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HHugeu prospects for UEFA names new renewablere energy general-secretary, in Mideast holds back on Platini

SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 • 25 Jumada I 1437 • Volume 20 • Number 6726 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar

Israel razes Qatar’s economy homes of 10 remains resilient Palestinian families

$1.60 to $2.00 per million British The global credit Thermal Units, and is a profitable AFP producer of LNG. Its strategy has ratings services been to diversify into all major agency Standard & markets, adjusting the mix of desti- JERUSALEM: Israeli forces nations and contract types according demolished dozens of structures Poor’s has affirmed to market needs. Moreover, the including a school in the north- Qatar’s sovereign majority of its gas exports are under ern West Bank this week, leaving long-term contracts, which provides 10 families homeless, the UN said credit ratings at some certainty regarding the vol- yesterday. ‘AA/A-1+’ with stable umes sold. We expect that Qatar The demolitions took place in will maintain its cost advantage the village of Khirbet Tana, south outlook. over many new projects in other of Nablus in the northern West countries.” Bank. In total, 41 structures were In January 2016, the rene- destroyed, displacing 36 Pales- gotiation of RasGas’, Qatar’s tinians including 11 children, the The Peninsula second-biggest LNG producer, con- UN’s humanitarian body said in a tract with Petronet LNG (India’s statement. biggest gas importer) at a discount The army regularly destroys of almost 50 percent indicates an Palestinian paramedics help a protester who was shot in the leg by Israeli security forces during clashes, homes it says have been built with- DOHA: Standard & Poor’s has increasingly competitive envi- following a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, outside the Ofer Prison out permission from the Israeli affirmed Qatar’s ‘AA’ long-term ronment for natural gas and LNG in the occoupied West Bank, yesterday. authorities. and ‘A-1+’ short-term foreign and sellers over the medium term. local currency sovereign credit rat- Existing LNG buyers committed ings. The outlook is stable. S&P also to long-term contracts and other affirmed the ‘AA’ long-term issue potential buyers may try to renego- ratings on the bonds issued by Qatari tiate or achieve similar commercial Diar Finance and SoQ Sukuk A Q.S.C. terms in an environment of persist- Farmers’ markets extend operations “We expect the country’s exter- ently low prices. nal position to shift to a deficit from S&P’s outlook assumes that the 2016. However, we note that we sharp drop in hydrocarbon revenues By Sidi Mohamed of the absence of middlemen who of fruits and 35 tonnes of fresh fish. cheaper than those available at the expect the large net asset position will be somewhat offset by reduc- The Peninsula jack up marketing costs. The idea The markets are managed by Central Market, he added. “The plan to be maintained. We are therefore tions to Qatar’s current spending, behind the extension is to encourage the Ministry of Environment, which this year is to extend the duration of affirming our ‘AA/A-1+’ sovereign which was reduced by 9.5 percent Qatari farms to increase their produc- is now part of the Ministry of Munic- the markets and the idea is to encour- credit ratings on Qatar”, the glo- in 2015 and is expected to fall further tion and help consumers access fresh ipality and Environment. age local farms to produce more and bal credit ratings services agency in 2016, as line ministries are closed DOHA: The three farmers’ markets produce at cheaper rates. In addition, in January and help consumers access the produce at announced yesterday. or merged, slow moving projects are where locally grown vegetables, The current season of the three February of this year, some 8,896 much cheaper rates,” Al Sulaiti said. According to S&P, Qatar’s sta- scrapped, subsidies removed, and locally-bred birds and livestock are markets began last November. The birds, understandably also includ- He pointed out that the Minis- ble outlook reflects its view that certain taxes introduced, including sold, have decided to extend opera- markets are located in Umm Salal ing chicken, and 2,354 cattle heads try has been holding workshops for the country’s economy will remain an increase in stamp duty. Capital tions to encourage local farms. (Al Mazrouah here is the largest of were sold at the three markets, said the representatives of Qatari farms resilient, supported by solid macr- spending will continue to slightly The markets are now open during the three), Al Wakra and one which Abdul Rehman Al Sulaiti. and make them aware of innovative oeconomic fundamentals, although increase as infrastructure projects the winter months—they operate from is common for Al Khor and Al Dha- “The current season of the mar- methods of marketing as well as to it anticipates continued institutional advance. It also project a decline in November until the onset of summer. kheera municipalities. kets has achieved a big success due to guide them as to how to maintain the weaknesses and an only moderate hydrocarbon income, namely in the The markets that also retail fish, According to a senior government the efforts of the ministry and larger quality of their produce. increase in hydrocarbon prices over financial transfers from Qatar Petro- are quite popular as they vend fresh official in-charge of the farmers’ mar- participation by Qatari farms,” he These markets, according to Al the next two years. leum to the budget, which come to vegetables grown in local farms and kets, in the first two months of this said. The prices of the produce here Sulaiti, are a direct link between the On the possible global challenges the government budget with a six- locally bred cattle and birds at much year some 284,000 boxes of vege- are competitive and much lower as local farmhouses and consumers and Qatar might face in medium-to-long month lag. cheaper rates. tables grown in Qatari farms were compared to those at the Central Mar- that is the reason why the prices of term, the report said: “Qatar has one The prices are even cheaper than sold at the three markets. And the ket, he said. the produce are so low and the qual- of the lowest costs of production, →Continued on page 2 those at the Central Market because sold produce also included 469 tons Some items are much, much ity is high, he added.

16 dead in gun attack on Yemen Syrians should decide care home Assad’s fate: UN envoy AFP

AFP “Yesterday, there were four people killed. ADEN: Gunmen attacked a care Very sad,” he said. “But do you know how many home run by missionaries in were dying just two weeks ago? Up to 120 per Yemen’s southern city of Aden yes- day. An average of between 60 and 80 every terday, killing 16 workers including PARIS: United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura day. “How many people were being reached four foreign nuns, officials said. said yesterday the Syrian people, not foreigners, by humanitarian aid in the 18 besieged areas? There was no immediate claim should decide the fate of their President Bashar Zero. What happened in the last 10 days? Well, of responsibility but Aden has seen Al Assad. “Can’t we leave the Syrians to actu- 242 truck-loads of humanitarian aid reaching a surge in attacks by the Islamic ally decide on that? Why should we be saying seven of those areas.” State (IS) group and rival Al Qaeda. in advance what the Syrians should say, as long He said 115,000 people had now received Four gunmen entered the ref- as they have the freedom and the opportunity aid, but accepted this was still “not enough”. uge operated by Mother Teresa’s of saying so?” de Mistura told France 24 TV. French President Francois Hollande criti- Missionaries of Charity in Aden’s “We say that it is supposed to be a solution cised Bashar Al Assad for scheduling elections Sheikh Othman district, killing a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned,” he added. in his war-torn country next month, calling the guard before tying up and shooting Syrians ride their motorbike as smoke billows in the background following air strikes on De Mistura said he remained optimistic move “provocative” and “unrealistic”. employees, security officials said. the rebel-held village of Al Chifouniya, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, yesterday. about the ceasefire that came into force last Screams of elderly residents weekend, despite continued breaches. →See also page 3 echoed from the home during the shooting rampage, witnesses said. They recounted seeing the bodies of slain workers with their arms tied behind their backs scat- FameLab to pick young and aspiring scientists today tered on the blood-stained floor as the aged residents cried out in fear. Apart from the four foreign nuns — whose nationalities were The Peninsula sity (HBKU) Student Center. They will be judged on content, clar- Student winners from the ‘Young efforts of the British Council and Qatar the subject of conflicting reports Divided into two categories, ity, and charisma. Scientists’ category will go to the National Research Fund (QNRF), a — the rest of those killed were Yem- ‘Young Scientists’ and ‘Aspiring Sci- The winner from the researchers London International Science Youth member of Qatar Foundation Research enis working at the facility, officials entists’, each contestant will deliver a and teachers category, ‘Aspiring Sci- Forum (LIYSF) and meet with young & Development (QF R&D), as well as the said. The official sabanews.net web- DOHA: Twelve participants will com- three-minute presentation on a sub- entists’, will go on to take part in the scientists from countries all around Ministry of Education and Higher Edu- site cited another security source pete at the national finals of FameLab, ject of scientific interest to a panel of international FameLab final in the UK the world. cation (MEHE), Qatar University (QU), as saying that the victims were the world’s largest science communi- judges and the audience, using only at the Cheltenham Science Festival in This is the first time the competi- and HBKU. nurses, guards, cooks, and other cation competition, which takes place their personality, informative com- June, where they will get the oppor- tion has come to Qatar and the GCC, employees. today at Hamad Bin Khalifa Univer- munication style, and minimal props. tunity to represent Qatar. and it has materialised thanks to the →Continued on page 2 02 SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 HOME

Qatar’s net external Inspection assets remain strong

Continued from page 1 Qatar has The ratings services agency expects that the government will finance fiscal def- accumulated icits through debt, both on the domestic and international market, rather than by draw- considerable foreign ing upon its assets, which are designated assets over the past for future generations and not intended as a stabilisation tool. Consequently, debt has decade, as a result increased slightly since the ratings agen- cy’s last review two weeks ago. of developing its “Over the coming budget cycles, we natural resources. understand that the government also intends to rationalise and outsource part of its operations and to award more projects to the private sector, though whether the desired level of private sector participa- Qatar has accumulated considerable tion can be achieved remains to be seen, foreign assets over the past decade, as a in our view. In the context of lower hydro- result of developing its natural resources. carbon revenues and increasing capital S&P forecasts that the general government spending, the government is prioritizing net asset position, estimated at about 130 existing projects by channeling funding percent of GDP in 2015, will also stay robust to the most important and most strategic in 2016-2019. investments. The government’s invest- The fixed exchange rate of the Qatari ment program focuses on infrastructure, riyal to the US dollar leads to limited education, and health, and we expect the monetary flexibility, and S&P expects the majority of these projects to be completed currency peg to be maintained. Qatar’s real ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which effective exchange rate has appreciated by Qatar is hosting.” 17% since early 2014. Liquidity conditions Qatar’s net external asset position in the Qatari banking system and banks’ will remain strong at about 268 percent borrowing costs are expected to further on average of current account receipts in tighten amid falling public deposits, cou- The Ministry of Economy and Commerce officials visiting a shop in Souq Waqif yesterday as part of the week-long consumer 2016-2019, and much stronger than nar- pled with a modest increase in loans and protection awareness programme. Picture / Baher Amin row net external debt. future increases in US interest rates.

Scattered rains in some areas likely Qatar becomes first GCC partner country to deliver FameLab

Continued from page 1 engaging competition will not only con- DOHA: The weather bureau has forecast nect young Qatari people with the global foggy conditions early this morning and science communication movement, but said that would affect visibility, which Part of Qatar Foundation For Edu- also prepare them to build a knowledge- would be a km and even less at places in cation, Science and Community based economy, envisioned by the Qatar the beginning. Development (QF), QNRF helps to fos- National Vision 2030,” added Dr Al Taie. However, the fog would clear as the ter a scientific culture that supports QF’s “Science is crucial to tackling major day progresses. The day will be partly mission to build Qatar’s innovation and global challenges, and a public under- cloudy with chances of scattered rains in technological capacity, while positioning standing of science is essential to build some areas in the evening, said the bureau. the nation as a hub of excellence. support, funding, and encourage the In a routine forecast for today, the “QNRF is extremely pleased to be the next generation of researchers. The Brit- bureau said partly cloudy to cloudy con- local partner of the British Council in ish Council is delighted to be working with ditions will be there offshore as well with Qatar, helping to organise the FameLab QNRF through FameLab to develop com- chances of scattered rains. The sea will be event. It offers an excellent platform for munication skills in Qatari scientists and clam with no windy conditions inshore or young people and young scientists in the help them engage the public and policy offshore. Easterly to southeasterly wind country to communicate their passion makers with their research,” said Frank will be moving inshore at speeds of three for science, technology, engineering, and Fitzpatrick, Country Director, British to 13 knots an hour. mathematics (STEM), and engage their Council in Qatar. Offshore, northeasterly to south- peers both regionally and internationally,” More than 65 students, 45 teachers, easterly wind will be moving at speeds said Dr Abdul Sattar Al Taie, Executive and 55 researchers applied to take part, of three to 12 knots an hour. Day temper- Director of QNRF. attending pre-event communication atures will vary from 24 to 28 degrees C, “Qatar is pioneering STEM subjects training. Entrants were then required to while nightly mercury levels will be 16 by being the first GCC partner country to participate in two competition heats held Pre-event communication training. to 19 degrees. deliver FameLab. We firmly believe this at QU and then the MEHE headquarters.

CIRS monthly dialogue series

The Peninsula practice. “We came with the idea that this knowledge didn’t exist here. But we found that collecting practices have existed in the region for a long DOHA: Dr Karen Exell (pictured), time. So I began to focus on how the Honorary Senior Research Associ- region engages in modernity through ate at UCL Qatar, recently delivered its collecting practices.” Center for International and Regional The museum expert launched into Studies (CIRS) Monthly Dialogue Series a critical overview of how heritage lecture. projects and museums are conceived The consultant for Qatar Muse- and managed in the Arabian Penin- ums shared some of the key points in sula by presenting contrasting poles of her soon-to-be-published book on the ultra modern western museums and topic “Museums and Modernity in the the small scale local festivals that cel- Dr Fawzi Oussedik, Head of QRCS International Relations, giving a lecture at the Doha Centre for Media Arabian Peninsula.” ebrate and document cultural heritage Freedom. Speaking at Georgetown Univer- and historical events. sity in Qatar’s campus, where CIRS The heavy investment in global art heritage and recently discovered is located, she shared that she was projects have served to grab the atten- artifacts. More recently, modern inspired to write the book after her tion of the world, which she explains is museums have helped to brand QRCS organises lecture on preconceptions were challenged over the exact intention. “Engagement with nations through accessing western the course of her work setting up the western-style museums is a strategic arts. So museums aren’t a neces- international humanitarian law UCL Qatar programme in museum choice of leadership to guard cultural sity but are a desire.” Al Bia’a signal to be operational within weeks The Peninsula culminated in the creation of these 79 of Additional Protocol (I) states symbols to ensure protection for that journalists engaged in danger- civilians and medics at times of war. ous professional missions in areas The Peninsula He highlighted the fundamental of armed conflict shall enjoy all the DOHA: Qatar Red Crescent Society principles governing humanitarian rights and protections enjoyed by the (QRCS) has held a lecture for the staff interventions, particularly humanity, civilian population. of Doha Centre for Media Freedom. impartiality, neutrality, voluntary service, In response to questions from DOHA: Temporary traffic lights The lecture, “Human Rights and unity. In relation to the IHL-granted the participants, Dr. Oussedik are being installed at Al Bia’a and International Humanitarian protection, he said IHL considers the sta- acknowledged that, despite all these (Environment) Roundabout by the Law (IHL): Convergence or Diver- tus of reporters in conflict zones and protections, the enforcement of inter- Public Works Authority (Ashghal). gence?”, was delivered by Dr Fawzi provides for their safety in the Geneva national laws is double-standard and The signals will be opera- Oussedik, Head of QRCS Interna- Conventions of 1949 and their Addi- fails to obey the spirit of the law in tional in a few weeks as work on tional Relations. It reviewed different tional Protocols, which expressly cover terms of journalist protection. laying underground cables under approaches to the concept of human journalists in Article 4 A (4) of Geneva Dr Oussedik strongly rec- the supervision of engineers is on. rights, as well as its historical and Convention (III) and Article 79 of Addi- ommended a wider scope of Al Sharq reported yesterday modern legal backgrounds. tional Protocol (I). discussion and stricter accountability that some 80 percent installation Dr Oussedik explained the These two articles, he empha- of involved parties whenever there is work has been completed and the origin of Red Cross and Red Cres- sized, imply that the protection a violation against journalists, espe- remaining will be over in a few broadened to four lanes from the junction as it provides access to busy cent emblems, related to political provided by IHL is absolutely com- cially as the numbers of journalist weeks. The existing roads lead- present three, said the daily. residential areas, universities and and historical circumstances that prehensive. Most importantly, Article casualties are on the rise. ing up to the roundabout will be The roundabout is an important shopping complexes. MIDDLE EAST SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 03

Turkey car bomb Qaeda respects attack kills two cops, wounds 35

Syria ceasefire DIYARBAKIR: A car bomb and rocket attack by Kurdish militants in Turkey killed two police offic- ers and wounded 35 people in the southeastern province of Mardin despite denial yesterday, security sources said. The bomb blast, blamed on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, caused significant dam- condition of anonymity in an age to a traffic police station and organisation hostile to West- neighbouring housing in the town Fighters say Nusra ern media, said Golani’s speech of Nusaybin, near the Syrian bor- don’t want to be rejecting the truce was meant as der, the sources said. advice to other rebels, not orders A clash broke out between seen as sabotaging to his followers to launch imme- police and militants after the truce as rebels hope diate attacks. explosion, which occurred around Nusra fighters are still cer- 6am (0400 GMT). Security force to convince Nusra to tain the truce will collapse, but are reinforcements, along with ambu- drop Al Qaeda link. keeping a low profile in the mean- lances and fire engines, were sent time so that ordinary Syrians will not to the area, the sources said. blame them when shooting resumes, There was no immediate claim they said. “We did not carry out any of responsibility. Reuters hostile acts and we will not do that A ceasefire between the PKK because we respect the general and the state collapsed last July decision taken by the rebels,” said a and attacks on Turkey’s security Nusra fighter in a town in northern forces have since increased amid Syrian civilians and activists wave pre-Baath Syrian flags, now used by the Syrian opposition, during an BEIRUT: Although Al Qaeda’s wing Syria where the group has a pres- a surge in violence in the pre- in Syria has rejected an international ence alongside other rebel brigades. anti-regime demonstration in the rebel-controlled side of Aleppo, yesterday. dominantly Kurdish southeast. effort to halt nearly five years of con- “Even though we are convinced Hundreds of people have been flict, its fighters have laid low, careful that it will not work and it is only killed. not to jeopardise the fragile agree- a matter of time before it officially Two soldiers were killed in ment that has slowed if not entirely ends.” Another Nusra fighter pre- Protests resume after truce a clash in the Idil district of the stopped the war. dicted the group would cooperate neighbouring province of Sirnak, Like Islamic State, the Al Qaeda more closely with other rebels once which borders both Syria and Iraq wing known as the Nusra Front the truce inevitably fails: and has seen some of the heaviest is excluded from the US-Russian “We are only part of this front AFP the weekly marches. But by 2013, a neighbourhoods. “With this truce, we violence, the Dogan news agency “cessation of hostilities” agreement and it is for the interest of the fierce government crackdown and have the opportunity to express why said. accepted by President Bashar Al revolution.” heavy shelling had stamped out most we came out to the streets in the first -Assad’s government and most of One source close to Nusra said attempts to stage protests. place, which is the downfall of the Israeli police shoot the groups opposing him. another reason for the reduced ALEPPO: For the first time in years, Abu Nuh said the last demonstra- regime,” said Abu Nadim, an activist. On the eve of the truce, Nusra’s activity was “opposition military set- hundreds of Syrians nationwide took tion in Talbisseh was in June 2012. He said he also wanted to show Palestinian leader said attacks must be inten- backs”, which had made it difficult to advantage of a nearly week-long Since then, rocket attacks and air the world that demonstrators in sified: “We believe the only way to carry out attacks. Syrian army offen- ceasefire yesterday to resume anti- strikes made residents too afraid to Aleppo and elsewhere are not “armed woman to death get rid of this regime is by fighting sives backed by Russian air strikes government protests under the slogan gather in large numbers. gangs, but a people demanding free- and not by truce,” Abu Mohamad Al have forced many rebels into defen- “The Revolution Continues!” However, a landmark ceasefire dom and the downfall of the regime”. Golani said in a voice recording. sive positions. Waving the three-starred tri- that came into effect early last Sat- Abu Nadim is responsible for JERUSALEM: A Palestinian Nusra fighters nevertheless have Unlike Islamic State, which colour flag that has become the urday has brought relative calm to coming up with slogans and paint- woman rammed her car into an lowered their profile since the truce mostly holds territory in eastern uprising’s emblem, demonstrators opposition areas. ing them on large, white banners. Israeli soldier in the occupied West took effect, leaving some of their Syria far from areas covered by in opposition-held areas of Aleppo, On the first Friday since the truce Aleppo has been divided since Bank yesterday and was then shot Islamic courts and reducing their the cessation, Nusra Front fighters Damascus, Daraa and Homs called began, crowds across the coun- 2012 between government forces in dead by troops at the scene, the presence at checkpoints. are dispersed across western Syria for the downfall of President Bashar try returned to the streets, waving the western districts and rebels in Israeli military said. “We’re not seeing them. Their alongside other rebel groups that Al Assad’s regime. banners reading “The Revolution the east. A wave of Palestinian-Israeli movements are very limited. Some have accepted the truce. “You could say we’ve gone back Continues!” “People are so, so happy. When Friday’s crowd passed heightened violence, now in its of them even withdrew to the Idlib Many other rebel groups say they to the beginning,” said Hasaan Abu There was crying, there was joy, but through a neighbourhood near the sixth month, has shown no sign of countryside,” said Fadi Ahmad, fear that Damascus or its Russian Nuh, an activist from the flashpoint there was also a lump in people’s front line, they could hear the sound abating and has raised concern of spokesman for a rebel group in allies could use evidence of a Nusra rebel town of Talbisseh in central throats,” Abu Nuh said. of sniper fire coming from a govern- further escalation. northern Latakia — an area where presence as an excuse to resume Homs province. “There were a lot of young guys ment-held district. Yesterday’s attack took place Nusra and other rebels have oper- fighting. Syria’s conflict first began in that used to protest with us who According to the Syrian Observ- at a main junction near the Israeli ated in close proximity. “It might Al Qaeda-backed Nusra was March 2011 with widespread pro- weren’t there today because they’ve atory for Human Rights, protests also settlement bloc, Gush Etzion. be because the people want a bit of once the most powerful Islamist tests against the regime. been killed,” he said by phone. took place in the towns of Atareb and “The soldier was wounded and calm,” he said, adding that his group group fighting against Assad. But its Demonstrations were at their In Syria’s second city, Aleppo, Azaz in Aleppo province, parts of evacuated for medical treatment in had no contact with Nusra. influence eroded somewhat after it largest on Fridays, and activists hundreds of people took to the Idlib province in the northwest, and hospital. Forces on site responded Nusra fighters speaking on split with Islamic State. early on began assigning themes to streets in the opposition-held eastern Daraa in the south. to the imminent threat and shot the attacker, resulting in her death. A knife was found in the assailant’s vehicle,” the Israeli military said. Israeli security forces have Istanbul court orders anti-Erdogan daily into administration killed at least 173 Palestinians, 115 of whom Israel says were assail- ants, while most others were shot dead during violent protests. AFP on the request of Istanbul prosecutors, according to live images broadcast on interests and a vast network of cram- over freedom of expression in Turkey Palestinian leaders say many the state-run Anatolia news agency the pro-Gulen Samanyolu TV. ming school. under Erdogan’s rule. Palestinian attackers have acted said. There was no immediate official Gulen has been based in the Ankara now accuses Gulen of The Cumhuriyet newspaper’s edi- out of desperation in the absence of ISTANBUL: An Istanbul court yes- explanation for the court’s decision. United States since 1999 when he fled running what it calls the Fethullahaci tor-in-chief Can Dundar and Ankara movement towards creation of an terday ordered into administration The move means the court will charges against him laid by the former Terror Organisation/Parallel State bureau chief Erdem Gul were released independent state. Israel says they a Turkish daily newspaper that is appoint new managers to run the secular authorities. Structure (FeTO/PDY) and seeking on an order from Turkey’s top court are being incited to violence by sharply critical of President Recep newspaper, who will be expected to Turkey has asked the United to overthrow the legitimate Turkish last week after three months in jail their leaders and on social media. Tayyip Erdogan, amid growing alarm transform its editorial line, analysts say. States to extradite him but Wash- authorities. on charges of publishing state secrets. US Vice-President Joe Biden, over freedom of expression in the Dozens of supporters were wait- ington has shown little appetite for Gulen supporters decry the But they still face trial on March 25. on a five-day Middle East trip that country. ing outside the paper’s headquarters doing so. accusations as ridiculous, saying all Meanwhile almost 2,000 journal- begins today, will meet separately The Zaman newspaper, closely in Istanbul awaiting the arrival of bail- Despite living outside of Turkey, he leads is a more informal group ists, bloggers and ordinary citizens, next week with Israeli Prime Min- linked to Erdogan’s arch-foe the US- iffs and security forces after the court Gulen built up huge influence in the known as Hizmet (Service). The effec- including high school students, have ister Benjamin Netanyahu and based preacher Fethullah Gulen, was order. “We will fight for a free press,” country through allies in the police tive seizure of the newspaper by the found themselves prosecuted on Palestinian President Mahmoud ordered into administration by the court said a placard held by one protestor, and judiciary, media and financial state comes amid growing concerns accusations of insulting Erdogan. Abbas. Turkey jails people Two Italian hostages smugglers in trial over Aylan death freed in Libya

