing after becoming speaker last
week, said the bill would authorise roads, bridges and rail transit
projects for six years with three
years of guaranteed funding.
If additional savings can be
found elsewhere in the federal
budget, he said, then the road
work could be funded for a longer
period. Republicans have refused
to raise fuel taxes, unchanged
since 1993.
After promising restive House
Republicans last week that he
would increase their voice in the
legislative process if they elected
him speaker, Ryan said the transportation bill was a good place to
start.
Thats why were going to have
an open process on the oor with

Paul Ryan holds his first news conference at Republican National

Committee headquarters in Washington yesterday.
lots of amendments considered by
all members from both parties,
Ryan said.
Representative Steve Scalise,
the third-ranking House Republican, said there would be well over
100 House amendments receiving
votes.
Some 280 amendments have
been offered thus far on the House

Grandpa leaves
girl, 5, in desert
with loaded gun

Canadas new leader to

step out on world stage
AFP
Ottawa

ustin Trudeau takes over as

Canadas prime minister today, striking out on the diplomatic stage with a fortnight
of back-to-back summits leading up to the UN climate talks in
Paris.
The Liberal leader swept to
power last month with ambitious
pledges to change tack on global
warming and return to the multilateralism sometimes shunned by
the outgoing conservatives.
But experts warn of an uphill
road ahead for the 43-year-old
son of Canadas beloved late premier Pierre Trudeau.
There are clearly a lot of
challenges (ahead) for the new
government, said University of
Ottawa law professor Carissima
Mathen.
Between mid-November and
early December, Trudeau will

travel to the Group of 20 summit

in Turkey, the Commonwealth
meeting in Malta, the Asia-Pacic Economic Co-operation
summit in the Philippines and
the COP 21 climate conference in
Paris.
The Liberal government-inwaiting has promised to resettle
25,000 Syrian refugees before the
end of the year, and to wind down
Canadas combat mission against
the Islamic State group in Iraq
and Syria.

There are clearly a lot of

challenges (ahead) for the
new government
Foreign policy concerns also
include beeng up oversight of
Canadas spy agency as it starts
operating overseas for the rst
time, and ratifying the Trans-Pacic Partnership agreement.
But tackling climate change
will arguably be Trudeaus biggest challenge.

Its a tough issue for countries

like Canada, which is a big energy
user and exporter, commented
David Runnalls, a visiting climate
policy expert at the University of
Ottawa.
Labelled a climate laggard
by the UN, Canada under Harper
became the rst country to pull
out of the landmark Kyoto Protocol in 2011, inicting lasting
damage on relations with allies in
Europe among others.
Trudeau promised strong
measures to curb global warming
but has so far offered no rm targets for reducing Canadas carbon emissions.
His challenge now is to reach a
target, together with 10 provinces
that have their own objectives
and share responsibility for the
environment with Ottawa.
What Alberta decides will be
key to Canada meeting its targets because greenhouse gases
spewed from its oil sands are the
biggest source of Canadian emis-

sions - and they are growing,

Runnalls said.
Canadas three biggest provinces - Ontario, Quebec and
British Columbia - already have
or will soon introduce carbon
pricing schemes. Alberta is to announce in the coming weeks how
it plans to curb emissions without
derailing the provinces oil sector
and the nations economic engine, which laid off tens of thousands of workers this year amid a
slump in oil prices.
At home, Trudeau begins this
week by naming a cabinet, which
he pledged would represent all
regions of the vast country and
be split equally between men and
women. Trudeaus priorities for
year one of his mandate will be
laid out before parliament in what
is known as the speech from the
throne, expected before the end
of the year.
His government-in-waiting
has said it would start by lowering
taxes on middle income earners.

bill that need to be vetted for consideration, added House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee Chairman Bill Shuster. Republican lawmakers leaving
a closed-door policy meeting said
that among those amendments
was a provision to renew the charter of the US Export-Import Bank.
Ryan, who opposes EXIM re-

newal, did not address that issue

in his news brieng.
Asked whether he plans to push
for controversial Republican policy provisions in a spending bill
needed to implement last weeks
budget deal by Dec. 11, Ryan said
Congress would exercise its constitutional rights over spending
issues.
The power of the purse rests
within the legislative branch and
we fully expect to exercise that
power, Ryan said.
Expanding on comments he
made on Sunday about his reluctance to tackle comprehensive
immigration reform while President Barack Obama is still in ofce, Ryan said the House may
take action on border security and
other immigration enforcement
issues.
On issues such as border enforcement, interior enforcement,
where I think we all have consensus, I think that would be ne if
we could advance that, Ryan said.
But I do believe that if we try to
move in a comprehensive way,
when the president has proven
that he wants to go it alone, I dont
think that works.

Reuters
Phoenix

Justin Trudeau: tackling climate

change will arguably be the
biggest challenge.
It is also expected to legalise
marijuana, hold a public inquiry
on missing and murdered aboriginal women, and draft legislation
permitting medically-assisted
suicide.
An obstructive Senate, however, may throw a wrench into
its agenda. Historically the unelected Upper Chamber has rarely
blocked legislation but that has
been changing in the last decade
as the assembly has become increasingly partisan.

n Arizona grandfather has

been arrested and accused
of leaving his ve-year-old
granddaughter alone in the desert
with a loaded and cocked .45-caliber handgun and the instruction
to shoot any bad guys, authorities said on Monday.
Paul Armand Rater, 53, was
booked into the Fourth Avenue
Jail in downtown Phoenix on
suspicion of two counts of felony
child abuse and one count of felony child endangerment stemming from incident on Sunday
night.
Deputies said he and the child
left their home in Buckeye, about
30 miles (48km) west of Phoenix,
in a pickup truck early on Sunday
afternoon and that the girl was
reported missing four hours later.

She was eventually located in

the desert by her mother and an
off-duty reghter. The child was
holding the powerful pistol.
She was given the gun and told
to shoot any bad guys, Maricopa
County Sheriff Joe Arpaio told Reuters by telephone. I dont know
how a ve-year-old can tell a good
guy from a bad guy, but thats
what she said she was told.
Rater was later located at a store
where he told deputies the vehicle had broken down and that he
had left the girl under a tree in the
desert because she was complaining she could not walk anymore,
court records showed.
He admitted leaving the girl
with his gun, while he went for
a few drinks and a cheeseburger,
the sheriffs office said.
The child was returned to her
mother and state child welfare authorities were alerted, the sheriffs
office said.

20

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

ASEAN
Protest against Chinese presidents visit to Vietnam

Thein Sein warns of

violence in Myanmar
Arab Spring-style
AFP
Yangon

Protesters hold marked images of Chinese President Xi Jinping during a protest ahead of his visit to Vietnam, on the street in Hanoi yesterday. A group of anti-China
protesters gathered in front of the Opera House in Hanoi and marched through several central streets to show their displeasure against the Chinese leaders visit, which is
scheduled to take place on November 5 and 6.

British journos get short

jail terms in Indonesia
Unless prosecutors appeal
against the sentence, the
pair, who have been
detained since May, could
walk free after time spent in
custody awaiting
trial is taken into account
AFP
Batam

wo British journalists
given short jail terms in
Indonesia yesterday for
working without correct visas
said they were relieved to be
going home but disappointed
they were treated as criminals
for doing their jobs.
Neil Bonner, 32, and Rebecca
Prosser, 31, were sentenced
yesterday to two-and-a-half
months in prison, less than the
five months sought by prosecutors who accused them of
misusing their tourist visas to
make a documentary about piracy near the western island of
Batam.

British journalist Rebecca Prosser (left) speaks to journalists next to

colleague Neil Bonner after their trial at a court in Batam yesterday.
Unless prosecutors appeal
against the sentence, their lawyer said the pair, who have been
detained since May, could walk

free after time spent in custody

awaiting trial is taken into account.
Prosser said it was a big

relief to be going home but

condemned their sentence as
a criminalisation of journalists. I think this makes it a
more dangerous landscape for
other journalists in Indonesia,
she told reporters in Batam after the sentence was passed.
Bonner thanked their supporters but expressed sadness
because this is journalism on
trial, and weve been found
guilty.
I dont think journalism is a
crime, he said.
Presiding judge Wahyu Prasetyo Wibowo said the defendants had violated their visas
but admitted their wrongdoing
and apologised.
The pair arrived in Indonesia
to shoot a documentary about
piracy for production house
Wall to Wall with funding from
National Geographic, according to their indictment.
It added they had hired several Indonesians to act out a
scene of a tanker being boarded
by a group of pirates off Batam.

The island is in the Malacca

Strait, a major shipping lane.
Their lawyer Aristo Pangaribuan expressed regret that
the prosecution was considering filing an appeal, saying his
clients were not bad people
who had served their time and
would pay the 25mn rupiah fine
($1,850) imposed on each.
I told the judge I hope the
prosecutors are on the same
page, because if they file an appeal, whether we like it or not
we have to deal with it, he said.
Foreign journalists wanting
to report in Indonesia must get
a special visa. Those detained
in the past for illegal reporting have been deported immediately or given short prison
terms.
Two French journalists were
given jail terms of two and a
half months last year after being caught in Indonesias Papua province trying to make a
documentary about the separatist movement while on tourist visas.

video posted on the Facebook page of Myanmars president, raising

the spectre of bloodshed and
chaos akin to the Arab Spring
aftermath if it loses power in
Sundays polls, has drawn an
angry response on social media.
The tightly edited fourminute feature was posted on
the page of President Thein
Sein, days before the country
heads to the polls in landmark
elections which are expected
to see the opposition make
major gains.
The video juxtaposes scenes
of recent violence in the Middle East with shots of seeming
tranquility and development in
Myanmar during its transition
towards democracy, backed by
a heavy metal soundtrack.
It ends with the words:
Only when peace prevails will
democratisation be implemented.
It was about the transformation of Myanmar into
a democratic country, said
Zaw Htay, director of the
presidents office.
Thein Sein, a former general, and the ruling armybacked USDP party have positioned themselves as the
guarantors of Myanmars stable progress as it shakes off
decades of junta rule.
Unlike countries that suffered blood streams, explosions, violent protests, Myanmar has remained stable,
Zaw Htay said, since the army
handed power to a quasi-civilian reformist government

in 2011. Compared to those

countries, we all know that
our country developed step
by step, he added.
We cant become like
America or Singapore right
away, we have to wait.
Religious violence has left
hundreds dead in Myanmar
since 2012, while several insurgencies continue to burn
in the borderlands.
Many local social media
users accused the presidents
office of hypocrisy.
For decades Myanmars
military ruled the country
with an iron fist, crushing
dissent and fixing - or simply
ignoring - elections. Thein
Sein rose to the highest echelons of the junta before trading in his uniform for civilian
politics.
Human rights groups accuse the military of regular
abuses in their ght against
ethnic minority rebels. Others,
including opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, have voiced
fears the government is backsliding on reforms.
Taking students to prison
while they were protesting
in Letpadan for our peoples
education system, was that a
peaceful way of transforming
to democracy? wrote Thet Ko
Ko under the Facebook video
on the presidents page - a reference to the recent arrest and
trial of student protesters.
The beautiful Kachin is
now left with piles of waste
soil... peaceful way huh?
wrote user Pharsi Myae, a
reference to military-controlled mining operations in
the northern state of Kachin,
which has been blighted by
decades of war.

Agitation leader faces

criminal charges
DPA
Kuala Lumpur

rosecutors
yesterday
led charges against the
leader of an anti-government protest that called for
the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak, a lawyer for
the accused said.
Maria
Chin
Abdullah,
leader of the electoral reform
group Bersih, pleaded not
guilty to the charge of violating the countrys Peaceful
Assembly Act of 2012 for failing to give the police a 10-day
notice ahead of the protest in
late August, lawyer Ambiga
Sreenevasan said.
The overnight protest on
August 29 and 30 drew tens
of thousands of people, including former Malaysian
prime minister Mahathir

Mohamed, calling for Najibs

resignation. If found guilty,
Maria could be fined up to
10,000 ringgit ($2,300), Ambiga added. Kuala Lumpur
Session Court Judge Mat
Ghani Abdullah set the bail at
5,000 ringgit, which the accused immediately paid.
Najib has been under attack, even from within his
ruling party, since a July report in the Wall Street Journal suggested that $673mn in
his bank accounts were misappropriated from the state
development fund 1Malaysia
Development Berhad (1MDB).
The embattled leader denied the allegations and the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission said the money
in Najibs bank accounts did
not come from 1MDB but
from foreign donors in the
Middle East.

Star Wars quest to pull Malaysian art form out of shadows

AFP
Kuala Lumpur

arth Vaders distinctive

helmet-headed silhouette swoops in to seize
control of a spaceship, but this
is not the movies instead his
movements are being brought
to life by a Malaysian shadowpuppet master behind a back-lit
screen.
Tell me, where are the plans
that have been intercepted?, the
puppeteer intones in the Malay
language, drawing cheers from
hundreds of spectators as they
recognise Vaders baritone.
Traditional Indonesian and
Malaysian shadow puppetry was
once at the centre of Southeast
Asian art and culture, but has
steadily lost its appeal.
But three Malaysians hope to
breathe new life into the art by
updating it with Star Wars and
other pop-culture themes.
Leading the effort is Chuo
Yuan Ping, a designer and Star
Wars buff who rst crafted shadow puppets based on the movie
for an art exhibit a few years ago.
His research for the project

uncovered concerns about the

state of the art, which is known
as wayang kulit.
At rst it was all about Stars
Wars, but later I learnt how
wayang kulit was a dying art
form after speaking to many
master puppeteers, and I felt
sad, said Chuo, 43.
All of us felt a responsibility
to do more for this part of Malaysian culture.
Chuo, art director friend Teh
Take Huat, and 63-year-old
master puppeteer Mohamed
Dain Othman have performed
a section of the original 1977
Star Wars lm as a shadow-play
about a dozen times the past two
years.
Star Wars was chosen as the
theme due to its near-universal
appeal, as evidenced by the frenzy surrounding the December
release of the latest big-screen
instalment, Stars Wars: The
Force Awakens.
Even my mom knows Darth
Vader, Chuo said.
Traditionally based on Hindu
epics, shadow puppetry was introduced to the region in the 15th
century and promoted by Javas
Hindu rulers.

A Darth Vaders distinctive helmet-headed silhouette projects on the screen as designer and the brain behind
the Star Wars-inspired Wayang Kulit Chuo Yuan Ping addresses the audience prior to a show at the
Independence square in Kuala Lumpur.
It seeped throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and elsewhere
as Muslim preachers used it as a
way to spread Islam, the regions
dominant religion today.
Puppeteers use sticks to or-

chestrate the movements of

elaborately decorated leather
puppets on a back-lit cotton
screen, and voice the characters,
backed by a traditional gamelan
percussion orchestra.

Wayang kulit is on Unescos

list of masterpiece human art
forms, but radio, TV, and now
digital entertainment increasingly relegate the genre to tourist
consumption or the odd cultural

show. Rising religious fervour

also has led to restrictions on the
art in conservative areas of Malaysia, due to its Hindu themes.
At a recent performance in a
Kuala Lumpur square, a mikedup, sarong-wearing Mohamed
Dain worked his puppets while
sitting cross-legged behind the
screen. Behind him, a young
sound engineer used a laptop to
make the puppeteers voice more
Vader-like, to replicate R2-D2s
digital-beep mutterings, and to
splash the screen with colourful
lighting effects.
We see the audience happy
and their perceptions about
wayang kulit are changing, that
it has legs, said Chuo, who adds
that team has invested more than
$10,000 of their own money.
Mohamed Sani Sukir, who
brought his family to watch the
show, raved afterward.
By combining two things,
one old and one new, into one
package, this increases the attraction of wayang kulit, he
said.
But it originally took some
persuading to convince Mohamed Dain, who runs a wayang
kulit art gallery in his hometown

in rural northern Malaysian state

of Kelantan.
Chuo felt a puppet master
was needed to ensure the art
forms integrity and aesthetics.
After months of talking,
convincing and using a bit of
The Force, he agreed to join
and do this, Chuo says with a
laugh.
I had to pass him my Star
Wars DVD and let him know
who Han Solo was.
Most of the puppets were
made from tanned buffalo hide
by skilled Kelantan craftsmen.
Government efforts to promote appreciation of wayang
kulit have gained little traction,
but private groups are forging
ahead, said Eddin Khoo, founder of a cultural non-profit that
stages performances of the art.
He called the Star Wars
project helpful for wayang
kulit. Chuo has expanded the
idea by designing Superman,
Batman and other superhero
shadow puppets for exhibitions, and may incorporate
them in future shows.
Its a little thing that I can
do for Malaysian culture, he
said.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

21

AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA
Throw the switch

Taiwans
Ma to meet
Chinese
president
AFP
Taipei

Rock group AC/DC Brian Johnson, Chris Slade, and Angus Young perform during a rehearsal at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, yesterday. The band begin their
Australian tour today, with the first of nine concerts being held in Sydney, then in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane.

S China Sea shadow

over defence forum
The US and Japan are being very
vocal about their concerns
Reuters
Kuala Lumpur

he United States and Japan are

pushing to get concerns about the
South China Sea included in a statement to be issued after regional defence
talks in Malaysia despite Chinese objections to any mention of the disputed waterway, officials said.
A senior US defence official said Beijing
had made clear as early as February that it
didnt want the South China Sea discussed
at the meeting between Southeast Asian
defence ministers and their counterparts
from across the Asia-Pacic in Kuala
Lumpur today.
Weve been very clear along with many
other like minded countries that South
China Sea language should be included but
there are members who feel differently,
said the US defence official, adding China
was the main obstacle.
A draft of the concluding statement being prepared by host Malaysia makes no
mention of the South China Sea, said a
separate source familiar with the discussions, focusing instead on terrorism and
regional security cooperation.
Todays gathering brings together the

10 defence ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean)
along with ministers from countries such
as the United States, Japan, China, India
and Australia.
The meeting, rst held in 2006, is a
platform to promote regional peace and
stability.
It is taking place a week after a US warship challenged territorial limits around
one of Beijings man-made islands in the
Spratly archipelago with a so-called freedom-of-navigation patrol.
US defence secretary Ash Carter held
a 40-minute meeting with his Chinese
counterpart Chang Wanquan yesterday at
which the two discussed cyber-security
and the South China Sea, a senior US defence official said.
Chang told Carter that Chinas activities in the body of water were primarily
meant to help other countries.
But that said, we need to do things
that help us defend our sovereign territory
and I need to be very clear to you that there
is a bottom line to this, the senior US
defence official said, recounting Changs
comments.
The warship incident prompted Chinas
naval chief to warn his US counterpart in a
video teleconference that a minor incident
could spark war in the South China Sea if
the United States did not stop its provocative acts.

The source familiar with the talks in

Kuala Lumpur said Japan had requested
Malaysia improve the draft and make
note of the South China Sea.
China claims most of the South China
Sea, through which more than $5tn in global trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan
have rival claims.
Asean meetings routinely become a
venue for countries such as the Philippines
and Vietnam to argue for a stronger stance
against Chinas territorial ambitions.
Countries like Cambodia are pro-China
while Malaysia has sought to steer a more
neutral path, even though its a claimant
and only last month its armed forces chief
called Chinas island-building an unwarranted provocation.
In his opening remarks to a separate
meeting of Asean defence ministers yesterday, Malaysian defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein made no mention of
the South China Sea.
The US Navy plans to conduct patrols
within 12 nautical miles of the islands
about twice a quarter to remind China and
other countries about US rights under international law, a separate US defence ofcial said on Monday.
Thats the right amount to make it
regular but not a constant poke in the eye,
the official said.
Speaking in Beijing, Fan Changlong,

vice chairman of Chinas Central Military

Commission told the commander of US
forces in the Pacic, Admiral Harry Harris, that US action in the South China Seas
could easily cause miscalculations that
could threaten regional peace and stability, Chinas defence ministry said.
But Harris, speaking earlier at a Beijing
university, said US freedom of navigation operations should not be viewed as a
threat.
Weve been conducting freedom of
navigation operations all over the world
for decades, so no one should be surprised
by them, Harris said, on a trip that is part
of regular exchanges that are taking place
between the two navies despite tension
over the South China Sea.
Harris has been highly critical of Beijings island building in the Spratlys, saying
this year that China was creating a great
wall of sand in the South China Sea.
Carter yesterday told his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan that the American military would continue to operate in
the South China Sea, a senior US defence
official said.
(Carter) once again reaffirmed that
the United States will continue to y, sail
and operate wherever international law
allows, the official said after the two defence chiefs met in Kuala Lumpur.
And he clearly made the case that the
South China Sea would not be an exception.

aiwans Pesident Ma
Ying-jeou will meet
Chinese President Xi
Jinping in Singapore on Saturday, Mas office said, in what
will be the rst meeting between leaders from the two rivals since they split at the end
of a civil war in 1949.
The two presidents will
exchange views on crossstrait issues Mas spokesman
Charles Chen said yesterday, adding that the intention
of the visit was to secure
cross-strait peace but that
no agreement would be signed
and no joint statement would
be made.
Nationalist leader Chiang
Kai-shek and his Kuomintang
(KMT) forces ed to Taiwan to
establish a separate government after losing the civil war
to Mao Zedongs communists.
While the two sides have
been governed separately
since then, Beijing still considers the island part of its territory awaiting reunication.
Ties have warmed since Ma
of the China-friendly KMT
came to power in 2008, but
public sentiment has turned
against closer relations as fears
over Beijings inuence grow.
Ma will step down as president next year after a maximum two terms and the main
opposition
China-sceptic
Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) is expected to win the
leadership at elections in January.
Chen said Ma would leave
for Singapore on Saturday
where he will meet Xi.
The purpose of president
Mas visit is to secure crossstrait peace and maintain
the status quo of the Taiwan
Straits, Chen said in a statement.
No agreement will be
signed, nor any joint statement be released, he added.
The head of Taiwans top
China policy decision-making body, the Mainland Affairs Council, will hold a press
conference Wednesday where
more details will be released
as to the signicance of the
meeting.

A senior DPP spokesman

told local media the party
would not comment until further details of the visit were
released.
The KMT suffered its heaviest ever local election defeat
last year, with its Chinafriendly strategy a major factor.
While closer ties with Beijing have brought trade pacts
and a tourism boom, many
voters feel big business has
beneted, rather than ordinary Taiwanese people.
There are also concerns over
lack of transparency last
year saw the unprecedented
occupation of parliament by
student protesters angered by
a trade agreement they said
had been made in secret.
But Ma has repeatedly defended his China-friendly
policies, saying they have
brought stability to the region.
The KMT adheres to the
1992 consensus a tacit
agreement between the party
and Beijing which acknowledges there is one China but
allows each side their own interpretation.
Ma has warned against
the consequences of diverging from the 1992 consensus,
which the DPP does not recognise.
DPP candidate Tsai Ing-wen
has repeatedly said that she
will maintain the status quo if
elected president in January,
but is likely to face pressure
from pro-independent voices
within her own party.
She has also been criticised
by the KMT who say that she
has not fully explained how
her policy will work.
The KMT replaced its proChina presidential candidate
last month as the deeply divided party struggles for public support.
Party chairman Eric Chu
was endorsed as the KMTs
new contender after members
voted against Hung Hsiu-chu
representing them at the polls,
following concern that her
conservative views y in the
face of public sentiment.
Hung had historically taken
a pro-unication stance and
espoused a peace agreement
with China.

Space revolution being hatched

in a New Zealand paddock
Chinas President Xi Jinping and Taiwans Ma Ying-jeou
Reuters
Auckland, New Zealand

he next revolution in
space, making humdrum
what was long the special
preserve of tax-funded giants
like Nasa, will be launching next
year from a paddock in New Zealands remote South Island.
The rocket launch range is not
just New Zealands rst of any
kind, but also the worlds rst
private launch range, and the
rocket, designed by Rocket Lab,
one of a growing number of businesses aiming to slash the cost of
getting into space, will be powered by a 3D-printed rocket engine - another rst.
The 16m carbon-cased rocket
being assembled in a small hangar near Auckland Airport will
weigh just 1,190kg, and with fuel
and payload will be only about
a third the weight of SpaceXs
Falcon 1, the rst privately developed launch vehicle to go into
orbit back in 2008.
The remote launch site is no
accident.
One advantage of New Zealand being this little island nation in the middle of nowhere is
thats the perfect place to launch
a rocket, said Rocket Labs CEO
Peter Beck.
Ships and planes need rerouting every time a rocket is
launched, which limits oppor-

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck sits alongside a Rutherford rocket engine
in Auckland.
tunities in crowded US skies, but
New Zealand, a country of 4mn
people in the South Pacic, has
only Antarctica to its south.
Rocket Lab, part funded by
Lockheed Martin Corp, is aiming for up to one launch a week
from around 2018, costing just
under $5mn each, a tenth of typical launch prices now, and vastly
increasing business access to
space.
Even Nasa, struggling to shift
its launch backlog, this month
awarded Rocket Lab and rivals
Firey Space Systems and Virgin Galactic contracts totalling
$17.1mn to launch tiny satellites
into orbit from 2017.
Rocket Lab recently signed a
deal with Silicon Valley-based

Moon Express to send a rocket to

the moon in 2017 in a bid to win
Googles $20mn Lunar X prize
for the rst company to send a
probe that broadcasts images
from the moon.
Moon Express has already
contracted for ve launches with
Rocket Lab and plans to send
robotic spacecraft continually
to the moon for exploration and
commercial development of natural resources such as platinum.
Its CEO Bob Richards accepts there will be glitches and a
steep learning curve, but believes
companies like Moon Express are
making the future as the lowcost launch brings to businesses
what used to require the resources of a superpower.

The emergence of commercial space today will have the

same impact as the emergence
of commercial aviation did in the
early 1900s, he said.
The bread and butter of new
launch companies will be the
burgeoning small satellite industry, as players such as Google,
Virgin and Samsung plan satellite constellations to carry communications infrastructure and
gather data from low-earth orbit.
Were not about building a
rocket; were about enabling the
small satellite revolution, said
Rocket Labs Beck.
Three
separate
Internet
broadband ventures to provide
low-cost Internet from the top
of the Himalayas to the middle
of the Sahara desert are being
planned by One Web, Samsung
and SpaceX, with support from
Google. These alone will require
6,000 new satellites in the next
four years, Rocket Lab predicts.
The Satellite Industry Association says just over 200 satellites
were launched in 2014, nearly
double the previous year.
Not everyone believes there
will be enough demand to support the growing number of
launch companies.
The market cant sustain that
many; theres going to be a thinning out of the herd, said Daniel
Lim, vice president of disruptive
innovations at space services
provider TriSept Corporation.

Others say launch cost is still

too high at around $5mn, when
for $40,000 companies can rideshare on a larger rocket to launch
a nano-satellite, if they can tolerate long waiting lists and dont
need control over timing or trajectory.
But space startups have been
proving popular with investors.
Investor dollars are increasing their ow, said Sean Casey, head of Silicon Valley Space
Center, a business accelerator for
space startups. Venture capitalists are looking for a return on investment and the possibilities of
disruptive technologies.
The largest 100 new space
companies received more than
$2bn investment in 2015, around
four times more than in 2009,
according to data from New
Space Global.
That is still dwarfed by Nasas
$17.6bn budget last year, but
many say small companies offer
options and a risk appetite that
government agencies cannot.
Sandy Tirtey, a hypersonic engineer who leads the vehicle team
at Rocket Lab, used to work for
the European Space Agency, but
lost patience with the red tape
required to make small design
changes.
I had enough of all these
processes, he said. Were not
spending all day feeding paper
work, were spending all day
solving problems, he said.

Over 100 Australians

funding terrorism
Agencies
Sydney

ts been revealed Australias nancial intelligence

agency is monitoring over
100 Australians who are believed to be funding terrorism
according to au.news.yahoo.
The Australian reported
that Austrac has recorded a
300% increase in suspicious
activity linked to terrorism,
prompted largely by Syrias
civil war.
Its believed groups like
Islamic State are turning to
increasingly inventive ways
to access money, including
crowd-funding, with supporters able to donate funds
before authorities can shut
sites down.
A man who fell asleep in his
car with $100,000 worth of
illegal drugs got a nasty wakeup call from Victoria Police.
Officers noticed the man
asleep in his car on the Cal-

der Freeway, Ravenswood at

9.30am and a search allegedly
revealed 1kg of ecstasy, one
litre of GBH and some methamphetamine and amphetamine with a combined value
of about $100,000.
A 24-year-old Maryborough man has been charged
with 11 offences, including
four counts of drug trafficking. He was remanded to appear at Bendigo Magistrates
Court today.
A thief wearing a balaclava
has jimmied open the front
doors on a Melbourne petrol station and stolen a large
quantity of cigarettes.
The man, who was captured
on CCTV, used a metal pole to
force the front doors of the
Blackburn North service station on October 18, police said
yesterday.
Once inside, the man
opened a locked cabinet and
stole a large amount of cigarettes before leaving in a white
ute.

22

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

BRITAIN/IRELAND
MEMORABILIA

OBITUARY

DECISION

LEGAL

LEGAL

Margaret Thatchers iconic

handbags go to auction

Chariots of Fire screenwriter

Colin Welland dies aged 81

Scotland nod for worlds

largest floating wind farm

Pensioners who conned

top hotels spared jail

Multi-millionaire Harrods
thief is jailed for two years

Handbags owned by Margaret Thatcher, whose

apocryphal use of the accessory as a tactical
weapon gave rise to the term handbagging, are
to be auctioned off after a museum rejected them.
They are among 350 historic and personal lots also including clothes, signed copies of speeches,
her wedding dress and her red prime ministerial
dispatch bag - that auctioneers Christies said
would be offered at its London showroom on
December 15 and later online. The sale presented
a unique opportunity to buy items from the estate
of Britains longest-serving 20th century prime
minister and the only woman so far to have held
the office, Christies said.

Oscar-winning writer and actor Colin Welland,

who won an Academy Award in 1982 for his
screenplay for Chariots of Fire, has died after
suffering from Alzheimers disease for several
years, his family said yesterday. Welland, 81,
who also won a British Bafta award for his
portrayal of the English teacher Mr. Farthing
in director Ken Loachs Kes in 1969, died on
Monday, a family statement said. Welland
was renowned in Britain for having warned
American audiences, as he accepted his Oscar
in 1982, The British are coming! He is survived
by his wife Patricia, four children and six
grandchildren.

The Scottish government has given the goahead to Britains floating offshore wind farm
project, which could power 19,000 households,
saying it would be the worlds largest. The
Norwegian energy company Statoil wants
to locate five turbines - with a capacity of
six megawatts each - 25kms off Peterhead
in northeast Scotland. The turbines will be
placed on floating structures, allowing them
to be located further off the coast in deeper
water. Scotlands Deputy First Minister John
Swinney called the plan hugely exciting. Irene
Rummelhoff of Statoil added that northeast
Scotland offered optimal wind conditions

A pensioner who dined at Londons top hotels

then fled without paying has been spared prison.
George Hammond, 70, and his friend Frederick
Gross, 47, donned their best suits and walked
into venues in Mayfair and Knightsbridge. They
were caught when Hammond left his glasses
at the Park Lane Hilton in April. Police obtained
DNA from the glasses and CCTV footage. At
Westminster magistrates court, Gross, of Bury St
Edmunds, and Hammond, of Hampstead, admitted
making off without paying. Yesterday judge John
Price sentenced Hammond to three months jail
suspended for two years. Gross was sentenced to
100 hours unpaid work for the hotel con.

An Israeli former basketball star who claimed to

be a multi-millionaire has been jailed for two years
for stealing designer handbags worth 32,000
from Harrods. Dov Herman, 46, and Meital Pardo,
31, posed as a wealthy couple to grab a 2,800
Christian Dior, a 17,000 Prada and a 11,890
Yves Saint Laurent bag from the Knightsbridge
store. They were arrested in June when security
staff spotted them walking out with the pink YSL
handbag. Herman told an Old Bailey jury that he
was too wealthy to steal handbags, but he was
found guilty of three counts of theft. Pardo skipped
bail despite being on an 8,000 surety and is
believed to have fled to Israel to avoid the trial.

Ireland
plans
heroin
injection
centres

Kazakhstan president pays visit

Trafficked
workers being
abused in Irish
shing sector

AFP
London

reland aims to become the

latest European nation to
introduce supervised heroin
injecting rooms in a radical overhaul of its approach to substance
abuse, the countrys drugs minister said.
Aodhan O Riordain, the minister with responsibility for drugs
strategy, said the government
was planning for the legislation
to allow such rooms to be enacted
by the rst quarter of next year.
It will effectively mean a diplomatic immunity to inject heroin in a safe, secure, passionate
environment, he said.
It will limit the dangers of
contracting HIV and Hepatitis
C and also takes away the street
injecting phenomenon, he said.
The rst centre is to be opened
in Dublin next year, said the minister, who was taking part in a
policy seminar at the London
School of Economics.
If introduced as planned, Ireland will follow similar models already in place in Australia
and parts of Europe, such as the
Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland in an effort to manage risk
associated with intravenous drug
users.
Essentially people come, they
bring in their own material but
they are provided with a medically supervised space, O Riordain said.
The minister also said he
wanted a cultural shift and a
national conversation in Ireland on decriminalising small
amounts of drugs for personal
use, following the example set by
Portugal.
As a former school principal in
Dublins north inner city, where
there is a severe heroin problem,
O Riordain said he was acutely
aware of the devastating consequences of drug abuse.
Portugal has considered drug
use a public health issue rather
than a criminal one since it decriminalised the use of all drugs
for personal use in 2001.

Guardian News and Media

Dublin

Prime Minister David Cameron poses with President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan
outside 10 Downing Street in London.

merican writer Steve

Silbermans book Neurotribes, about the history of autism and how people
and society deal with it, was
named the winner of the 2015
Samuel Johnson Prize for NonFiction.
Silbermans is the rst work
of popular science to win the
prestigious British award in its
17-year history and comes at a
time of growing public awareness of the neurodevelopmental
disorder that affects millions of
people around the world, the
prize committee said in a statement. Neurotribes is a tour de
force of archival, journalistic
and scientic research, both
scholarly and widely accessible. We are delighted to award it
the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize,
chair of judges Anne Applebaum said in a statement.
Silberman became interested in autism when he wrote
a ground-breaking article for

Wired magazine in 2001 about

the seemingly high incidence of
the condition among the children of successful technology
couples in Silicon Valley.
His book, the full title of
which is Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think
Smarter About People Who
Think Differently, delves into
the history of the diagnosis of
autism simultaneously by Hans
Asperger in Nazi-controlled Vienna and in the US by Leo Kanner. Asperger saw that the condition was not unusual and was
manifested in a family of traits,
including socially awkward behaviour and precocious abilities,
while Kanner described it as an
uncommon condition that was
triggered by cold behaviour by a
childs parents.
Silberman argues that Kanners picture of autism stigmatised parents and the children
suffering from the condition, a
situation that is only now being
rectied.
We admired Silbermans
work because it is powered by
a strongly argued set of beliefs:

That we should stop drawing sharp lines between what

we assume to be normal and
abnormal, and that we should
remember how much the differently wired human brain has,
can and will contribute to our
world, Applebaum said.
He has injected a hopeful
note into a conversation thats
normally dominated by despair. The prize, which is open
to books published in English
by authors of any nationality,
carries a 20,000 cash award.
Last years winner was English
writer Helen Macdonalds H is
for Hawk, about her decision to
train a goshawk as a way of dealing with the grief of losing her
father.
The other titles on the shortlist were Jonathan Bates Ted
Hughes: The Unauthorised Life,
Robert Macfarlanes Landmarks,
Laurence Scotts The Four-Dimensional Human, Emma Skys
The Unravelling: High Hopes and
Missed Opportunities in Iraq and
Samanth Subramanians This
Divided Island: Stories From the
Sri Lanka War.

days at a time and then be required to mend nets and gear

in harbour. I worked continuously. We could be awake for
two days with almost no sleep.
It was horrible, he said.
European
Communities
minimum hours of rest regulations, which apply to employees, workers but not the selfemployed, require no less than
10 hours in any 24-hour period
and 77 hours in any seven-day
period.
Abraham described being
cheated of wages and being
hungry when food ran out at
sea. Eventually he jumped ship
to escape.
He appears to be a victim
of human trafficking, a criminal offence - dened as a form
of modern slavery in the UK
and Ireland - that involves the
movement of people for exploitation. Whether the person
consented to the journey is not
relevant: key factors can include
whether they were deceived,
or their vulnerability or rights
abused; how far they were controlled; and whether working
and living conditions amount
to exploitation. A person can
only be denitively classied as
trafficked once his or her experience has been assessed and a
competent authority - in Ireland a senior police officer - has
ruled.
Okohs story was echoed by
others, including Antonio Santos and Diego Cruz, two undocumented Filipino shermen,
who described similar conditions of extreme sleep deprivation, long hours and low pay
on shing vessels around the
Republic of Ireland. They said
they too had been brought to
the country illegally by agents
and boat owners.

May faces ght over

web browsing access

US writer Silberman
wins British book prize
Reuters
London

frican and Asian migrant workers are being routinely but illegally used as cheap labour on
Irish shing trawlers working
out of some of the countrys
most popular tourist ports, the
Guardian revealed.
A
year-long
investigation into the Irish prawn and
whitesh sector has uncovered
undocumented Ghanaian, Filipino, Egyptian and Indian shermen manning boats in ports
from Cork to Galway. They have
described a catalogue of abuses,
including being conned to
vessels unless given permission
by their skippers to go on land,
and being paid less than half the
Irish minimum wage that would
apply if they were legally employed.
They have also spoken of extreme sleep deprivation, having to work for days or nights
on end with only a few hours
sleep, and with no proper rest
days.
Some migrant workers claim
to have been deceived and appear to have been trafficked on
to trawlers for labour exploitation, an abuse that would be a
form of modern slavery.
The Guardian evidence suggests that some boat owners
and crewing agencies are smuggling African and Filipino workers in to Ireland through entry
points at London Heathrow and
Belfast airports, and then arranging for them to cross from
Northern Ireland in to the Republic by road, bypassing Irish
immigration controls.
Agents and owners appear
to be exploiting a loophole de-

signed for international merchant shipping, which allows

non-EU seafarers to transit
through the UK for up to 48
hours if they immediately move
on to join vessels working in international waters.
These transit arrangements
are not intended for shermen
working in national waters or
constantly coming in and out
of Irish ports. It is believed that
the loophole was rst exploited
by agents to recruit migrant
workers for the Scottish shing
eet and the practice appears
to have spread from there to the
Irish shing industry.
Many workers describe subsequently living in fear of deportation and being told to stay
on their boats in port because
the owners would be ned if
they were spotted and stopped
by the authorities.
Some workers said they were
controlled by debt to the agencies that recruited them and
which charged them substantial
and illegal placement fees to arrange visas, jobs and itineraries.
Abraham Okoh, a Ghanaian
sherman (whose name we have
changed), for example, told the
Guardian he had been bonded
by debt to an agent in Accra who
had found him a job on an Irish
trawler and promised to arrange
all visas and travel. He entered
via Heathrow and Belfast, and
was told to catch the bus from
Northern Ireland to the port
in Ireland where his vessel was
docked.
He said he had not understood when he was recruited
that he would be working illegally. He had to live on his
trawler at all times and was told
by the owner to hide and not
talk to people in port. The crew
would go shing for four to ve

Guardian News and Media

London

May: opposition to policy

he
Home
Secretary,
Theresa May, should not
seek to give the intelligence agencies full access to an
individuals web browsing history, Labour and the former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg
are both likely to say when the
government publishes its draft
investigatory powers bill today.
Kier Starmer, the former director of public prosecutions and
now a shadow Home Office minister, said Labour opposed giving
intelligence agencies access to
web browsing history since the
measure was likely to give the
agencies effective access to the
content of an individuals communications.
He said: There has been an
agreed clear distinction between
data and content, with data
treated as the who communicated with whom and at what point,
but not the content of that data.
But by saying the agencies
can collect information on pages
visited, there is a sense that a
difficult third category is being

created that is a merger between

data and content. If your browsing history is automatically accessible by the state, it is very
close to granting full access to
content and provides a picture of
that individuals life.
The independent reviewer of
terrorism David Anderson said
the case for accessing browsing
history has not yet been proven
and we in the Labour party are
very closely aligned to what Anderson has recommended in his
report since he is the expert with
the fullest access to what is required. Theresa May will have to
make a very compelling case for
her proposals if they differ from
Anderson.
Starmer has cleared his policy
positions with the Labour leader,
Jeremy Corbyn, and the shadow
home secretary, Andy Burnham.
Starmers warning will be a
blow to the intelligence agencies
before a parliamentary process
that will scrutinise the plans to
reach a new privacy settlement
between the state and the citizen
in the wake of controversy generated by the revelations of the
former National Security Agency
contractor Edward Snowden.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

23

BRITAIN

Police chief warns of drugs and terror threat to London

London Evening Standard
London

ondon faces a new threat

from drug gangs and terrorism because of spending
cuts to policing outside the capital, a senior officer warned yesterday.
Jon Boutcher, chief constable of
Bedfordshire, said gangs from Luton could expand into London as

officers battle to contain serious

and organised crime in the town.
He also warned the capital may be
at increased risk of terrorism, as
his force struggled to deal with the
threat of extremism.
In an alert about postcode
lottery funding, Boutcher said
his force no longer had the resources to combat serious crime
effectively. A new Home Ofce funding formula penalises
Bedfordshire police because it

Many of top
footballers
have rotten
teeth: study
AFP
London

early 40% of professional football players in

Britain have rotted teeth,
in some cases serious enough to
affect performance on the pitch,
according to a new study.
Footballers may make huge
amounts of money, but little of it
seems to go to dental care: on average, their teeth and gums are in
worse shape than their age peers,
it said.
We came across several players with tooth decay so deep that it
was into the nerve and creating an
infection in the jaw, lead author
Ian Needleman of the UCL Eastman Dental Institute said.
Many put off seeing a dentist
despite tooth pain, he said, but
whether this was due to a fear, bravado or a too-busy schedule was
not clear. The study, published in
the British Journal of Sports Medicine, is the rst to assess just how
widespread dental problems are
among pro footballers in England,
and to what extent they affect athletic prowess.
Needleman led dentists and
doctors in examining 187 players at
eight clubs in England and Wales.
Five of the teams were in the
Premier League: Hull, Manchester
United, Southampton, Swansea
City and West Ham.
Two were in the second-tier
Championship league, and another in League One. The average
age of players was 24, ranging from
18 to 39.
At least 90% of players in each
squad were examined and questioned about their health.
Thirty-seven percent had active tooth decay, the researchers
found, and more than half had
teeth eroded by acid.
Eight in 10 players had gum disease, with half the mouth affected
in three out of four players.

For one in 20, damage to the

gums was irreversible.
Nearly three quarters of the
players said they had seen a dentist in the preceding year, though
physical examinations suggested
many were less conscientious than
claimed.
I think they were aware (of the
decay), but for various reasons
were putting off treatment, he
said by phone.
About one in six reported pain
in their mouth or teeth at the time
of the interview, and one in four
said their teeth were sensitive to
hot or cold drinks.
Nearly half the footballers said
diseased teeth and gums bothered them, and a fth said it undermined their quality of life.
Seven percent said the poor
state of their dental health adversely affected performance or
training.
We also found players with
wisdom tooth infections, which
can be extremely debilitating and
painful, Needleman said.
If left untreated, the worst cases
will stop someone from training
completely, or take someone out
of a game.
Arsenal striker Robin van Persie and Chelsea winger Florent
Malouda have been reported as
saying that having their wisdom
teeth pulled some years ago improved their health and football
acumen. Surprising, very few
clubs - despite the huge investment they make in players - have
staff dentists, the researchers observed.
Teams are beginning to recognise this as a priority, Needleman said. Successful strategies
to promote oral health within
professional football are urgently
needed. The study noted that
nearly two-thirds of the athletes
in the study consumed sugary
sports drinks three times or more
per week, though no link has been
proven with oral decay.

fails to recognise the complexities of a small force working in

towns such as Luton, he added.
The formula provides forces
neighbouring the county with
an extra 33mn but Bedfordshire risks losing out by around
100,000.
Boutcher a former senior
counter-terror officer at Scotland Yard, who led the investigation into the failed 21/7 London
bombers is the latest police

new British passport featuring images of Shakespeare, the Globe Theatre

and sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor
was unveiled yesterday in a fresh
attempt to promote the countrys creative skills.
There was a risk of controversy, however, as only two women,
architect Elisabeth Scott and
mathematician Ada Lovelace,
feature among the cultural
icons depicted. Scott, who
died in 1972, designed the Royal
Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon Avon.
The Bard himself and Sir Anish, 61, are among seven men
featured. The others are computer science pioneer Charles Babbage, architect Sir Giles Gilbert
Scott, artist John Constable and
John Harrison, the rst marine
timekeeper.
Commenting on the presence
of just two women on the new
passport design Labours shadow employment secretary Emily

Thornberry said it was exasperating.

The government, however,
defended the decision.
Mark Thomson, director general of HM Passport Office, faced
questions over why only two
women were included in the latest passport design. It wasnt
something where we said lets
set out to only have two women, he said
Thomson said officials had set
out to choose a representative
selection of cultural gures and
that the design had been approved by ministers. Other pictures portray the London Eye,
Battersea Power Station, the
Houses of Parliament and an
early London Underground map,
as well as Sir Antony Gormleys
Angel Of The North.
Immigration Minister James
Brokenshire said the new design, which will be issued to
passport applicants from next
month, would contain enhanced
security features and was being
introduced in a renewed attempt
to prevent immigration fraud.
Security measures include

the national security threat.

If we dont get Luton right
it has repercussions for London
both around gun and gang crime
and terrorism.
Despite its small size, Bedfordshire has the fourth-highest level
of gun crime in the country per
thousand in population. Boutcher
added: We are already a very thin
blue line. Our officers are tired,
they are working incredibly hard
due to the fewer numbers of of-

cers the force has compared

with others. The results the staff
achieve are nothing short of remarkable.
The cuts already mean we are
a very reactive force and I have not
got adequate numbers of officers
in our communities, working in
schools or local problem areas to
prevent crime.
He said he was concerned police were merely recording offences because they did not have time

to investigate them. He added:

If you dont properly deal with
crime challenges, then they get
bigger and spread. I have not got
the resources to deal properly with
those crime challenges and we had
expected the funding formula to
address that.
The consequences for Bedfordshire and for London are that
more serious crime will affect
their residents and their communities.

Basking in the sunshine

A white wallaby enjoys the sunshine at Manor House Wildlife Park in Tenby, Wales. Wales has been enjoying record temperatures for the month of November.

PM denies scrapping
Syria air strikes vote
Reuters
London

rime Minister David Cameron believes Britain should

do more to tackle militants
in Syria and has not dropped
plans to seek parliamentary approval for air strikes there, his
spokeswoman said yesterday.
She spoke after several newspapers said he had dropped the
plans after failing to get enough
backing. They also cited Russias move to support President

Sexism row over

new passport design
London Evening Standard
London

leader to speak out over cuts. Earlier this month Met commissioner
Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe also
warned that spending reductions
forced on the Met would endanger
the safety of Londoners.
Boutcher told the Standard: It
almost seems that the Met is being punished again by Bedfordshire not receiving any support.
The complexity and seriousness
of crime in Luton has serious implications for London, certainly

printing using ultraviolet and

infrared light, inks and watermarks. The design will be used
for ve years before a new version is produced.
Brokenshire, who unveiled
the document at the Globe in
Southwark yesterday, said the
dozens of images, incorporated
to thwart forgers, would also
seek to promote the theme of the
Creative United Kingdom.
Thomson added: The new
United Kingdom passport celebrates the creativity of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland
over the past 500 years to the
present day. Not only are we
constantly striving to stay one
step ahead of those who seek to
undermine the passport, but we
have created a document that
marks just some of the greatest creative achievements in the
UK.
Other London images include
depictions of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, Waterloo
Tube station and the Tube symbol at Maida Vale. Maps of the
capital and the City of London
also feature.

Bashar al-Assad by bombing Islamic State militants in Syria as a

complicating factor.
Keen to avoid a repeat of
his 2013 defeat over air strikes
against Assad, Cameron has been
trying to build cross-party support for extending British strikes
to Syria from Iraq. He has a slim
majority in parliament and, with
some of his own Conservatives
opposed to strikes, he needs to
win support from the opposition
Labour Party now led by anti-war
campaigner Jeremy Corbyn.
Camerons
spokeswoman

Helen Bower denied the vote had

been shelved.
He has always been clear that
he thinks there is a case for doing more to tackle the threat from
ISIL, and that we would only go
back to the House (of Commons)
on this issue if there was clear
consensus and that remains the
case, she said.
You cant put a time scale on
the vote.
She said the government believed the situation in Syria would
ultimately be resolved by political
means and, along with allies, it

Expedition ends

was trying to inject a bit more

momentum into that.
In France, President Francois
Hollande said Paris would continue its air strikes in Syria and
would hold a defence council
meeting to discuss the matter tomorrow.
Every time we have information on training camps where
there are terrorists, who could at
some point threaten our country,
we strike, he told Europe 1 radio.
The reports about Camerons
plans came as an inuential committee of lawmakers warned

DLR staff strike

brings travel chaos
London Evening Standard
London

British adventurer Sarah Outen waves from her

kayak on the River Thames in London yesterday as
she celebrates completing her four-and-a-half year
London2London: via the World expedition, which has
seen her cycle, kayak and row 25,000 miles. Outen
set out from Tower Bridge in London in April 2011 on
her London2London: via the World expedition. Her
goal was to row, cycle and kayak around the northern
hemisphere, inspiring children and fundraising
for charities. She arrived kayaking up the Thames
yesterday to complete her journey.

Britain should not extend its air

strikes into Syria until there is a
coherent international strategy
with a realistic chance of defeating the militants.
In the absence of such a strategy, taking action to meet the
desire to do something is still incoherent, parliaments Foreign
Affairs Committee said in a report
published yesterday.
The committee, chaired by
Conservative
parliamentarian
Crispin Blunt, said the government should not seek approval
until it gives details of its plans.

housands of City commuters battled through the rst

of three successive days of
disruption on the Docklands Light
Railway (DLR) as a 48-hour strike
began yesterday.
Industrial action by the RMT
union started at 4am and is not
scheduled to end until 4am tomorrow, leaving DLR chiefs short
of time to get a full morning peak
service up and running.
KeolisAmey Docklands, which
operates the DLR on behalf of
Transport for London, said:
Normal services are expected to
resume by late morning tomorrow.
Union bosses ordered the walkout, with the threat of more, in a
long-running dispute over working conditions.
One shuttle service between
Canning Town and Prince Regent,
serving ve stations, was running
yesterday to give access to a major travel exhibition at ExCel. The
DLR usually carries up to 300,000
people a day the majority of
whom were yesterday jammed
onto packed Tube trains to get to

and from work. Many passengers

complained they had not been
warned about the strike.
Artur Smolenciuk, 22, heading
to college in Greenwich, said: It
is just not good enough, they need
to sort this out. There has been no
information and I am going to be
late.
Shivani Barikh, 27, who works in
advertising and was redirected to
Stratford station, said: This year
has been ridiculous with strikes
its been one after another.
But some were supportive. Ric
Lancaster, 49, a recovery worker
from Woolwich, said: Yes, its
very annoying but they have their
reasons. Their employers continually change their contracts and go
back on their word. I support them
in their strike.
The Jubilee and District lines
bore the brunt of the extra passengers. The Central and Hammersmith & City lines in east London
and London Overground between
Highbury and Surrey Quays were
all much busier than usual.
TfL said stations which interchange with the DLR particularly Canning Town, Bank,
Stratford, Canary Wharf, Canada
Water, West Ham and Shadwell
were exceptionally busy.

24

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

EUROPE

Key Vatican office

used for money
laundering: report
Under Pope Francis (left), the
Vatican has overhauled its
scandal-plagued bank, given
more power to its Financial
Intelligence Authority, appointed
its first auditor-general and set
up a new ministry to oversee
economic activities of all
departments.

By Philip Pullella, Reuters

Vatican City

atican nancial investigators suspect a department

of the Holy See which
oversees real estate and investments was used in the past for
possible money laundering, insider trading and market manipulation, according to a report
seen by Reuters.
The information in the condential document, which covers
the period from 2000 to 2011,
has been passed on to Italian
and Swiss investigators for their
checks because some activity tied to the accounts allegedly
took place in these countries, a
senior Vatican source said.
While most of the media focus of the Vaticans murky nances has for decades centred
on its official bank, the Institute
for Works of Religion (IOR), a
department called the Administration of the Patrimony of the
Holy See (APSA), acted as its own
nancial powerhouse.
APSA, a sort of general accounting office, manages the
Vaticans real estate holdings in
Rome and elsewhere in Italy, pays
salaries of Vatican employees,
and acts as a purchasing office
and human resources department.
One of its two divisions also
manages the Vaticans nancial
and stock portfolio. The 33-page
report suspects this division was
used by an outsider for non-Vatican business, with possible complicity of APSA staff, in violation
of its own regulations.
The internal investigation is
part of a drive by Pope Francis to
give Vatican nancial authorities
free rein to dig deep, over-ruling
some cardinals who would prefer
to forget the past now that the
Vatican has enacted major reforms and instituted controls to
thwart irregular practices.
Under Francis, the Vatican has
overhauled its scandal-plagued
bank, given more power to its
Financial Intelligence Authority,
appointed its rst auditor-general and set up a new ministry to
oversee economic activities of all
departments, which previously
ran their budgets with little or no
control.

Scarano (right), a former senior

accountant at APSA, is on trial in
two cases.
Nattino (below), the chairman of
Banca Finnat Euroamerica S.p.A.,
is seen in front of his private
bank in Rome in this September
20, 2011 file picture.
It is not clear whether this will
be enough to bring full nancial
transparency to the traditionally
secretive Vatican.
The report by Vatican nancial investigators zeroes in on
the activity of Giampietro Nattino, chairman of Banca Finnat
Euroamerica S.p.A, a family-run
private Italian bank.
Vatican investigators suspect
that Nattino used the APSA accounts for personal trades on the
Italian stock market, the report
says, adding that the balance of
more than 2mn was moved to
Switzerland when the accounts
were closed days before the Vatican introduced stricter new laws
against money laundering that
put money transfers under more
scrutiny.
From May 22, 2000 to March
29, 2011 Nattino, who has served
on the board of many Italian
rms and volunteered as an usher in the papal palace, was the
owner of APSA Portfolio 339,
which consisted of four separate
accounts, the report says.
The report speaks of the dubious origin and dubious nal
destination of the funds in the
closing of portfolio 339 and
asks why Nattino was allowed to
have accounts at APSA in the rst
place in apparent violation of department regulations.
Those regulations, which are
published on the Vaticans website and mentioned in the internal report, say the department
can carry out nancial transactions for third parties only on
an exceptional basis and only
with prior permission of the car-

dinal in charge.
Financial investigators gave
their ndings to the Vaticans
Promoter of Justice, or chief
prosecutor, Gian Piero Milano, a
senior Vatican source said, adding that Milano had opened his
own investigation.
The investigators asked the
prosecutor to look into possible
money laundering, insider trading and market manipulation
related to Nattinos accounts at
the conclusion of their report,
which includes some 30 charts
and graphs detailing stock holdings and transactions and bank
transfers.
Vatican investigators suspect
that on one occasion when his
bank handled a stock placement,
the APSA accounts were used to
buy shares before they were allocated to other investors, according to the document.
The investigators also asked
the prosecutor to look into potential co-responsibility by
APSA staff in execution of the
activity in the accounts and if the
procedures followed rules and
internal practices at the department.
Nattinos daughter Paola, who
acts as company spokeswoman, declined to comment about
Portfolio 339 and suspicions of
irregularities connected to the
accounts, saying in an e-mail to
Reuters that it is our custom not
to issue statements.
Milanos office did not return
phone calls about the case. It has
said in the past that it does not
comment on investigations.
The cardinal in charge of APSA

from 2002 to 2011, eight of the 11

years covered by the investigation, was Italian Attilio Nicora,
who is now retired.
The report does not specically mention Nicora but cites
the APSA regulation that only its
head can exceptionally authorise nancial operations for third
parties.
In a letter to Reuters, Nicora
said only that APSA was not a
bank because it does not lend
money, but declined to comment on a list of questions sent
by e-mail via his secretary.
In one apparent anomaly,
a 2012 evaluation of the Vatican by Moneyval, an arm of the
Council of Europe that assesses
compliance with international
anti-money laundering standards, says APSA officials had told
it that in 2001 the department

Names matter as
Germany grapples
with migrant crisis
Reuters
Berlin

oth Chancellor Angela

Merkels
conservatives
and their Social Democrat
coalition partners back the idea
of setting up centres to process
asylum seekers, but cant agree
on where to put them or even
what to call them.
In a country where the idea of
holding people in large facilities
evokes memories of the Nazi era,
the debate over transit zones
is straining the coalition as it
struggles to reassure a sceptical
public it has a grip on the migrant
crisis.
Merkels Christian Democrats
(CDU) and their Bavaria-based
Christian Social Union (CSU)
sister party together known as
The Union agreed at the weekend to set up transit zones on the
border with Austria, where migrants deemed to have no solid
claim to asylum will be denied
entry.
That plan was rejected by the
left-leaning Social Democrats
(SPD), who have proposed arrival centres inside Germany,
rather than on the border, to
process asylum applications.
The SPD has until tomorrow

to decide whether it backs the

CDU/CSU plan.
Enough of this needless naming argument! mass-selling Bild
daily wrote yesterday, pressing
for a deal on the centres.
We have a responsibility to
reach a compromise, said Peter
Altmaier, Merkels chief of staff,
who was last month appointed
to oversee the governments handling of the crisis.
We could set up the transit
zones in a way that makes them
effective without conveying detention, he told German radio,
giving no details about what a
compromise would look like.
Both the conservatives and
SPD are eager to show voters that
they are acting to stem the ow
of new arrivals, who are expected
to total up to 1mn this year.
All three parties have lost support in opinion polls over their
handling of the crisis.
Merkels CDU agreed to the
transit zones plan after weeks of
pressure from CSU leader Horst
Seehofer, whose southern state
of Bavaria has borne the brunt
of the inux, as virtually all migrants arrive there from Austria.
Some 51% of respondents in
a poll last month said they were
scared about the rising number
of asylum seekers.

decided to phase out individual

account holders and that no new
funds had been allowed to enter
such accounts since then.
But the report on the internal
investigation seen by Reuters
says money was deposited into
such APSA accounts from outside sources or moved between
them in APSA as late as 2009.
APSA made headlines in June
2013 with the arrest of Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, who worked
there for 22 years as a senior accountant.
He is on trial in two cases.
The rst is on charges of conspiracy to smuggle 20mn in
cash into Italy from Switzerland
to help friends avoid taxes and
the other is on charges he used
the Vatican bank for money laundering.
He denies all wrongdoing.