ISTANBUL: A Turkish court yes- AFP municipality’s Facebook page, the terday sentenced to jail two people pair were seen wearing tracksuits, smugglers on trial over the death with long beards and dishevelled hair. of Aylan Kurdi, the young boy TRIPOLI: Two Italians kidnapped Pollicardo’s tearful wife told Italian who became a poignant symbol last July in Libya were freed yester- media: “It’s over, I spoke to him on of refugee suffering when his life- day in a raid on Islamic State group the phone.” less body washed up on a Turkish hideouts in a city near the capital, The foreign ministry in Rome beach. officials in Libya and Rome said. confirmed the releases, saying The court in the resort town “Two Italian hostages were that the two “are no longer in the of Bodrum found Syrian nation- released... in Sabratha after an oper- hands of their captors”. “They are als Muwafaka Alabash and Asem ation targeting several houses after now under the protection of the Alfrhad guilty of trafficking information reached security forces Sabratha military council and are migrants and sentenced them to that Daesh elements were there,” the in good health,” a statement added. four years and two months, the city’s mayor Hussein Al Dawadi said, Both were among four employees of Dogan News Agency said. using an Arabic acronym for IS. Italian construction company Bon- But it cleared them of causing “They are now at a police sta- atti who were kidnapped in July 2015 the death of five people “through tion in Sabratha,” 70 kilometres (40 in the Mellitah region west of Tripoli. deliberate negligence”, a charge miles) east of Tripoli, he added. Italy’s foreign ministry said on that carried a sentence of up to 35 Gino Pollicardo, 55, and Filippo Thursday that the two others had years in prison. Calcagno, 65, said in a statement probably been killed in clashes Pictures of the three-year- released by the Sabratha municipal- between IS fighters and local mili- old Syrian toddler face down ity: “We are free and are relatively tiamen near Sabratha. in the sand on a Turkish beach well physically but are psychologi- Rome’s prosecution office said triggered worldwide anguish cally exhausted. We urgently need Fausto Piano and Salvatore Failla Gino Pollicardo (left), 55, and Filippo Calcagno, 65, two Italians kidnapped last July in Libya, following their when they were published in to return to Italy.” had been separated from Pollicardo September. release in the Libyan city of Sabratha yesterday. In a video posted on the and Calcagno. 04 SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 ASIA / PHILIPPINES Manila bars cargo ship from leaving port

the first sanctioned North Korean Kazakh airline ships to enter a foreign port since The inspection was the tightened sanctions were passed fires pilot found ordered after the unanimously by the UN Security Council yesterday. vessel was included Three Coast Guard officials, with marijuana on a list of 31 ships accompanied by a dogs trained to detect explosives, searched the ship ALMATY: Kazakhstan’s covered by harsher and checked crew documents on biggest airline said yes- sanctions on North Thursday after the ship docked at terday it has sacked a Subic Bay, a former US naval base and pilot who got caught with Korea that were now commercial port, a coast guard a bag of marijuana in his approved by the commander said. pocket after a flight and United Nations over Nothing suspicious was found on failed a drug test. the ship or its 21 North Korean crew, The Air Astana cap- Pyongyang’s nuclear although several minor safety prob- tain had just landed his programme. lems including issues with firefighting Airbus 320 after a flight and electrical equipment meant the from Moscow to Almaty, ship could not leave port until they the former Soviet repub- were fixed, the commander said. lic’s biggest city, when he Reuters “Our headquarters directed that drew the attention of a as this vessel was on the (UN) list then sniffer dog during a rou- it should be inspected thoroughly,” tine check at the airport, said the commander, who declined local newspaper Vremya MANILA: The Philippines Coast to give his name because he was not reported. Guard has banned a North Korean authorised to the media. Police found a small freighter from leaving port until safety The ship, which is registered bag of marijuana in the deficiencies, found during a security in Sierra Leone, was continuing to pocket of the man’s coat and safety inspection of the vessel, unload its cargo of palm kernel, he and a test showed traces are rectified, officials said yesterday. added. of the same drug in his The inspection was ordered by the If a ship is designated by the UN, body. The North Korean cargo ship Jin Teng, anchored at the former US naval base at Subic port, north of Manila, Coast Guard headquarters in Manila its owners would find it difficult to The pilot, who was after the vessel was included on a get the vessel insured, refuelled or yesterday. detained, said he had list of 31 ships covered by harsher even call at foreign ports, industry smoked marijuana on the sanctions on North Korea that were experts said. said one shipping lawyer. But a sec- sanctions, it would be up to individual to member states to implement them eve of the flight and had approved by the United Nations over “I doubt that anyone will touch the ond lawyer said ships such as the Jin member countries to pass legislation into domestic law,” said the lawyer, used it for the last three Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. ships as far as international insurers Teng might be able to continue some to enforce them. “UN security coun- specialising in international sanc- years. The 6,830 deadweight tonne gen- go and they may be prevented from trade because, although the UN Secu- cil resolutions aren’t always directly tions, who declined to be named citing eral cargo ship Jin Teng was one of trading to most places as a result,” rity Council voted to impose tougher applicable in member states: it’s up client confidentiality. China to blacklist 31 North Korean China likely to trim defence budget ‘Missing’ bookseller vessels SHANGHAI: Chinese mar- itime authorities must Reuters military build-up has rattled nerves represents about a quarter of that of back in Hong Kong “blacklist” 31 boats oper- around the region, particularly the United States. ated by a North Korean because China has taken an increas- The US Defense Department firm that came under UN ingly assertive stance in its territorial budget for 2016 is $573bn. China’s AFP abducted by mainland authorities. Security Council sanc- BEIJING: China’s defence budget this disputes in the East and South China leaders have routinely sought to In the Phoenix TV interview, Lee tions this week, according year is likely to rise at its slowest pace Seas. justify military modernisation by said he had “resorted to illegal immi- to a Ministry of Transport since 2010, in line with the deceler- Fu said the defence budget would linking defence spending to rapid gration” to get to the mainland as he document ating economy and by a much lower be released today, when the annual GDP growth. But growth of 6.9 per- HONG KONG: One of five “miss- did not want to draw attention to his The notice, dated figure than had been expected in mil- session of China’s largely rubber- cent last year was the slowest in 25 ing” Hong Kong booksellers who was visit and that he made the trip so he March 3, says mari- itary and diplomatic circles. stamp legislative body opens. years, and a further slowdown is detained on the mainland returned could cooperate in an investigation. time safety agencies Fu Ying, spokeswoman for Chi- It will be the first single-digit widely expected in 2016. to the city yesterday and met police, The other four booksellers, must “urgently” deter- na’s parliament, said the figure would rise in spending since 2010, when “One simple reason for the lower the government said, in a case that who are under criminal investiga- mine whether 31 vessels increase by about seven to eight per- the military budget logged a 7.5 per- increase is that double-digit growth has provoked fears of increasing tion on the mainland, also appeared belonging to Ocean Mar- cent from 2015, following a nearly cent increase. Defence spending last is now harder to sustain,” said Bonji Chinese interference in the semi- on Phoenix Sunday admitting to itime Management Co unbroken two-decade run of dou- year was budgeted to rise 10.1 per- Obara of the Tokyo Foundation autonomous region. smuggling illicit books into China (OMM) are in Chinese har- ble-digit budget increases. China’s cent to 886.9bn yuan which still only think-tank. Lui Por, who has been missing in sombre, sometimes tearful, bours or waters, and since October, was among three interviews. notify the ministry. of the booksellers who Hong Kong In their first appearance since police said earlier this week would they were detained, fellow book- be released on bail. sellers Cheung, Lui and Lam blamed Missing MH370: Elephant treat “Police met with Lui Por, who the company’s illegal book trade returned to Hong Kong from the on colleague Gui Minhai in their Twelve families mainland, this morning,” a brief gov- interviews. Gui, a Swedish citizen, ernment statement said. confessed he had “explored ways sue airline “Lui requested to have his to circumvent official inspections missing persons case closed and in China”, in the interview Sunday. KUALA LUMPUR: The fam- expressed that there was no need Such confessions are more ilies of 12 passengers for assistance from the Hong Kong usually paraded on state television -- aboard missing Malaysia government or police,” it said, add- Phoenix is a private channel which Airlines flight MH370 filed ing he refused to provide any more broadcasts both in Hong Kong and suits against the airline information. the mainland. yesterday before a two- Hong Kong police had said that Amnesty International on Fri- year deadline for legal Lui and his counterparts Cheung Chi day sent Hong Kong leader Leung action expires. Ping and Lam Wing Kee, would all Chun-ying an open letter regard- MH370 disappeared be released on bail. ing the booksellers, urging him to en route to Beijing on However, police were not able take action. “Amnesty International March 8, 2014, with 239 to immediately provide information calls for the Hong Kong government passengers and crew on about Lam and Cheung. to urge the mainland authorities to board. Pro-democracy lawmaker Albert immediately and unconditionally Multiple suits have Ho, said Lui “must be very scared” to release the booksellers and facili- been filed in the United say he would drop his case. tate their return to Hong Kong, or States, Australian, Chinese “It’s just to show to the mainland another destination of their choice,” and Malaysian courts in authorities that he will keep quiet,” the letter said. the past few weeks and Ho said. The five booksellers from The case has heightened fears of more are expected as the Hong Kong’s Mighty Current publish- increasing mainland Chinese inter- deadline approaches on ing house, known for its salacious ference in Hong Kong and sparked Tuesday. titles critical of Beijing, went missing international condemnation. Brit- last year, only to turn up in main- ain had said the disappearance of One shot dead land China. Lee, a British citizen, was a “serious One who apparently disap- breach” of an agreement signed with after botched Filipino students feed 42-year old Sri Lankan Elephant Maali to mark World Wildlife Day at the Manila peared from Hong Kong, Lee Bo, Beijing before the city was handed Zoo, in the Philippines. appeared on television on Monday back to China in 1997 which protects robbery attempt and insisted that he had not been its freedoms for 50 years. BANGKOK: A botched robbery by four Mongo- lian men on a Bangkok gun shop yesterday left Myanmar govt and Suu Kyi party tussle over handover ceremony one of the intruders dead after a dramatic daytime shootout in the city’s Chi- natown district, police AFP Democracy their first chance in a parliament that took its seats in the parliament because the president nomination for president after March said. The men, who police generation to form a government February. is chosen in the parliament,” he told 10. The parliament’s two houses and said held Chinese pass- although the pro-democracy leader NLD spokesman Win Htein indi- reporters in Naypyidaw suggesting the 25 percent military bloc in the leg- ports, stormed the store is barred from the presidency. cated the location of the handover that the current compromise was for islature will select one candidate each with BB-guns in an effort NAYPYIDAW: Aung San Suu Kyi’s Thein Sein, whose quasi-civilian ceremony was the latest cause for both sides to have their own way. and a president will then be selected to steal real firearms. party yesterday said that outgoing government is credited with steering contention between the government “President Thein Sein will not out of the three in a vote in the com- But they were Myanmar President Thein Sein was the country from outright military and the incoming party. attend the ceremony which will be bined houses which are dominated thwarted after the owner snubbing part of their handover cer- rule, will end his five-year term later New lawmakers tabled sev- held in the parliament but he will by the NLD. of the store opened fire emony plans, as tensions over the this month and there will be a cere- eral motions critical of the outgoing meet the new president and hando- Suu Kyi is barred from selection on the robbers. Armed looming political transition begin to monial handover of power to a new government last week, leading to a ver the power at the presidential due to a clause in the 2008 junta-era police quickly joined in pervade even logistical arrangements. leader who is yet to be named. boycott of the legislature by some palace,” he said. Zaw Htay, director constitution which prohibits those the firing and three of the A sweeping win in November The President sought to appear ministers. “The government sent a of the president’s office, said that in with foreign close relatives from high raiders were wounded, elections trouncing Thein Sein’s magnanimous in defeat in Novem- proposal to hold the power handover fact the arrangements were still in the political office. Suu Kyi’s sons are Brit- with one dying later in army-backed party has given Suu ber, but there have been recent signs ceremony at the presidential palace. “negotiation process”. ish. She has vowed to rule “above” the hospital. Kyi and her National League for of tensions with a new NLD-led But we want to hold the ceremony in The NLD is expected to reveal its next leader without revealing details. ASIA / AFRICA SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 05 Kim urges country to be ready for nuclear attack

Council imposed harsh new sanctions our mode of military counteraction on the isolated state for its nuclear toward the enemies into a pre-emp- China hope the programme. tive attack one in every aspect.” parties would North Korea, known for bel- Kim criticised South Korean ligerent rhetoric, has previously President Park Geun-hye in his first maintain restraint, threatened pre-emptive attacks on direct published mention of her by and be careful in their its enemies, including South Korea name for acting “in league with the and the United States. Military experts US scoundrels,” adding, “her hyste- words and actions, doubt it has yet developed the capa- ria will precipitate only her ruin in and not take any bility to fire a long-range missile with the long run.” a miniaturised warhead to deliver a A spokesman for South Korea’s actions that would nuclear weapon as far as the United Unification Ministry, which handles exacerbate tensions in States. relations with the North, said Kim’s this situation. Kim made the comments as he comments were not helpful and may supervised military exercises involv- have been intended for the domestic ing newly developed rocket launchers. audience, to boost morale in the face It did not mention the date of the drills of the new UN sanctions. Responding but said the new weapons had South to the report, a US Defense Depart- Reuters Korea within range. ment spokesman, Commander Bill South Korea’s defence ministry Urban, said, “We urge North Korea to said on Thursday the North launched refrain from provocative actions that several projectiles off its coast into the aggravate tensions and instead focus SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim sea, up to 150km away, an apparent on fulfilling its international obliga- Jong-Un ordered his country to be response to the UN sanctions. tions and commitments.” ready to use its nuclear weapons at Kim said North Korea should Chinese Foreign Ministry spokes- any time and the military to be in “bolster up (its) nuclear force both in man Hong Lei said that given the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un guides a test fire of a new multiple launch rocket system in Pyongyang, “pre-emptive attack” mode in the face quality and quantity” and stressed sensitive and complex situation on the yesterday. of growing threats from its enemies, “the need to get the nuclear war- Korean peninsula, China hoped the state media said yesterday. heads deployed for national defence parties would maintain restraint, and The latest UN sanctions the satellite launch, which the United resolution as a “criminal act” mas- The comments marked a further always on standby so as to be fired “be careful in their words and actions, North’s main ally, punish the isolated States and others say was really a test terminded by the United States and escalation of tension on the Korean any moment,” and not take any actions that would country following its fourth nuclear of ballistic missile technology. North vowed to continue boosting its nuclear peninsula after the UN Security “Now is the time for us to convert exacerbate tensions in this situation”. test, in January, as well as last month’s Korea rejected the Security Council deterrent.

Hong Kong handover anniversary Uganda tightens adoption rules for foreigners 105 held

Reuters Officially, Uganda’s 1997 adop- over deadly tion law requires prospective adoptive parents to spend three Lagos riots KAMPALA: Child rights campaign- years in Uganda fostering a child ers in Uganda have welcomed a new before filing a case, but it has not LAGOS: As many as 105 law that restricts fast-track foreign been enforced. people were arrested in adoptions in which children - often Wednesday’s bill states that Nigeria’s commercial cap- with living parents - can be whisked inter-country adoption will only be ital, Lagos, after bloody overseas in a matter of days. permitted in cases where the child riots in the city’s biggest Lawmakers passed a bill this has no known relatives, legal guard- food market left at least week that requires foreigners seek- ians or foster parents, Atiku said. three people dead, police ing to adopt children to live in the Data from the US State Depart- said yesterday. east African country continuously ment shows that the number of “The police them in for at least one year before apply- Ugandan children adopted by Amer- connection with the dis- ing and bars them from the quicker icans more than tripled between turbances in and around route of claiming legal guardianship. 2010 and 2013, with 201 adopted in ‘Mile 12’ market,” Lagos “This ends the long wait for a 2014. state police spokeswoman proper legal regime that addresses According to a report by the China’s Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers marching at the Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks in Hong Dolapo Badmus said the welfare and rights of our chil- Ugandan government and the United referring to rioting which Kong to mark the 18th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China. dren,” said member of parliament Nations, four out of five children had took place yesterday. Bernard Atiku, who initiated the bill. at least one living biological parent. “Three people died in Hundreds of Ugandan children Two-thirds of 100 applicants, the fracas. The suspects have been adopted in recent years most of them foreign, seeking to win will be charged shortly by foreigners, mainly Americans, parental rights over a child between with murder, arson and some of whom have sidestepped 2006 and 2013 sought legal guard- breach of public peace,” Mugabe ridicules his former restrictions by winning guardianship ianship rather than adoption, the she said. within days and then completing the report shows, because of its rela- Local media reports adoption process back home. Atiku tive ease and speed. put the death toll at said several children had been traf- In most cases, there was no pre- between seven and 10. deputy in TV interview ficked out of the country with no adoption fostering, and poor parents The trouble reportedly mechanism in place to trace where were sometimes offered finan- began on Wednesday they end up or who they end up with. cial inducements to give up their when a motorbike-taxi “Foreigners have been manip- children. driver knocked down a AFP biting insects are destined to live”. who turned 92 two weeks ago. As ulating the guardianship provision “The financial incentives woman at the market, “Some think we are afraid of them. speculation increases over his suc- to take children out of the country,” underlying the ‘facilitation’ of legal where much of the city’s We are not.” Mujuru, who was sacked cession, Mugabe vowed he would he said. guardianship and adoption proc- fruit and vegetables are by Mugabe in 2014, officially unveiled not hesitate to expel disloyal party A Thomson Reuters Foundation esses coupled with the demand for sold wholesale. HARARE: Zimbabwe’s veteran leader the Zimbabwe People First party on members. “The party will always investigation in May 2015 revealed children from the developing coun- Robert Mugabe has used a two-hour Tuesday. have negative elements. Those we widespread corruption in Uganda’s tries has fuelled child trafficking,” television interview to ridicule his A former ZANU-PF stalwart feel are troublesome, we chuck them intercountry adoption process with the report said. 30 dead in former deputy who launched a new and liberation war veteran, Mujuru out,” he said. In his annual birth- Ugandan parents bribed, tricked or The new legislation demands political party this week to challenge served in all cabinets under Mugabe day interview screened by the state coerced into giving up their children that applicants must not have a his all-powerful ZANU-PF. and was seen for many years as his broadcaster ZBC on Thursday night, to US citizens and other foreigners. criminal record, must be recom- Zimbabwe In his first public reaction to the favoured choice of successor. But she Mugabe ruled out naming a succes- Demand for children had fuelled mended as a guardian by a welfare opposition party set up by former was fired after a sustained campaign sor, saying he was nearing his goal trafficking rackets and a mush- officer in their home country and bus crash vice president Joice Mujuru, Mugabe by the president’s wife Grace, who of ruling until he is 100. “I want to rooming network of unregistered must not have promised money or said: “They will live in the wilder- accused her of fomenting party divi- reach 100 years so I have only eight childcare institutions through which any other reward to facilitate their HAZARE: At least 30 peo- ness, where little ants and other sion and plotting to topple Mugabe, strides to go,’ he said. children were primed for adoption. case. ple died and 36 were injured when two buses collided on the main road between Zimbabwe’s cap- ital Harare and Bulawayo in the southwest, police Malaysia’s Mahathir leads cross-party push to oust PM Najib said yesterday. “I can confirm there was a horrific road acci- Reuters The “core” group’s agreement also ruling coalition since Malaysia’s dent yesterday involving called for the removal of people who independence in 1957, saying it had a conventional bus and covered up misdeeds, the repeal of become Najib’s party and he didn’t a minibus,” said police laws that violate fundamental rights want to be associated with corruption. spokeswomen Charity KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian and the restoration of institutions it The country’s jailed opposition Charamba. “Twenty-eight leader Mahathir Mohamad, opposition said had been undermined, includ- leader Anwar Ibrahim offered support people including both leaders and some ruling party mem- ing the police and anti-graft agency. to oust Najib. Anwar’s offer marked drivers died on the spot bers yesterday called for the removal Najib has faced sustained pres- a seismic shift in the political land- and two others on admis- of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who sure to resign since the middle of last scape, as a vendetta between the two sion at Kwekwe hospital. is engulfed in a scandal surrounding year over 1MDB and deposits into his has seethed since Mahathir sacked Of the injured, 32 are said state fund 1Malaysia Development private accounts worth around $680 Anwar as deputy prime minister in to be in critical condition.” Berhad (1MDB). m. Najib has maintained that he has 1998 and had him jailed on sodomy Charamba said the “It’s not about joining the opposi- not used the funds for personal gain, charges that many observers said accident happened when tion or any group. It’s about citizens and has since been cleared of any were politically motivated. one of the buses had a joining together to show support,” said criminal offence or corruption. Anwar was jailed again on sod- tyre burst and veered Mahathir, reading from a memoran- Mahathir, Malaysia’s longest- omy charges, that he said were onto the opposite side of dum agreed by 58 signatories. serving leader and now 90 years old, concocted by Najib’s government to the road. “From the look He was speaking at a joint news was once Najib’s but has become his eliminate the threat he posed to its of things one or both driv- conference attended by opposition fiercest critic and - because of his grip on power. In a statement issued ers of the vehicles was politicians, anti-government activ- enduring popularity - a thorn in the from jail on Thursday, Anwar said he speeding,” she said. Five ists and Muhyiddin Yassin, who was side for the prime minsiter. would “support the position” of those people were killed in sacked as deputy prime minister last Last week, he quit the United in civil society, political parties and Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammad (right) and another collision, earlier. year after he openly questioned Najib Malays National Organisation individuals, including Mahathir, in the ousted Malaysian deputy prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin (left) chat on the 1MDB scandal. (UMNO), the party that has led every push to remove Najib. during a media conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday. 06 SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 PAKISTAN Benazir murder Underage girl’s case: Musharraf marriage foiled LAHORE: Pakistani police rescued a nine-year-old girl from being married to testify soon off to a 14-year-old boy to settle a family dispute yesterday and arrested two police officers and four suspects four village elders who of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. had ordered the “com- An anti-terrorism After the prosecution completes pensation wedding”. court (ATC) of the process of presenting evidence The intervention in against the accused the court, under Pakistan’s largest prov- Rawalpindi and the Section 342 of CrPC, provides an ince, Punjab, is rare in a special court seized opportunity to him or her to appear country where it is often before it and defend himself or her- culturally acceptable to with the high treason self. In this process, the accused use marriage to build and case may summon may produce witnesses in his/her strengthen alliances, set- defence. tle disputes or pay off Musharraf to defend Two police officers, DIG Saud debts. Police arrested all himself. Aziz and SSP Khurram Shehzad four members of the vil- along with Musharraf were nom- lage council who had inated as accused persons in 2010 decreed that the girl be in the Benazir murder case when given in vani, or com- Internews the Federal Investigation Agency pensation marriage, to completed its investigation and sub- Supporters of convicted murderer Mumtaz Qadri shout slogans during a protest against his execution in settle a dispute between mitted a challan to the Rawalpindi Islamabad, yesterday. Tens of thousands people threw rose petals on March 1 at the ambulance bearing two families in Rahim Yar ATC. In August 2013, Musharraf was the body of Qadri who had killed Punjab governor Salman Taseer in 2011 for opposing blasphemy law. Khan district of Punjab ISLAMABAD: Former military ruler indicted in the case but he denied province. retired General Pervez Musharraf the charges. He is facing charges of is expected to testify in two impor- threatening the late Pakistan Peoples KP seeks Rs66bn tant cases — one relating to Benazir Party (PPP) chief and denying proper Fears for Christian woman on Bhutto’s murder and the other con- security to her despite numerous for security cerning high treason charge — in threats to her life. coming weeks. The former military ruler was death row after Qadri’s execution He was implicated in the Benazir nominated as the sole accused in the ISLAMABAD: The Khy- murder case in 2010 and high trea- high treason case in December 2013. ber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) son case in 2013. In March 2014, he was indicted in the government in Pakistan’s An anti-terrorism court (ATC) case by the special court comprising AFP reform Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, isolation in October over fears northwest province has of Rawalpindi and the special court judges of three different high courts. as well as his promise to help Bibi. of attacks by vigilantes after the put forward its long- seized with the high treason case The prosecution in the case has Qadri’s actions saw him feted as Supreme Court upheld Qadri’s death standing demand before may summon Musharraf to defend presented all the evidence and pro- a hero by scores of Muslims, and his sentence. Blasphemy is a hugely sen- the federal government himself and counter the evidence duced its witnesses before the court. ISLAMABAD: Activists voiced new funeral brought up to 100,000 people sitive issue in Pakistan which carries for a special financial produced by prosecutors in the two The last prosecution witness testified fears for a Pakistani woman on death into the streets of Rawalpindi, near the death penalty. The country has package of Rs66bn to cases. However, it remains to be seen on September 18, 2014. The court, in row for blasphemy yesterday, as reli- the capital Islamabad, many chanting not yet executed anyone on the meet emerging security whether the ‘ailing’ former president its order of the said date, wrote: “The gious groups launched fresh calls for for Bibi to be hanged. On Thursday charge—but anyone convicted, or challenges. will appear personally before the next step is examining of the accused her hanging after this week’s execu- a statement issued from Islamabad’s even just accused, of insulting Islam The top provin- courts to get his statements recorded under Section 342 of the CrPC.” tion of a killer feted by Islamists. Red Mosque called on the govern- risks a violent and bloody death at cial bureaucrats made or testify through a video link. However, the trial virtually Asia Bibi, a Christian mother- ment to execute “the blasphemer Asia the hands of vigilantes. this demand during a Proceedings in the Benazir mur- stopped after the court, in Novem- of-five, whose plight has prompted Bibi as soon as possible and not bow Last year a British-Pakistani citi- meeting of the Senate’s der case commenced in 2008 and ber 2014, ordered that former Prime prayers from the Vatican, has been to international pressure”. zen who had been sentenced to death Special Committee on 24 the trial is in its final stages as the Minister Shaukat Aziz, federal min- on death row since she was convicted Christian activist Shamoon Gill, for blasphemy was shot and wounded requests of KP related to prosecution is summoning its last ister Zahid Hamid and former chief in 2010 of committing blasphemy a long-time advocate for Bibi, said by a guard at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. issues of energy, water few witnesses. justice Abdul Hameed Dogar be during an argument with a Muslim yesterday that Muslim groups are And a Christian labourer and and power projects. Under Section 342 of the Crimi- implicated in the case. Aziz, Hamid woman over a bowl of water. “putting her life in danger”, citing his wife were burned in a kiln last Senator Muzaffar Hus- nal Procedure Code (CrPC), the court and Dogar challenged the verdict Bibi’s lawyer Saif ul Mulook said police who warned him to be vigi- November after being accused of sain chaired the meeting would summon the accused persons before the Islamabad High Court yesterday that religious groups have lant this week. throwing pages of the Koran in the of the panel, which has for recording their statements, said (IHC). Last year the IHC ordered the launched a “fresh offensive” against Even if authorities do not suc- garbage. Critics including European Talha Mehmood as the Khawaja Imtiaz, a special prosecutor Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) his client in the wake of the execu- cumb to the pressure, religious governments claim the blasphemy only member. Senator in the Benazir murder case. to reinvestigate the case to ascertain tion of Mumtaz Qadri. groups could incite any of Qadri’s laws are misused, with hundreds lan- Shibli Faraz showed up at According to him, the accused role of facilitators in the imposition A former police bodyguard, thousands of supporters to vigilante guishing in jails under false charges the meeting on a special who will be summoned for recording of emergency in the country on Qadri killed Punjab governor Salman action, he warned. that could see them face fines, life invitation. of statements will include Musharraf, November 3, 2007. Taseer in 2011, angered by his call to Prison officials put Bibi in imprisonment or death by hanging.

Upper House Leisure time Women’s protection bill rejects airline challenged in Sharia court privatisation bill Reuters Foundation expert poll showed. But since the law’s passage in the Punjab assembly, many religious Reuters leaders have denounced it as being ISLAMABAD: A prominent Paki- in conflict with the Holy Quran and stani lawyer has filed a petition in the constitution. The latest opponent the top sharia court seeking that it is Supreme Court lawyer and profes- ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s upper strike down a new law that gives sor of Islamic law, Mohammad Aslam house of parliament yesterday unprecedented protection to female Khaki, who petitioned the Federal rejected a bill to privatise the cash- victims of violence. Shariat Court to strike down the law strapped national airline, another The Women’s Protection Act, for being un-Islamic and not provid- delay for the country’s stalled pri- passed by Pakistan’s largest prov- ing adequate protection for men. vatisation agenda under the terms ince of Punjab last week, gives legal “No mechanism for filing a com- of an IMF bailout. protection to women from domestic, plaint against the wife for causing Loss-making state enterprises psychological and sexual violence. mental and psychological violence drain about $5bn from state cof- It also calls for the creation of to the husband has been provided,” fers every year, around an eighth of a toll-free abuse reporting hot line, Khaki said in the petition. “The the government’s fiscal revenues of women’s shelters and district-level impugned act will further create a about four trillion rupees ($38.2bn). panels to investigate reports of abuse gap and confrontation among fam- The bill now goes to a joint and mandates the use of GPS brace- ilies while Islam and the constitution session of parliament next week, lets to keep track of offenders. provided for their integration.” where it is expected to pass, the Domestic abuse, economic dis- The petition goes on to say that ruling party holds a majority in crimination and acid attacks made victimising the husband through the combined assembly. Pakistan the world’s third most this law would lead people to avoid Afghan children play on a swing on a hilltop in the old part of Kabul, yesterday. “Government advisers have dangerous country in the world for marriage altogether and turn to failed to present a revival plan women, a 2011 Thomson Reuters “unlawful alternates”. for Pakistan International Air- lines (PIA), instead their complete focus is on privatisation,” opposi- tion Senator Saleem Mandviwalla Uber gives drivers classes to prevent women’s harassment said. The privatisation of 68 state- owned companies, among them loss-making enterprises such as PIA, is a crucial part of the 2013 AFP city of Lahore on Thursday. be conducted for newly-joined drivers ask questions about who you are But there has been a slew of IMF bailout and was meant to put “It seems it is not part of the con- in the future. Trainees were also told going to see or why. And it is the recent initiatives to redress the bal- the country’s finances back on versation in basic education”, she not to contact women after dropping woman who ends up being told: ‘You ance, such as “The Pink Rickshaw” track. added, saying only Uber drivers in them off, or to pass their passengers’ should not be out so late’, ‘Why would scheme in Lahore, which aims to The government has made ISLAMABAD: Uber is teaching its Lahore and in the Egyptian capital phone numbers on to others. you go here or there’.” empower working-class women some progress, for instance by drivers in Pakistan how not to harass Cairo had to undergo the training. “Our primary objective is that Abdellatif said the company is by providing them with vehicles to raising more than $1bn from the women, a spokeswoman said yester- Women in Pakistan have fought drivers understand that sexual har- trying to offer “a safer space in public transport other females. The govern- stake of its entire stake in Habib day, after the popular transport app for their rights for decades in a coun- assment is not just about assaulting transport for women through educat- ment of Punjab province meanwhile Bank Ltd but has struggled to find launched in the conservative coun- try where so-called honour killings or harming someone,” said Tooba ing the drivers, even on a very basic launched an awareness campaign buyers for most of the companies in try where women are often hassled and acid attacks are commonplace Fatima, from Pakistan-based social level”. last year called “Women on Wheels” the face of opposition from labour on public transport. and where females face routine pub- enterprise RABTT, which designed the Three quarters of Pakistani to highlight gender-based violence unions and other political parties. In Pakistan, “there is lack of lic harassment. seminar. “Making someone uncom- women do not participate in the and street harassment. Uber, which The PIA sell-off required knowledge on what constitutes sexual The seminar was brief—about half fortable is harassment, whatever your labour market, mainly due to a lack launched its service at a price of 13.7 amending a 1956 law that barred harassment”, said Shaden Abdellatif, a an hour of the four hours of training intention is,” Fatima said. of safe transportation, according to Pakistani rupees ($0.13) per kilome- private ownership of the national spokeswoman for ride-hailing service that Uber’s several hundred drivers in “People here tend to stare, make a study by the International Labour tre, hopes to expand to other cities in airline. that launched in the teeming eastern Lahore receive—and will continue to comments on the way one is dressed, Organization. Pakistan outside Lahore. INDIA SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 07 Visas denied to US religious freedom organisation

Reuters to leave for India yesterday for a United States, India should have the the opportunity to convey its views In its 2015 report, the bipartisan from the Muslim, Christian, and Sikh long-planned visit with the support confidence to allow our visit,” he said. directly to USCIRF.” USCIRF said incidents of religiously communities, attributed the initial of the US State Department and the George said USCIRF had been able to The Indian embassy in Washing- motivated and communal violence increase to religiously divisive cam- US embassy in New Delhi, but India travel to many countries, including ton did not immediately respond to a had reportedly increased for three paigning in advance of the country’s WASHINGTON: India has denied had failed to issue the necessary those among the worst offenders of request for comment. consecutive years. It said that despite 2014 general election won by Modi. visas for a delegation from the US visas, the commission said. “We are religious freedom, including Paki- Last year, in spite of a much-her- its status as a pluralistic, secular The report said that since the election, government agency charged with deeply disappointed by the Indian stan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, China, alded fresh start in US-India ties democracy, India had long struggled religious minorities had been subject monitoring international religious government’s denial, in effect, of and Myanmar. under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to protect minority religious commu- to derogatory comments by politicians freedom, the agency said yesterday. these visas,” USCIRF chairman Rob- “One would expect that the the United States ran into problems nities or provide justice when crimes linked to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) The delegation from the US ert George said in a statement. “As a Indian government would allow arranging visits by the head of its occur, creating a climate of impunity. and numerous violent attacks and Commission on International Reli- pluralistic, non-sectarian, and demo- for more transparency than have office to combat human trafficking Non-governmental organisa- forced conversions by Hindu nation- gious Freedom had been scheduled cratic state, and a close partner of the these nations, and would welcome and its special envoy for gay rights. tions and religious leaders, including alist groups. EC announces HC notice to Mallya on SBI’s poll dates for plea for arrest

BENGALURU: The Karna- taka High Court yesterday five states issued notice to indus- trialist Vijay Mallya and others on a plea by the candidates for all the 294 assembly State Bank of India (SBI) seats. The key players in the five- seeking his arrest and Nearly 170 million state electoral battle include the impounding of his pass- people will be Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party port in the multi-crore (BJP), the Left, Trinamool, AIADMK, loan default case of eligible to vote in the DMK, Asom Gana Parishad, the defunct Kingfisher Airline. staggered exercise AIUDF as well as the NR Congress Admitting the peti- that rules Puducherry. tion, Justice A S Bopanna Although the BJP is a contender issued notice to Mallya, for power only in Assam, the out- his Kingfisher and United IANS come in all five states is important Breweries Holdings Ltd to it because of the two major as well as British liquor defeats it has suffered in Delhi in major Diageo plc and its February 2015 and in Bihar later in Indian arm, United Spirits NEW DELHI: Elections to assem- November. Ltd for their response and blies will be held in Assam, West While the Congress is in power posted the case for hear- Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and in Assam and Kerala, it faces a stiff ing next week. Puducherry in April-May, it was challenge in both states. A resurgent Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) with Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari during the announced yesterday, in the biggest BJP has tied up with regional groups formal inauguration of Setu Bharatam project in New Delhi, yesterday. popularity test for political parties to dislodge the Congress in Assam. Delhi govt plea: since the 2014 Lok Sabha battle. The Trinamool stranglehold has Nearly 170 million people will forced the Congress and the Left in SC notice to CBI be eligible to vote in the staggered the state — for decades bitter ene- exercise that will see a two-phase mies — to try to close ranks. The BJP PM launches ‘Setu Bharatam’ project polling in Assam, a six-phase ballot- is a minor player in the state. NEW DELHI: The ing in West Bengal spread over seven Ranged against the ruling Supreme Court yester- days, and a day’s battle each in Ker- AIADMK in Tamil Nadu is the Con- IANS underbridges are envisaged for con- and long-felt needs of the people, it day issued notice to the ala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. gress-DMK alliance. The BJP is also struction, while 1,500 bridges will be is necessary to bring in a qualita- CBI on the Delhi gov- Assam (126 seats) will vote on trying to team up with the DMDK widened, rehabilitated or replaced,” tive change and a comprehensive, ernment’s plea seeking April 4 and 11, and West Bengal (294 while several other regional parties said a statement. integrated approach in developing return of documents that seats) on April 4-11, 17, 21, 25 and 30 may float a Third Front in the state. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Naren- Emphasising the importance of infrastructure in the country,” said the investigating agency and May 5, Chief Election Commis- The Congress is the main oppo- dra Modi yesterday launched ‘Setu good infrastructure for the country’s Modi. Nitin Gadkari, union minister had seized during the sioner Nasim Zaidi told the media. sition in Puducherry. Bharatam’ — an ambitious pro- development, Modi said the impor- for road transport and highways, said raid at the office of Kerala (140 seats), Tamil Nadu For the first time in elections in gramme with an investment of tance of roads for a nation is the same the Setu Bharatam programme aims senior IAS officer Rajen- (234 seats) and Puducherry (30 seats) India, the NOTA (None Of The Above) Rs50,000crore to build bridges as arteries and veins in human body. to make all national highways free dra Kumar, principal will go to the polls on May 16. Count- category would be represented by for safe and seamless travel on the “The government wishes to make of railway level crossings by 2019 to secretary to Chief Min- ing of votes in all five states will take a “symbol” — like party symbols - national highways across the country. a quantum jump in this direction. A prevent frequent accidents and loss ister Arvind Kejriwal, on place on May 19. and photographs of all candidates “The programme aims at mak- good infrastructure network is vital of lives. December 15, 2015. Within hours of the announce- would figure on the electronic voting ing all national highways free of for the growth and development of The minister said the 208 railway A bench of Jus- ment, West Bengal’s ruling machines (EVMs) with their symbols, railway level crossings by 2019. a nation.” overbridges/underbridges to be built tice Ranjan Gogoi and Trinamool Congress announced its Zaidi said. Around 208 new road overbridges/ “In order to satisfy the aspirations at a cost of Rs20,800crore. Justice Prafulla C Pant issued notice on the Delhi government’s plea challenging the Delhi High Court’s Feb- Rohith Vemula is my icon not Afzal Guru: Kanhaiya ruary 10, 2016, order setting aside the Janu- ary 20, 2016 lower court IANS “Sedition is being used against of freedom. Guru was executed in the Tihar Thursday evening after Delhi High direction to the Central those who are raising (public) issues. “Afzal and Maqbool Bhat are not central jail on February 9, 2013, for his Court granted him interim bail for six Bureau of Investigation I never uttered any anti-national slo- our heroes, but Rohith Vemula is. We role in the December 2001 Parliament months. “We are not fighting against (CBI) to hand over the gans. Nationalism is not silence over want (Babasaheb Bhimrao) Ambed- attack. Maqbool Bhat, co-founder of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak documents to the Delhi NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru discrimination and injustice,” Kan- kar and Vemula to be born in every separatist group Jammu Kashmir Sangh). We are fighting for devel- government that it had University Students Union president haiya said. house,” Kanhaiya said. Earlier, he Liberation Front, was hanged on Feb- opment (of the country). We need seized. Kanhaiya Kumar yesterday said sedi- “We want freedom, not from told media persons that Hyderabad ruary 11, 1984, in Tihar jail. equality between the rich and the tion charge was being used against India, but within India — from pov- University research scholar Rohith Arrested on February 12 on sedi- poor,” he said when asked about his those raising different issues in the erty, inequality and exploitation,” he Vemula was his icon and not Parlia- tion charge, the JNU student leader incessant verbal attacks against the No quota for country. said when asked about his definition ment attack convict Afzal Guru. was released from the Tihar jail on right-wing organisation. Patels: Minister

AHMEDABAD: Senior Gujarat minister Vas- Water crisis in Telangana Former Lok Sabha Speaker uben Trivedi yesterday ruled out conceding the Patel community’s P A Sangma passes away demands for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions in the state. IANS A tribal, Sangma was also chief Trivedi, considered minister of Meghalaya — his home Chief Minister Anandiben state — from 1988 to 1990. Patel’s “voice”, said: “We President Mukherjee said that follow the rule of law NEW DELHI: Former Lok Sabha in his death, “the nation has lost an and under the Constitu- speaker Purno A. Sangma, who along eminent public figure and multi-fac- tion, the Patels cannot with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar eted personality”. be granted reservation.” revolted against Congress president Vice President Ansari credited Trivedi, the women’s Sonia Gandhi in 1999, died yesterday Sangma with championing “the welfare minister, made morning following a heart attack. He mainstreaming of northeastern the statement at a meet- was 68. parts of the country” and working ing in Gandhinagar even President Pranab Mukherjee, tirelessly for the improvement of as the Gujarat govern- Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime tribal communities. ment has been claiming Minister Narendra Modi and Sonia Modi described Sangma as a self- that a cabinet sub-com- Gandhi condoled the sudden death made leader whose contribution to mittee headed by Health of one of the best known politicians the development of the northeast Minister Nitin Patel is from the northeast. was monumental. “Sangma’s tenure looking into the issues A shepherd walks on the bed of the dried up Osman Sagar Lake, commonly known as Gandipet, on Sangma became a house hold as Lok Sabha speaker is unforgetta- raised by the Patidar the outskirts of Hyderabad, yesterday. The lake, one of the principal sources of drinking water in the name after presiding over the 11th ble. His down to earth personality Anamat Andolan Samiti southern state of Telangana, has almost dried up completely as temperatures rise with the onset of Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998 — a and affable nature endeared him to (PAAS), the body formed summer across the subcontinent. time when the country saw coali- many.” Modi paid floral tributes to by Hardik Patel. tion politics. Sangma at the latter’s residence. 08 SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 EUROPE / UK Cameron urges Scots to stick with EU and UK

Reuters into action, being able to get things done Concerns about the European with 10 percent rating it as the for the country you love, which is what Union are at their highest level for 13 most important. That was the high- Blair’s brother Cameron wants I believe we can do in a reformed Euro- years in Britain ahead of a June 23 est level since 2003, when 10 new may judge Libyan a high turnout in pean Union,” he said. referendum on whether the country countries were allowed to join the EDINBURGH: British Prime Minis- A month before the EU referen- should stay in the bloc, but immi- bloc, the survey said. fund case ter David Cameron yesterday urged a referendum on dum, Scotland will hold a Scottish gration and health are even more However, the EU still trailed well Scots to vote to stay in the European June 23 to help parliamentary election, in which important to the public, a survey sug- behind immigration, mentioned by 44 Union, as they did to keep Scotland the Conservatives are likely to come gested yesterday. percent of people, and the state-run LONDON: William Blair, part of the United Kingdom in 2014. his campaign for a third, according to opinion polls. The Following Prime Minister David National Health Service, mentioned brother of ex-Brit- Cameron wants a high turnout vote to stay in the Conservatives had their worst elec- Cameron’s announcement of the by 38 percent, in the list of issues, ish prime minister Tony in a referendum on June 23 to help tion result in decades in Scotland in date of the in/out referendum after while the economy was also still Blair, is expected to be his campaign for a vote to stay in the 28-member bloc. a 2015 UK national election, but won he renegotiated Britain’s membership regarded as a more pressing concern. appointed judge in the 28-member bloc, and Scotland is the election across Britain overall. terms, the EU has shot up Britons’ list A breakdown of the figures dispute over the leader- largely pro-EU. The SNP scolded Cameron for of the most important matters facing showed richer Britons, those aged ship of Libya’s $67 billion The Conservative leader may calling EU vote shortly after the the country, the monthly Economist/ over 65, those living in rural areas sovereign wealth fund, have to rely on the influence of the the country in case he puts voters off. election for Scotland’s Holyrood par- Ipsos Mori Issues Index found. and those who supported Cameron’s sources on both sides of rival Scottish National Party, which Cameron saidsaid being in the UK liament, saying it showed disrespect It said a fifth of the public men- Conservative Party were the groups the case said. rules Scotland and has hinted that he and the EU gave Scotland clout. for issues facing Scottish people and tioned the EU as amongst the most which most regarded the EU as an The case is to be should steer clear of campaigning in “What matters is turning patriotism gave voters too little time for debate. significant issues facing Britain, important issue. heard in London’s High Court from Monday. The Libyan Investment Authority is in a power Irish PM to lead struggle between two Tulips for International Women’s Day rival chairmen, Hassan Bouhadi and AbdulMagid govt only if Breish. The case, which will stability assured be held in the Commer- cial Court, will ultimately determine which of the Reuters two chairmen has the authority to bring litiga- tion against investment banks Goldman Sachs DUBLIN: Irish Prime Minister and Societe Generale. Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael party will only seek to form a minority gov- ernment if it can strike a deal that ensures smaller parties or its arch Air France jet in rival will not bring it down within months, a senior minister said yes- near-miss terday. Last week Ireland became the with drone latest euro zone state to face a pro- longed political stalemate after an PARIS: An Air France election ousted the ruling coalition Airbus A320 narrowly without producing a clear alterna- avoided colliding with a tive, echoing recent inconclusive drone as it was about to polls in Spain and Portugal. land in Paris on a flight Kenny’s centre-right party from Barcelona, France’s fell 30 seats short of the 80 aviation investigation needed to form a majority in par- agency (BEA) said. liament, just six seats more than It said the aircraft was resurgent, historic rival Fianna flying at 5,500 feet as it Fail. Both Kenny and Fianna Fail Municipal gardeners sort tulips to make bouquets during preparations for upcoming International Women’s Day in Kiev, Ukraine, yesterday. neared Paris’ Charles de leader Micheal Martin will seek to Gaulle airport on Febru- become the country’s next prime ary 19 when the co-pilot minister when parliament returns noticed a drone approach- on March 10 by garnering enough ing on the left side. The support among smaller parties and Spain’s El Pais co-pilot disconnected the independent lawmakers to win a Belfast bomb injures prison officer automatic pilot and carried parliamentary vote, sources said. newspaper may out an avoidance manoeu- But yesterday, Health Min- vre while informing the ister Leo Varadkar, speaking pilot of the presence of the about the conclusions reached at as police call threat ‘severe’ end print edition drone. The pilot estimated a five-hour party meeting held on that the drone passed Thursday, said his party would not MADRID: Spain’s best-selling about five metres under form a minority government if it Reuters the people who planned this wanted Northern Ireland’s First Minister newspaper, El Pais, may end its the left wing of the plane. could cause short-term political to kill a prison officer,” Martin said, Arlene Foster called it “disgrace- print edition and become primarily instability. blaming the attack on nationalists ful and despicable”. Foster’s father, an online outlet, its editor-in-chief “It would have to be based on opposed to British rule. a police officer, survived being shot said yesterday- a global trend Denmark to some sort of agreement that would BELFAST: A prison officer was “There are people within dis- by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) among national newspapers under hold,” Varadkar told national injured by a bomb which exploded sident republican groupings who in the 1970s during the violent period pressure from the Internet. expand forces broadcaster RTE. “We can’t have a under his van in Belfast yesterday, want to mark this centenary by kill- known as the “troubles”. The daily, which gained a government that might collapse in police said, warning of a “severe” ing prison officers, police officers or Deputy First Minister Martin reputation as the newspaper of against IS to Syria three months or six months - you threat to security forces as the soldiers,” he added. “We believe the McGuinness, a former commander democratic Spain after the death can get nothing done that way.” centenary approaches of the 1916 threat is extremely high, at the upper in the IRA during the troubles and a of dictator Francisco Franco, COPENHAGEN: Denmark’s Fine Gael argues that Ireland anti-British Easter Rising. end of severe.” senior member of the nationalist Sinn has reported a steady decline in government will draw up needs political stability to preserve Police said the bomb went off The rebellion 100 years ago, cen- Fein party, also condemned what he readership since the country’s eco- proposals to expand its and extend its economic recovery. shortly after the man started driving tred in Dublin, paved the way for called a “despicable and futile act”. nomic crisis erupted in 2008. mission against Islamic Ireland’s economy has been the away from his home. The 52-year- the Irish republic to achieve inde- In 2012, a Northern Irish prison The possibility of one of the State to Syria, including fastest growing in Europe over the old was undergoing surgery in pendence, while the six counties of officer was killed in a motorway world’s most influential Hispanic air strikes, the prime min- last two years after a deep finan- hospital but his injuries were not Northern Ireland remained in the shooting blamed on militant nation- newspapers stopping the presses ister’s office said. cial crisis but many have yet to feel life-threatening. United Kingdom. It will be marked alists - the first such killing of a comes after Britain’s Independent As many as 400 mil- the upturn. A 1998 peace deal largely ended by events on both sides of the Irish prison officer since 1993. disappeared from newsstands in itary personal may take Any unlikely informal alliance three decades of violence in North- border this month. The victim of yesterday’s attack March, when its owner took the part in the campaign, it that does not include Fianna Fail ern Ireland between Protestants who Martin said police had been step- worked in a training school rather newspaper online only. said. The 400 military would have a razor-thin parlia- want to remain under British rule and ping up patrols and would try to be than in a prison, Finlay Spratt, head “The step from paper to dig- personnel will include mentary majority and encompass Catholics favouring unification with “culturally sensitive” at events to of the Northern Irish Prison Officers ital is just one part and is not even pilots, soldiers on the parties across a broad political Ireland, but violence sporadically mark the uprising, the most dramatic Association, told reporters. the biggest of the many steps that ground and support staff. spectrum. Fine Gael and Fianna erupts. More attacks were “highly chapter of Ireland’s independence “This is just terrible. What can newspapers will have to take Denmark contributed Fail are both centre-right parties, likely” in the coming weeks, Assist- struggle. you say? We have been down this until we find our true space in the seven F-16 in 2014 to but they are divided by a rivalry ant Chief Constable Stephen Martin Politicians on both sides of the road before. These people have future,” Antonio Cano, the El Pai- the US-led coalition’s air that stretches back almost a cen- told a news conference. historical divide condemned yes- no justification for what they do,” seditor-in-chief, told staff in a open strikes against IS in Iraq tury to the country’s civil war. “This could have been a fatality, terday’s attack. Spratt said. letter. but pulled them back for maintenance last year.