Vatileaks reveal
dirty dealings
AFP
Vatican City

he Popes private conversations allegedly wiretapped by a racy social

climber and a Spanish prelate
the latest scandal to hit the
Vatican has unearthed claims of
theft, debauchery and betrayal
within the Catholic Church.
Leaked documents set to be
published in two books today
purportedly reveal how charity
money was allegedly spent on refurbishing the houses of powerful cardinals, while claiming the
murky Vatican bank continues to
shelter suspected criminals.
PR expert Francesca Chaouqui and Monsignor Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda, arrested at the
weekend for allegedly stealing
and leaking classied documents, risk up to eight years in
prison if the case gets to court.
While Vallejo Balda languishes
in jail, Chaouqui, 33, was released after assuring investigators of her co-operation in a case
which has thrown light on Pope
Franciss struggles to clean up
a centuries-old institution unwilling to give up its privileges.
I am totally innocent and Ill
prove it, La Stampa daily quoted
the dark-haired woman dubbed
a sex bomb by Italian media as
saying, adding that Vallejo Balda
did everything, I tried to stop
him.
The recording and publication
of the Popes private conversations is the most controversial
aspect of all the dust blown up
by the second Vatileaks, the
Repubblica daily said, comparing
the scandal to a similar one three
years ago.
Then, it was pope Benedict
XVIs butler who leaked documents revealing inghting in the
highest echelons of the church
and allegations of serious fraud.
He was sentenced to 18 months
in prison, before being pardoned
by the pope but banished from
the Vatican forever.
In wiretaps transcribed in
Merchants in the Temple by journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, Francis
can be heard asking: If we dont
know how to look after money,
which we can see, how can we
look after the souls of the faithful, which we cannot?
The Pope also tells people described as collaborators by
Nuzzi that the costs are out of
control. There are ploys...
Italian journalist Emiliano Fittipaldi, who is releasing Avarice:
Documents Revealing Wealth,
Scandals and Secrets of Francis Church, is expected to reveal
how church foundations for sick
children act as bank accounts for
cardinals.
A Vatican statement on Monday slammed the upcoming
works as fruit of a serious be-

trayal of the Popes trust and

said it was considering legal action.
Vatican watcher John Allen, of
Crux Now website, said the Holy
Sees furious reaction suggested
both (books) promise to reveal
scores of previously secret Vatican documents, few of which are
likely to make the Vatican look
especially good.
Religious experts said the leaks
may have been motivated by
frustrated ambitions, with Vallejo Balda, 54, publicly passed over
for promotion and Chaouqui
frustrated in attempts to climb
the Vaticans social ladders.
In a Facebook post yesterday Chaouqui denied leaking
even one piece of paper and
said there is nothing I have ever
loved more or defended more
than the church and the Pope.
The former Ernst & Young
lobbyist was selected to be part
of a special commission set up
by Pope Francis to advise him
on economic reform within the
church an appointment which
raised eyebrows in 2013 after it
emerged she had been highly
critical of the Vatican on Twitter
in 2012.

In this photo taken on January

15, 2014 at the Parioli theatre,
Monsignor Vallejo Balda is seen
with Chaouqui.
Tweets which she claimed
were written by a hacker included one which said pope Benedict had leukaemia, one which
said high-ranking Cardinal
Tarcisio Bertone was corrupt and
one which accused an ex-Italian
minister of being gay.
The Vaticans embarrassment
only increased when racy photos
of Chaouqui went viral on the Internet.
There were immediately questions as to whether Chaouqui,
who has Moroccan origins, might
be behind a rumour last month,
denied by the Vatican, that Francis has a benign brain tumour.
The trained lawyer, who is reportedly pregnant, hit the headlines again in 2014 when she was
suspected of having organised a
lavish party for the rich and famous on a Vatican terrace at the
Holy Sees expense.
Chaouquis rise within the
Vatican came to an abrupt stop
after she attempted to get a private audience with the Pope for
Matteo Renzis parents before he
became prime minister, a move
that apparently angered Francis,
the Repubblica reported.

Austria drafts law to deter Afghans

Reuters
Vienna

Gabriel: Its relatively absurd that we are arguing about a problem

that affects 2.4% of the refugees who are coming to Germany.
CDU
lawmaker
Michael
Grosse-Broemer urged SPD
leaders to tone down their verbal
attacks on the proposed transit
zones, adding that comparing
them to Guantanamo Bay was
not helpful.
He said parties were caught
up in a logomachy a war of
words.
I think its relatively absurd that we are arguing about a
problem that affects 2.4% of the
refugees who are coming to Germany, Gabriel said, referring to
migrants from the West Balkans
considered unlikely to be granted
asylum because their countries
are deemed safe.
He also seemed to suggest a
compromise was possible.
We may argue about 2.4% of
the problem, thats also okay, it
wont be the end of the world ...
Sometimes not everything is as
dramatic as it seems.

ustrias cabinet, facing

record numbers of asylum
requests this year, proposed a tough new bill yesterday
to deter Afghans that the UN refugee agency criticised as likely to
increase the migrants suffering.
Austrias new law would force
most Afghans to wait for three
years, rather than one year under
current rules, to be able to bring
family members to Austria.
They would also have to have
an independent source of in-

come, health insurance and a at.

The small Alpine country is
the rst west European country
that hundreds of thousands of
migrants from the Middle East
and beyond reach on their trek
westwards, and a major conduit
for those moving on towards
Germany and northern Europe.
This is a political decision.
Making family reunication rules
stricter mainly affects Afghans,
Interior Minister Johanna MiklLeitner told ORF radio to explain
the bill. It is important for us
to create clear rules here and, of
course, to decrease (Austrias)
attractiveness.

The Vienna office of the UN

refugee agency UNHCR promptly criticised the new rules for
family reunication, which it
said would increase suffering and
hinder successful integration.
Many migrants are young
adult men who hope to send for
family members once they have
found asylum in Europe.
The law, which is due to take
force from mid-November even
though parliament would not
pass it until December, would
apply to those granted subsidiary protection rather than those
being granted full political asylum, such as most Syrians.

15 saved from truck in France

Migrant influx has raised terror threat

Fifteen migrants suffering from hypothermia were found alive in the

back of a refrigerated lorry in northern France after a blind search by
emergency services triggered by a call from one of the trapped men.
The authorities said they received a strange call around 0800 GMT
from a man speaking English in a barely audible voice, who seemed to
be suffocating, and did not know where he was.
They were unable to trace the call because the phone was using a
foreign SIM card, but after lengthy exchanges they figured out the lorry
was somewhere on the highway between Paris and Lille.
The operator who took the call could also hear others in the
background.
Ambulances then travelled up and down the motorway until they
spotted the lorry at a rest stop and went to investigate.
They tapped on the lorry and knew there were people inside, said a
emergency services source.
With the help of roadside assistance, they were able to force the doors
open and found 15 men aged between 25 and 45.
Their nationalities were not given.
Inside, amid crates of oranges, they found 15 migrants who could
barely breathe and were in various stages of hypothermia, said the
source.
The driver, who was not in the lorry when it was found but returned
soon after, said he did not know what he was carrying.
He was detained by police.

Finland said yesterday that a sharp rise in the number of asylum

seekers had increased the threat of terrorism in the Nordic country,
with the risk level raised to low from very low.
The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (FSIS) said it was monitoring
some 300 people for possible connections to Islamist militant groups,
some of whom were among 25,000 asylum seekers to have arrived in
Finland so far this year.
Militant groups that seek to recruit people now have a presence in
Finland, the FSIS added in a statement.
The terrorism threat level has been raised from very low to low,
FSIS director Antti Pelttari told national broadcaster YLE. The sudden
change in the refugee situation means a significant threat to Finlands
security.
About 700,000 refugees and migrants have poured into the European
Union from war-torn and deprived areas of the Middle East, Africa and
Asia in 2015, causing major financial strain on EU member countries,
political disputes within them over to how to best handle the influx, and
heightened security concerns.
The FSIS said 15 people who recently left Finland to join militant groups
in armed conflicts abroad, mainly in Syria, had been killed, while 20 had
returned to the Nordic country.
At the same time, the FSIS said, the rapid growth in the number of
refugees had created an anti-immigrant atmosphere where the threat
of violent hate crime had also increased.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

25

EUROPE
Number of
children
seeking
asylum in
Europe
doubles
Reuters
London

he number of children
seeking asylum in Europe has nearly doubled
since last year, a symptom of
the growing number of children
eeing conicts and persecution, the UN childrens agency
in the UK (Unicef UK) said yesterday.
Some
190,000
children
sought asylum in Europe between January and September,
up from 98,000 in the same period last year, according to Eurostat data collated by Unicef UK.
The total number of people
seeking asylum in Europe in
the same period this year was
715,000, up from 378,000 in
2014.
In the rst nine months of this
year, 10,000 unaccompanied
or separated children arrived in
Italy and Malta alone.
Of all refugees and migrants,
unaccompanied children are the
most vulnerable to abuse and
exploitation, Unicef UK said in
a report.
Many of the 190,000 children
have ed Syria or neighbouring countries hosting Syrian
refugees, where child labour and
child marriage have increased
since the start of the war.
In Syria, one in ve children
are forced to cross conict lines
to take exams, Unicef said.
The refugee gures for Europe
are just the tip of the iceberg.
In 2014, children made up just
over half of all refugees around
the world the highest proportion for more than a decade,
Unicef said.
One in 10 children in the world
are now growing up in a conict
zone some 230mn children.
Children have been killed
while studying in the classroom,
recovering in hospital or sleeping in their beds. Many have
been orphaned, forced to become soldiers, kidnapped, raped
and traumatised, said Unicef
UK deputy executive director
Lily Caprani.
Protecting children from
violence is life-saving, just as
much as water, shelter and medicine, yet it isnt prioritised in
the same way, Caprani added.
This has to change.
Children living in other types
of emergency are also at greater
risk of violence, exploitation and
abuse this year.
The childrens agency received reports of children being trafficked in the wake of the
Nepal earthquakes, and of a rise
in sexual violence against girls
during the Ebola epidemic.
During the Ebola crisis, some
attempts to contain the epidemic made children more vulnerable to abuse, Unicef UK said.
Schools were closed, and children were sometimes quarantined with abusive family members.
Children in Sierra Leone reported that school closures led
to increases in child labour and
exposure to violence in the home
and community, and early marriage.
More than 18,000 children
lost one or both of their parents
or primary caregivers.
There are lessons we can
learn for future health crises in
how we manage child protection
especially as the likelihood
is well see more health crises,
Leah Kreitzman, director of
public affairs at Unicef UK, said
in an interview.

Turkey hits Kurd rebels,

Gulen supporters hard
AFP
Ankara

urkey cracked down on

rivals of President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan yesterday
and launched air strikes against
Kurdish rebels, clearly signalling
a return to hardline tactics after
an election that cemented his
grip on power.
The West has voiced deep
concerns about Sundays vote
that delivered Erdogans Justice
and Development Party (AKP)
a landslide victory, fearing the
country will slide into increasingly authoritarian rule.
Hopes of a possible return
to Kurdish peace talks after the
vote were dashed after the military said its warplanes bombed
bases of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey and their northern Iraq stronghold on Monday.
Shelters, caves and arms
depots identied as being used
by terrorists from the separatist terrorist organisation were
destroyed with air bombard-

ments, it said in a statement.

Three Kurdish rebels also died
yesterday after clashes erupted
with security forces in two areas
of the restive southeast, the rst
reported deaths in PKK ranks
since the election.
Analysts say anxiety over the
resurgent Kurdish conict and
a spate of bloody attacks by the
Islamic State (IS) group were key
reasons why voters ocked back
to the AKP.
In a turnaround that confounded pollsters, Erdogans
Islamic-rooted AKP reclaimed
the majority it lost ve months
ago, winning almost half the
votes and returning the Muslimmajority state of 78mn to singleparty rule.
And events in Turkey appear
to bear out grim predictions that
the Sultan who has dominated
politics for more than a decade
will brook no dissent as he seeks
to expand his presidential powers.
Yesterday prosecutors charged
two journalists over a magazine
cover critical of Erdogan, while
police rounded up dozens of

Gulen: charged with running a parallel state.

supporters of a US-based cleric

now regarded as the presidents
nemesis.
The left-wing Nokta magazine said on Twitter that its editor-in-chief Cevheri Guven and
managing editor Murat Capan
had been arrested and charged
with attempting to overthrow
the government by force.
Police had raided its Istanbul offices on Monday after the
election edition of the magazine
hit the streets with a front cover
declaring The start of civil war
in Turkey.
Police also detained 44 suspects including high-ranking
bureaucrats and police as part
of a terrorism investigation
into exiled lay preacher Fethullah Gulen.
Gulen is charged with running
a parallel state which launched
a widespread corruption probe
into the presidents inner circle
in 2013 that tarnished Erdogan
and his party, whose initials AK
mean pure in Turkish.
Three former provincial governors and a former deputy police chief were among those held.
The action came only a day
after the United States and two
European observer missions expressed concern about media
intimidation during the election
campaign.
Ankara denied there was any
pressure on the media, despite a
string of high-prole arrests and
raids on opposition television
stations that raised alarm in the
run-up to the vote.
Nobody is forced to be silent
in this country, Deputy Premier
Yalcin Akdogan said, but added:
Press morality goes hand in
hand with press freedom.
Despite constant concerns
about human rights that have
hampered Turkeys EU aspira-

court in Georgia has ordered a change of owner

at the former Soviet republics biggest independent TV
station, Rustavi 2, in what the
broadcaster called an attempt to
silence its criticism of the government.
Kibar Khalvashi, who was a
co-owner in 2004-2006, got

tions, analysts say that the bloc

will have no choice but to deal
with Erdogan.
EU President Donald Tusk
even congratulated Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday
on his election win while urging
Turkey to show its readiness to
work with Brussels on issues
such as the migrant crisis.
Brussels has voiced worries over deteriorating security
linked to the brutal war in Syria,
which has seen 2mn refugees
take shelter in Turkey.
Tusk also urged Ankara to restart the peace process with the
Kurds but Deputy Prime Minister Akdogan said conditions
were not yet ripe.
For us to say the peace proc-

ess has started, the factors poisoning this process should be removed, he told NTV television.
Ankara had unleashed a new
air war against PKK rebels after renewed militant violence
in July, destroying a 2013 truce
and hopes of fresh talks to end a
conict that has claimed 45,000
lives since 1984.
Erdogan, who became prime
minister in 2003 and then Turkeys rst directly-elected president in 2014, was initially hailed
in the West for transforming
Turkey into a model of Muslim
democracy and turning around
its basket-case economy.
But a brutal police crackdown
on nationwide protests in 2013,
a massive purge of the judiciary

following the corruption probe

and constant concerns about
human rights have cooled relations with both Washington and
Brussels.
The AKP should take comfort in its large majority and start
to view minority views and even
peaceful dissent more benignly,
in a way that bets a country
negotiating accession to the European Union, said Sinan Ulgen
of the Istanbul-based Centre for
Economics and Foreign Policy
Studies (Edam).
The lesson of the two elections is clear: Turkeys voters
want a strong, stable government, but not one that runs
roughshod over its opponents,
he said.

Sarkozy angered by link to

cocaine smuggling probe
Reuters
Paris

ormer president Nicolas Sarkozy has accused

French magistrates of violating legal principles by tracking his phone usage in connection with their investigation of
a transatlantic drug smuggling
operation.
The comments from Sarkozy,
tipped to run again for president
in 2017, added a bizarre political

dimension to a probe that has

dominated headlines since two
French airline pilots convicted
of cocaine smuggling in the Dominican Republic escaped to
France in mysterious circumstances last week.
In an interview in the newspaper Le Parisien, Sarkozy said
that his lawyers were demanding to know why the judiciary
had examined his phone records
when the only link was that he
had own with the airline at the
centre of the probe.

What I want to know is what

could justify an investigating
magistrate taking such measures
solely because I used the same
airline, said Sarkozy.
What do they think I did y
to Punta Cana with 700kg of cocaine?
All this would be just laughable if it wasnt about a violation
of legal principles that all French
people support.
He said such phone tracking
could not have been authorised
without the knowledge of Presi-

dent Francois Hollandes Socialist government.

The two pilots, who turned up
in France after what French media described as a commandostyle escape, had been arrested
at Punta Cana airport in the Dominican Republic in March 2013.
A trial found they had been
involved in smuggling cocaine
on small private jets between the
Dominican Republic and the upmarket French Riviera resort of
Saint Tropez, and they were sentenced in August to 20 years jail.

Sarkozy: What do they think I did fly to Punta Cana with 700kg of
cocaine?
Both had denied the offences
and were free to circulate pending appeals.
France has denied any state
involvement in the escape of the
pilots, who were arrested before

dawn on Monday and taken for

questioning.
Dominican authorities have
said they intend to have an international arrest warrant issued
for the men.

MSF honours staff

slain in US airstrike
AFP
Geneva

C
The staff of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders), demonstrate in
Geneva yesterday, one month after the US bombing of their charity-run hospital in Kunduz.

Court orders change of owner at TV station

Reuters
Tbilisi

Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu throws carnations yesterday to AKP supporters who had been waiting
to receive him at Ataturk airport in Istanbul.

back his controlling stake in the

station, one of the most popular
in the country.
He said he was coerced into
selling Rustavi 2 by former government officials, including expresident Mikheil Saakashvili.
The broadcasters lawyers said
that the verdict would be appealed.
Its a totally illegal decision
... This case is not just against
Rustavi 2, its against freedom
of speech in Georgia, the com-

panys lawyer, Tamta Muradashvili, said.

A court ordered the seizure of
Rustavi 2s property in August
and later a seizure of shares in the
company that owns Rustavi 2,
which government officials have
often accused of bias.
The stations managers say
Khalvashis lawsuit and the
courts decisions were politically
motivated.
Opposition politicians and
many independent experts say

the process is an attempt to silence an independent media in

the country of 3.7mn.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) voiced concern over the
ownership dispute last month.
Government officials deny any
involvement in this case.
Hundreds of viewers and supporters of Rustavi 2 rallied outside the Tbilisi court and the
broadcasters studio building in a
gesture of support.

hants of stop bombing hospitals rang out

at a memorial yesterday
for the staff of Doctors Without Borders killed in a US airstrike on an Afghan hospital last
month.
Some 250 people gathered at
a Geneva park for the ceremony,
with the organisations president, Joanne Liu, warning that
a full explanation of what led to
the October 3 strike in Afghanistans northern Kunduz city
was the only way to stop similar
future tragedies.
For us, it is really important
that we keep the spotlight on
it, because otherwise it will fall
into what I call forgotten causes
... meaning that targeting civilians will be a non-event, said
Liu, head of the charity known
by its French acronym, MSF
(Medicins Sans Frontieres).
This was not a non-event,
she stressed.
Three separate investigations

led by the US, Nato and Afghan officials are looking into
the strike that killed 30 people,
but MSF wants an independent
probe by an international factnding commission, based in
Bern.
Some staffers held up placards reading #Independent
Investigation #Kunduz while
others wearing white scrubs
held 13 orange stretchers, each
with a target attached to the
middle, in a memorial to the
MSF employees who died in the
raid in an area briey captured
by Taliban insurgents.
Speaking to AFP after the
ceremony, Liu said that an independent investigation was
essential not to punish those
responsible, but simply to establish the facts.
We are not after a state or
another state. What we are after
is the safeguard of medical humanitarian space in the chaos of
war, she said. What we want
to know at this point is what
happened and why did it happen.
That is the only way we are

going to be able to prevent occurrences like this again, she

added.
Liu has previously described
the bombing as an attack on
the Geneva conventions and
the charity has condemned the
bombing as a war crime.
She said MSF had so far received negligible backing for
its desired independent probe
and had been given no updates
regarding the three ongoing investigations.
The head of MSF Switzerland, Thomas Nierle, told AFP
that he had little hope the inquiries would ultimately see any
wrongdoers punished.
I think its a complete illusion to think there will be some
sort of justice, he said.
The US airstrike forced the
closure of the trauma centre in
Kunduz, which had been a lifeline in the war-battered region.
While US President Barack
Obama has admitted that the
strike was a mistake, the Pentagon has offered shifting explanations for what exactly went
wrong.

26

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

INDIA
INVESTIGATION

SCAM

INSURGENCY

STUDY

CONFERENCE

Hunt for killers of two

BJP leaders in Gujarat

CBI moves court

against bail to Mitra

Kidnapped official
released unharmed

Half of slum children

in Delhi underweight

Kochi meet to discuss

power sector issues

Police yesterday launched a manhunt for

suspects who shot dead two Bharatiya Janata
Party leaders in Gujarats Bharuch city on
Monday, an official said. BJPs former Bharuch
district president Shirish Bengali and the
partys youth wing district general secretary
Pragnesh Mistry in Bharuch were killed late
Monday. Bengali was shot dead by two men
who came on a motorcycle. He was in his
office, from where he runs a local Gujarati
daily, when the attackers barged in and shot
him in the head, killing him instantly. Mistry,
who was with Bengali in his office, was also
shot at. He was rushed to a hospital but died
on the way.

The Central Bureau of Investigation yesterday

moved the Calcutta High Court seeking
cancellation of bail granted to Saradha scam
accused and West Bengal Transport Minister
Madan Mitra. The minister was granted bail
by a lower court on Saturday nearly 11 months
after his arrest. A division bench of Justice
Harish Tandon and Justice Ishan Chandra Das
granted leave to the CBI to move the petition in
the court and serve a copy to Mitras counsel.
The move came on a day when Mitra, who was
on Sunday discharged from the governmentrun SSKM Hospital where he spent most of his
incarceration period, was admitted to a Kolkata
hospital.

A Meghalaya government official was released

unharmed yesterday by the militant Garo National
Liberation Army (GNLA) seven days after he was
kidnapped, police said. Jude Rangku T Sangma,
the block development officer of Chokpot in
south Garo Hills district was released unharmed
at Allagre village, Inspector General of Police F D
Sangma said. The officer has reached his home
at Tura this morning. He is resting now and we
will talk to him later in the day, Sangma said.
Judes unconditional release by the militants
comes after public pressure from several
quarters, including political parties. On October
27, the GNLA militants abducted the officer from
Diganggre area in south Garo Hills district.

Half of the children residing in slums in Delhi

are underweight, a study by NGO Child Rights
and You (CRY) showed yesterday. According
to the survey on the status of health, nutrition
and education of children below the age of
six in slums, 25.6% of the 50.2% underweight
children are severely underweight. Only 31%
of the children under the age of three in the
capital received at least one vaccination, while
45% were stunted, the survey said. It also
highlighted the issue of gender imbalance
as 25% girls received at least one dose of
vaccination compared to 39% boys. The study
was conducted in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai,
Bengaluru and Kolkata.

Issues related to the power sector, including the

proposed electricity bill, will be discussed during
a two-day conference of ministers starting on
Friday in Kochi. It will be inaugurated by Power
Minister Piyush Goyal, an official statement said. The
November 6-7 meeting will draw ministers of power,
renewable energy and mines from states and union
territories. The conference will discuss, apart from
sector reforms, issues related to power generation,
distribution and transmission, coal production and
supply, promotion of renewable energy and energy
conservation, the statement said. The meeting
comes ahead of the winter session of parliament
where the proposed amendments to the Electricity
Act will be taken up, it added.

Protesters
demand
the arrest
of real
culprits

Uber driver
sentenced
to life for
rape in Delhi

IANS
Chandigarh

undreds of Sikh activists

lined up along highways
and roads across Punjab
yesterday with black ags protesting against the recent incidents of desecration of the Guru
Granth Sahib.
However, unlike the roadblocks put up by Sikh activists
during protests last month, no
roads were blocked yesterday.
The activists organised protests in Jalandhar, Amritsar,
Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga and
other districts. At most places,
the protesters lined up along the
highways and other roads with
black ags and banners.
They demanded the arrest of
the real culprits behind the incidents of sacrilege of the Sikh holy
book in Bargari village in Faridkot
district and other similar incidents.
They also demanded action
against police officials responsible for ring at protesters in Behbal Kalan village in Moga district
last month.
The protest call was given by
various radical Sikh organisations.
Two people were killed in police ring in Behbal Kalan village
last month and scores injured in
violence across Punjab as protests erupted over the sacrilege of
the Guru Granth Sahib.
The police on October 20
claimed that they had arrested
the two main accused, Jaswinder Singh and his brother
Rupinder Singh, in the Bargari
sacrilege case along with ve
others responsible for other incidents.
The police also claimed foreign hand behind the incidents
with evidence of established
links and funding from Australia
and Dubai.

Victims parents express

satisfaction over the verdict
Agencies
New Delhi

Sikhs protest against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib in Amritsar yesterday.

New Delhi court yesterday

sentenced an Uber driver
to life in prison for raping
a young woman passenger in the
national capital, a case that inamed fears over sexual violence
in the capital.
The court last month convicted
Shiv Kumar Yadav of abducting
and raping the 25-year-old passenger as she returned home from
dinner with friends in December.
Yadav, dressed in a white
checked shirt, wiped tears from
his cheeks as the judge read out
the sentencing, the maximum
possible jail term for rape.
He will serve rigorous imprisonment, which shall mean
imprisonment till natural death,
Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri
Baweja told the court.
Yadav, 32, was convicted last
month of four charges - rape, abduction, intimidation and causing harm - and the prosecution
had been expected to argue for
the maximum punishment of life
in jail.
Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava
said in the courtroom the sentencing should send a message
to society where a person cannot
even think of committing such an
offence.

Yadav: jailed for life

She is not the only victim,
rather the whole society is the
victim, he said, alleging Yadav
had a criminal history dating
back to 2001.
California-based Uber was accused of failing to conduct adequate background checks after it
emerged that Yadav had been accused of assaulting other women,
although he had no previous convictions.
This man has changed, defence lawyer Dharmender Kumar
Mishra said of his client, adding
he was the sole breadwinner for
his poor family.
On the day of his conviction,
he cried... he had gone to the extent of wanting to commit suicide, Mishra said, adding that his
client would appeal the sentence
at a higher court.
He told the court that Yadav
has old and ailing parents, a wife
and three minor children who
were dependent on him.
The court asked the Delhi Legal
Service Authority to take care of
his family.

Yadavs wife broke down in the

courtroom, howling inconsolably,
as the pairs crying daughters
tried to console her.
We are happy that justice has
been delivered and that the process didnt take that long, said
Madhur Verma, deputy commissioner with the Delhi police.
The victims parents, who were
also present in court, expressed
satisfaction.
Delhi Commission for Women
(DCW) chief Swati Maliwal also
hailed the court verdict and appealed to the judiciary for fast trial
in rape cases.
Welcome Uber rape case verdict. Appeal to judiciary and government to ensure all rape cases especially child rape cases to be tried
within 1 year, Maliwal tweeted.
Uber was officially banned
from Delhi in the aftermath of the
attack, but the ban has not been
strictly enforced and the companys cars continue to operate in
the capital.
The former Uber driver was
tried by one of the fast-track
courts introduced in 2013 following the fatal gang-rape of a
student on a bus in Delhi, a crime
that sparked nationwide protests
about dangers to women.
The rape occurred days before the second anniversary of
that now notorious attack, which
earned Delhi the title of Indias
rape capital, and brought the
issue of violence against women
back into the spotlight.

Modi would do well to heed Moodys message

T

here wont be many Indians who have not heard of

Infosys. Or for that matter ICICI or HDFC. These are
agbearers of Indian economy
in their respective elds. On the
stock exchange they are bellwethers that impact positively and sometimes negatively - the
fortunes of millions of shareholders. For Mumbai, the city
with the maximum number of
investors/players in the stock
market, these companies are as
much part of the daily conversation as vada-pav, the staple of
the working class.
And yet, none of the three - Infosys, ICICI and HDFC - are Indian companies! It was Infosyss
co-founder and former chairman
N R Narayana Murthy who said
this during the course of a television debate last week. If it was a
surprise - nay, shocking - revelation to the viewers, the co-panellists in the debate also seemed to
react in similar fashion. And one
of them was none other than Jayant Sinha, Indias junior nance
minister.
In 2010, in its eagerness to
control the inow of foreign currency into the coffers of NGOs
whose activities had raised some
concern, the Congress-led government had amended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act
(FCRA) of 1976 and by a convoluted calculation had listed many
companies, including the three
mentioned above as well as a

few other similarly home-grown

ones, as foreign as they received
money from abroad. Hence, according to Murthy, these companies have to obtain clearance
from the Home Ministry before
they utilise any such money, including for works as part of their
corporate social responsibility (CSR). Murthy charged that if
the UPA had introduced the Act,
the Narendra Modi-led NDA had
conveniently turned a blind eye to
its ill-effects, thereby providing
a means to government officials
to harass well-meaning rms like
Infosys.
While Sinha promised to get to
the bottom of it - one of the rare
instances where governance was
conducted on national television - the issue also raised serious doubts about the Modi governments professed resolve to
improve the overall ease of doing
business in/with India. Talking
of which, two important indicators in that direction last week
brought out mixed reaction from
corporates and politicians alike.
First, the World Bank said it
found India moving towards a
better business environment and,
therefore, improved the countrys overall standing to 130 from
142 a year ago. (Singapore topped
the list of 189 countries). What
is more, the banks chief economist and senior vice-president
Kaushik Basu held out the hope
that India could well be in the top
100 in a years time if the current

Delhi Diary
By A K B Krishnan
Gulf Times Correspondent
pace of changes are maintained.
Presently though, India is well below Russia (51), South Africa (73),
China (84) and Brazil (116). These
four nations plus India make up
the emerging economies group
somewhat suggestively named
Brics.
There was much back-slapping
in the corridors of power at the
achievement and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley even went to the
extent of saying the 12-point
movement does not reect the
full pace of reforms that we have
done, meaning the ranking is
bound to get better in the months
ahead. Curiously, it was also revealed that the improved ranking was on the basis of surveys
in just two cities - Mumbai and
Delhi. Still more surprising was
the fact that the 12-point jump
was achieved by tweaking just two
minor factors.
The World Bank, which had laid
out ten parameters to judge the
business environment, said the
government decision to do away
with the procedure of internal
wiring inspection helped India
move up by 29 places under the

section Ease of getting electricity for a new business. Like most

other inspections, this too had
become a cash cow for unscrupulous inspectors. Similarly, the
amendment to the Companies
Act in May did away with the requirement of a Rs100,000 security deposit for entrepreneurs to
start a limited liability company.
This enabled India to jump nine
places to 155 in the ease of Starting a business category.
But these are low-hanging
fruits. The fact that the UPA could
not even pluck these was a reection of the utter chaos that ruled
within the Manmohan Singh
government towards its fag end.
But there are far higher mountains to climb for India to get to
a position from where it can seek
to become the manufacturing
hub and investment destination
of the world. Of the 10 World
Bank considerations, the three
that could create a major impact,
and at the same time perhaps the
most difficult to implement in
the Indian context, are: enforcing contracts, paying taxes and
resolving insolvency.

You will notice that in all three

cases the judiciary may be called
to play a major role. With a backlog of close to 30mn cases and an
acute shortage of judges - their
quality is a separate argument
- any start-up seeking justice
should be prepared for a long wait.
It is no wonder then that India
ranks 178, 157 and 136, respectively, in these categories. As for the
segment Dealing with construction permits, India is a poor 184,
just ve places above the bottom
end, as the paperwork and waiting period are outrageously long.
To get to below 100, as Basu had
held out, is indeed going to be a
tough ask.
Be that as it may, any improvement in ranking must be welcomed and a 12-point jump is
something to be rightfully proud
of. But what dampened the spirits the very next day was a statement by Moodys Analytics that
India ran the risk of losing credibility - and with it the hoped-for
economic emancipation - unless
Modi reined in the recent upsurge
of religious bigotry.
All sorts of explanations are
being dished out by government
ministers and BJP spokespersons
for the controversies that are dogging the government:
1. It is an opposition conspiracy.
(This conspiracy theory even extends to business and the example cited is the controversy over
Maggi noodles.)
2. It could just be the fringe

players in the 110mn strong ruling

party who are the mischief mongers talking of beef and even killing in its name.
3. It is very much the state governments - many of which are
under parties other than the BJP
- that are responsible for law and
order.
4. It is not the BJP but the Shiv
Sena in Mumbai/Maharashtra
and the Shiromani Akali Dal in
Punjab that are creating many of
these issues.
5. The majority of protesting
intelligentsia are Left-leaning
and, therefore, anti-Modi even
without a reason.
6. It is the media that is often
making a mountain out of a mole
hill by playing up incidents of
pure law and order as communal
are-ups.
But unfortunately all these will
not wash for the simple reason
that before everything it is the
federal government that is primarily responsible for the state of the
nation. If conspiracies are being
hatched, it is for the government
to ferret out the conspirators and
bring them to book. If the fringe
is fraying, the core can also get affected and, therefore, the fringe
must be kept on a tighter leash.
State governments, whether
BJP-ruled or otherwise, must be
told in no uncertain terms that
certain nancial programmes
from the centre could henceforth
be tied to the law and order situation in the states. The states that

crack the whip on hooligans will

get extra incentives as against
those that fail to curb crime, especially religious. If alliance partners (read Shiv Sena) try to act
smart, they must be shown the
door. It will only do you good in
the long term. If the intelligentsia
is protesting, it must be called in
to nd out why and not just poohpoohed as is being attempted
now. And lastly, but most importantly, the media can be full of
sinners but any government that
ignores it - and Modi is certainly
ignoring it - would be doing so at
its own peril.
Of late there has been a urry
of interaction with the media by
senior ministers like Jaitley, Rajanth Singh and Venkaiah Naidu
as well as party president Amit
Shah. Much of it happened because of the on-going elections
in Bihar. They have tried to defend the government in quite articulate fashion. But the one man
who should be speaking to the
media simply would not budge.
Modi has, instead, indulged in
some very unnecessary political
polemics in the course of his campaign in Bihar. Although coming
from a political rival, in this case
Nitish Kumar, Modi would do well
to heed his words: In his desperation to win the losing battle of
Bihar, I am afraid he (Modi) might
lose India.
Moodys did not say it in as
many words, but the message was
quite similar.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

27

INDIA
High share of care work keeps Indian women out of economy: study
Thomson Reuters Foundation
New Delhi

omen in India do almost 10 times as much

unpaid work as men a much higher ratio than the global average - leaving them out of
the formal workforce and unable
to contribute to the economy,
consultancy rm McKinsey said
in a new report.
Women are responsible for
17% of Indias GDP, much less

than in many nations, the McKinsey Global Institute said.

Chinas women account for 41%
of GDP, those in sub-Saharan
Africa 39% and women in Latin
America 33%.
The below-potential contribution of women to Indias
GDP today ... contrasts with
their higher share of unpaid
care work such as cooking,
cleaning, and taking care of
children and older members of
the family, said the report, released on Monday.

Globally, women spend

roughly three times the amount
of time spent by men on unpaid
work. In India, the situation is
more extreme - women perform
9.8 times the amount of unpaid
care work than men.
If that unpaid work were to be
valued and compensated in the
same way as paid work, it would
contribute $300bn a year to Indias economic output, it added.
Using a new index to measure gender parity across Indias
states, McKinsey found that

Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam,

Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand
had inequality levels similar to
impoverished Chad and wartorn Yemen.
Other Indian states such as
Mizoram, Kerala, Meghalaya,
Goa and Sikkim ranked higher on
the index, putting their women
on par with Argentina, China
and Indonesia in gender parity,
it said.
Overall, the Female Empowerment Index, or Femdex - which
is based on issues such as wom-

ens autonomy, equality at work,

legal protection, political voice
and physical security - showed
a broad range of gender equality
in India.
We find a wide variation
in gender equality among Indias 32 states, which indicates
where efforts to bridge gender
gaps need to be focused, the
report The Power of Parity:
Advancing womens equality in
India said.
Advancing gender equality can deliver sizeable addi-

tional economic growth and

broad-based prosperity to the
world - nowhere more so than
in India.
McKinsey estimates India
could boost GDP by $700bn in
2025 if women participated in
paid work at a similar level to
men.
Indian women represent only
24% of the paid labour force,
similar to countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Globally, female workforce participation is 40%.

To bring more women into

the formal labour force, the report said India must get more
girls into secondary and tertiary
education, expand skills training
and provide greater access to nancial services.
India must also step up gender diversity in the private sector, improve infrastructure and
services to address the burden
of domestic work and child care
and focus on dispelling deeprooted patriarchal attitudes, it
said.

BJP activist
threatens to
behead CM if
he eats beef
IANS
Shivamogga, Karnataka

Bharatiya Janata Party

activist was arrested
here yesterday for allegedly threatening to behead
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah if he ate beef, police
said.
S N Channabasappa, 55,
was arrested after a Congress
worker led a complaint under
relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with
promoting enmity between
groups on grounds of religion,
deterring a public servant
from discharge of his duty, and
criminal intimidation, Shivamogga Superintendent of
Police Ravi D Channannavar
said.
Shivamogga is 260km from
Bengaluru in the states central
Malnad region.
We will produce him in a
local court tomorrow for police custody and interrogation
and action after viewing and
listening to a video in which
his brief speech was recorded,
Channannavar said.
Addressing about 30 cadres
at a protest meeting organised
by the partys state unit on
Monday against Siddaramaiah
who claimed that he would eat
beef anytime and anywhere
and nobody could stop him,
Channabasappa said the chief
minister would be beheaded
if he ate beef at Gopi Circle,
the city centre, in Shivamogga.
Siddaramaiah is behaving
like a dictator. He has stated he
would eat beef if he chooses to
do so and nobody could stop
him. Let him eat beef at Gopi
Circle in Shivamogga. If he
does so, he will be beheaded.
We wont think twice about
that, Channabassappa said in
Kannada in a brief speech.
The partys other members
also condemned the chief
ministers statement.
Accusing Siddaramaiah of
behaving arrogantly, the city
civic councils former presi-

dent said that by making such

an irresponsible statement,
the chief minister hurt the
sentiments of Hindus who
have all grown up drinking
cows milk.
The BJPs state unit, however, disowned Channabassappas threat and said it was
not responsible for such statements made by an ordinary
member.
We do not endorse such
irresponsible statements and
will seek clarication from
him, BJP spokesman S Prakash said in Bengaluru.
Also yesterday, lmmaker
Aparna Sen lashed out against
Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader
Sadhvi Prachis Pakistani
agent comments on superstar Shah Rukh Khan, calling
for legal action against the
leader.
Cant believe Sadhvis reaction to SRK on tv! Theyre
ones who want to break the
country apart! There should
be legal action against her!,
tweeted the National Award
winner.
Prachi yesterday attacked
Khan over his extreme intolerance in India comment and
called him a Pakistani agent.
A host of well-known writes,
lmmakers, scientists and historians have announced the
return of awards and honours
as a mark of protest against recent events like the lynching of
a Muslim man in Dadri of Uttar
Pradesh over rumours that he
ate beef, the murder of Kannada rationalist scholar M M
Kalburgi, and the police raid
in Delhis Kerala House.
However, Sen advocated
drafting a joint letter of protest
to President Pranab Mukherjee instead of the award wapasi.
Emotion behind returning awards laudable. But they
were not all awarded by the
present Govt. Any sense in
Ray returning..@...award for
Pather Panchali that he rcvd
in 1956, for instance? We shd
send a joint letter of protest to
the President instead.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi presents a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee as other party leaders look on in New Delhi yesterday.

BJP calls Congress

march political stunt
The Congress is the epitome of
intolerance, says Javadekar
IANS
New Delhi

he ruling Bharatiya Janata

Party yesterday dubbed
the Congress march to the
Rashtrapati Bhavan against intolerance a political stunt and
said it was meant to keep its dynastic leadership relevant.
Calling the Congress an epitome of intolerance, BJP spokesman and Environment Minister
Prakash Javadekar denounced the
march led by Congress president
Sonia Gandhi and former prime
minister Manmohan Singh.
The Congress is the epitome
of intolerance. They had turned
the country into a jail during
Emergency, he said.
During that period, intoler-

Mumbai police waiting

for Chhota Rajans return
IANS
Mumbai

olice in Mumbai were

yesterday gearing to take
charge of maa don Rajendra S Nikhalje, alias Chhota
Rajan, who is likely to be brought
here very soon, Police Commissioner Ahmed Javed said.
Rajan, 55, was arrested by the
Indonesian police on a request
from the Central Bureau of Investigation in Bali on October 26
following a tip-off by the Australian Federal Police.
Javed told reporters that the
CBI, which is the nodal agency for
Interpol in India, is nalising the
arrangements to bring back the
alleged crime boss who has been
on the run for nearly two decades.
When asked about the possible date of bringing him to face
Indian laws, Chief Minister De-

vendra Fadnavis declined comment.

Presently, the Indian authorities are busy making the necessary arrangements in Indonesia
to bring him back to the country.
Rajan made an embarrassing
revelation on Monday in Indonesia that certain Mumbai police officials are in league with
his arch-rival, the underworld
don Dawood Ibrahim, believed
to be hiding in Pakistan.
Claiming that he was tortured by the Mumbai police in
the past, Rajan demanded that
he should be taken to New Delhi
instead.
Javed dismissed the charges,
terming them as baseless and
asserted that no police official is
linked with Ibrahim.
However, the Mumbai police
were making preparations for
Rajans impending return, and
according to tentative indica-

tions, he may be lodged in the

famous Anda Cell (oval cell) inside the Arthur Road Central Jail.
The high-security, fortied and
solitary Anda Cell was specially
created to lodge Pakistani terrorist, Ajmal Kasab, who was caught
after the 2008 Mumbai terror
attacks, and hanged in 2012 in
Punes Yerawada Central Jail.
Javed declined to comment
on the issue, but said that Rajan
would be kept in a safe and secure place.
The police were was waiting to
lay their hands on Rajan to solve
a variety of serious crimes for
which he is wanted, including
the killing of veteran Mumbai
journalist Jyotirmoy Dey near
his Powai home on June 11, 2011.
The police chief said the maa
don was wanted for around 7075 cases, but the CBI would decide when Rajan would be handed over to the Mumbai police.

ance was rampant when thousands of poor Muslims were

forcibly sterilised. This is the
worst kind of intolerance, said
Javadekar.
Sikhs were butchered and
massacred (after then prime
minister Indira Gandhis assassination in 1984)... Three thousand Sikhs were butchered in
Delhi by Congress goons. Then
prime minister Rajiv Gandhi justied it.
He said the killing of writer M
M Kalburgi was a heinous crime,
and it took place in Congressruled Karnataka.
Narendra Dabholkars murder happened in Maharashtra
when the Congress and NCP
were in power. When Govind
Pansare was murdered, it was
the BJP government which within three months found out the
culprit and arrested him. We are
taking action.

Referring to the lynching of

a Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh
on suspicion that he ate beef,
he said it was the most deplorable incident, but said it
took place in a Samajwadi Party-ruled state.
The Congress should take
out a procession against them
and dismiss the Karnataka chief
minister. They should apologise
for not tracing the murderers of
Dabholkar.
Another BJP spokesman, M J
Akbar, described the march as an
attempt by a failing dynasty to
maintain its relevance.
This is a desperate attempt
by a desperately failing dynasty... They are staging a fake drama because of the truth that is
coming out on their corruption.
The Congress is the enemy
of social harmony and economic
progress, Akbar said.
Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs

Water project

Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said:

They (Congress) have lost the
peoples condence and are trying to stay relevant. How can a
party that imposed Emergency
talk about intolerance?
Earlier in the day Congress
leaders marched from Mahatma
Gandhis statue in parliament to
the Rashtrapati Bhavan to protest against what they said was
rising intolerance in the country.
The party submitted a memorandum to President Pranab
Mukherjee.
Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of silence
against the forces of prejudice,
bigotry and intolerance and
urged the president to use the
authority of his office to tell him
that this is unacceptable.
The Congress said in the
memorandum that the president
had spoken out strongly and unequivocally against the forces of

Sovereign gold bond

price xed at Rs2,684
IANS
Chennai

US Ambassador Richard R Verma crouches next to a

potable water collection point in a slum in Bengaluru on
a visit to a drinking water project funded by USAID along
with the local municipal authority, yesterday.

prejudice, bigotry and intolerance, but that the prime minister

has not deemed it t to do so.
Worse, his council of ministers continues to harbour
individuals who are contributing heavily to spreading hate
and divisiveness. No action has
been taken against them for
their provocative statements
and actions, the memorandum
said.
The party said India was being set on the path of an illiberal
democracy, whose very spirit is
sought to be snuffed out, a democracy, where civil discourse is
being vitiated and where intellectual freedom is being stied.
We would like to humbly
request the honourable Rashtrapati ji to use the political and
moral authority of his office to
impress upon the prime minister that this is unacceptable, the
party said.

he issue price for the rst

tranche of Sovereign Gold
Bond has been xed at
Rs2,684 per gram of gold, the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said
yesterday.
The central government on October 30 announced it would issue
sovereign gold bonds on November 26 while applications for the
bonds would be accepted from tomorrow until November 20.
The nance ministry said the
bonds would be sold through
banks and notied post offices
and would be issued by the RBI
on behalf of the central government.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
had announced in the 2015-16
budget the launch of the sovereign gold bond as an alternative
to the precious metal, and the
borrowing through issuance of

the bond will form part of market borrowing programme of the

government.
The gold bonds will be denominated in multiples of
gram(s) of gold with a basic unit
of 1g while the minimum investment limit is 2g.
The maximum subscription
is 500g per person per scal
year (April-March) and for joint
holders, the limit will be applied
on the rst holder.
Under the scheme, the gold
bonds will be sold only to resident Indian entities including
individuals, Hindu undivided
families, trusts, universities and
charitable institutions.
The bond tenure will be eight
years with the exit option beginning from the fth year. The
bonds will also be tradable in the
bourses.
The rate of interest will be
2.75% per annum payable semiannually on the initial value of
investment.

28

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

LATIN AMERICA
INQUIRY

LEGAL

DECISION

POLICY

CRIME

Anarchist group being

probed over Mexico blasts

Ecuador-Occidental
arbitration award cut

Haiti delays presidential

results announcement

Chile mulls crackdown on

anti-competitive practices

Fugitive ex-congressman
held for journalist killing

Mexican authorities are investigating whether

an obscure anarchist group was behind the
simultaneous explosions of homemade bombs
in four buses last weekend, prosecutors said.
The explosive devices, made with liquid soap,
fuel and a clock, detonated around 1.30am on
Saturday inside the buses in Ecatepec, a suburb
of Mexico City, said the chief prosecutor of the
State of Mexico, Alejandro Gomez. Five other
devices were found in other units but did not
blow up. Only one driver was slightly hurt trying
to put out a fire, Gomez told Radio Formula.
Authorities suspect a small anarchist group
named the Secta Pagana de la Montana was
behind the attacks.

A World Bank tribunal reduced to about $1bn

the amount Ecuador must pay Occidental
Petroleum Corporation in compensation for
seizing the US-based companys assets. In
2012, the International Centre for Settlement
of Investment Disputes awarded Occidental
$1.77bn. The award was cut by 40% to reflect
the fact that Occidental in 2006 had sold the
field to Chinas Andes Petroleum for $400mn.
Occidental said it confirmed the decision was
for $1bn plus interest and declined further
comment. Ecuador in 2006 seized the field
known as Block 15 from Occidental, arguing that
the sale to Andes Petroleum had been carried
out without government consent.

Haitis provisional electoral council said that

news on presidential vote results had been
delayed. The announcement of preliminary
results that was set for yesterday now has
been pushed back to tomorrow amid reports
of irregularities that have to be investigated,
the council said in a statement. Haiti celebrated
peaceful elections with high turnout on October
25 as the poorest country in the Americas seeks
to shed chronic political instability and get back
on its feet. The elections come nearly five years
after President Michel Martelly came to power
in a country that has failed to find democratic
stability since the end of the 30-year Duvalier
dictatorship in 1986.

Chilean government officials held an

emergency meeting to discuss a crackdown
on anti-competitive practices after regulators
identified collusion in the market for toilet
paper, tissues and other paper products. Chiles
competition regulator said last week Chilean
forestry company CMPC had colluded with
PISA, purchased by Swedish-owned SCA in
2012, for at least a decade to control nearly
90% of the nations toilet paper and tissue sales
and kept prices higher. SCA was slapped with a
$15.5mn fine, while CMPC escaped punishment
because it admitted wrongdoing in March. The
government has demanded the companies
agree on a compensation plan for consumers.

A fugitive former member of the Colombian

National Congress has been arrested after
his conviction and sentence to 36 years
in prison for the slaying of a journalist,
according to media reports. Ferney Tapasco
had been on the run for four months and
was captured in Manizales, Colombia, the
website El Espetador reported. He was
convicted for the 2002 killing of newspaper
journalist Orlando Sierra, who was killed
with his daughter in a restaurant in
Manizales. Sierra had reported corruption
and human rights abuses and alleged
links between Tapasco and right-wing
paramilitaries.

Animals starve
as US freezes
elite Honduras
familys assets
AFP
San Manuel

ore than 10,000 crocodiles are starving to

death on a farm in
Honduras after the wealthy family owning them had their assets
frozen because of US accusations
they laundered money for drug
traffickers.
Journalists visiting the 70-acre
property called Cocodrilos Continental, in San Manuel near the
city of San Pedro Sula, also saw
seven scrawny lions kept in cages.
The crocodiles and lions are
dying of hunger, and we are too
because we havent been paid the
last two weeks, said one worker
at the entrance to the farm who
asked to go by the pseudonym
Jose.
Forty animals have already
died. They were taken away in
boxes by trucks to be buried, he
said.
The farm is owned by the
Rosenthal family, a powerful clan
in Honduras with interests spanning banking, media, property,
tourism, livestock and agriculture.
On October 7, the US Treasury Department said it was targeting the familys 79-year-old
multi-millionaire patriarch, Jaime
Rosenthal, his son Yani Rosenthal,
and his nephew Yankel Rosenthal
for their money laundering and
drug trafficking activities.
It imposed an asset freeze on
them and barred US businesses
from dealing with them, which
notably affected their Banco
Continental. The bank, headquartered in San Pedro Sula, is
being liquidated on orders of the
Honduras Banking Commission.
A newspaper owned by the family
has also been shut.
Yankel Rosenthal was arrested in Miami by US authorities
the day before the Treasury announcement.
The US accusations and sanc-

tions have rocked Honduras,

which had long perceived its
wealthiest families to be untouchable. That held especially true for
the Rosenthals: Jaime Rosenthal
was vice-president of the country
from 1986 to 1989; his son Yani
was a minister in the government
from 2006 to 2009.
Although the crocodile farm
was not one of the seven Rosenthal
businesses designated for US
sanctions, it has found itself
caught up in the freeze affecting
other parts of the business empire.
An official at Honduras state
Forest Conservation Institute
(ICF), Pablo Dubon, said the executives running Cocodrilos
Continental told authorities the
freezing of the Rosenthals assets
led to the accounts used to pay the
workers and buy animal feed being blocked.
Dubon said the municipality and animal protection groups
were working on an emergency
plan to temporarily care for the
animals while a permanent solution was found. One option was to
have the employees work for food
while the legal status of the farm
was assessed.
A week ago, the ICF delivered
1.5 tons (3,000 pounds) of chicken
meat to the farm but workers refused to feed it to the animals until they were paid their monthly
wages of $340 each.
The 3,000 pounds doesnt
amount to much because a crocodile eats the equivalent of half
a horse in a day, said Jose, the
worker at the gate.
But at least something is being
done, he added.
According to security guards
at Cocodrilos Continental, there
are 11,000 American crocodiles
spread out over 135 pools hidden by weeds and bushes turned
green by recent rains. Some 60
newborn crocs are among them.
An on-site clinic meant to look
after around 70 ailing crocodiles
has ceased to function.

Farc peace talks

Members of the Farc-EP leftist guerrilla delegation arrive at the Convention Palace in Havana yesterday for peace-talks with the Colombian government.

Macri slams attack ads

in Argentina poll race
Reuters
Buenos Aires

rgentine opposition candidate Mauricio Macri

accused the ruling party
of fear mongering after a weekend barrage of online attack ads
warned he would throw people
off welfare and reduce living
standards by devaluing the currency.
Imagine yourself without a
home. Imagine yourself hungry ... Imagine yourself if Macri
wins, says one ad, ashing images from the 2002 economic
crisis that threw millions of
Argentines into poverty. It was

tweeted by ruling party loyalist

Luis DElia.
Macri, the mayor of Buenos
Aires and an advocate of free
markets, deed the opinion polls
by easily getting enough votes in
the October 25 election to push
ruling party candidate Daniel
Scioli into a November 22 runoff.
The official party is showing a dark strategy of trying to
sow angst and fear with the sole
goal of frightening people over
the possibility of change, Macri
said on Facebook.
But its not going to work,
said Macri, who promises to
jumpstart investment and ght
ination while keeping needed

social programmes in place.

Scioli is from the same party
as outgoing president Cristina
Fernandez. He said his campaign
seeks not to sow fear but to remind voters of the risk of returning to the free-market policies of
the 1990s, which preceded the
2002 crisis.
On state-owned TV, a sports
commentator on Saturday suggested Macri could return the
rights to air soccer games to
pay-per-view channels, a franchise ended under Fernandez
when she instituted her Soccer
for Everyone programme.
Are you going to have to go
back to paying? Think about
it, commentator Javier Vicente

uba has signed a roaming

agreement with US telecom Sprint Corporation
during its rst annual trade fair
since rapprochement with the
US and told 600 companies from
70 countries that it was eager for
more business.
The Havana International
Fair (FIHAV) promotes Cubas
changing business climate and
seeks badly needed foreign investment. Last years event
championed a new tax-cutting
foreign investment law, while
this years boasted of improved
ties with the US.
In a historic breakthrough on
December 17, the former Cold
War foes vowed to normalise relations, although the US trade
embargo on Cuba remains in
place.
Cubas critics denounce the
fair as hype, noting that all business deals must go through the
communist government or one

of its tightly controlled state

companies.
Cuba acknowledged the central role of the state but also
plugged its growing private sector, mostly farm co-operatives
and small businesses so far.
We are continuing to create the conditions for separating
state and business functions and
to improve the role that should
be played by socialist state enterprises..., guaranteeing more
exible functioning, Foreign
Trade Minister Rodrigo Malmierca told the opening ceremony.
Sprint, one of about 30 US
companies attending, has taken
advantage of the limited commercial opening afforded by US
President Barack Obama, who
has chipped away at the embargo
and created a telecommunications exemption.
Among the companies hopeful
of doing business here some day
was PepsiCo, which had a stand
in one of the exhibition halls.
Sprint signed an interconnection agreement with Cubas
state telecoms monopoly Etecsa

on September 25 and added the

roaming agreement on Monday. Sprint competitor Verizon
has been offering voice and data
roaming in Cuba since September through a third party.
We signed this agreement in
record time, Sprint chief executive Marcelo Claure told reporters, saying he was blown away
with how fast the Cuban government negotiated the deal.
They were a pleasure to work
with. Like with anybody else,
there were tense moments. We
would like to pay a lower rate. But
its a start, Claure said.
American companies will lag
behind those from Cubas strategic partners Venezuela, China
and Russia. Spain also has enjoyed a long business relationship with Cuba and has the largest presence at the fair with 150
companies.
Were not afraid of competition, said Jose Manuel Soria,
Spains minister of industry, energy, and tourism. We think that
the more countries that come,
the better.

valued, but he has not laid out a

time-table for devaluation.
Neither candidate backs the
kind of sharp scal adjustment
that Wall Street says is needed
after years of free-spending
populism under Fernandez, who
reluctantly endorsed the more
market-friendly Scioli earlier
this year.
Although from the same Front
for Victory party, Fernandezs
inner circle is far to the left of
Scioli.
The local press has been full of
accounts of rising tensions between the Fernandez and Scioli
camps since his lacklustre performance in the October 25 rst
round election.

Chilean miners sue

lawyers in rights row

Havana signs deal with

Sprint, eyes more trade
Reuters
Havana

asked. Soccer is a national passion.

Since Macris strong showing
on October 25, Argentine shares
have climbed 10%. Analysts say
they are set to rise further if Macri
wins on November 22. But Scioli
is still very much in the race.
Adulated by supporters for
widening the social safety net
but detested by business leaders
for placing heavy controls on the
economy, Fernandez is constitutionally barred from seeking a
third consecutive term.
On Friday Scioli said Macri
plans a major currency devaluation, which would mean a loss
of wages in real terms. Macri
says Argentinas peso is over-

AFP
Santiago

Hilda Arias Perez, central director of mobile services Etecsa, and

US telecom Sprint Corporation chief executive Marcelo Claureshake shake hands after signing a roaming agreement in Havana.

ine
Chilean
miners
trapped underground in
2010 in an ordeal that
captured world attention sued
their lawyers, accusing them of
cheating them out of the rights to
their story.
The nine men, part of a group
of 33 that spent 69 days trapped
underground after a collapse at
the San Jose mine in northern
Chile, accused lawyers Remberto
Rodrigo Valdes and Fernando
Garcia of defrauding them with a
dodgy deal to create a company to
manage their rights.
Today were being rescued
for the second time, said plaintiff Luis Urzua, the foreman who
acted as the leader of the trapped
miners and was the last to return
to the surface when they were
saved.
Weve been ghting for four
years to show that our rights were
violated.
The nine plaintiffs said Valdes
and Garcia misled the 33, making
them believe they would manage
their own company, only to harm

them and appropriate monies that

rightfully belonged to them.
The miners say the lawyers convinced all 33 men to set up a company to manage the rights to their
story, and that they agreed to give
up their rights for about $5,700
each.
The lawsuit deepens a ssure
that has emerged in the rescued
group in recent years, accentuated
last August by the release of The
33, a movie based on their misadventure and starring Antonio Banderas as miner Mario Sepulveda.
The real-life Sepulveda, the
most charismatic of the group,
took issue with his comrades lawsuit.
Its a shame theyre being so
ignorant and letting themselves be
led astray by people who havent
read the contracts properly, he
said.
But one of the plaintiffs, Victor
Zamora, insisted the dispute was
not between the nine miners and
the rest of the group.
Its not about ghting the
(other) miners, because were a
very united group, he said.
The division we have within
the group is because of what the
lawyers have done to us.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

29

PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN

10 injured as plane makes emergency landing in Lahore

IANS
Islamabad

t least 10 passengers were

injured when the tyre of
a plane burst during an
emergency landing at Pakistans
Lahore airport yesterday.
The Karachi-Lahore ight
NL-142 of Shaheen Airlines,
carrying 276 passengers, made
an emergency landing in Lahore,
Dawn online quoted airport
sources as saying.
The injured were provided
with immediate medical treat-

ment. None of them was in critical condition, the sources said.

The tyre of the aircraft burst
due to a fault in the landing gear.
The aircraft skidded off the runway after the tyre burst.
Fear and panic gripped the
passengers, who were evacuated
through an emergency gate.
Pakistans airline industry
has been tarnished by a string of
tragic accidents in recent years.
In April, 2012, all 127 people aboard a Bhoja Air Boeing
737-200 plane were killed when
the ight from Karachi airport
crashed ve kms from Islamabad.

Passernger and crew walking away from the stricken plane.

Chinas VP in rare
Afghanistan visit
C

Afghan president Asharaf Ghani talks with Chinas Vice-President Li Yuanchao during the signing of
documents at the Presidential Palace in Kabul yesterday. Li Yuanchao is on an official visit to Afghanistan.
also pledged to provide special
security devices to scan vehicles entering the capital.
Unfortunately two countries
which are committed to peace
and stability are in danger from
regional and international terrorism, Ghani said in comments that
were also carried on television.
Our discussions were based
on how to bring under control
and eliminate those ominoas
phenomena which are obstacles
to stability, prosperity and cooperation in the region, Ghani
said, calling China a factor to
bring peace in Afghanistan.

Woman set ablaze by

suitor dies in hospital

young Pakistani woman

died yesterday after a
rejected suitor set her
ablaze for refusing his marriage
proposal, a doctor said.
Sonia Bibi, 20, was admitted
to hospital last month, where
she told police that her former
lover Latif Ahmed had doused
her with petrol and set her alight
after she turned down his proposal.
Medical staff had originally
said she would recover, but a
doctor in Multans Nishtar hospital told AFP that Bibis injuries
had become infected and that
she died yesterday morning.
About 45 to 50% of her body
had been burned in the attack,
doctor Naheed Chaudhry, the

head of the hospitals burns department said.

The incident took place in a
remote village of Multan district
in central Punjab province. Police have arrested the 24-yearold suspect.
Bibi had told police that
she had fallen out of love with
Ahmed, and preliminary investigations suggested he had set
her on re after she refused to
marry him.
Hundreds of women are murdered in Pakistan each year in
cases of domestic violence or on
the grounds of defending family
honour.
The Aurat Foundation, a
campaign group that works to
improve the lives of women in
Pakistans conservative and patriarchal society, says more than
3,000 women have been killed in
such attacks since 2008.

Deportations of Pakistanis reach record high

With deportations of Pakistanis
from different countries
reaching a record high, the
government of Pakistan
yesterday decided that no
deportee will be accepted
unless their nationality is
verified. We will not accept
any deportee unless their
nationality is verified and
detailed reasons for their
deportation are provided,
Interior Minister Chaudhry

AFP
Islamabad

Reuters
Kabul

AFP
Islamabad

Pakistan executes
four more prisoners
akistan yesterday hanged
four more men convicted
of murder, officials said,
bringing the total number of
people executed since a death
penalty moratorium was lifted
last December to at least 254.
The four men were hanged
early in the morning in the
Kasur and Gujrat districts of
Punjab province.
All the executed people
were involved in murder cases
which were over a decade old,
Chaudhry Arshad Saeed, an
adviser to Punjabs chief minister for prison affairs, said.

Chinese Vice-President
Li Yuanchao told Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani
that Beijing would provide
$79mn this year to help build
housing in the capital Kabul

hinas
vice-president
pledged
infrastructure
and security support for
Afghanistan yesterday, signing
several deals during a rare highlevel Chinese visit to Kabul.
China says it does not seek to
ll a void left by a drawdown of
most foreign troops in Afghanistan at the end of last year, but
has promised to play a huge
commercial role in helping rebuild the country, where the
Taliban seek to re-establish their
Islamist regime.
Some experts, however, argue
that the benets of Chinese aid
and investment in Afghanistan
have yet to fully materialise amid
the deteriorating security situation there.
Chinese Vice-President Li
Yuanchao told Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani that Beijing would
provide 500mn yuan ($79mn)
this year to help build housing in
the capital Kabul.
China is willing to help
Afghanistan formulate infrastructure plans to strengthen
interconnectedness and intercommunication with surrounding countries, Li said in a speech
that was broadcast on Afghan
state television.
Ghani said the funds will help
build 10,000 residential apartments in Kabul, and that China

One of the wheels of the aircraft broke off while crash landing.

Nisar Ali Khan told a highlevel meeting yesterday. A

committee comprising senior
officials of interior and foreign
ministries were tasked to
develop a new set of rules
and procedures for deporting
Pakistanis. Nisar further
directed Pakistani missions
abroad to link issuance of
temporary travel documents
for deportees to verification of
their nationalities.

It was unclear if the deals went

beyond the billions of yuan in
commitments China announced
last fall when Ghani made his
rst trip abroad as president to
Beijing.
Lis trip had not been publicly
announced in advance, though it
is not unusual for senior foreign
officials not to give prior notice
of their visits to Afghanistan for
security reasons.
Chinese Foreign Minister
Wang Yi visited Kabul in 2014.
Former Chinese domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, who
was felled in a domestic politi-

cal scandal, visited in 2012 and

signed deals to help train and
equip Afghan police.
China has become increasingly concerned about what it
calls extremists and separatists
in its western region of Xinjiang,
where violence has killed hundreds in recent years, and sees
security in Afghanistan as key to
stability at home.
Rights groups, however, blame
the unrest in Xinjiang on frustration of the largely Muslim Uighur
people from the region over Chinas controls on their culture and
religion, charges Beijing denies.

Another Punjabi prisons ofcial conrmed the hangings.

Pakistan ended a six-year
moratorium on the death penalty last year as part of a crackdown after Taliban militants
gunned down more than 150
people, most of them children,
at a school in the restive northwest.
Hangings were initially reinstated only for those convicted
of terrorism, but in March they
were extended to all capital offences.
Official gures on the
number of people executed
since are not available, but according to an AFP tally at least
254 have been killed.
At least 229 of those hang-

ings have been carried out since

March 10, when the moratorium was lifted completely or
at an average rate of nearly one
a day.
The European Union, the
United Nations and human
rights campaigners have all
urged Pakistan to reinstate the
capital punishment ban, with
activists saying that of the
dozens hanged in the past ten
months, the vast majority have
not been convicted of terror
charges.
Amnesty International estimated in December that Pakistan has more than 8,000
prisoners on death row, most
of whom have exhausted their
appeals.

Gunmen shoot dead

newspaper reporter
AFP
Islamabad

Pakistani journalist was

shot dead by unknown
attackers in the troubled
northwest Tuesday, police said,
a region where reporters are
frequently targeted by Islamist
militants.
Zaman Mehsud, 40, was
killed while riding his motorcycle to the remote Tank district
in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Zaman Mehsud was riding
his motorcycle when gunmen

awaiting along the road opened

re, Rasool Shah, a senior police official in Tank, said.
He was critically wounded
and died of his injuries in hospital, Shah added.
He had been working for
three Urdu-language newspapers covering the South
Waziristan tribal district and
surrounding areas.
Zafrul Islam, another senior
government official, conrmed
the incident and said Mehsud
was hit by ve bullets including
one in the head.
Police would not comment
on the motive for the killing,

but journalists in the region

work under constant threat
from Islamist rebels, mainly
the Taliban.
The powerful military also
stands accused of using its
intelligence agencies to regularly harass and sometimes kill
journalists, including Saleem
Shahzad whose tortured corpse
was discovered near the capital
in 2011.
A UN report issued on Monday said at least 71 Pakistani
journalists and other media
workers have lost their lives
since 2001 while pursuing their
duties.

Afghan woman stoned to death for adultery

AFP
Kabul

young Afghan woman

was stoned to death after
being accused of adultery, officials said yesterday, a
medieval punishment apparently recorded in a video that
harks back to the dark days of
Taliban rule.
The 30-second clip run in
Afghan media shows a woman
in a hole in the ground as turbaned men gather around and
hurl stones at her with chilling
nonchalance.
The woman, named by ofcials as Rokhsahana and aged
between 19 and 21, is heard repeating the shahada, or Muslim
profession of faith, her voice
growing increasingly highpitched as stones strike her

with sickening thuds.

The killing took place about a
week ago in a Taliban-controlled area just outside Firozkoh,
the capital of central Ghor province, officials said, conrming
the video which went viral on
social media.
Yes, the footage shown in
the media is related to Rokhsahana, who was stoned to death,
a spokesman for Ghors Governor Seema Joyenda said.
Rokhsahana was stoned by a
gathering of Taliban, local religious leaders and armed warlords, Joyenda said.
Joyenda, one of only two female governors in Afghanistan,
said Rokhsahanas family had
married her off against her will
and that she was caught while
eloping with another man her
age seen as tantamount to
adultery.

The man was let off with a

lashing, Joyendas spokesman
said.
The brutal punishment meted out to Rokhsahana highlighted the endemic violence against
women in Afghan society, despite reforms since the hardline
Taliban regime fell in 2001.
In March a woman named
Farkhunda was savagely beaten
and set ablaze in central Kabul
after being falsely accused of
burning a Quran.
The mob killing triggered
protests around the country
and drew global attention to the
treatment of Afghan women.
Joyenda condemned the
stoning in Ghor, calling on Kabul to launch a military operation to rid the area of insurgents
and other armed groups.
This is the rst incident in
this area (this year) but will not

be the last, she said.

Women in general have
problems all over the country,
but in Ghor even more conservative attitudes prevail.
In September a video from
Ghor appeared to show a woman covered head to toe in a
veil and huddled on the ground
receiving lashes from a turbaned elder in front of a crowd
of male spectators.
The ogging came after a local court found her guilty of
having sex outside marriage
with a man, who was similarly
punished.
Shariah law decrees stoning as the punishment for men
and women convicted of having
sex outside marriage, but the
penalty is very rarely applied in
Muslim countries.
Public lashings and executions were common under the

Talibans 1996-2001 rule, when

a strict interpretation of Shariah law was enforced, but such
incidents have been less common in recent years.
The Taliban have so far not
commented on the stoning in
Ghor.
Long condemned as misogynistic zealots, the militants have
recently sought to project a softened stance on female rights.
But the insurgents recent
three-day occupation of the
northern provincial capital
of Kunduz offers an ominous
blueprint of what could happen should they ever return to
power.
Harrowing
testimonies
have emerged of Taliban death
squads methodically targeting
a host of female rights workers
and journalists just hours after
the city fell on September 28.

Bomb kills anti-Taliban tribal elder in Pakistan

AFP
Islamabad

roadside bomb killed an

anti-Taliban tribal elder
in a lawless Pakistani
district bordering Afghanistan
yesterday, officials said.
The bomb exploded when
Malik Mohamed Younis, a
prominent elder of the Salarzai

tribe, was travelling in a vehicle

with his two sons in Gulloshah
village near Khar, the main
town in Bajaur district where
Taliban militants have been
active.
Malik Mohamed Younis
was killed and his two sons
were wounded after a bomb
planted on a roadside exploded as their vehicle passed,
tribal administration official

Saaz Mohamed said.

He said nobody immediately
claimed responsibility. Taliban
militants have carried out several bomb attacks against tribal elders who have raised and
supported vigilantes against
them.
Intelligence officials conrmed the attack and death,
and said Younis supported the
governments offensive against

Taliban militants and had been

active in organising tribes to
combat the insurgents.
Bajaur is one of seven semiautonomous tribal districts
along Pakistans mountainous western border which
became a hotbed of Islamist
militants following the USled invasion of Afghanistan
in 2001.
Pakistan began a long-await-

ed push to clear insurgent bases from the North Waziristan

tribal district in June last year
after a bloody Taliban attack on
Karachi airport sank faltering
peace talks.
The army has intensied its
offensive since the Talibans
massacre of 153 people, 134 of
them children, in a school in the
northwestern city of Peshawar
last December.

30

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

PHILIPPINES
Religious group
seeks abduction
case dismissal
By Jomar Canlas
Manila Times

he inuential Iglesia ni
Cristo (INC or Church
of Christ) has asked
the Court of Appeals (CA) to
dismiss a case led against its
leaders, in connection with
the alleged abduction of the
churchs defrocked minister
Lowell Menorca and his family.
The seventh division of
the appellate court yesterday
started hearing a petition for a
writ of amparo and writ of habeas corpus led by Menorcas
family against the INC leaders
led by its executive minister
Eduardo Manalo.
The Supreme Court (SC)
had designated the division to
hear the petition led by Anthony Menorca and Lowells
sister-in-law, Jungko Otsuka.
Aside from Manalo, others
named as respondents to the
case were Radel Cortez, Bienvenido Santiago and Rolando
Esguerra.
The INC leaders were represented by New Era College
of Law Dean Seran Cuevas Jr
and lawyers from the ACCRA
Law Office.
Defence lawyers asked the
CA to dismiss the petition for
lack of merit since the case is
already considered moot and

academic as Menorca is no
longer in the custody of the
INC.Pursuant to settled jurisprudence, the events that
transpired subsequent to the
ling of the petition have rendered the writs of amparo and
habeas corpus moot and academic, the petition read.
Given the admissions of
Menorca and petitioners
counsel that Menorca et al are
no longer in the custody of
the INC, the petition as well
as the writs of habeas corpus
and amparo are now moot and
academic, it pointed out.
As such, the INC argued
that there is no basis to claim
that there is an imminent or
continuing restriction on the
Menorca et als life, liberty and
security.
INC spokesman Edwil Zabala said separation of church
and state must be observed
and considered sacred.
The religious group manifested before the CA that the
petition does not make any
specic allegations as to the
precise nature, manner and
extent of involvement of each
of the named respondents in
the acts complained.
The INC alleged that the
instant petition is improper
since there was no illegal and
involuntary restraint of liberty
to justify the issuance of the
writs.

Foreigner, ve Filipinas get

life term for sex trafficking
By Nelson S Badilla
Manila Times

foreign national, his

Filipina wife and four
other women were sentenced to life imprisonment
and ordered to pay the ne of
P2mn each, after they were
found guilty of sex trafficking
by the regional trial courts in
Cebu and Marikina City.
The International Justice
Mission (IJM) said Bogo City
Regional Trial Court (in Cebu
province) found Joseph Charles
Leveque and his wife Hilda
Leveque guilty for violating
RA 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in
Persons Act of 2003), after six
minors were rescued from a
videoke bar they owned in 2010.
The rescued minor girls aged
below 18 years old, allegedly

worked as entertainers in the

couples Cheers Videoke bar.
In related case, the Cebu City
Regional Trial Court also convicted Janeth Yosores Bughao,
Genevieve Dawa Badiang, and
Sheila Ohao Dedicatoria based
on a complaint of the National
Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
Central Visayas.
The case stemmed from an
NBI entrapment operation in
2012 at Red Lips Bikini Bar on
Mango Avenue in Cebu City,
which resulted in the arrest of
the three who were identied as
bar manager and pimps, and the
rescue of 26 young women.
Finally, Marikina City Regional Trial Court slapped
Evangeline B De Dios with life
imprisonment after she was
found guilty of recruiting and
pimping young people under
the Marikina Bridge.

Port call

Kunal Rajkumar, an Indian navy commanding officer, gestures during a briefing with the media onboard the Indian naval ship INS Sahyadri docked at north harbour in
Manila yesterday. The INS Sahyadri is a Shivalik Class warship that was inducted into the Indian Navy on July 2012, with a multi-role stealth frigate and boasting an array of
weaponry in its arsenal, according to the Indian navy. The ship is in Manila to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.

Court may not rule on US

deal before Obama visit
The deal gives US troops
wide access to Philippine
military bases and
approval to build facilities
to store fuel and equipment
for maritime security
Reuters
Manila

he Philippine Supreme Court

is unlikely to rule on a constitutional challenge to a new
US-Philippine security agreement
before President Barack Obama
visits Manila later this month, with
a decision expected next year, a
court source said.

The deal gives US troops wide

access to Philippine military
bases and approval to build facilities to store fuel and equipment
for maritime security, but it was
effectively frozen after left-wing
politicians and other opponents
challenged its constitutionality
last year.
With tension growing over
Chinas island-building in the
disputed South China Sea, Philippine political experts had expected the Supreme Court to
issue a ruling before Obama attends the Asia-Pacic Economic
Co-operation (Apec) summit in
Manila on Nov 18-19.
The Enhanced Defence Co-

operation Agreement (Edca) was

signed just days before Obama
last visited Manila in April 2014.
A court source, who declined to
be identied, said domestic political issues were likely to take
priority.
I expect the court to decide
on the military deal next year,
before the elections in May, the
source said, referring to national
elections scheduled for May
2016.
Supreme Court spokesman
Theodore Te said it was unclear
when the court would issue a
ruling.
Experts had already said any
further delays to the agreement

might raise eyebrows in Washington given Manila has been

the most vocal critic of Beijing among the claimants to the
South China Sea and has urged
the US to push back against Chinas territorial ambitions.
Last week a US warship challenged the territorial limits
around one of Beijings articial islands in the Spratly archipelago, prompting Chinas
naval chief to warn that a minor
incident could spark war in the
South China Sea.
It is painful to watch a case
so vital to Philippine national
security mired in judicial indecision, said Patrick Cronin of

the Centre for a New American

Security in Washington. To be
sure, US-Philippine military ties
are already robust.
Philippine military officials
say there has been an increase in
US exercises, training and ship
and aircraft visits in the past year
under Obamas rebalance to
Asia. But the EDCA would take
the relationship a step further,
partly by giving US forces broad
access to the Philippines. There
is no doubt the US will be disappointed. But the process demonstrates judicial independence
where due diligence is expected,
said Philippine security expert
Rommel Banlaoi.

Call for suspension of Abaya, Honrado over extortion racket

Manila Times
Manila

n administrative complaint was led yesterday against transport

officials, led by Transportation
Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya,
in connection with an alleged
extortion racket involving the
slipping of bullets into the bags
of passengers checking in for
their ights.
The complaint, which was
led with the Office of the Ombudsman by Sen. Alan Peter
Cayetano and Dante Jimenez,
president of the Volunteers
Against Crime and Corruption
(VACC), also sought the preventive suspension of the officials
involved during pendency of the
case.
Also named respondents to
the complaint were Manila International Airport Authority
(MIAA) General Manager Jose
Angel Honrado; retired commodore Roland Recomono, administrator of the Office of Transport Security (OTS) and Chief
Supt. Pablo Francisco Balagtas,
director of the Aviation Security
Group (Avsegroup).
Meanwhile, at least four airline passengers were apprehended by airport security yesterday
after screeners detected bullets
in their bags, radio station dzBB
reported last night.
The OTS has conscated a total of 84 rounds of ammunition
from airline passengers from
January to October 2015.

A traveller carrying a backpack wrapped in plastic enters the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The MIAA and the OTS are
attached agencies of the Department of Transportation and
Communications (DOTC) which
Abaya heads while the Avsegroup is an operating unit of the
Philippine National Police.
The OTS is the agency in
charge of screening passengers
and their belongings while the
Avsegroup is primarily in charge
of police matters within the airport premises.
The Avsegroup is distinct
from the Airport Police Department, which is under the MIAA.
Cayetano and the VACCs petition said the officials must be
held administratively liable for
gross neglect of duty under Executive Order 226 (EO) or the
Doctrine of Command Respon-

sibility in All Government Ofces and Agencies.

The heart of the cause of action of this complaint is the gross
inaction of the respondents,
even amidst knowledge of the
crime or offence of their subordinates or lapses within their jurisdiction, the complaint read.
If our officials cannot solve
these issues fast and ensure
the safety and well-being of
the people they are sworn to
protect, then I see no point
in making them remain in ofce. They should be dismissed
and removed from their post,
Cayetano said in a press statement.
The complaint cited that under EO 226 issued in 1995 by
then-President Fidel V Ra-

mos, any government official or

supervisor, or officer of the PNP
or any law enforcement agency
shall be held accountable for
Neglect of Duty under the doctrine of command responsibility if they have knowledge of
an offence committed by their
subordinates and despite such
knowledge, did not take preventive or corrective action either
before, during or immediately
after its commission.
The same EO was cited by
former president Ramos in
March when he said President
Benigno Aquino and the PNP top
brass could be held liable for the
Mamasapano incident.
This extortion scheme has
been going on for years and the
respondents named in this com-

plaint have not done anything

to address this. Why is this being investigated only now?
Cayetano told reporters.
Its very clear under EO 226
that if a crime is happening, in
this case the laglag-bala or
tanim-bala and if the superior knew that such a thing was
happening and he did not do
anything, he has to answer for
it. Theyve known this for long
time, he said.
Cayetano together with Senators Grace Poe, Ralph Recto and
Miriam Defensor-Santiago have
led separate resolutions asking
the Senate to hold a congressional inquiry into the alleged
extortion scheme.Reacting to
the ling of the complaint, Honrado said, Its their right.
Malacanang again assured
the public that the government
is taking concrete steps in addressing the alleged tanim-bala
racket.
Its spokesman Edwin Lacierda
said the DOTC will make an announcement probably this week
of the measures that will be undertaken.
The DOTC will show the
entire picture. We hope the
DOTC will be able to convince
our countrymen, our OFWs
(overseas Filipino workers) that
measures are being undertaken
and its not true that we are not
doing anything about it, he
added.
Lacierda said the DOTC is addressing alleged bullet-planting incidents based on the data
submitted by the MIAA and the

OTS.President Benigno Aquino

earlier ordered the DOTC to
conduct an investigation of the
laglag-bala extortion scheme.
The Philippine National Police
(PNP) wants the truth to come
out on the racket.
We want the truth to come
out on whoever is involved in
this whether he is a member
of the PNP more so that we will
discipline him, the PNP spokesman, Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor,
told reporters.
Mayor said they will get to the
bottom of the issue even as he
reiterated an earlier statement by
the Avsegroup spokesman that
it is impossible for the police to
be involved in the racket as they
have no participation in the security inspection at the airport.
It would be impossible for the
police to put a bullet in a bag. They
are outside the X-ray area, he explained. Airport security screeners said they are demoralised
and are humiliated with the
bashing they have received over
the alleged extortion racket.
We are demoralised, humiliated and even threatened, OTS
team leader Ceferino de Ocampo
said. In the eyes of the public,
we are so bad. Yet, no one wants
to stand for us.
De Ocampo added that the
OTS frontliners have already
been judged by the public.
He appealed to the public to
wait for results of the investigation of their colleagues. We
cannot say the 40 employees are
guilty, because they are still under investigation.

Nanette Ramos, an OTS supervisor, tearfully told GMA

News that they lose face each
time they see bags tightly
wrapped in plastic being checked
into their X-ray machines.
She said she and her colleagues are willing to undergo
lie-detector tests and even lifestyle checks to once and for all
determine who are into the extortion racket.
To ease the allegations of
bullet-planting, the OTS is implementing a no touch policy
in four terminals of the Ninoy
Aquino International Airport.
Labour Secretary Rosalinda
Baldoz said the best way for
travellers, particularly OFWs,
to avoid getting victimised is
for them to always watch their
bags and not let anybody touch
them.
I urge airline passengers,
OFWs particularly, to be alert,
careful and vigilant with regard
to their luggage, she added.
They should hold on to their
luggage, or be very close, never
away from them, while these
are being checked, and report any suspicious activity or
movement of airport personnel
handling their luggage.
Dont leave your luggage.
Dont keep them away from
your view. Better still, inventory the contents of your luggage before you leave for the
airport and keep this inventory
with you.
Show them to the authorities
if necessary before they check or
screen your luggage, she added.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

31

SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL

Bangladesh writers stage

rally despite fear of attack
Reuters
Dhaka

bout 1,000 Bangladeshi

authors and teachers
marched through the
streets of the capital yesterday, asserting their right to free
speech days after a suspected
Islamist group attacked writers and publishers critical of
religious militancy.
Bangladesh is in the throes
of a violent struggle between
hardline groups bent on turning
the Muslim-majority nation
into a Shariah-based theocracy
on the one hand, and Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina determined to root out extremism on
the other.
On Saturday, a publisher was
hacked to death in his office in
Dhaka by men wielding sharp
weapons, hours after similar
attacks on two writers and another publisher.
Despite the climate of fear
caused by the attacks that follow the killings of four secularist bloggers this year, writers
turned out in large numbers for
the rally in Dhaka.
No one is safe. First they
killed bloggers. Now they are
targeting publishers. Soon they
will attack anyone who is progressive-minded, said Khaledur Rahman, an author who is
himself facing a death threat.
A branch of Al Qaeda claimed
responsibility for the attacks
but police said they had not
been able to verify that claim.
Police joint commissioner
Monirul Islam said investiga-

tors were looking closely at a

home-grown group called Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT)
as the latest attacks bore the
hallmarks of earlier killings
of bloggers for which it took
responsibility.
The little-known Islamist
group wants sharia rule in secular Bangladesh and has vowed
to kill critics of extreme Islam.
They just tell these youth
that the bloggers are the enemies of Islam. Nobody has read
the blogs. They just blindly follow what the ABT says, said a
police investigator.
Tensions have risen in Bangladesh since Hasina ordered
Islamist leaders suspected of
atrocities during the 1971 war
of independence from Pakistan
to be put on trial for war crimes.
Her rivals say Hasina is settling political scores by hunting
down members of the Jamaate-Islami, an ally of the main opposition group head by former
prime minister Khaleda Zia.
The latest conviction of
former opposition minister
Salauddin Quader Chowdhury
for war crimes has reignited
protests that the trials are
politically motivated.
US senator Patrick Leahy in
a letter to the Bangladesh embassy in Washington DC said
Chowdhury was denied the opportunity to present evidence
to the war crimes tribunal that
he was out of the country at the
time of the alleged offences.
UN urges probe: The United Nations (UN) has urged the
Bangladesh authorities to fully
investigate the recent kill-

By Mizan Rahman
Dhaka

Protesters march during a six-hour-long general strike in Dhaka yesterday.

ing of a publisher and bring the
perpetrators to justice.
We clearly condemn the killing of the publisher we saw in
Bangladesh, and we would very
much call on the government
to fully investigate and bring
the perpetrators to justice, UN
resident co-ordinator in Bang-

AFP
Kathmandu

packed passenger bus

plunged over a cliff and
killed 30 people in central
Nepal yesterday, a senior local
official said.
Rescuers struggled to recover
bodies and help the injured to
safety after the bus fell 200m
(656ft) off the mountainous
road in Rasuwa district, home to

Dhaka court yesterday

sent Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
acting secretary general Mirza
Fakhrul Islam Alamgir to jail
after rejecting his bail plea in
three cases of violence.
Fakhrul had surrendered
earlier in the day before the
trial court as per a Supreme
Court order.
The BNP acting secretary
general had gone abroad for
treatment after securing a
three-month interim bail from
the highest court. His bail was
extended after he returned
home.
However, the apex court on
Monday scrapped his plea seeking more time before surrender.
Metropolitan
Magistrate
Maruf Hossain denied bail
pleas moved by the BNP leader
saying he has no jurisdiction
as Fakhrul was denied bail by
the Supreme Court.
The court, however, directed the prison authorities
to consider his physical condition and provide him with
proper treatment.
On Monday, the Supreme
Court ordered Fakhrul to surrender before a lower court by
Tuesday after hearing three
separate petitions led by Fakhrul seeking an extension of
its order that granted him bail
in the cases.
Fakhrul appeared before the
court at around 3pm yesterday and moved three separate
petitions over three arson and
vandalism cases led with the
Paltan police station.
Upset with the courts order,
pro-BNP lawyers took out a
procession at court premises.
Following bail petitions led
by Fakhrul, the High Court on
June 21 granted ad interim bail
to the BNP leader in the cases
and also issued three separate
rulings upon the government
to explain as to why he should
not be granted regular bail in

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir

the cases led with Paltan police station in the capital on
January 4 and 6.
On July 13, the Supreme
Court granted a six-week bail
to the BNP leader on medical
grounds, clearing the way for
his release from jail. The apex
court also directed him to surrender before a lower court after the six weeks.
On August 31, the SC extended the bail order for six
weeks more. On October 6, it
further extended till Monday
its bail order for Fakhrul on
medical grounds in the cases.
Fakhrul, who stands accused in 89 cases, got bail
from the High Court and lower
courts in other similar cases.
HEARING DEFERRED:
The Bangladesh Supreme
Court has deferred till November 17 the hearing of petitions
led by two condemned war
criminals seeking review of its
judgments that upheld their
death penalties for crimes
against humanity committed
during the 1971 liberation war.
Jamaat-e-Islami
leader
Mojaheed and Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Salauddin on October 14
sought review of the court verdicts that upheld their capital
punishment in June and July.
The International Crimes
Tribunal issued execution
warrants for both on October
1, a day after the court released
the full verdicts.

Colombo police yesterday

filed charge-sheets against six
people accused of murdering
Tamil National Alliance (TNA)
parliamentarian Nadarajah
Raviraj in 2006.
Police had arrested three former
navy personnel, including two
officers, in connection with the
lawmakers murder. The other
suspect included two members of
the LTTE and a police officer.
The parliamentarian was
shot dead by gunmen riding
a motorbike in Colombo
on November 10, 2006. His
bodyguard, constable Lakshman
Lokuwella, was also killed in the
shooting.
Police have informed the court
that five other suspects arrested
in connection with the murder
could be released and were
awaiting for attorney generals
instructions.
A pro-Tamil Tiger politician,
Nadarajah Raviraj was shot by
unidentified gunmen soon after
he left his house in Colombo for
work.
A former mayor of Jaffna,
Raviraj represented the Tamil
National Alliance (TNA) coalition
from northern Jaffna district in
parliament.

Mayor
suspended
ladesh, Robert D Watkins, said
quoting Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon.
Earlier, the UN office in Bangladesh strongly condemned
brutal killing of publisher Faisal
Aren Dipan and the continued violence against the online
community.

The UN official said the killing

must be condemned at all levels
of political and religious leadership in order to prevent further
attacks.
The perpetrators must also
be brought to justice and the
authorities need to provide immediate protection to citizens

thought to be at risk, he said.

This murder and the violent
assaults on Ahmedur Rashid
Tutul, Tariq Rahim, and Ranadipan Basu are unacceptable
attacks aimed to intimidate and
restrict the right of individuals
to express themselves freely, he
said.

BNP leader 30 killed in central Nepal

denied bail, after bus plunges over cliff
sent to jail
By Mizan Rahman
Dhaka

Six charged for

murder of Tamil
lawmaker in 2006

the popular Langtang trekking

route.
Of the 30 dead, 29 were recovered from the accident site
and one died while undergoing treatment, district chief
Shiva Ram Gelal said, adding
that one of those killed was an
infant.
We have sent 35 other people
who were wounded to nearby
hospitals and we are continuing
to search the area, Gelal said.
Gelal said the cause of the

accident was not clear yet. But

injured passengers said the vehicle was overcrowded, with
people travelling on the roof, he
added.
Shiva Acharya, one of the passengers who escaped the incident after jumping from the bus,
said the incident took place after
the front wheel of the bus got
punctured.
Security personnel from the
army, police and armed police
force were pressed into service

for the rescue operation.

Langtang was devastated in
the massive earthquake that hit
the Himalayan country in April,
killing nearly 9,000 people.
As well as destroying more
than half a million homes, the
quake caused severe damage
to roads in the impoverished
nation.
Deadly crashes are relatively
common in Nepal because of
poor roads, badly maintained
vehicles and reckless driving.

hulna City Corporation

mayor has been suspended after being charged
with criminal offences.
A senior official of the local government division said
that they issued a circular on
Moniruzzaman Monis suspension as a court accepted his
name in the charge-sheets of two
criminal cases.
Moni has been suspended as
per the Local Government (City
Corporation) Act, the official
said.
The law states that any one
of the panel mayors of the KCC
could now be made acting mayor.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
(BNP)-backed Moni beat ruling
Awami League-backed candidate Talukdar Abdul Khaleque in
the KCC polls held in June, 2013.
On June 11 this year, a local
court accepted charge-sheets
against 56 people, including
Moni, in two criminal cases in
connection with arson and attacks on law enforcers.
Earlier, Sylhet City Corporation mayor Ariful Huq, Rajshahi
City Corporation mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul and Gazipur
City Corporation mayor MA
Mannan were also suspended on
the same ground. They were all
BNP leaders who had defeated
the Awami League nominees.

Photo festival opens Maoist party

in shadow of quake on the verge
of split again

AFP
Kathmandu

epals rst international

photo festival opened
yesterday on the streets
of the quake-devastated Kathmandu Valley, with exhibits set
up alongside damaged and spectacular temples and palaces.
The Photo Kathmandu festival takes visitors on a tour
of the historic city of Patan,
past intricately-carved statues and ancient water spouts,
and chronicles Nepals chaotic
transformation from a Hindu
monarchy to a secular republic.
When the earthquake hit, so
many buildings came down in
Patan ... (and) made us realise
how important it was to display
the photographs in this setting,
as a reminder of why we need
to preserve and rebuild it, said
festival co-director Nayantara
Gurung Kakshapati.
The curated walks and exhibitions, featuring the work of
Nepali and international photographers, are all free, while
proceeds from the sale of selected prints will go towards
rebuilding Patans architectural
heritage.
Kakshapati organised several
aid drives after Aprils massive

IANS
Kathmandu

An exhibit is prepared ahead of the Photo Kathmandu Exhibition in

Patan, on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
quake that destroyed more than
half a million homes and killed
nearly 9,000 people. But she
was forced to overcome a slew
of hurdles to set up this event,
ranging from a labyrinthine local
bureaucracy to a nationwide fuel
shortage that raised costs and
created logistical challenges.
The fact that the festival
is going ahead reects a certain resilience to push on despite dealing with so much

frustration, Kakshapati said.

After the quake, I remember
thinking that when people are
struggling to meet basic needs,
what is the point of holding a
photo festival?
But a powerful image can
do so much, you can tell a story,
ask a question, touch someone
... I hope people will recognise
themselves in these images and
leave feeling a little inspired,
she said.

he Unied Communist
Party of Nepal-Maoist,
which led a decade long
civil war until 2006, is on the
verge of a split again - for the
fourth time.
The party, led by Pushpa
Kamal Dahal, is now being
broken by its former senior leader and former prime
minister Baburam Bhattarai.
Bhattarai, who departed
from the party in September
voicing displeasure over the
new constitution the party
chose, is now preparing to
form a new political party akin
to the Aam Aadmi Party of
India.
He said his new party will
be socialist in nature and
not a hardcore communist
outt.
A total 45 Maoist central committee, standing
committee and politburo
members close to Bhattari
yesterday furnished their
resignations to join the pro-

posed party to be formed by

Bhattarai.
A meeting of these leaders held at Bhattarais residence decided to quit the
Maoist party, said party
leader Ram Rijan Yadav. We
have also given up the party
membership.
In 2009, a faction under
Matrika Yadav split from
UCPN-Maoist. In 2012,
the party suffered a split
that was led by veteran
communist leader, Mohan
Bidhaya Kiran.
Later, the party again split
in 2014. This time a longtime aide of Dahal, Netra
Bikram Chand, formed a new
communist party.
Now, Bhattarai, who completed his PhD from New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University in regional development
and planning, has walked out.
Party leaders say new party
will be formed within one and
a half month.
Dahals UPCN-Maoist is
in the government led by the
Communist Party of NepalUnied Marxist Leninist.

32

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

COMMENT
Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah
Editor-in-Chief : Darwish S Ahmed
Production Editor: C P Ravindran

P.O.Box 2888
Doha, Qatar
editor@gulf-times.com
Telephone 44350478 (news),
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GULF TIMES
Mandate for Erdogan
to build a stronger
and united Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with
an astonishing victory, has ended a ve-month
interlude to his 13-year rule, leaving the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) he cofounded back in
control of the parliament. The results have, for now,
ended a deeply nagging political imbroglio that has
ground the countrys growth to a halt.
The president should now be rmly in control of a
host of issues ranging from the war in Syria and peace
with Kurds to the restructuring of a slowing economy.
Even before the recent crises, Turkeys economy has
been slowing for some time. It grew an average of more
than 6% a year during the rst half of the AKPs 12
years in power, but slowed to about 3% in the second
half. The government has failed to reach its growth
target every year since 2012, and the International
Monetary Fund predicts 2.9% growth next year and
3.5% by 2020. That would put Turkeys ambition to be
a $2tn economy by 2023 out of reach.
Investors have been edgy since the US Federal
Reserve rst signalled in 2013 that it was moving to
taper its bond buying programme. Foreigners went
from being net buyers of Turkish government debt
to net sellers as the Fed nears its rst interest rate
increase in nine years.
Renewed violence between security forces and
autonomy-seeking Kurds since Junes inconclusive
election is
compounding the
problem.
The election result
could embolden
Erdogan, Turkeys
prime minister during
2003-14, who was
elected president in
August 2014, and the
AKP, to extend policies
that have already divided the country, said Inan Demir,
chief economist at Finansbank. Sundays snap poll
was a gamble by Erdogan, critics say, to win back
enough seats so the AKP could eventually change the
constitution and give him greater presidential powers.
The partys 49% vote share is expected to see it
garner 316 seats in the legislature. But it should also
mean the AKP is likely to fall short of the 330 required
to call a referendum on the constitution.
Despite all the criticism against Erdogans
authoritarian ambitions and Islamist agenda,
many voters still admire him for building hospitals
and schools in Turkey during his partys rule, the
longest period of stability since the nation adopted a
multiparty system in 1946.
He remains popular among poorer Turks whose
living standards have risen. Growth has averaged 5%
during his reign, with foreign investors pouring about
$50bn into Turkish stocks and bonds since 2006.
Its all up to the president now to chart a new
inclusive course for the countrys future with a
pluralistic vision. He must be politically astute
enough to realise that while polarisation may help win
elections, it does not make it governance any easier.
Turks have given a strong message that they still
would trust in the president and prefer a majority AKP
government to a shaky coalition for stability and growth.
Erdogan now has a chance to live up to that trust
by building a stronger and united Turkey, which is
crucial to the stability and security of a region beset by
conicts.

Make largest banks simpler

and more transparent
Ensuring a nancial systems
stability is a multifaceted
endeavour
By Simon Johnson
Washington

major shift in American

politics has taken place.
All three of the remaining
mainstream Democratic
presidential candidates now agree
that the existing state of the nancial
sector is not satisfactory and that
more change is needed.
President Barack Obama has
long regarded the 2010 Dodd-Frank
nancial-reform legislation as
bringing about sufficient change.
Former secretary of state Hillary
Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders and
former governor Martin OMalley
want to do even more.
The three leading Democratic
candidates disagree, however, on
whether there should be legislation
to re-erect a wall between the rather
dull business of ordinary commercial
banking and other kinds of nance
(such as issuing and trading securities,
commonly known as investment
banking).
This issue is sometimes referred
to as reinstating Glass-Steagall,
a reference to the Depression-era
legislation the Banking Act of 1933
that separated commercial and
investment banking.
This is a slight misnomer: the
most credible bipartisan proposal on
the table takes a much-modernised
approach to distinguishing and
making more transparent different
kinds of nance activities. Sanders

and OMalley are in favour of this

general idea; Clinton is not (yet).
There are three main arguments
against a modern version of GlassSteagall. None is convincing.
First, some prominent former
officials argue that not all of the
nancial rms that got into trouble
in 2008 were integrated commercialinvestment banking operations.
For example, Lehman Brothers was
a standalone investment bank and AIG
was an insurance company.
This argument is, at best, irrelevant.
What happened last time is
rarely a good guide to ghting wars or
anticipating future nancial crises.
The world moves on, in terms of
technology and risks. We must adjust
our thinking accordingly.

Some of the greatest

threats in 2008 were
posed by banks
At worst, the argument is just plain
wrong. Some of the greatest threats
in 2008 were posed by banks such
as Citigroup built on the premise
that integrating commercial and
investment banking would bring
stability and better service.
Sandy Weill, the primary architect
of the modern Citigroup, regrets that
construction and regrets lobbying
for the repeal of Glass-Steagall. (As
James Kwak and I argued in our book
13 Bankers, what really mattered was
the decades-long bipartisan process
of deregulation, for which the end
of Glass-Steagall was a prominent
symbol.)
Second, leading representatives
of big banks argue that much has

changed since 2008 and that big

banks have become signicantly
safer. Unfortunately, this is a great
exaggeration.
Ensuring a nancial systems
stability is a multifaceted endeavour
complex enough to keep many diligent
people fully employed. But it also
comes down to this: how much lossabsorbing shareholder equity is on the
balance sheets of the largest nancial
rms?
In the run-up to the 2008 crisis,
the largest US banks had around
4% equity relative to their assets.
This was not enough to withstand
the storm. (Here Im using tangible
equity relative to tangible assets, as
recommended by Tom Hoenig, Vice
Chairman of the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corp, and a beacon of
clarity on these issues.)
Now, under the most generous
possible calculation, the surviving
megabanks have on average about
5% equity relative to total assets
that is, they are 95% financed with
debt. Is this the major and profound
change that will prove sufficient as
we head through the credit cycle?
No, it is not.
Finally, some observers although
relatively few at this point
argue that the biggest banks have
greatly improved their control
and compliance systems, and that
the mismanagement of risk on a
systemically signicant scale is no
longer possible.
This view is simply implausible.
Consider all the instances of money
laundering and sanctions busting
(with evidence against Credit Agricole
last week, Deutsche Bank this week,
and almost every major international
bank in the past few years).

This is the equivalent of near

misses in aviation. If the US had
the equivalent of the National
Transportation Safety Board for
nance, we would receive detailed
public reports on what exactly is
still, after all these years going
wrong. Sadly, what we actually get
is plea bargains in which all relevant
details are kept secret.
The regulators and lawenforcement officials are letting us
down and jeopardising the safety
of the nancial system on a regular
basis.
The best argument for a modern
Glass-Steagall act is the simplest. We
should want a lot more loss-absorbing
shareholder equity.
And, to reinforce this, we should
want to make the largest banks
simpler and more transparent, with
strong structural firewalls as
Dennis Kelleher, of Better Markets,
puts it.
Of course, in that context, we
should ensure that various activities
by shadow banks (structures that
operate with bank-like features, as
Lehman Brothers did) are properly
regulated.
Building support for legislation
to simplify the biggest banks would
greatly strengthen the hand of those
regulators who want to require
more shareholder equity and better
regulation for the shadows. These
policies are complements, not
substitutes. -Project Syndicate
zSimon Johnson is a professor at
MITs Sloan School of Management
and the co-author of White House
Burning: The Founding Fathers, Our
National Debt, and Why It Matters
to You.

Erdogan
remains popular
among poorer
Turks whose
living standards
have risen

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Supporters wave signs as US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign town hall meeting at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New
Hampshire. Sanders, Trump and Carson have won high marks from US voters for being blunt and plain-spoken, but thats not a reliable guide to whether they would be
good at the job. Its only a starting point.

The quest for authenticity

By Doyle McManus
Los Angeles Times/TNS

oe Biden has it, and so does

Bernie Sanders. Donald Trump
and Ben Carson have it too - at
least, they seem to. But Hillary
Rodham Clinton strains to achieve
it. And Jeb Bush? He doesnt seem to
want to try.
The elusive quality is authenticity,
and its become a preoccupation of
the 2016 presidential campaign. Can
candidates convince voters - amid all
the noise and artice of politics - that
they are real people underneath, with
character and convictions?
Will you say anything to get
elected? CNNs Anderson Cooper
asked Clinton at the rst Democratic
debate. But voters surely have the
same question about Bush and Marco
Rubio and everyone else who counts as
a traditional politician.
When voters say they want
authenticity, they often mean honesty
and trustworthiness, for starters. We
also want straight talk, something
Trump, Carson and Sanders all
provide. We want candidates to open
up and show some emotion, not just
talking points written by campaign
strategists.

What we want, in short, is a glimpse

into a candidates soul. Because thats
not exactly easy to achieve - even
in a campaign that lasts almost two
years - we ask our candidates to jump
through hoops. We demand a look at
their families. We even expect them
to appear on television and tell jokes,
or sing or even (in the case of Sanders)
dance with Ellen DeGeneres, to prove
that they can be good sports amid
indignity.

When voters
say they want
authenticity, they
often mean honesty
and trustworthiness,
for starters
If a politician is willing to embarrass
himself publicly, we seem to believe,
hes probably not a robot.
Heres the thing: The variety show
routine isnt a reliable test of the
qualities were looking for.
Often, what people respond to
is how comfortable (the candidates)
seem to be, Deborah Tannen, a

Georgetown University linguist,

told me last week. But that often
has nothing to do with honesty. If
someone sounds stiff, or pauses
to choose the right words, we
sometimes think they must be
cooking up a line. But they might
just be inarticulate, or introverted,
or worried about saying something
the wrong way.
Put otherwise: Some candidates
may be authentically robotic.
She cited an old joke from theatre
and broadcasting: The key to success
is sincerity. If you can fake that, youve
got it made.
Moreover, Tannen warned,
the mania for authenticity may
disadvantage women.
Women are expected to talk in
ways that are incompatible with the
ways we think a leader sounds, she
said. But if we think of displays of
emotion as evidence of authenticity,
they can easily be seen as too
emotional. Thats a huge double bind.
Most important, authenticity - that
is, the appearance of authenticity,
since we can rarely be sure that what
looks authentic is real - probably isnt
the right trait to value above all others.
What does this have to do with
whether a person can make good
decisions? Tannen asked.

Take the two most successful

presidents of the last half-century,
Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Both
were accused by their opponents
of being inauthentic. Critics loved
to point out that Reagan was a
professional actor; Clintons enemies
called him Slick Willie.
George W Bush, on the other hand,
won two elections partly because
he excelled at authenticity. But that
didnt make his presidency a success.
Likewise, Trump, Carson and
Sanders have won high marks from
voters for being blunt and plainspoken, but thats not a reliable guide
to whether they would be good at the
job. Its only a starting point.
Its sensible to scrutinise the
candidates honesty and credibility,
from Clintons shifting statements
about e-mails to Trumps indignant
denials of things he said only a few
weeks ago.
But its time to stop chasing the
elusive notion of authenticity. We
dont really know how to measure
it. And even if we did, its the wrong
measurement to use.
zDoyle McManus is a columnist for
the Los Angeles Times. Readers may
send him e-mail at doyle.mcmanus@
latimes.com

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

33

COMMENT

How to stop cow burps warming Earth

Ruminant animals emit
methane, a gas that is more
than 20 times more efficient
than carbon dioxide
in trapping the suns heat
By Emmanuelle Michel
AFP/Paris

t her farm nestled in the

green hills of northwestern
France, Marie-Francoise
Brizard is helping to curb
a planet-wide menace: farting and
belching cows implicated in global
warming.
So far this year, Brizard says she
has cut methane emissions from her
herd of 40 Normandy cows that are
equivalent to 32 tonnes of climatechanging carbon dioxide.
That is equal to the carbon pollution
spewed out in a 470,000km car
journey, according to a computer
tracker provided to Brizard by a
French initiative that promotes lower
methane output from farms.
She does it by feeding the cattle
more grass but less maize and soy,
cutting down on the cattles output of
methane, which comes mostly from
belching but also from atulence.
Ruminant animals emit methane,
a gas that is more than 20 times
more efficient than carbon dioxide in
trapping the suns heat.
Agriculture contributes an
estimated 20% of global greenhouse
gas emissions, which the worlds
governments hope to curb in a climate
pact to be negotiated in a November
30-January 11 conference in Paris.
Methane accounts for 40% of
farmings heat-trapping emissions.
As his wife leads the cattle to
milking at the 100-hectare farm in
Mayenne, a district of the Pays de
Loire region, Luc Brizard sets out to
sow seeds: alfalfa and other fodder

Farmer Marie-Francoise Brizard bringing her Normandy cows to a meadow in Courcite, northwestern France. At her farm nestled in the green hills of northwestern
France, Brizard is helping to curb a planet-wide menace: farting and belching cows implicated in global warming.
rich in proteins alternating with
cereals.
Dried alfalfa allows the couple
to feed the cattle in winter without
recourse to industrial maize- and soybased feed which makes up a fth of
the diet of an average herd in France.
The cattle also get a small supplement
of linseed grown on site.
Legumes such as alfalfa and oilseeds
such as linseed and some beans enrich
the milk with Omega-3 fatty acids,

which are claimed to have health

benets for humans but which also
suppress the bacteria that produce
methane. The cows thus emit less of
the gas.
Alfalfa crops, rich in nitrogen, help
the couple to improve the quality of
the soil while their elds lock away
carbon.
The story is almost too good. But
it is based on a principle of stunning
simplicity: cows are made to eat grass,

said agronomist Pierre Weil, joint

founder of the Bleu-Blanc-Coeur
(Blue-White-Heart) initiative, which
promotes food products with higher
levels of the valued Omega 3 protein.
The scheme has been certied
as a bona de method of lowering
greenhouse gas emissions by
the French national institute for
agricultural research and by the UN
Framework Convention on Climate
Change.

Under a business as usual

scenario of greenhouse gas emissions,
average global temperatures are
predicted to rise by about 4 C (6.4 F)
by the end of the century, leading to
more droughts, deadly superstorms
and higher seas, according the UNs
top science panel.
Methane emissions from cattle can
be cut by as much as 65% depending
on the feed, according to the French
initiative, which aims for a more

modest reduction of 20% so as to

achieve the best balance between
economic constraints, milk quality
and animal health.
Every month, milk produced on the
Brizard couples farm is analysed to
ensure it meets the Bleu Blanc Coeur
standards. Savings in greenhouse gas
emissions are tracked each month on
their computer with an Eco-Methane
counter.
Not all the 600 French farmers in
the Eco-Methane project go as far as
the Brizards.
A farmer who only uses maize can
just add a bit of linseed. You dont
have to change everything, Weil said.
Despite saving on feed purchases,
however, the nancial benets are
meagre for the Brizard family.
Dairies in the area are not
specialised in collecting Blue Blanc
Coeur milk, which is available as
a separate product in only a dozen
dairies across France. So the dairies
just pay the basic price and mix it with
standard milk.
Despite the tonnes of greenhouse
gas that are saved, the farm does not
receive any carbon credits either
because there is too little demand from
businesses or co-operatives to offset
their greenhouse gas emissions. Only
a dozen farms in the Eco-Methane
initiative get extra money this way,
though Weil says such contracts may
be signed soon with a group of local
rural district authorities.
The couple and their four children,
hard hit by a slide in milk prices, thus
live on the sale of beef, which is also
rich in Omega-3 proteins.
But they are not regretting their
decision to feed their cattle and soil
naturally.
Marie-Francoises father, who
started out as a battery hen farmer,
moved to organic farming in the 1970s.
One day he told us: I dont want to
sell to others what I would not give to
my own children. I was 12, that shaped
me, she remembered.

Weather report

Letters

Three-day forecast
TODAY

Concern for
pedestrians
Dear Sir,
Further to the letter, Road safety
strategies by David Miller (Gulf
Times, November 1), which came
in response to the report Traffic
Dept seeks more pedestrian tunnels,
bridges (Gulf Times, October 29), I
would like to say that I share Millers
views and concerns.
Also, there are some more
dimensions to the fencing that has
replaced those beautiful trees on many
of Dohas roads.
Many low-income workers,
who commute on their bicycles in
scorching heat during the summer, are
now compelled to pedal more distance
to go around the junctions, to reach
the opposite side of the road.
But at the same time, some of those
backpack walkers who take long strolls
around the city roads on weekend
mornings would not mind going a few

more metres to cross the street and

burn some extra calories as well.
However, the citys road network
will need more pedestrian-friendly
subways and foot overbridges once the
metro starts operating.
The metro system is expected to
connect every nook and corner of the
city, reducing the present dependence
on cars by the public. That means
there will be more pedestrians on
Dohas roads.
In the absence of enough
underground pathways connecting
public utility places, parks, malls,
stadiums, etc, rail commuters will nd
it an ordeal to cross streets to reach
their destinations after leaving their
trains.
With the metro system sure
to redene the way people move
around the city, pedestrians needs
and expectations will be completely
different from what are in practice
today.
As some of the international cities
are moving towards subterranean bike
lanes and walkways, I hope Qatar, a

nation that is always more than ready

to adopt state-of-the-art technologies
and opportunities, should think
outside the box to engage and address
the needs and safety of pedestrians.

High: 33 C
Low : 27 C

No controversies touched him. He

was a model politician. My tributes
to him.

Strong wind and high seas

Masud Hasan
masud_hasan2004@yahoo.com

THURSDAY

High: 33 C
Low : 25 C

Guruprasad Dasarathan
guruzinbox@gmail.com

A model
politician
Dear Sir,
Former West Bengal Assembly
speaker Hashim Abdul Halim, who
died in Kolkata this week at the age of
80, was a man of exemplary character.
The present-day Indian politicians
have much to learn from him.
Halim had created a record of
serving as the Assembly speaker for
29 long years from 1982 to 2011 during
the Left Front rule.
He was elected to the West Bengal
Assembly for the rst time in 1977.

Sunny

Please send us
your letters

FRIDAY

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By e-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
editing, should have the name
of the writer, address and phone
number. The writers name and
address may be withheld by
request.

Sunny

Fishermens forecast
OFFSHORE DOHA
Wind: NW 15-25 KT
Waves: 5-8 Feet
INSHORE DOHA
Wind: NW-NE 05-15/18 KT
Waves: 1-3/4 Feet

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Whats so great about true grit?