Rupert Murdoch marries model Jerry Hall Belgian army to protect nuclear AFP . Journal, The New York Post and Brit- “No more tweets for ten days or ish tabloid The Sun. sites: Minister ever! Feel like the luckiest AND hap- His third marriage to Wendi Deng piest man in world,” Murdoch wrote ended in 2013 amid media reports that BRUSSELS: Belgium LONDON: Rupert Murdoch married on Twitter shortly afterwards. she had developed a crush on Britain’s has ordered its military model Jerry Hall in London yesterday The couple, who have 10 chil- former prime minister Tony Blair. Blair to protect nuclear sites less than two months after they got dren between them, are expected has denied any impropriety. such as power plants in engaged, prompting the media mogul to hold a ceremony of celebration Hall had a Hindu wedding cer- the country to safeguard to describe himself as the “luckiest” today at St Bride’s Church on Lon- emony with Mick Jagger in 1990 in them against possible man in the world. don’s Fleet Street, where celebrity Bali, although a court ruled the cer- militant attacks, the coun- It is the fourth marriage for guests will reportedly include actor emony was not legally binding when try’s interior ministry said. 84-year-old Murdoch and techni- Michael Caine and London Mayor they split up nine years later. Some 140 soldiers will cally the first for Hall, 59, although Boris Johnson. Murdoch and Hall are thought to be mobilised to protect she had a long-term relationship and While no major national newspa- have started dating shortly beforehand locations such as Bel- four children with Rolling Stones pers are based there any more, Fleet after being introduced by one of Mur- gium’s two nuclear power frontman Mick Jagger. Street is the historic heart of Britain’s doch’s sisters and his niece in Australia plants at Tihange and The couple tied the knot in a press and St Bride’s calls itself “the when she was performing in a theatre Doel as well as nuclear civil ceremony at Spencer House, spiritual home of the media”. production of The Graduate. The cou- research and storage an elegant 18th-century mansion in With an estimated fortune of ple announced their engagement in the facilities, a spokesman for London’s exclusive St James’s district more than $11 billion, Murdoch owns births, marriages and deaths section of the interior ministry said. which was built for an ancestor of the some of the world’s most famous The Times newspaper, which Murdoch Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall pose for a photograph after their marriage late Diana, princess of Wales. newspapers including The Wall Street owns, on January 12. in London, yesterday. EUROPE SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 09

Migrant killed in EU plans to end brawl at Swedish border controls asylum centre AFP

STOCKHOLM: A 19-year-old asy- by year-end lum-seeker was stabbed to death yesterday in a brawl at a Swedish refugee hostel, police said, adding that three other asylum-seekers million asylum seekers arrived in had been arrested. the EU in 2015, more than double “We are still investigating the Brussels called for the figure from the previous year. attack and its motive. We now have the creation of an EU “Let me be crystal clear on the arrested three suspects whom ultimate objective of today’s road- we are questioning,” said police coastguard force by map,” EU Migration Commissioner spokesman Stefan Wickberg. the summer, help for Dimitris Avramopoulos told a news Police declined to release the conference. nationalities of the casualty or the Greece to strengthen “It is to move from unilateral three suspects. Police were alerted its external border, decisions on reintroduction of bor- to a fight at the Stora Asylum Centre der controls towards a coordinated outside of the town of Lindesberg, and to ensure the approach, and to lift all internal bor- some 160km west of Stockholm, at cooperation of Turkey der controls by the end of this year,” about 5:15 am (0415 GMT) yesterday. in stemming the flow he said. The victim was stabbed in the The 26-country Schengen area— throat and rushed to hospital, but of migrants allowing passport-free travel from died shortly after his arrival, said Iceland to Greece—is under threat police. Two other murders have as eight countries have reintroduced occurred at Swedish refugee cen- border controls to stem the flow of tres this year. AFP migrants through the bloc. “Asylum centres have been a Migrants queue for food at a makeshift camp near Idomeni village at the Greek-Macedonian border, yesterday. Most migrants arrive in the problem for us and we have had Greek islands over the Aegean Sea frequent calls to sort out fights and from Turkey, but a majority then The roadmap also says the EU Avramopoulos said an EU summit would seal a deal under which Turkey other distrbances,” said Wickberg. BRUSSELS: The European Union travel up through the Balkans to will set out a replacment for the Dub- with Turkey in Brussels on Monday, would agree to readmit all non-Syrian “People in these centres live yesterday unveiled a “roadmap” to wealthy Germany. lin rules, under which refugees must which is aimed at pushing forward a migrants landing on the Greek islands. too close together and many of end border controls reintroduced The European Commission said claim asylum from the first country deal with Ankara to stem the migrant “The ones who are eligible for them come from war zones. It’s by member states because of the that re-establishing border controls they arrive in—currently most often flow, would be “decisive”. international protection will be not easy for them to all get along,” migrant crisis and restore by year’s in the Schengen area could cost Greece—and should be returned there The EU would also allocate a granted it, the others will be returned,” he added. In 2014, there were end the Schengen passport-free between €5bn and €18bn euros ($5.5 if they move on somewhere else. further €95m in aid for refugees in said Avramopoulos, a former Greek 148 incidents at asylum centres travel area. bn to 20 bn) a year—equivalent to The Commission plan also Turkey, he said, the first part of €3bn defence minister. throughout Sweden and in 2015 Brussels called for the creation of 0.05 percent to 0.13 percent of the calls for member states to stop the in assistance that Brussels has prom- The Eurostat statistics agency said that number jumped to 322. an EU coastguard force by the sum- bloc’s economic output. “wave through” of migrants to other ised under the deal. that of the 1.25 million people who Arson attacks targeting asylum mer, help for Greece to strengthen its The plan by the European Com- countries. “Cooperation with Turkey and the claimed asylum in the EU in 2015, Syr- shelters have also surged, with at external border, and to ensure the mission, the executive arm of the An European Union border and summit on Monday are so crucial,” he ians seeking asylum from the civil war least two dozen centres reduced to cooperation of Turkey in stemming 28-nation union, sets out a time- coastguard system that European said. “We need to see the flows from were the single largest group at nearly ashes or damaged by fire last year. the flow of migrants. table for Greece to fix “serious leaders have agreed to create should Turkey drastically down soon.” 363,000. Sweden has been struggling The plan was announced as deficiencies” in control of its exter- be operational by September at the lat- But he refused to confirm a Finan- That was followed by 178,200 with the continent’s biggest migra- figures showed that a record 1.25 nal border. est, the plan says. cial Times report that the summit Afghans and 121,500 Iraqis. tion crisis since World War II. German court Germany asks France to shut nuclear plant near border sentences IS AFP Hendricks. “That’s why the envi- political partners at the core of the that Fessenheim operators in the local media reports said. ronment minister demands its closure EU but have taken vastly different incident decided to insert boron into “I am not aware of any other case ‘storm trooper’ at the earliest possible date,” he said, energy paths. the reactor cooling system, a proce- where a power reactor here in West- reiterating Berlin’s earlier demands. France, which gets more than 75 dure the report likened to “pulling the ern Europe suffered an incident in to 4.5 years BERLIN: Germany demanded yester- The spokesman was reacting to percent of electricity from nuclear emergency brake”. which it had to be shut down with the day that France close down its oldest media reports that claimed a 2014 plants, has been a leading interna- The joint news report said that use of boron,” nuclear safety expert nuclear plant, Fessenheim, near the incident at Fessenheim was more tional proponent of atomic energy. operators temporarily lost full control Manfred Mertins was quoted saying. AFP German and Swiss borders—just one serious than earlier reported. Germany—where the public over the plant’s reactor 1 in the April The German environment minis- of several ageing atomic plants that Flooding had disabled electrical mood swung against nuclear power 9, 2014 incident after water had inca- try spokesman, however, suggested are unsettling France’s neighbours. control systems and forced operators after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster— pacitated one of two parallel reactor the reports were exaggerated, stress- DÜSSELDORF: A German court “This power plant is very old, to launch an emergency reactor shut- decided after Japan’s Fukushima security systems. ing that Germany believed the French yesterday convicted an Islamic too old to still be in operation,” said down, reported public broadcaster meltdown five years ago to phase The official reports by French operators had at no stage lost the State “storm trooper” who helped a spokesman for Environment and WDR and Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily. out the nuclear power. nuclear safety agency ASN had not ability to shut down the reactor in a track down deserters for the jihad- Nuclear Safety Minister Barbara France and Germany are close The German media reports said mentioned the use of boron, the controlled way. ist group in Syria, sentencing him to 4.5 years in prison. Nils Donath, a 25-year-old German national, had travelled to Syria in October 2013 to join Palace reopened Serbian President calls the jihadist group which controls a large swathe of Syria and Iraq. Prosecutors, who had sought a sentence of four years and nine for elections in April months, said at the trial that tasks Donath took on at the IS included assisting in interrogations, prison AFP 250 seats and looks set to win support guard duty, as well as participa- from around half of voters in April, tion in the jihadist group’s “storm according to opinion polls. troops,” a special assault team. A former ultranationalist and As a member of this unit, BELGRADE: Serbia’s president yes- notorious information minister to Donath took part in 10-15 mis- terday called an early parliamentary strongman Slobodan Milosevic, sions, in which he helped to track election for April, with pro-European Vucic became premier in 2014 and down IS deserters, fully aware Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has remodelled himself as a reformist they would be tortured to death, expected to strengthen his grip on dedicated to joining the EU. according to the prosecution. power in the Balkan country’s third “There are very strong opinions Donath has been in police vote in four years. about him on both sides,” said James custody since his arrest upon his President Tomislav Nikolic said Ker-Lindsay, a Balkans specialist at return to Germany in January 2015. in a televised announcement that he the London School of Economics. During the trial that opened had signed an act to dissolve parlia- Ker-Lindsay stressed the impor- in January, he told the court of his ment and called an election for April tance of quickly forming a new troubled teenage years, when he 24, two years before polls have to be government and avoiding Serbia’s was a “pothead” before he con- held under the Serbian constitution. tendency towards “endless discus- verted to Islam in August 2011. The announcement comes amid a sions” after an election, which can But he later “slipped into crisis over the unprecedented wave of lead to months in limbo. radicalism” and joined a local refugees entering Europe, and Vucic In December Brussels opened jihadist group called the “Loh- An inside view of La Mandria’s ex Royal Palace of Vittorio Emanule II in Turin, Italy. The palace reopened has won praise for Serbia’s treat- the first chapters in negotiations berger Brigade” that he travelled yesterday, after six months of restorations. ment of the tens of thousands that for Serbia to join the EU, but the with to Syria. have passed through its territory 28-member bloc has ruled out any since last year. enlargement before 2020. In a request for the early vote sent Improved relations with Kos- to Nikolic, Vucic’s government said it ovo—which declared independence required a clear mandate to complete from Serbia in 2008 —are crucial to Podemos set to block Socialist bid to form govt reforms that would allow the coun- both Belgrade and Pristina’s bids to try of seven million people to join the become EU member states. European Union. “This election will The two sides fought a war in the AFP public television. Sanchez will try The conservative Popular Party impasse is fresh elections in June. be a referendum on whether Ser- late 1990s and Belgrade does not rec- to win a vote of confidence in par- (PP) came first in the polls—which Podemos is prepared to renew bia wants to be a modern, European ognise the sovereignty of the largely liament to form a new government, put an end to Spain’s long-running negotiations “from Monday”, said country by 2020,” the 45-year-old ethnic Albanian former province, with his chances very slim without two party system—but lost its abso- Errejon, adding that it was still possi- premier said in a televised inter- where recent deals with Serbia have MADRID: Spain’s far-left Podemos support from Podemos. lute majority, taking just 123 seats. ble to form a coalition government of view earlier this week. Critics say the sparked protests. Serbia has pro- party said it would again vote against A first attempt on Wednesday Acting prime minister Mariano the left, with the support or abstention election is a bid to consolidate and gressed from its isolated status during a bid by Socialist leader Pedro fell well short of the required abso- Rajoy of the PP gave up attempts to of nationalists, and Basque and Cata- prolong Vucic’s power, accusing him the conflict-ridden Milosevic era, but Sanchez to form a new government lute majority of the 350-seat lower form a government after he failed to lan separatists. The Catalan question of missing opportunities to reform, it remains one of Europe’s poorest with centrist allies, following incon- house of parliament. win support from other parties fed is the gordian knot that is preventing curtailing media freedom and failing nations and is still lacking in public clusive elections last December. The December 20 election resulted up with years of crisis and corrup- a leftwing alliance. Podemos and its to tackle corruption properly. sector reforms and foreign invest- “We are not going to sign a blank in hung parliament divided among four tion scandals. regional allies are prepared to grant a His Serbian Progressive Party ment. The economy has slipped in cheque” for the Socialists, Podemos main parties—none of which won He has already said that the most referendum on self-determination in (SNS) currently holds an absolute and out of recession in recent years, number two Inigo Errejon told TVE enough seats to govern alone. likely outcome given the current the northeast Catalan region. majority in parliament with 158 of growing 0.8 percent last year. 10 SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 OPINION

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

CHAIRMAN SHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

ACTING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFI [email protected]

ACTING MANAGING EDITOR HUSSAIN AHMAD [email protected]

EDITORIAL Fragile truce The best path to peace in Libya easefires during conflicts are always hailed for the corridor they provide for providing humanitarian on this question. prime minister must be Sunni Mus- leaders in certain regions in order to aid to the victims. Its biggest downside is that the Here’s what works best: power- lim and the speaker of parliament focus human rights abuses on other rivals can use the break in fighting to mobilise their sharing arrangements that check must be a Shia Muslim. groups. As a result, these arrange- forces for a more rigorous attack when the truce the power of governments to abuse This type of inclusion is ments, on average, do not reduce Cis called off. The Syrian opposition is making this accusation ordinary citizens. The current Libya designed to ensure that no group the risk that civil war breaks out. against the government forces as the truce in the country nears proposals don’t do this. That means fears being cut out of power entirely. Peace now or peace in the a week, and the charge is not baseless. civil war is more likely to return. In Libya, the proposed unity cabi- future? Three types of power-sharing net would include representatives Our findings suggest that nego- The cessation of hostilities came into force on February We put power-sharing insti- from different regions and political tiators in Libya face something of a 27 and despite the minor and even bigger violations, it has tutions into three categories: factions. On top of that, negotiators Catch-22. On the one hand, inclu- remained intact due to the decision by either side not to kill it constraining, inclusive and dis- are pushing for rules that ensure sive and dispersive institutions dole too fast. But the opposition said yesterday that the government By Benjamin A T Graham persive. Each type has drastically that different groups must come to out power to specific elites, which is was mobilising forces on many fronts and attacks on rebels The Washington Post different rules for how factions a consensus before certain major an excellent way to convince them were continuing on strategically important frontlines. For share power. decisions are made. to stop fighting and join a govern- “Constraining” power-shar- It’s true that ensuring that each ment. Unfortunately, that isn’t a example, rockets fired by government forces hit near the rebel- ing arrangements. group’s voice will be heard in the reliable path to stable, long-term held town of Jisr al-Shughour in Idlib province. These limit the power of polit- future government can convince peace. Constraining institutions do There is no doubt that this ceasefire, despite the violations elieve it or not, the con- ical officeholders. This protects warring factions to stop fighting. help secure long-term peace. But and serious doubts about the intentions of Bashar Al Assad flict in Libya didn’t end vulnerable groups and individu- But these institutions are geared the elites at the negotiating table regime, must be welcomed as it is the first of its kind in a with “Benghazi.” als, and civil society more broadly, toward elites. They tend to coopt aren’t especially interested in hav- conflict that has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced UN negotiators have against repression. the leaders of opposition factions ing their power constrained - and Bbeen working to bring the warring These arrangements include into government institutions. But so these constraints make elites millions. One reason it has stayed is because it has been factions in the Libyan civil war to institutions like a supreme court that doesn’t prevent them from less inclined to join a unity gov- sponsored by the US and Russia despite the fact that it has not the negotiating table. They hope to with judicial review powers, and using that power to repress ordi- ernment that has them. been signed directly by the Syrian warring parties and is less end the fighting, form a national constitutional provisions to protect nary citizens. In other words, the best deal binding than a formal ceasefire. unity government and provide a religious freedom. These types of In fact, countries with “inclu- for tomorrow may be difficult to But ceasefires must lead to a clear alternative to the Islamic institutions that can stop whoev- sive” institutions are prone to abuse reach today. solution to a conflict, or at least serve State. One proposal would estab- er’s in government from usurping human rights. Those citizens are Since stopping the fighting now as a stepping stone towards some lish a temporary government - the power through such repressive steps then ready to take up arms to could save tens of thousands of lives, Libyan Government of National as taking control of newspapers improve their lives - and do. “Inclu- negotiators may well decide to settle Syrian kind of a rapprochement between Accord - in which competing fac- or limiting the rights of minority sive” power-sharing arrangements for a less-than-perfect power-shar- government the warring parties. That seems to be tions would share power. factions. are more likely, on average, to break ing arrangement in order to stop forces, not happening in Syria as peace talks But not all power-sharing By limiting government repres- down into civil war. the killing. Establishing a compe- backed by planned for next week are unlikely to agreements are created equal. In sion, constraining institutions “Dispersive” power-sharing tent state is a vital first step -- but take place due to opposition by the particular, not all types of power- make life better for ordinary cit- arrangements. will not be enough if that state lacks Russia, should opposition. sharing agreements are equally izens. More satisfied citizens are Dispersive power-sharing faces effective mechanisms to constrain not use Rebels have yet to say whether they effective at keeping the peace after less likely to follow leaders who a similar problem. It distributes its power. a civil war. want to violently overthrow the power among various social and Libya is more likely to be stable the current will attend the talks planned for March In a forthcoming article, government. In other words, the political groups in a pre-defined, in the long-term if elites consent to ceasefire to 9. Opposition coordinator Riad Hijab we and our co-authors — Scott odds of a future civil war are lower often geographic pattern. They often constraining institutions. Any other said the conditions for talks were ‘not Gates,Håvard Strand and Kaare W when more constraining institu- result in federal systems, where form of sharing power would be, mobilise its favourable’ though it was too early to Strøm — examine this relationship tions are in place. power is shared among various at best, an uneasy political truce, forces. say whether they would happen or not. between power-sharing institu- “Inclusive” power-sharing states, provinces, ethnic groups, or, at worst, a ticking time bomb. Russia should not use the truce and tions and the rise or recurrence of arrangements. or tribes. This could happen in If the proposed unity govern- civil wars. Using new data on 180 By contrast, “inclusive” power- Libya, where most of the impor- ment can shepherd Libya through its role in this conflict to keep Assad countries over 35 years, we look not sharing puts the representatives tant political factions are tied to its first election, there will be losers in power. Western and Arab countries only whether power-sharing insti- of each group into specific offices specific regions. as well as winners. If the rights of want Assad to relinquish power, and the main opposition tutions can prevent a civil war from or gives those groups a voice in But once again, this approach those who loser in this process are council says he should leave before any political transition recurring, but also whether they specific decisions. That’s what’s gives power to elites - and leaves not protected, they may return to starts. Russia has stood by Assad, while saying only Syrians can prevent civil wars from break- currently proposed for Libya. This ordinary citizens vulnerable to the fight. Constraining institutions should decide his fate. That’s a stance which will only prolong ing out in the first place. This work type of power-sharing exists, for abuse by the newly powerful. As do the best job of protecting those this conflict. builds upon and goes further than example, in Lebanon, where the a result, national leaders may try rights and are Libya’s best chance several earlier importantstudies president must be Christian, the to sway disaffected opposition for staving off future bloodshed. The impact of the current truce will be clear once it collapses or when it is called off. The opposition is saying the government is mobilising forces to “occupy very important strategic areas”. If that happens, the ceasefire will fail to achieve any other objective than delivering humanitarian aid and its benefits Wage growth conundrum in the US jobs report will be erased by the more fiery attacks by Russian and Syrian forces. The February employment earnings of production and non- of just 1 percent since mid-2009, report suggests that the economy supervisory workers to grow at less than half the average pace of weathered January’s stock-market an average annualised rate of 4.2 the previous two decades. turmoil in decent shape. Nonfarm percent, well exceeding nominal The nature of the productivity employers added an estimated gross domestic product growth of slump remains a matter of much 242,000 jobs, and the unemploy- 3.7 percent -- something that hasn’t debate. Some economists think it Quote of the day ment rate held steady at a low 4.9 happened in any of the previous will pass. Others, such as Robert percent. The demand for workers, four recoveries. Gordon at Northwestern University, though, didn’t translate into bet- For pay to accelerate, the econ- argue that it’s actually a return to There’s a huge gap ter pay. The average hourly wage omy needs to pick up the pace. One the norm after a temporary boost actually dropped 3 cents to $25.35. way that can happen is if workers driven by the advent of informa- between the rhetoric By Mark Whitehouse That left it up just 2.2 percent from start to spend more of the income tion technology. Still others, such that’s going on out there Bloomberg a year earlier, well short of the pace gains they’ve already received -- as former Minneapolis Fed Presi- and the reality of success that prevailed before the recession. something we saw a hint of in dent Narayana Kocherlakota, think So where will the raises come January’s stronger-than-expected it might be curable with a combina- that we’re seeing in from? One odd fact about the cur- increase in consumer spending. tion of central bank stimulus and America’s economy. or all the positives in the lat- rent expansion is that workers’ Also, productivity is crucial: The increased government spending, est US jobs report, employees total income growth, meagre as more workers produce for every including on productivity-enhancing Fand the Federal Reserve didn’t it is, has outpaced the broader hour on the job, the more compa- stuff such as better roads and other Barack Obama get one thing they’ve been look- economy. Since the recession hit nies can afford to pay them without infrastructure. Barring a miracle, US President ing for: higher wages. Therein lies bottom in mid-2009, the com- increasing prices. So far, that’s not it’s a quandary that the next pres- a central conundrum of this eco- bination of hiring and increased happening. Nonfarm productivity ident, whatever his or her political nomic expansion. wages has caused aggregate weekly has grown at an annualized rate persuasion, will have to confront.

All thoughts and views expressed in these columns are those of the writers, not of the newspaper. All correspondence regarding Opinion page should be mailed to the Editor-in-Chief.

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temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States will turn Party leaders want to off voters in November and upset block Trump because US allies. The former reality TV star they worry he would apparently snubbed conservative Republicans when the Conserva- not be able to beat tive Political Action Conference, or Democratic front- CPAC, said yesterday he was drop- ping out of the annual event outside runner Hillary Clinton of Washington, instead attending a in the election. rally in Kansas. Worried about Trump, a new group called the Committee to Draft Speaker Ryan filed papers with the Reuters Federal Election Commission, seek- ing to raise money to push Ryan as a Republican alternative. Other establishment Republi- WASHINGTON: Mainstream US cans, including the party’s nominee Republicans struggled for a strat- four years ago, Mitt Romney, are egy yesterday to stop their party’s openly urging voters to back Trump’s Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Macomb Community College Sports & Expo Centre Field house in Warrren, Michigan, yesterday. presidential front-runner Donald Republican opponents by tactical Trump from becoming the nominee voting. On Thursday, he called on for the November 8 election. Repre- Republican primary voters to pick sentatives Speaker Paul Ryan, said whichever candidate looks bet- New group pushes Ryan for White House he was not interested in an effort to ter placed to defeat Trump at state draft him into the White House race. primaries. Trump, a real estate mag- And US Senator Ted Cruz, a con- nate who is drawing support from Reuters Representatives speaker who spoke ill-equipped for the White House. to face,” Rubio said. Republicans have servative presidential hopeful, ruled many blue-collar Republicans con- out against Trump for not quickly The Republican Party may need urged party leaders to respect the will out a deal to pick a compromise cerned about illegal immigration rejecting white supremacist support, more than a hero as it grapples with of the voters. Trump spokesman Sam Republican candidate at a “brokered and stagnant wages, has won most did not appear ready to take on the its deepest divisions in decades. Clovis seized on that message warn- convention” in July to deny brash Republican nominating contests and WASHINGTON: With US Republicans role. “He is flattered, but not inter- Those splits were on display again ing it was dangerous for Republican businessman Trump the nomination. leads in many polls for the primary sharply split over a front-runner they ested,” Ryan spokeswoman AshLee as Trump took on his two closest leaders to “call American voters stu- Party leaders want to block contests still to come. cannot unite behind, a new group Strong said in an email yesterday. challengers, US Senators Marco Rubio pid” because they support Trump. Trump because they worry he “I’m not a normal Republican,” is trying to push the country’s top Politico first reported the forma- and Ted Cruz of Texas, in a debate “You have record turnout in would not be able to beat Demo- he said to huge cheers at a rally in elected Republican, Paul Ryan, into tion of the draft-Ryan PAC. marked by the yelling, name-call- every state so far. Record turnout. cratic front-runner Hillary Clinton Warren, Michigan, yesterday, rail- the White House race. Mitt Romney, the Republicans’ ing and vulgarity that has tainted the That doesn’t happen by accident, in the election but time is running ing against the people in his party The Committee to Draft Speaker losing presidential candidate in 2012, 2016 Republican race. said Clovis, national campaign out after he scored big wins at this who are trying to stop him, includ- Ryan filed papers as a Super PAC with also said he was not interested. Trump’s rivals said they would co-chairman. week’s Super Tuesday state nomi- ing his closest challengers, Cruz and the Federal Election Commission, “There are no circumstances I support the ultimate nominee but it Trump is “tapping into what is nating contests. US Senators Marco Rubio of Florida. adding to the groups of mainstream can foresee where that would possi- was clear yesterday that would be going on in this country like no one Senior Republicans fret that Cruz, brushed off the idea of a Republican leaders and donors with bly happen,” Romney said on NBC’s easier said than done. else has in a long, long time. I haven’t Trump policies like building a wall party deal to choose someone other a shared goal: stopping Trump. “Today” show yesterday, a day after “That is the quandary I’m trying seen anything like this since Ronald on the US-Mexican border and than Trump. Ryan, the House of he excoriated Trump as a fraud to avoid the Republican Party having Reagan.”

Autopsy unclear on Bobbi Kristina Lula says he does not fear Brazil corruption prosecutors

Brown’s death AFP gone, because I owe nothing to any- invite me to testify. (The judge) did not and businessmen face charges, is in the Petrobras kickbacks scheme, one and fear nothing,” he said at a need to send police to my house and believed to be the biggest ever in prosecutors said. news conference in his first remarks the house of my sons,” he said. Brazil. In particular focus is a luxury Reuters since being released. “They preferred to show power, Officials said about 200 federal seaside apartment and a country SAO PAULO: Brazil’s powerful ex- Lula, 70, said the decision to arrogance, to make a show.” police and 30 auditors fanned out house that prosecutors say they president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva detain him at his house and take Prosecutors said Lula was across three states, serving 33 believe were given to him as bribes. reacted yesterday with defiance to him to a police station for questioning targeted as part of an investigation warrants for search and seizure and Lula says the properties do not belong ATLANTA: The medical examiner his brief detention for questioning in in the Petrobras corruption into a vast embezzlement and bribery 11 for detention for questioning. to him. investigating the death of Bobbi a corruption probe, saying he feared network probe showed “lack of conspiracy centered on Petrobras, the Lula was not arrested, but was The police interview, held at an Kristina Brown, who spent months no one. democratic respect” and “judicial national oil company. The corruption held for questioning over alleged airport near his home, lasted more in a coma after being found unre- “If they wanted to hear from me, authoritarianism.” scandal, which has already seen a “favours” received from corrupt than three hours, the Globo news site sponsive in a bathtub in her north they only had to call and I would have “It would have been so simple to Who’s Who of Brazilian politicians construction companies implicated reported. Atlanta home last year, said yes- terday that the office could not say whether her demise was acciden- tal or intentional. The autopsy for Brown, the Snowfall in New York Leaders fail to chalk plan 22-year-old daughter of sing- ers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, confirmed that drug intox- on carbon pricing in Canada ication and the immersion of her face in the water led to brain dam- age and pneumonia, which was ruled as the official cause of death. AFP March deadline set by federal “Death was clearly not due Environment Minister Catherine to natural causes, but the med- McKenna during last fall’s Paris ical examiner has not been able climate summit for all Canadian to determine whether death was VANCOUVER: Canadian regional leaders to agree on even deeper due to intentional or accidental leaders have ended climate talks greenhouse gas cuts than were causes, and has therefore clas- without agreement on a central gov- agreed in Paris. sified the manner of death as ernment goal to establish a carbon Trudeau said, “I’m pleased that undetermined,” the Fulton County pricing plan. Prime Minister Jus- we have today agreement to move Medical Examiner in Georgia said tin Trudeau wants to set a national forward in a way that respects the in a statement. carbon price in order to meet an challenges and particularities of Brown was found unconscious international commitment to slash jurisdictions across the country.” in her tub in January 2015 and died CO2 emissions that cause global The new federal government, in July. Cocaine abuse and heart warming. backed by strong public support, disease contributed to Houston’s Leaders of 10 provinces and had been expected to urge the other death at age 48, authorities said. three territories met in Vancouver leaders to adopt a carbon price floor Brown was under the influence on Thursday, each with vastly dif- of Can$15 per metric tonne, to meet of marijuana, alcohol, a cocaine- ferent economic circumstances and Canada’s international commitment related substance morphine and goals, pushing their own tailored to slash CO2 emissions. benzodiazepines, which are medi- approach to reducing greenhouse But several premiers, who cations used for sedation or to treat gas emissions to help keep global share jurisdiction over the environ- Morning commuters walk through a steam cloud on Wall Street during a morning snowfall in New anxiety, according to the medical temperatures from rising more than ment with the federal government, examiner. York’s financial district, yesterday. 1.5 degrees Celsius. expressed strong opposition even This target was agreed to at the before the meetings. Paris climate summit late last year. Differences within the diverse The Canadian leaders agreed group were downplayed in joint so- to work further on the issue before called Vancouver Declaration on Police test knife found at Simpson’s property more talks in the autumn. Clean Growth and Climate Change. “Carbon pricing is an important The document is strong on prom- part of the suite of tools we have ises of more cooperation but short Reuters murder of his former wife and her the property, the Los Angeles Times Robbery Homicide Division was to bring forward the low carbon on specifics. The ministers agreed friend, the Los Angeles Police Depart- newspaper reported. investigating. Neiman said the knife economy,” Trudeau told reporters, to form four working groups, each ment said yesterday. Simpson lived at the time of the would be tested for DNA evidence, flanked by the regional leaders. including indigenous people, and The department is investigat- murders. The house, in the posh but added it was possible that “the Though vague, the ministers meet again in the fall to finalize a LOS ANGELES: Police in Los Angeles ing the Buck knife with a retractable Brentwood neighbourhood of Los whole story is bogus from the get-go.” pledged in a joint document to work “pan-Canadian framework on clean yesterday were testing a knife recov- blade, which was apparently turned Angeles, has since been razed. Neiman declined to name the retired on carbon pricing adapted to each growth and climate change,” and ered on a property once owned by O over to a police officer a number of Los Angeles Police spokeswoman police officer or to say why the knife jurisdiction’s unique circumstances. review progress toward a national J Simpson, who was acquitted in the years ago by a construction worker at Norma Eisenman said the agency’s had only come to light last month. There was no word about a energy strategy, sources said. www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

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SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 • 25 Jumada I 1437 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar

Huge prospects for renewable energy in Mideast

The Peninsula that closing this gap would require energy, potentially adding to this 30 OECD member countries and we In the current $48 trillion of investment over the advantage. think that the Middle East has timed next 20 years, with renewables play- “In this new normal environment, its entry into this market well. The economic climate, ing a critical role in the energy mix of there is a huge role for the financial involvement of the financial commu- DOHA: The Middle East is in a global energy demand the future. community to play in fostering the nity in the region will act as a catalyst prime position to grow its renewable Alex Thursby (pictured), NBAD’s growth of this sector. As the leading for the growth of renewables and we energy sector. The past year has seen is outstripping today’s Group CEO, said: “Today the ques- bank in the Middle East, we remain want to play our part by using finance a number of factors converging to pro- supply. NBAD’s tion on everyone’s mind is: Will the committed to being a positive force in to transform business practices and mote renewable energy and financial low oil price environment stall the the sector and accelerating the tran- the energy industry. institutions have an important role to research in 2015 growth of renewables? We don’t sition to a much needed new world “Earlier this year, we committed play in promoting the growth of this found that closing believe so. The underlying drivers of energy.” $10bn for environmentally sustain- sector through engagement with pub- for renewables are long term and Mark Yassin, Head of Global able activities over the next 10 years lic and private sector stakeholders to this gap would strong, particularly across the West- Banking and Co-Head of Wholesale and are also working on a green bond create a more energy efficient econ- require $48 trillion of East Corridor. Banking at NBAD, said: “Demand for proposition, putting us in the forefront omy. investment over the “Consumer demand is shifting renewable energy continues to grow of environmental financing across the The second edition of the National to a preference for clean energy, across the Globe and our research West-East corridor.” Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) report next 20 years. governments are pushing hard for has identified that there is approxi- The report, which was launched on ‘Financing the Future of Energy’ be the key drivers for the transition policy change to decarbonise their mately $640bn of investment required on Thursday at the Global Financial stated that low oil prices and the to a clean energy world. economies, subsidies for fossil fuels for renewable energy projects across Markets Forum in Abu Dhabi, was cost competitiveness of renewables This, combined with govern- The report reasserted that even in are coming off and renewables have Assia and this part of the world. produced by NBAD with contributions is encouraging governments to turn ments’ long-term ambitions for the current economic climate, global become cost competitive against “For the first time, 2015 saw the from the University of Cambridge and to it as a hedge against fossil fuel price greater energy independence by energy demand is outstripping today’s hydrocarbons with new technolo- developing world attract greater cap- PwC Abu Dhabi’s Sustainability and volatility. decarbonising their economies, will supply. NBAD’s research in 2015 found gies, such as battery storage of clean ital flows into clean energy than the Renewables team. US employment gains surge in Feb

Reuters see a roughly 50 percent chance of a hike at the September and Novem- ber meetings, according to CME FedWatch. WASHINGTON: US employment Economists, however, believe gains surged in February, the clear- the strong jobs market and improved est sign yet of labour market strength growth outlook, together with signs that could further ease fears the econ- that inflation is creeping up, could omy was heading into recession and prompt the Fed to lift borrowing allow the Federal Reserve to gradually costs in June. raise interest rates this year. The Fed raised its key overnight Nonfarm payrolls increased by interest rate in December for the first 242,000 jobs last month, the Labour time in nearly a decade. Prices of US Department said yesterday. The Treasuries fell after the data, while unemployment rate held at an eight- US stock index futures rose. The US year low of 4.9 percent even as more dollar gained against the euro and people piled into the labor market. hit session highs against the yen and “This is the best news the Fed Swiss franc. could have expected going into the Fed Chair Janet Yellen has said meeting. With jobs bouncing back, the economy needs to create just you can be sure that rate hikes are under 100,000 jobs a month to An employee walks past bags at a shop for luggage giant Samsonite in Hong Kong yesterday. just around the corner,” said Chris keep up with growth in the work- Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG ing-age population. The labour force Union Bank in New York. participation rate, or the share of The economy added 30,000 working-age Americans who are Samsonite to buy US baggage maker Tumi for $1.8bn more jobs in December and January employed or at least looking for a than previously reported. The only job, increased two-tenths of a per- blemish in the report was a three- centage point to 62.9 percent, the cent drop in average hourly earnings, highest level in just over a year. AFP segment of the global business bags,” commercial capital Shanghai in 2014. plans to open up to 20 more this year, but that was mostly because of a cal- Adding to the report’s strength, Samsonite chief executive officer US-based Samsonite raised according to Bloomberg. Financial endar quirk. a broad measure of joblessness that Ramesh Tainwala said in a separate $1.25bn in an initial public offering in analyst Dickie Wong said Samsonite The average length of the includes people who want to work statement. Hong Kong in June 2011, one of several made the right decision, despite slow- workweek also fell last month. Econ- but have given up searching and HONG KONG: Luggage giant Sam- Financial analyst Jackson Wong Western brands — including Prada and ing growth in China. omists had forecast employment those working part-time because sonite said yesterday that it would at brokerage firm Simsen Financial Esprit — seeking to use the city to boost “The Chinese economy is defi- increasing by 190,000 last month they cannot find full-time employ- buy US luxury bag maker Tumi in a group said the purchase was a “good their presence in fast-growing Asian nitely slowing down and the (tourism) and the jobless rate holding steady. ment fell two-tenths of a percentage deal worth $1.8bn that analysts said move”. “Tumi is a premium brand markets, particularly China. market is not growing as fast as it was The employment report added point to 9.7 percent. would give the firm a foothold in the name... higher end names would But the world’s second-larg- couple of years ago, but on the other to data such as consumer and busi- The employment-to-population lucrative Chinese high-end market. enhance their brand image,” Wong, est economy expanded 6.9 percent hand, the US market is doing very ness spending in suggesting the ratio also increased to 59.8 percent In a statement to the Hong Kong associate director of Simsen, said. in 2015, the worst performance in a well,” Wong, executive director of economy had regained momentum last month, the highest since April exchange, where it listed five years “Chinese people love to buy Sam- quarter century and a far cry from research for Kingston Securities, said. after growth slowed to a 1.0 percent 2009, from 59.6 percent in January. ago, Samsonite said it would pay sonite. However in the last few years the years of double-digit increases. Samsonite is planning to double annual rate in the fourth quarter. While wage growth weakened in $26.75 a share for the firm — a third they have been buying extremely lux- The country’s luxury market also annual sales to $4.7bn by the end of Growth estimates for the first quar- February, it was largely payback for more than its value on Wednesday urious suitcases, and that’s why they took a hit from a years-long corrup- 2020 and has announced nine acqui- ter are around a 2.5 percent rate. January’s jump, which was driven by before the likely buyout was sounded. are trying to go upscale.” tion crackdown. sitions since 2012. Fears of a recession in the wake a calendar quirk. Growth in wages is Samsonite, which saw its shares Numerous western brands in “The luxury segment has been In 2014, the firm bought back- of poor economic reports in Decem- seen accelerating as the labor mar- edge up 1.27 percent to HK$24 ($3.09) recent years have been setting up affected because of austerity in China, pack-maker Gregory Mountain ber and slowing growth in China ket settles into full employment. at the close following the announce- shop in China, which is widely con- but that doesn’t take away from the Products for $85m and in 2012 it sparked a global stock market rout at The drop in average hourly earn- ment, said Tumi was a “perfect sidered the world’s biggest luxury whole story of Tumi, there’s great acquired high-end luggage brand the start of the year, causing finan- ings lowered the year-on-year gain strategic fit” for its business. market, as a burgeoning middle class opportunity there,” Tainwala told Hartmann for $35m. “They want to cial market conditions to tighten. in earnings to 2.2 percent from 2.5 “This is a transformational drives a shopping frenzy. Bloomberg News. spend money to increase their mar- Financial markets have priced percent in January. The average acquisition for Samsonite. It will France’s Hermes — known for The luxury brand, which sells ket share, that’s why they are on a out bets of a rate rise at the Fed’s workweek fell to 34.4 hours from meaningfully expand our presence its luxury handbags — opened a bags for as much as $1,300, has shopping spree,” said analyst Fran- March 15-16 policy meeting and 34.6 hours in January. in the highly attractive premium four-storey flagship store in China’s more than 170 stores worldwide with cis Lun of Geo Securities. BUSINESS SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 13 US crude exports decline in Jan after curbs lifted

limits are no longer in place, US crude gave further momentum to rising US crude shipments shipments are hitting a global mar- prices. ket in which supply has overwhelmed Brent futures gained 40 cents to are hitting a demand. Prices have tumbled as oil- $37.47 a barrel as of 1519 GMT, after global market in rich nations in the Middle East and settling 14 cents higher in the previ- Russia have maintained production, ous session. The crude benchmark which supply has and Iran is also poised to boost out- is set to end the week with a gain of overwhelmed put with the removal of international more than 5 percent. US crude futures sanctions. traded up 33 cents at $34.90 a bar- demand. “Soft prices, narrow spreads, fall- rel, having settled down 9 cents in ing domestic production and weak the previous session. global demand undercut the case for “We’ve had another good week, US crude exports, and January tends the market has been toying with Bloomberg & Reuters to be a weak month in any case,” resistance around the $37.50 area Dr Moayyed Al Qurtas (left), Chairman, GPCA’s Research and Innovation Committee; and Dr Tom Connelly, Kevin Book, Managing Director of in Brent. We had a break above but Chief Executive Officer, American Chemical Society, addressing the conference in Dubai. Washington-based ClearView Energy it failed to hold - to me it indicates Partners LLC, said in an e-mail. we could be in a profit mode,” Saxo NEW YORK: US monthly crude oil US crude exports reached a record Bank’s head of commodities research exports fell to an average 364,000 586,000 barrels a day in April 2015, Ole Hansen said. Experts advise petrochemical barrels a day in January, the first full according to the nation’s Energy Infor- Cuts in US oil production are pro- month of unfettered shipments since mation Administration. Shipments viding price support after output fell the nation repealed its 40-year- old include all grades of crude, includ- for a sixth straight week to 9.08 mil- trade restrictions on the commodity. ing condensate “derived wholly from lion barrels a day, while U.S. crude firms in the GCC to innovate January’s cargoes totaling about natural gas”, according to the Census inventories rose to a new record 11.3 million barrels marked a 7 per- Bureau’s classification system. of 517.98 million barrels last week, cent decline from US crude exports Producers such as ConocoPhil- according to the US government’s in December, according to Bloomb- lips and Continental Resources Inc Energy Information Administration. The Peninsula management, logistics and shipping. “Innovation strategy must erg calculations from data released favoured repealing the trade restric- The combination of expected This industry not only leads to the include the generation of intel- yesterday by the US Census Bureau. tions. ExxonMobil Corp is now further cuts in US output in coming emergence of more complex chem- lectual property and a long-term Shipments during the first month of exporting crude amid the supply glut, months and a brightening demand icals but also impacts everything in investment strategy into research 2016 went to Curacao and France, according to people familiar with the outlook is also underpinning prices. DOHA: While there are challenges our economy.” and development.” in addition to Canada, the primary matter. “Lifting the ban sends a long- “Most support comes from the associated with a low oil price envi- Looking ahead, the challenges The GPCA has previously destination. term investment signal to producers, supply side but also the demand side ronment, companies in the GCC’s for innovation include clear strate- reported on several key findings on Prior to the US repealing its but it doesn’t necessarily create short- seems to improve,” Commerzbank petrochemical industry must use the gies. “How do we measure the value innovation amongst the GCC’s pet- trade restrictions on crude exports term demand in a saturated world,” analyst Carsten Fritsch said, pointing current headwinds as an opportu- of innovation? This is the crucial,” rochemicals industry. Investments in December, the nation allowed Book said. to Saudi Arabia raising its April sell- nity to evolve, advised experts at the concluded Al Qurtas. “After all, we in research and development (R&D) cargoes to Canada and — occasion- Meanwhile, crude oil futures rose ing prices for Asian customers and Research & Innovation Conference don’t do things by faith alone as it were estimated at $529mn in 2014. ally — other nations, subject to strict yesterday, building on the week’s potential for Chinese oil demand to in Dubai, hosted by the Gulf Petro- requires a lot of thinking about the This figure is nearly double than the licensing requirements. Though those gains, after increased US employment surprise to the upside. chemicals and Chemicals Association incremental and long-term value of $368m expenditure in 2013 and is (GPCA). investment.” notable for being the highest increase “A certain degree of uncertainty Meanwhile, global contemporaries in R&D spending in petrochemicals exists and this will continue to be highlighted the unforeseen opportuni- globally. However, regional spending the case,” said Dr. Moayyed Al-Qur- ties associated with uncertain times. on innovation represents less than 1% SIA set to take over Tiger Airways tas, Chairman, GPCA’s Research and “Innovation is about managing uncer- of the global petrochemicals expend- Innovation Committee, in his intro- tainty not eliminating it,” said Dr. Tom iture on R&D. ductory address. “However, it hasn’t Connelly, Chief Executive Officer, “There are many worthwhile stopped the chemical industry to American Chemical Society. “The solutions in addressing these chal- continue to invest in basic research only way to eliminate risk is to shut lenges, including reduction in capital capabilities in the past.” down the whole operation, and that expenditure and better supply chain Al-Qurtas outlined the devel- will not really result in anything posi- management,” said Dr Abdulwahab opment of the GCC’s petrochemical tive especially if you have committed Al Sadoun, Secretary-General, GPCA. industry, which was born out of a to the process.” “However, analysis has shown need to utilize associated gas from Dr. Connelly highlighted some that R&D has the best return on the oilfields, rather than burned as instances wherein the market decline investment, thereby demonstrating an unnecessary byproduct. Today, has led to unexpected benefits. the importance on the innovative the industry has a capacity of 136.5 “DuPont, for example, invented process. Over the last two days, we million ton, according to GPCA data. polymers like nylon, teflon and neo- have seen experts from local and “The emergence of a home- prene during the Great Depression in global companies; academia and grown petrochemicals industry in the United States, and these products government reaffirm their com- the GCC is one of the most impressive would remain profitable for the com- mitment on innovation at the GPCA and unprecedented developments pany for the next 50 years,” he said. Research and Innovation Summit. In anywhere in the world,” continued ““Hard times are good times for inno- these challenging times, the key to Al-Qurtas. “Petrochemicals ena- vation and you should never waste success will be putting these words A Tiger Airways plane ready for take off at Singapore Changi Airport. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is on ble other industries like plastics a crisis as it is shown that differen- into achievable plans, testing ideas the way to taking full control over budget airline Tiger Airways. SIA intends to delist and privatise the conversion, and sophisticated sup- tiated product sales resist economic in a marketplace and measuring the budget carrier, Channel NewsAsia reported. port industries like supply chain downturn.” outcome.”

Argentina eyes Kuwait refines oil pricing in battle for European customers return to market with $11.68bn Reuters into Asian markets and with the market share that we try to protect than those priced against BWAVE. “fierce competition”. The company growing global oil glut heating up and develop,” a senior trading source “All you have to do is just to look is now estimated to be selling around debt sale the fight for customers, Opec mem- familiar with the development said. at who the customers like from the 500,000 barrels per day in Europe on bers such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq Trading sources said that from point of view of pricing. It is pretty a term and spot basis, trading sources BUENOS AIRES: Argentina plans DUBAI/LONDON: Gulf Opec member ramped up sales to Europe, taking late last year the state-run Kuwait obvious that over the past year, they say, covering some 5 percent of the to return to international credit Kuwait has changed the way it prices on former Russian customers such Petroleum Corporation began pric- gravitated towards Iraqi and very continent’s demand. markets in April with three bonds oil for Europe, trading sources said, in as Poland and Sweden. ing its European exports against cheap Kurdish oil,” a second trading The move comes as Iran, Opec\’s sales totaling $11.68bn under US a rare tactical move aimed at making Large sales from Iraq’s Kurdistan the dated Brent benchmark after source said. third-largest oil producer, is also pre- law if Congress swiftly approves its crude more competitive as the bat- into Europe have added to the com- years of following Opec’s heavy- While changing its pricing policy, paring to sell more crude to Europe a debt deal for holdout creditors, tle for customers between Opec and petition over the past six months and weight Saudi Arabia in pricing its KPC also started trading more barrels after the lifting of international sanc- top finance ministry officials told non-Opec rivals intensifies. now Kuwait — a usually little-noticed oil against the Brent Weighted Aver- on a spot basis in Europe, following tions in January. Congress yesterday. The European market, long dom- seller in Europe — is both increas- age (BWAVE). the sale of its Rotterdam refinery to Iran said this week it could con- Finance Minister Alfonso Prat- inated by Russian oil supplies, has ing sales and making its crude more BWAVE is also used by Iran while trading house Gunvor. sider a pricing improvement for Gay said the bonds, which will been neglected by major Opec pro- attractive. “If we want to have a share Iraq is using dated Brent. Over the Last month, a senior KPC official its crude sales to Europe by selling be used to finance the payouts ducers due to poor growth as they in any market, we have to have com- past year, because of the way they are said Kuwait planned to boost output some spot cargoes at the dated Brent to investors holding unpaid debt focused on expanding Asian markets. petitive marketing. That’s what we calculated, barrels priced off dated this year and sign new export deals benchmark, though it was sticking stemming from the country’s 2002 But as Russia moved aggressively are doing ... we have a legitimate Brent have on average been cheaper with European customers despite with BWAVE for its term contracts. default, would carry maturities of five, ten and thirty years. Prat-Gay and his deputy, Luis Caputo, yesterday presented a package of debt agreements bro- LSE logs surging profits amid merger kered with creditors, including a $4.65bn cash payout to the main holdouts suing in a Manhattan AFP talks with Deutsche Boerse, which manages the Frank- court led by billionaire Paul Singer. furt stock exchange. “We have recently confirmed that we Argentina has now reached are in detailed discussions with Deutsche Boerse regard- provisional settlements with about ing a potential merger of equals,” added Frenchman Rolet. 85 percent of bondholders and says LONDON: London Stock Exchange Group yesterday posted “This represents a compelling opportunity to strengthen negotiations continue with the rest. surging 2015 net profits, and repeated its support for a each other in an industry-defining combination, by creating “If the deal extends to all hold- merger with Deutsche Boerse amid interest from US giant a global market infrastructure group with significant ben- out investors, the bond issue will be Intercontinental Exchange. efits for our customers and shareholders.” Deutsche Boerse for $11.684bn. That’s what we need Earnings after taxation soared almost 167 percent to now has until March 22 to launch a formal offer, pending to close this chapter definitively,” £328m ($462m) last year compared with its performance shareholder approval and the green light from regulators. Prat-Gay said. The debate in Con- in 2014, LSEG said in a results statement. The company, However on Tuesday, global markets operator Inter- gress is the first major political test which runs the London and Milan exchanges, added that continental Exchange revealed that it was mulling an offer, of President Mauricio Macri’s ability revenues jumped almost 50 percent to £1.325bn. Operating raising the prospect of a bidding war. to garner cross-party support for his profit, meanwhile, rallied 73 percent to £404m. If the merger goes ahead, Deutsche Boerse sharehold- economic reform package, the suc- “The group has produced another strong financial ers would have the upper hand with 54.4 percent of the new cess of which hinges on ending the performance and continues to make excellent progress holding company’s capital, with LSEG investors having 45.6 festering 14-year debt battle. executing our strategy to be a leader in global markets infra- percent. Both the London and Frankfurt financial markets Legislators will also be asked structure,” said chief executive Xavier Rolet. would continue doing business under their respective cur- to repeal two laws blocking settle- The central atrium inside the Londson Stock Exchange yesterday. Last week, the LSEG had revealed it was in merger rent brand names. ment of the debt case. 14 SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 BUSINESS US trade deficit widens in Jan as exports slump