By Oliver Burkeman
New York

ontrary to popular belief,

and various supposedly
motivational Facebook
posts, Winston Churchill
never said the words: Never, never,
never give up! The chubby war hero
and amateur watercolourist had his
faults, but he was no idiot.
Of course one should sometimes
yield, he explained, to convictions
of honour and good sense. So hed
probably have agreed with a recent
study, in the Journal of Research in
Personality, on the downsides of the
currently much celebrated character
trait known as grit.
According to grits advocates,
persistence and resilience are far
better predictors of success, especially
at school, than talent or IQ. But
researchers led by Gale Lucas at the
University of Southern California
found that grittier people were likelier
to keep grappling with hard, or even
unsolvable puzzles, even when it led
to lower overall scores and chances of
cash reward.
They lost the ability to distinguish
between worthwhile struggles and the
kind its wiser to avoid. To be happy
and successful in life, youll need to
stick with some unpleasant tasks, but

Contrary to popular belief, Winston Churchill never said the words: Never, never,
never give up!
it doesnt follow that every unpleasant
task leads to happiness or success. The
Charge of the Light Brigade showed
plenty of grit, too.
None of this should come as a
surprise, except that these days the
best personality trait to have
and to teach our children seems
to change like fashions in clothing.
One season, empathys the answer to
everything; next its mindfulness; now
its grit. Yet empathy, the cognitive
scientist Paul Bloom has argued, is

an unreliable guide to doing good: it

focuses the mind on individuals, and
people close to us, at the expense of
systemic change, or feeding hungry
people faraway.
Meanwhile, mindlessness has
proven benets for mastering certain
skills: you really dont want to try
getting too mindful about how you
drive your car. Curiosity, taken too
far, will make you a scatterbrained
dilettante. And so on.
Besides, the insistence on one

trait as a cure-all is asking for other

kinds of trouble. The unrestrained
celebration of grit, critics point out,
risks implying that poor kids just need
to buck up and work their way out of
disadvantage, when frankly what they
really need is not to start out poor.
The ipside of all this is that bad
traits and dispositions might not be
uniformly bad, either. Depression is an
intriguing case in point. Youd wish it
on no one, and the revolution in how
we view it as brain chemistry, not
moral failing was long overdue.
But as the Jungian therapist James
Hollis writes in his book Swamplands
Of The Soul, that doesnt mean some
forms of depression arent best
interpreted as signals that somethings
wrong, that your life might need reevaluating.
Psychological symptoms can be
catalysts for change. While asking
how to get rid of them, Hollis advises,
dont neglect to ask, Why have they
come?
Anyway, how odd would it be if
only one narrow characteristic were
the answer to all-round success? Or
if phenomena like depression never
served any purpose at all?
When it comes to the quest to
nd the one best kind of personality,
perhaps its time to take Churchills
advice, submit to good sense, and give
up.- Guardian News and Media

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34

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

QATAR

NCCCR to build donor registry for stem cell in Qatar

By Joey Aguilar
Staff Reporter

he National Centre for

Cancer Care and Research
(NCCCR) will focus on
establishing a donor registry in
Qatar amid plans to perform another type of stem cell procedure
called allogeneic transplant in
the middle of next year.
NCCCR medical director Prof.
Alexander Knuth told Gulf Times
that residents can donate stem
cells without any health risks to
them.
We have a healthy donor registry being built and anyone can
donate, Prof Knuth stressed.
No risk, we produce stem cells
everyday by the billions.
He was speaking at a press

conference yesterday announcing Hamad Medical Corporations signicant development

for Qatar in treating blood cancers. He was joined by NCCCRs
bone marrow transplant programme director Dr Mohamed
Bakr, corporate communications
executive director Ali al-Khater,
and Haematology acting head Dr
Ibrahim al-Hijji.
HMC has achieved yet another
milestone with the successful
completion of the rst stem cell
transplants in Qatar recently,
beneting two expatriates who
had an aggressive form of blood
cancer called myeloma.
Prof Knuth noted that allogeneic
is more efficient but expensive and
also a little bit more complicated
than autologous transplant, now
being performed by NCCCR.

Prof Alexander Knuth and other NCCCR officials at the press conference yesterday.

He said accumulated expenses

calculated from the patients
daily treatment for autologous
transplant abroad is between
$20,000 and $80,000.
Cost for the other procedure
maybe thrice more expensive due
to some involvements such as the
donor, donor registry, and the

treatment after the transplant.

It also depends how expensive your service is when you
calculate the amount to pay for
this, he explained.
Allogeneic has two capabilities: rst, it repopulates the patients bone marrow a process
similar to autologous. However,

a special medication is applied to

prevent stem cells (of the donor)
from being rejected which basically the added complication to
it.
Second component is that
they also have immune control
function against any residual
cells in the marrow or wherever.

They recognise these cells as

foreign and something to be destroyed.
He pointed out that identical
twins or close relatives would be
ideal donors since they are more
likely to have the same genes.
For the autologous procedure,
healthy stem cells are collected
from the patients blood using a
special mobilisation process and
equipment. This process is done
at NCCCR and considered as the
most convenient and safe method for the patient.
Two expatriates had beneted
from Qatars rst stem cell programme performed by a highlytrained team at NCCCR. They
are now fully reconstituted but
it will take about three months
before everything comes back to
normal.

The patients were given a

moderate dose therapy to stimulate the stem cell production.
Then stem cells were collected,
purify and freeze them (stored).
At the hospital, they get a high
dose therapy and one day after
when the effect of the chemotherapy fades away and cannot
damage the cells anymore, they
get the cells back (their own
frozen cells) and transplanted
back into their system to enable
healthy, disease-free bone marrow to grow.
We know from other trials
that if we give high dose chemotherapy with autologous stem
cells support, the chance of long
term survival is better and the
chance of non recurrence of the
disease is better, Prof Knuth
added.

Stakeholders
showcasing
educational
innovations
By Ramesh Mathew
Staff Reporter

ome of the major stakeholders from different areas and

levels of education are showcasing their innovations, projects
and experiments at the Majlis of
the Qatar National Convention
Centre as part of the three-day
World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) 2015.
The annual summit got under
way yesterday with a few informal sessions and deliberations.
The main proceedings will kick
off this morning with HH Sheikha
Moza bint Nasser and US First
Lady Michelle Obama attending the opening ceremony. The
$500,000 Wise Prize winner and
winners of the other ve projects
of 2015 Wise Prize for Education
will be formally announced at the
inaugural ceremony.
While leading journalists
and other visitors, mainly those
working at different levels and
areas of education to each of the
ve dedicated zones at the Majlis
yesterday, WISE team leader and
head of operations Ali al-Mehmoud said children of different
schools will demonstrate their
experiments, creations, innovations and practices at its Qatar
School Zone. The children from

18 International, Independent,
Community and other expatriate
schools in the country have conrmed their attendance.
Besides, trainees of such reputable training facilities as the Aspire and similar institutions local
are also expected, he said.
Qatar University, Injaz Qatar,
Supreme Education Council,
Qatar National Research Fund,
and Education Development
Institute are present at the Qatar School Zone with their own
projects and presentations.
Al-Mehmoud said the WISE
Research Zone was showcasing the changing strategies and
character of education at various
levels across the world. Several
top level institutions, including
the University of Cambridge have
their projects, academic papers
and publications here.
The WISE team leader said
there were more participants
from China this year as the East
Asian country has some languages which are spoken much
more widely and intensively than
many other languages put together. That researchers have no
boundaries and no age would be
evident from the participation of
educators of different age groups
and nationalities from several
parts of the world, he said.
One of the frontline partici-

pants in the deliberations to be

held at the dedicated research
zone is a Chinese educator who
has more than 5mn followers on
Twitter. The role of social media
in the advancement of education
is one of the topics expected to
be extensively deliberated at the
sessions to be held at the zone.
Learners Voice Cafe is another zone where 35 youth chosen from among more than 1,000
applications received from across
the world would be available. The
projects they have developed
and their impact on the societies
there will be showcased.
WISE teams senior member
Abdurahman al-Sayeed later introduced the visitors to the Conict Zone where the miseries of
the children of Syria, suffering
from the ongoing war are narrated through an audio-visual
presentation.
The sprawling Learners Lab
is another zone where agencies,
institutions and companies contributing to raise the educational
awareness among children all over
through the tools they developed
are hogging the limelight.
One of the major attractions
of the pavilion is the presence of
globally acclaimed toy manufacturer Lego who has demonstrated some of their innovative tools
and projects.

A classroom session at the School Zone in the Majlis.

WISE head of operations Ali al-Mehmoud

explaining a point yesterday.

Abdurahamn al-Sayeed pointing to the bullet marks in one of the walls in the Conflict Zone:
PICTURES: Shaji Kayamkulam

Lego making learning

an inspiring experience
By Ramesh Mathew
Staff Reporter

Dr Barbosa (centre) and others at the EAA briefing yesterday: PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam

EAA says conicts keeping

many kids out of classroom
D

espite the relentless efforts of the global community, conicts and

disasters are putting pressure on
access to education for a large
number of children in war-torn
territories, Education Above All
(EAA) Foundation CEO Marcio
Barbosa said yesterday.
Speaking to journalists on the
eve of the WISE 2015 Summit
starting at the Qatar National
Convention Centre, Barbosa said

one in 11 children is out of the

classroom worldwide.
This trend shows no signs of
receding without more concerted
action from all sectors, said a
former director general of Unesco.
The top EAA official hoped
their forums sessions at WISE
will serve as a platform for members of the global community to
engage in pragmatic solutionnding needed to address the
growing crisis.

We must identify new and

innovative ways of providing access to education under all circumstances, especially to those
who are prevented from realising
their right to education by war,
poverty and other barriers.
The EAA will lead three technical sessions which will address
key issues in education and development, poverty, quality, and
conict. It was informed yesterday that the EAA would bring

more than 20 speakers from international groups, organisations

and government bodies at its sessions.
Speakers include Mozambiques
former education minister Graca
Machel, Overseas Development
Institute executive director Kevin
Watkins (UK), UN Assistant Secretary General of Inter Agency
Affairs Thomas Gass and Geneva
Call executive president Elizabeth
Decrey Warner.

ego, the Denmark-based

acclaimed
manufacturers of toys and educational
tools are reaffirming the 83-yearold companys commitment to
the children across the world
through their active association
with teachers and similar educators at different levels.
The company has a dedicated
pavilion at the Learners Lab of
the 2015 World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) where
an array of utility education
tools, mainly toys are showcased
for the visitors.
While recalling their companys participation at the event
in the last two years and the response it received from the event
the company official Steen V
Lund said they considered the
Middle East, in particular a place
like Qatar, as one of their most
vibrant markets these days. Our
education tools have remarkably good appeal among the local
children and we are certain that
Lego products have been able

Lund feels provision of advanced educational tools at the right time

would make classrooms more appealing to children.

to contribute effectively to providing user-friendly solutions

and resources in the companys
classrooms, said Lund while
elaborating on the Lego projects
and innovations.
The official said Lego had been
working closely with educational
specialists across the world for
more than three decades and the
results are there for everyone to
see from the reach the brands
tools have received.
These days the classrooms
could attract and appeal children
only if they could provide lively

environs, lled with fun, entertainment and recreation, said

Lund while adding how much the
Denmark company has contributed in creating such an atmosphere through their products.
The companys aids, he said,
inspire interest in science, technology, engineering, computer
science, maths and the humanities. Right educational sets,
activity packs, teacher resources
and programming tools can make
learning an inspiring experience
to meet ones curriculum needs,
said Lund.

36

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

QATAR

DoubleTree by Hilton
hotel opening in Doha
L

eading global hospitality company Hilton Worldwide yesterday

announced the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Doha - Old Town in
the rapidly expanding business district
of Qatars capital.
DoubleTree by Hilton Doha - Old
Town is the seventh DoubleTreebranded hotel in the Middle East and
the second Hilton Worldwide property
in Qatar, joining Hilton Doha.
As one of the worlds key commercial capitals, Doha is a critical market
for our growing footprint in the Middle
East, and we are thrilled to bring the
DoubleTree by Hilton brand to Qatar,
said John Greenleaf, global head, DoubleTree by Hilton.
The hotel features 187 guest
rooms and suites - each of which
boasts of floor-to-ceiling windows
with panoramic city views, and
flexible meeting and events facilities, including a boardroom, ballroom and three meeting rooms, and
inviting dining and lounge venues.
Additionally, the hotel offers business and fitness centres, a sauna,
steam room and a rooftop pool, a
statement noted.
The hotel has an open-air lounge,
Pure, and guests can also enjoy an
open-kitchen la carte experience at
the hotels fresh and urban restaurant, Open, the statement adds.
Commenting on the opening of the
hotel, Rudi Jagersbacher, president

Twin guest room - sea view.

(MEA) for Hilton Worldwide, said: We
are delighted to be opening this truly
outstanding DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Doha. We have a strong pipeline
in Qatar and are optimistic about the
growth of the market and expansion
of our portfolio of world-class brands
into the country.
The hotel is located on Al Meena
Street, Doha, in close proximity to
key business and government administration offices as well as the Cor-

niche and Museum of Islamic Art.

Chris Muth, general manager, DoubleTree by Hilton Doha - Old Town,
noted: The contemporary hotel offers
guests a warm welcome, modern comforts and a superb location, ensuring it
is the number one choice for travellers
to Doha.
DoubleTree by Hilton Doha - Old
Town participates in the Hilton Honors
loyalty programme, which is open to all
guests and free to join.

Argentina band to perform at Katara

he Argentinean Tango Nuevo

band will perform at the Opera
House of Katara - the Cultural
Village this evening.
The event has been jointly organised
by Katara and the embassy of Argentina in Qatar.
The Tango Nuevo Project is a mixture of Milongas and Waltzes, Tango
Nuevo and Tradicional; captivating

melodies from Buenos Aires and Paris

intertwined with a bit of mystery from
Damascus and Mumbai. They bring
tango-inspired music from all over the
world and use inuences from different
cultures in their music, appealing to a
wide audience.
The title of the show is Emocin,
which is expected to take the audience
on a unique and emotional experience

through the combination of music, poetry and video images.

The focus is on the music, but video
images are used to enhance the experience and support the emotional tension. With poetry and storytelling, the
band will set the mood.
Those interested can book their tickets at www.q-tickets.com or www.katara.net

CHINA TARGET | Page 5

TURNAROUND PLAN | Page 16

7% growth
possible over
five years

StanChart looks
to cut 15,000 jobs
and raise $5.1bn

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Moharram 21, 1437 AH

GULF TIMES

GT EXCLUSIVE: Page 3

Islamic finance
captures UK
realty market

BUSINESS
Oil demand rose
9% a year since
1973 across GCC
O

il demand has risen across the Gulf Cooperation Council by an average of 9%

a year since 1973, growing faster than
GDP (gross domestic product), on average, according to The Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah
Foundation for Energy & Sustainable Development.
The aggregate oil consumption in the six
GCC States was less than 500,000 bpd in 1973
and more than 4mn bpd in 2014.
Although power demand has been problematic in all GCC countries outside Qatar, Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait face highest pressure because of their reliance on liquid fuels crude
oil, heavy fuel oil and diesel fuel for most of
their power generation feedstock.
Hence, while oil consumption in the remaining
GCC states is weighted more heavily toward the
transport sector where oil is considered most
valuable burning of liquid fuels for power generation is still dominant in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Saudi Arabia consumed more than a quarter
of its overall production in 2013. Direct burn of
crude oil for power generation reached an average of 0.7mn bpd from 2009 to 2013 during the
months of June to September, with peak month
power sector consumption rising as high as
900,000 bpd.
While Kuwait is gradually shifting toward
natural gas via imported LNG (liqueed natural
gas), Saudi crude burning looks set to top 1mn
bpd by 2020.

Low domestic prices for crude oil roughly

$5 a barrel in Saudi Arabia are a major factor
encouraging crude oil demand, the Al Attiyah
Foundation said in its inaugural industry report.
Intensifying domestic crude burning coupled
with a 1.4mn bpd increase in crude shipments to
Aramco reneries inside and outside the kingdom signal that Saudi Arabia is moving beyond
its long-held role as the worlds market-balancing supplier of crude oil.
Recent data show slipping Saudi crude exports, alongside at or rising production. Assuming that Saudi crude production remains
constant at around 10mn bpd, the amount of

crude available for export could fall below 5mn

bpd by 2020. The GCC also holds major reserves
of natural gas, but, in contrast with oil, most
production is consumed domestically. Only
Qatar is a major exporter.
The UAE and Kuwait have been net gas importers since 2008. The region has no gas market pricing mechanism, such as an index based
on trade at a hub. In similar fashion to the electricity sector, low prices (of around $1 to $2 per
MMBtu) are driving demand.
But underpricing is also stiing production
from known reserves some of which are comprised of high-cost non-associated gas which
has encouraged imports.
Despite these difficulties, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that
gas consumption in the Middle Easts generating sector will grow by nearly 150% by 2035.
In Oman, rising domestic demand and depleting conventional gas reserves have forced
reductions in LNG exports. Unconventional reserves are under development, but lifting costs
are expected to run beyond the state-xed selling price for bulk gas.
In Saudi Arabia, a $9bn gas investment campaign aims to slow the growth of crude oil and
diesel in the power sector by substituting with
gas. Saudi Aramco hopes to increase gas output
by 50% above 2011 production of 280MMcm/
day, but, like Oman, most of its non-associated
reserves consist of difficult formations.

Camels graze around

power grid towers
in the Kuwaiti desert
yesterday. Although
power demand has
been problematic
in all GCC countries
outside Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and
Kuwait face highest
pressure because
of their reliance on
liquid fuels crude
oil, heavy fuel oil
and diesel fuel
for most of their
power generation
feedstock.

he slump in oil prices is sapping growth momentum of

private businesses in the two
biggest Arab economies, according to
a key indicator released yesterday.
The Emirates NBD Purchasing
Managers Index for Saudi Arabia dropped for a second month in
a row to 55.7 in October, the lowest level since the survey began in
2009, driven by weaker expansion
in new business. The same measure for the UAE fell to 54 from 56 in
September, the lowest since April
2013, the Dubai-based bank said.
Readings above 50 still signal expansion, while those below indicate
contraction.
Oil prices have dropped more than
40% over the last year, prompting
some governments in the six-nation
Gulf Cooperation Council to plan
spending cuts and curb or eliminate
fuel subsidies. Non-oil economic

By Santhosh V Perumal
Business Reporter
Kuala Lumpur
More than one-third of small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) in the Middle East and
North Africa (Mena) are out of the purview
of banking sector and there exists a funding
gap of up to $13bn for SME Islamic financing
in the region.
Moreover sukuk, or Islamic bonds, have
gained real momentum with many nonMuslim countries raising funds through
these instruments, said Malaysian Premier
Dato Sri Mohamad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul
Razak at the 11th World Islamic Economic
Forum (WIEF), which got underway here
yesterday and attended by more than 3,000
delegates from 98 countries.
35% of SMEs in the Mena are excluded from
the formal banking sector. Indeed, there is a
financing gap of up to $13bn for SME Islamic
financing in this region, Razak said, quoting
a study by International Finance Corp (IFC).
Finding that millions of SMEs are thriving in
communities across the Islamic world, he
said moving forward, we need to provide
them greater opportunities to expand and to
be able to compete in wider markets. In this
mission, these SMEs face the same challenge
as all SMEs worldwide lack of funding.
Islamic finance, with its equity-based
partnership schemes, offers a truly
workable alternative to conventional
banking, a partnership that also embeds
the participating financial institution as a
provider of advice and consultancy, he said.
Highlighting that Islamic finance is currently
gaining more and more visibility and is
better-equipped to assist the SME industry,
he said as of last year, Malaysias total SME
financing exposure in Islamic finance grew
by 40.5% year-on-year, to more than $10bn.
Finding that currently, global Islamic
financial assets are estimated at $2tn, Razak
said the figure may be small compared to
conventional financial assets, but it is still
very promising when one considers that
Islamic finance started to gain traction only
in the last decade.

Razak: Sukuk have gained real momentum.

He said Islamic financial institutions are wellplaced to withstand the global financial crisis
of 2007-2008, and emerged from it more or
less unscathed. That should not be surprising,
given their prohibition of speculation,
prohibition of uncertainty in contractual
relations, prohibition of usury, and their
greater usage of risk and profit sharing.
Over-leveraging is believed to have been
the root cause of the disaster, which is
prohibited in Islamic finance, Razak said,
adding as a result, Islamic banks remained
strongly capitalised and resilient to
financial market volatility, while continuing
to contribute positively to equitable and
sustainable growth.
Sukuk, he said, have gained real momentum
in recent years. In 2014 alone, several
non-Muslim countries such as the UK,
Hong Kong, South Africa and Luxembourg
launched sovereign sukuk.
Malaysia has consistently been the largest
issuer of sukuk in the world. In 2014, the
total global sukuk outstanding was just
over $300bn with Malaysia accounting for
$173bn, or 57.4%, of the total, while Saudi
Arabia came second, accounting for $50.4bn
or 16.7%. Page 3

QCB halves T-bill sale

The Qatar Central Bank halved the size
of a planned Treasury bill sale yesterday,
Reuters reported.
The central bank said it auctioned a total
of QR2bn ($550mn) of three-, six- and
nine-month T-bills. Last week, the QCB had
announced it planned to sell twice that
volume at the monthly bill sale yesterday.
Three-month bills were sold at a yield of
1.27% at the latest auction, up from 0.99% at
the central banks last sale a month ago.
Short-term interest rates have been rising
around the Gulf as lower oil and gas

Slump in oil prices weighs on Saudi

and UAE businesses as PMI drops
Bloomberg
Riyadh

Funding shortfall of $13bn seen

for Mena SME Islamic financing

growth in the region will slow to 3.8%

this year from 5.5% in 2014, according to International Monetary Fund
estimates.
In Egypt, business conditions also
worsened at the quickest pace since
February, PMI data showed, as a
shortage in power supply and foreign
currency continued to undermine
output.
For Saudi Arabia, the biggest Arab
economy, the slower growth in private industries last month is unsurprising in the context of sharply
lower oil revenues and tighter liquidity conditions, Khatija Haque,
head of Middle East and North Africa research at Emirates NBD, wrote.
However, the rate of expansion in
the non-oil sector is still relatively
robust.
The Saudi government is already
searching for budget savings and
contemplating project delays and
has sold bonds for the rst time since
2007. The country relies on oil for at
least 80% of its revenue. While rates
of growth in output, new orders and

employment all eased, the sector remained rmly in expansion territory

overall, Emirates NBD said.
The drop in the UAE showed
slower, but still solid, improvement in business conditions, with
firms raising their output but cautious about purchasing, the report
said.
In Egypt, the PMI gauge fell to
47.2 in October from 50.2 a month
earlier. The shortfall in foreign currencies and power supply highlights
the need to implement a more concerted programme of structural reforms to boost the economys short
and long-term outlook, said JeanPaul Pigat, a senior economist at
Emirates NBD.
Egyptian authorities have taken
measures to conserve foreign currency, including limiting access to
dollars to importers of vital goods. A
hard currency crunch, however, persists, as receipts from tourism and
foreign investment linger at levels
lower than those seen before the 2011
popular uprising. Page 2

revenues leave banks less flush with cash.

Qatars three-month interbank offered rate
hit 1.422% yesterday, up from around 1.20%
at the end of September.
The QCB also halved the size of last months
T-bill sale, the first time since at least
the start of this year that it did not sell a
planned amount of bills.
After that sale, QCB Governor HE Sheikh
Abdulla bin Saud al-Thani said liquidity in
the markets remained strong and that he
saw no reason to imitate any US rate hike,
despite the riyals peg to the US dollar.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

BUSINESS

Saudi shares drop

after PMI points
to slowdown
Reuters
Dubai

audi Arabias stock market fell sharply

yesterday after data pointed to an economic slowdown due to low oil prices.
Other major Middle Eastern markets
fared better, with second-tier stocks favoured by speculators lifting Dubai.
The seasonally adjusted Emirates NBD
Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers Index,
an indicator of growth in the non-oil private sector, fell last month to 55.7 - its lowest since the survey began in August 2009
- from 56.5 in September.
Meanwhile the cost of insuring Saudi
Arabias sovereign debt against default
edged up to its highest level since June 2009,
following a Standard & Poors downgrade of
the kingdoms debt rating on Friday.
The Saudi stock index sank 1.6% yesterday to 6,955 points, near technical support
at its August low of 6,921 points. Turnover
rose as the market dropped in a negative
technical sign.
Petrochemical blue chip Saudi Basic Industries slid 2.7% and industrial zone developer Emaar Economic City dropped by
the same amount.
Kingdom Holding fell 2.3% after saying
it expected no nancial impact from its
sale of a 29.9% stake in media rm Saudi
Research and Marketing Group (SRMG),
which climbed 9.9% after a 7.2% gain on
Monday.
Saudi Printing and Packaging Co also
surged, adding 9.9% after a 9.8% leap on
Monday. It has been rising in heavy trade
since shortly after it reported quarterly
earnings on Oct 20.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, Dubais index rose
0.8%, though activity focused on low-

Khamees receives the award from Dr Moghli. The award recognises GDIs commitment to
corporate social responsibility (CSR), its role in creating a positive societal impact and the
companys corporate best practices in sustainability.

GDI wins ACSRN award

for the energy sector
The shadows of investors are seen cast on a screen as they monitor stock prices at the
FALCOM investment bank in Riyadh. The Saudi stock index sank 1.6% yesterday to 6,955
points, near technical support at its August low of 6,921 points.
priced speculative shares; HITS Telecom
was the most active stock, climbing 2.4%.
Du, the UAEs second biggest telecoms
operator, closed 1.0% higher despite missing estimates with a 12.3% fall in thirdquarter net prot to 489.8mn dirhams
($133.4mn). Two analysts polled by Reuters
had on average forecast 521.3mn dirhams.
Abu Dhabi gained 0.5% as Aldar Properties surged 4.6%.
Qatars index fell 0.3% as Industries Qatar slipped 0.4%. In a sign of tightening
banking liquidity in Qatar, the central bank
halved the size of a planned Treasury bill

sale yesterday and yields rose sharply from

last months auction.
Egypts index rose in early trade but
closed 0.02% lower after a disappointing
Purchasing Managers Index; the Egyptian
PMI fell to an eight-month low of 47.2 in
October from 50.2 in September, dropping
below the 50-point mark that separates
growth from contraction.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, Kuwaits index
edged up 0.2% to 5,794 points, Omans index edged up 0.2% to 5,948 points, while
Bahrains index edged down 0.1% to 1,260
points.

Gulf Drilling International (GDI) has received the

winners award in the Energy Sector during the
Arabia Corporate Social Responsibility Network
(ACSRN) award ceremony.
GDI is a subsidiary of Gulf International Services,
which is the largest services group in Qatar.
The award recognises GDIs commitment to
corporate social responsibility (CSR), its role
in creating a positive societal impact and
the companys corporate best practices in
sustainability.
GDI won the award for the very first time it took
part in the competition, which the company said
was an impressive feat.
The ACSR awards are regions most prominent
CSR and sustainability awards and are known for
their stringent criteria, which are benchmarked

against the UN Global Compact Ten Principles,

the GRI principles of sustainability reporting and
the EFQM Excellence Model.
GDI prides itself as the first organisational
stakeholder of GRI (Global Reporting Initiative)
in Qatar. GDI has released its Integrated report
2015, one of the first integrated reports in the
region, taking reference from the International
Integrated Reporting Framework, released by
the International Integrated Reporting Council
(IIRC) and in accordance with GRI G4 option
core.
Abdulwahab Khamees, from GDIs Environmental
Department, represented the company at the
event and received the award from Dr Iyad
Abu Moghli, director of the United Nations
Environment Programme for Western Asia.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

GULF

ISLAMIC FINANCE 3

TIMES

Call for creating a mega global Islamic finance institution

By Santhosh V Perumal
Business Reporter
Kuala Lumpur
With Islamic finance gaining traction and largely
remaining unscathed from the impact of the
global economic crisis of 2007-08, the idea
of establishing a mega Islamic multilateral
institution appears to gather momentum.
Although there are many serious challenges
in creating such a large global Islamic bank,
Malaysia yesterday sounded in favour of
the proposal as it could better position as an
alternative to conventional banking.
Efforts will have to continue, Malaysian Prime

Minister Dato Sri Mohamad Najib bin Tun Haji

Abdul Razak replied to a question posed by Gulf
Times in Kuala Lumpur.
Recently, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa created $100bn New Development
Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as the Brics
Development Bank headquartered in Shanghai.
The Malaysian premier said there had been talks
in the past regarding the creation of a large
global Islamic bank but no progress has been
made till date.
Shaikh Nedham Yacouby, a renowned Shariah
scholar, had in 2007 highlighted the need for
establishing a mega Islamic institution with the
participation of all major players in the global
market.

One of the delegates attending the 11th

World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) said
considering that the Islamic world put together
can be far bigger than the developed economic
blocs and that many new, bigger institutions
have taken birth, the latest being Brics Bank,
the idea would be well received in the Muslim
economies.
Quoting Razak, who said Islamic financial
institutions are well-placed to withstand the
global financial crisis of 2007-2008, and
emerged from it more or less unscathed; the
delegate, wishing anonymity, said an Islamic
multilateral entity could not only put the world
economy back on track but also could largely
address the inconsistencies in the interpretation

of Shariah principles and support the Islamic

finance sector in a big way.
It will be too naive to say that the inconsistencies
in Shariah interpretation is addressed fully.
A 60% to 70% will be a good estimate and
efforts are being made by the Islamic Financial
Services Board and the Accounting and Auditing
Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions to
bring in more standardisation, he said, adding
that an Islamic multilateral institution can also
help bring the Islamic Interbank Benchmark Rate
(IIBR) more to the fore.
There have been apprehensions that
International Islamic Liquidity Management
Corp cannot singlehandedly deal with the IIBR
or profit curve, given the relatively small size

of its own issuances. Islamic finance is centred

mainly in Southeast Asia and the Gulf, but of late
other economies such as the UK, Hong Kong,
South Africa and Luxembourg had raised funds
through sukuk.
Islamic finance has been an amazing success
story. More people are recognising that Islamic
finance is an important part of international
trade and investment and that it is likely to
become even more prominent, according
to Lord Ahmad, Britains Parliamentary
Undersecretary of State for Transport and
Home Office.
Razak said he is in favour of more and
strengthened trade and investment relations
among the Muslim countries.

Islamic nance captures

real estate market in UK
By Arno Maierbrugger
Gulf Times Correspondent
Bangkok

Bloomberg
London

ith Islamic nance entering Londons nancial

market and billions of
dollars of investment in the UK and
global real estate coming from Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and other Muslim jurisdictions,
the UK government was one of the
rst in the West that started propelling initiatives on Islamic nancing
vehicles for property purchases as
early as in 2013. Meanwhile, Islamic
nancing facilities have become so
popular for real estate transactions
in the UK undertaken by Arab investors that the next International Real
Estate Finance (IREF) Summit, the
premier real estate event in the UK
scheduled to take place on December
1 and 2, 2015, in London, will entirely
focus on the opportunities Shariahcompliant nance vehicles entail for
property nancing.
Since the UK governments initiatives, a number of Islamic nance
property deals have been closed in
the country, with the culmination
point so far having been the nancing of the purchase of Londons
iconic Battersea Power Station by a
Malaysian consortium. The huge urban redevelopment project secured a
Shariah-compliant syndicated loan
of 467mn, a step widely seen crucial
towards developing the UK as an Islamic nance centre. The loan, one of
the largest Islamic transactions ever
conducted in the UK, was part of a
1.35bn nancing for the project.
Two dedicated Islamic banks in the
UK, in fact, got the ball in the property nancing eld rolling. The then
Islamic Bank of Britain, renamed
Al Rayan Bank in 2014, completed
its rst commercial Islamic nance
property deal in December 2013 valued at 0.4mn for an Islamic educational institution, Al Meezan, in
Glasgow. Meanwhile, the bank has
widened its range of Shariah-compliant Buy-to-Let Purchase Plans
in response to growing demand for
Shariah-compliant nance in the
private housing market.
Another Islamic bank in the UK,

IDB may
support
sukuk for
renewables
projects

Londons iconic Battersea Power Station, now key part of an urban redevelopment project. The purchase by a Malaysian consortium was partly financed by a
Shariah-compliant syndicated loan of 467mn, the largest Islamic finance transaction in the UK so far.
Kuwait-owned Gatehouse Bank, a
wholesale Shariah-compliant investment bank based in London,
has set up a co-nanced 100mn
joint-venture with Edinburgh-based
property investor and developer
Sigma Capital to nance the rollout of an initial 927 new residential
rental properties in Liverpool and
Manchester, the next foray of Islamic
nance in the UKs protable buildto-rent market and one of the largest
projects in this sector.
Overall, Gatehouse Bank currently
has a real estate portfolio worth in
excess of 1bn across the UK and the
US. It also issued two sukuk secured
by existing real estate assets-undermanagement, arranged following a

EDUCATION

FAQ/Currency and Precious Metals

Is it lawful to exchange notes having payments deferred for several
years for foreign currency other than the one in which the original
note was issued?
It is not lawful to exchange notes with deferred payments for the currency in which they were originally issued or for any other currency, as an
exchange in the same currency will be like the sale of debt for debt that is
deferred, when it is essential that the mutual exchange of equal counter
values take place in the sale of currency for a similar currency.
What is the Shariah ruling in regard to deposits of foreign currency
in joint investment accounts such that when withdrawals are made
by the clients, they are made from these accounts in the same currency and at the same rate as the one prevailing when they were
deposited?
It is permissible for clients to make deposits of foreign currency in joint
investment accounts in order to share in the resulting profits and to be
able to retrieve these deposits in the same currencies at the time of withdrawal. The bank possesses the right to invest these deposits in overseas
projects or for the purpose of covering letters of credit etc. The bank
must calculate the earnings accrued to the amounts deposited, at the
purchase or the average price of the day the deposits were made.
Is it lawful for the issuer of a note to buy it back with payment in a
currency other than the currency in which the note was originally
issued while disregarding its maturity date at the same time?
The issuers buying back the note and disregarding the maturity date is
the same as his agreeing to exchange the currency of the note for another currency in which it is permissible for one of the counter values to be
in excess of the other. For a lawful mutual exchange there must not be a
maturity date, the currency of the original note will be considered to have
been paid in an account termed as an exchange on account where the
possession of the counter value brought about by the debt, is dropped. It
must be ensured however that the bank does not use this allowance as a
device to earn profit in return for dropping the maturity date.
Source: Ethica Institute of Islamic Finance via Bloomberg

renancing of a major headquarters

building let to British Telecom until
September 2020.

Gulf Times
Exclusive
Several other large UK property
deals using Islamic nance vehicles
followed, among them Abu Dhabi
Islamic Banks arrangement of a
20mn structured Islamic nancing facility for a consortium of GCC
investors. It was the banks debut
deal in the UK real estate sector and
was used to nance the development

of Westbourne House, a mixed-use

property in Central London, with the
aim of converting it into luxury residential apartments.
Another big deal was the purchase of Crossley Retail Park in
Worcestershire by Dubai-based
wealth management firm Arzan
Wealth which spent 41.5mn on
the property on behalf of a consortium including major GCC investors such as International Finance
Company and other prominent institutions, as well as and high-net
worth investors. The transaction
was financed through a Shariahcompliant debt facility.
Seeking to attract more Islamic
nancial business, the UK issued in

June 2014 its rst sovereign sukuk

worth 200mn. Earlier this year, the
UK government was the rst Western
country to do so through its export
credit guarantee agency provided
cover for a 617mn Islamic bond issued by Dubais Emirates airline to
purchase aircraft including the giant
Airbus A380.
The Bank of England has started a
feasibility study to develop a Shariah-compliant liquidity management
tool for Islamic banks to use and develop more Islamic nancing products, including property nancing.
More than 20 banks currently offer
Islamic nancial products and services in the UK, more than any other
Western country.

he Islamic Development Bank (IDB)

indicated that it may issue green sukuk bonds compliant with religious
law and increase lending for climate-related projects with an announcement at
the UN global warming conference in Paris
at the end of the year.
Estimates for the 2030 agenda indicate that we need to move from billions to
trillions of dollars of support annually for
sustainable development, Savas Alpay,
chief economist of the IDB, said in a phone
interview. Traditional sources of development nance will not be enough. We
must also look at non-traditional sources.
We will be using Islamic nance to bring
new resources to the table.
The comments indicate the $80bn green
bond market is expanding beyond Europe
and the US, where the instruments were
pioneered.
Khazanah Nasional Bhd, Malaysias
state-owned sovereign wealth fund, issued
green sukuk last November after introducing guidelines for socially responsible debt
in August 2014. It was the second entity after the London-based International Financial Facility for Immunisation announce
plans to sell ethical-based sukuk.
Based in Jeddah, the IDB has a $180mn
pilot project to fund clean energy in its 56
member countries over the course of two
years. About 25% of its energy investments
are in renewables currently. It has invested
about $2bn in clean energy to date.
Global Islamic nance assets are valued at $2tn according to Alpay, with a 17%
growth rate between 2009 and 2014 mostly in the Middle East and Asia.
The IDB may also issue so-called green
sukuk, which are Islamic bonds specically for nancing climate action projects.
The conventional green bond market was
pioneered in 2008 by the World Bank and
today is valued at over $80bn, according to
data compiled by Bloomberg.
Green sukuk could help launch more
projects and products in markets where
Islamic nance is strong, said Nour
Mousa, chief executive officer of Desert
Technologies, a Saudi-based renewables
developer. Two thirds of new renewables
installations are expected to be in emerging markets.

Bumper Asia corporate sukuk

stand out amid debt drought
Bloomberg
Kuala Lumpur

sia looks destined for a bumper

year for corporate dollar sukuk,
taking up the slack as overall Islamic debt issuance declines.
Malaysian telecommunications company Axiata Group Bhd started marketing its rst US currency Islamic bonds
last week, three years after debuting
a yuan sukuk that has since matured.
Inaugural offerings by Kuala Lumpurbased SapuraKencana Petroleum Bhd
and Indonesias national airline brought
the regions 2015 issuers to six, the most
in at least a decade, data compiled by
Bloomberg show.
Theres a shortage of Shariah-compliant securities worldwide this year amid
a 29% slump in offerings to the lowest
since 2011 as a drop in oil curbs fresh
issuance from companies and governments in the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The Federal Reserves hesitation in raising interest rates is creating a window of
opportunity for sales and a new Islamic
dollar bond deal from Asia would be a
positive signal for the local market, according to Frankfurt-based Union In-

vestment Privatfonds GmbH. Sukuk out

of Malaysia is very, very low, and a highquality name should be well-received
by local and Gulf investors, said Sergey
Dergachev, who helps oversee $13bn at
Union Investment Privatfonds. He will
make an investment decision depending
on the nal pricing and what the general
mood in emerging markets will be.

Theres a shortage of Shariah

compliant securities worldwide
this year amid a 29% slump in
offerings to the lowest since 2011 as
a drop in oil curbs fresh issuance
The mobile-phone operator is seeking
to raise $500mn from ve-year Shariahcompliant bonds to fund the purchase of
a telecommunications tower company in
Myanmar, according to people familiar
with the matter. The offering is part of a
$1.5bn multi-currency MEprogram rated
Baa2 by Moodys Investors Service, the
second-lowest investment grade. The
yuan issuance is the only one to come
from that so far.
An Axiata spokesman didnt immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment on Monday regarding the bond
plan.

Worldwide sales of Shariah-compliant notes, both corporate and sovereign,

have dropped to $29.1bn in 2015 from
$40.7bn a year earlier, data compiled by
Bloomberg show.
Dergachev said a fair yield would be
3.2%, a premium of 30 to 40 basis points
above Axiatas existing 2020 non-Islamic
dollar bonds. Those notes were last paying 2.93%, 32 basis points lower than at
the start of the year. The sole issue I am
worried about is the valuation, since at
the moment Malaysia is unfortunately
not really positively viewed by investors,
he said.
Global funds have pulled more than
41bn ringgit ($9.5bn) from Malaysian
debt and equities this year as slowing growth in China, falling commodity
prices and a political scandal involving
Prime Minister Najib Razak spurred an
18% slide in the ringgit, Asias worst performance. A delay by the Fed in tightening policy brought a reprieve in October,
as emerging-market currencies rallied.
Axiatas dollar sukuk should draw
strong interest because its investment
grade and a well-managed company
with a strong competitive edge, according to Aberdeen Asset Management Sdn.
The Kuala Lumpur-based rm has con-

trolling interests in mobile operators in

Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and
Cambodia, as well as signicant strategic
stakes in India and Singapore. It will report net income of 2.4bn ringgit this year,
compared with 2.35bn ringgit in 2014, the
average estimate of analysts surveyed by
Bloomberg shows.
Garuda Indonesia and SapuraKencana Petroleums US currency Islamic
bond sales were complemented this year
by three offerings from Export Import
Bank of Malaysia with maturities from
2019 to 2025, and one from state-owned
oil Corp Petroliam Nasional Bhd. While
dollar sukuk issues are somewhat of a
rarity in Asia, previous sellers include
Sime Darby Bhd and Nomura Holdings
Inc of Japan.
We like Axiata for its robust business
operations, anchored by geographical
diversication across mature and highgrowth markets, said Hasif Murad, a
research analyst at Aberdeen Islamic
Asset Management, a unit of Aberdeen
Asset Management overseeing $3.6bn.
We have had a long track record with
the company as our equities team has
held it for a considerable period, thus we
are likely to consider the sukuk should it
come at attractive valuations.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

BUSINESS

Eyes turn to Turkey central

bank as core ination soars

EBRD sets
$250mn
plan to spur
renewables
without
subsidy

Reuters
Istanbul

Bloomberg
Cairo

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has

set up a new $250mn programme to develop subsidy-free
renewables projects in Morocco,
Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia.
The initiative will enable
clean energy generators to sell
directly to consumers such
as cement companies and
hotel groups through power
purchase agreements, making
the projects solvent without
government support. The
London-based development
banks board has approved a
plan to support the installation of 400 megawatts to 450
megawatts of clean power
within this framework over the
next four years.
We want to push renewables to the next level, Nandita
Parshad, director for power and
energy utilities at the EBRD,
said in a phone interview.
Amongst all our countries of
operation, the southern and
eastern Mediterranean were the
ones with the highest potential
for renewable projects to get
close to grid parity. Renewable
energy has cost governments
in early-adopter regions such
as western Europe billions of
dollars in subsidies for feed-in
tariffs and other support programmes. As costs of technologies such as solar panels and
wind turbines drop, electricity
generated from plants set in
ideal weather conditions draws
closer to being competitive with
power from conventional power
plants without state support.
The majority of projects
built under this framework
will be onshore wind and solar
photovoltaic with the remainder
a mix of small hydroelectric and
perhaps some biomass, Parshad said. Theyre all countries
with growing power demand,
good weather conditions for
renewables and higher power
prices, said Jenny Chase, lead
solar analyst at Bloomberg New
Energy Finance.
But more importantly, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt have
recently run tenders for renewable energy so there are projects
that are ready for investment.
The Clean Technology Fund and
the Global Environment Facility,
two entities set up by the World
Bank Group, will be providing
concessional finance for the
EBRD initiative.

ore ination in Turkey hit a 2015 peak in

October, putting pressure on the central
bank to tighten policy two days after President Tayyip Erdogan who has equated high interest rates with treason strengthened his hold
on power.
Annual core consumer prices rose 8.9% last
month, data showed yesterday, driven in part by
sharp falls in the lira.
The central bank has so far this year steered
clear of trying to support the currency by hiking
rates, raising persistent market concerns about the
institutions independence.
Erdogans steadfast opposition to higher rates,
together with renewed violence in the mainly
Kurdish southeast and his crackdown on opposition media, are seen as major factors in this years
20% decline in the lira against the dollar .
Investors are now waiting to see whether Sundays unexpected outright parliamentary election win by the AK Party that Erdogan founded
changes the fraught relationship between him and
the bank.
Raising rates would put a oor under the lira,
and economists say the banks monetary policy
committee (MPC) cannot hold off doing so forever.
It remains to be seen how much inuence the
new government will try to exert on monetary
policy. But we continue to think that the MPC
will raise interest rates over the next 3-6 months,
William Jackson of Capital Economics said in a
note to clients.
Yesterdays core ination numbers which exclude volatile food prices were likely driven by
the liras declines as well as deeper problems such
as rapid wage growth and limited spare capacity,
Jackson said. The lira and Turkish stocks rallied
sharply on Monday, reecting initial relief at the
election result. Both succumbed to slight prottaking yesterday. The year-on-year jump in core
prices was the biggest since November 2014, when
they advanced by 9%, the data from the Turkish
Statistical Institute showed. Headline ination,
which includes food prices, slowed to 7.58%. On a

A trader (right) collects lira banknotes from a customer at a stall in the Yesilkoy street market in Istanbul. Annual core consumer prices in Turkey rose 8.9%
last month, data showed yesterday, driven in part by sharp falls in the lira.
monthly basis, the headline numbers quickened to
1.55%, exceeding an estimate of 1.35% in a Reuters
poll.
In theory, Turkeys return to single-party rule
gives policymakers an opportunity to push ahead
with long-neglected economic reforms, but suc-

cess will depend on the shape of its new cabinet

and whether Erdogan tries to intervene.
Analysts have voiced concern the outcome may
embolden Erdogan, who has made fuelling growth
his overriding economic objective. The government will be back at the helm with no opposition in

the way, which is good for decision-making but only

if the decisions taken are the correct ones, said Cristian Maggio, head of emerging markets strategy at
TD Securities. You will get political stability, but if
you dont have good policies, then government stability is useless. Viewpoint: Page 32

Egypt bourse hit by emerging market storm sees new IPOs in 2016
Reuters
Cairo

gypts stock exchange was hit by this years

rout in emerging markets, leading rms to
postpone share offerings and liquidity to dry
up, but parliamentary elections should help restore investor condence in 2016, chairman Mohamed Omran said.
Interviewed at the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit, Omran said about a dozen companies had registered a new listing on the Egyptian
market in 2015, but only half of these had proceeded with an initial share issue.
The others received permission to delay their
IPOs, which are usually expected to be launched
within six months of listing. Most hope to offer

their shares in the rst-half of 2016, once liquidity

and prices recover, Omran said.
Emerging market assets sold off over the summer due to worries about a slowdown in China,
weakening commodity prices, and the possibility
of a US interest rate rise.
The second-half of 2015 was a difficult period,
not just for the bourse but for the economy as a
whole, Omran said. I am cautiously optimistic
because I think the Egyptian economy has what
it takes to return to growth, to attract investment
and to improve the investment climate.
The stock index fell dramatically this year, from
a high above 10,000 points in February to a low
of 6,641 points in August. It last closed at 7,435
points. All the delays in IPO plans are because
they say the liquidity is not there, Omran said.
Long-delayed parliamentary elections, due to

conclude this month, should give foreign investors

condence that political stability is returning, he
argued. We have an opportunity ... to begin a new
chapter, a new beginning in 2016, he said.
This would enable Egypt to speed up steps to
boost growth and improve the climate for investors, he said.
Egypt has been without a parliament since June
2012, when a court dissolved the main chamber.
The last few years have been difficult for the
Egyptian economy. The mass uprising that overthrew Hosni Mubarak in 2011 ushered in a period
of political upheaval that saw economic growth
plummet and shares tumble.
Investors began to return in 2014, with trading
volumes in the main stock index rebounding above
2010 levels and some 13 new companies listing.
The Egyptian economy also picked up, growing

UAE sees crude gaining in 2016

on robust demand, less shale
Bloomberg
Abu Dhabi
Improving economies in Europe and elsewhere together
with a continued decline in output of shale oil point to a
recovery in demand for crude and an increase in prices
next year, according to United Arab Emirates Energy
Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei.
Im optimistic that we will see an upward correction
in 2016, he said yesterday to reporters in Abu Dhabi.
Whats the percentage of correction? I cant say its going
to be a high percentage, but there will be an improvement
on 2015. Al-Mazrouei didnt specify countries showing
stronger growth, and he acknowledged that shale oil is
needed and has a role to play. The market will determine
how shale will contribute to future supply, he said.
The UAE, Opecs third-largest producer, has raised output this year amid a global glut, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting
Countries is competing for market share against high-cost
suppliers, including some US producers of shale oil. Brent
crude, a global benchmark, has dropped 42% in the last
12 months and was trading at $49.14 a barrel at 11:13 am on
the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange.
State-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co will continue to invest in energy projects it has already awarded, even amid
cheaper crude, al-Mazrouei said. We have a long-term
view of the market. We know that prices fluctuate and will
not stay as is. Abu Dhabi is the UAEs largest emirate and
holds most of the nations oil reserves.

Al-Mazrouei: Optimistic.

by 4.1% in the last scal year to June. Egypt saw

three large IPOs in the rst half of 2015 worth a
total of about 6bn Egyptian pounds ($745mn).
Among companies looking to list, with a view to
launching IPOs next year, are cheese maker Domty
and real estate company Misr Italia, Omran said.
He declined to give details about the sizes of their
potential IPOs, but predicted most IPOs next year
would be small to medium.
Omran said the bourse turned enough prot in
2014 to cover the three preceding years of losses
and would make a surplus again this year, but he
declined to give gures.
The central bank introduced capital controls in
February to crush a once-thriving black market
in dollars. The restrictions have raised concerns
among some investors that they will not be able to
import raw materials or repatriate prots.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

BUSINESS
Chinas
JD.com
requests
anti-trust
regulator
to probe
Alibaba
Reuters
Beijing/Shanghai

hinas
second-largest
e-commerce company
JD.com said it has sent a
letter of complaint to a Chinese
anti-trust regulator and formally requested an investigation
into rival Alibaba Group Holding.
The complaint concerns a
State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) regulation which forbids e-commerce platforms from limiting
or barring their merchants from
participating in promotions on
other platforms. The regulation
came into effect on October 1.
An Alibaba spokesman declined to comment on the complaint. No-one with the authority to speak was available
for comment when Reuters telephoned the SAIC after working
hours.
Alibaba dominates Chinese
e-commerce. If the SAIC does
launch an investigation and
nds the company has violated
its position, it could be punished
according to the countrys laws
governing anti-trust and unfair
competition.
JD.com said in its letter it has
received information from merchants indicating that Alibaba is
forcing merchants to choose
to exclusively deal with one ecommerce site during promotional activities.
If merchants choose to participate in certain promotional
activities on Alibabas Tmall
website during the upcoming
Singles Day online shopping
event around November 11, they
are not permitted to participate in other platforms activities, otherwise Alibaba will
carry out punishment or sanctions, JD.com said it had been
informed by sellers on its site.
According to JD.com, Alibabas behaviour has harmed
merchants interests, and not
only obstructed normal market
competition, but also seriously
harmed consumers interests.
JD.com and Alibaba are bitter
rivals in Chinese e-commerce,
with little love lost between
their founders, especially as the
smaller upstart has gained traction.
If the SAIC does investigate, it
would not be Alibabas rst tussle with the regulator.
In January, the SAIC published
a so-called white paper report
on its website that criticised
Alibaba for not doing enough to
suppress widespread counterfeiting on its websites. The day
after the report, the companys
shares fell more than 8%.
Two days after the report
went up on the website the regulator retracted it, saying that it
was not an official white paper
and that it did not carry any legal force. An Alibaba spokesman
said at the time that the company felt vindicated.

Annual growth of about 7%

possible over next 5 yrs: Xi
Reuters
Beijing

hina can maintain annual economic growth of around 7% over the

next ve years but there are uncertainties, including weak global trade and
high domestic debt, Xinhua news agency
quoted President Xi Jinping as saying yesterday.
Annual average growth would be no less
than 6.5% in the next ve years to realise
the countrys goal of doubling 2010 gross
domestic product (GDP) and per capita income by 2020, Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
Chinese growth dipped to 6.9% in the
third-quarter, the weakest since the global
nancial crisis, hurt partly by cooling investment and prompting the central bank
to cut interest rates and bank reserve requirements again.
Its possible for Chinas economy to
maintain growth of around 7% (over the
next ve years) but it also faces more uncertainties, Xi said, saying that main domestic and foreign research institutions
believe Chinas potential growth could be
between 6 and 7% in 2016-2020.
Looking at the need to double GDP, the
bottom line for annual average economic
growth between 2016 and 2020 is more
than 6.5%, Xi said.
Global trade was expected to remain
sluggish and growth in Chinas consumption and investment could slow, and there
may be risks from high debt levels, Xi said.
Development over the next ve years
should not focus just on the pace of
growth, but also on the quality, Xi was
quoted as saying, explaining a proposal for
the countrys 13th ve-year plan, a blueprint for economic and social development
between 2016 and 2020.
Top leaders have agged a new nor-

mal of slower growth as it tries to shift the

worlds second-largest economy to sustainable, consumption-led development.
Premier Li Keqiang has said that China
needs annual growth of at least 6.53% over
the next ve years. He was quoted by state
radio as saying yesterday that environmental protection measures had contributed to the growth slowdown.
Investors are waiting for the announcement of an economic growth target for the
next ve years. A communique issued after a key party meeting that discussed the
ve-year plan said China aims to keep the
economy growing at a medium-to-high
rate to achieve the goal of doubling GDP
and per capita income.
Policymakers may face more challenges
in deciding the long-term growth target
given uncertainties in the global economy
and signs of weakness in domestic demand, sources involved in policy discussions say.
The government may favour annual
growth of between 6.5% and 7% for 20162020, some sources say. The growth target
needs approval from parliament when it
meets in March.
Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National
Development and Reform Commission
(NDRC), the top planning agency, said
China had the conditions to keep economic growth at a medium-to-high rate in
the next ve years. Xu told a news conference that the government would give more
attention to employment, incomes and
consumer prices than economic growth
gures.
The government will exceed the 7% target for the current 2011-15 ve-year plan
with growth averaging around 7.8%, ofcial data shows. But growth has slowed
markedly in that time, from 9.5% in 2011,
to being on track for a quarter-century low
of around 7% this year.

Xi: To give more attention to employment, incomes and consumer prices than economic growth figures.

Australia central bank holds rates at 2%

AFP
Sydney

Pedestrians walk past Australias central bank in Sydney. The bank left irates unchanged yesterday for a sixth straight month.

ustralias central bank yesterday

held interest rates at a record low
2%, but kept the door open for
further easing as the economy slows on
softening Chinese growth.
Economists had been split about
whether the Reserve Bank of Australia
would act this month, after a surprisingly weak third-quarter reading of
consumer prices released last week
gave the central bank room to slash
rates further.
The board judged that the prospects for an improvement in economic
conditions had rmed a little over recent months and that leaving the cash
rate unchanged was appropriate at this
meeting, governor Glenn Stevens said
in a statement after the monthly meet.
Members also observed that the
outlook for ination may afford scope
for further easing of policy, should that
be appropriate to lend support to demand.
The central bank has already cut the
cash rate by 25 basis points in both February and May this year.
Like other resources-dependent
economies, Australia has been hit by
slowing growth in China, its largest
trading partner and the worlds biggest
commodities consumer.
The country is already enduring a
rocky transition towards non-resources-led growth after an unprecedented
mining investment boom helped its

economy avoid a recession for 24 years.

The jobless rate has uctuated between 6-6.4%, a decade high, over the
past year, while spending by businesses
outside the mining sector is yet to ll
the gap left by falling resources investment.
Despite this, there have been signs
of a gradual improvement in forwardlooking labour surveys, along with a
recent boost in business and consumer
condence following the appointment
of multimillionaire former businessman Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister following a Liberal Party coup.
The Australian dollar bounced between 71.3 US cents and 72 US cents
after the announcement before settling
close to where it was before at 71.70 US
cents.
I think (the RBA) is more comfortable with the growth outlook and
business surveys are showing an improvement but with ination so low, it
gives them room for manoeuver if they
need to down the track, Barclays chief
economist for Australia Kieran Davies
told AFP.
The year-on-year Consumer Price Index (CPI) reading came in at 1.5% during
the September quarter, the Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said last week.
Underlying ination the preferred
measure for the RBA was at 2.15% yearon-year, at the lower end of the central
banks target range of 2%-3%.
But they seemed comfortable with
staying on hold. I think the market will
keep the risk of a cut priced in, given the
RBAs got the room to move if needed.

Jaitley happy with India interest rates, non-committal on Rajan

Bloomberg
New Delhi
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
praised the Reserve Bank of
India for slashing the benchmark
interest rate, while being noncommittal on whether governor
Raghuram Rajan would get an
extension when his term expires
next year.
The RBI has the onerous
responsibility of managing
it the interest rates along
with inflation, keeping growth
targets in mind, Jaitley said in
an interview on Monday night at
his New Delhi office. And I would
say I am quite happy with the way
things have moved in the last one
year. Therefore, we have to see
how inflation figures move over
the next few months. Asked if
that meant Rajan, 52, would be

given an extension beyond the

end of his term in September
2016, Jaitley said: Why do you
ask questions which I am not
competent to answer? Rajans
immediate predecessor was given
a two-year extension, while some
other governors have served
longer than five years.
Rajan has lowered the repurchase
rate by 1.25 percentage points
this year, including a greaterthan-expected cut at the last
meeting, in September. The
former International Monetary
Fund chief economist, put at
the RBIs helm by the previous
government, has also captured
attention by stepping outside the
realm of monetary policy during
his tenure. A Saturday speech
about the importance of tolerance
in multi-ethnic, multi-religion India
sparked a political fight ahead of a
key state election.

The speech, which didnt

reference any specific incidents,
came at a time when Prime
Minister Narendra Modis
government is facing criticism for
failing to quickly condemn the
murder of a man over rumours
that he killed a cow, an animal
sacred in Hinduism.
Jaitley said the governments
opponents were seizing on a
few isolated incidents to thwart
Modis economic agenda. While
he declined to specifically
address Rajans speech, he
called the outcry among critics a
manufactured rebellion.
If you have excessive
propaganda to this effect,
somebody is going to be misled
by it, Jaitley said. The idea of
this campaign is both to hurt this
country and hurt its investment
environment. He also defended
Modi for the timing of his

response. Modi condemned the

incident more than a week after it
occurred, triggering criticism from
his opponents.
How can somebody argue that
the timing and format of the
prime ministers statement must
be decided by somebody else,
particularly the critics, Jaitley
said. The prime minister sets his
own agenda. Jaitley expressed
confidence that Modis ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party would win
a state election in Bihar, which
would strengthen its ability to
push through legislation in the
opposition-controlled upper
house. The results are due on
November 8.
He also said investors wouldnt
be deterred by the debate over
freedom of speech in India.
Investors know the truth, Jaitley
said. They are cleverer than you
and me.

Rajan: Capturing attention by stepping outside the realm of monetary policy.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

BUSINESS
Lesson from Japans mega-IPOs: Dont sell on the first day
Bloomberg
Tokyo
As investors prepare for todays debut
of Japan Post group, the nations biggest
initial public offering this century at $12bn,
they would do well not to rush to sell on
the first day.
A look at the nations 10 biggest-ever
IPOs shows the benefits of a patient approach. The top IPOs rose an average 12%
on their first day of trading, driven by a
58% jump in a state-owned railway operator when it debuted in 1993, with only one
company posting a loss. The mega deals
kept surging after the first day to jump an
average 44% in their first year of trading,
with a state-backed wireless carrier tripling
in its first 12 months starting in October
1998, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Government support helped most of the
listings, as eight of the 10 biggest IPOs had
some form of state backing. After being
subjected to the rigours of the market,
managers of recently-privatised companies are under the spotlight and feel pressure to make their companies healthier
and more profitable, said Yasuhide Yajima,
chief economist at NLI Research Institute
in Tokyo. Prime Minister Shinzo Abes
government is selling shares in Japan Post

Holdings and its banking and insurance

units, part of a privatisation push aimed
at reviving the economy from a 20-year
slump. All three offerings priced at the
top end of their marketed ranges, reflecting strong demand from the individual
investors who were allocated most of
the stock.
The government cant let these deals
fail, said Hiroaki Hiwada, a Tokyo-based
strategist at Toyo Securities Co. Shares
of state-backed firms that are unleashed
by the government typically perform
well as time goes by, because the country wants to see their success. Here are

Asian stocks rise as

global gains ease
China hangover
AFP
Tokyo

sian stocks mostly rose

yesterday after the US
and some European
markets advanced overnight,
though the hangover from Chinas slowing growth still lingered.
A Reserve Bank of Australia
decision to leave interest rates
unchanged at a record low 2%
gave the Aussie dollar a kick,
and the S&P/ASX 200 index
was also buoyed by more bullish sentiment.
US spending on building new
homes, highways and other
projects came in at an annual
pace of $1.09tn in September,
the highest level since March
2008.
But China, the worlds second
largest economy, remains the
spoiler after a closely watched
measure of manufacturing activity showed contraction.
Sydney closed up 1.42% after
yesterdays central bank decision to keep the cash rate at 2%,
while Seoul advanced 0.65%.
Shanghai had slipped 0.25%
at the close, while Hong Kong
ended 0.89% higher.
Wellington rose 0.64% to a
fresh record high.
The Tokyo market was shut
for a public holiday.
Chinas Purchasing Managers Index came in at 48.3 in
October, below the 50 point
mark which separates expansion from contraction, an independent survey issued by financial publisher Caixin Media
showed on Monday.
Elsewhere,
Asia-focused
British bank Standard Chartered said yesterday it would
axe 15,000 jobs and raise $5.1bn
in capital after posting a disappointing
third-quarter

loss as it struggles to return to

growth.
The job losses are part of a
major restructuring that will
cost around $3bn, the bank
said.
Standard Chartered shares
closed down 2.5% in Hong
Kong.

Sydney closes up 1.42%

after yesterdays central
bank decision to keep
the cash rate at 2%,
Seoul advances 0.65%,
Shanghai slips 0.25% at the
close, while Hong Kong
ends 0.89% higher and
Wellington rises 0.64% to a
fresh record high
Oil prices were mixed in Asia
yesterday, hinting at caution
before the release of US government data that will gauge
crude demand in the worlds
biggest economy.
At around 0830 GMT yesterday, US benchmark West Texas
Intermediate for delivery in
December was up six cents at
$46.08.
Brent crude for December
turned lower and was trading 24 cents down at $48.55 a
barrel.
In Singapore trade at around
0830 GMT, the US dollar was
down against the Singapore
dollar, Taiwan dollar, South
Korean won, Philippine peso,
Indonesian rupiah, Chinese
yuan, Malaysian ringgit and
Thai baht.
The dollar was trading at
120.70 Japanese yen, down from
120.77 in late US trade on Monday. The euro was at $1.1011
from $1.1014 and at 132.88 yen
from 133.02 yen.
The Aussie was up 0.80% at
$0.7204 against the US dollar after the Reserve Banks
decision.

Japans top 10 IPOs and how they fared:

1. NTT Docomo ($16bn): The statebacked wireless carrier is the best example of big returns over a longer period.
It rose 19% on its debut in 1998, then
proceeded to triple over the first year of
trading as investors bet on the growing
use of mobile Internet.
2. Nippon Telegraph & Telephone
Corp ($15.3bn): The nations largest
phone company went public in 1987,
making it the only deal among the top 10
that took place before the collapse of Japans stock-market bubble. NTT jumped
87% in its first year, surpassing its 34%

gain on the first day, as the benchmark

Nikkei stock index headed towards an
all-time high.
3. Dai-Ichi Life Insurance Co
($11.1bn): Investor interest in this rare
IPO from Japans life insurance industry
helped Dai-Ichi shares rise 14% on their
2010 debut. Fierce competition, Japans
shrinking population and the March 2011
earthquake hurt the companys prospects in the following months, dragging
down the shares 13% in their first year.
4. Japan Airlines Co ($8.4bn): The
flag carrier, which was previously struggling under 2.32tn ($19.2bn) of debt, rel-

isted in 2012 after a rescue from a statebacked fund. Ticket discounts handed
out to individual investors buying into
the IPO didnt do much to help the initial
performance, with Japan Airlines rising
just 1.1% on its debut. It eventually gained
56% in the first year as it increased flights
to Southeast Asia.
5. East Japan Railway Co ($7.2bn):
The operator of commuter lines, which
serves 17mn people daily in the greater
Tokyo area, increased focus on property
development around its train stations
after its 1993 listing.
Shares shot up 58% on their first day
for the best performance among the 10
biggest IPOs, before ending their first
year up 27%.
6. Japan Tobacco Inc ($5.9bn):
The maker of Camel cigarettes, which
sold more than 510bn sticks to smokers
worldwide in its latest financial year, was
the only IPO among the top 10 to fall on
its debut day in 1994.
Japan Tobacco initially fared poorly
due to concerns about its reliance on
domestic sales as Japans population
ages. It has since made acquisitions
including RJR Nabisco Holdings Corps
international unit and UK-based Gallaher
Group to boost overseas sales.
7. West Japan Railway Co ($5.5bn):

The company, which runs trains near Japans ancient capital of Kyoto, advanced
just 2% on its October 1996 trading
debut. It then rose 11% during the first
year, buoyed by the opening of a new
commuter line.
8. Central Japan Railway Co
($4.4bn): The operator of bullet trains
from the capital to Osaka gradually attracted local institutional investors as it
expanded its retail business to reduce reliance on rail operations. Shares rose 56%
in a year after the 1997 debut, surpassing
the 7.2% gain on the first day.
9. Suntory Beverage & Food
($3.8bn): The seller of Orangina soda
rose just 1.5% on its July 2013 debut. It
then unveiled plans to spend billions
on acquisitions, driving its shares 27%
higher in the year after it went public.
As promised, it agreed that year to buy
GlaxoSmithKlines Lucozade and Ribena
drinks for 1.35bn ($2.1bn).
10. Electric Power Development
Co ($3.4bn): The company known as
J-Power stepped up cost cuts and expanded sales to utilities to fend off new
competitors on the back of the domestic
electricity markets deregulation. That
drove the power generators shares 31%
higher after a year, outstripping the 3%
gain on its first day in 2004.

Sensex snaps losing

streak; rupee drops
Bloomberg
Mumbai

ost Indian stocks advanced, with

the benchmark ending the longest losing streak in almost six
months, as metal producers and energy
companies climbed.
Vedanta, the biggest copper and zinc
producer, rebounded after declining about
10% over the last two days. Hindalco Industries, an aluminium producer, rose
the most in three weeks. NTPC, the largest power generator, climbed to a threemonth high, while Oil & Natural Gas Corp
increased for a second day. Tata Motors slid
the most since October 30. Larsen & Toubro, the most valuable engineering rm,
completed its longest stretch of losses on
record.
About nine shares climbed for every seven that fell on the broader S&P BSE 100 Index, which rose 0.2%. The S&P BSE Sensex
added 0.1% to 26,590.59 at the close, after
changing direction at least eight times.
The benchmark gauge lost 3.3% in six days
through Monday as results of some of the
biggest companies disappointed investors.
While 68% of Sensex companies that posted results for the September quarter have
matched or beaten estimates, versus 60%
in June, the gauges earnings have risen just
2% over the previous quarter, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
This quarter will mark the bottom in
terms of the degrowth we have seen in
earnings, Mahesh Patil, co-chief investment officer at Birla Sunlife Asset Management Co, which has $19bn in assets, said
in an interview to Bloomberg TV India.
Growth should look better because of the
base effect from the quarter ending in December, he said. Patil said hes bullish on
companies linked to urban demand as they
are likely to benet more than manufacturers focused on rural consumption from the
higher income growth and a fall in borrowing costs.

A broker looks at his terminal at a stock brokerage firm in Mumbai. Indias main share index added 0.1% to 26,590.59 at the close
yesterday, after changing direction at least eight times.
Investors are also awaiting the results of
the Bihar state elections, due on Sunday.
The polls are important for Prime Minister
Narendra Modis efforts to control the upper house of parliament, where opposition
parties have blocked key economic proposals including a nationwide sales tax. A
win would give him momentum in about
a dozen more state elections through 2017
that will determine control of the body.
The market is looking forward to the
Bihar election to see if the government is
able to consolidate its position so that the
pace of reforms accelerates, Patil said.
Vedanta added 1.5%, paring this years
loss to 54%. Hindalco increased 1.7% to

its highest level since October 30. NTPC

rallied 2.3%, the best performer on the
Sensex. Mahindra & Mahindra, a tractor
maker, increased 2%.
GAIL India, the biggest gas supplier, posted a second-quarter prot of
Rs4.41bn, missing the Rs5.2bn estimate.
The shares fell 1.1%. Earnings were announced after trading ended.
Tata Motors lost 1.5%, the most since
October 30. Larsen & Toubro slid 1.1% in
an 11th day of drop, the most since at least
1991. The stock is trading at its lowest level
since May 2014. Amtek Auto jumped 14%,
paring this years loss to 75%. The company is looking to sell 25% to 40% stakes

in its units overseas, John Flintham, senior

managing director at Amtek, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV India. Global
funds sold a net Rs68mn of local stocks on
November 2, paring this years inow to
$4.4bn.
The Sensex has fallen 3.3% this year and
trades at 15.5 times projected 12-month
earnings. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is valued at a multiple of 11.3.
Meanwhile, the rupee weakened 0.1%
to 65.6550 a dollar in Mumbai, prices from
local banks compiled by Bloomberg show.
The currency fell to 65.7125 earlier, the lowest since September 30. Thats after gaining as much as 0.3% intraday.

As Modi triples spending, India infrastructure stocks cheer with 73% rally
Bloomberg
Mumbai

Modi: Focusing on improving public utilities.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis

decision to triple spending on roads and
highways is cheering builders in India,
especially the smaller contractors, as he
steps up efforts to upgrade the nations
creaky infrastructure.
A custom index of eight stocks has
gained 8.6% this year, compared with
the 3.3% drop in the benchmark S&P BSE
Sensex. The gauge has surged 73% since
Modis Bharatiya Janata Party swept
to power last May, as construction rebounded fourfold to about 13 kilometres
(8 miles) a day.
Spending jumped threefold to
Rs350bn ($5.3bn) in the April-August
period this year, sparking a rally that
more than quadrupled the market value
of Gayatri Projects in 2015.
Infrastructure is a sector that has
high visibility, said Arvind Gupta, chief
financial officer at Mumbai-based J
Kumar Infraprojects, whose shares have
advanced 48%. Any government needs
to follow the development mandate.
The voter sent a clear signal that she will

vote only for someone who will enable

development. The outperformance of
road builders stands in contrast to the
nations power producers that are grappling with erratic fuel supplies and losses
from selling below cost to state-owned
distributors. An index of 19 generators
has slid 8% this year, underscoring the
challenge to Modis goal of improving
public utilities. India is ranked 90 out of
144 by the World Economic Forum for
the quality of its infrastructure.
In his first year in office, Modi agreed
to fund up to 40% of public-private highway projects, fast-tracked forest permits
while ensuring that at least 80% of the
land is in government possession before
contracts are given as he tries to unclog
some $212bn of stalled infrastructure
projects.
The steps have reduced the risk of
projects getting stuck pending land
acquisition, a key roadblock in pushing
investment, said Vijay Kumar C, an analyst at India Ratings & Research, the local
unit of Fitch Ratings.
In August, Modi allowed developers to sell 100% stake in completed
road projects, a move that would help
companies raise money to repay debt or

invest in other projects. Besides Gayatri

Projects, KNR Constructions has surged
82% this year, while Madhucon Projects
has more than doubled. Sadbhav Engineering is up 23%.
Stocks of smaller road companies
with better balance sheets have risen
and they will continue to do well due to
governments thrust on the sector, said
Adhidev Chattopadhyay, an analyst at
Mumbai-based brokerage Elara Securities India Pvt.
Its an opportunity for investors as
it is comparatively easier to track this
sector in terms of bidders and the size
of orders.
On the other hand, a solution to end
Indias notorious blackouts isnt in sight
yet. Some areas of the nation, including
the most populous northern state of
Uttar Pradesh, continue to experience
hours of outages during summer when
the demand peaks and cash-starved
state utilities cut back on electricity
purchases.
While Modis government has managed to boost fuel output at state-owned
Coal India, lowering the need for costly
imports, stressed assets at a 13-year high
at Indian banks have made lenders reluc-

tant to take on more risk, stalling other

infrastructure projects. Moreover, power
distributors are forced to sell below cost
to keep tariffs affordable, while delays
in government subsidy payments strain
their finances.
Roads and power are both very important segments of infrastructure and
would require most of the capital, said
Abhishek Tyagi, a Singapore-based analyst at Moodys. In power, distribution
companies arent able to buy more, leading to poor utilisation rates. PTC India is
the worst performer this year on the S&P
BSE India Power Index, with a drop of
32%, followed by Adani Power, which has
slid 31%. Bharat Heavy Electricals, the
nations top power-equipment maker,
and GMR Infrastructure are among the
bottom five in the 19-member gauge.
Billionaire Gautam Adani-owned
Adani Power may report a record Rs13bn
loss in the year ending March 31, according to analyst estimates compiled by
Bloomberg. GMR Infrastructure, which
gets 41% of its revenue from power, may
report a loss of Rs13.8bn. Earnings at
state-owned NTPC, the biggest generator, may drop to a six-year low in the 12
months ending in March.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

BUSINESS
SAUDI ARABIA
Company Name

QATAR
Company Name
Zad Holding Co
Widam Food Co
Vodafone Qatar
United Development Co
Salam International Investme
Qatar & Oman Investment Co
Qatar Navigation
Qatar National Cement Co
Qatar National Bank
Qatar Islamic Insurance
Qatar Industrial Manufactur
Qatar International Islamic
Qatari Investors Group
Qatar Islamic Bank
Qatar Gas Transport(Nakilat)
Qatar General Insurance & Re
Qatar German Co For Medical
Qatar Fuel Qsc
Qatar Electricity & Water Co
Qatar Cinema & Film Distrib
Qatar Insurance Co
Ooredoo Qsc
National Leasing
Mazaya Qatar Real Estate Dev
Mesaieed Petrochemical Holdi
Al Meera Consumer Goods Co
Medicare Group
Mannai Corporation Qsc
Masraf Al Rayan
Al Khalij Commercial Bank
Industries Qatar
Islamic Holding Group
Gulf Warehousing Company
Gulf International Services
Ezdan Holding Group
Doha Insurance Co
Doha Bank Qsc
Dlala Holding
Commercial Bank Qsc
Barwa Real Estate Co
Al Khaleej Takaful Group
Aamal Co

Lt Price
91.00
52.60
14.10
24.29
12.60
13.88
98.20
107.20
182.50
73.00
42.50
74.20
45.30
119.90
24.98
55.50
15.75
162.00
216.80
38.00
94.00
76.70
16.80
16.21
20.51
233.90
159.80
98.00
42.40
21.45
120.50
103.00
62.40
61.50
19.14
23.01
50.00
21.22
53.00
44.80
33.25
13.90

% Chg
0.44
0.96
-0.98
-0.25
0.08
-0.14
0.10
1.13
-0.27
-0.68
0.00
-0.40
-0.33
1.18
0.32
-0.54
-2.48
0.25
0.14
0.00
-0.63
-0.65
0.42
0.37
-0.10
-0.26
-0.13
-0.31
0.00
1.85
-0.41
3.00
0.00
-2.07
-0.83
0.00
0.30
-1.76
-0.38
-0.33
-0.15
0.14

Volume
1,000
91,169
282,676
154,360
244,310
11,998
4,978
1,429
44,383
15,681
26,857
22,973
29,829
135,122
2,880,089
11,173
69,626
85,331
16,860
46,686
97,838
49,606
520,520
77,153
3,831
4,803
5,682
864,768
8,455
271,843
2,494
32
250,524
445,284
247,754
106,199
68,738
167,970
3,060
54,124

SAUDI ARABIA
Company Name
United Wire Factories Compan
Etihad Etisalat Co
Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev
Saudi Hollandi Bank
Rabigh Refining And Petroche
Banque Saudi Fransi
Saudi Enaya Cooperative Insu
Mediterranean & Gulf Insuran
Saudi British Bank
Mohammad Al Mojil Group Co
Red Sea Housing Services Co
Takween Advanced Industries
Sabb Takaful
Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co
National Gypsum
Saudi Ceramic Co
National Gas & Industrializa
Saudi Pharmaceutical Industr
Thimar
National Industrialization C
Saudi Transport And Investme
Saudi Electricity Co
Saudi Arabia Refineries Co
Arriyadh Development Company
Al-Baha Development & Invest
Saudi Research And Marketing
Aldrees Petroleum And Transp
Saudi Vitrified Clay Pipe Co
Jarir Marketing Co
Arab National Bank
Yanbu National Petrochemical
Arabian Cement
Middle East Specialized Cabl
Al Khaleej Training And Educ
Al Sagr Co-Operative Insuran
Trade Union Cooperative Insu
Arabia Insurance Cooperative
Saudi Chemical Company
Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair & C
Bupa Arabia For Cooperative
Wafa Insurance
Jabal Omar Development Co
Saudi Basic Industries Corp
Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co
Etihad Atheeb Telecommunicat
Co For Cooperative Insurance
National Petrochemical Co
Gulf Union Cooperative Insur
Gulf General Cooperative Ins
Basic Chemical Industries
Saudi Steel Pipe Co
Buruj Cooperative Insurance
Mouwasat Medical Services Co
Southern Province Cement Co
Maadaniyah
Yamama Cement Co
Jazan Development Co
Zamil Industrial Investment
Alujain Corporation (Alco)
Tabuk Agricultural Developme
United Co-Operative Assuranc
Qassim Cement/The
Saudi Advanced Industries
Kingdom Holding Co
Saudi Arabian Amiantit Co
Al Jouf Agriculture Developm
Saudi Industrial Development
Bishah Agriculture
Riyad Bank
The National Agriculture Dev
Halwani Bros Co
Arabian Pipes Co
Eastern Province Cement Co
Al Qassim Agricultural Co
Filing & Packing Materials M
Saudi Cable Co
Tihama Advertising & Public
Saudi Investment Bank/The
Astra Industrial Group
Saudi Public Transport Co
Taiba Holding Co
Saudi Industrial Export Co
Saudi Real Estate Co
Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Co
National Shipping Co Of/The
Methanol Chemicals Co
Ace Arabia Cooperative Insur
Mobile Telecommunications Co
Saudi Arabian Coop Ins Co
Axa Cooperative Insurance
Alsorayai Group
Weqaya For Takaful Insurance
Bank Albilad
Al-Hassan G.I. Shaker Co
Wataniya Insurance Co
Abdullah Al Othaim Markets
Hail Cement

Lt Price
22.89
27.85
6.43
28.99
14.22
27.91
15.86
25.94
25.71
12.55
22.48
38.17
38.62
80.92
16.63
52.98
23.68
34.60
39.26
12.09
57.81
16.52
42.31
18.47
13.50
22.15
48.31
84.02
156.93
26.01
40.55
48.25
9.34
42.78
29.11
20.16
8.97
58.55
66.52
213.45
14.21
55.40
80.79
8.37
5.23
77.74
20.77
12.64
18.56
22.56
21.59
17.81
117.13
73.72
25.66
36.01
13.08
38.50
17.47
14.19
12.27
72.84
12.66
17.04
10.37
39.13
11.52
69.75
12.70
31.77
74.75
13.14
34.70
13.06
35.97
8.08
32.23
18.18
20.95
19.71
33.30
36.23
21.44
137.51
42.50
8.87
54.85
8.85
18.02
16.19
13.42
19.39
21.54
30.84
63.51
90.25
15.22

% Chg
-0.65
-0.85
-1.23
1.36
-1.39
-1.38
0.76
-1.14
-1.12
0.00
-5.07
0.16
-5.32
-2.76
-1.77
-2.23
0.34
-1.14
-3.28
-0.58
-1.93
-1.43
-3.49
-5.38
0.00
9.93
-1.81
-1.34
-3.72
-1.10
-2.27
-1.93
-1.16
-0.60
-0.17
0.30
4.42
-0.85
-0.30
-4.18
1.21
-6.84
-2.45
-1.53
1.95
-2.68
-1.28
1.04
-0.32
-2.21
-0.83
0.17
1.85
0.63
-1.72
-2.70
-0.68
-1.33
-0.63
3.35
0.57
-0.56
-3.36
-1.39
-2.08
-1.44
-3.19
0.00
-0.47
-0.06
-1.46
-2.09
-0.89
-0.38
-2.55
-0.86
-1.07
0.00
-1.78
-1.89
-1.57
-2.35
-2.99
-0.17
-0.68
-0.34
-1.24
-1.01
-0.66
-0.55
-1.03
0.00
-3.02
-2.44
-2.80
-1.37
-1.55

Volume
771,252
2,186,144
21,871,942
573,995
1,079,535
61,631
814,240
1,528,278
193,892
1,044,371
279,457
3,403,892
196,856
421,018
460,629
46,108
147,685
479,307
1,121,897
526,281
1,737,081
715,842
2,950,869
39,862
262,272
16,473
160,061
69,723
410,065
282,322
1,081,595
19,907
827,683
567,872
4,890,863
85,231
95,305
124,644
2,517,086
1,202,240
7,239,765
3,464,652
8,233,586
98,333
204,668
422,234
316,270
320,449
212,221
485,703
125,045
50,879
508,089
244,876
601,329
316,763
205,736
2,893,405
409,546
59,517
769,398
372,954
1,251,717
38,777
3,709,687
1,681,857
173,870
10,843
590,344
64,433
1,733,952
552,084
1,767,481
2,472,606
43,772
310,708
2,224,827
75,603
396,263
480,430
18,399
1,994,033
772,976
69,121
6,549,128
520,279
738,902
185,948
840,729
252,970
87,624
93,905
151,147

Saudi Re For Cooperative Rei

Solidarity Saudi Takaful Co
Amana Cooperative Insurance
Alabdullatif Industrial Inv
Saudi Printing & Packaging C
Sanad Cooperative Insurance
Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co
Alinma Bank
Almarai Co
Falcom Saudi Equity Etf
United International Transpo
Hsbc Amanah Saudi 20 Etf
Saudi International Petroche
Falcom Petrochemical Etf
Saudi United Cooperative Ins
Bank Al-Jazira
Al Rajhi Bank
Samba Financial Group
United Electronics Co
Allied Cooperative Insurance
Malath Cooperative & Reinsur
Alinma Tokio Marine
Arabian Shield Cooperative
Savola
Wafrah For Industry And Deve
Fitaihi Holding Group
Tourism Enterprise Co/ Shams
Sahara Petrochemical Co
Herfy Food Services Co

KUWAIT
Lt Price
7.56
8.39
9.15
29.99
22.80
15.23
16.79
14.58
73.75
25.00
49.09
30.10
17.05
23.50
11.26
17.36
49.99
22.35
46.80
17.77
21.15
16.49
29.88
51.06
24.26
16.58
34.85
11.85
101.01

% Chg
1.20
4.74
9.58
-0.86
9.88
0.00
9.67
-1.82
0.63
-1.96
-2.42
0.00
-0.64
0.00
0.09
0.23
-1.88
-1.11
-0.83
-0.11
-1.12
-0.06
3.03
-1.26
-3.23
-1.78
-2.13
-1.41
0.62

Volume
3,925,603
6,852,100
1,340,423
34,602
6,488,305
2,914,552
62,235,857
260,292
185,162
129,735
708,836
816,675
2,133,029
3,868,986
472,473
74,879
1,271,084
1,641,114
488,169
395,190
237,185
537,359
313,301
263,921
1,981,989
49,775

KUWAIT
Company Name
Securities Group Co
Sultan Center Food Products
Kuwait Foundry Co Sak
Kuwait Financial Centre Sak
Ajial Real Estate Entmt
Gulf Glass Manuf Co -Kscc
Kuwait Finance & Investment
National Industries Co Ksc
Kuwait Real Estate Holding C
Securities House/The
Boubyan Petrochemicals Co
Al Ahli Bank Of Kuwait
Ahli United Bank (Almutahed)
National Bank Of Kuwait
Commercial Bank Of Kuwait
Kuwait International Bank
Gulf Bank
Al-Massaleh Real Estate Co
Al Arabiya Real Estate Co
Kuwait Remal Real Estate Co
Alkout Industrial Projects C
Aayan Real Estate Co Sak
Investors Holding Group Co.K
Al-Mazaya Holding Co
Al-Madar Finance & Invt Co
Gulf Petroleum Investment
Mabanee Co Sakc
City Group
Inovest Co Bsc
Kuwait Gypsum Manufacturing
Al-Deera Holding Co
Alshamel International Hold
Mena Real Estate Co
National Slaughter House
Amar Finance & Leasing Co
United Projects Group Kscc
National Consumer Holding Co
Amwal International Investme
Jeeran Holdings
Equipment Holding Co K.S.C.C
Nafais Holding
Safwan Trading & Contracting
Arkan Al Kuwait Real Estate
Gfh Financial Group Bsc
Energy House Holding Co Kscp
Kuwait Slaughter House Co
Kuwait Co For Process Plant
Al Maidan Dental Clinic Co K
National Ranges Company
Al-Themar Real International
Al Ahleia Insurance Co Sak
Wethaq Takaful Insurance Co
Salbookh Trading Co Kscp
Aqar Real Estate Investments
Hayat Communications
Kuwait Packing Materials Mfg
Soor Fuel Marketing Co Ksc
Alargan International Real
Burgan Co For Well Drilling
Kuwait Resorts Co Kscc
Oula Fuel Marketing Co
Palms Agro Production Co
Ikarus Petroleum Industries
Mubarrad Transport Co
Al Mowasat Health Care Co
Shuaiba Industrial Co
Hits Telecom Holding
First Takaful Insurance Co
Kuwaiti Syrian Holding Co
National Cleaning Company
Eyas For High & Technical Ed
United Real Estate Company
Agility
Kuwait & Middle East Fin Inv
Fujairah Cement Industries
Livestock Transport & Tradng
International Resorts Co
National Industries Grp Hold
Marine Services Co
Warba Insurance Co
Kuwait United Poultry Co
First Dubai Real Estate Deve
Al Arabi Group Holding Co
Kuwait Hotels Sak
Mobile Telecommunications Co
Al Safat Real Estate Co
Tamdeen Real Estate Co Ksc
Al Mudon Intl Real Estate Co
Kuwait Cement Co Ksc
Sharjah Cement & Indus Devel
Kuwait Portland Cement Co
Educational Holding Group
Bahrain Kuwait Insurance
Asiya Capital Investments Co
Kuwait Investment Co
Burgan Bank
Kuwait Projects Co Holdings
Al Madina For Finance And In
Kuwait Insurance Co
Al Masaken Intl Real Estate
Intl Financial Advisors
First Investment Co Kscc
Al Mal Investment Company
Bayan Investment Co Kscc
Egypt Kuwait Holding Co Sae
Coast Investment Development
Privatization Holding Compan
Kuwait Medical Services Co
Injazzat Real State Company
Kuwait Cable Vision Sak
Sanam Real Estate Co Kscc
Ithmaar Bank Bsc
Aviation Lease And Finance C
Arzan Financial Group For Fi
Ajwan Gulf Real Estate Co
Manafae Investment Co Ksc
Kuwait Business Town Real Es
Future Kid Entertainment And
Specialities Group Holding C
Abyaar Real Eastate Developm
Dar Al Thuraya Real Estate C
Al-Dar National Real Estate
Kgl Logistics Company Kscc
Combined Group Contracting
Zima Holding Co Ksc

Lt Price
120.00
73.00
238.00
108.00
182.00
490.00
48.50
210.00
27.00
51.00
550.00
375.00
540.00
820.00
520.00
232.00
270.00
48.50
36.00
42.00
0.00
81.00
29.50
104.00
0.00
57.00
880.00
410.00
58.00
0.00
38.00
0.00
26.50
62.00
0.00
700.00
0.00
0.00
66.00
71.00
162.00
330.00
110.00
42.00
48.00
0.00
206.00
0.00
26.00
90.00
385.00
40.00
86.00
80.00
48.00
390.00
114.00
170.00
97.00
100.00
116.00
0.00
102.00
83.00
0.00
415.00
31.50
65.00
28.00
46.00
0.00
98.00
510.00
33.50
75.00
138.00
34.00
144.00
104.00
112.00
176.00
55.00
84.00
0.00
365.00
0.00
495.00
38.50
370.00
88.00
1,160.00
216.00
0.00
39.00
110.00
400.00
580.00
52.00
300.00
51.00
35.50
66.00
34.50
39.00
190.00
35.00
54.00
20.00
76.00
30.50
42.00
46.50
224.00
43.00
29.50
59.00
42.50
0.00
87.00
33.00
0.00
30.50
71.00
780.00
91.00

% Chg
7.14
0.00
0.00
1.89
0.00
-2.00
0.00
0.00
-1.82
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.82
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.41
1.20
0.00
1.25
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
2.50
0.00
0.00
2.70
0.00
-1.85
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.54
-1.39
6.58
0.00
0.00
-1.18
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
4.00
0.00
1.32
-4.76
-1.15
0.00
-1.03
0.00
3.64
0.00
4.30
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.22
0.00
0.00
3.28
0.00
0.00
3.37
0.00
-2.00
-3.77
1.52
0.00
0.00
-1.45
0.00
0.00
3.70
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.35
0.00
0.00
5.48
-1.33
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.30
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.96
0.00
-3.77
0.00
0.00
-1.43
-1.27
0.00
2.94
-1.82
-11.11
-2.56
1.67
0.00
0.00
0.90
3.61
-1.67
-7.81
1.19
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.67
7.58
0.00
3.41

Volume
50,000
60,114
41,145
60,000
1,005
1,700
1,000
96
20,000
12,263,173
4,728
129,712
52,886
205,339
250
823,549
28,251
55,000
1,593,361
3,110,600
1,722,997
5,097,919
870,100
11,662,955
1,025
2,501
70,000
25,837
625,263
35,000
571
44,550
3,405,000
232,450
9,750
30,000
875,281
4,000
50
5,297,303
6,750
6,000
2,550
949,050
40,000
271,488
20,554
121,482
1,334,371
12,472
250,000
18,416
190,000
413,875
2,005
5,648,966
8,010
663,400
4,395,141
200,000
3,864,705
135,600
165,365
90,188
289,000
222,023
995
70,203
787
1,116,801
20,000
1,021,104
63,750
13,376,608
4,548
400,000
5,150
10
20,650
170,282
10,864
363,973
5,507,807
20,000
30,000
1,146,000
261,000
1,844,500
643,250
100
926,821
760,500
45,200
1,118,684
5,100
5,133
1,469,900
700
393,268
1,676,069
25,000
2,935,494
10,100
6,070,219
24,803,004
6,140,932
81,000
3,511,920

Company Name
Qurain Holding Co
Boubyan Intl Industries Hold
Gulf Investment House Ksc
Boubyan Bank K.S.C
Ahli United Bank B.S.C
Osos Holding Group Co
Al-Eid Food Ksc
Qurain Petrochemical Industr
Advanced Technology Co
Ekttitab Holding Co Sak
Kout Food Group Ksc
Real Estate Trade Centers Co
Acico Industries Co Kscc
Kipco Asset Management Co
National Petroleum Services
Alimtiaz Investment Co Kscc
Ras Al Khaimah White Cement
Kuwait Reinsurance Co Ksc
Kuwait & Gulf Link Transport
Human Soft Holding Co Ksc
Automated Systems Co Kscc
Metal & Recycling Co
Gulf Franchising Holding Co
Al-Enmaa Real Estate Co
National Mobile Telecommuni
Al Bareeq Holding Co Kscc
Housing Finance Co Sak
Al Salam Group Holding Co
United Foodstuff Industries
Al Aman Investment Company
Mashaer Holdings Co Ksc
Manazel Holding
Mushrif Trading & Contractin
Tijara And Real Estate Inves
Kuwait Building Materials
Jazeera Airways Co Ksc
Commercial Real Estate Co
Future Communications Co
National International Co
Taameer Real Estate Invest C
Gulf Cement Co
Heavy Engineering And Ship B
Refrigeration Industries & S
National Real Estate Co
Al Safat Energy Holding Comp
Kuwait National Cinema Co
Danah Alsafat Foodstuff Co
Independent Petroleum Group
Kuwait Real Estate Co Ksc
Salhia Real Estate Co Ksc
Gulf Cable & Electrical Ind
Al Nawadi Holding Co Ksc
Kuwait Finance House
Gulf North Africa Holding Co
Hilal Cement Co
Osoul Investment Kscc
Gulf Insurance Group Ksc
Kuwait Food Co (Americana)
Umm Al Qaiwain Cement Indust

OMAN
Lt Price
6.50
37.50
37.00
435.00
208.00
80.00
0.00
188.00
0.00
36.00
580.00
27.00
285.00
102.00
600.00
74.00
102.00
0.00
51.00
1,080.00
325.00
70.00
100.00
65.00
1,040.00
110.00
33.00
42.50
140.00
61.00
112.00
34.50
73.00
42.50
210.00
480.00
84.00
110.00
66.00
29.00
82.00
142.00
325.00
85.00
13.50
980.00
89.00
265.00
61.00
320.00
410.00
80.00
560.00
34.50
134.00
39.00
600.00
2,260.00
81.00

% Chg
-13.33
-2.60
-1.33
0.00
-0.95
1.27
0.00
0.00
0.00
4.35
0.00
-3.57
-3.39
0.00
0.00
0.00
-3.77
0.00
5.15
1.89
0.00
7.69
0.00
-1.52
0.00
0.00
4.76
-1.16
0.00
-1.61
0.00
2.99
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.18
-5.17
1.54
1.75
1.23
1.43
1.56
2.41
-3.57
3.16
1.14
0.00
-1.61
0.00
0.00
-3.61
0.00
1.47
0.00
-1.27
0.00
-1.74
0.00

Volume
13,100
4,198,780
4,883,642
107,955
116,100
1,778,045
67,406
3,400,897
4,800
142,500
7,119
117,835
1,111
170,100
500
2,314,727
3,296
5,000
10
48,000
683,739
23,696
2,651,000
6,979,729
3,152,899
30,000
3,246,485
40,080
3,945,416
9,616,654
58,491
10,000
1,950
607,144
10
185,010
499,700
80,000
58,735
19,750
240,500
703,623
2,200
680,534
8,679
1,487,000
17,500
23,758
94,476
214,588
1,873,278
14,020
6,150
49
250,200
2,740

OMAN
Company Name
Voltamp Energy Saog
United Power/Energy Co- Pref
United Power Co Saog
United Finance Co
Ubar Hotels & Resorts
Takaful Oman
Taageer Finance
Sweets Of Oman
Sohar Power Co
Sohar Poultry
Smn Power Holding Saog
Shell Oman Marketing - Pref
Shell Oman Marketing
Sharqiyah Desalination Co Sa
Sembcorp Salalah Power & Wat
Salalah Port Services
Salalah Mills Co
Salalah Beach Resort Saog
Sahara Hospitality
Renaissance Services Saog
Raysut Cement Co
Port Service Corporation
Phoenix Power Co Saoc
Packaging Co Ltd
Ooredoo
Ominvest
Oman United Insurance Co
Oman Textile Holding Co Saog
Oman Telecommunications Co
Oman Refreshment Co
Oman Packaging
Oman Orix Leasing Co.
Oman Oil Marketing Company
Oman National Engineering An
Oman Investment & Finance
Oman Intl Marketing
Oman Hotels & Tourism Co
Oman Foods International Soa
Oman Flour Mills
Oman Fisheries Co
Oman Fiber Optics
Oman Europe Foods Industries
Oman Education & Training In
Oman Chromite
Oman Chlorine
Oman Ceramic Com
Oman Cement Co
Oman Cables Industry
Oman Agricultural Dev
Oman & Emirates Inv(Om)50%
Natl Aluminium Products
National Securities
National Real Estate Develop
National Pharmaceutical
National Mineral Water
National Hospitality Institu
National Gas Co
National Finance Co
National Detergent Co Saog
National Biscuit Industries
National Bank Of Oman Saog
Muscat Thread Mills Co
Muscat National Holding
Muscat Gases Company Saog
Muscat Finance
Majan Glass Company
Majan College
Hsbc Bank Oman
Hotels Management Co Interna
Gulf Stone
Gulf Plastic Industries Co
Gulf Mushroom Company
Gulf Investments Services
Gulf Invest. Serv. Pref-Shar
Gulf International Chemicals
Gulf Hotels (Oman) Co Ltd
Global Fin Investment
Galfar Engineering&Contract
Galfar Engineering -Prefer
Financial Services Co.
Financial Corp/The
Dhofar University
Dhofar Tourism
Dhofar Poultry
Dhofar Intl Development
Dhofar Insurance
Dhofar Fisheries & Food Indu
Dhofar Cattlefeed
Dhofar Beverages Co
Construction Materials Ind
Computer Stationery Inds
Bankmuscat Saog
Bank Sohar
Bank Nizwa
Bank Dhofar Saog

Lt Price
0.44
1.00
2.77
0.13
0.13
0.11
0.13
1.34
0.38
0.21
0.76
1.05
2.00
4.59
2.70
0.65
1.49
1.38
2.50
0.17
1.13
0.16
0.15
0.48
0.77
0.51
0.25
0.37
1.64
2.48
0.28
0.14
2.00
0.26
0.19
0.52
0.24
0.48
0.47
0.06
5.26
1.00
0.18
3.64
0.53
0.45
0.45
1.94
1.45
0.11
0.23
0.17
5.00
0.10
0.06
2.05
0.32
0.15
0.70
3.75
0.32
0.13
1.86
0.83
0.14
0.22
0.52
0.12
1.25
0.11
0.39
0.39
0.10
0.12
0.29
10.50
0.10
0.09
0.39
0.17
0.11
1.47
0.49
0.18
0.40
0.21
1.28
0.21
0.26
0.04
0.26
0.54
0.18
0.08
0.24

% Chg
0.00
0.00
0.00
-0.79
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.73
-0.44
0.00
0.66
0.00
0.52
0.00
-0.78
2.78
0.62
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.57
0.00
0.00
19.05
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
2.91
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.25
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.86
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
2.00
0.00
0.35
0.00
0.00
1.16
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
0.57
0.00
0.00

Volume
315,200
32,550
6,700
1,605
665,497
26,000
421,899
708,601
88,000
110,359
82,084
508,868
30,000
6,010
25,000
54,295
100,000
9,115
3,793,669
148,000
8,000
582,920
1,638,023
367,788
331,100
25,901

Company Name
Areej Vegetable Oils
Aloula Co
Al-Omaniya Financial Service
Al-Hassan Engineering Co
Al-Fajar Al-Alamia Co
Al-Anwar Ceramic Tiles Co
Al Suwadi Power
Al Shurooq Inv Ser
Al Sharqiya Invest Holding
Al Maha Petroleum Products M
Al Maha Ceramics Co Saoc
Al Madina Takaful Insurance
Al Madina Investment Co
Al Kamil Power Co
Al Jazerah Services -Pfd
Al Jazeera Steel Products Co
Al Jazeera Services
Al Izz Islamic Bank
Al Buraimi Hotel
Al Batinah Power
Al Batinah Hotels
Al Batinah Dev & Inv
Al Anwar Holdings Saog
Ahli Bank
Acwa Power Barka Saog
Abrasives Manufacturing Co S
Asaffa Foods Saog
0Man Oil Marketing Co-Pref
#N/A Invalid Security
#N/A Invalid Security
#N/A Invalid Security
#N/A Invalid Security
#N/A Invalid Security
#N/A Invalid Security
#N/A Invalid Security

Lt Price
5.51
0.53
0.31
0.09
0.75
0.34
0.22
1.04
0.12
1.96
0.45
0.09
0.06
0.31
0.55
0.18
0.41
0.07
0.88
0.22
1.13
0.10
0.19
0.20
0.81
0.05
0.86
0.25
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

% Chg
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.49
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.77
0.00
-1.75
1.19
0.00
0.00
0.00
-7.37
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-0.99
2.17
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

Volume
6,000
343,781
9,770
25,457
52,000
487,456
37,500
325,000
24,000
2,129,331
542
50,000
-

UAE
Company Name
Waha Capital Pjsc
United Insurance Company
United Arab Bank Pjsc
Union National Bank/Abu Dhab
Union Insurance Co
Union Cement Co
Umm Al Qaiwain Cement Indust
Sharjah Islamic Bank
Sharjah Insurance Company
Sharjah Group
Sharjah Cement & Indus Devel
Ras Al-Khaimah National Insu
Ras Al Khaimah White Cement
Ras Al Khaimah Ceramics
Ras Al Khaimah Cement Co Psc
Ras Al Khaima Poultry
Rak Properties
Ooredoo Qsc
Oman & Emirates Inv(Emir)50%
Nbad Oneshare Msci Uae Etf
National Takaful Company
National Marine Dredging Co
National Investor Co/The
National Corp Tourism & Hote
National Bank Of Umm Al Qaiw
National Bank Of Ras Al-Khai
National Bank Of Fujairah
National Bank Of Abu Dhabi
Methaq Takaful Insurance
Manazel Real Estate Pjsc
Invest Bank
Intl Fish Farming Co Pjsc
Insurance House
Gulf Pharmaceutical Industri
Gulf Medical Projects
Gulf Cement Co
Green Crescent Insurance Co
Fujairah Cement Industries
Fujairah Building Industries
Foodco Holding
First Gulf Bank
Finance House
Eshraq Properties Co Pjsc
Emirates Telecom Group Co
Emirates Insurance Co. (Psc)
Emirates Driving Company
Dana Gas
Commercial Bank Internationa
Bank Of Sharjah
Arkan Building Materials Co
Alkhaleej Investment
Aldar Properties Pjsc
Al Wathba National Insurance
Al Khazna Insurance Co
Al Fujairah National Insuran
Al Dhafra Insurance Co. P.S.
Al Buhaira National Insuranc
Al Ain Ahlia Ins. Co.
Agthia Group Pjsc
Abu Dhabi Ship Building Co
Abu Dhabi Natl Co For Buildi
Abu Dhabi National Takaful C
Abu Dhabi National Insurance
Abu Dhabi National Hotels
Abu Dhabi National Energy Co
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

Lt Price
2.18
2.00
5.52
5.50
1.20
1.14
1.08
1.63
3.85
1.35
1.01
4.10
1.30
3.55
0.91
1.60
0.57
74.00
1.38
6.26
1.08
4.50
0.72
4.50
3.10
6.80
3.07
8.65
0.84
0.62
2.25
6.95
0.81
2.51
2.50
0.98
0.73
1.35
1.90
4.00
12.25
2.22
0.63
15.35
6.72
5.00
0.47
1.55
1.65
0.85
2.45
2.48
4.50
0.30
300.00
4.80
2.50
60.00
7.90
2.85
0.51
4.73
3.15
2.75
0.49
4.19

% Chg
0.46
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.16
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
2.90
3.41
0.00
1.79
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-2.54
-0.92
1.20
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
7.35
0.00
0.00
0.00
-0.41
-9.76
3.28
0.66
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
4.43
1.19
0.00
4.64
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
2.60
2.89
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
2.08
-1.18

Volume
698,351
1,229,502
5,000
226,050
629,808
761,996
55,000
100,000
434,960
3,745,413
1,807,070
64,400
500
2,818,908
91,000
4,344,090
1,908,244
18,482,000
201,000
3,000
27,277,733
65,199
7,799
543,751
159,433

BAHRAIN
Company Name
Zain Bahrain Bscc
United Paper Industries Bsc
United Gulf Investment Corp
United Gulf Bank
Trafco Group Bsc
Takaful International Co
Taib Bank -$Us
Seef Properties
Securities & Investment Co
National Hotels Co
National Bank Of Bahrain Bsc
Nass Corp Bsc
Khaleeji Commercial Bank
Ithmaar Bank Bsc
Investcorp Bank -$Us
Inovest Co Bsc
Gulf Monetary Group
Gulf Hotel Group B.S.C
Global Investment House Kpsc
Gfh Financial Group Bsc
Esterad Investment Co B.S.C.
Delmon Poultry Co
Bmmi Bsc
Bmb Investment Bank
Bbk Bsc
Bankmuscat Saog
Banader Hotels Co
Bahrain Tourism Co
Bahrain Telecom Co
Bahrain Ship Repair & Engin
Bahrain National Holding
Bahrain Kuwait Insurance
Bahrain Islamic Bank
Bahrain Flour Mills Co
Bahrain Family Leisure Co
Bahrain Duty Free Complex
Bahrain Commercial Facilitie
Bahrain Cinema Co
Bahrain Car Park Co
Arab Insurance Group(Bsc)-$
Arab Banking Corp Bsc-$Us
Aluminium Bahrain Bsc
Albaraka Banking Group
Al-Salam Bank
Al-Ahlia Insurance Co

Lt Price
0.18
0.00
0.00
0.39
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.20
0.00
0.00
0.72
0.15
0.06
0.15
640.00
0.17
0.00
0.83
0.00
0.17
0.21
0.00
0.86
0.00
0.43
0.00
`
0.00
0.32
0.00
0.42
0.59
0.10
0.00
0.00
0.85
0.70
1.40
0.00
0.42
0.50
0.44
0.62
0.11
0.30

% Chg
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-1.38
0.00
-1.72
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
-0.61
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
4.76
0.00

Volume
10,000
12,457,235
64,000
10,099
60,575
182,000
879,410
423
37,782
100,000
50,000
200,000
5,000
8,477
9,200
4,000
10,000
102,958
30,000
3,555
50,000
25,000
20,000
11,000
11,752
65,682
22,748

LATEST MARKET CLOSING FIGURES

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

BUSINESS
DJIA

WORLD INDICES
Company Name

Apple Inc
Microsoft Corp
Exxon Mobil Corp
General Electric Co
Johnson & Johnson
Jpmorgan Chase & Co
Pfizer Inc
Procter & Gamble Co/The
Walt Disney Co/The
Verizon Communications Inc
Wal-Mart Stores Inc
Coca-Cola Co/The
Visa Inc-Class A Shares
Chevron Corp
Intel Corp
Home Depot Inc
Merck & Co. Inc.
Cisco Systems Inc
Intl Business Machines Corp
Unitedhealth Group Inc
Nike Inc -Cl B
Mcdonalds Corp
Boeing Co/The
3M Co
United Technologies Corp
Goldman Sachs Group Inc
American Express Co
Du Pont (E.I.) De Nemours
Caterpillar Inc
Travelers Cos Inc/The

Lt Price
122.47
53.56
86.92
29.62
101.92
65.74
34.83
76.58
115.60
46.32
58.19
41.98
77.65
97.53
34.14
124.88
55.21
28.56
141.75
117.26
130.94
111.71
147.58
159.72
98.96
190.90
73.91
64.56
74.77
113.76

% Chg
1.06
0.60
1.92
0.75
-0.25
0.30
-0.67
-0.03
0.48
-0.98
1.01
-0.63
3.23
2.71
0.09
0.38
0.18
-0.73
0.98
-1.20
-0.19
-0.36
-0.55
-0.13
-0.43
0.64
-0.04
0.97
0.58
-0.10

13,996,327
7,891,981
6,596,350
31,941,478
1,687,743
3,144,432
8,083,752
2,398,510
1,953,739
3,616,117
3,836,798
3,185,488
7,566,290
5,979,933
3,890,183
871,924
2,590,461
6,048,178
899,452
930,399
623,365
1,193,257
715,135
612,599
634,277
628,718
1,182,731
1,662,182
1,778,945
367,132

FTSE 100
Company Name
Wpp Plc
Wolseley Plc
Wm Morrison Supermarkets
Whitbread Plc
Vodafone Group Plc
United Utilities Group Plc
Unilever Plc
Tui Ag-Di
Travis Perkins Plc
Tesco Plc
Taylor Wimpey Plc
Standard Life Plc
Standard Chartered Plc
St Jamess Place Plc
Sse Plc
Sports Direct International
Smiths Group Plc
Smith & Nephew Plc
Sky Plc
Shire Plc
Severn Trent Plc
Schroders Plc
Sainsbury (J) Plc
Sage Group Plc/The
Sabmiller Plc
Rsa Insurance Group Plc
Royal Mail Plc
Royal Dutch Shell Plc-B Shs
Royal Dutch Shell Plc-A Shs
Royal Bank Of Scotland Group
Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc
Rio Tinto Plc
Relx Plc
Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc
Randgold Resources Ltd
Prudential Plc
Persimmon Plc
Pearson Plc
Old Mutual Plc
Next Plc
National Grid Plc
Mondi Plc
Merlin Entertainment
Meggitt Plc
Marks & Spencer Group Plc
London Stock Exchange Group
Lloyds Banking Group Plc
Legal & General Group Plc
Land Securities Group Plc
Kingfisher Plc
Johnson Matthey Plc
Itv Plc
Intu Properties Plc
Intl Consolidated Airline-Di
Intertek Group Plc
Intercontinental Hotels Grou
Inmarsat Plc
Imperial Tobacco Group Plc
Hsbc Holdings Plc
Hikma Pharmaceuticals Plc
Hargreaves Lansdown Plc
Hammerson Plc
Glencore Plc
Glaxosmithkline Plc
Gkn Plc
G4s Plc
Fresnillo Plc
Experian Plc
Easyjet Plc
Dixons Carphone Plc
Direct Line Insurance Group
Diageo Plc
Crh Plc
Compass Group Plc
Coca-Cola Hbc Ag-Di
Centrica Plc
Carnival Plc
Capita Plc
Burberry Group Plc
Bunzl Plc
Bt Group Plc
British Land Co Plc
British American Tobacco Plc
Bp Plc
Bhp Billiton Plc
Bg Group Plc
Berkeley Group Holdings
Barratt Developments Plc
Barclays Plc
Bae Systems Plc
Babcock Intl Group Plc
Aviva Plc
Astrazeneca Plc
Associated British Foods Plc
Ashtead Group Plc
Arm Holdings Plc
Antofagasta Plc
Anglo American Plc
Admiral Group Plc
Aberdeen Asset Mgmt Plc
3I Group Plc
#N/A!