shave about a half point on economic growth in the first quarter. US exports and “Of course, despite the drag imports fell to their from trade, overall growth still weakest levels in looks strong enough to generate ongoing labor market improve- five years, reflecting ment,” O’Sullivan said, pointing out the sluggishness in the Labour Department’s February jobs report released yesterday. the global economy, The politically sensitive goods falling oil prices and trade gap with China, the biggest US trade partner, grew 3.6 percent a strong dollar. to $28.9bn in January. Exports, par- ticularly civilian aircraft, to China fell to $8.21 billion, the lowest level since July 2011. AFP The gap had reached a new record of $365.7bn in 2015, swelling six percent from 2014. US lawmak- ers have long criticized the Chinese Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras attends a meeting of party leaders at the Presidential Palace in Athens yesterday. WASHINGTON: The US trade deficit government for keeping the yuan grew more than expected in January currency undervalued to gain an as exports slumped, outpacing the unfair trade advantage. fall in imports amid a slowing global The second-largest US trade gap economy, Commerce Department was with Japan, at $4.9bn, but nar- Aid for Greece: EU urged to be ‘realistic’ data released yesterday showed. rower than in December. The US The trade gap increased 2.2 trade gap on petroleum products percent to $45.7bn in January, the shrank 22 percent to $4.6bn as oil AFP “We try to provide the realistic Greece to reduce debt to sustainable assurances on Thursday that no one largest shortfall in five months and prices fell. The average price of a analysis... that’s our job to be real- levels, Rice said. Currently the debt will let the IMF-EU conflict degener- well above the analyst estimate of barrel of crude oil was $32.06 in Jan- istic,” said IMF spokesman Gerry load is nearly 180 percent of GDP. ate. “This will be wrapped up soon,” $44bn. US exports and imports fell uary, a level last seen in April 2004. Rice said, in the face of accusations To get there, the IMF says the said an EU source under condition of to their weakest levels in five years, The goods trade gap with Can- WASHINGTON: The IMF called on by Greek authorities that the Fund is Greeks should accept new austerity anonymity. reflecting the sluggishness in the glo- ada, the number-two US trade the European Union to be more “real- blocking progress on unlocking funds measures — including further cuts Another European source, who bal economy, falling oil prices and a partner, rose slightly to $2.4bn. istic” about what Greece must due to from the EU bailout. to pensions — while the Europeans also spoke on condition of anonymity, strong dollar. Goods exports to Canada, a North obtain further aid under an EU bail- “Although we are very close to the should give the country significant acknowledged “clearly a difference Exports of goods and services fell American Free Trade Agreement out programme agreed in July. positions of the three European insti- debt relief. While the country has of views” remains. “The focus is on 2.1 percent to $176.5bn, the lowest partner, at $19.8bn, sank to a dis- For several months, EU officials tutions, the IMF is maintaining a very been wracked by protests over the working these out,” the person said. level since June 2011. Imports fell tant low of July 2010, as did imports. and the IMF have held difficult dis- hard position” that is “incomprehen- pension cuts, the IMF spokesman These differences have been hold- 1.3 percent to $222.1bn, their lowest The goods shortfall with Mexico, cussions on the measures Athens sible,” Greek Finance Minister Euclid suggested the adjustment could be ing up the first review of Greece’s since April 2011. The December trade the other NAFTA partner, jumped 5.4 should take to improve the finances Tsakalotos said. less painful if European partners were performance under the EU loan pro- gap was revised upward to $44.7bn percent to $4.3bn. of the debt-ridden eurozone coun- “It’s not right to characterize more generous. gram, which Brussels had targeted for from $43.4bn. The deficit with the 28-nation try, reeling from nearly six years of the IMF as tough or blocking,” Rice “It would be very difficult for a completion by the end of 2015. The “The strength of the dollar is European Union plummeted 35 per- recession. said at a media briefing in Wash- society that has been enduring a delay is frustrating Athens as it desper- severely impeding exporters, making cent to $8.8bn as Europe grappled An informal meeting on ington. At issue is how Greece can very painful adjustment in the last ately awaits another loan installment. US goods increasingly uncompeti- with weak growth and extremely Wednesday in Brussels between reach the budget targets set last July five years to meet that very ambitious “Negotiations on the reform tive in the international marketplace. low inflation. The US trade gap with representatives of the International in exchange for ¤86bn ($94.2bn) in fiscal target,” Rice said. “The needed plan have fallen behind, which is Sluggish global growth is also weigh- Germany, Europe’s powerhouse, fell Monetary Fund and the EU’s Euro- EU financial aid. The targets, aimed reforms would be less demanding if in nobody’s interest,” Greek Prime ing on demand for US products,” said to $4.5bn, a two-year low. pean Commission, the European at reaching a primary budget sur- there was more debt relief on offer Minister Alexis Tsipras said in mid- Emily Mandel at Moody’s Analytics. Barclays analyst Jesse Hurwitz Central Bank and the European plus of 3.5 percent of gross domestic from Greece’s European partners.” February, citing “disagreements” It was the second consecutive said that US exports would likely Stability Mechanism made “good product in two years, are “very ambi- That issue is extremely sensitive among the institutions. month of a widening in the trade continue to drag on gross domestic progress,” people on both sides said. tious” and, above all, “had never been in Europe. A number of the members On Thursday, the IMF supported gap, underscoring the global slow- product growth for some time. But the IMF, which has yet to decide quantified nor specified,” the IMF of the 19-nation eurozone, Germany the Greek government’s call for com- down led mainly by China. “Weak foreign demand and the whether to participate in the third bail- spokesman said. in the lead, agreed under pressure pletion of the first review. “We share Jim O’Sullivan, chief US econo- stronger dollar are headwinds to out programme for Greece since 2010, The 188-nation IMF, champion to accept the principle of lightening the authorities’ view that it should be mist at High Frequency Economics, export growth, and we expect this sounded its recurring theme on Thurs- of orthodox fiscal policies, does not Greece’s debt burden. They are vehe- completed as soon as possible,” Rice said that if the January levels were trend to remain in place over the day on the question of the viability of want to alter those targets but the mently opposed to doing more. said, lobbing the ball back into the sustained, weaker exports could next several quarters,” he said. the Greek economic programme. program “needs to add up” and allow On the European side, there were EU’s court. World markets end week on a bright note Facebook may have broken tax rules: UK lawmakers AFP

Reuters arrangement before now. “Both HMRC and Facebook need LONDON: Global stock markets rose to be brought to book over this,” he yesterday offering a cautiously opti- said. “HMRC should not just give mistic end to the week after new data LONDON: Facebook said it would Facebook a wrap over the knuck- showed strong US jobs figures but a ditch a corporate structure that helps les over this,” he added. A Facebook fall in wages and fuelled speculation minimise its UK tax bill, prompting spokesman said “we are compli- of further Federal Reserve rate hikes. lawmakers and campaigners to ask ant with UK tax law”. A spokesman In Europe, the region’s bourses whether the arrangement had ever for the tax authority said “HMRC had ticked lower on Thursday as complied with UK tax rules. ensures that all multinationals pay investors paused following this Facebook said yesterday that it the tax due under UK law”. week’s sharp global rally. “With would stop booking sales to major In 2013, the parliamentary some relative calm returning to the UK clients via an Irish subsidiary and public accounts committee (PAC) markets, battle-weary investors are in future report sales agreed by UK investigated Google over the way finally starting to emerge from the staff in Britain. “In light of changes to it reported revenues from UK cli- shadows,” said Mike McCudden, tax law in the UK, we felt this change ents in Ireland, following a Reuters head of derivatives at online stock- would provide transparency to Face- investigation which showed Google broker Interactive Investor. book’s operations in the UK,” the employed dozens of UK salespeople, In London, the FTSE 100 was 1 company said in a statement. despite denying staff in Britain made percent at 6,191.96 points; in Frank- The change follows the British sales to UK clients. furt, the DAX 30 was up 0.7 percent government’s introduction last year Google said then and now that at 9,824.17 points, while in Paris, the of a new tax on profits shifted off- UK customers transacted directly CAC 40 was up 0.9 percent at 4,456.62 shore. “From the start of April ... UK with the company’s Irish staff. A points. The EURO STOXX 50 was up sales made directly by our UK team PAC report said in 2013 that Google’s 0.8 percent at 3,037.35 points. will be booked in the UK, not Ire- structure was “contrived” and criti- After a miserable start to the year land,” Facebook added. cised HMRC for being too lenient on for investors, March has so far pro- The California-based company big businesses. Google says it com- Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) yesterday. vided some cheer thanks to positive declined to say if it currently booked plied with all tax rules and HMRC US data and Beijing’s decision to ease sales made by UK-based staff, to UK said it treated all taxpayers equally. monetary policy, dealers said. US employers defied a global we may see the possibility of a Fed Today, China’s National People’s clients, in Dublin. If it did, this would Google, now part of holding group A pick-up in oil prices — which slowdown and pumped up hiring increase at its June meeting may come Congress is to begin meeting, with break UK and international tax rules, Alphabet, in January agreed to pay in January were near 13-year lows last month, adding a much better- firmly back into play,” Mark Vickery, delegates due to sign off on a new which require companies to book £130m ($184m) in UK back taxes and below $30 a barrel — has also pro- than-expected 242,000 new jobs, the of Zacks, said. five-year economic plan. sales where they are made. interest and said it would also start to vided some stability, with energy Labour Department said. However John Higgins, of Capital Econom- There are growing hopes that Caroline Flint, member of parlia- report more revenue in Britain. firms breathing a sigh of relief. it also said that average wages fell. ics, said investors “did not know what authorities will also unveil meas- ment (MP) with the opposition Labour Crawford Spence, Professor of “US data continues to shine, oil It comes after better-than- to make” of the mixed US jobs report ures to shore up the world’s number party, said the statement “raises more Accounting at Warwick Business continues to firm and risk appetite expected reports on private jobs, the but noted it had not burst the upbeat two economy, which is growing at its questions than it answers”. “Facebook School, said Facebook’s new arrange- is coming back into all aspects of the manufacturing sector, construction mood. slowest pace in a quarter of a century. are trying to improve their corpo- ments lacked sufficient transparency markets,” said analyst Angus Nichol- spending and auto sales. “Perhaps most significantly, the Earlier this week the government rate reputation but, in so doing, they to tell if they would result in the com- son at traders IG. After this week’s Coming two weeks before the report did not dash the mood of cau- cut the amount of cash banks must appear to have confirmed that UK- pany paying a “fair share” of tax. gains however, dealers were nerv- Federal Reserve holds its next pol- tious optimism that had descended keep in reserve as it looks to get them based staff were conducting UK sales Prem Sikka, Professor of ously hoping several looming events icy meeting, the data also prompted upon the markets for equities in lending again. in the UK, but artificially diverting that Accounting at Essex University, would not change the mood. analysts to weigh the odds of further recent weeks — optimism that we In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was up income as though it was generated by said Facebook could easily use First up was US jobs data which interest rate hikes. expect to build in the coming months, 0.3 percent at 17,014.78 points; in Facebook Ireland,” she said. alternative arrangements, such as painted an overall rosy picture for “Conventional wisdom discounts as the news from China improves and Shanghai, the Composite was up 0.5 Labour MP Nick Smith said inter-group charges to shift profits February. In New York, the Dow was the possibility of a raise in March, the US economy itself continues to percent at 2,874.15 points; while in the UK tax authority, Her Majes- out of Britain as effectively under the up 0.5 percent at 17,020.94 points in but if we continue to see employ- grow at a healthy pace,” he said in a Hong Kong, the Hang Seng was up 1.2 ty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), new arrangement as it does under early trade. ment improve as the months roll on, note to investors. percent at 20,176.70 points. should have challenged Facebook’s the current system. BUSINESS VIEWS SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 15

Banks agree Brexit Oil slump has an uneven would be bad for UK. But how bad? impact on prices at pump

By Jamie McGeever SOCIETE GENERALE: GDP Reuters growth could be 0.5-1.0 per- centage points per year lower on average for a decade. MORGAN STANLEY: A “sig- CONOMISTS at some of nificant” consumption and the world’s biggest banks investment shock leading to a 1.3 are unanimous that percentage points hit to growth Britain’s economy and in 2016-17. A 5 percent decline in Ecurrency will suffer if the coun- sterling/dollar, falling to $1.39 ini- try votes to leave the European tially “with weakness persisting”. Union in a referendum on June 23. UK stocks could underperform But how bad would the dam- global peers by up to 20 percent. age be? Below is a snapshot of CREDIT SUISSE: “In its most estimates from 14 banks on the extreme that could mean a level potential impact of “Brexit” on drop in GDP of 1 percent to 2 per- UK growth and the value of the cent in the short term due to the pound, and from the three major toxic blend of depressed business credit agencies of the impact on confidence, tightening financial Britain’s debt rating. conditions, higher inflation and ABN AMRO: “The Brexit sce- falling real income.” The pound narios see 2017 GDP 1-3 percent would fall to 83 pence per euro lower in the UK, up to 1.5 percent and $1.20 per dollar if euro/dol- lower in the euro zone and sterling/ lar pushes lower towards parity. dollar falling to as low as $1.15.” CITI: GDP growth cut by 1-1.5 UBS: “We estimate the down- percentage points for 2017, 2018, side from a ‘Hard’ Brexit could be and 2019, giving a total GDP loss close to 3.0 percent of UK GDP over of around 4 percent relative to An attendant puts petrol into a car at a Saja Petrol gas station in Kathmandu, Nepal. time. We expect the Bank of Eng- potential. Sterling could fall 15-20 land to raise rates in November percent from current levels. this year, but a vote to leave the EU UNICREDIT: Brexit would By Jarrett Renshaw up her 2014 Honda Civic and is considering A different story is being played out in two could easily see that timing slip.” cost the UK economy “around and Reem Shamseddine driving instead of flying on an upcoming trip major oil producing countries — Saudi Arabia HSBC: Sterling could fall 6 percent of GDP” over the next Reuters to Florida. and Venezuela — where prices at the pump 15-20 percent against the dollar, decade or so, risk a balance of “I’m probably going to end up driving. I’d have actually risen due to cuts in subsidies, pushing euro/sterling towards payments crisis. prefer to fly, but gas prices are so cheap it just imposed to compensate for the economic hit parity and triggering a 5 percent- GOLDMAN SACHS: Trade- dramatic drop in oil prices is makes sense,” she said. The decline in prices at from the oil price crash. age point surge in inflation. UK weighted sterling would fall 15-20 translating into a mixed bag the pump has been more muted in countries Venezuela in February increased pump growth could fall 1-1.5 percentage percent, potentially dragging for motorists across the globe — like Indonesia, China and India, which have rates for the first time in nearly 20 years. Its points next year, or even further sterling/dollar down to around from hefty savings at the pump tried to reduce subsidies and absorb some of 95 octane petrol rose more than 6,000 per- in the unlikely event of the BoE $1.15-$1.20 and lifting euro/ster- in the United States to a rare the gains from lower oil prices as taxes or lev- cent from 0.097 bolivars to 6 bolivars per raising interest rates in response. ling to around 90-95 pence. fuel price hike in Venezuela. Oil ies, Barclays said in a research report. litre. (From 0.36 bolivars to 22.7 bolivars per CREDIT AGRICOLE: Sterling NOMURA: “An unwillingness Aprices have dropped nearly 70 percent in the Overall, retail fuel prices in Asia — which gallon.) While that is $0.60 at the strongest could fall to $1.30 in case of a Brexit. of external investors to finance past 20 months, driven down by a glut in sup- is home to three of the world’s four largest official exchange rate it is far less at the weak- RABOBANK: “We would the current account on current ply. All countries have access to the same oil energy importers — have fallen only about 35 est official rate and just $0.006 on the black expect EUR/GBP to head back terms could cause a collapse in prices on international markets, but retail pet- percent despite the almost 70 percent decline market, making it the cheapest fuel in the towards the 0.85 area initially.” the currency of 10-15 percent over rol prices vary wildly, largely because of the in oil prices since July 2014, Barclays said. world at that rate. JP MORGAN: “UK growth several months.” taxes and subsidies imposed on them. In China, the wholesale petrol price ceil- The price is so low — especially in the could slow to 1 percent in the MOODY’S: “Exit from the That has meant the impact of diving oil ing — which is set by the country’s central face of raging inflation — that many Vene- year following a vote for Brexit. EU would be negative for the UK prices has been uneven planning commission — has fallen 29 percent zuelans support raising fuel rates even more. Depending on how long the economy in the short and possibly around the world. In the since February 2014. But in January regulators “Petrol is too cheap here. A liter of water is still shock to uncertainty persists, GDP medium term. We might assign a United States, for exam- set a floor on price cuts, saying they would more expensive than a liter of fuel. I have growth could slow by as much as negative outlook to the rating in ple, drivers have enjoyed no longer adjust prices down when oil prices family abroad in Ecuador, and there it’s very 3 percentage points relative to case of a vote to exit, to reflect our the fall as average gaso- are below $40 a barrel. One benchmark oil expensive, here it’s nothing! They should have trend in the most extreme case.” expectation of lower economic line prices tumbled to price, Brent crude, was trading at around $36 increased it a bit more,” said taxi driver Raul If the BoE is forced to cut rates, growth and a potentially lengthy $1.64 a gallon ($0.43 a a barrel this week. Ramirez as he filled up his car at a Caracas 2-year and 5-year gilt yields could period of uncertainty. liter) last month from Meanwhile, the Chinese government has gas station recently. fall 25 basis points and 35 bps, S&P: Brexit could “put at risk $3.37 a gallon ($0.89 also raised the consumption tax on fuel three Similarly, Saudi Arabia in December respectively. Sterling could fall important external financing All countries have a litre) two years ago. times six since the slide in oil prices began. In raised the price of 95 octane petrol to 0.90 to $1.33 and the euro rise to 0.78. sources for the UK’s sizable current access to the same oil That has spurred a road Beijing, motorists appeared resigned to the riyal ($0.24) per litre from 0.60 riyal. That DEUTSCHE BANK: “It is account deficit. In a worst-case sce- prices on international renaissance of sorts as limited benefit. “When you look at oil prices, still keeps Saudi Arabia among the coun- not difficult to envisage a hit to nario, a Brexit could also harm the Americans hit the high- you can see the price at the pump should be tries with the cheapest petrol prices in the annual GDP growth well in excess sterling’s role as a global reserve markets, but retail ways in greater numbers. a lot lower,” said a 35-year-old man driving a world, so motorists are not complaining of 1 percentage point per year” currency, removing what has been petrol prices vary “It’s great. It used to black Audi A6, who gave his surname as Gao. too much. during the 2-3 years (or maybe a significant support for our ‘AAA’ pain me to fill up my car, In Hong Kong — which has the world’s most “It is still cheap, still reasonable — peo- more) of post-vote negotiations. rating since the start of the global wildly, largely because but now it’s no big deal,” expensive petrol at $6.69 per gallon ($1.76 per ple can afford it,” said a 40-year-old as he Deutsche’s existing sterling financial crisis.” of the taxes and said Patsy Gehring, a litre) according to www.globalpetrolprices.com filled up at a gas station in Khobar near forecasts of $1.15 by end-2017 and FITCH: “Brexit would be 59-year old who lives in — the slow downward march in prices has not the state oil company’s headquarters. “You euro/sterling at 82.00 by end-2019 ‘moderately’ credit negative for subsidies imposed on Philadelphia. She says impressed car owner Simon Lam. “It’s been don’t usually tip the guy at the pump but could be brought forward. the UK.” them. she notices the low pump at this price range for so long and we have no in Saudi Arabia you do because petrol is prices every time she fills choice but to accept that,” he said. so cheap.” Brazilian economy’s steep slide raises spectre of depression

By Silvio Cascione the ‘80s in just two years,” Goldman Sachs this hole,” said Joao Pedro Ribeiro, Latin production. Rousseff’s popularity plummeted Reuters economist Alberto Ramos said in a research America economist with Nomura Securities. to record lows last year, fueling street protests report. He added that the economy was close Unemployment and loan delinquency and calls for her impeachment. to an outright depression, as defined by the rates are likely to rise further this year as “Despite all the rhetoric from Rousseff last length of the current downturn — nearly two the recession drags on, economists forecast, year about boosting private investment, it’s RAZIL’S economy contracted sharply years — and the more than 7 percent GDP potentially feeding public discontent. Mean- abundantly clear that investors, both foreign in 2015 as businesses slashed invest- drop experienced during that time. while, debt restructuring firms are expecting and domestic, are staying away in their droves,” ment plans and laid off more than A paralyzing political crisis, rising infla- a record amount of business this year as com- said Michael Henderson, lead economist with 1.5 million workers, official data tion and interest rates and a sharp drop in panies seek protection from creditors and go consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft in England. Bshowed, setting the stage for what could be prices of key commodity exports have formed through painful reorganizations. The downturn has been so severe that Brazil’s the country’s deepest recession on record. a toxic cocktail for Latin America’s largest Analysts say banks appear well-capitalized economy will probably only regain its previ- Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 3.8 economy. The disastrous burst of a major to weather the crisis but could tighten credit to ous size by 2019, as it grapples with a much percent last year, capped by another steep mining dam and the biggest oil strike in 20 stay safe, which could delay an economic recov- larger debt load, according to a Reuters poll. The annual contraction contraction in the fourth quarter , according years added further strain in 2015. ery. The country’s currency, the real, rose on The IBGE data showed that Brazil’s GDP to Brazilian statistics agency IBGE. It was the Brazil’s government said the downturn news that leftist President Dilma Rousseff could contracted 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter was also Brazil’s largest worst performance of any G20 nation in 2015. had been expected and added that it was be implicated in the massive corruption scan- from the third, which was its fourth straight since 1990, when the The annual contraction, which matched focused on boosting the economy this year. dal at state-run oil producer Petroleo Brasileiro quarterly decline. It was down 5.9 percent market expectations in a Reuters poll, was “The government has taken all the neces- SA, also known as Petrobras. from the fourth quarter of 2014. country was struggling also Brazil’s largest since 1990, when the sary measures for an economic recovery,” Brazil, once the world’s seventh-biggest Agriculture was the only bright spot, with with hyperinflation and a country was struggling with hyperinflation the Finance Ministry said. economy, has been underperforming since a fourth-quarter growth rate of 2.9 percent debt default. The outlook and a debt default. The outlook for 2016 is However, a private survey on Thursday 2011, the year Rousseff took office. A sharp versus the third quarter. In the same period, nearly as bad, with a central bank survey showed services activity in February fell at increase in government spending and sub- the industry and services sector fell 1.4 per- for 2016 is nearly as bad, forecasting a 3.45 percent contraction. the steepest pace on record, suggesting the sidized credit underpinned the labor market cent each. Household consumption declined with a central bank survey Back-to-back annual drops of that mag- economy had yet to hit bottom. “We will prob- until 2014, at the cost of fueling inflation and for a fourth straight quarter, with a drop of nitude would amount to the longest and ably see a similar contraction this year. There eroding government finances. The recession 1.3 percent, while investments plunged 4.9 forecasting a 3.45 percent deepest downturn since Brazil began keep- are no growth engines yet. The only one could took root just as Rousseff started to roll back percent. Government consumption fell 2.9 contraction. ing records in 1901. be exports. But Brazil’s economy is relatively the costly stimulus policies, hiking taxes and percent, the steepest quarterly decline since Brazil is “replicating the lost decade of closed, so we don’t see that taking us out of interest rates and slashing investments in oil the end of 2008. 16 SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 CLASSIFIEDS

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EASY SUDOKU CROSSWORD

1234 5678 910111213 V I PPASSES ASAMA

14 15 16 I NEEDANAP UCLAN CANTONESE TETRA 17 18 19 ENTERTA I N ONE I L 20 21 22 SEASNAKES CARNY

23 24 25 26 RIRE ARNAZ CARTON RAD I ATE 27 28 29 30 31 32 TAMERS LESTER

33 34 35 36 37 38 39 ARAB I AN BASTED KAZAN ATOB 40 41 42 ECOL I NONACT I VE 43 44 45 46 47 MANAT EYESHADES IRANI TESTATORS 48 49 50 NANCE TRUEFALSE 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 ESTES ESPRESSOS Yesterday’s answer 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 65 66 67 71 Icy precipitation 32 Best black female 72 Some boxing results, friend Easy Sudoku Puzzles: Place a digit from 68 69 70 for short 35 Philosopher 1 to 9 in each empty cell so every row, every 73 “Darn it!” ___-tzu column and every 3x3 box contains all the 71 72 73 DOWN 36 Swedish version of digits 1 to 9. 1 “No ___, no fuss” Lawrence 2 Sufficient, to a bard 37 When doubled, a child’s train ACROSS 41 Towing co. name near the 3 Uniroyal product 1 1969 and 1986 World start of the Yellow Pages 38 City on the Rhine, to 4 What a nearly vertical locals Series champs 42 “Here comes trouble!” hill has 39 Layered hairdo 5 Web address starter 43 Comes to rest too soon 5 Bunny’s movement 44 It’s left when ocean 9 Overhead tennis shot 47 The “she” in the lyric “I’m 6 Noah’s Ark groupings not the world’s most water evaporates HYPER SUDOKU 14 Troop group 7 Her Royal Highness, e.g. 45 Variety show segment 15 Little injury, to a toddler physical guy, / But when she squeezed me tight she 8 Mexican moolah 46 I.R.S. money 16 Phi Beta ___ nearly broke my spine” 9 Winter attire in Vail 50 Loses brightness 17 Touchy subjects 48 “Yikes!” 10 Ice cream drink 51 Old Russian autocrats 19 Homeric epic 49 Something to take and 11 Beelike 52 Go ___ (spread online) 20 4-0 World Series win, e.g. “make it better,” in the 12 Knockdown of all the 53 Kitchen range 21 Beginning that doesn’t go Beatles’ “Hey Jude” pins in two bowls smoothly 51 Boob tubes 55 “Hungarian Rhapsodies” 13 Couldn’t say no composer 23 %: Abbr. 54 Is under the weather 18 Protector of stray cats 56 Streamlined 25 Twin of Jacob and in-law of 57 12 on a grandfather clock and dogs, for short 59 “Peter Pan” buccaneer 30-Down 58 Quits fidgeting 22 Goes back and forth, as 26 Prefix with realism a tail 60 Jay formerly of late- 61 “Hardball” airer night 27 Leave port 24 “___ the season …” 65 Nasal stimulus 62 Apollo org. 31 PX patrons 27 Scatters, as seeds 66 Reels from a haymaker 63 Young miscreant 33 Like classic hospital 68 Get tangled up 28 The “E” of thermometers Q.E.D. 64 Some CBS forensic 69 Greek philosopher known spinoffs 34 Lighten one’s portfolio, say 29 Tex-Mex serving for paradoxes 67 Signal from a 40 Texas home of Baylor 70 Actor Morales 30 Wife of Jacob and marooned sailor University in-law of 25-Across

Yesterday’s answer How to play Hyper Sudoku: A Hyper Sudoku Puzzle is solved by filling the numbers from 1 to 9 into the blank cells. A Hyper Sudoku has unlike Sudoku 13 regions (four regions overlap with the nine standard regions). In all regions the numbers from 1 to 9 can appear only once. Otherwise, a Hyper Sudoku is solved like a normal Sudoku. BABY BLUES BABY