Lt Price
1,485.00
3,828.00
171.10
4,849.00
215.20
969.50
2,868.00
1,164.00
1,950.00
184.05
186.90
421.80
663.70
963.00
1,517.00
686.50
989.00
1,103.00
1,088.00
4,705.00
2,215.00
2,983.00
269.70
541.50
4,004.50
415.40
439.90
1,753.50
1,747.50
322.10
696.00
2,339.50
1,161.00
6,295.00
4,293.00
1,544.50
1,918.00
861.00
213.90
7,955.00
914.10
1,502.00
411.50
374.40
519.50
2,544.00
74.34
262.20
1,324.00
349.20
2,628.00
255.60
344.40
583.00
2,625.00
2,607.00
990.50
3,499.00
504.80
2,042.00
1,451.00
622.50
118.80
1,377.50
293.30
244.40
726.50
1,125.00
1,724.00
464.50
394.80
1,876.00
1,789.00
1,084.00
1,568.00
226.70
3,499.00
1,281.00
1,344.00
1,871.00
462.90
861.00
3,841.00
398.45
1,054.50
1,049.00
3,197.00
585.00
233.20
444.10
973.50
488.90
4,155.50
3,420.00
1,035.00
1,036.00
528.00
559.70
1,638.00
354.00
500.50
0.00

% Chg
0.61
-0.34
0.47
-0.61
0.14
-1.42
-0.24
-2.02
-0.20
0.05
-5.70
0.21
-6.99
-0.10
-0.13
-1.08
1.64
-0.18
-0.64
-3.68
-1.07
0.03
0.97
-0.18
0.24
-1.05
-1.21
2.30
2.37
-0.31
0.65
0.78
0.26
0.11
-0.26
1.05
-2.54
-0.06
0.61
-0.19
-0.99
-0.46
0.17
4.84
-0.10
-0.55
-0.88
-0.15
-0.97
-1.77
0.92
0.39
-0.12
-0.77
0.34
0.58
-0.10
0.06
0.26
-0.49
0.35
-1.35
2.77
-1.40
0.34
-0.20
0.62
0.99
0.64
0.32
0.84
0.37
-1.11
0.09
0.77
-0.22
-2.67
-0.23
0.67
0.05
-0.15
-1.26
0.55
2.63
2.78
1.94
-3.27
-4.10
-1.21
0.05
0.78
0.68
-0.01
-0.41
1.27
0.39
1.15
2.83
1.80
2.46
-0.40
0.00

Volume
1,626,616
246,190
2,468,597
233,481
21,824,805
675,239
970,834
274,316
473,092
6,379,566
21,148,645
1,114,047
13,485,821
502,237
886,118
293,473
631,092
855,193
993,354
1,214,996
127,167
218,589
2,789,597
631,435
1,912,873
1,232,540
1,578,741
5,845,455
5,883,231
3,808,775
2,384,203
4,071,011
1,116,435
375,402
293,002
1,315,212
854,927
1,712,815
2,205,103
112,580
3,040,806
308,829
602,746
3,397,766
2,481,972
172,514
77,121,982
4,951,654
867,467
2,776,363
127,872
4,081,638
780,226
3,380,965
227,201
519,757
334,491
1,235,412
12,502,220
273,232
289,358
999,239
40,899,983
4,210,603
1,858,712
781,349
436,705
606,195
772,195
1,695,130
1,689,644
1,064,186
1,159,826
1,302,900
107,889
7,865,080
350,424
299,957
1,194,919
281,398
5,044,275
1,214,693
848,126
25,955,314
5,841,878
6,964,039
225,924
3,911,510
29,081,305
2,007,121
267,434
4,426,455
924,141
463,759
968,697
1,084,476
1,851,575
5,126,697
473,885
1,627,531
606,144
-

TOKYO
Company Name
East Japan Railway Co
Itochu Corp
Fujifilm Holdings Corp
Yamato Holdings Co Ltd
Chubu Electric Power Co Inc
Mitsubishi Estate Co Ltd
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Toshiba Corp
Shiseido Co Ltd
Shionogi & Co Ltd
Tokyo Gas Co Ltd
Tokyo Electron Ltd
Panasonic Corp
Fujitsu Ltd
Central Japan Railway Co
T&D Holdings Inc
Toyota Motor Corp
Kddi Corp
Nitto Denko Corp

Lt Price
11,345.00
1,485.00
4,761.00
2,297.00
1,768.50
2,548.00
595.80
339.70
2,739.00
4,999.00
582.10
7,322.00
1,399.00
561.80
21,515.00
1,567.00
7,387.00
2,849.50
8,250.00

% Chg
-1.94
-2.56
-1.88
-3.91
-5.40
-2.26
-2.98
-0.99
-5.26
0.16
-3.24
0.25
-2.51
-2.33
-3.09
-2.18
-1.10
-3.28
5.44

Indices

Volume

Volume
1,151,400
6,046,500
1,950,300
2,724,500
3,745,800
4,996,000
17,609,000
16,355,000
4,133,100
4,007,600
11,434,000
1,113,900
9,518,700
20,114,000
439,600
1,868,200
6,704,600
7,325,800
2,881,300

Lt Price

Change

Dow Jones Indus. Avg

S&P 500 Index
Nasdaq Composite Index
S&P/Tsx Composite Index
Mexico Bolsa Index
Brazil Bovespa Stock Idx
Ftse 100 Index
Cac 40 Index
Dax Index
Ibex 35 Tr

17,888.72
2,103.82
5,122.86
13,706.33
44,842.43
47,510.08
6,370.91
4,927.70
10,940.78
10,452.40

+59.96
-0.23
-4.28
+83.32
+299.67
+1,641.26
+9.11
+11.49
-9.89
+34.20

Nikkei 225
Japan Topix
Hang Seng Index
All Ordinaries Indx
Nzx All Index
Bse Sensex 30 Index
Nse S&P Cnx Nifty Index
Straits Times Index
Karachi All Share Index
Jakarta Composite Index

18,683.24
1,526.97
22,568.43
5,291.18
1,162.44
26,590.59
8,060.70
2,999.56
23,931.95
4,533.09

-399.86
-31.23
+198.39
+69.90
+6.47
+31.44
+9.90
+25.15
+70.76
+68.13

TOKYO
Company Name
Rakuten Inc
Kyocera Corp
Nissan Motor Co Ltd
Hitachi Ltd
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd
Jfe Holdings Inc
Ana Holdings Inc
Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Gr
Honda Motor Co Ltd
Fast Retailing Co Ltd
Ms&Ad Insurance Group Holdin
Kubota Corp
Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd
Inpex Corp
Resona Holdings Inc
Asahi Kasei Corp
Kirin Holdings Co Ltd
Marubeni Corp
Mitsubishi Ufj Financial Gro
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings
Fanuc Corp
Daito Trust Construct Co Ltd
Otsuka Holdings Co Ltd
Oriental Land Co Ltd
Sekisui House Ltd
Secom Co Ltd
Tokio Marine Holdings Inc
Aeon Co Ltd
Mitsui & Co Ltd
Kao Corp
Dai-Ichi Life Insurance
Mazda Motor Corp
Komatsu Ltd
West Japan Railway Co
Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd
Kansai Electric Power Co Inc
Denso Corp
Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Holdin
Daiwa House Industry Co Ltd
Jx Holdings Inc
Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Meta
Suzuki Motor Corp
Nippon Telegraph & Telephone
Ajinomoto Co Inc
Mitsui Fudosan Co Ltd
Ono Pharmaceutical Co Ltd
Daikin Industries Ltd
Bank Of Yokohama Ltd/The
Toray Industries Inc
Astellas Pharma Inc
Bridgestone Corp
Sony Corp
Hoya Corp
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdin
Japan Tobacco Inc
Osaka Gas Co Ltd
Sumitomo Electric Industries
Daiwa Securities Group Inc
Softbank Group Corp
Mizuho Financial Group Inc
Nomura Holdings Inc
Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd
Ntt Docomo Inc
Sumitomo Realty & Developmen
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd
Orix Corp
Asahi Group Holdings Ltd
Keyence Corp
Nidec Corp
Isuzu Motors Ltd
Unicharm Corp
Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd
Smc Corp
Mitsubishi Corp
Nintendo Co Ltd
Eisai Co Ltd
Sumitomo Corp
Canon Inc
Japan Airlines Co Ltd

Lt Price
1,623.50
5,432.00
1,240.00
688.70
5,859.00
1,809.00
357.80
1,248.00
4,713.00
3,952.00
43,220.00
3,514.00
1,839.00
5,453.00
1,135.50
629.60
726.50
1,634.50
688.80
765.40
742.50
21,115.00
12,930.00
3,985.00
7,397.00
1,972.00
7,903.00
4,621.00
1,761.50
1,507.00
6,101.00
2,094.50
2,381.50
1,967.00
8,063.00
18,120.00
1,516.00
5,546.00
3,735.00
3,092.00
474.20
2,334.50
3,894.00
4,436.00
2,606.00
3,186.00
16,890.00
7,672.00
733.20
1,042.00
1,718.00
4,418.00
3,433.00
4,970.00
459.40
4,124.00
453.10
1,589.50
824.40
6,746.00
244.20
760.00
2,300.00
4,692.00
2,395.00
3,863.00
1,466.50
1,763.00
3,654.00
62,940.00
9,121.00
1,380.50
2,545.00
7,086.00
30,550.00
2,152.00
19,415.00
7,318.00
1,280.50
3,590.00
4,530.00

% Chg
-3.79
-1.29
-2.09
-2.02
-1.20
-5.58
-1.24
-1.73
-3.02
-2.27
-2.61
-2.17
-2.75
-1.05
-1.73
-2.18
-2.68
-5.03
-1.94
-3.19
-2.35
-2.04
-1.60
-1.46
0.20
-2.59
-2.64
-1.51
-2.08
-2.17
-2.21
-0.97
-0.96
-1.75
-5.47
4.41
-2.70
-2.05
-2.43
-3.25
-0.38
-5.52
-2.41
-1.11
-3.73
-3.75
1.26
-2.14
-3.44
-1.93
-2.66
-1.30
-1.35
-1.17
-1.77
-2.07
-5.25
-4.51
-0.93
-0.75
-2.44
-0.73
-3.54
-0.76
1.59
-3.52
-2.91
-1.04
-2.48
-1.01
-0.57
-2.88
-1.93
-2.05
-2.52
-2.73
-0.33
-3.81
-3.76
-1.37
-1.09

Volume
8,278,300
1,553,000
12,020,600
21,428,000
1,817,200
5,867,300
14,712,000
6,430,000
7,697,000
2,974,800
442,500
1,302,600
3,171,000
2,386,200
4,009,900
7,642,300
19,647,000
4,539,700
9,675,600
67,691,900
4,015,000
1,020,600
461,800
1,444,500
1,964,200
2,820,300
781,600
1,480,000
3,721,300
6,839,900
1,573,300
4,435,200
5,214,200
3,690,400
1,504,600
2,249,500
2,417,700
2,623,500
1,045,200
1,978,000
10,739,700
6,523,500
1,237,900
3,499,800
1,970,000
4,634,000
674,300
941,500
2,861,000
4,726,000
7,785,500
1,920,300
6,537,000
1,875,300
18,236,000
3,166,500
14,511,000
4,499,400
7,253,000
4,621,200
145,444,200
18,053,900
3,336,300
3,589,700
7,437,500
3,452,000
2,648,000
7,866,200
1,637,700
217,300
1,541,600
2,892,100
3,510,900
1,057,800
160,800
5,118,200
1,909,400
1,447,400
8,246,600
4,184,100
2,738,600

SENSEX
Company Name
Zee Entertainment Enterprise
Yes Bank Ltd
Wipro Ltd
Vedanta Ltd
Ultratech Cement Ltd
Tech Mahindra Ltd
Tata Steel Ltd
Tata Power Co Ltd
Tata Motors Ltd
Tata Consultancy Svcs Ltd
Sun Pharmaceutical Indus
State Bank Of India
Reliance Industries Ltd
Punjab National Bank
Power Grid Corp Of India Ltd
Oil & Natural Gas Corp Ltd
Ntpc Ltd
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd
Lupin Ltd
Larsen & Toubro Ltd
Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd
Itc Ltd
Infosys Ltd
Indusind Bank Ltd
Idea Cellular Ltd
Icici Bank Ltd
Housing Development Finance
Hindustan Unilever Ltd
Hindalco Industries Ltd
Hero Motocorp Ltd
Hdfc Bank Limited
Hcl Technologies Ltd
Grasim Industries Ltd
Gail India Ltd
Dr. Reddys Laboratories
Coal India Ltd
Cipla Ltd
Cairn India Ltd
Bosch Ltd
Bharti Airtel Ltd
Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd
Bharat Heavy Electricals
Bank Of Baroda
Bajaj Auto Ltd
Axis Bank Ltd
Asian Paints Ltd
Ambuja Cements Ltd
Adani Ports And Special Econ
Acc Ltd

Lt Price
414.90
779.30
574.25
98.40
2,925.50
556.75
235.70
68.85
382.05
2,543.45
868.55
235.95
967.20
130.25
131.65
250.70
135.70
4,482.55
1,232.95
1,874.55
1,373.30
683.10
334.85
1,145.50
911.85
139.30
279.45
1,221.40
804.45
82.35
2,582.75
1,084.90
876.10
3,698.95
307.15
4,335.15
325.85
675.40
154.90
20,700.10
347.65
876.70
201.05
161.95
2,424.55
474.65
814.20
209.70
291.20
1,425.90

% Chg
0.48
0.95
-0.16
1.50
-0.08
0.13
-1.34
0.15
-1.52
1.04
0.37
-0.40
0.77
0.62
2.09
1.33
2.26
-0.29
1.99
-1.32
-1.11
-0.50
-0.70
1.26
-0.20
-0.92
-0.04
0.03
0.21
1.73
1.45
0.17
-0.02
0.21
-1.09
0.90
0.26
-0.71
0.98
0.87
-0.71
0.56
0.42
0.06
-0.33
-0.75
-1.92
-0.14
-1.47
1.97

Volume
2,791,730
3,266,807
1,079,729
13,593,274
191,241
2,055,560
5,288,794
1,970,816
6,296,515
717,943
1,650,395
9,196,151
2,781,704
3,485,920
1,771,578
2,156,856
9,862,737
347,408
718,654
1,532,895
3,892,665
1,141,035
2,761,093
1,916,125
1,186,542
5,708,403
8,660,295
2,681,097
406,790
12,097,014
241,062
684,941
1,087,190
59,567
1,129,182
519,663
1,809,023
1,145,577
1,568,115
11,003
1,577,040
782,723
3,251,435
2,811,266
206,328
10,165,234
1,678,421
4,186,067
3,494,094
450,543

Emblems for the Porsche cars are placed in a box at the production line of the German car manufacturers plant in
Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen (file). Volkswagen has faced new accusations in the ever-widening emissions cheating scandal,
but the German auto giant adamantly denied the new charges.

European markets weather

StanChart, Volkswagen storm
AFP
London

isappointing results from Britains emerging markets bank

Standard Chartered and the
mushrooming scandal at Germanys
troubled automaker Volkswagen dominated trading in Europe yesterday.
StanChart said it sank into the red in
the third quarter with an unexpected
pre-tax third-quarter loss of $139mn,
and outlined surprise plans to raise
$5.1bn in fresh capital to bolster its nances.
Volkswagen meanwhile faced new
accusations in the ever-widening
emissions cheating scandal, but the
German auto giant adamantly denied
the new charges.
Sentiment (was) dominated by the
return of the Volkswagen story and the
surprise bringing forward of a rights
issue by Standard Chartered Bank after the bank slumped to a surprise Q3
loss, said analyst Michael Hewson at
traders CMC Markets.
By late afternoon European markets
had recovered, with Londons FTSE
gaining 0.34% to 6,383.61 points.
In the eurozone, Pariss CAC 40
index closed with a gain of 0.41% at
4,936.18 points, while Frankfurts

DAX 30 ended the day at at 10,951.15

points.
StanChart shares slumped 6.67% to
nish the day at 666 pence in London,
after the bank also announced plans to
axe 15,000 jobs worldwide.
The job losses are part of a major
restructuring that will cost around
$3.0bn, the bank said.
With Standard Chartered announcing a monster rights issue and
slashing jobs, investors are heading for
the exits in droves, said Mike McCudden, head of derivatives at stockbroker
Interactive Investor.
Across in Frankfurt, Volkswagen
shifted into reverse after US regulators
accused it late Monday of tting illegal
defeat devices into its larger 3.0 litre
diesel engines.
The German auto giant, which adamantly denied the new charges, saw its
share price initially nosedive 5%, but
pared the loss to close down 1.51% at
111.
In an affair that has rocked the automobile sector around the world since
it broke in September, the carmaker
has already admitted using the software, which skews the results of pollution tests, in smaller 2.0 litre diesels
equipped in some 11mn cars worldwide.
But the US Environmental Protec-

HONG KONG

HONG KONG

Company Name
Aluminum Corp Of China Ltd-H
Bank Of East Asia
Bank Of China Ltd-H
Bank Of Communications Co-H
Belle International Holdings
Boc Hong Kong Holdings Ltd
Cathay Pacific Airways
Ck Hutchison Holdings Ltd
China Coal Energy Co-H
China Construction Bank-H
China Life Insurance Co-H
China Merchants Hldgs Intl
China Mobile Ltd
China Overseas Land & Invest
China Petroleum & Chemical-H
China Resources Beer Holdin
China Resources Land Ltd
China Resources Power Holdin
China Shenhua Energy Co-H
China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd
Citic Ltd
Clp Holdings Ltd
Cnooc Ltd
Cosco Pacific Ltd
Esprit Holdings Ltd
Fih Mobile Ltd
Hang Lung Properties Ltd
Hang Seng Bank Ltd
Henderson Land Development

tion Agency said late Monday it had

discovered in its investigation that
various six-cylinder 3.0 litre diesel VW
Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and Audis
had also been rigged with the software.
Meanwhile, Europes banking sector remained under pressure from the
Standard Chartered news.
British peer Barclays fell 1.08%
to 233.50 pence and Lloyds Banking
Group dropped 0.71% to 74.47 pence.
In Paris, French pair BNP Paribas
and Societe Generale saw their shares
drop 0.07% and 0.50%, to stand at
55.31 and 42.51 respectively.
The A shares in Shell shot up
2.96% to 1,056.50 pence after the oil
company said it had identied another
$1.0bn in savings from its BG Group
takeover and unveiled a new overhaul
to combat a prolonged downturn in
oil prices.
US stocks pushed higher, with the
Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing
0.49% to 17,916.01 points in midday
trading.
The broad-based S&P 500 added
0.09% to 2,105.89, while the tech-rich
Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.15% to
5,134.96.
In foreign exchange activity, the European single currency slid to $1.0947
from $1.1014 late in New York on Monday.

Lt Price
2.42
28.90
3.56
5.67
7.49
25.10
15.54
104.20
3.38
5.57
27.65
25.95
92.80
25.85
5.61
14.44
21.35
16.76
13.04
9.45
14.42
67.20
8.78
10.03
8.90
3.68
18.66
143.60
49.00

% Chg
0.41
1.76
-0.28
0.35
0.54
2.24
2.78
0.48
0.30
0.36
1.65
2.17
0.43
0.00
1.45
-0.41
2.40
-0.95
0.46
0.53
0.84
0.52
1.97
0.00
0.91
0.27
0.43
1.70
1.14

Volume
12,989,855
1,664,095
388,072,352
26,271,094
11,253,481
7,659,589
2,532,020
3,722,651
9,376,799
215,226,675
35,906,329
2,710,726
10,976,376
19,150,425
55,001,740
7,363,937
12,824,652
9,445,547
11,320,836
28,934,061
15,711,107
2,335,739
44,932,121
6,486,717
7,156,044
3,867,875
1,191,175
3,624,861

Company Name
Hong Kong & China Gas
Hong Kong Exchanges & Clear
Hsbc Holdings Plc
Hutchison Whampoa Ltd
Ind & Comm Bk Of China-H
Li & Fung Ltd
Mtr Corp
New World Development
Petrochina Co Ltd-H
Ping An Insurance Group Co-H
Power Assets Holdings Ltd
Sino Land Co
Sun Hung Kai Properties
Swire Pacific Ltd - Cl A
Tencent Holdings Ltd
Wharf Holdings Ltd

Lt Price
15.74
199.80
60.50
0.00
4.85
6.31
35.55
8.19
6.00
42.95
76.30
11.78
99.75
89.25
150.50
46.95

% Chg
1.29
0.50
0.33
0.00
0.21
0.96
1.57
0.61
0.17
-0.35
0.20
0.68
-0.84
0.73
2.03
2.07

Volume
7,492,903
3,143,537
12,154,269
203,895,224
18,196,964
2,891,888
12,071,380
73,440,643
26,622,688
2,129,221
4,899,247
4,918,884
1,851,142
22,482,139
2,825,357

GCC INDICES
Indices
Doha Securities Market
Saudi Tadawul
Kuwait Stocks Exchange
Bahrain Stock Exchage
Oman Stock Market
Abudhabi Stock Market
Dubai Financial Market

Lt Price
11,516.59
6,955.11
5,794.25
1,259.98
5,948.37
4,322.16
3,521.90

Change
-30.35
-111.13
+9.45
-0.71
+9.80
+23.05
+27.25

Information contained herein is believed to be reliable and had been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. The
accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. This publication is for providing information only and is not intended
as an offer or solicitation for a purchase or sale of any of the financial instruments mentioned. Gulf Times and Doha Bank
or any of their employees shall not be held accountable and will not accept any losses or liabilities for actions based on
this data.

CURRENCIES
DOLLAR

QATAR RIYAL

SAUDI RIYAL

UAE DIRHAMS

BAHRAINI
DINAR

KUWAITI
DINAR

14

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

BUSINESS

Statoil deepens cuts in

North Sea investments
Bloomberg
Oslo

Reuters
Moscow

he pressure is building on North

Sea drillers starved of contracts as
Statoil deepens cuts in investment
to cope with a collapse in crude prices.
In less than 18 months, Norways biggest oil company has scrapped four years
worth of drilling by cancelling or suspending rig contracts, according to Bloomberg
calculations based on Statoil statements.
That includes Mondays cancellation of a
Songa Offshore rig four months early.
The cuts by Statoil, operator of more
than 70% of Norways oil and gas production, are bad news for companies including Transocean, Seadrills North Atlantic
Drilling unit and Fred Olsen Energy, which
have oating rigs idling or completing
offshore contracts in the country in the
coming year, analysts said.
By the time the market turns, they may
be forced to scrap as many as 20 units in
Norway and the UK, said Janne Kvernland
of Nordea Markets.
Well have a graveyard out in the North
Sea, she said in a phone interview. A lot
of rigs are coming off contract, and if Statoil isnt taking any of them, who will?
The almost 60% slump in the price of
North Sea Brent crude over the past 16
months to about $49 a barrel has taken a
heavy toll on offshore drillers as producers
slash investment budgets to shield their
cash ow and maintain dividends. With
charter rates down by more than half over
the past two years, rig owners including Transocean, Seadrill and Ensco Plc
have cut their own shareholder payouts,
slashed costs and renegotiated contracts
to weather a storm that most operators see
lasting to at least 2017.
Dana Petroleum and Capricorn Ireland
Ltd have also terminated contracts for
drillers in the region over the past year
and half.
In addition, sanctions have undone a
$4.1bn deal between North Atlantic Drilling and Rosneft for ve units that were
due to start drilling offshore Russia between 2015 and 2017.

Russia central bank

chief says capping
rouble gains
fraught with risks

A Statoil gas station is seen near Saulkrasti, Latvia. The pressure is building on North Sea drillers starved of contracts as Statoil
deepens cuts in investment to cope with a collapse in crude prices.
More than 40 oating rigs have been
retired from a global eet of about 300,
Pareto Securities AS said in an October 21
note to clients.
And theres more to come: as many as
100 units will need to be scrapped to create balance in the market, according to
Nordea, Rystad Energy, an Oslo-based
consultant rm, and Andrew Cosgrove, an
analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.
Between 10 and 20 of those could come
in Norway and the UK as returning older
idled rigs to the market may prove too expensive, Kvernland said.
Investment by oil companies in Norway is expected to fall 11% this year and a

further 8% next year, according to the Finance Ministry. Demand for offshore rigs
in Norwegian waters will be about 18 to 20
units next year, with the equivalent of 27
rigs available, said Rystad analyst Joachim
Bjoerni.
There are few jobs waiting out there,
he said. There will be decisions to be
made on scrapping of even more units.
Spokesmen for Transocean, Fred
Olsen Energy and North Atlantic Drilling
couldnt immediately be reached for comment.
Statoil, which aims to reduce the time
per offshore well by 25% by 2016 as part
of a companywide efficiency programme,

is already drilling about the same number

of wells as during the past two years with
fewer rigs, said spokesman Morten Eek.
The company plans to complete 16 exploration wells as an operator this year, he
said. Thats down from 21 in 2014, according to gures from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.
Statoils responsibility is to secure
long-term value creation on the Norwegian shelf, Eek said in an e-mailed response to questions. We dont want to
suspend or cancel rigs, but a part of that
responsibility implies taking measures to
reduce costs, so we can realise protable
projects.

ussias central bank

head, Elvira Nabiullina,
warned about the dangers of capping gains in the
rouble and defended the countrys oating exchange rate.
Some Russian officials have
spoken of the need to prevent
the rouble from strengthening
too much in recent weeks in order to keep domestic rms competitive and to rekindle growth.
The rouble collapsed to
all-time lows in December
following Western sanctions
over the Ukraine conict and
a collapse in global oil prices.
It rebounded in the rst few
months of 2015.
The exchange rate should
remain oating, Nabiullina
told lawmakers in the lower house of parliament. If
we x an upper limit for the
strengthening of the exchange
rate, that is fraught with negative consequences.
Russia oated the rouble a
year ago but has been accused
of continuing to manage the
rate by intervening irregularly
on the currency market.
Nabiullina reiterated that the
central bank did not plan to in-

crease its foreign-currency reserves over the next three years

in its baseline scenario but said
it could buy foreign currency
should oil prices rise according
to its optimistic scenario.
She also said monetary policy had a limited inuence on
stimulating economic growth
and that the central banks main
priority was ghting ination.
The decline of the Russian
economy is currently predicated on a combination of socalled cyclical and structural
factors, and the role of structural factors will gradually increase, she said.
Therefore the possibilities
for monetary policy to stimulate economic growth are limited. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov separately
told lawmakers yesterday that
his ministry expected the Russian economys contraction to
bottom out in the fourth
quarter of this year.
Russias economy is expected to contract by around 4%
in 2015, according to analysts
polled by Reuters. Economists
remain pessimistic about the
prospects for any economic
recovery, as the price of oil,
Russias main export, stays
depressed and the global
economy is struggling.

Nabiullina: Defending floating exchange rate.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

15

BUSINESS

Fourth China lender joins list

of globally important banks
Reuters
London

hina Construction Bank (CCB)

has joined a list of lenders
deemed important to the stability of the worlds nancial system,
becoming the fourth from China in a
global group of 30 required to hold extra capital.
CCB was the only newcomer to an
annual list issued yesterday by the Financial Stability Board (FSB), which
was established after the 2007-09 global nancial crisis to protect the world
from future such shocks.
Membership of the group can be
costly: not only does holding extra
capital depress protability, banks also
come under more intense regulatory
scrutiny.
CCB, Chinas second biggest bank,
has expanded its international operations over the past two years, launching
an exchange-traded money-market
fund in London, acquiring a business
in Brazil and gaining access to the London Metal Exchange by buying a British
metal trading rm.
The global list is headed by HSBC
and JPMorgan. They will have to hold
2.5 percentage points of extra capital
beyond that required by global rules
known as Basel III, a requirement un-

changed from last year due to the FSBs

view they remain the two most systemically important banks.
The extra capital requirements come
into effect at the start of 2016, with the
full amount phased in over three years.
Four banks - Barclays, BNP Paribas,
Citigroup and Deutsche Bank - need to
hold 2 percentage points of extra capital, also unchanged from last year.
Analysts at Citi said the publication
of the list of what are known as G-SIBs
was positive for Canadas RBC, whose
shares was up 1.1%, because its name
was not on it.
Royal Bank of Canada was expected
by some to be designated as G-SIB in
this years review. The fact that RBC
avoided the designation should be positive for sentiment and the shares, said
Citi analyst Stefan Nedialkov.
Officials at CCB did not respond to
requests for comment on its addition
to the list. Its shares closed down 1.5%
following the announcement yesterday.
It is in the bottom bucket or category, determined by size, geographic
spread, complexity and potential impact on the nancial system. This requires it to hold 1 percentage point of
extra capital.
The banks on the list include 15 European and eight US banks, and three
from Japan. CCBs core tier 1 ratio, a key

measure of its nancial strength stood

at 12.1% at the end of last year, higher
than the average for global banks.
Although Chinese banks are seen as
relatively well-capitalised compared
with global rivals, mounting bad loans
have resulted in them turning to investors for fresh funds in 2015, despite
raising a record amount last year.
Due to its size, CCB would not be
expected to have difficulty raising new
funds if it required them, with domestic institutions likely to support such a
move.
The FSB said Spains BBVA had been
removed from the list, meaning it will
no longer have to hold the extra capital. A spokesman for Spains secondbiggest bank said the decision reected
the banks focus on retail banking rather than riskier investment activities.
Shares in BBVA were up 0.4%.
The FSB reduced the capital surcharge imposed on Britains Royal Bank
of Scotland to 1 percentage point, from
1.5 percentage point last year. RBS was
down 0.6% at 1500 GMT. The regulator did not make any other changes to
the list.
It also published an updated list of
nine global systemically important insurers (G-SIIs), adding one new insurer, Aegon and removing Generali.
The next list will be published in November 2016.

A downtown Beijing branch of the China Construction Bank is situated on the

ground floor of a residential apartment tower. The CCB has joined a list of lenders
deemed important to the stability of the worlds financial system, becoming the
fourth from China in a global group of 30 required to hold extra capital.

Auto industry in
US on track for
record sales: GM
Reuters
Detroit

he US auto industry is
on track for a record year
of annual sales, General
Motors Co said yesterday, as the
top US automaker and its rivals
reported October sales that far
exceeded expectations.
GM said the six-month rolling average for US auto sales is
17.8mn vehicles on an annualised
basis, which means the industry
is on its way to beating the 1999
annual sales record.
October sales will come in
around 18.2mn vehicles on an
annualized basis, their highest
level since 2001, when automakers offered 0% nancing in the
aftermath of the September 11
attacks, the company said.
In 2009, at the depth of the
Great Recession, US auto sales
dipped to 10.4mn vehicles.
Analysts had forecasted October sales to be 8 to 12% higher
than last year. A poll of 45 economists showed expectations of a
seasonally adjusted annualised
sales rate of 17.7mn vehicles for
last month.
The booming October sales
materialised despite concerns
about a slowdown in consumer
spending and stagnant wages. GM
said its sales rose 16% to 262,993
vehicles last month, marking its
best October since 2004.

CORPORATE RESULTS

BMW surprises with profit rise as Europe recovers

any lower. The groups new chief executive, Pernille
Erenbjerg, is trying to find a way out of the pricing
problems and is expected to present a new strategy
in the coming months.
I cant put a number on anything, but I can say
that our revenues will be under pressure next
year as well, Erenbjerg told Reuters. Many of the
trends we see in the Danish market wont change
significantly in the short term ... Well be at the
end of 2016, maybe the start of 2017 before things
will start to look better. But despite the revenue
pressure, and, in the absence of large acquisitions,
TDC will continue to pay dividends, Erenbjerg said,
allaying fears voiced by some analysts that payouts
to shareholders could dry up soon.

Emerson Electric

BMW reported a surprise rise in third-quarter

operating income as strong sales in higher-margin
core European markets outweighed weak demand
in China, keeping profitability within its target range
despite high investment in new models.
The companys automotive operating profit margin
slipped to 9.1% from 9.4% a year earlier, behind rival
Mercedes-Benzs 10.5% but beating Audis 8.0% in
the quarter.
The other two premium German carmakers are
challenging BMWs global leadership in luxury car
sales, but BMW said it firmly intends to remain the
worlds leading premium manufacturer of vehicles
in 2015 ahead of its centenary next year.
Some analysts have criticised the chasing of sales
volumes over profitability, which they say was supported last quarter by accounting for more of the
upfront development costs over a number of years,
flattering the margin.
The latest emissions scandal at Volkswagen should
once again make it clear that size is no virtue in
itself, NordLB analyst Frank Schwope said, referring to widening accusations of air pollution test
cheating against VW on Monday.
BMW said yesterday it still expected a profit margin
in the automotive division of 8-10% this year, compared with 9.6% in 2014, as well as higher sales and
pretax profit.
But the Munich-based group cited a raft of headwinds including heightening competition in the US,
upfront spending on new products and technology as well as rising personnel costs and slowing
demand in China.

Ita Unibanco
Ita Unibanco Holding took advantage of strongerthan-expected third-quarter profit to boost loanloss provisions, as Brazils No 1 bank by market
value wrestles with the impact of the countrys
deepest recession in a quarter century.
Last quarter, Ita used gains in the value of
deferred tax assets to boost certain reserves while
setting aside more money to cover loan losses. In a
securities filing yesterday, Ita said the decision had
to do with a more challenging economic outlook
in Brazil.
Chief Executive Officer Roberto Setubal boosted
recurring provisions by 6.2%, the fastest pace in a
year, as consumer delinquencies soared. Those provisions rose to 4.653bn reais, while non-recurring
excess and generic reserves were increased by
2.793bn reais. Shares gained 2.5%, the most in three
weeks, as profit beat estimates as trading-related
income surged, even as provisions climbed, taxes
jumped, expenses grew faster than expected and

loan repricing showed signs of stagnating. Still,

the numbers failed to allay fears over the eroding
quality of Itas loan book and a declining capital
position.
Recurring net income, or profit before one-time
items, at So Paulo-based Ita was 6.117bn reais
($1.57bn) last quarter, above a Reuters poll estimate
of 5.761bn reais. Recurring provisions came in at
4.653bn reais, above the polls estimate of 4.581bn
reais.
Still, Itas Tier 1 ratio, a gauge of financial strength
that compares the core equity and the risk-weighted assets of a bank, slipped to 12.1% last quarter
from 13.2% the prior quarter.
Trends in provisions remain the biggest issue for
Brazilian banks because of Brazils recession, which
could turn out to be the longest since the 1930s.

ADM
US agribusiness group Archer Daniels Midland Co
reported lower quarterly profit yesterday on weak
ethanol results and as a strong dollar and ample
global crop supplies limited North American grain
exports.
Chicago-based ADM, one of the worlds top producers of corn-based ethanol, said earnings in its corn
processing unit tumbled 62% due to thin margins
and high inventories of the biofuel.
Oilseeds processing profit fell 21% in the third quarter while earnings at its agricultural services, ADMs
largest segment in terms of revenue, dipped 3%.
The lower results came despite rising global
demand for food and amid ample global supplies of
corn, soybeans and other crops following massive
harvests in North and South America and other key
production areas around the globe.
The core businesses of ADM and its rivals Bunge
Ltd and Cargill buy, sell, transport, store and process grains and oilseeds. Margins are typically thin,
but volumes are massive when crop supplies are
ample and prices are low, as they currently are.
ADM reported that net third-quarter profit tumbled
to $252mn, or 41 cents per share, from $747mn, or
$1.14 per share, a year earlier.

TDC
Telecoms operator TDC yesterday provided more
evidence of pricing pressures in its home market
Denmark, where third-quarter core profit fell 12%
and the groups new CEO said it would take time for
the situation to improve.
Former state-controlled TDC and its rivals are in
the midst of a price war in mobile phone services
and have complained that prices in Denmark are
now some of the lowest in Europe and cannot go

Factory automation equipment maker Emerson

Electric Co reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit, hurt by a strong dollar and falling oil
prices that curtailed spending by customers in the
energy industry.
US industrial manufacturers are also grappling with
weakening growth in emerging economies.
Emersons revenue fell to $5.81bn in the fourth
quarter ended September 30 from $6.81bn a year
earlier.
Net earnings attributable to Emerson shareholders rose to $648mn, or 98 cents per share, from
$410mn, or 58 cents per share.
Excluding items, it earned 93 cents per share.
Analysts on average had expected a profit of 97
cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters
I/B/E/S. Emerson expects its full-year 2016 adjusted
earnings of $3.05 to $3.25 per share, while analysts
were expecting $3.23 per share. Up to Mondays
close, Emersons stock had fallen 21.7% this year,
while the Dow Jones Global Industrials Index fell
1.9%.

AB Foods
Associated British Foods, owner of the Primark
fashion chain and AB Sugar, warned yesterday that
currency moves will dent earnings in its new financial year if current exchange rates persist.
The company, which also has major grocery,
agriculture and ingredients businesses, reported
a 2% fall in 2014/15 earnings and forecast that currency pressures would lead to a modest decline
in 2015/16.
The strengthening of sterling and the US dollar, and
a weakening of the euro and emerging market currencies, has a negative effect on the translation of
AB Foods overseas results but also on transactional
exposures, such as sourcing costs.
Primark, for example, buys clothes from Asia in
dollars before selling them increasingly in euros as
it expands in countries such as France, Germany
and Spain.
At current rates, AB Foods estimates a translation impact in 2015/16 similar to 2014/15s 31mn
($47.8mn) but a greater transactional impact.
The price of shares in the group, majority owned by
the family of Chief Executive George Weston, has
risen by a quarter over the past year but fell by up
to 2.9% yesterday.
AB Foods made adjusted EPS of 102 pence in the
year to September 12, beating analysts average
forecast of 98.4 pence, according to Reuters data,
but below the previous years 104.1 pence.
Revenue fell 1% to 12.8bn pounds, while adjusted
pretax profit dipped 6% to 1.03bn pounds. The
dividend was increased 3% to 35 pence.

Vonovia
German property group Vonovia raised its earnings
guidance for this year after operating profit more
than doubled in the first nine months, potentially
strengthening its hand in a planned hostile bid for
peer Deutsche Wohnen.
Helped by the quick integration of a clutch of acquisitions, Vonovia now expects funds from operations - its profit after interest and tax - of 590mn-

600mn ($650-661mn) this year, compared with a

forecast of 560mn-580mn given in August.
Chief Executive Rolf Buch said on a conference call
he would embark on a roadshow in coming days
to discuss Vonovias financial performance and its
planned hostile bid for Deutsche Wohnen.
The proposed offer, which Vonovias investors need
to approve at a November 30 shareholder meeting,
is attractive and will not be increased, Buch said.
Deutsche Wohnens CEO has called the approach
value-destroying.

retailers expected very strong holiday demand

for fitness trackers.
We are seeing continued consumer adoption of
our product. Our penetration rates are still very low
even in the US There is still a lot of opportunity of
growth, he said. The US accounts for two-thirds of
the companys total revenue.
Fitbits revenue nearly tripled to $409.3mn in the
quarter ended September 30, beating the average
analyst estimate of $352mn, mainly due to strong
demand from markets outside the Americas.

Kloeckner

AIG

German steel distributor Kloeckner swung to a

net loss in the third quarter due to pressure from
cheap imports and slow demand in anticipation of
a further fall in prices as well as a collapse in prices
for scrap. Kloeckner, whose efforts to restructure
and digitise its business have so far been outpaced
by price drops due to cheap Chinese exports and
weak demand, said it made a quarterly net loss of
9mn ($9.9mn) compared with a profit of 16mn a
year earlier.
Kloeckner said yesterday it expected core earnings
before restructuring charges in the single-digit
millions of euros in the fourth quarter, where it forecast pressure from falling prices and slow demand
to continue.
In the third quarter, earnings before interest, tax,
depreciation, amortisation (EBITDA) and restructuring charges of halved to 30mn euros, as the
company had flagged in earlier this month.
Kloeckner said it expected full-year EBITDA before
restructuring expenses of up to 85mn, less than
half what it made last year.

American International Groups quarterly operating profit plunged as income at all but one of its
underwriting businesses declined and tumultuous
markets hurt its investments.
AIG, the largest commercial insurer in the US
and Canada, also incurred a hefty $274mn pretax
restructuring charge that also hurt results in the
quarter.
The company said restructuring costs would total
$500mn through 2017 as it simplifies its business to
eventually save about $400-500mn a year.
AIG shares were down 1.9% after the bell.
The company also said it would pay a quarterly
dividend of 28 cents per share compared with 12.5
cents a year earlier.

Fitbit
Wearable fitness device maker Fitbit agreed to lift
lockup restrictions on over 2mn shares more than
a month earlier than scheduled and announced an
offering of 21mn shares.
The news sent the companys shares down 10% in
extended trading on Monday, overshadowing its
strong results and forecast.
Fitbit has been trying to attract more corporate customers, who buy its wrist bands and smart watches
in bulk and pay the company subscription fees to
track employees health indicators such as heart
rate, calories and sleep patterns.
The device maker said last month that it had added
over 20 corporate customers in the past four
months, including Barclays and GoDaddy. Target
Corp has also said it plans to make Fitbit devices
available to employees.
Fitbits Chief Financial Officer William Zerella said

UBS
UBS, Switzerlands biggest bank, watered down
some of its financial targets yesterday due to a
tough economic backdrop and new Swiss capital
rules, overshadowing a forecast-beating rise in
third-quarter net profit.
Zurich-based UBS said difficult macroeconomic
conditions, including slowing growth in China, as
well as uncertainty over interest rates and stricter
capital rules outlined last month, would hit performance.
For the third quarter, UBSs net profit rose to 2.1bn
francs ($2.1bn) from 762mn francs a year earlier
when figures were hit by the bank beefing up legal
reserves.
The result, the banks best quarterly performance
in more than five years, was ahead of a forecast for
1.76bn francs in a Reuters poll of four analysts.
Earnings were boosted by a net tax benefit of 1.3bn
francs, largely from an increased valuation of UBSs
deferred tax assets which it had flagged in the
second quarter and is used to reduce the amount
of tax due.
It pushed back a targeted adjusted return on tangible equity - a key measure of profitability - of above
15% to 2018 from 2016 previously.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

BUSINESS

GULF TIMES

StanChart to axe 15,000

jobs, raise $5.1bn capital
Reuters
Hong Kong/London

tandard Chartered plans to axe

15,000 jobs and raise $5.1bn by
selling new shares as its new
chief executive set out a plan to restore
protability after three years of falling
prots and strategic mistakes.
The bank, regarded as one of the 30
most important in the world, will cut
17% of its workforce to help save $2.9bn
by 2018, and sell or restructure $100bn
of loans, or a third of its total.
CEO Bill Winters, a former JPMorgan investment bank boss who took the
helm of Standard Chartered in June,
described the move as an aggressive
and decisive set of actions to shore up
the bank, which makes two-thirds of
its prots in Asia.
Winters is one of a handful of new
European bank CEOs including at
Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Barclays who must push through big
restructuring plans to cut costs and
improve protability in the face of a
tougher regulatory landscape, which
has made many banking activities unprotable.
Standard Chartereds problems were
laid bare by news of a third-quarter operating loss of $139mn, weighed down
by growing global regulatory costs and
rising losses on loans in India. Revenue
slumped 18% year-on-year.
It was the fth successive quarter of
falling revenue for the bank. Before the
results, analysts had expected it to report a $2.9bn prot this year, compared
to $7.5bn in 2012 - the year when many
of its troubles began.
The bank was ned $667mn that
year for breaking US sanctions related
to Iran, and New Yorks powerful banking regulator called it a rogue institution. More trouble followed related to
strategy, execution and governance,
and previous CEO Peter Sands was
ousted and replaced by Winters.
Standard Chartered remains under
investigation. Winters said Britains
Financial Conduct Authority has two
open probes into the banks monitoring
of sanctions and anti-money laundering compliance. US authorities are also
still investigating transactions involving Iranian clients, including whether

People leave the Standard Chartered bank building in the central district of Hong Kong yesterday. The Asia-focused British
bank said it would axe 15,000 jobs and raise $5.1bn in capital after posting a disappointing third-quarter loss as it struggles
to return to growth.
the bank still had Iran relationships
when it signed its 2012 settlement.
Its London-listed shares were down
8.9% at 650.4 pence by 1141 GMT, the
worst-performing stock on the European bank index. They have slumped
32% this year, partly due to expectations Winters would launch a rights
issue and also on the Asian slowdown.
Major shareholders welcomed the
moves to arrest the slide.
Standard Chartereds management

is taking the right steps to address the

banks problems. The plan outlined
seems sensible and it is clear where the
bank now wishes to focus its business,
said Hugh Young, managing director of
Aberdeen Asset Management Asia.
Aberdeen is the banks second biggest shareholder with a near 9% stake,
and Young said it would support the
rights issue. Singapore investment
company Temasek, the banks top
shareholder, said it intends to take up

its full allocation of the issue, representing 15.8% of shares.

The rights issue, StanCharts rst
capital-raising in ve years, will be
launched on Tuesday at a price of 465
pence per share, a 35% discount to its
last traded price in London. Two new
shares will be issued for every seven
existing shares.
Post restructuring and recapitalisation Standard Chartered will be a
stronger and more focused group. But

the group will remain a complicated

work-in-progress during the upcoming years, said Ronit Ghose, analyst
at Citi. Winters said he had no plans
to add to that complexity by considering moving headquarters away from
London. Its rival HSBC is considering
relocating.
Its absolutely not a priority for us
right now. We have an enormous execution agenda and we nd the UK to be
a very pragmatic and predictable place
to do business, Winters told reporters
on a conference call.
Standard Chartered said it would not
pay a nal dividend for this year, saving
the company $700mn.
The capital-raising and asset-restructuring will together push the bank
towards a new common equity tier-1
capital (CET1) ratio goal of 12-13%, according to the company.
The banks current CET1 ratio - a
measure of nancial strength - dipped
to 11.4% at the end of September and
will rise to 13.1% after the rights issue.
Analysts had expected Winters
would wait until after Bank of England
stress test on Dec. 1 before announcing
a rights issue. The bank said the regulator was aware of the banks plans and
had not objected.
Standard Chartered has already cut
4,000 staff this year, and Winters said
about 1,000 senior staff, or a quarter of
the top ranks, had already been told they
would go. He said he hoped most other
cuts would be made in areas where there
was a high natural attrition.
The sale or restructuring of $100bn
of risk-weighted assets includes $20bn
of big loans to individual borrowers that Winters said were outside the
banks risk tolerance and would be
liquidated.
He plans to further restructure the
troubled business in Korea, reposition
its activities in Indonesia and shed assets in commercial and investment
banking.
The bank will also reduce its retail
operations in second and third-tier
cities where it currently has a presence.
The restructuring will cost $3bn
and Winters said he also plans to
invest more than $1bn over three
years to improve its retail and private
banking business, Africa, and to enhance controls.

VW prepares to fight EPAs Porsche diesel cheat allegations

Bloomberg
Washington
Volkswagen rejected US Environmental
Protection Agency allegations that its
cheating on diesel- emissions tests
included Porsche and other high-end
vehicles, setting up a showdown with
US regulators as it seeks to repair its
battered image.
Software in 3.0-liter diesel engines was
not installed in a forbidden manner,
and Volkswagen is co-operating with
the EPA to clarify its questions, the
Wolfsburg, Germany-based company
said in a statement. VWs shares fell the
most in a month.
The new investigation centres on the
Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg
sport utility vehicles and as well as
larger sedans and the Q5 SUV from
Audi, according to the EPA. Volkswagen
had previously admitted to installing a
so-called defeat device in smaller autos

from the 2009 to 2015 model years.

The conflict could have implications for
Matthias Mueller, Volkswagens chief
executive officer, who led the Porsche
brand until his appointment to the top
job in the wake of the scandal. Mueller,
whose four-decade Volkswagen career
includes overseeing product planning
at the Audi division, has professed no
knowledge of the emissions cheating
before it was uncovered by regulators.
Had they hired someone from outside
the company to take over as CEO, and not
someone from Porsche or Audi looking
to avoid these kinds of revelations, they
might have saved face and come clean
over the course of the last six weeks,
Max Zanan, co-founder of consulting
company Income Development Dealer
Solutions Group, said in an e-mail.
The expanded probe involves only
about 10,000 cars now on US roads,
as well as an undetermined number
of 2016 models, but draws in the
prestigious Porsche brand that had

been untouched by the scandal so far.

The division was surprised by the EPA
statement as, until this notice, all of
our information was that the Porsche
Cayenne diesel is fully compliant, its
US unit said.
Germanys Transport Ministry said
vehicles with larger Volkswagen
diesel engines are part of follow-up
investigations stemming from the
scandal. The affected models are being
examined on test beds as well as on
the road. The verification hasnt yet
been finalised, the ministry said in an
e-mailed statement.
Expansions of sales sanctions on
affected models is now likely to be
increased, and the possibility of
leniency from the EPA is now reduced,
Alexander Haissl, an analyst at Credit
Suisse, said in a note to clients. This
could impact the companys credibility.
The EPA and the California Air
Resources Board announced
September 18 that they were

investigating Volkswagen after

the carmaker admitted to rigging
emissions systems of diesel vehicles
so they would pass pollution tests.
Software designed to give false results
in laboratory checks is installed in 1.2-,
1.6- and 2-liter engines. The carmaker
says almost 500,000 vehicles in the US,
and 11mn worldwide, use the motors.
Volkswagen plans to begin recalls in
2016, and has said software tweaks will
be enough to make the 1.2- and 2-liter
models compliant with emissions rules,
while the 1.6-liter version will require
other equipment. The carmaker has
said repeatedly that no other engines
have the defeat device installed,
particularly those meeting EU6
emissions standards.
The EPA said Monday that, after
stepping up testing of diesel models
on the road, regulators discovered
software in VW, Audi and Porsche
models with 3-liter diesel engines that
turns pollution-control equipment on

only when the cars are in temperature

conditioning mode that mirrors federal
test conditions.
The emissions systems were rigged
to turn off one second after
government testing was complete,
improving performance but causing
nitrogen oxide emissions up to nine
times the legal limit, Cynthia Giles,
assistant administrator of the EPAs
Office of Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance, said in a statement. The
affected models are the 2014 Touareg,
2015 Cayenne and 2016 Audi A6
Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L and Q5.
VW has once again failed in its
obligation to comply with the law that
protects clean air for all Americans,
Giles said. Volkswagen knew or
should have known that the vehicles
had software installed that bypasses,
defeats or renders inoperative
emissions controls, the EPA said in
a separate letter to the carmaker
posted online.

Shell says can

make BG deal
work despite
weak oil price
Reuters
London

oyal Dutch Shell sought

to ease investor concerns
over its planned $70bn
takeover of BG Group, announcing plans for further benets and
cost cuts aimed at making the
deal work with an oil price in the
mid-$60s a barrel.
The Anglo-Dutch group, which
hopes to complete the deal early
next year, said it now expected
synergies to increase by $1bn to
$3.5bn for the combination which
will make Shell a leader in liqueed natural gas (LNG) and offshore oil production in Brazil.
Shell, which last week reported a huge third-quarter loss due
to $8bn of write-offs in Alaska
and Canada, said it would reduce its costs by $11bn in 2015 as
it tackles a prolonged period of
lower oil prices, currently trading below $50 per barrel.
Although oil prices have
fallen in 2015 the valuation case
for the BG acquisition still looks
compelling today for both sets of
shareholders, Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden told reporters on a conference call.
Investors have been concerned that the benets from the
deal would be at risk as a recovery in oil prices is now expected
to take much longer than foreseen in April, when the merger
with BG was announced.
Back then, Shell indicated it
expected oil prices to recover to
$90 a barrel by 2020.
Brent crude traded at around
$59 per barrel when the deal was
announced and has since traded
in a range between about $42
and $69 amid a growing consensus among analysts that prices
are set to stay lower for longer.
BG shares trade at a discount
of more than 10% to the valuation of the cash and shares deal,
reecting investor concerns over
its viability and remaining regulatory hurdles. Shell awaits the
approval of Australian and Chinese regulators before the deal
can be put before shareholders.
No real new surprises today. We expect more in terms of
pre-tax synergies once the two
groups combine, said Brendan
Warn, Managing Director of International oil & gas equity research at BMO Capital Markets.
Shells commitment to operate at a lower oil environment and
maintain share buyback may reduce some investors concerns.
BMO rates Shell as underperform. Shell previously announced a sharp reduction to
its 2015 capital spending programme to $30bn as well as
7,500 job cuts. The combined
groups capital spending is expected to reach $35bn next year.
The company reiterated its
plans to sell $50bn worth of assets
between 2014 and 2018 in order to
cover the cost of the acquisition
and as Shell focuses its portfolio.
Shell said it would maintain
its dividend payout in 2015 and
2016 at $1.88 per share, turn off
scrip dividends in 2017 and undertake a share buyback of at
least $25bn in the period 20172020. The $3.5bn synergies
were expected to comprise of
$2bn savings in operating costs,
mainly in the corporate and IT
and another $1.5bn in exploration spending in 2018.

Draghi passes ECB halfway mark, still missing goal

Bloomberg
Frankfurt

ario Draghi is halfway through

his job and, by the strictest
measure of his success, still
far from his goal.
The European Central Bank president spent the rst four years of his
eight-year term battling to keep the
euro area intact and winning over opponents to quantitative easing. In the
second half of his tenure - if hes lucky
- he might actually meet his legal mandate of price stability.
The the 68- year-old may be tempted to take credit for strengthening the
currency blocs foundations and keeping Greece in the club. If hes more
modest, he might remind himself that
slowing global growth and a slump in
commodity prices threaten to deny
him the successful ination record
boasted by his predecessors.
They were so focused on whatever
it takes and peripheral spreads that

they kind of missed the fact that there

was a business cycle and they were
missing the target on ination, said
Nick Kounis, head of macro research
at ABN Amro Bank in Amsterdam. If
your main target is ination, and youve
missed it for the last few years and youll
miss it for the next few, then that will be
a black mark for Draghis record.
It is ironic that Draghi has found
himself trying to stave off deation.
The biggest concern, especially in
Germany, was that putting an Italian at
the top of the ECB would lead to prices
escalating.
Ination has averaged 1.2% in the
four years since Draghi succeeded
Jean-Claude Trichet in November
2011, according to Bloomberg calculations. The Frenchman can look back
to 2.1% during his tenure, and Wim
Duisenberg, the ECBs rst president,
managed 2%. The ECBs goal is below
but close to 2%.
In an interview with Italys Il Sole
24 Ore over the weekend, Draghi said
his years in office so far have cer-

Draghi: Trying to stave off deflation.

tainly have been eventful and marked
by profound changes to the structure
of monetary policy. He also called the
euro areas situation over that period
extraordinary.
Draghis overriding concern so far
has been to protect the 19-nation bloc
from a Japan-style protracted period
of stagnating or falling prices and de-

clining growth potential. Yet despite

record-low interest rates, long-term
loans to banks and a 1.1tn ($1.2tn) asset-purchase plan, he hasnt succeeded
in returning ination to the goal. Now,
faced with a fragile recovery at risk from
weaker global trade, a euro that may be
too strong for the economy and the risk
of a slump in energy prices, hes holding out the prospect of another round of
monetary easing in December.
Thats when new forecasts will
show whether the ination goal is receding still further. The ECB predicted
in September that euro-area ination
would accelerate to 1.7% in 2017. The
rate was zero in October. He should
have been more outspoken about the
deationary risk; he downplayed this
possibility for too long, said Guntram
Wolff, director of the Brussels-based
Bruegel research group. Communication is an important part of what a
central banker has to do.
Draghi proved to be a master of signalling to nancial markets when bond
yields spiralled during the sovereign-

debt crisis and threatened to rip the

euro area apart.
His pledge in July 2012 to do whatever it takes to keep the single currency together will probably enter
history books as the three most successful words in central-banking
history, according to International
Monetary Fund Managing Director
Christine Lagarde.
When its an overt crisis and decisions need to be made quickly, and
when the political situation is extremely fraught, there are a only a few
people who have the skills and the
courage to navigate those waters, said
Adam Posen, president of the Peterson
Institute for International Economics in Washington and a former Bank
of England policy maker. Its a good
thing and to his credit that the drama
is reduced.
One risk ahead is Greece. After the
biggest debt restructuring in history
in 2012 only provided short relief, the
country won a third bailout package in
August and is inching toward a lasting

future in the monetary union. Yet the

crisis could are up again amid tight
deadlines on spending cuts, pension
and tax changes and negotiations on a
long-term debt strategy.
Draghi took office a few hours after
Greece had called a referendum, de facto, on the euro, in the context of capital
ight, said Jose Manuel GonzalezParamo, who was member of the ECBs
Executive Board from 2004 to 2012 and
is now executive director at Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria. Draghis actions changed decisively the course of
the sovereign debt crisis for the better.
Winning German Chancellor Angela Merkels support for his policies
to protect the euro and stabilize the
economy hasnt shielded Draghi from
scepticism and hostility toward his actions in the regions largest and most
populous economy.
Draghi and his work must be questioned, said Hans Michelbach, a
Merkel ally from the Christian Social
Union and a senior member of the German Parliaments nance committee.

To Advertise here
Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621

GOLF | Page 5

HORSE RACING | Page 8

Its premature
to talk of
new era,
says Spieth

Payne storms
male bastion
with shock
Melbourne win

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Moharram 21, 1437 AH

NBA

GULF TIMES

SPORT

King James
youngest to reach
25,000 points
Page 6

FOCUS

Raid on German FA offices

for WCup-linked tax evasion
Prosecutors launch tax probe over suspicions of tax evasion in 6.7-million-euro payment to FIFA

The three officials, who are understood to be probed for tax evasion allegations, include former DFB president Theo Zwanziger (left), current DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach (centre), and ex-general secretary Horst Schmidt. (AFP/Reuters)
AFP
Berlin

olice raided the offices of the

German Football Federation
(DFB) and the homes of top officials yesterday over tax evasion
allegations linked to Germanys hosting
of the 2006 World Cup.
Prosecutors said they were launching
a tax probe but could not pursue accusations of direct corruption because the
statute of limitations had expired.
About 50 officers swooped on the
DFB headquarters as well as at homes
of three accusedthe DFB president,
former DFB president and former
general secretary, said a prosecution
spokeswoman, without giving names.
The three are understood to be current DFB chief Wolfgang Niersbach, his
predecessor Theo Zwanziger and exgeneral secretary Horst Schmidt.
The raids came after the DFB was

roiled by allegations last month in news

magazine Der Spiegel that a 6.7-million-euro ($7.4-million) payment to
FIFA was used to buy votes to secure the
hosting of the 2006 World Cup.
At the vote in July 2000, Germany
saw off South Africa by 12 votes to 11
Charles Dempsey of New Zealand abstained to win the right to stage the
tournament nals.
Nadja Niesen, senior state prosecutor, said yesterdays raids were carried
out over suspicions of tax evasion in a
particularly serious case, and related to
the 6.7-million-euro payment.
She stressed that only the three individuals are being investigated, not
the DFB itself, but said the trio could
each face jail sentences of between six
months and ten years if convicted.
The prosecutor noted that when accounting for the 6.7-million-euro payment, the DFB organising committee
had indicated that it was part of its contribution to a FIFA cultural programme.

However, it was actually used for

other purposes, said Niesen.
The result was that the defendants
are being investigated over submitting inaccurate tax returns in their previous responsibilities and therefore
shortchanging... taxes due for 2006 by
a signicant amount, she said.
The payment could therefore not
be used as a deductible expense as reported, she said, who added it will
take weeks to examine all documents
seized.
The DFB said it fully supports the
investigation, adding that prosecutors
had told the federation the probe was
limited to tax evasion allegations. The
DFB itself is not an accused party in the
proceedings, it added in a statement.
The cash-for-votes allegations have
sparked a bout of inghting among senior football officials in Germany.
Niersbach has categorically denied
the allegations, saying there was no
slush fund, there was no vote buying.
He claimed instead that the
sum was used to secure 170
million euros of funding from
world footballs governing
body.
But Zwanziger has accused
Niersbach of lying, saying
it was clear that there was
a slush fund in the German
World Cup bidding process.
Zwanziger was then DFB
chief and also Franz Beckenbauers deputy on the 2006
World Cups organising committee.
In an interview with
Spiegel, Zwanziger claimed
he was told by Schmidtthen
the World Cup organising
committees vice president
that the disgraced former
FIFA vice president Mohamed
bin Hammam was the recipient of the sum.
Hammam was banned for
life by FIFA from football activities in 2014 after he was
found to have bought votes in
an election against Blatter.
Beckenbauer
meanwhile
has admitted making a mistake in the bidding process to
host the 2006 World Cup but
has denied votes were bought.
In a statement that appeared
to back Niersbachs account for
the 6.7 million euros, Beckenbauer said: In order to obtain
a FIFA grant, we accepted a
proposition coming from FIFAs
nance commission that the
implicated parties should, in
retrospect, have refused.
As president of the organising committee at that time,
I take responsibility for this
mistake.
FIFA has denied that any
deal was made with the DFB
over the questionable fund,
and has launched its own
probe into the awarding of the
2006 event.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

FOOTBALL
SPOTLIGHT

FOCUS

All behind Mourinho,

says captain Terry

Im staying put,
insists Chelsea
coach Mourinho
Speaking ahead of Chelseas Champions League game with Dinamo Kiev, Mourinho
made it clear he expects to see out the four-year contract he signed in August

Chelseas John Terry during the press conference.