How to play Kakuro: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can NOVO be of any size. It has rows and columns, and SHOWING AT KAKURO dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like Zootropolis 2D 12:10, 4:40 & 7:00pm 3D 10:00am & 2:20pm VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER Race (2D/Drama) 9:20 & 11:50pm in a crossword, some of the dark cells will TEL: 444933989 / 444517001 contain numbers. Some cells will contain two London Has Fallen (2D/Action) 10:00, 10:30, 11:00am, 12:00noon, 12:40, 1:00, 2:00, 2:50, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 7:10, 8:00, 9:00, numbers. 9:20, 10:00, 11:00, 11:30 & 11:55pm However, in a crossword the numbers Zoolander 2(2D/Comedy) 11:00am, 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers 7:00,9:00&11:00pm are all you get! They denote the total of the How To Be Single (2D/Comedy) 10:30am, 2:40, 6:50 & 11:00pm digits in the row or column referenced by the The Faith of Anna Waters (2D/Horror) 12:40, 4:40 & 8:50pm number. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldier of Benghazi (2D/Action) Within each 10:40am, 1:20, 4:00, 6:40, 9:20 & 11:55pm collection of cells - Kings of Egypt (2D/Action) 4:30, 7:00, 9:30 & 11:50pm called a run - any of the Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2D/Animation) numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, 10:40am, 12:30 & 2:30pm each number may only Deadpool (2D) 10:10am, 12:20, 2:30, 4:40, 7:00, 9:20 & 11:40pm be used once. Kings of Egypt (3D IMAX/Action) 10:30am, 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, 8:30 & 11:00pm MALL Yesterday’s answer Kalyana Vaibhogame (2D/Telugu) 2:00pm Action Hero Biju (2D/Malayalam) 4:15pm Cartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate Zootropolis: Zootopia (2D/) 2:30, 5:00 & 6:45pm Jai Gangajal (2D/Hindi) 2:15 & 8:45pm London Has Fallen (2D/Action) 9:00 & 11:30pm Kings of Egypt (2D/Action) 7:00pm Race (2D) 9:00pm ALL IN THE MIND Always Be My Maybe (2D/Romantic) 7:00pm Can you find the hidden words? They may 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2D/Action) be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, forwards or 4:30 & 11:15pm backwards. Pokkiri Raja (2D/Tamil) 11:00pm

ASIAN TOWN Action Hero Biju (Malayalam) 1:30, 2:45, 4:15, 5:30, 7:00, 8:15, 9:45 & 11:00pm Jai Gangajal (Hindi) 6:00, 8:45 & 11:30pm Pokkiri Raja (Tamil) 12:45, 3:15, 6:00, 8:45 & 11:30pm Kalyana Vaibhogame (Telugu) 12:45 & 3:15pm Hoy en la Historia LANDMARK

March 5, 1946 Pokkiri Raja (2D/Tamil) 2:30 & 11:15pm )*+,+- London Has Fallen (2D/Action) 5:00, 9:30 & 11:00pm "# Action Hero Biju (2D/Malayalam) 6:45pm #P"Q Race (2D/Drama) 5:00pm Pokkiri Raja (2D/Tamil) 11:00pm #,%"% Zootropolis: Zootopia (2D) 2:30, 4:30 & 6:30pm -#-))4" 13 Hours:The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2D) 8:30&11:15pm 1970:       Kalyana Vaibhogame (2D/Telugu) 2:30pm        Always Be My Maybe (2D/Romantic) 7:30pm 1991: The last U.S. Cruise missile ROYAL PLAZA Zootropolis: Zootopia (2D) 2:00, 4:00& 6:00pm 2006:        Jai Gangajal (2D/Hindi) 8:00 & 11:00pm         BUZZARD, CARACARA, CONDOR, EAGLE, FALCON, Race (2D/Drama) 2:30 & 11:30pm HARRIER, HAWK, JAEGER, KESTREL, KITE,         London Has Fallen (2D/Action) 5:00 & 11:00pm LAMMERGEIER, OSPREY, OWL, PEREGRINE FALCON, !"#$" Bachaana (2D/Urdu) 4:30 & 7:00pm ROADRUNNER, SECRETARY BIRD, SPARROWHAWK, %!##&' VULTURE. Always Be My Maybe (2D/Romantic) 9:00pm ( 13 Hours:The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2D) 2:00 &9:00pm      ' !"#$%& The Revenant (2D/Adventure) 6:30pm SPORT SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 19

UEFA names new general-secretary, holds back on Platini

AFP currently hit by a six year ban over for Sport on Michel Platini’s appeal,” “After we have the (CAS) decision, a suspect $2m payment from former said a statement. we can shorten the time for the elec- FIFA boss Sepp Blatter and so cannot Theodoridis told a press con- tion from three months to nothing,” take any UEFA decisions. ference the committee decided Alasdair Bell, UEFA’s legal director NYON: UEFA yesterday named The- But if he wins an appeal at the “unanimously” to wait for the CAS told reporters. odore Theodoridis (pictured) as Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), verdict. Platini made a formal appeal Theodoridis, 50, joined UEFA in interim general-secretary to take Platini could return to decide who he to CAS, which is based in Lausanne, 2008 and has been in charge of rela- over from new FIFA president Gianni wants as his right-hand man. this week. tions with the European national Infantino. Reinhard Rauball, the head of The tribunal has said it is aiming associations. But it insisted no decision on Germany’s powerful football feder- to have a verdict before the Euro- If Platini is forced to leave UEFA, whether to replace Michel Platini as ation, this week called on Platini to pean Championships start in France the next president could choose a dif- president would be taken until his resign now. on June 10. ferent general secretary. appeals are finished. Rauball said there is a power Platini, who has denied any Theodoridis’ father Savvas is Bernard Tomic Greek administrator Theodor- vacuum with Platini suspended and wrongdoing over the payment, is vice-president at Greek champions idis moves up from deputy secretary Infantino gone. desperate to keep his post at UEFA Olympiakos, whose owner Evange- general in place of Infantino who was “One has to distinguish between and be at the tournament in his home los Marinakis has been banned from elected as president of world body the personal interests of Platini and country. football activities by a magistrate Tomic rolls Sock FIFA on Friday. the capacity to function of UEFA, UEFA officials said that if CAS investigating a match-fixing scan- With world football stuck in cor- which is a venture worth billions,” rules against Platini an election could dal between 2011 and 2013. as Aussies find ruption turmoil, Theodoridis cannot he told Sport Bild magazine. be held before Euro 2016 starts. Marinakis, a 47-year-old ship- permanently take over the key post at But the UEFA executive decided at reconfirmed its decision of January UEFA is to hold a congress in owner, was recently cleared for lack feet on grass the wealthiest continental confeder- its meeting Friday to keep faith with that no UEFA presidential elections Budapest on May 3, but they said an of evidence in another match-fix- ation until Platini’s future is decided. the Frenchman. will be scheduled until a decision has extraordinary congress could also be ing scandal involving the 2010-2011 The French football legend is “The UEFA executive Committee been made by the Court of Arbitration held before June 10. season. AFP

MELBOURNE: Australia’s Ber- nard Tomic fought off a challenge Italian clubs from American Jack Sock to level the Davis Cup World Group tie 1-1 PSG focus on Chelsea clash announce big after the opening singles matches in Melbourne yesterday. Tomic looked to be heading losses: Report for a comfortable victory, roll- ing through the opening two sets, AFP before being forced to battle hard to win 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in ahead of Montpellier visit two hours 24 minutes on the grass ROME: Clubs in Italy’s Serie A reg- surface of Kooyong. istered combined losses of €365m The victory, in sweltering tem- ($398m, £282m) for the 2014/15 peratures, was crucial for Lleyton season, sports daily Gazzetta dello Hewitt’s Australians, who lost the Sport reported yesterday. opening singles rubber when Sam We’re ready for Under the headline ‘Red Alert’, Groth went down to big-hitting Chelsea. I think the newspaper said the financial world number 11 John Isner 7-6 everyone knows what situation of the 20 elite clubs had (7/2), 6-2, 6-2. significantly worsened from the The tie is well poised heading awaits us over there, previous season, when total losses into today’s pivotal doubles rub- says captain Silva reached €240m. ber with the Americans looking The figures reported do not to edge ahead through the Bryan include those of Parma, who brothers, Bob and Mike, against a went bankrupt near the end of yet-to-be determined Australian last season, but they do include combination. AFP huge losses made by Inter Milan Tomic, ranked 20, sent trem- (€140m), AC Milan (€91m) and AS ors through the Australian camp Roma (€41m). when he hit a flat spot during the Overall turnover remained sta- third set, inviting world number PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) ble, up €40m to a total of €1.84bn, 24 Sock back into the match and head into today’s clash at home to a but spending increased to a com- a fourth set. resurgent Montpellier with most eyes bined €2.4bn, with more than half But Tomic rallied and broke the firmly fixated on next week’s return going on salaries. American in the ninth game and leg at Chelsea in the last 16 of the Only seven clubs announced served out for a four-set win on the Champions League. modest profits, including €10.6m at grass of Kooyong, former venue for PSG rebounded from losing their Torini, €2.3m at champions Juven- the Australian Open. 46-game unbeaten domestic run at tus and €5.8m at Lazio. “It was a tough match, I had a Lyon last weekend by remaining on The financial difficulties of the surface which was in my favour course to defend their French Cup two Milan giants are nothing new and I’m happy I won in the end,” a crown after beating Saint-Etienne and are likely to continue if they relieved Tomic said shortly after 3-1 in midweek. once again fail to qualify for next his victory. Paris Saint Germain’s players celebrate a goal during their French Cup match against AS Saint-Etienne However, victory at the Stade season’s Champions League. Earlier Isner’s serve was too Geoffroy-Guichard potentially came (ASSE) last Wednesday at the Geoffroy Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne, central France. Inter are currently fifth, five strong for the 77th-ranked Groth, at a cost with midfielder Blaise Matu- points off the top three, and their wrapping up the contest in one idi facing a race against time to be Indonesian owner Erick Thohir has hour 49 minutes in the opening fit for Wednesday’s trip to Stamford can use it to our advantage. That’s for the team,” the Brazilian added. they will fancy their chances of end- confirmed he is on the lookout for singles. Bridge. what we did (on Wednesday) and Defeat at Lyon means Paris can’t ing that series at home to bottom side new investors. Milan are one point Isner served his way out of The France international was I’m very happy about it. It was a good clinch a fourth straight French title Troyes today. behind in sixth and are still await- three break points down in the first seen clutching his hamstring after way to respond after the defeat which this weekend, but they could do so Rennes and Nantes, unbeaten in ing the €480m promised by Thai set to confidently take the opening he was taken off “as a precaution” provoked quite a buzz,” said Blanc, next week should Monaco slip up at the league since November, meet in Bee Taechaubol for the sale of a set in a tiebreaker 7-2. midway through the second half, in quotes published by French daily fellow European hopefuls Caen on the Brittany derby with both sides 48 percent stake in the Rossoneri. The beanpole American with Laurent Blanc admitting he was L’Equipe. Friday. Monaco have lost just once in also firmly in the hunt for Europe, However, an increase of 20 smashed 20 aces as Groth’s game “worried” about Matuidi’s fitness. “Montpellier will be a difficult 15 league outings and have an eight- while Saint-Etienne travel to slumping percent in television revenue for deteriorated and posed an early Blanc will have to decide whether match because we’ll be thinking point cushion over Caen, who trail Angers. Pascal Dupraz will embark on the current cycle, from 2015 to dilemma for new Australian cap- or not to rest key players ahead of about the game against Chelsea which third-place Lyon on goal difference, the daunting task of trying to salvage 2018, could lead to an improve- tain Hewitt. the Chelsea clash, with Marco Ver- will be huge,” said PSG captain Thiago in the race for the second automatic Toulouse’s top-flight status having ment in the situation. The retired Hewitt is on ratti (groin) and Angel Di Maria (thigh) Silva, with 2012 French champions Champions League qualifying berth. replaced Dominique Arribage ahead From the 2018/19 season, Italy standby for a possible playing also struggling with injuries. Montpellier arriving in the capital on Four wins in five has reignited of Sunday’s trip to Marseille. is set to bring in new financial fair- appearance following the match- The PSG boss though was pleased the back of three straight wins to pull Lyon’s campaign and Bruno Gene- Toulouse are 10 points from safety play rules similar to those applied eve withdrawal of star youngster with the manner in which the run- clear of relegation trouble. sio’s side will bid to build on recent and without a win in eight, but there by UEFA. The rules will lead to Nick Krygios with a virus and back away Ligue 1 leaders responded at “We’re ready for Chelsea. I think momentum when Guingamp visit is hope as Marseille have struggled punishments for clubs who fail to trouble. Saint-Etienne after suffering their everyone knows what awaits us over Parc OL in Sunday’s late game. mightily at the Stade Velodrome with balance their books, such as bans Isner, 30, took his year’s win- first defeat of the season. there. I hope (Matuidi) will be able to A four-match winless run has just two wins all season and none in on signing players and even bans loss record to 5-4 while Groth “We can’t erase (the loss), but we play because he’s an important player slowed Nice’s European charge, but their last 11 home fixtures. from taking part in the league. slumped to 1-7 in his first meet- ing with the 2.08 metre (6ft 10in) tall American. “I am extremely satisfied with that win. I played exceptional ten- Injured Cech faces lengthy absence nis in the second and third sets,” Isner said. “The first set could have gone either way, I was 0-40 down at AFP weeks,” the Frenchman said. “It is “We had to make the decision 2-2 and those three points were not more serious. It is a serious calf before the game because he had a essentially set points and to save injury and he had a groin alert on the little groin problem but he declared that and climb out and play a first goal and he could not kick the himself 100 percent fit,” he said. great tiebreaker gave me a lot of LONDON: Arsenal’s hopes of cap- ball properly out because of his groin “Then you have to trust the momentum from that point on.” turing their first Premier League title and maybe compensated a little too player. He’s 33 years old and he Isner added that he was in 12 years took a huge hit yesterday much and provoked another mus- knows his body. If he says he’s fit then pleased to quiet the capacity Aus- with news that goalkeeper Petr Cech cular injury.” he is available. tralian crowd with his serving. faces up to a month out injured. Former Chelsea star Cech injured “It is like it is. I focus on the The Czech Republic international his calf as he raced back towards his future. You want the players to be RESULTS suffered a muscular problem at the own penalty area after coming up for tough enough to sometimes be able World Group end of Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at Swan- a corner against Swansea. to play through a little pain. You’re Australia 1 USA 1 sea City. Wenger revealed that Cech had never completely perfect before a That reverse left the Gunners six a groin issue before the game but game in March.” John Isner (USA) bt Sam Groth points below Premier League leaders trusted him to play only to see his Ospina will deputise for Cech at (AUS) 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2 Leicester City in third place, ahead of first-choice goalkeeper pick up a Spurs and in the coming weeks - with Bernard Tomic (AUS) bt Jack Sock Saturday’s trip to second-placed Tot- different injury. an FA Cup replay at Hull and a Cham- (USA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 tenham Hotspur. The same happened with Alexis pions League tie in Barcelona to come Asia/Oceania Group Cech’s absence confirmed by Sanchez earlier in the season when as well as league games against Ever- China 2 Pakistan 0 manager Arsene Wenger at a press Wenger played him against Nor- ton and Watford. Zhang Ze (CHN) bt Aqil Khan (PAK) conference yesterday thrusts Colom- wich despite knowing of a hamstring The Colombia international came 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 bian World Cup goalkeeper David problem which then flared up in the in for criticism after a howler in the Ospina into the spotlight. game and ruled him out for the fes- Champions League defeat to Olym- Arsenal’s Petr Cech (left) goes up for a corner late on in the Premier Wu Di (CHN) bt Yasir Khan (PAK) “(He will be out for) three to four tive period. piakos earlier this season. league game against Swansea City at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 20 SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 SPORTS

Serena Williams PCB head blasts ‘painful’ Aussies win team pursuit Pakistan performance

as Wiggins misses gold Reuters CRICKET: ASIA CUP

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board impressive in the tournament, Paki- Welsford, Hepburn, WORLD CUP TRACK (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan has stan’s batting let them down. They CYCLING slammed the team’s performance at were bundled out for 83 against India Rio a prime Scotson and Scotson the Asia Cup but admitted it was too and managed 129-7 against Bangla- ride past England to late to make sweeping changes ahead desh which saw them miss out on a of the World Twenty20 this month. place in Sunday’s final. goal for win Australia’s sixth The 2009 World Twenty20 cham- “We will bring changes in selec- world title pions lost to arch-rivals India and hosts torial process, coaching process and Serena on Bangladesh, and only managed to beat leadership process,” Shaharyar said, United Arab Emirates, raising serious adding that he had already sought her return doubts about their potential to chal- advice from senior test batsmen You- Reuters lenge for the title in the March 8-April nus Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq. 3 tournament. Shaharyar said every- Pakistan added fast bowler Reuters one from the coach to those involved Mohammad Sami and batsman Shar- LONDON: Bradley Wiggins’ hopes of in the selection process would be held jeel Khan to their original squad for leading Britain to team pursuit gold at accountable but added there would the World T20 following injuries to NEW YORK: Having played just one the world track championships were not be no knee-jerk reaction. Babar Azam and Rumman Raes but tournament since mid-September foiled by old rivals Australia in a thrill- “It wasn’t just a matter of dis- the PCB chairman did not rule out due to various injuries and a recent ing final on Thursday. appointment but it was a painful further changes. Afridi has also come bout of flu, Serena Williams is now It looked as though Wiggins, 35, experience to watch Pakistan play under intense scrutiny due to his fail- itching to get back into competition and team-mates Jonathan Dibben, Ed like that,” Shaharyar told reporters ures with the bat but Shaharyar said with the Rio Olympics among her Clancy and Owain Doull would raise in Lahore. the 36-year-old all-rounder would top priorities for the year. the roof in the Olympic velodrome when “The performance was very captain the side in India. The American world number one they closed an early gap but Australia poor, other then a few individuals’ “I understand there is a lot of crit- has not competed since her stunning struck back to claim the title. performances, but I can assure that icism but I am not going to change loss to Germany’s Angelique Ker- Victory for Sam Welsford, Michael accountability is inevitable and who- anything one week before the major ber in the Australian Open final in Hepburn, Callum Scotson and Miles ever is responsible has to answer. tournament in India,” Shaharyar said. January, and says she has learned Scotson was Australia’s sixth world “Changes are important in the “Afridi will remain captain unless lessons from that defeat which she title in the event in the past 11 edi- electoral process and leadership but he himself pulls out of the job. He will use to her advantage. tions of the championships. we have to sit and think wisely.” has been serving Pakistan from the “Whenever I lose, it definitely Earlier a perfectly-timed sprint The PCB chairman, who has last 15 years. motivates me to do better,” Wil- gave Laura Trott victory in the women’s emphasized the importance of con- “Some changes you will see will liams said on a conference call on 10km scratch race at the world track ditioning in the shortest format of the be done before we play our first Thursday to promote her exhibition championships on Thursday as Brit- game, said at least three to four players matches in World T20 and other match with Caroline Wozniacki of ain belatedly got on the medal table. in Shahid Afridi’s team appeared unfit. important changes will be done after Denmark in New York next week. Trott, part of Britain’s dominant While the pace attack was the tournament.” “There’s a lot from that match team at the 2012 Olympics when she (in Australia) that I feel like I can won gold in the omnium and team pur- improve on and do a lot better. Hope- suit, burst to the front on the 40th and fully I will achieve that this year.” final lap at the London velodrome and Asked if she felt fully rested after edged out Kirsten Wild of the Nether- Foster’s prolific career her limited playing time since mid- lands on the line. September, Williams replied: “Oh Canada’s Stephanie Roorda was with Texans ends yeah. I was ready to go in Australia third. and I will be ready to go today and Trott suffered disappointment ear- tomorrow, and I’ll definitely be ready lier when she was part of the British Agencies to go on Tuesday.” team pursuit quartet, who were only NHL ROUND-UP Williams, who will face Wozni- fifth fastest in qualifying, ruling them acki in the BNP Paribas Showdown at out of contention for a gold medal. on Tuesday, has already won Olympic “I know this is not an Olympic event HOUSTON: Running back Arian Fos- in July and joins recently released gold four times, once in the singles but last year in Paris this was the event ter’s prolific career with the Houston Mario Williams, cut Tuesday by the and on three occasions in the dou- that let me down in the omnium and Team Australia made Texans came to an end on Thursday. Buffalo Bills, on the market of vet- bles. Success in Rio counts among I’ve worked so hard on it over the past up of Sam Welsford, The Texans released Foster, the eran pass rushers available before her biggest goals for this year. 12 months,” Trott said. Michael Hepburn, franchise’s career rushing leader with free agency begins March 9. “Tennis players never really Germany won two gold medals Callum Scotson and 6,472 career yards and 54 touch- The Jacksonville Jaguars waived thought about winning the Olym- on day two. Miles Scotson on their downs. He has missed 23 games guard Zane Beadles and defensive pics, you grew up thinking about Kristina Vogel won the women’s way to win the final of because of injuries the past three sea- end Chris Clemons in moves made winning grand slams but now, with keirin title, edging out Australia’s the Men’s Team Pursuit sons. The Baltimore Ravens released to save the team $9.5 million against tennis in the Olympics, of course 11-times world champion Anna Meares linebacker Daryl Smith and decided the 2016 salary cap. at the World Cup Track you think about it,” Williams said. with Britain’s Rebecca James in third not to pick up a $2 million contract Beadles started every game the Cycling in London, “The Olympics have had such place. option for defensive end Chris Canty. past two years, but his production a big impact on everyone. It (the Joachim Eilers won the men’s 1km Britain on Thursday. Smith spent the past three years didn’t meet the Jaguars’ expectations August Games) will probably affect time trial. with the Ravens, starting all 48 reg- after they signed him to a five-year, my schedule a little bit and I probably ular-season games. $30 million contract in 2014 that won’t be playing as much because The 12-year NFL veteran led the included $12.5 million guaranteed. I will be in Rio. I am really looking team and ranked 10th in the league The San Diego Chargers released forward to it.” with 121 tackles in 2015. inside linebacker Donald Butler, who A growing number of interna- Latest Tokyo stadium problem, Defensive end Charles Johnson had five seasons remaining on a seven- tional athletes in recent weeks have was released by the Carolina Pan- year, $51.8 million contract extension said they are concerned about Zika, thers, who will save $11 million against he signed in 2014. a virus that has been linked in Brazil where to put the cauldron? the 2016 salary cap. Butler’s release was not a surprise to more than 4,000 suspected cases Johnson started at left end for after he lost his starting job last sea- of microcephaly, a rare condition the NFC champions and was a third- son and carried a $9.28 million cap that causes abnormally small heads AFP of the new design, which includes a solution to the problem as early as round draft pick in 2007. He turns 30 figure for 2016. in infants and can lead to develop- wooden roof panels. April. Architect Kengo Kuma’s design mental problems. “It appears things were proceed- features wooden panels in the roof, and Asked what she thought about ing under the old plans without much the installation of the cauldron could the Zika threat, Williams replied: “I TOKYO: Tokyo’s long-running 2020 discussion (of where to put the caul- violate the Japanese Fire Service Act. have read a few articles about it, but Olympic stadium saga has taken dron),” Olympics Minister Toshiaki Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pulled Spurs in comeback I haven’t been following it a great another twist after it emerged organ- Endo admitted to reporters yesterday. the plug on the original stadium design deal. I’m going to have to read a lit- isers haven’t worked out where to put “The lighting of the flame is the last July amid growing public anger tle more about it before I can give the Games cauldron without creating main event of the Olympics. As for over its $2 billion price tag. win against Pelicans a proper answer. I definitely think a fire risk. After scrapping the origi- exactly how it will be done and where As a result, construction has fallen it’s something that you want to be nal stadium plans altogether last year, the cauldron will be, that will be dis- behind schedule, forcing rugby organ- careful about and we will see what Tokyo organisers largely neglected to cussed at a later date.” isers to shift the final of the 2019 World Agencies than 13 years with a 104-101 victory happens.” factor in the Olympic flame as part Endo added that he wanted to find Cup in Japan to Yokohama. Thursday at American Airlines Centre. Cousins, who had 22 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, was 13 NEW ORLEANS: Forward Kawhi years old the last time the Kings won Leonard scored a game-high 30 points on Dallas’ home floor Feb. 27, 2003. Phelps kicks off Orlando meet with 100m fly win and forward LaMarcus Aldridge added Rondo, who finished with 18 points, 26 while sparking a 16-2 run in the 12 assists and three steals, was still AFP USA’s Michael Phelps final 4:12 to lift the San Antonio Spurs three years removed from his NBA participates in his final heat of to a 94-86 comeback victory over the debut with the Boston Celtics. New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday Warriors 121, Thunder 106 the Men 100 LC Meter Butterfly at the Smoothie King Centre. Stephen Curry turned an offen- during day one of the Arena MIAMI: Olympic superstar Michael New Orleans led 84-78 with 4:29 sive rebound into a three-point play Phelps kicked off the Orlando Pro Swim Pro Swim Series at the YMCA of remaining when forward Dante Cun- to highlight a 10-point, fourth-quar- meet on Thursday with a victory in the Central Florida Aquatic Centre ningham hit a wide open 3-pointer ter spurt as the Golden State Warriors 100m butterfly in 52.28sec. on Thursday in Orlando, Florida. from the right baseline. Aldridge outlasted the Oklahoma City Thun- Phelps, hoping to add to his stun- scored six of the Spurs’ next eight der 121-106 to tie the all-time NBA ning tally of 18 Olympic gold medals points, and Leonard’s 15-footer from record for consecutive home wins at the Rio Games in August, swam the the right baseline tied the game at 86 Thursday night. first 50m in 24.62sec and held off fellow with 2:37 left. The Warriors’ second win over the American Tom Shields for the victory. Heat 108, Suns 92 Thunder in six days was their 44th Shields clocked 52.35, with Bra- Dwyane Wade scored 27 points in a row at Oracle Arena, allowing zilian Henrique Martins third in 52.59. to lead the Miami Heat to a 108-92 them to match the record set by the Germany’s Aliena Schmidtke won victory over the Phoenix Suns on Chicago Bulls from March 30, 1995, the women’s 100m fly in 59.94. Yuliya Thursday night. to April 4, 1996. Efimova of Russia produced a season’s freestyle in a time of 1:55.73 - sec- around my turns. I was pleased with time of 4:36.82 made her the fourth- Goran Dragic finished with 25 best of 1:05.70 in winning the wom- ond-fastest in the world this year how I put it all together.” fastest this season. Vietnam’s Vien points and Luol Deng scored 12 points en’s 100m breaststroke. behind the 1:54.43 she posted in Aus- Missy Franklin, winner of four gold Nguyen was second in 4:39.64 ahead for the Heat, who improved to 6-2 NBA RESULTS In the men’s 100m breaststroke, tin in January. medals at the 2012 London Olympics, of American Becca Mann (4:40.44). since the All-Star break. Brazil’s Joao Gomes edged American “It felt pretty good,” Ledecky said. was second in 1:57.67 and Allison Sch- Freestyle queen Ledecky was fourth in Kings 104, Mavericks 101 Miami 108 Phoenix 92 Josh Prenot at the wall, winning in “I guess it was about where I thought mitt was third in 1:58.18. 4:40.95. American Chase Kalisz won DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon San Antonio 94 New Orleans 86 1:00.64 to Prenot’s 1:00.66. Brazil’s I would be time-wise. I worked this The women’s 400m individual the men’s 400m medley in 4:15.36, Rondo each recorded double-dou- Sacramento 104 Dallas 101 Felipe Lima was third in 1:00.73. morning and this afternoon on some medley went to world championships with South Africa’s Sebastien Rous- bles and the Sacramento Kings won Golden State 121 Oklahoma City 106 Katie Ledecky won the 200m of the details I’ve been working on silver medallist Maya DiRado, whose seau second in 4:20.06. for the first time in Dallas in more SPORT SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 21

GCC Golf Championship to conclude in Doha today

Action from the GCC Golf Championship yesterday at the Doha Golf Club. The event will conclude today with the final round of senior section. Qatar senior team consists of Abdulrahman Al Shahrani, Saleh Al Kaabi, Ali Al Shahrani and Ghanim Al Kuwari while the Qatar junior team which took part in the event comprised Saoud Al Muhannadi, Sami Hussam and Arnev Jain.

Chelsea unsure if Terry Pakistan overcome SL by six will make PSG showdown

AFP wickets for consolation win

LONDON: Chelsea’s interim man- SCOREBOARD ager Guus Hiddink revealed Akmal and Irfan yesterday that captain John Terry SRI LANKA (pictured) faces a race against time shine as Afridi’s D Chandimal c Sharjeel b Wahab 58 to prove his fitness for next week’s team ends poor Asia T Dilshan (not out) 75 decisive Champions League show- S Jayasuriya c Sharjeel b Malik 4 down with French champions Paris Cup campaign on a Saint-Germain. winning note C Kapugedera b Irfan 2 Terry has been sidelined since D Shanaka b Irfan 0 injuring his hamstring against New- M Siriwardana (not out) 4 castle United three weeks ago, but he hinted on Thursday that he was IANS Extras (LB-6 W-1) 7 Total (for 4 wkts in 20 overs) 150 close to a return to action, ahead of the crucial match. Fall of wickets: 1-110, 2-117, 3-125, 4-125. Hiddink, however, said the DHAKA: Pakistan came up with a Bowling: Amir 4-0-31-0 (w1); Irfan 4-0-18- 35-year-old defender is yet to train in midweek means they are now strong batting performance to defeat 2; Afridi 4-0-24-0; Nawaz 3-0-38-0; Riaz with the first-team group and will unbeaten in 12 league games since

Sri Lanka by six wickets in their 4-0-30-1; Malik 1-0-3-1. not be risked when Stoke City visit Hiddink’s arrival and hopes of res- inconsequential final round robin PAKISTAN Stamford Bridge in the Premier cuing a place in the top four have encounter of the Asia Cup Twenty20 Sharjeel Khan c Kapugedera b Dilshan31 League today. been revived. cricket tournament at the Sher-e- That gives Terry just a few days “The players responded well Mohd Hafeez c&b Jayasuriya 14 Bangla National Stadium here on to show he is ready to play against when I came in,” Hiddink said. yesterday. Sarfraz Ahmed lbw Siriwardana 38 French champions PSG, who hold “I said to everyone, ‘what was Batting first, Sri Lanka posted Umar Akmal c Perera b Kulasekara 48 a 2-1 lead from the first leg of the your contribution in the year of the 150/4 in 20 overs, thanks to Tillaka- Shoaib Malik (not out) 13 last-16 tie. championship and the last half year? ratne Dilshan’s unbeaten 75. Iftikhar Ahmed (not out) 0 “He is not fit enough to start,” Don’t give me an answer by word but In reply, Umar Akmal slammed a Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi (centre) congratulates team-mate Extras (B-4, LB-1, W-2) 7 Hiddink said. in training and in upcoming games’. quickfire 48 as Pakistan chased down “He is with the physio and also I think they responded.” Mohammad Irfan after the dismissal of Sri Lanka’s Chamara Kapugedera Total (for 4 wkts in 19.2 overs)151 the total in 19.2 overs while losing four during their Asia Cup T20 in Dhaka yesterday. training. We will see how it goes for Hiddink, however, insists he is wickets. Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-58, 3-94, 4-150. Wednesday. He hasn’t trained with not in the running to take the Chel- Chasing a challenging target of Bowling: Kulasekara 4-0-20-1 Perera 2.2-0- the group yet. sea manager’s job long-term. 151, Pakistan struggled at the start a flying start with openers Dilshan 25-0 (w1) Jayasuriya 1-0-13-1 Shanaka 1-0-6- “Could he be on the bench “I will be now and then at Stam- losing Mohammad Hafeez (14) in the INDIA FACE BANGLADESH and Chandimal using their experi- 0 Chameera 4-0-32-0 (w1) Herath 4-0-28-0 against Stoke? I don’t think so. With ford Bridge and at Cobham as a fourth over of the innings. IN FINAL TOMORROW ence to counter the Pakistani bowlers Dilshan 1-0-2-1 Siriwardana 2-0-20-1. this kind of injury we have to have tourist,” Hiddink added. But his opening partner Sharjeel and help team cross the 100-run intense training before. It’s too much “I am here for a short period, Khan (31) and incoming batsman Sar- mark without losing a wicket inside of a risk. that’s how we started. I think the fraz Ahmed (38) held on to score at Milinda Siriwardana to reduce Paki- 14th over. But the first ball of the 15th boundaries in the death overs to help “He has to prove his fitness club has to go into a new -- tran- a good pace to help team cross the stan to 94/3 in 13th over. over saw pacer Wahab Riaz bringing team reach 150-run mark. Moham- before PSG. It depends on how he sition is too big a word -- but a new 50-run mark. Akmal and Shoaib Malik (13) on the first breakthrough to dismiss mad Irfan (2-18) was the pick of the is in training, if it is possible, late era. Next up, Dilshan picked the brought up a good partnership to set batsman Chandimal. bowlers for Pakistan. on Monday. I will not take any risks “They have to go into a new era wicket of Sharjeel which was fol- ensure team went close to victory But Dilshan used his experi- Pakistan failed to enter the final with him.” of Chelsea which is not just about lowed by Sarfraz’ wicket claimed by line with ease. Sri Lanka got off to ence to hold on and pile on couple of after loss to Bangladesh. Chelsea’s win at Norwich City short spells.” Messi’s hat-trick helps Barcelona to record 35-match unbeaten run Barcelona’s Argentinian Reuters to go. Atletico beat visiting Real Sociedad 3-0 the team continues in this positive dynamic forward Lionel on Tuesday, while third-placed Real Madrid (but) the league isn’t over, there are lots of Messi celebrates are again 12 points off the pace after a 3-1 win points still to take,” he was quoted as saying after scoring a at Levante on Wednesday. on the As website (www.as.com). goal during a MADRID: Barcelona set a Spanish record Barca were helped by the fact that Rayo Rakitic scored in the 22nd minute by tap- La Liga match of 35 matches unbeaten in all competi- lost defender Diego Llorente to a red card ping the ball home when it fell to him after against CF Rayo tions with a thumping 5-1 win at nine-man three minutes before halftime for a foul on Juan Carlos spilt a high cross. Vallecano at the Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Thursday after Rakitic before Manuel Iturra was also sent Messi finished off a fine one-two with Vallecas stadium goal-machine Lionel Messi scored his 35th off in the 67th for bringing down Sergio Bus- Neymar a minute later for his first goal and in Madrid on hat-trick. quets in the area. Llorente was shown the red card three min- Thursday. Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring, Messi Busquets was felled from behind going for utes before halftime for a foul on Rakitic. caught up with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ron- the rebound after a Messi free kick came back Messi scored his second in the 53rd after aldo on 35 trebles in all competitions and Arda off the bar but Luis Suarez’s penalty was saved a shot by Suarez came back off the post and Turan completed the rout, with Turkey’s cap- by Juan Carlos, Barcelona’s ninth miss from completed his hat-trick in the 72nd after dart- tain scoring his first goal for the club since 18 penalties in all competitions this season. ing through the defence from midfield. joining from Atletico Madrid. “It’s a strange situation (missing pen- Rayo got a consolation in the 57th through Barca’s victory, which saw them beat the alties),” the Catalan side’s midfield general Manucho’s header after Bebe, at the far post, undefeated record Real Madrid had held since Andres Iniesta said. “We mustn’t let it bother nodded a cross from the right into the mid- the 1988/89 season, restored an eight-point us while everything is working as well as it is. dle as the two ex-Manchester United players lead at the top over Atletico with 11 matches “The reasons are many (to explain) why combined. www.thepeninsulaqatar.com PAGE | 20 PAGE | 21 AussiesAuss win team Messi’s hat-trick ppursuitursu as Wiggins helps Barcelona misses gold win again

SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 • 25 Jumada I 1437 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar

CHI AL SHAQAB RESULTS

Competition P08 - CPEDI3* Individual II (II Ch Ind) Demi Vermeulen, Burberry, 73.905, €600 Caroline Cecilie Nielsen, Leon, 70.810, €500 Rixt van der Horst, Caraat, 68.524, €400 Competition P06 - CPEDI3* Individual Ia (Ia Ch Ind) Jens Lasse Dokkan, Cypres, 74.493, €600 Rihards Snikus, King Of The Dance, 71.232, €500 Ana Isabel Mota Veiga, Convicto, 65.145, €400 Competition P07 - CPEDI3* Individual Ib (Ib Ch Ind) Nicole den Dulk, Faust, 73.056, €600 Pepo Puch, Fontainenoir, 73.391, €500 Céline Gerny, Flint, 66.494, €400 Belgian rider Gregory Wathelet, winner of the feature event of the day, poses Competition P10 - CPEDI3* Individual IV for a picture with Omar Al Mannai, Event Director, CHI Al Shaqab. RIGHT: The (IV Ch Ind 20x60) winner of the feature event of the day, Belgian rider Gregory Wathelet clears Camilla Christensen, Oestergaardens Deleight, a hurdle astride Citizenguard Taalex during the CHI Al Shaqab International 69.167, €600 Equestrian Competition yesterday. Pictures: Kammutty VP / The Peninsula Carolin Schnarre, del Rusch, 68.254, €500 James Dwyer, Fleurette van de Kreungel, 62.778, €400 Competition P09 - CPEDI3* Individual III (III Ch Ind 20x60) Citizenguard Taalex shows pace Susanne Jensby Sunesen, Thy’s Que Faire, 72.886, €600 Ann Cathrin Lübbe, Porsborggaardens Donatello, 71.260, €500 Philippa Johnson-Dwyer, Lord Louis, 70.081, €400 as Wathelet camp celebrates win Competition D01 - CDI5* GP - Grand Prix (GP) Patrik Kittel, Deja, 77.100, €10,000 obstacles. I am going to ride the same Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Zaire, 75.560, Belgian star bags horse (on Saturday),” he added. €8000 “I really like to come here. The Judy Reynolds, Vancouver K, 74.320, €6000 €50,820 as CHI weather is perfect for the horses. Al Shaqab fiesta Everything is perfect here,” Wathe- Competition S09 - CSI3* Accumulator let said. (269) 1.30m concludes today “Yeah, it has been a good show so Khaled Abdulaziz Al Eid, Valuta S, 50.83 far. I cannot be happier. I just hope I seconds, €3000 can do another good run tomorrow,” Nasser Al Ghazali, Dynamic Diablo,53.65, Wathelet said. €2400 By Rizwan Rehmat “I am doing well. Every show we Saeed Nasser S.A. Al Qadi, Desperadito, 55.77, The Peninsula got to, we try to do our best. Some- €1800 times it works, sometimes not so CSI5* Table A (238.2.2) 1.55m well. We are now aware we are doing well. Today I was lucky,” he said with Gregory Wathelet, Citizenguard Taalex, 45.75 DOHA: Citizenguard Taalex showed a smile. seconds, €50,820 pace when it mattered yesterday as “I didn’t see Omar. I saw Kevin Omer Karaevli, Dadjak Ter Puttenen, 46.68, Belgian rider Gregory Wathelet won and I knew I had to do a fast time. €30,800 the top prize of €50,820 in the fea- The horses are so fast. Then I rode Kevin Staut, Elky van het Indihof Hdc, 47.68, ture event on day three of CHI Al really well. I was more concerned €23,100 Shaqab. what I can do, what my horse can do. Qatari rider Nasser Al Ghazali receives Wathelet, who managed two “I had the chance to win today a shield from Omar Al Mannai, Event runners-up spots on the first two and I am happy,” Wathelet said. Director, CHI Al Shaqab. days, yesterday saw Turkey’s Omar Karaevli said he wasn’t disap- TODAY’S SCHEDULE Karaevli power Dadjak Ter Puttenen pointed to finish second. to a fast time of 46.68 seconds in the “No, my target was for me to get Dressage 1.55cm class but Citizenguard Taalex good points for Olympic qualification “Yes I was very confident. I rode round in 53.65 seconds as Al Ghaz- yesterday included Demi Vermeulen 08:00am CPEDI3* Freestyle III (III FS 20x60) posted 45.75 seconds to seal the deal and to increase my lead over others. him on the first day and he had gone ali won €2400. (Burberry, 73.905, €600), Jens Lasse for Wathelet. So I am very happy with the result. down a bit. So I gave him a break on Desperadito, who had Al Qadi Dokkan (Cypres, 74.493, €600), 08:53am CPEDI3* Freestyle IV (IV FS 20x60) French giant Kevin Staut - For sure I would have liked to win the second day. My plan is to ride him in the saddle, completed his routine Nicole den Dulk (Faust, 73.056, 09:35am CPEDI3* Freestyle Ia (Ia FS) astride Elky van het Indihof Hdc but I am very happy and proud of tomorrow as well,” Karwaevli said. in a time of 55.77 seconds. Al Qadi €600), Camilla Christensen (Oester- - finished in third spot after clock- my horse,” Karaevli said. Earlier in competition 9, Saudi won €1800. gaardens Deleight, 69.167, €600) and 10:12am CPEDI3* Freestyle Ib (Ib FS) ing a time of 47.68 seconds at Al “Yes, think I have qualified. I Arabia’s Khaled Abdulaziz Al Eid Earlier in Dressage Grand Prix, Susanne Jensby Sunesen (Thy’s Que 10:57am CPEDI3* Freestyle II (II FS) Shaqab Arena. was leading my group from the last guided Valuta S to an impressive Swedish rider Patrik Kittel guided Faire, 72.886, €600) Karaevli won €30,800 while 15 months but the gap got a bit closer. win in the 1.30m class. Deja to a top score of 77.100 to pick Today the riders will compete for 12:30pm CDI5* GPS - Grand Prix Special (GPS) Staut - the winner of the feature For a week I was lagging behind. Qatar’s Nasser Al Ghazali, astride up the top prize of €10,000. the top honours in the two-round 14:30pm CDI5* GP FS - Grand Prix Freestyle event on day one - yesterday got But I did two good rounds. Dynamic Diablo, finished in sec- German rider Jessica von CSI5* Grand Prix which will start at to Music (GP FS) richer by €23,100. “In the Al Rayyan Championship, ond spot whereas compatriot Saeed Bredow-Werndl, astride Zaire, man- 5:30pm at Al Shaqab Arena. “I knew he (Citizenguard Taalex) I came second and in the Grand Prix Nasser Al Qadi guided Desperadito aged a tally of 75.560 to earn €8000. There will be six dressage com- Show Jumping is fast so I was only concentrating on I was sixth, which put me again in grabbed the third spot. Irish rider Judy Reynolds guided petitions also with CDI5* Grand Prix 13:00pm CSI3* Final - Table A (238.2.2a) doing well,” Wathelet said. the lead. With tonight’s result, it gives Valuta S clocked a time of 50.83 Vancouver to a score of 74.320 Freestyle to Music starting at 2:30pm, 1.45m “I know he can go faster. He me a very good lead. Still let’s wait seconds as Al Eid picked up the top points. Reynolds won €6000 for organisers said. 17:30pm CSI5* Grand Prix Two Rounds with did really well on 1, 2, 3, 4 and then till tomorrow, as it is deadline day,” prize of €3000. her efforts. The Grand Prix Special will start Jump Off 1.60m a short sprint towards the next the Turkish star said. Dynamic Diablo finished his Other dressage winners at 12:30pm.

Thumbs up for CHI Al Shaqab, says international media

The Peninsula tional media organizsations around the Netherlands, expressed his nothing short of phenomenal.” commentators I’ve spoken to have East, believes that ‘’Al Shaqab facil- the globe. amazement at the event and facil- Horse and Hound UK journal- said how happy they are to be par- ities are incomparable to any other The international media delega- ities saying, “I have to say that I am ist, Rachael Hook, “CHI Al Shaqab ticipating in the event and are equestrian stadiums in the world.” tion in Doha to cover the prestigious absolutely amazed at the ultra-mod- 2016 is an incredible event. It’s my equally impressed by the excep- “The level of detail that has gone DOHA: The prestigious annual CHI competition which comes to its con- ern equestrian facilities here at Al first time covering the event and I’m tional ultra-modern facilities and into Al Shaqab is highly impressive. Al Shaqab 2016 equestrian compe- clusion today in Doha has conveyed Shaqab.” “I have covered high profile so glad to be here. The event and the how well-organised the event is.’’ These arenas are without a doubt tition has already made vast strides their positive experience at the equestrian events Aachen, Germany facilities are unlike any other eques- Khaled Assam, Chairman of Olympic standard,’’ Assam added in the sports world and has attracted prestigious event. Robert Husken, which is meant to be the best in the trian facilities I’ve ever seen.” Horse Times magazine, the leading after watching the action on Thurs- attention of a number of interna- a freelance sports journalist from world, but this equestrian stadium is Hook added, “The riders and equestrian publication in the Middle day. .

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER Minimum: 19o C Maximum: 27o C

FAJR 04.38 am ZUHR 11.45 am MAGHRIB 05.40 pm HIGH TIDE 02:30 - 13:30 Misty to foggy at places at first becomes partly SHOROOK 05.54 am ASR 03.07 pm ISHA 07.10 pm LOW TIDE 09:45 - 19:30 cloudy with chance of scattered rain by evening.

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Chinese pianist Lang Lang performs in a transparent tunnel as sharks and fish swim overhead at the aquarium of the Valencia Oceanography INSTAGRAM OF THE DAY Centre, yesterday. Studio defends Saldana in film about Simone Consumer Awareness Campaign was held at Souq Waqif yesterday. Reuters should never be judged on the basis of African-American actresses who could response from the official Nina Simone Pic: Baher Amin colour, or ethnicity, or physical like- have played the role instead of Saldana. Twitter account run by the late sing- ness,” Johnson, also the founder of Black “Nina” follows the relationship of an er’s estate, which told the actress “Cool Entertainment Television (BET), said in older, troubled Simone and her former story but please take Nina’s name out LOS ANGELES: The studio behind a a statement. nurse, Clifton Henderson, played by your mouth. For the rest of your life.” film about African-American soul and “Quality entertainment should be British black actor David Oyelowo. A follow-up tweet from Simone’s jazz musician Nina Simone on Thurs- measured by the sheer force of creativ- Civil rights played a crucial role in Twitter account said “Hopefully peo- Google to unveil JJ Abrams’ day defended the casting of Zoe Saldana ity and the commitment that an actor Simone’s life and lyrics, with the singer ple begin to understand this is painful. in the lead role after the actress came or actress brings to the performance.” often drawing on struggles faced by Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, nau- under fire for not being black enough. Johnson’s statement followed the the African-American community in seating, soul-crushing. It shall pass, Lunar X Prize documentaries RLJ Entertainment founder and trailer release for the film this week that songs such as “Four Women,” “Missis- but for now...” “Nina” will be released Chairman Robert L Johnson said spurred criticism over Saldana’s dark sippi Goddam” and “To Be Young, Gifted in theatres and on video-on-demand Saldana, who is of Puerto Rican and skin makeup and for wearing a pros- and Black.” Saldana, best known for sci- platforms on April 22. A Netflix doc- Reuters government-run space programs Dominican ethnicity, should not be thetic nose to portray Simone. fi adventure “Avatar,” posted a quote umentary about Simone’s life, “What of the United States, the former judged on her colour, but on her per- The controversy comes amid a by Simone on Twitter this week, saying Happened, Miss Simone?” was nomi- Soviet Union and China have formance as Simone in “Nina.” larger spotlight on Hollywood’s diver- “I’ll tell you what freedom is to me- No nated for an Oscar this year but lost out landed spacecraft on the moon. “The most important thing is that sity issues. Numerous fans of Simone Fear... I mean really, no fear.” to “Amy,” about late singer Amy Wine- CAPE CANAVERAL: Having Abrams’ nine-part series, creativity or quality of performance took to social media to suggest other The tweet prompted a sharp house. Simone died at age 7O in 2003. mastered fictional renderings called “Moon Shot,” offers an of spaceflight, “Star Wars: The overview of the Google Lunar X Force Awakens” director JJ Prize contest and follows indi- Abrams (pictured) has turned vidual members from several of Elton John to rock his attention to a real space the teams, according to X Prize Back on Earth, US astronaut faces drama, with a series of Web- spokesman Eric Desatnik. based documentaries about a Each film is seven minutes ancient Roman Google-backed race to the moon. long. The entire series debuts on Produced by Abrams and March 15 on Google Play and on theatre in Pompeii science labs without the view directed by documentary film- March 17 on YouTube. In addi- maker Orlando von Einsiedel tion to his work on the latest (“Virunga”), the series chroni- “Star Wars” movie blockbuster, Reuters cles some of the 16 teams vying Abrams’ directing credits include Reuters for $30m in prizes for landing the first two films in a reboot and operating a privately devel- of the “Star Trek” big-screen oped robotic spacecraft on the franchise. ROME: Elton John will perform in an moon before December 31, 2017. Google paid for the docu- ancient Roman theatre in Pompeii in July CAPE CANAVERAL: The return of “The teams ... range from mentary project, a partnership as part of a world tour to showcase his new NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (pic- Silicon Valley tech experts, to of Abrams’ production com- album “Wonderful Crazy Night”, his Ital- tured) from the longest US space hackers in Germany, to IT spe- pany Bad Robot and Epic Digital. ian promoter said yesterday. mission on record will kick off a cialists in India, to a father and Terms of the deal were not The concert has not yet been listed wave of medical tests and experi- son (working) in a spare bed- disclosed. on the 68-year-old entertainer’s offi- ments intended to pave the way for room in Vancouver,” the X Prize The Google Lunar X Prize cial website but is advertised online by extended human missions to Mars. Foundation, which organized the is intended to spur commer- D’Alessandro e Galli. “Elton John in the Kelly, 52, was scheduled to give competition, said in a statement. cial development of lunar most evocative setting, July 12, Pompeii,” a news conference at Nasa’s Johnson So far only the exploration. the promoter’s website says. Space Center in Houston yesterday to Pompeii was covered in hot ash after discuss his 340-day mission aboard the Vesuvius volcano erupted in 79 A D. the International Space Station. The ancient city is one of Italy’s most He left the station on Tuesday in popular tourist destinations, visited by a Russian Soyuz capsule, landed in millions every year. wIt is still not clear Kazakhstan, then headed home to whether Elton John will perform in what Houston. “I’m used to going 17,500 is called the Large Theatre, which holds miles per hour, but this aeroplane about 1,400, or in the amphitheatre made doesn’t quite do that,” Kelly quipped famous by Pink Floyd in their 1972 film after a belated 2:30am EST/0730 in space is vital to the future of Amer- previous crews as part of a pilot pro- “Live at Pompeii”, spokeswomen for the GMT touchdown on Thursday at ican space travel. Hope gravity isn’t gram to help Nasa and its partners archaeological site and the promoter both Ellington Field near the Johnson a drag!” prepare for eventual human mis- said. Space Center. Kelly is undergoing initial med- sions to Mars that will last at least The Large Theatre, where Pompeii’s He was welcomed by a crowd ical checks at the space centre as two years. citizens once watched comedies and trag- that included Jill Biden, wife of Vice he starts recovering from his time Scientists are studying how the edies, has held ballet and classical music President Joe Biden, who gave him in the weightless and high-radia- human body fares during longer stays performances for the past two years. Pink beer and apple pie. “Welcome back tion environment of space. He and in space. Before landing, Kelly told Floyd’s performed without an audience in to Earth,” President Barack Obama Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Korni- reporters he had experienced some the amphitheatre over four days in 1971. wrote to Kelly on Twitter. “Your year enko served about twice as long as changes in his vision.