AFP
London

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho during the press conference on the eve of his teams Champions League tie against Dynamo Kiev.
AFP
London

ose Mourinho insists he does not

fear for his Chelsea future and believes he will be at the club until his
current contract runs out in 2019.
The manager is under growing pressure
after a disastrous run of results and reports
of unrest within his playing squad.
But speaking ahead of Chelseas Champions League game with Dinamo Kiev, Mourinho made it clear he expects to see out the
four-year contract he signed in August.
The manager refused to comment on
whether he had met club owner Roman
Abramovich but when asked how long he
thought he had left in the job, he said: I
have four years. In this case, three years and
seven months, or something like that.
Mourinho dimissed suggestions that
the experience of handling the worst run
of results in his career would make him
a better manager, pointing out his continuous run of success.

And he gave the example of a message

received from a close friend who reminded him of his reaction to his rst Champions League triumph in 2004 to illustrate
how long he has been forced to wait before encountering such a dip.
The manager said: If Id only become
a better coach because of bad results,
then Id be a really bad coach because,
in the last 15 years, Id never have improved.
But I try and improve every day, analyse every detail of my work every day,
preparing sessions, analysing matches,
preparing matches. Every day.
This is new for me. Thats why Im a
good one. Ive not experienced this before.
RESISTED
Yesterday a friend sent me some quotes
of my press conference after the Champions League nal in May 2004. Id completely forgotten about it.
In May 2004 I said that, one day in
my career, bad results would come. I said
that in 2004 after winning the Champi-

Fixtures
Olympiacos vs Dinamo Zagreb
Roma vs Bayer
M. Tel-Aviv vs Porto
Gent vs Valencia
Lyon vs Zenit
Chelsea vs Dynamo Kyiv
Barcelona vs BATE
Bayern Munich vs Arsenal

ons League nal with Porto.

One day the bad results will come and
Ill face the bad results with all the same
honesty and dignity that Im facing now
as a European champions. May 2004.
So, 11 years later, I resisted well to the
nature of my job and the nature of football. Eleven years waiting for this. It took
time, but its come in a moment when Im
stable and strong to face it.
Mourinho - who faces a stadium ban
for this weekends visit to Stoke after being sent to the stands during the defeat
at West Ham - dismissed recent claims

suggesting a player rebellion, insisting

the squad was fully behind him.
He said: They are giving their best
every minute of every training session.
Giving solidarity in between all of us.
Fantastic personal relationship. Very
good professional relationship.
They are training always in the limits
of the quality and the effort. And always
with the strong desire to win the next
match, which is what were going to try
and do tomorrow.
He added: I know (why results have
been poor). No (I cant tell you) because
Ill be here a long time. Its a combination of factors. Some of them I cant, I
dont even want to touch them. And yes
I know.
Asked if they were football-related,
he said: Everything is football-related,
right. We dont want to blame social or
political problems in some corner of the
globe, you dont want to blame these aspects or bring these aspects to football
problems. So everything is football-related, of course.

ohn Terry insists the

players must shoulder
the blame for Chelseas
disastrous start to the
campaign and is adamant the
dressing room is fully behind under-re manager Jose Mourinho.
The Chelsea captain believes
the responsibility for ending the
clubs dismal start to the season
lies with the players.
And he dismissed claims some
players were no longer willing
to ght for Mourinho as ridiculous, including weekend reports
one unnamed player had said he
would rather lose a game than
win for the manager.
Terry, who will lead the side
into the Champions League
group game with Dinamo Kiev,
said: Weve not played well
enough, and we take that on the
shoulders. We know where we
are in the league and the Champions League group, and we
know what we need to do to get
out of it. That relies on us, as
players, not the players.
Its going to take a dressing
room that stays together, sticks
together. What weve seen in the
last two or three days, ridiculous
stories about whats happening
within the club and the dressing
room.
I can assure you the players
are 100 percent behind the manager. We are together. Anyone
who has been at the last three or
four games can see the way were
playing is turning.
We werent good enough at
the beginning of the season, but
things are on the turn. And weve
been unlucky not to get one or
two results. We will turn things
around.
DISAPPOINTMENT
Together is the most important
thing: that we stay together in
that dressing room.
Referring to the claim a player
has said he would rather lose a
game, the centre-back added:
Listen, in my whole football
career Ive never heard a player
come out with those words.
In my whole career. Whether
its been going bad or really bad.
Its ridiculous I have to sit here
and talk about it.
Ive seen players faces with
the disappointment after results,
the feeling weve let the club and
the manager and the fans down.
The player wouldnt be let
out of the dressing room, lets be

honest. It wouldnt go down too

well, would it.
Terry has seen a succession of
managers leave during the Roman Abramovich-era at Stamford Bridge but insists Mourinho
will not be leaving any time soon.
He said: Its not going to
come to that. The club have
shown faith in the best manager
with the best history at this club.
In all aspects, of all the managers Ive worked with, hes by
far and a long, long way, the best
Ive worked with. We are going to
turn it around. No ifs, no buts.
Im sure, and Im adamant,
that well turn this around and
hell be in charge for the rest of
the season and long after Ive nished playing for this club. He is
the man to take this club forward
to where we want to be.
Terry made it clear Chelsea
need Mourinho and Eden Hazard
- linked with a move to Real Madrid following his dramatic loss
of form this season - to remain at
the club.
He said: Im not saying its
different (to when other managers have been sacked) because
results speak for themselves. The
table doesnt lie. We know where
we are.
Terrys own form has been
criticised but he made it clear
that while he respected the views
of some former players, he was
unwilling to accept criticism
from former Leicester and Wales
midelder Robbie Savage.
He said: Ive come under
criticism, individually, from
certain players and individuals, players Ive looked up to and
played alongside. Ive taken that
on the chin: Rio (Ferdinand),
Carra (Jamie Carragher), (Gary)
Neville, the very best Ive come
up against in the game. I take that
on the chin.

I can assure you the

players are 100 percent
behind the manager. We
are together. Anyone who
has been at the last three or
four games can see the way
were playing is turning
When others speak, maybe I
dont take it on the chin. When
players have not had a career,
played at a really bad level in
their career... Robbie Savage being one.
Hes dug me out a couple of
times. You take it as a footballer,
as an individual. Ill take it from
the Rios, Carraghers and Neville.
All day long. From others? Nah.
Now to see what happens.

BOTTOMLINE

My dream is to be Chelsea manager: Zola

By Sports Reporter
Doha

helsea legend Gianfranco Zola

has said his dream is to coach
his former club. The former
Italian forward, currently
manager of Qatar Stars League (QSL)
side Al Arabi, told www.sc.qa that his
successful start in Qatar will help him
enormously in working towards his
ambition.
My dream, let us say my ambition,
is to be Chelsea manager some day in
the future, said Zola, who turns 50
next July and who scored 59 goals in 229
appearances for the West London side
between 1996 and 2003.
However, I realise that I need to
improve as a manager if I want to get
there. And I am working hard to achieve
my goal. Qatar is helping me a lot in this
regard.
Zola, however, stuck by Chelsea
manager Jose Mourinho, stressing
that the defending Premier League
champions will recover from a difficult start to the season in which they
are already 14 points adrift of leaders
Manchester City and Arsenal at the

Gianfranco Zola is currently the manager of Al Arabi club in Qatar and the club
has experienced a good turn of results under him.
top of the table after just 11 matches.
The club has it in them to turn
around their fortunes, said the former

West Ham manager. A good result in

the UEFA Champions League game
against Kiev followed by a couple of

league wins will do the trick, he said.

There is no one compelling reason
for the poor start to the season. The
poor form of key offensive players Eden
Hazard and Diego Costa has not helped.
Defensively as well the team dropped
the standards set last year. So the players have lost condence as a group and
this has led to poor results.
Hazard, voted the best Premier
League player of last season, is perceived by the Stamford Bridge supporters as the most technically gifted player
to don the club colours since the departure of the charismatic Zola, who featured in Serie A club Napolis 1989-90
title winning team alongside the legendary Diego Maradona.
Zola, who was appointed Al Arabi
coach in July, has turned heads in the
region by transforming the QSL outt
to a team playing attractive attacking
football in his own image. In the process he has brought the clubs fans back
to the stadium in search of a rst league
win since 1997.
I try to make my side play football in
the way I want to see the game played.
I have made a small start with Al Arabi
and I am condent the results will be
seen in the near future.

The 1994 World Cup nalist took

the opportunity to compare two of the
greatest offensively skilful players in
the sports history.
I think it is unfair to compare Maradona and Messi because they are
from different eras. Both are extraordinary players and I learned my football watching Maradona play. He is my
master and mentor and therefore I have
an empathy towards him, said Zola.
Maradona had it tougher than
Messi. There were two players always
marking him and their only duty was to
take him out of the game. Yes, modern
defenders mark Messi but these days
the game is more attacking in nature
and defenders focus on playing their
own game rather than focus on one
player alone. I think Maradona would
have scored much more goals if he were
a modern player.
If the 1986 World Cup in Mexico
helped his mentor etch his name into
the sports all-time pantheons, Zola is
hopeful the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar will produce new icons and inspire billions across the world. There
is genuine passion for the sport in the
Middle East and I had not expected this
when I came here, he said. The 2022

World Cup will bring in knowledge and

help take football to a different level in
Qatar and in the region.
Zola said he is excited to be living in
a city that is rapidly making progress
towards staging the greatest sporting
event on earth.
He added: Every day I see a lot of
wonderful things happening in preparation for the big event. Doha is already
a great city and I think in four or ve
years this is going to be an extraordinary place to be in. The World Cup will
be massive.
Zola signed off by saying football
fans would have an outstanding time in
his new home country during the tournament, when temperatures in Qatar
average 26C/78F.
I played in the 1994 World Cup in
the United States and it was very tough
out there with the heat and humidity.
Keeping in mind the television audiences, most of the matches had an early
afternoon kickoff and I was losing two
and a half kilogrammes after every
training session. I am sure the players
will nd it much easier in Qatar in 2022.
The tournament will be staged in November and December and the weather
at this time is perfect for football.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

FOOTBALL
SPOTLIGHT

FOCUS

Arsenal out to tame

angry Bayern
Munich again
They will be angry. We are the first team who really challenged them and beat them.
They will be on the ball and try to show that they are back and better than us
Reuters
Berlin

ondent Arsenal travel to Bayern

Munich today hoping to tame
the German champions for a
second time in two weeks, and
are promising to attack despite a string
of injuries.
The English club are on a high after a
fth consecutive Premier League win at
the weekend - a 3-0 victory at Swansea and the timing of their visit to the Bavarian capital could hardly be better.
Bayern dropped their rst points in the
Bundesliga on Friday with a goalless draw
at Eintracht Frankfurt.
It followed 10 consecutive victories
from the start of the season and, coupled
with their 2-0 loss at the Emirates Stadium on Oct. 20 - their rst defeat in all
competitions - Bayern have shed some of
that invincible aura.
Arsenals victory over Bayern put Arsene Wengers side back in contention
in Group F with three points. Bayern and
Olympiakos have six.
They (Bayern) will be angry, said Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker. We are
the rst team who really challenged them
and beat them. They will be on the ball
and try to show that they are back and
better than us.
The former Germany international
added: They are clever, the Germans.
We showed that we can beat them. That
is a good sign but it will be a different
game at their place.
We improved our position in the last
game against Munich but we need to get
something out of this game.
Arsenal are missing key players, including Theo Walcott, Alex OxladeChamberlain, Danny Welbeck and Jack
Wilshere.
But with Olivier Giroud having scored
six goals in his past six games and playmaker Mesut Ozil delivering nine assists
in 10 league games, they are not prepared
to sit back and defend.
I would sign today to take a point,
said coach Arsene Wenger. But to sit
off Bayern, with their offensive quality, would be difficult to maintain for 90
minutes. We have to relieve the pressure
whenever we can and try to score goals.
That is our structure of the team, to
attack. If you get our players to defend
then I do not think we will be so efficient.
We have to play every time we can.
Bayern, who last season won all six home
games in the competition en route to the
semi-nals, are by no means in a slump,
and their dominance and string of chances
against defensive Eintracht was indicative
of the teams attacking instincts.

Missing Basel fan

returns home after
11 long years
AFP
Basel

71-year-old man who

spent 11 years living
rough after getting
lost following an Inter Milan v FC Basel Champions
League game, has returned to his
native Switzerland, reports said
yesterday.
Rudolf Bantle was 60 years old
when he travelled with friends to
Milan in August 2004 to watch
Basel take on Inter in a Champions League qualier.
After Inter stretched their lead
to 4-1 and with ve minutes remaining, Bantle went to the toileta decision that was to have
drastic consequences and change
his life forever.
Upon returning, he failed to
nd his travelling companions.
With only 20 euros in his pocket
and no mobile phone, Bantle was
left stranded in Milan, where he
spent the next 11 years living on
the streets and getting by thanks
to the kindness of locals.
He was listed as a missing person by Swiss police in 2004 and
with no information as to Bantles whereabouts, the case was
shelved denitely in 2011.
According to Swiss newspaper
Schweiz am Sonntag, Bantle is
now living in a pensioners home
in his native Basel.
But for the locals who helped
Bantle in Milans Baggio neighbourhood, the news has come as
something of a surprise.
Is it true? I didnt hear anything about him, I really thought
he had died, said Sergio Mazzarelli, a librarian who like many

locals got to know the nice

Swiss guy with the German accent over the years.
In true tifoso (fan) style, after
FC Basels defeat Bantle went on
to support the Nerazzurris local
rivals, AC Milan, whom he followed on the television at local
betting shops.
The local students who came
to know Bantle and helped him
with spare change and clothes
even gifted him a Milan shirt
with the name of Rossoneri great
Kaka on the back.
Mazzarelli added: He was
a legend in this area. The story
about (him getting lost at) the
San Siro was circulating but no
one knew if it was true or not.
He was never keen to speak
about himself. But everyone
liked him. People brought him
food and fresh clothes and he
helped people when he could.
One student, Riccardo Foa,
who has since become a doctor,
told Gazzetta: He didnt even
have a local doctor. We used to
take care of him ourselves.
Bantle told Schweiz am Sonntag his consumption of beer
helped keep warm, then one
guy gave me a sleeping bag and
saved my life.
Despite eventually being recognised following appeals by the
Swiss authorities, Bantle refused
to return homeuntil a fall decided otherwise.
He broke his femur and while
in hospital the Swiss consulate
ordered his transfer to Basel.
Bantle now has a roof over his
head, a monthly stipend of 300
euros and, he says, every afternoon I can have a couple of cans
of beer, they let me have that.

Saudis pull out of Palestine match

File picture of Arsenals Per Mertesacker and Francis Coquelin warming up before the game against Swansea.

Bayern midfielder Javi Martinez expects goals to fly against Arsenal

Spain midfielder Javi Martinez expects
the goals to fly in todays crunch
Champions League clash against Arsenal with hosts Bayern Munich out to
avenge their London defeat.
The Gunners beat Bayern 2-0 at the
Emirates Stadium a fortnight ago
thanks to goals from Oliver Giroud and
Mesut Ozil as Pep Guadiolas Bayern
suffered their only defeat of the
season.
Bayern remain top of Group F while the
win moved Arsenal up to third place after back-to-back defeats to Olympiakos
and Dinamo Zagreb and they need to
win in Munich to keep their knock-out
phase hopes alive.
Were looking forward to the game.
Both teams want to play attractive
football and itll be a good match for
the fans to watch, said Martinez.
I think they will put less emphasis on
defence and they wont simply stand

behind the ball, both teams will try to

score and I think Arsenal will attack.
Theyll try to press and get the ball,
because they need the three points.
Bayern coach Pep Guardiola expects
Arsenal to play long balls to Giroud,
which we didnt allow in the first leg.
They will want to attack. This is one
of the top teams in Europe, added the
Spaniard.
Arsenal are unbeaten on their last two
visits to Munichs Allianz Arena, but
Guardiola is backing his team to make
home advantage count to cement their
place at the top of the group and put
one foot in the knock-out stages.
We lost in London, that can happen.
Tomorrow is a new gamewith our
own fans, said Guardiola. I think we
played well in London, but defeats can
happen at this level.
Arsenals German defender Per
Mertesacker has said he expects

Bayern to come out firing after they

were wounded by the first leg
defeat, something Munich captain
Philipp Lahm has rejected and Thiago
Alcantara echoed.
Were not wounded and we have no
reason to be, said the Spain international.
We want to win the game, our standard is to win everything and to keep
the ball.
With veteran wingers Franck Ribery
and Arjen Robben having struggled for
fitness of late, Thiago highlighted the
importance of Brazil forward Douglas
Costa fit and in form on Bayerns flanks.
He is extremely important for our
game. He is like a breath of fresh air,
hes fast and creates goals, said Thiago
after Costa set up 12 goals and scored
three of his own since signing from
Shakhtar Donetsk at the start of the
season.

Saudi Arabia has decided

not to play the disputed 2018
World Cup qualifier against
Palestine in Ramallah, the Saudi federation said yesterday.
The Saudi federation has sent
an official letter in which it announced withdrawing from the
match against Palestine scheduled for Thursday, spokeman
Adnan al-Moaibed said.
The new match date had been
set by FIFA on October 21.
The teams played each other
in Jeddah in June in the first of
their two scheduled Asia zone
World Cup qualifiers with the
Saudis winning 3-2.
That match was originally
supposed to be played in
Palestine, but Saudi Arabia
had refused to travel to the
Israeli-occupied West Bank,
citing undefined exceptional
circumstances.
The return leg was then set for
October 13, again in the West
Bank, but Saudi Arabia on
September 23 demanded that
it be played on neutral ground.
That demand was accepted
by the World Cup organising
committee, but the Palestinian
Federation refused to accept
the decision, saying it set a
dangerous precedent.

That match was originally

supposed to be played
in Palestine, but Saudi
Arabia had refused
to travel to the Israelioccupied West Bank, citing
undefined exceptional
circumstances
The matter was then postponed to allow further talks
to take place between all the
involved parties.
The Palestinian Football
Association has given full
security guarantees for the
rescheduled match and FIFA
has agreed to appoint a security officer who will work hand
in hand with the Palestine
authorities to supervise the
security plan and make sure
that the match is played in
very good conditions, an
earlier FIFA statement said.
Many Arab national teams
refuse to play in the West
Bank, saying it normalises
Israels occupation of Palestinian territory.
Israel controls all access to
the Palestinian territories,
and Saudi Arabia has no
diplomatic relations with the
Jewish state. Now to see what
happens next.

BOTTOMLINE

Proposed FIFA reforms, including

term limits, face rejection
Reuters
Miami

leading member of
FIFAs reform committee, Sheikh Ahmad
al-Fahad
al-Sabah,
says up to 40 per cent of the reform proposals made by ethics
and compliance chief Domenico
Scala could be rejected, including plans for term limits for top
executives.
Speaking to Reuters, Sheikh
Ahmad, one of the key power
brokers in international sport,
defended the decision of the
reform committee to turn down
a proposal for term limits for
members of world soccers scandal-plagued governing body.
Scala had originally been in
charge of FIFAs reform plans
before the creation of a Reform
Committee headed by Sheikh
Ahmads ally, former International Olympic Committee director general Francois Carrard.
Scala presented an eight-point

plan for reform of FIFA on Sept.

1 but several items have already
been rejected by FIFAs reform
committee, according to an interim report published on Oct. 20.
Asked about Scalas reforms,
Sheikh Ahmad said 60-70 percent of the proposals were being

backed by the committee but said

term-limits would be restricted to
the FIFA president alone.
Scala proposed term limits of
three, four-year terms also for
members of the Executive Committee, the Secretary General
and members of FIFAs other in-

dependent committees.
But the Reform Committee
report, which went largely unnoticed after being released at
the same time as a raft of news
from FIFAs Executive Committee last month, had no mention
of term-limits for other officials
other than an age limit of 74.
But this is normal for a lot
of organisations, said Sheikh
Ahmad. I think age-limit will
achieve the same goals - you will
have three or four terms maximum, unless you are young. And
if you are young, what is the percentage that is so young to make
the rules for them? he said,
talking at the general assembly
of the Association of National
Olympic Committees (ANOC) in
Washington last week.
Under the Reform Committee plans, a 40-year-old elected
to FIFAs executive committee
would still be able to stay in the
job for 34 years.
Scala declined to comment on
the work of the Reform Committee but said he stood by the

need for widespread term limits

and change at national and regional level.
I believe term limits for all
executive committee members
are critical and higher governance standards at confederation and association level are
also critical as they are the main
cause of the current issues, he
told Reuters.
Sheikh Ahmad is a member of
the FIFA executive committee
and is a leading player in the Olympic movement. He joined the
IOC in 1992, and has risen to the
role of president of the Olympic
Council of Asia (OCA) and president of the powerful ANOC.
Following the publication of
his recommendations, Scala also
suggested that FIFA could have
a rotating presidency as part of
the changes, but Sheikh Ahmad
said that was going too far.
I dont believe in this. Just
because we are in trouble we
dont have to kill everything. We
have to solve the problems without an over-reaction, he said.

Gerrard keen to end career on a high

with LA Galaxy
Steven Gerrard (right) believes he may have one more
season with LA Galaxy before
retiring from professional
football.
The former Liverpool and England midfielder, who joined
the Major League Soccer club
this year, wants to go out on
a high after the disappointing
end to their season.
It could be my last season as
a footballer. I certainly dont
want to feel like Im feeling
right now come next year,
the 35-year-old told the club
website (www.lagalaxy.com).
Id love to go out on a high.
Its a long season, and I only
came here for the last four
months. But Ill certainly be
better for the experience next
year.
Gerrard, who had spent his entire career at Liverpool, scored
on his MLS debut but netted
only once more in 14 matches
for the club, whose defence
of their title ended when they
were knocked out in the playoffs by Seattle Sounders.
The former England captain
admitted it had taken time to
adapt to playing in the United
States, with its variety of locations, conditions and time zones.

Going on the road, playing on

turf, playing at altitude, playing in humidity, those are the
hurdles that Ive had to face
over the last three months
that I wasnt aware of. Every
away game has a different
challenge, he said.
At home, weve got no
problems because were very
strong and we play well. Well
always win more than we
lose. For us to move forward
next year and finish in the
top two spots weve got to be
better defensively and stop
conceding on set pieces and
crosses.
Gerrard played more than 700
games for Liverpool, scoring
186 goals in all competitions.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

FOOTBALL
PREMIER LEAGUE

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Villa caught off

Garde as Spurs
stroll to victory
We came with a plan but that went out of the window after three minutes. The desire
is there and the shift players put in shows theres something for manager to work with

Astana hold Atletico

in dull stalemate

Atletico Madrids Argentinian coach Diego Simeone reacts during the

UEFA Champions League Group C match against FC Astana.
AFP
Astana

azakh champions Astana claimed just their

second ever Champions League point in an
uninspiring 0-0 draw against
Atletico Madrid yesterday.
The hosts had been thrashed
4-0 in the Spanish capital two
weeks ago, but held out bravely
for a surprise point despite rarely
threatening to seal their rst ever
Champions League win.
The draw sees Atletico move
top of Group C on seven points
from four games, but Benca are
only a point back and the Portuguese champions can move to
the top of the group should they
avoid defeat against Galatasaray
later in the day.
Atletico were faced with freezing conditions on a plastic pitch
after making the near 6,000
kilometre trip from Madrid and
it was the hosts who had the rst
effort on goal when Jan Oblak
saved from Dmitri Shomko.
The 2013/14 nalists took
control of the game as the half
developed and only some brave
defending denied Tiago and
Guilherme Siqueira as they had

goalbound efforts blocked.

Fernando Torress long wait
for his 100th Atletico goal continued as he wasted the best
chance of the game when Evgeny
Postnikovs dallying allowed the
former Liverpool and Chelsea
striker to turn Juanfrans cross
towards goal but wide of the far
post.
Koke also saw a free-kick clip
the top of the crossbar as Atletico
ended the half on top.
However, the visitors failed to
carry on that momentum in the
second period and it was only
when Yannick Ferreira Carrasco
was introduced from the bench
in the nal 20 minutes that they
started to create chances to
snatch all three points.
Antoine Griezmann was kept
quiet throughout, but Atleticos
top scorer found a yard of space
to ash a shot across goal before
a Carrasco cross came back off
the crossbar with Astana keeper
Nenad Eric apping.
Jose Maria Gimenezs header
forced the keeper into a comfortable save moments later, but
Eric produced his best stop of the
game deep into stoppage time
when he got down to save Carrascos effort with the last kick of
the match.

QATAR STARS LEAGUE

Boudiaf six month sanction reduced

to four-match suspension
New Aston Villa manager Remi Garde in the stands before the match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in London.
AFP
London

ston Villas new manager Remi

Garde discovered just how
hard it will be to save his club
from relegation as the Premier
League strugglers slumped to a 3-1 defeat
at Tottenham on Monday.
Garde was conrmed as Villa boss on
a three-and-a-half-year contract earlier in the day, but Kevin MacDonald,
in charge on a caretaker basis since Tim
Sherwoods sacking nine days ago, selected the team before the official start of
the Frenchmans reign.
While Garde wasnt involved, the
former Lyon coach was watching from
the White Hart Lane stands and it must
have made for uncomfortable viewing
as his side paid the price for a lacklustre
start.
Villa, whose only league win this season came on the opening weekend, fell
behind after less than three minutes

when sloppy defending was punished by

Mousa Dembele and Dele Alli doubled
Tottenhams advantage before half-time.
Jordan Ayew got one back for Villa late
on, but Harry Kane netted in the nal
seconds and when Garde arrives at the
clubs Bodymoor Heath training ground
on Tuesday, he will be in charge of a team
rooted to the bottom of the table after a
seventh successive league defeat condemned them to the worst start in their
history.
The players need to keep the ball better and Im sure Remi will be reiterating that to them with his Arsenal background, MacDonald said.
We came with a game plan but that
went out of the window after three minutes. The desire is there and the shift the
players put in shows theres something
for the manager to work with.
Tottenham are up to fth place on
the back of an impressive 10-match unbeaten run in the league, while Gardes
forgettable rst day suggests he is in for
a bumpy ride.

Villa misspelled Gardes rst name in

their announcement of his appointment
on Twitter, then the 49-year-olds ight
from France was delayed by fog.
When Garde arrived in north London,
there was more bad news as Villa defender Micah Richards was suspended just
before kick-off after a tunnel altercation
in a recent match.
NUMEROUS FLAWS
Garde took his seat in the directors box
with a pensive expression and if he was in
any doubt about the size of the task facing him, the former Arsenal midelder
was given a glaring example of Villas numerous aws in the third minute.
Villa defender Ciaran Clark allowed
himself to be pushed aside by Dembele,
who continued to show greater desire
than his marker as he surged down the
left ank into the penalty area, where he
red under goalkeeper Brad Guzan from
close-range.
It was the third fastest goal in the Premier League this season and Garde, try-

ing his best to look impassive, must have

feared the worst as Tottenham pushed
hard for a second goal.
There was no improvement in Villas
fortunes as midelder Ashley Westwood
was forced to come off after being caught
by Dembeles ailing arm.
And adding insult to injury, Tottenham
increased their lead in rst half stoppage-time.
Roses cross was headed weakly away
by Joleon Lescott and young England
midelder Alli controlled adroitly on his
thigh before ring past Guzan into the far
corner.
Villa had been lacking condence and
quality in all departments and, high in
the stands, Garde shook his head in disgust.
But MacDonald sent on Rudy Gestede
and Carles Gil in the second half and the
pair gave Villa a more dynamic look.
Leandro Bacunas curling effort hit
a post and, with Tottenham sitting too
deep, Villa were able to reduce the decit
in the 79th minute.

BOTTOMLINE

Klopps indomitable spirit very

important for Liverpool: Ibe
Reuters
Liverpool

iverpool manager Juergen

Klopp has helped instil a
never-say-die mentality
among his players to believe a game can always be won
regardless of the situation, winger
Jordon Ibe has said.
The charismatic 48-year-old
German took over from Brendan
Rodgers, who was sacked after
just eight Premier League games
this season, last month and has
set about adjusting his squads
approach to adversity.
Klopp won his rst league
game as Liverpool manager on
Saturday against champions
Chelsea, the Reds ghting back
for a 3-1 victory after conceding
within the rst four minutes.
Ibe, who has made 12 appearances for the club this season,

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp celebrates with Mamadou Sakho

at the end of the match against Chelsea.
said the game against Chelsea
was the perfect example of how

Klopp had already inuenced

the squad.

It was one of the most important things the new manager

has saidwe need to be a team
who can be 2-0 down and know
there is still time for us to get a
goal, Ibe told the clubs website
(www.liverpoolfc.com).
It could be in the last 10 minutes, so its just about having a
mentality that is like its now up
to us to go and get two goals and
then a third one.
It was great for the team to
come back from 1-0 down because it is difficult to do that
and beat Chelsea at Stamford
Bridge.
With the new manager, everything is fresh. I feel like a new
player and its for me to keep
improving and trying to stand
out in training. I feel goodthe
whole team are feeling great and
fresh, the 19-year-old added.
Midelder Joe Allen also
praised Klopp and is keen to im-

press the former Borussia Dortmund manager.

Its almost like the reset button has been pressed for everyone at the club and weve got a
clean slate to re-focus and try to
impress him so we can be part of
his plans, Allen said.
Everyone has been impressed with the new managers
ideas and approach. His passion
is very obvious and that is something we as players are going to
feed off.
Allen also paid tribute to Rodgers, who was his manager at Swansea City before joining the Reds.
He was a huge inuence because he was my manager for
over ve seasons with two football clubs, Allen said.
We shared some massive
highs but as everyone knows
change is something that always
happens in football and you have
to accept it. he said.

The Qatar Football Association Appeals Committee has

decided to reduce the sanction imposed on Lekhwiya
Sports Club midfielder Kareem
Boudiaf to a four-match ban
and a fine of QR50,000.
The initial suspension
imposed on Boudiaf by the
Disciplinary Committee was
for six months and a fine of
QR300,000 for his behaviour during his recent teams
recent clash with Al Arabi
in Round 5 of Qatar Stars
League.
The QFA Appeals Committee
considered Boudiafs appeal
and accepted to reduce his
punishment.
Boudiaf will now return to QSL
action in Round 9 against Al
Khor.
Lekhwiya Sports Clubs General Secretary Adnan Al Ali
expressed his thanks and appreciation to the QFA Appeals
Committee for reducing the
sanctions imposed on player.
Al Ali said in a statement on

the clubs website, Thank

God for the decision of the
appeal committee to reduce
the harsh punishment, we are
happy as the punishment was
very tough for our club and
also the national team.
Karim Boudiaf expressed his
happiness after the appeal
committees decision saw his
punishment reduced to just
four matches.
Boudiaf said in a statement to
the club, Thank God for the
end of this crisis which has
meant I could not represent
the team in some important
matches and I thank the club
management for standing
beside me in this difficult
situation.
Boudiaf concluded by saying,
I thank the appeal committee for understanding what
happened and I repeat my
apology for what I did in this
match. I will now begin preparing with my teammates for
the difficult matches that now
await us.

October awards: Fossati bags Best

Coach and Tabata wins Best Player
Jorge Fossati has claimed
his second QSL Coach of the
Month award this season after
overseeing yet another great
month with the Lions.
The team also has some of
the highest physical stats and
solid defensive stats which so
far this season, make them the
team to beat.
Rayyan scored 14 goals in
October and conceded just 5;
they have 12 points and as yet
havent lost a single game.
The team created an impressive 16.5 chances on average
and on average their opponents could only must 10.5
chances against them.
In addition Al Rayyan had
the highest performance
ranking of any other club
in the QSL for the month of
October. They averaged 359
passes per game in October,
had 16 crosses per game, 36
penalty area entries per game,
7 shots on target and covered
107.2kms.
All this shows an aggressive
approach to games which
allows them to dominate their
opponents and create many
chances.
Rodrigo Tabata was yesterday

awarded the QSLs October

Player of the Month Award at
Al Rayyans training pitches.
Tabatas average performance rating was 93.6 the
highest in the league for the
month of October. Tabata also
showed good performances in
September as he has consistently been one of their best
performers. Coincidently the
Brazilian was given the award
for best Player of the Month
last October also, consistency
personified!
The attacking midfielder
picked up the award after
four impressive displays last
month in Rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7
where he scored three goals
and gave three important
assists.
Tabata scored one goal
against Al Khor in Round 5, he
struck early in just the second
minute, then in the big derby
versus Al Arabi he bagged two
penalties on either side of the
break as the Lions produced
an emphatic 5-2.
He also gave three vital assists
meaning that all in all Tabata
was involved in six of his
teams goals in the month of
October.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

GOLF
FOCUS

Its premature to talk

of new era, says Spieth
But I believe that we made a step in the right direction and if we can ride with that itll be significant
AFP
Shanghai

ouble major-winner
Jordan Spieth yesterday said it was too
early to talk of a new
era in the game despite a year
when he led the charge of the
young guns.
The 22-year-old won the
seasons rst two majors, the
US Masters and the US Open,
and had a series of titanic battles against 28-year-old Jason
Day of Australia, who nally
turned the tables on Spieth to
lift the US PGA Championship
in August.
Spieth went on to win the
FedEx Cup and another young
American Rickie Fowler, 26, had
a breakthrough season in which
he won three times including the prestigious $10 million
Players Championship at Sawgrass and rose into the worlds
top ve.
Its a bit premature to say
that its our era, Spieth told
AFP after he had indulged in
some Chinese drumming alongside Fowler, Bubba Watson and
Henrik Stenson to launch this
weeks WGC-HSBC Champions
tournament in Shanghai.
But I believe that we made
a step in the right direction and
if we can ride with that itll be
signicant, the young Texan
added.
Three-time major winner
Rory McIlroy, who is only 26
himself, had a season interrupted by a football-related injury
but still heads the European
Tours Race to Dubai standings
and completes a youthful top
three in the rankings with Day
and Spieth.
Spieth said McIlroy was still
the one they were chasing, and
if it was anyones era now it was
the Northern Irishmans.
McIlroy tummy bug
For Rory its different be-

(L-R) Golfers Henrik Stenson, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson during a photo call for the WGC-HSBC Champions golf tournament near the Bund in Shanghai,
yesterday. (Reuters)
cause hes been consistent for
quite a few years now. Jason and
I have played solid golf, but to
create an era you need to do it
for a decade, said Spieth.
We have the potential to do
it. But this was the rst year of
it. Unless we keep our heads
down and work, and it drives us,
and we get the luck... theres lot
of factors in order to create it.

McIlroy skipped the launch

event on the roof of Shanghais
Peninsula hotel overlooking the
Huangpu river after suffering
from a stomach bug after practice Tuesday.
Rory just needs a rest and
hell be back for the pro-am
tomorrow, McIlroys manager
Sean OFlaherty told AFP.
Hes picked up a tummy bug

but its nothing to worry about.

Hes gunning to win this
week, added OFlaherty.
While McIlroy took to his
sick bed as a precaution, there
were almost two other casualties among the worlds top 10
when Fowler and Stenson were
almost speared by a drumstick
that snapped and barrelled
towards them as the Chinese

drummers went through their

paces.
The broken piece thumped
into the sponsors board just
beside Stensons head, but the
Swede took it in good humour.
Ive got my full team of
lawyers working on it. Expect
HSBC to be closed down tomorrow, the world number
seven joked afterwards.

I just saw it out of the corner

of my eye, Rickie inched and
then it hit the board and landed
beside me, he explained. It
was sharp, like when you split
a broomstick. So it could have
been a very exciting start to the
week.
The WGC-HSBC Champions
begins tomorrow at Sheshan
Golf Club in Shanghai.

Asian players
wont miss out
in tour merger
Asian Tour CEO Mike Kerr
yesterday said he has allayed
players fears that they could
lose out in a merger with the
European Tour, adding that
the move was aimed at nurturing elite golfers to drive
the sport in the region.
Kerr said the proposed creation of a mega-tour straddling
Europe and Asia would go
ahead and had been broadly
welcomed by players, despite
fears from some Asian professionals that it could limit their
playing opportunities.
He added that it would create
a pathway to the worlds
most prestigious events for
players from Asia, and in the
process create more elite
players from the worlds most
populous continent.
What I can say very confidently is that no Asian professional is going to lose any
opportunity, Kerr told AFP on
the sidelines of the HSBC Golf
Business Forum in Shanghai.
We are going through a
process of education with the
players, Kerr added.
The European players have
embraced this almost 100
percent. For the Asian players
I think its a much bigger
change for them. There have
been a lot of questions and a
lot of concern, as you would
imagine.
Change in any industry, in
life, is not something that is
easily embraced. We have
addressed their fears in the
way we have structured the
partnership.
Kerr said he could not
disclose details of the merger
and they were still being
negotiated.
Yes its all confidential, Kerr
said. But we are going to partner together. We are merging
the membership. We are
merging the businesses.
Asian players will continue to
be able to ply their trade in
Asia if they wish.
But for those who want to
progress, those that want to
create a real career out of professional golf, what we have
done is create a very clear
pathway to get into some of
the more established events
in the world and then through
to the majors, the WGCs and
the cream of the elite tournaments.
From an Asian Tour perspective we want to create elite
golfers in Asia to drive golf
and unlock the potential of
the game in Asia.

SPOTLIGHT

Qatar International Golf Club unveiled in Shanghai

By Sports Reporter
Shanghai

isionary plans for a new

world-class
golng
destination in the heart
of Qatars Education
City, Doha, have been unveiled
yesterday in Shanghai at the Golf
Business Forum, worlds premier
golf business event.
The unrivalled combination
of a premium golng, leisure and
sports education facility in one
location, Qatar International
Golf Club, a member of Qatar
Foundation, is truly unique to
the region and the world.
Offering a revolutionary and
holistic approach to golf. The
cutting edge facility has been designed to guide every member of
society regardless of age or ability - from complete beginners to
the worlds leading professionals
- on an exciting golng journey
that maximises enjoyment and
supports progress with every
single step. It will provide golng
enthusiasts and those new to the
sport alike with an entirely new
way to learn, enjoy and share the
game in beautiful surroundings.
Qatar International Golf Club
will be the rst of its kind anywhere in the world.
The project comprises an 18hole championship golf course,
an innovative 6-hole championship course, a 9-hole par-3
course all designed by two-time
major winner Jose Maria Olazabal as well as high-tech driving
range and practice facilities, a
centre of excellence and a public
park featuring a host of indoor
and outdoor activities for all the
family. Created with respect for
the local culture and traditions,
Qatar International Golf Club
also features female-centric
practice facilities in an effort to

open up the game to more Muslim women.

Developed to offer a welcoming and friendly atmosphere the
facility ensures the whole family can enjoy a day at Qatar International Golf Club. As well
as the world-leading golng
facilities, a stunning clubhouse
with hotel rooms, spa, extensive
banqueting facilities and dining
experiences make for the perfect
setting for family and friends to
relax and enjoy quality time together, as well as an attractive
destination for international
travellers.
The project proudly embodies the Qatar 2030 vision for human, social, environmental and
economic development by providing a framework to grow the
game of golf in Qatar with a focus on making the sport fun and
accessible for all. With demand
for additional golf facilities in
Doha soaring, the destination is
also expected to make a valuable
economic contribution to Qatars luxury leisure and hospitality industry as a major draw for
residents as well as inbound golf
travel, and will offer an exciting
addition to Qatars blossoming
tourist attractions.
The operation of the project
is being overseen by AMLAK
and will become one of the most
technologically advanced, innovative and sustainable golf
courses in the world.
Speaking about the project,
Ed Edwards, Qatar International
Golf Club General Manager said:
Qatar International Golf Club
is a landmark project for Qatar
and the world of golf. The facility
has the opportunity to revolutionise the way golf is taught and
enjoyed, we hope to encourage
greater participation in the sport
amongst the local community
and our hope is that this sys-

tem will provide a blue-print for

growing levels of golf participation globally.
The course itself is based on
solid foundations of science and
research and will see it become
truly world-leading in terms of
both social and environmental
sustainability. Ive no doubt Qatar International Golf Club will
be at the forefront of developing every aspect of the sport and
inspire future generations, especially in Qatar.
Our vision is simple to create a place where everyone can
be a golfer. We believe that can
be achieved by offering new formats of the game which are fun
and exciting regardless of ability. Weve carefully studied the
game, listened to the experts in
the industry and development
relationships with like-minded
partners to ensure this facility

responds to the challenges golf

faces and grasps the opportunities that exist now and in the
future. With golf returning to
the Olympics in 2016, growing interest in Qatar and other
emerging markets the game has
so much to look forward to especially with this project. It really
will be a game changer.
As well as developing new fun
and shorter formats and integrating technology in every aspect, Qatar International Golf
Club is committed to becoming
one of the most sustainable golf
courses in the world from both
an environmental and social
perspective. Since inception the
facility has been working with
guidance from the Golf Environment Organization, GEO, the
international non-prot organisation dedicated entirely to providing a credible and accessible

system of sustainability standards for the golf industry.

The process for becoming
GEO certied begins at the design and construction phase
right through to the golf clubs
ongoing operation, and stringent criteria consider everything
from how water and landscapes
are managed, to the social and
economic benets of the facility.
Speaking on his rst golf
course project in the Middle East
region, Jose Maria Olazabal said:
I believe long term growth in
golf can only happen if we make
the game easily accessible and
fun for the kids and that lies at
the heart of Qatar International
Golf Club. The location of the
club will impress even the most
sophisticated golf traveller, being
set within Education City, Dohas
spectacular university and science community. In the design

we wanted to pay respect to this

unique Centre of Excellence and
therefore we give prominence to
teaching and training right in the
centre of the golf club.
The 18-hole championship
course is designed to embrace
the natural landscape and strategically blends in a dry riverbed
(wadi) and ancient rock walls to
offer a unique Qatari experience.
The layout of the 6-hole
championship course was designed to reach out to people,
especially the young, to try the
game proper after they are
ready to progress from the range
and the par-3 course but perhaps arent quite yet prepared
to graduate to the championship
course. And we hope it will encourage inactive golfers to start
playing regularly again. All six
holes are of tournament standard and they can be played in less

than 90 minutes. So they offer

time-pressed golfers a tremendous alternative to the 18-hole
course. Families in particular
will be delighted as we included
not just one but two kids tees
on these holes, giving a total of
seven different tee boxes.
Edwards added: If anyone
visited Qatar International Golf
Club today you would see our vision is already becoming a reality. Already a number of holes are
grassed and our desire to grow
the golf is also being seen with
a schools programme about to
be launched in local schools. We
want to build interest within the
community and strong grassroots for golf side by side as the
facility builds over time.
Launching the project globally at the Golf Business Forum
in Shanghai really is the perfect
platform for such a revolutionary facility especially when
weve listened to and are working with so many industry leaders present today.
Talking through our unique
golng journey to an audience
that understands and includes
everyone from Rickie Fowler and
Bubba Watson to PGA TOUR
Commissioner, Tim Finchem;
European Tour Chief Executive,
Keith Pelley; LPGA Commissioner, Mike Whan; new Chief
Executive of the R&A, Martin
Slumbers and Dr Arab Hoballah from the United Nations is a
signal of our global intent for the
project.
In the months ahead further
exciting details and project updates will be releases regarding
Qatar International Golf Club
across all of aspects of construction, guest facilities, memberships, partnerships, as well as
advances in golf education, sustainability, innovation, research
and development.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

SPORT
BASKETBALL

King James youngest to

reach 25,000 points in NBA
For me, winning basketball games and then reaching milestones individually is a pretty cool thing, but obviously the
team aspect comes first. But anytime along that line youre able to reach a milestone, its very humbling

AFP
Miami

leveland Cavaliers star LeBron James soared

to another NBA milestone late Monday, jamming home a dunk against the 76ers in Philadelphia to become the youngest player to
score 25,000 points.
The 30-year-old James came into the contest needing 21 points to reach 25,000. He got there in style,
taking his tally for the night to 22 with an alley-oop
dunk that he stuffed through the hoop with 8:06 to
play in the Cavaliers 107-100 win over the 76ers.
James scored 22 pointsthats 25,001 for his careerwith 11 assists and nine rebounds and received
a standing ovation from the Philly crowd when his
achievement was acknowledged during an ensuing
timeout.
Obviously, theyre Sixer fans to death, but they
know and they respect the game of basketball,
James said. To get a standing ovation reaching that
milestone, it was very special.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt called it an extremely
important, extremely impressive mark.
To be the youngest player in the history of the
game to score 25,000 pointsparticularly when
youre every bit the passer that you are the scorer
is just a testament to his greatness, Blatt said.
James became the 20th player in NBA history to
record 25,000 career points.
Kobe Bryant was the prior fastest player to the plateau, reaching it in 2010 at the age of 31.
Among active players, the Mavericks German star
Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnet and Paul
Pierce are the only others to have reached the
plateau.
For me, winning basketball games and then reaching milestones individually is a pretty cool thing, but
obviously the team aspect comes first, James said
before the game. But anytime along that line youre
able to reach a milestone, its very humbling.
Clevelands Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova
lobbed the pass that produced the milestone, and
James departed the game soon after.
Guard Mo Williams added 21 points for the Cavaliers,
who won their third straight game to improve to 3-1
for the young season.
Forward Kevin Love had 15 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland, who trailed by as many as 15
points in the first half but outscored Philadelphia

25-4 in a one stretch bridging the second and third

quarters.
Dellavedova had 12 points, nine assists and five
rebounds for the Cavs, and guard/forward James
Jones chipped in 12 points.
Rookie center Jahlil Okafor scored 24 points to lead
Philadelphia, who despite his exploits fell to 0-3.
The 76ers led by as many as 15 in the second
quarter, when Okafor scored eight of his 14 first-half
points with an electric display that included posting
up to score over Love and dribbling past Timofey
Mozgov to nail a jump shot.
James scored three points and assisted on two
more buckets in a 10-2 Cavs run that cut the Sixers
lead to 54-49. The Cavaliers scored the first nine
points of the second half to take the lead for good.
We got jumped by a great team in the third period,
76ers coach Brett Brown said.
San Antonios ageless center Tim Duncan notched
yet another milestone, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Spurs 94-84 victory over
the New York Knicks that gave Duncan 954 career
winsthe most for any player with one NBA team.
Duncan notched the 831st double-double of his
career. Hes fifth on the all-time list in that category
behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recorded 885 career
double-doubles.
As Duncan was adding yet another double-double
to his resume at Madison Square Garden, Knicks
rookie Kristaps Porzingis of Latvia notched the first
of his career with 13 points and 14 rebounds before
exiting with an apparent neck injury minutes from
the end. Porzingis was diving for a loose ball when
leaping teammate Carmelo Anthony came down on
his head. Porzingis, obviously in pain, remained on
the floor for several minutes before walking gingerly
to the locker room.
James Harden rediscovered his shooting stroke,
scoring 37 points to lead the Houston Rockets to
their first victory of the season -- 110-105 over the
Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ty Lawson had his best game since joining the Rockets, adding 14 points with 11 assists and four steals
to help last seasons Western Conference finalists
rally from a 15-point deficit for the victory after three
straight defeats to open the season.
Rockets center Dwight Howard scored 16 points
and pulled down eight rebounds, draining two free
throws to seal the victory over a Thunder team that
got 29 points from Kevin Durant and 25 from Russell
Westbrook.

DEVELOPMENT

Touchdowns to replace tries at Twickenham

Reuters
London

ouchdowns will replace tries

at the home of English rugby
after the National Football
League (NFL) agreed a threeyear deal to play regular season games
at Twickenham from next October,
the Rugby Football Union (RFU) announced yesterday.
The NFL garners huge interest in
Britain and the three games per season
currently played at Wembley Stadium

as part of the International Series have

been a rousing success since they began in 2007.
Last seasons games drew sellout
crowds of more than 80,000 for a reported total of more than $32 million in
ticket revenue.
We are delighted to welcome the
NFL to Twickenhama stadium that
has played such an integral role in what
has been the biggest Rugby World
Cup ever, said Sophie Goldschmidt,
the RFUs chief commercial & marketing officer. The NFL has a strong
and growing fan base in the UK, and

this, combined with the investments

weve made in our stadium will give
fans more opportunities to experience
the action rst-hand at a world-class
venue, she added.
The NFL teams selected for the
rst game at Twickenham will be announced later this year and the deal
gives the United States-based league
an option of staging two additional
games at the stadium over the same
period.
The agreement with Twickenham,
where New Zealand beat Australia to
lift the Rugby World Cup on Saturday,

comes in the wake of the NFL and Tottenham Hotspur reaching a 10-year
deal in July for shared use of a new
multi-sport stadium in London.
We are committed to continuing to
grow our sport in the UK and believe
that adding Twickenham Stadium to
our roster of host venues in London is
further evidence of that commitment,
NFL executive vice president Mark
Waller said.
The NFL recently disclosed that
it had extended its existing partnership with Wembley in a deal that will
see the national stadium stage at least

two regular-season games a year until

2020.
zThe San Francisco 49ers will bench
starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick
in favour of Blaine Gabbert, according
to multiple reports on Monday.
The teams QB change will take
place when the 49ers face the Atlanta
Falcons this coming weekend and the
move would represent a major fall
from grace for Kaepernick, who was
once one of the NFLs brightest young
stars.
The 49ers suffered a 27-6 loss to the
St Louis Rams on Sunday as they went

a second consecutive game without

producing a touchdown.
San Francisco (2-6) responded to
their abysmal start to the campaign by
trading away veteran tight end Vernon
Davis to the Denver Broncos earlier on
Monday. Now Kaepernick, once the
face of the franchise, will also be a victim of team changes.
The 49ers signed Kaepernick to a
lucrative six-year contract last year
but he has yet to cash in on the promise
he showed when he helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl in the 2012
campaign.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

SPORT
NHL

NFL

Punchless Flyers
lose to Canucks,
drop their fourth
It was the fourth straight loss for the Flyers, who have scored just six goals in those defeats

Panthers
claim wild
overtime
victory
Reuters
Indianapolis

arolina kicker Graham Gano atoned for a

missed extra point by
kicking a game-winning
52-yard eld goal in overtime as
the Panthers stayed unbeaten by
defeating the Indianapolis Colts
29-26 on Monday.
After the teams traded overtime eld goals, Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechlys interception of Andrew Luck gave the
Panthers the ball at the Colts 39
in the sudden-death portion of
the extra session and Gano did
the rest.
The Colts had earlier wiped
out a 17-point decit in the
last 7:04 of regulation as Luck
suddenly got untracked before
Adam Vinatieris 50-yard eld
goal on the opening possession
of overtime put the visitors in
position for an unlikely win.
The Panthers matched it
when Gano connected on a 42yard eld goal at a rainy Bank of
America Stadium.
The Carolina possession included a dropped pass by wide
receiver Ted Ginn Jr that would
have, at the very least, taken the
ball inside the 10-yard line.
Quarterback Cam Newton
clicked on a couple of secondhalf drives, putting Carolina

23-6 up before the Colts came

storming back.
Newton threw two touchdown passes in less than a veminute span as the Panthers
continued their best start in
franchise history by improving
to 7-0.
Still trailing 23-20, the Colts
regained possession at their own
40 with 2:02 remaining and out
of timeouts. Lucks next three
passes were incomplete before a
fourth-down conversion. After
that, the Colts moved methodically to the six-yard line.
Vinatieris 24-yard eld goal
tied the game on the last play
of regulation, completing a 16play possession.
Ganos missed extra point
proved costly following Carolinas last touchdown.
Carolina has won a franchiserecord 11 consecutive regularseason games dating to last season. The Panthers have matched
last years regular-season victory total when they went 7-8-1,
which was good enough to win
the NFC South.
Newton nished 16-of-35
for 248 yards. He was picked off
once.
Luck completed 23-of-47
passes for 232 yards for the Colts
(3-5), who lost their third game
in a row. Through three quarters,
he had only 40 passing yards and
was intercepted twice.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis (2) reaches

for the puck against Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne
Simmonds (17) during the third period of their game at
Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The Vancouver Canucks won
4-1. PICTURE: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

By Sam Carchici
The Philadelphia Inquirer

all out a search party. The Philadelphia Flyers offense is missing.

Despite outhitting the Canucks, getting lots of quality scoring
chances, and showing much more energy
than in recent games, the Flyers fell to
Vancouver, 4-1, on Monday night at the
Rogers Center.
It was the fourth straight loss for the
Flyers, who have scored just six goals in
those defeats.
They are averaging less than two goals
a game; only Anaheim is averaging fewer
goals in the 30-team NHL.
Goalie Ryan Miller was outstanding for
Vancouver, which took a 3-1 lead when
rookie Jake Virtanen got past Brandon
Manning in the neutral zone en route to
scoring from the slot on a two-on-one
with 11 minutes, 32 seconds left. It was
the rst career goal for the 19-year-old
Virtanen, and Vancouver later added an
empty-net score.
Jake Voracek, the NHLs all-star right
winger last
season, had a strong perNHL
formance but went goal-less for the

11th straight game, equaling his longest

streak to start a season in his career.
With the teams playing four-on-four
and the score knotted at 1-1, Vancouver
center Bo Horvat had defenseman Mark
Streit in pursuit as he skated behind the
Flyers net, and circled out front. Horvat moved through the left circle before
beating Steve Mason to the far side with
a well-placed shot from the slot with
9:50 left in the second period. Defenseman Nick Schultz appeared to screen the
goalie.
With 2:25 to go in the second, a Brandon Sutter shot deected off Mason and
trickled toward the net, but hustling
Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde got his
stick on the puck and cleared it just before it reached the goal line, keeping the
Flyers down by just 2-1.
Earlier in the period, Claude Giroux
had tied the score with a spectacular
goal.
Taking an outlet pass from Jake Voracek, Giroux had defenseman Matt Bartkowski draped on him from behind and
still made a series of eye-opening moves
before putting a backhander past Ryan
Miller, tying the game at 1-1 with 17:06
left in the period.
Girouxs linemate, Michael Raffl was

Results
TORONTO
CHICAGO
VANCOUVER

4 Dallas
4 Los Angeles
4 Philadelphia

1
2
1

robbed several times in the game by Miller, including two stops from the doorstep.
After being outshot by an 8-1 margin
early in the game, the Flyers took play
away from the Canucks, outhitting and
outshooting them in the last half of the
rst period and the rst half of the second period. They were dominating play
before Horvats goal.
It was the second of a ve-game road
trip that continues today, where the
Flyers get their rst look at 18-year-old
Oilers sensation Connor McDavid in Edmonton.
McDavid, the No. 1 overall pick in the
June draft, was named the leagues rookie
of the month after collecting ve goals
and seven assists in 12 October games.
It took the Canucks all of 1:08 to strike,
taking a 1-0 lead when Jannik Hansen got
behind Schultz and nished off a two
on one. The Canucks seemed to have an
odd-man rush and a point-blank shot
almost every time down the ice in the

games rst 6:22, outshooting the Flyers,

8-1, in that span.
The Flyers regrouped, dominated in
the faceoff circle, and started to get scoring opportunities, especially in the last
10 minutes of the period. But Miller,
who had shutouts in his two previous
starts against the Flyers, denied Brayden
Schenn and Vinny Lecavalier on golden
chances with about ve minutes left in
the rst. Lecavalier slammed his arm
against the glass in disgust after his slot
shot was turned aside.
Miller was only forced to make one
save during an unproductive Flyers power play that briey extended into the second period. That made the Flyers 0 for
their last 11 on the power play, a funk that
started ve games ago.
Vancouver was without injured defenseman Luca Sbisa, a former Flyer, who
was in a walking boot. But the Canucks
got a boost when defenseman Dan Hamhuis returned to the lineup after missing
three games with an unspecied injury.
Now the Flyers head to McDavid
Country and face a player who tore up
the Ontario League during the previous
three seasons, collecting a ridiculous 97
goals and 285 points in 166 games for the
Erie Otters.

Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman (24) breaks up the pass

intended for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) during
the fourth quarter of their NFL game on Monday. Carolina defeated
Indianapolis 29-26 in overtime. PICTURE: Jeremy Brevard-USA
TODAY Sports

ON THE MEND

Lockettes neck
surgery successful,
Seahawks say
AFP
Seattle

BOTTOMLINE

Ice-cold Bryant frustrated amid S

LA Lakers lacklustre start
AFP
Los Angeles

obe Bryants 20th NBA

season isnt starting out
the way the ve-time
champion had hoped. I
freaking suck, was the 37-yearolds assessment after his Los
Angeles Lakers fell 103-93 to
the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday
nightthe Lakers third defeat in
three games of the edgling season.
Bryant connected on just three
of 15 attempts from the oor and
judged himself the 200th-best

player in the league right now.

Bryant isnt about to lean on
the cumulative impact of the injuries hes endured over the years,
or on the troublesome calf bruise
he suffered in training camp to
excuse his 31.4 percent shooting
average. From three-point range
hes made just six of 29 attempts
a 20.7 percent average.
Guys are getting me the ball,
theyre making great passes. Its
their job to facilitate and its my
job to nish, Bryant said. Ive
just got to do the responsible
thing and make em. I know
hes not happy with it, Scott said.
Hes playing hard.

eattle
wide
receiver
Ricardo Lockette has had
successful surgery to
stabilize his neck after
he was hurt in a scary hit in the
Seahawks NFL game in Dallas on
Sunday.
Doctors at Baylor Medical
Center in Dallas performed successful neck surgery on Seahawks
receiver Ricardo Lockette Monday, the team said in a statement
posted on its website. He is expected to remain in the hospital
for a few days, but will be up and
moving as soon as Tuesday, and
his neurological signs are all positive. Cowboys safety Jeff Heaths
hard hit on a punt play shortly
before halftime on Sunday left
Lockette crumpled on the eld,
lying motionless for several minutes as he was attended by medical personnel. Heath was penalized for a blind-side block on
the play. Lockette spoke to those
tending him, and raised his arm in
salute as he was stretchered off,
and the Seahawks said Sunday

night he had motion in his limbs

but had suffered a concussion.
He did, however, suffer ligament damage in his neck, necessitating the surgery.
When I saw that he was injured like that, and he wasnt
moving, I hated it, Heath told the
Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
My intention is never to hurt
anyone. I was playing hard, and
he was doing the same thing. I
heard he was all right, and I was
really happy that he was able to
move after when they were taking
him off. Speaking to the media in
Seattle on Monday while Lockette was still in surgery, Seahawks
coach Pete Carroll said the team
had been told everything was
going ne. Family members,
Seahawks medial and public relations staff and teammates Marshawn Lynch and Russell Okung
all stayed in Dallas with Lockette
when the team returned home.
We are really grateful that our
medical staff and the emergency
staff at the stadium, the medical staff of the Cowboys and also
Baylor Hospital were able to really
jump at the cause and take great
care of him, Carroll said.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

SPORT
HORSE RACING

Payne storms male bastion

with shock Melbourne win
There is so much more involved, getting the horse into a rhythm, getting the horse to try for you, its being patient. And
Im so glad to win the Melbourne Cup and hopefully, it will help female jockeys from now on to get more of a go

Jockey Michelle Payne of Australia crosses the line on Prince of Penzance to become the first female jockey to win a Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne yesterday. At right, she celebrates with her brother and strapper Steve.
AFP
Melbourne

Recent Melbourne Cup winners

ichelle Payne made history yesterday as the rst

female jockey to win Australias 154-year-old
Melbourne Cup when she rode 100-1 outsider
Prince of Penzance to a shock win.
In a tight nish, Prince of Penzance powered home to hold
off Irelands Max Dynamite (12-1) by half-a-length with Criterion (18-1) close behind at the head of a strong international
eld.
The well-supported Japanese race favourite Fame Game
(4-1) was always well back and nished 13th as Payne and
her brother and strapper Stevie, who has Downs Syndrome,
started their celebrations.
Unbelievable, its like a dream come true. This horse is
awesome, Payne said moments after winning the worlds
richest two-mile (3,200m) handicap race, which has an
Aus$6.2 million ($4.4 million) purse.
Payne and the locally-trained Prince of Penzance upstaged
an 11-strong international contingent prepared by some of
the greatest trainers in world racing.
Prince of Penzance became only the fourth 100-1 shot to
win the Melbourne Cup, dubbed the race that stops a nation, and the rst in 75 years.

2015 - Prince of Penzance

(ridden by Michelle Payne)
2014 - Protectionist (Ryan
Moore)
2013 - Fiorente (Damien
Oliver)
2012 - Green Moon (Brett
Prebble)
2011 - Dunaden (Christoph
Lemaire)
2010 - Americain (Gerald
Mosse)
2009 - Shocking (Corey
Brown)
2008 - Viewed (Blake Shinn)
2007 - Efficient (Michael
Rodd)
2006 - Delta Blues (Yasunari
Iwata)
2005 - Makybe Diva (Glen
Boss)
2004 - Makybe Diva (Glen

Boss)
2003 - Makybe Diva (Glen
Boss)
2002 - Media Puzzle
(Damien Oliver)
2001 - Ethereal (Scott
Seamer)
2000 - Brew (Kerrin
McEvoy)
1999 - Rogan Josh (John
Marshall)
1998 - Jezabeel (Chris
Munce)
1997 - Might And Power (Jim
Cassidy)
1996 - Saintly (Darren Beadman)
1995 - Doriemus (Damien
Oliver)
1994 - Jeune (Wayne Harris)
1993 - Vintage Crop (Michael
Kinane)

It was a fairytale victory for Payne, 30, who has fought

back from life-threatening race injuries and also battled
prejudice in what she called such a chauvinistic sport.
Its a very male-dominated sport and people think we
(women) are not strong enough and all of the rest of it, but
you know what, its not all about strength, she said at the
winners presentation.
There is so much more involved, getting the horse into a
rhythm, getting the horse to try for you, its being patient.
And Im so glad to win the Melbourne Cup and hopefully,
it will help female jockeys from now on to get more of a go.
I believe that we dont get enough of a go and hopefully
this will help.
Talking to Australias Channel Seven, she praised trainer
Darren Weir and owner John Richards for their support and
added: I want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because
women can do anything and we can beat the world.
Prince of Penzance, a six-year-old gelding, came into
Australias biggest race with little fanfare despite winning
one of the lead-up races, the Moonee Valley Gold Cup, over
a week ago.
But Payne said she knew her unheralded mount was going
to challenge as they headed towards the home turn.
From the 1,000 (metres) everything just opened up, she
said. I got on to the back of Trip To Paris, he took me into
the race.

I was actually clipping his heels, I was going that good,

but I didnt want to check him and then he just got into the
straight and burst clear and it was unreal.
Payne, the youngest of 10 children, was just six months old
when her mother Mary was killed in a car crash. She comes
from a family steeped in racing pedigree, with only two other
siblings not becoming jockeys.
At 18 Payne fractured her skull and suffered bruising on the
brain when she fell head-rst in a Melbourne race. She suffered further injuries, breaking a wrist and smashing an ankle
in other race falls.
Trip To Paris came in fourth but Newmarket trainer Ed
Dunlops other runner, three-time race runner-up and
10-year-old gelding Red Cadeaux, failed to nish.
Diagnostics undertaken on Red Cadeaux this afternoon
show the horse has sustained a fracture to his medial sesamoid in his left fore fetlock, a Racing Victoria statement read.
The horse is comfortable with his leg in a splint and the
fracture is stable.
Dr Chris Whitton from the University of Melbourne advised that the injury is not currently life-threatening, however the horse will not race again.
There was more heartbreak for Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohameds Godolphin stable, which again missed out at the
18th attempt at winning the race when Sky Hunter (30-1)
beat only two other runners home.

BOTTOMLINE

Nadal considered skipping World Tour finals

Reuters
Paris

or all his renowned mental

strength it was psychological exhaustion that made Rafa
Nadal consider skipping the
season-ending ATP World Tour nals this year, the 14-times grand slam
champion said yesterday.
Nadal struggled for form all year and
failed to win a major for the rst time
since his maiden French Open title in
2005, dropping out of the top ve in
the ATP rankings for the rst time in 10
years.
But his participation in the World
Tour nals in London this month was
never in doubt ranking-wise.
I thought I would qualify. I always
believed that I was going to be in the
top eight at the end of the season, but
always with the respect (for other players), Nadal told a news conference
ahead of this weeks Paris Masters.
I am humble enough to say, Okay, if
I keep playing bad, Im probably gonna
be in trouble. But I had the feeling in

Rafael Nadal (R) and Indias Leander Paes arrive on court for their doubles match
against Britains Dominic Inglot and Swedens Robert Lindstedt at the ATP World
Tour Masters 1000 indoor tennis tournament in Paris yesterday.

some moments I would be playing better.

I believe my level is to be there in the
top eight even if I had tough moments
this year.
Nadal was knocked out in the Australian Open quarter-nals before suffering only his second defeat at Roland
Garros when he lost to Novak DJokovic
in the last eight of the French Open.
It was followed by a second-round
exit at Wimbledon and a third-round
defeat at the U.S. Open.
Asked if he considered not going to
London for the World Tour nals because of physical or mental problems,
Nadal replied: Not physical, no. Mental.
I was not enjoying myself on court
and not feeling competitive, so then in
the most difficult tournament of the
year, in the toughest surface for me of
the year, it probably would not have
made sense to play.
The Spaniard is sixth in the ATP
rankings and lies fth in the Race to
London, having secured his qualication for the Nov. 15-22 event.
He will start his Paris Masters cam-

paign today with a second-round

match against Czech qualier Lukas
Rosol or fellow Spaniard Guillermo
Garcia-Lopez.
Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka started
his Paris Masters challenge with a 6-3
7-6(6) win over Australian Bernard
Tomic after surviving a blip in the tiebreak to reach the third round on Tuesday.
The world number four from Switzerland trailed 5-2 in the tiebreak but
raised his game to close out the match
in straight sets at a renovated Bercy
Hall.
I was not in a good position, thats
for sure, Wawrinka, who is bidding
to become the rst player to win the
French Open and the Paris Masters in
the same year since Andre Agassi in
1999, told a news conference.
I played one good point, aggressive,
then he missed an easy forehand, and
youre back.
Wawrinka next faces either Spanish
15th seed Feliciano Lopez or Serbian
Viktor Troicki.
Spanish eighth seed David Ferrer
also advanced to the third round when

he swept aside Alexandr Dolgopolov of

Ukraine 6-2 6-2.
The Paris Masters is the last tournament before the season-ending ATP
World Tour nals, which will be played
between the eight best players of the
season from Nov. 15-22 at the O2 in
London.
Djokovic, Wawrinka, Roger Federer,
Rafa Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych and Ferrer have all
qualied.
Williams edges Keys
in Zhuhai opener
Top seed Venus Williams opened the
inaugural WTA Elite Trophy in southern China with a tight three-sets win
over fellow American Madison Keys on
Tuesday.
The seven-time Grand Slam-winner
came from a set down to win 3-6, 7-6
(7/5), 6-1 as she seeks to end her season
with a 48th career title.
The Elite Trophy, which follows last
weeks WTA Finals for the top eight
women, is a new event featuring the
players ranked nine-20 and held at a
purpose-built facility in Zhuhai, which
borders gambling haven Macau.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

CRICKET
SPOTLIGHT

Malik retires from Tests

AFP
Sharjah

ormer Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik

announced his retirement from Test
cricket after he failed in the second
innings of the third Test against England in Sharjah on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old only made a comeback
in the longer format of the game after ve
years in the rst Test against England in Abu
Dhabi, smashing a career-best 245.
But since then he has made nought, two, seven, 38 and nought in the remaining ve innings
of the series, prompting him to call it a day.
I am retiring from Test cricket after this
match, Malik told reorters. The reason of
my leaving Tests is not because of slump in
form but its because I want to give more time
to my family and concentrate on the 2019
World Cup.

Malik was married to Indian tennis star

Sania Mirza in 2010, a wedding widely publicised across Pakistan and India.
I realised today that this is the right
time to leave the place for youngsters and
Pakistan have many talented players who
can fill in, said Malik, who made his Test
debut against Bangladesh in Multan in
2001.
In all, he played 35 Tests, scoring 1,898
runs with three centuries and eight halfcenturies.
He has so far taken 29 wickets, with his
best gures of 4-33 coming on Tuesday
against England in Sharjah, a gure to which
he can possibly add a few in Englands second
innings.
Malik said he was thinking of the retirement even before he scored the double hundred.
I could have played more but this is the
right time and I think our Test team is es-

tablished and there are a few youngsters like

Haris Sohail, Babar Azam, Sohaib Maqsood
and Mohammad Rizwan who are very talented and can ll in.
Even when I scored the double hundred
and before that I had thought about leaving
Tests. Its with satisfaction that I am leaving
Test cricket, said Malik.
I will continue to play one-day and
Twenty20 and would like to give good performances. I want to preserve my energy for
the World Cup because I have played only in
one, said Malik, who played the 2007 World
Cup in the West Indies.
Malik also briey led Pakistan in Tests,
losing two and drawing the other in 2007.
Malik said not playing in Tests from 2010
to 2015 was a disappointment.
I didnt play Test cricket for ve years and
those were the years when I wanted to play
Tests and that is the only disappointment,
said Malik.

Pakistans Sohaib Malik (C) walks off the pitch after losing his wicket during the third day of the third Test
against England at Sharjah yesterday. (AFP)

STELLAR SHOW

PREVIEW

Hafeez leads Pak

fightback in Sharjah
We need to bat like this tomorrow as well to post a challenging target for England
AFP
Sharjah

pener Mohammad Hafeez notched a brilliant

97 under pressure to
help Pakistan stage a
comeback in the third and nal
Test against England in Sharjah
yesterday.
The 35-year-old was just three
runs away from his ninth Test
hundred as he took Pakistan to
146-3 at the close on the third
day at Sharjah stadium, leading
by 74 runs with seven wickets
intact.
Nightwatchman Rahat Ali
was the other not out batsman
on nought as Pakistan lost the
key wicket of Younis Khan for
14, trapped leg-before by fast
bowler Stuart Broad with just
two overs to go in the day.
But Hafeez held the innings
together well, smashing nine
boundaries and three sixes during his aggressive 155-ball knock
as Pakistan seek to avoid squandering a 1-0 lead in the threematch series.
Pakistan won the second Test
in Dubai while the rst Test ended in a draw in Abu Dhabi.
Earlier, off-spinner Shoaib
Malik took a career best 4-33 as
England were bowled out for 306
in their rst innings, taking a
72-run lead over Pakistans total
of 234. James Taylor top-scored
with 76.
Pakistan were lucky not to lose
Hafeez after Australian umpire
Bruce Oxenford gave him caught
behind off paceman James Anderson in the fth over of the innings with the score on four.
But Hafeez, then on two, challenged the decision and got away
on referral as television replays
showed there was a gap between
ball and bat, much to the relief of
the Pakistan camp.
Hafeez said he was happy to
lead the ghtback.
Invaluable
We needed a good start and
I am happy that Ali and I gave
that, said Hafeez. We need to
bat like this tomorrow as well
to post a challenging target for
England and I am hopeful that
we will do that.
Pakistan were off to a condent start of 101 -- only their
second 50-plus opening stand
in Sharjahwith Hafeez earning
the lead by hitting spinner Samit
Patel for a four and then taking
three runs.
He completed his 13th Test
half-century
with
another
boundary off Patel and then
hoisted James Anderson for a six
and four to post the 100-mark.
Azhar Ali was unfortunate
to be run out for 34, as he drove
spinner Adil Rashid to extra cover and saw Hafeez scampering
for a single. Ali reacted late and
was run out at the non-strikers
end.
Malik, who scored a brilliant
245 in the rst Test, was caught
napping by a sharp inswinger
from Anderson which struck him
right in front of the wicket, con-

Pakistans Mohammad Hafeez

hits a six off the bowling of
Englands James Anderson
(not pictured) yesterday. (AFP)

Smith on defensive
as series opens
at the Gabba
Reuters
Melbourne

ew captain Steven
Smith faces a baptism of re tomorrow
as he leads a rebuilding Australia into the rst test
of a home summer against
New Zealand opponents sensing an upset.
Australia have not lost a
test at their Gabba fortress in
27 years but have rarely appeared more vulnerable with
the string of retirements that
followed the Ashes defeat in
England.
As a stand-in skipper, Smith
led Australia to a series win
over India in the last home
summer but the 26-year-old
has since lost a wealth of experience, with predecessor
Michael Clarke, paceman Ryan
Harris and opening batsman
Chris Rogers among the departed.
A batting order that performed woefully for large parts
of the 3-2 Ashes loss now includes only Smith and his
deputy David Warner as players with 10 tests to their name.
Much will be asked of twotest Queenslander Joe Burns
who replaces the dependable
Rogers for at least the rst two
tests of the series.
With Warner, Rogers formed
one of crickets most effective
opening partnerships in recent
years, so Burns will be under
pressure to hold up his end in
front of fans in his home state.
Also under heavy scrutiny,
Queensland captain Usman
Khawaja has been thrown in
the deep end to bat third in the
order for his rst test in over
two years.
He replaces Smith who has
demoted himself to fourth but
ourished at number three for
most of the past two years.

The move seems curiously

defensive and likely to give
Brendon McCullums bowlers
added conviction that their
opponents are ripe for the
picking.
If theres a run of wickets
hopefully I can stop it, Smith
said in comments published
on Tuesday by Sydneys Daily
Telegraph newspaper.
I think a lot of the players
that are coming through at the
moment are top-order players.
Its just the way I see it at
the moment. Breaking it up
between Davey and myself and
hopefully the guys at the top
and No.3 do well and then I can
just come in and get some runs
on the board as well.
McCullums side is far more
settled and relishing a rare
chance to face off with a quality
opponent in a three-test series
that travels to Perth and Adelaide. The Gabba has proved
a graveyard for most visiting
teams and New Zealands sole
win at the ground was 30 years
ago when a marauding Richard
Hadlee destroyed Allan Borders team with 15 wickets, including an astonishing 9-52 in
the rst innings.
That set the tone for New
Zealands last series win in
Australia, so McCullum will
hope for a Hadlee-esque performance from either Trent
Boult or fellow seamer Tim
Southee to knock over the
hosts on their favourite home
wicket.
With the Gabba pitch tipped
to be dependably quick and
bouncy, and both sides boasting dynamic fast bowlers, the
match may well be decided by
which sides batsmen can better weather the storm.
With the tourists boasting
the more settled batting order, McCullums men may feel
themselves well positioned for
a raid on the Gabba fortress.

Warner vows in your face

cricket against Kiwis

SCOREBOARD
PAKISTAN 1st innings 234
ENGLAND 1st innings (overnight 222-4)
A.Cook c Ali b Shah .......................................................... 49
Moeen Ali c Younis b Malik ........................................... 14
I. Bell st Ahmed b Shah ...................................................40
J. Root c Ahmed b Rahat .................................................. 4
J. Taylor c Ahmed b Rahat .............................................76
J. Bairstow b Babar ............................................................43
S. Patel b Shah ......................................................................42
Adil Rashid c Ali b Malik.................................................... 8
S. Broad not out.....................................................................13
J. Anderson b Malik ............................................................. 7
B. Stokes b Malik ....................................................................0
Extras: (lb6, nb4) ...................................................10
Total: (all out, 126.5 overs) ...............................306
Fall of wickets: 1-19 (Ali), 2-90 (Cook), 3-97 (Root),
4-139 (Bell), 5-228 (Taylor), 6-245 (Bairstow), 7-285

tinuing his slide in form.

Earlier, it was Maliks offbreaks which derailed England
who lost their last six wickets on
either side of lunch.

(Rashid), 8-287 (Patel), 9-296 (Anderson)

Bowling: Rahat 22-12-48-2 (1nb), Shah 36-3-99-3,
Riaz 20-5-33-0 (3nb), Babar 37-6-80-1, Malik 9.5-333-4, Ali 2-0-7-0.
PAKISTAN 2nd innings
Mohamed Hafeez not out...............................................97
Azhar Ali run out ............................................................... 34
Shoaib Malik lbw b Anderson ....................................... 0
Younis Khan lbw b Broad .............................................. 14
Rahat Ali not out ................................................................. 0
Extras: (lb1) ................................................................ 1
Total: (for three wkts; 53 overs) .................... 146
Fall of wickets: 1-101 (Ali), 2-105 (Malik), 3-146
(Younis)
Bowling: Anderson 14-5-36-1, Broad 12-4-19-1, Patel
11-0-40-0, Ali 6-1-25-0, Rashid 10-2-25-0.

Rashid helped Patel add an

invaluable 40 for the seventh
wicket before England lost their
last four wickets for 21.
Patel, playing his rst Test in

three years, hit six well-timed

fours to frustrate Pakistan before
he was bowled by leg-spinner
Yasir Shah who nished with
3-99.

Malik then had the wickets of

Anderson (seven) and Ben Stokes
(nought) to improve on his
previous best of 4-42 he took
against South Africa in Lahore
in 2003.
Stokes, who suffered a shoulder injury on Sunday, batted at
number 11 in an attempt to increase Englands lead.
When England resumed, on
their overnight score of 222-4,
their hopes of a big lead rested on the shoulders of Taylor
and Bairstow but Rahat broke
through in the fth over of the
day, forcing an edge off Taylor to
wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed.
Taylors 226-minute vigil had
six fours and he added 89 for the
fth wicket with Bairstow who
also didnt last long.
Left-arm spinner Zulqar
Babar claimed Bairstow with a
sharp delivery which came with
the arm as the batsman failed to
connect a cut and was bowled.

Feisty Australia opener David Warner spiced up proceedings

ahead of this weeks opening Test by labelling the New Zealand team Mr. Nice Guys and vowing to stick to in-your-face
cricket yesterday. Warner didnt hold back as he responded to
comments from paceman Trent Boult that the Kiwis expected
more aggression from Australia after a series of verbal sendoffs during the World Cup final in March.
Australia, who thrashed New Zealand by seven wickets in the
one-day final in Melbourne, host the Black Caps for a threeTest series starting in Brisbane tomorrow.
Is that what they said? Interesting, said Warner, when told
of Boults comment. I dont think we sledge them at all. They
are the Mr. Nice Guys. We saw in England that they invited the
England team in for a (dressing room) beer which is something not commonyou do it after a Test series.
But thats how they play their cricket. For us it is about being
aggressive in the field. We play in-your-face cricket, the guys
before us played it like that. Thats probably why we dominate in Australia. Thats something we are not going to stop.
Warner also took aim at Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum for what he considered poor and immature criticism of
Steve Smith during the Australias one-day series in England
this year. In his newspaper column McCullum said the Australian captain had shown immaturity by not withdrawing an
obstructing-the-field appeal against Englands Ben Stokes in
an ODI. Warner criticised what he called McCullums hypocrisy
by having his team play as the Mr. Nice Guys of world cricket
on the field, yet criticise Australias captain off it.
Youre not playing for the spirit of cricket award are you?
Youre playing for a series, he said.
Our goal is to be number one in all formats and were always
going to fight for that.
We try not to cross that line. A couple of times, weve headbutted it; a couple of times, we might have crossed it but weve
got to try and win every game. Paceman Mitchell Starc said
Australia would be seeking to rattle the Kiwis in similar fashion
to this years World Cup final.

10

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

SPORT
FIRST TEST

SPOTLIGHT

India prepare
surface tension
for South Africa
It looks dry than a pitch normally looks. Thats all I can say

Indias captain Virat Kohli (R) talks with

team director Ravi Shashtri in the nets
during a training session on the eve of
the first Test against South Africa at The
Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium
in Mohali yesterday. (AFP)

S Africa announce
2016-17 home season
Reuters
Cape Town

outh Africa have announced a busy programme of incoming

tours for the 2016-17 international season that includes
series against Australia, New
Zealand and Sri Lanka.
The Proteas will start their
home test season early in a twomatch series against New Zealand in August 2016 to be played
in Durban and Pretoria.
It will be the rst time test
matches will be staged in South
Africa in August, still officially
winter, and follows the successful hosting of New Zealand
for one-day internationals and
Twenty20 matches in the same
month this year.
The tests will be followed by
a ve-match ODI series against
Australia from Sept. 30-Oct. 12,
before Sri Lanka arrive for the
longest tour of the summer in
December that includes three
tests, ve ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals.
The rst ve-day match (Dec.
15-19) will be played in Johannesburg, with Port Elizabeth being awarded the Boxing Day test
(Dec. 26-30) ahead of Durban
and Cape Town keeping its traditional New Years encounter
(Jan. 2-6, 2017).
Ireland will also make a brief
appearance on the calendar
when they play a single ODI

against South Africa and Australia each between Sept. 25-27.

In between the visits by Australia and Sri Lanka, the Proteas
will tour Australia for a test series and also visit New Zealand
in February and March, 2017.
The specics of those two
tours are yet to be announced.
THE PROGRAMME
New Zealand Tour 2016:
Aug. 19-23: 1st Test, Durban
Aug. 27-31, 2nd Test, Pretoria
Ireland Tour 2016:
Sept. 25: ODI v South Africa,
Benoni
Sept. 27: ODI v Australia, Benoni
Australia Tour 2016:
Sept. 30: 1st ODI, Pretoria
Oct. 2: 2nd ODI, Johannesburg
Oct. 5: 3rd ODI, Durban
Oct. 9: 4th ODI, Port Elizabeth
Oct. 12: 5th ODI, Cape Town
Sri Lanka Tour 2016-17:
Dec. 15-19: 1st Test, Johannesburg
Dec. 26-30: 2nd Test, Port
Elizabeth
Jan. 2-6: 3rd Test, Cape Town
Jan. 10: 1st Twenty20, Cape
Town
Jan. 13: 2nd Twenty20, Pretoria
Jan. 15: 3rd Twenty20, Johannesburg
Jan. 20: 1st ODI, Durban
Jan. 22: 2nd ODI, Port Elizabeth
Jan. 27: 3rd ODI, Cape Town
Jan. 29: 4th ODI, Johannesburg
Feb. 3: 5th ODI, Pretoria

Zimbabwe shrug off

Bangladesh security concerns

Reuters
New Delhi

or a visiting cricketer, an India tour conjures up

the image of a batsman surrounded by a shoal of
elders and facing relentless spin from both ends
and South Africa should not expect anything different in the four-Test series starting tomorrow.
Since taking over from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat
Kohli has proved he is anything but a shrinking violet
and it is only natural that India would roll out turning
tracks, if not outright dustbowls, in his rst home series
as Test captain.
On Monday, Faf du Plessis had a look at the surface in
Mohali to be used for the series-opener and the South
African batsman got a fair idea of what to expect over the
next four weeks.
It looks dry than a pitch normally looks. Thats all I
can say, he said. We are expecting big spin on day one,
and if we come to day one and it does that, its not a matter of, Oh its spinning, what do we do now?
Having lost the Twenty20 and the one-day series to
the Proteas, India will try and exploit every bit of their
home advantage by rolling out slow, dry tracks that not
only suit their spinners but can also take the sting out of
South Africas redoubtable pace attack.
Team director Ravi Shastri had a spat with the curator
at Mumbais Wankhede Stadium over the pitch on which
South Africa plastered India in the nal one-dayer and
the former India captain is unlikely to get another chance
to complain about the surface.
The series will be a battle of wits between two captains

with contrasting approach to leadership.

If Kohli wears his heart on his sleeve, South Africa
captain Hashim Amla belongs to the school that believes
in suppressing emotions, if one has any.
Two completely different personalities, they, however,
exhibit identical silken touch with the bat and remain
the batting mainstays of their respective teams.
DE VILLIERS V ASHWIN
Amla has not been in the best of form since he embarked on the Proteas longest ever tour of India but he
enjoys a staggering 100-plus average in tests in the Asian
country.
AB de Villiers has already proved how much he loves
Indian conditions in the limited-overs matches and
his duel with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who
missed most of the ODI series after suffering a side strain
during the rst match in Kanpur, will be an interesting
sub-plot to the series.
Speedster Dale Steyn will be out to overcome the conditions and burnish his reputation as the premier fast
bowler of his generation.
A personal milestone beckons the right-arm paceman, who needs 10 scalps to become the rst overseas
fast bowler to take 100 test wickets in Asia, quite a feat in
a continent notoriously cold to the quicks.
Statistics also heavily favour the Proteas, currently
the top ranked team, who have not lost an overseas test
series since 2007.
The hosts chances of defying the odds would hinge
on their batting but the Indian top order does not sport
a stable look yet.
Murali Vijay, having recovered from a hamstring in-

Indias Ravichandran Ashwin excercises during a

training session in Mohali yesterday. (AFP)
jury, is likely to partner Shikhar Dhawan at the top, while
Cheteshwar Pujaras usually compact defence and perfect temperament could be an asset against the repower
of Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel.
As has traditionally been the case, pace bowling remains Indias weakest point. Ishant Sharma and Umesh
Yadav remain erratic while Bhuvneshwar Kumar is
searching for the swing that made him a tricky bowler
despite his modest pace.
Almost inevitably, India fall back on their spinners and
the likes of Ashwin and Amit Mishra would welcome extra purchase from the track if India are to take 20 wickets
in a Test.

Zimbabwe have shrugged off

security fears in Bangladesh
that have forced other cricket
teams to cancel their tours
and were focused on winning,
the captain and coach said
yesterday.
The Zimbabweans arrived
in the Bangladesh capital on
Monday to play three oneday internationals and two
Twenty20 matches against the
hosts.
Zimbabwe agreed to bring forward the series from January
2016 after Australia cancelled
their tour in late September
over official warnings that
militants might attack Western
interests.
We will play cricket and those
who are qualified to look at
these things (security issues)
will do their job. They have
given us the go-ahead to play
here, captain Elton Chigumbura told reporters.
Zimbabwe is the first international team to arrive in
Bangladesh since South Africa
in August.
Bangladesh is desperate to
avoid the fate of Pakistan
which has had to host nearly
all of its home matches at
neutral venues since gunmen
attacked the Sri Lankan team
bus during a 2009 Test match
in Lahore.
Tension rose in Bangladesh
after an Italian aid worker
and a Japanese farmer were
murdered last month in attacks
claimed by the Islamic State.
The government says the
jihadist group has no presence
in the country.
Apart from the Australian men,
the South African women also

cancelled their trip, just a day

before they were due to arrive
on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe coach Dav Whatmore, who coached the Bangladesh team from 2004-07,
said his players have no issue
with security.
They (Zimbabwe Cricket)
will never put us in a situation
where we are compromised,
Whatmore said.
Whatmore praised his former
charges, saying the series will
be challenging for fellow minnows Zimbabwe.
Bangladesh had a good World
Cup, making it to the quarterfinal. They have followed it up
with some memorable wins
here, said Whatmore.
We know who we are up
against. They are a good side.

Elton Chigumbura.

ASIAN SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP

Hamad al-Marri claims double trap bronze

By Sports Reporter
Doha

atar shooters began

their campaign on an
impressive note as
Hamad al-Marri won
the double trap bronze medal at
the Asian Shooting Championship in Kuwait City yesterday.
Al-Marri also teamed up
with Rashid al-Athba and Masoud al-Adba to win the team
bronze medal.
After an impressive show in
the qualication rounds, alMarri scored 55 in the nal to
nish third. Kuwaits Fehaid alDeehani (57) won the gold ahead
of Chinas Binyuan Hu (56).
Al-Marri, a member of the
Qatar team that won the Asian
Games double trap gold in
Incheon last year, said: I was

aiming at the gold, but I am

happy with my bronze as it has
come in one of the most important tournament in Asia.
In the team event, the Qatari
trio amassed 412 points for a
bronze medal, behind Kuwait
(414 points) and China (413).
Mohamed Asab, Ankur Mittal and Ronjon Sodhi of India
nished 7th, 8th and 11th, respectively and could not qualify
for the nal rounds of the double trap.
In this September 26, 2014,
picture, Qatars Rashid alAthba (left), Masoud al-Adba
(centre)and Hamad al-Marri
are welcomed at the Hamad
International Airport in Doha
after their gold medal-winning
effort in the team double trap
event at the 2014 Asian Games in
Incheon, South Korea.

Gulf Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

11

SPORT
SQUASH / QATAR CLASSIC

MOTOGP

Hesham powers past

Mosaad into quarters
Nicol David breezes past Englands Victoria Lust to reach last eight

AFP
Milan

By Satya Rath
Doha

ts quarter-nal time at the Qatar Classic. The best eight men

and women have forced their way
through a storm of upsets, close
shaves, and stronger and much higherranked opponents, and stand three steps
away from glory.
While the shocks and awe seem to have
spared the womens draw after the initial turbulence, it continues to sway the
mens section, with two Egyptian youngsters, having come this far after felling
some big names, keeping the trend going
by tearing apart the formbook and rankings to shreds in yesterdays secondround matches.
Mazen Hesham set the tone in the rst
match of the evening session when he
produced perhaps the performance of his
career to down his world No. 6 compatriot Omar Mosaad after 51 entertaining
minutes of power squash.
The rst game epitomised what was
to follow as the duo dragged each other
around the court with some intense volley
and blistering exchanges, neither ready
to concede an inch to the other, to move
into a tie-break which Hesham won. It
was the same tale again in the next game.
Another tie-break, another unplayable
cross-court nick, and up went Hesham
2-0. A clearly jolted Mosaad, who lost his
mother and sister to a tragic car accident
three months back in Egypt, had no energy left to put up a ght in the third as
Hesham sealed the battle 3-0.
I think I surprised even myself today.
I really didnt expect to play that well
against someone as good as Omar. I was
under no pressure and had nothing to
lose. I had a slight niggle in my shoulder
and perhaps that made me even more relaxed. I just wanted to give my best today
without thinking about the outcome and
thats what I did. Thankfully, everything
fell in place. I have been coming to Qatar
for ve years but never won a match here.
Now Im in the quarters of a World Series
tournament! I couldnt have asked for
more, the 21-year-old said after his 1210, 13-11, 11-7 win.
But Hesham may have to match his
second-round showing or even better it
if he hopes to get into the semi-nals, as
standing beside him inside the glass court
today evening will be Ali Farag.
The 23-year-old qualier looked equally
emphatic and ruthless in his 3-0 decimation of English shot-maker Daryl Selby.
Farag, who recently graduated from
Harvard University, is in his maiden appearance in the last-eight round of a
World Series tournament, having already
accounted for another Englishman, Peter
Barker, in the opening round.
This is the rst time I have reached
the quarters of a World Series tournament and that feels amazing. I always
believed in my abilities but somehow it
never clicked. Every time I go to a tournament I book my ight home after the nal
date. I hope I wont have to alter my tickets this time, said Farag, who is engaged
to fellow Egyptian, womens world No. 5
Nour El Tayeb.
Later, French qualier Gregoire Marche
almost triggered another upset before going down all guns blazing in a 81-minute
shootout with the talented Karim Abdel
Gawad of Egypt.
Gawad, who won 11-8, 4-11, 11-5, 1012, 11-8, will meet 2011 Qatar Classic

Yamaha hit
back at Hondas
kick claims

Egypts Mazen Hesham (left) and compatriot Omar Mosaad in action during their Qatar Classic match at Khalifa International Tennis
and Squash Complex in Doha yesterday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma
champion and No. 2 seed Gregory Gaultier of France, who beat rising 21-year-old
Fares Dessouki of Egypt 11/4, 12/10, 11/9.
Earlier, defending champion Nicol
David breezed past Englands Victoria
Lust in what was the nal match of the
afternoon session to complete the quarter-nal line-up in the ladies section.
The Malaysian lifted the trophy when
the womens event was last staged here in
2011. Four years on, and in between losing
her nine-year reign atop the world rankings to Egypts Raneem El Welily, David
showed shes lost none of the hunger and
power that made her rule the world for
close to a decade as she won in 32 minutes, though the 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-5)
scoreline gives a slightly deceptive picture as regards the match is concerned.
The Englishwoman held her own in the
early part of each game, putting the eighttime world champion under enough
pressure to force a few uncharacteristic
mid-game mistakes. But David steadied,
and pulled away from 6-5 in the rst, 5-4
in the second and 6-5 in the third to set
up a quarter-nal clash against Annie Au
of Hong Kong.
It was a bit of an up and down match
but I am happy to get through in three,
said David. In the middle of each game
she was doing her own things so I had
to reassess and make sure that I worked

to impose my own game. You just have

to adapt, and turn it to your advantage,
taking the shot when you have the opportunity, and try your best to prevent
your opponent to attack, cause thats the
game, isnt it?
Hong Kong girl Au downed an outof-sorts and error-prone Jenny Duncalf in three topsy-turvy games to sail
through. The 11th-seeded Englishwoman raced to an early lead in all three
games, only to lose her mind, and subsequently the momentum, to surrender
the advantage.
I dont like it, I was never in front, and
its not easy to keep coming back. I think
I was a bit nervous, I was not focused
enough. I need to sit down and calm myself for the quarter-nals, said Au.
Elsewhere, Egyptian Nour El Sherbini
came out on top in a hard-hitting battle with Rachael Grinham of Australia
to set up a last eight battle with Frenchwoman Camille Serme, who prevailed in a
57-minute battle of wills against American number one Amanda Sobhy.
Amanda beat me the last two times we
played, so mentally, I really wanted my
revenge today, said Serme.
She began really well, her length was
so good... I thought I was on the way to
defeat once again but I didnt panic. She
had nothing to lose and went for every-

thing but I tried out some variations and

luckily it worked.
RESULTS
Womens Round 2: 3-Camille Serme (Fra)
bt 14-Amanda Sobhy (USA) 3-2 (4/11, 13/11,
11/8, 5/11, 11/9); 6-Nour El Sherbini (Egy) bt
9-Rachael Grinham (Aus) 3-0 (13/11, 11/7,
11/6); 7-Annie Au (Hkg) bt 11-Jenny Duncalf
(Eng) 3-0 (14/12, 12/10, 11/9); 2-Nicol David
(Mas) bt 16-Victoria Lust (Eng) 3-0 (11/5,
11/5, 11/5)
Mens Round 2: Mazen Hesham (Egy) bt
4-Omar Mosaad (Egy) 3-0 (12-10, 13-11, 117); Q-Ali Farag (EGY) bt Daryl Selby (ENG)
3-0 (11/7, 11/8, 11/2); Karim Abdel Gawad
(Egy) bt Q-Gregoire Marche (Fra) 3-1 (11-8,
4-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-8); 2-Gregory Gaultier
(Fra) bt Fares Dessouki (Egy) 3-0 (11/4,
12/10, 11/9)
Womens QF Line-up (12 noon onwards)
Joshana Chinappa (IND) vs 5-Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY); 8-Nouran Gohar (EGY) vs
4-Laura Massaro (ENG); 3-Camille Serme
(FRA) vs 6-Nour El Sherbini (EGY); 7-Annie
Au (HKG) vs 2-Nicol David (MAS)
Mens QF Line-up (2 pm onwards)
1-Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) vs Max Lee
(HKG); Q-Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) vs 3-Miguel
Angel Rodriguez (COL); Mazen Hesham
(EGY) vs Q-Ali Farag (EGY); Karim Abdel
Gawad (EGY) vs 2-Gregory Gaultier (FRA)

amaha yesterday hit

back at rivals Honda
for claiming Italian star
Valentino Rossi kicked
Marc Marquez off his bike during
the Malaysian Grand Prix.
MotoGP championship leader
Rossi has been sanctioned for
the incident that saw Spains
Marquez crash in Sepang and the
Italian will start from the back of
the grid in Sundays nal race of
the season in Valencia.
Rossi has appealed the decision and a hearing will be held
48 hours before Sundays race,
which could see Rossis sevenpoint lead over Spanish rival
Jorge Lorenzo come under threat.
Honda on Monday claimed
technical data from Marquezs
bike proved that Rossi kicked him
as they jockeyed for position on a
bend in Sepang.
But Yamaha issued a statement
yesterday which refuted the
claims, underlining the fact they
were not proven by race officials
in Malaysia: Yamaha would like
to express its disagreement with
the words that have been used to
report on the incident between
riders Valentino Rossi and Marc
Marquez, said the statament.
Both press releases included
words that accuse Valentino
Rossi of kicking Marc Marquezs
bike... that is something not
proven by the investigation of
the Race Direction.
We therefore reject the wording used in the said published
statements that do not correspond with the ndings of the
Race Direction.
The Italian MotoGP legends
actions have caused widespread
outrage in the Spanish media.
But Rossi has denied kicking
defending champion Marquez,
claiming he is the victim of a
Spanish plot.
He accuses Marquez of pursu-

ing a dirty game with the express intention of helping compatriot Lorenzo win the title,
claiming Marquez conspired to
help Lorenzo win points in Australia.
Japanese constructor Honda
on Monday claimed their technical data proves Rossi kicked Marquezs machine.
UNFORTUNATE
It is clear that Valentino intentionally pushed Marc towards
the outside of the track, which is
out of the rules, therefore Marc
had no other option other than
to run wide, said Hondas vicepresident Shuhei Nakamoto.
The data from Marcs bike
shows that even though he was
picking up the bike trying to
avoid contact with Valentino, his
front brake lever suddenly received an impact that locked the
front tyre, which is the reason for
his crash.
We believe that this pressure
was a result of Rossis kick.
Spains secretary of state for
sport, Miguel Cardenal, told
Spanish media that he hoped
fair play would rule at the MotoGP season nale on Sunday.
Rossi, seeking a record-equalling eighth premier class title,
heads to Valencia on 312 points
with Lorenzo on 305.
Yamaha said the best way to
draw a line under the unfortunate affair was to try to win
what they hope will be a memorable nal race in Valencia.
Yamaha has no wish to enter
into further discussion regarding this unfortunate affair and
our desire is to conclude the 2015
MotoGP season in the best possible way, the statement added.
We go to Valencia with the
clear intention of trying our best
to win what we hope will be a
memorable nal race with all
riders and teams competing in an
exemplary sportsmanlike manner betting the top category of
motorcycle racing.

Marquez hoping to avoid

spotlight in Valencia
Madrid: Defending MotoGP world champion
Marc Marquez (pictured) has said he hopes
his spat with championship leader Valentino
Rossi doesnt spoil a tense title decider in
the Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday.
Rossi leads Yahama teammate Jorge
Lorenzo by seven points heading into the final race of the season as he seeks an eighth
premier category world championship.
However, the Italian may have to start from
the back of the grid after kicking Marquez off his bike as a longrunning war of words spilled over at the Malaysian Grand Prix last
weekend. Rossi is appealing the stewards decision to sanction
him by starting at the back of the grid to the Court of Arbitration
for Sport with a final decision not expected until Friday.
Marquez was then also involved in a clash with two Italian journalists at his Catalan home in Cervera last week.
Its been a difficult week after what happened in Sepang, but Ive
tried my best to put it behind me and concentrate on my training
and looking forward to the final race of the season, the Spaniard
said in statement by his Honda team. We want to finish on a high
note so we will work hard from Friday to get the bike set up well
and give ourselves the best chance for the race.
Ive had mixed results here in the past but I enjoy racing here in
front of the home fans. I hope the events of the past week can be
put behind us and we can focus on the race.

BOTTOMLINE

Positive impressions on day two of FIA programme for women

By Sports Reporter
Doha

he second day of the FIA

Women Cross Country Selection took place at Sealine
yesterday, and included theoretical instructions and practical
training for 18 participants.
In the morning, the participants
were divided into driver and co-driver groups, for the purpose of training. In the afternoon, they made rst
contact with the terrain followed by
in-garage practical training, including changing a tyre.
I think it was a big day for the
girls today. The exercise this morning
with the practical training and then
in the afternoon the real life started
and I think that they realise how hard
it is, said Jutta Kleinschmidt, one of
two instructors of the ve-day programme which started on Monday.
It took much longer than what I
expected, but I think it was a fantastic experience and we will continue
tomorrow very early.
Fabrizia Pons, the other instructor,

added: Sending the participants to

the dunes, something they had never
seen in their lives before, it was very
good experience for them and a nice
feeling for us. The desert can be very
difficult. You either love it or hate it.
But there are lots of things to learn.
Emma Gilmour, a driver from New
Zealand participating in the programme, said, Doing some basic
skills on the sand with Jutta was just
a lot of fun. But going out this afternoon and actually doing the stage; I
now understand how disorienting it
can be when you are out in the desert.
Navigation is very important for the
co-driver, difficult task.
Zambian co-driver Jasmeen Singh
Bhandhair reected on her learnings of the day. She said, I learned
a lot. It is my rst time using a GPS
in the desert and in a 4x4 rally car.
Using the GPS, I was getting lost
because I am not used to the coordinates and didnt have too much time
to go through the road book. When
we got stuck, I didnt know how to dig
out the car but I think that if I practice
more with the GPS and follow the road
book, it will be much easier for me.

Many participants appreciated being put through a new environment.

Swedish driver Jonna Lisa Eson
Bradhe said, It is an all new experience for me. It was a lot of fun and
I hope to learn more tomorrow; how
to get over the sand and the dunes. I
found it harder than I expected. As
a driver you have to keep checking
with the co-driver and work together in a way you might not do in the
rally. It is quite a different experience.
Qatar Motor and Motorcycle
Federation president and FIA vice
president Mena Nasser Khalifa alAttiyah said, The rst day is always
the hardest one. The girls were a bit
worried but made a strong start with
navigation, GPS and road book information. It was not easy for the
navigators and the terrain made it
difficult for the drivers too. Some of
them got lost in the beginning but
they became increasingly relaxed and
more focussed as the time passed. I
think tomorrow will be tougher with
another programme but for sure they
have learned something new, which
is great.

Participants change tyres on rally cars during an in-garage practical session at Sealine yesterday.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

SPORT

GULF TIMES
FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP

Australians Larkin and

Seebohm shine on last day
South African sensation Chad Le Clos finishes with four gold medals, the highest of the meet
By Sahan Bidappa
Doha

t was a tale of two Australians last

night at the Hamad Aquatic Centre as Mitchell Larkin and Emily
Seebohm stole the limelight at the
Doha leg of the FINA World Cup.
South African sensation Chad Le
Clos nished with four gold medals,
the highest of the meet, to continue his
love affair with Doha. But it was Larkin
and Seebohms impressive swims that
caught the eye as both the Aussies nished with three gold medals each.
Larkin is world swimmings backstroke specialist, and had won the
100m backstroke event on the rst day
and he added two more, one albeit tied
with USAs David Plummer in 50m, before pocketing the 200m too.
The 50m backstroke was a sensational race, with Larkin and Plummer
swimming their way to a time of 24.70
seconds for a tied rst-place nish.
Thirty-year-old Liam Tancock of Great
Britain took bronze in a time of 25.65.
Not satised with sharing a top spot,
Larkin came roaring back in the 200m
backstroke. There was simply no stopping the world champion as he registered his third fastest 200m backstroke
time of 2015 to take gold. It was also the
Australian and Commonwealth records
as he timed 1:53.80. Such was Larkins
domination that the second-placed Japans Masaki Kanek was far behind 4
seconds as he clocked a 1:57.83 for
silver, with Britains European Games
superstar Luke Greenbank another second behind for bronze. Le Clos nished
4th in 1:59.39.
The 22-year-old gold medallist was
delighted with the Doha outing. It was
a good race tonight, thats for sure. I
tried to focus on my turns and skills in
the heat in the morning, and let it all
loose in the nal. And it worked. I had
gunned for three gold, so I am pretty
satised, he said.
One of the most anticipated races
of the evening was the womens 100m
backstroke with Katinka Hosszu looking to avenge her previous nights loss
to Seebohm in the 50m and 200m
events. But Seebohm, like her fellow
Aussie Larkin, made sure she swept the
backstroke events in Doha.
Seebohms times in the event were
incredible, as the Australian mastered
last nights edition of the race in a time
of 58.34, the second-fastest mark of
2015 only behind her gold in Kazan
World Championship.
Hosszu was a full second behind
for her second silver on the night and
third of the meet in a time of 59.35. The
bronze medal went to American Natalie
Coughlin, who logged 59.72.
I was denitely chasing a third gold
here in Doha. Thats all the motivation I
needed. The nal was spectacular. Im

United States David Plummer (centre) and Australias Mitchell Larkin (left) were tied for first place in the mens 50m backstroke
event in the FINA Swimming World Cup at Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha yesterday. Great Britains Liam Tancock finished
third. PICTURES: Anas Khalid

QOC secretary general Dr Thani al-Kuwari (right) at the event yesterday.

quite happy with my time in the heats
and was pleased that I could go even
faster in the nal, Seebohm said.
Its testament that Im doing the
right training and I keep improving.
To be up against someone like Katinka
is a massive challenge. She is such a
fantastic competitor and really hard to
beat. She obviously does a lot of events
but I still think that its not easy to beat
her, and Im pleased to do just that, the
23-year-old double world champion
added.
Hosszu by her standards had a dis-

appointing meet. The prolic Hungarian was out of pace most night, but she
still took the 400m individual medley
to keep her World Cup winning streak
alive in the event.
Hosszu won in a time of 4:36.39 as the
World Cup points leader nished with a
medal tally of seven in just Doha alone.
The 26-year-old had won two gold, one
silver and bronze on the rst night.
Silver in the race went to Japans
Sakiko Shimizu in 4:37.95, while USAs
Caitlin Leverenz earned bronze in
4:39.74.

In what could have been a monstrous

battle, the mens 100 buttery was
simply owned by Le Clos, who touched
in at 51.44 to tie the 10th-fastest time
in the world and beat Americas Tom
Shields by over half a second.
Shields nished in a very respectable
52.10 for silver. Bronze went to Australian Chris Wright, who nished in 52.50.
South Africas Cameron Van der
Burgh remained unbeaten in the 2015
World Cup Series across both the 50m
and the 100m breaststroke events, as
the Olympian claimed gold yet again
in a time of 59.68. Van der Burgh was
the only nalist to dip beneath the one
minute threshold, as runner-up Daniel
Gyurta from Hungary settled for silver
in 1:00.60, followed by Great Britains
Ross Murdoch who nished in 1:00.84
for bronze.
The Doha meet was the penultimate
leg of the World Cup series, with the
last event scheduled to be held in Dubai
this weekend.
Speaking on the nal night of the
competition, Qatar Swimming Association president and Local Organising
Committee chairman Khaleel al-Jabir
said: Over the last two days, we have
seen almost 350 of the worlds best
athletes competing here in Doha, as we
continue our commitment to support
and develop the sport of swimming.
These athletes have once again treated
the people of Qatar, and the world, to
some stunning performances, and we
wish them luck for the nal World Cup

South Africas Chad le Clos (centre) won the mens 100m butterfly ahead of Tom
Shields (left) of the United States and Geoffrey Wright of Australia.
meet of the season and beyond. I would
also like to thank FINA for their continued partnership in supporting us in
staging what has been another amazing
two days of action.
RESULTS
Womens 100m freestyle
1. Melanie Wright (Australia) 53:86
2. Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) 54:40
3. Felicia Lee (USA) 55:22
Mens 200m freestyle
1. George Guy (Great Britain) 1:47:06
2. Velimir Stjepanovic (Serbia) 1:47:56
3. Maxime Rooney (USA) 1:48:15
Womens 50m breaststroke
1. Alia Atkinson (Jamaica) 30:55
2. Molly Hannis (USA) 31:12
3. Leiston Pickett (Australia) 31:13
Mens 100m breaststroke
1. Cameron Van Der Burgh (South
Africa) 59:68
2. Daniel Gyurta (Hungary) 1:00:60
3. Ross Murdoch (Great Britain) 1:00:84
Mens 100m butterfly
1. Chad Le Clos (South Africa) 51:44
2. Tom Shields (USA) 52:10
3. Geoffrey Wright (Australia) 52:50
Womens 100m backstroke
1. Emily Seebohm (Australia) 58:34
2. Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) 59:35
3. Natalie Coughlin (USA) 59:72
Mens 50m backstroke
1. David Plummer (USA) 24:70
1. Mitchell Larkin (Australia) 24:70
2. Liam Tancock (Great Britain) 25:65
3. Wen Zheng Quah (Singapore) 25:66
Womens 200m butterfly

1. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (Hungary) 2:08:47

2. Martina Van Berkel (Switzerland)
2:09:59
3. Cassidy Bayer (USA) 2:09:98
Mens 200m individual medley
1. Keita Sunama (Japan) 2:00:48
2. Julian Michael (South Africa) 2:01:63
3. Zoltan David (Hungary) 2:01:90
Womens 400m freestyle
1. Lauren Boyle (New Zealand) 4:06:58
2. Jaz Carlin (Great Britain) 4:07:42
3. Coralie Balmy (France) 4:07:56
Mens 50m freestyle
1. Bruno Fratus (Brazil) 22:28
2. Anthony Ervin (USA) 22:47
3. Douglas Erasmus (South Africa) 22:50
Womens 200m breaststroke
1. Rie Kaneto (Japan) 2:23:45
2. Runa Imai (Japan) 2:24:24
3. Moller Rikkie (Denmark) 2:24:47
Mens 200m backstroke
1. Mitchell Larkin (Australia) 1:53:80
2. Masaki Kaneko (Japan) 1:57:83
3. Luke Greenbank (Great Britain)
1:58:83
Womens 50m butterfly
1. Sasha Touretski (Switzerland) 28:81
2. Felicia Lee (USA) 26:85
3. Svenja Stoffel (Switzerland) 26:96
Mens 1,500m freestyle
1. Mykhailo Romanchuk (Ukraine)
15:07:06
2. Damien Joly (France) 15:07:97
3. Alistair Milne (Great Britain) 15:12:13
Womens 400m individual medley
1. Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) 4:36:39
2. Sakiko Shimizu (Japan) 4:37:95
3. Caitlin Leverenz (USA) 4:39:74

SQUASH

Lone ranger Joshna battles for her spot in a sport she loves
By Satya Rath
Doha

an I sit and talk? Sorry, but my

legs are paining, Joshna Chinappa earnestly asked when
this writer approached her on
the courtside, soon after her straight
games win over Egyptian 19-year-old
Yathreb Adel on Monday that put the
Chennai-based Indian in the quarternals of the Qatar Classic.
A simple request it was, but still, one
couldnt miss the irony of it all. At the
other end of the glass court sat a dejected Adel, the girl who had packed off
12th-seeded Indian Dipika Pallikal in
the rst round, attended by her coaching staff, getting her tired limbs massaged, with one of her family members
trying to cheer her up.
Joshna sat alone. Shes on her own
on the Tour, and its been like that since
I dont remember when. Shes her
own coach, her own physio, her own
masseur. I cant afford one. I play this
game because I love it, the 29-year-old
says.
In every tournament she travels to
across the world, its the same story.
She is her own support, while most of
her opponents have their support system. I dont have a coach. Its mostly
my dad, and sometimes I take the help
of David Palmer. But on the Tour, I am
alone. Squash is not that nancially
rewarding like other sports, you cant
make a living out of it, she adds.
Joshna, who stunned world No 1

Raneem El Welily on the opening day

to spring the biggest upset of the Qatar Classic, has been one of two agbearers for India (the other is Dipika)
on squashs world stage for more than
a decade now, but while the accolades
have kept multiplying, the woes stay
the same.
Against Adel in the second round,
and also during her stunning upset of El
Welily on the opening day, she at times
looked in some discomfort while sitting alone during the break between the
games, but there was no one she could
turn to for advice or to soothe her aching limbs.

Yes, it feels frustrating

sometimes that squash has not
been included in the Olympic
discipline. They are talking of
adding a sport like mountainclimbing to the Olympics, why
not squash? Its really sad,
said Joshna, currently ranked
17 in the world
During Mondays match, one girl sitting in the stands was seen going to her
during the breaks to give some quick
tips.
Shes Amanda Sobhy (from the US,
ranked 11 in the world), shes my roommate here and a dear friend. She just
kept telling me during the breaks that I
was playing ne, and that I should just
keep it simple and not get hassled, that
I should just stick to the basics and not
experiment too much. Unfortunately,
she couldnt make it to the quarter-

nals here. She lost very a close match

today (to Frances Camille Serme in the
second round), said Joshna.
Squash is a strenuous sport, and one
of the most injury-inducing ones too.
But its not a rich sport, like tennis, so
not many can afford the add-ons like a
travelling coach or physio.
I am what I am today because of my
familys support. The government gives
some grant and our association chips in
too but its hardly sufficient to meet the
expenses. I have a couple of personal
sponsors too. But I have no complaints
against anyone. I chose to play squash,
no one forced me. I am happy with I
have achieved, she states.
Theres one thing that rankles her
though. Yes, it feels frustrating sometimes that squash has not been included in the Olympic discipline. They are
talking of adding a sport like mountain-climbing to the Olympics, why not
squash? Its really sad.
Joshna, currently ranked 17 in the
world, will meet world No 6 Omneya
Abdel Kawy in the Qatar Classic quarter-nals today. She lost to the Egyptian in their most recent meeting, at
last months US Open in Philadelphia.
She will be tough. Shes one of the
best in the world, and I lost to her in
straight games last month. But I am under no pressure. I have consciously decided to take a relaxed approach to the
game. I just want to enjoy my squash,
work hard, stick to the basics and I am
condent the results will come. It has
been working for me. I hope the momentum continues, she signs off.

Indias Joshna Chinappa