BUSINESS | Page 12 SPORT | Page 1 Xavi-less Al Sadd on edge ahead of INDEX DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 3 – 5, 23, 24 COMMENT 21, 22 Aviation industry REGION 6 BUSINESS 1 – 4, 10 – 12 Mesaimeer 17,017.00 9,912.92 34.55 ARAB WORLD 7, 8 CLASSIFIED 5 – 9 targets 1.5% fuel -339.00 +50.89 -0.40 INTERNATIONAL 9 – 20 SPORTS 1 – 12 -1.95% +0.52% -1.14% effi ciency a year clash Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978 SUNDAY Vol. XXXVI No. 9942 December 20, 2015 Rabia I 9, 1437 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals New Star Wars shines Opposition In brief sceptical REGION | Confl ict Heavy casualties in Yemen fi ghting Fierce fighting between government forces and Iran- over Syria backed rebels in Yemen produced heavy casualties yesterday amid UN alarm at ceasefire violations ahead of a final day of peace talks in Switzerland. At least 68 people were killed near the northern town of Haradh, which was overrun by peace plan loyalists on Thursday, military and tribal sources said. The casualties The plan was described as group hinges on a peaceful settlement were 28 troops and 40 Shia Houthi unrealistic by the Istanbul-based in the civil war. rebels, with another 50 Houthis National Coalition, the main Syrian “We know that Daesh can never be and 40 loyalists wounded. The UN Star Wars fans raise their lightsabers during Lightsaber Battle LA in Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. Star opposition grouping allowed to gain control in Syria so we confirmed that today would be the Wars: The Force Awakens raked in an estimated $120.5mn in its first full day in US and Canadian theatres, setting an industry have a global imperative here to deal last day of the talks. Page 6 record, Disney said yesterday. The movie is likely to become the highest grossing film in an opening weekend, Disney added, AFP with a terrorist entity but also to end while reporting that it had already made $250mn globally. Page 10 Beirut the civil war,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS. ARAB WORLD | Unrest He said Assad had “lost the abil- Turkey announces UN-backed roadmap to end the ity, the credibility” to unite and govern Iraq troop pullout Syrian war was met with scepti- Syria. A cism yesterday by members of But experts nevertheless see a nar- Turkey yesterday said it would the country’s fractured opposition who rowing of diff erences between the ma- “continue” to pull its troops Talks on seeking release of insist President Bashar al-Assad must jor powers. out of northern Iraq after US go to achieve peace. “The West and Russia’s position are President Barack Obama urged The US and Russian initiative, unan- coming closer together,” Alexander President Recep Tayyip Erdogan imously approved by the UN Security Baunov, a political analyst at the Carn- to do so in order to de-escalate kidnapped Qatari citizens Council on Friday, foresees talks be- egie Moscow Center, said. tensions with Baghdad over the tween the rebels and the regime and “Russia would not have voted for a deployment. “Taking into account a rapid ceasefi re, perhaps even next resolution in which it would have been the sensitivities on the Iraqi side... QNA his hope of securing the release of the that these eff orts will contribute to month. written that Assad needs to step down. Turkey will continue the process Doha/Baghdad Qatari citizens as soon as possible. their release as soon as possible. But the plan was described as unre- The absence of Assad is a form of com- it has already begun to withdraw For his part, Prime Minister al- For his part, the Iraqi Prime Min- alistic by the Istanbul-based National promise to get the resolution through.” its troops stationed in Mosul Abadi stressed that Iraqi security was ister stressed that the competent se- Coalition, the main Syrian opposition Karim Bitar, head of research at the province,” the foreign ministry said E the Prime Minister and working on releasing the Qatari citi- curity agencies are working hard for grouping. Institute for International and Strate- in a statement. Minister of Interior Sheikh zens. their release. The resolution “undermines the gic Aff airs, described the UN-backed HAbdullah bin Nasser bin Kha- Meanwhile, al-Abadi met in Bagh- The meeting was attended by Iraqi outcome of the meetings of revolution- plan as “a very signifi cant fi rst step” lifa al-Thani held yesterday a tel- dad with Qatar’s Assistant Foreign Interior Minister Mohamed Salem ary forces in Riyadh and waters down but added that “many ambiguities and AMERICA | Obituary ephone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister HE Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Ghabban, Iraq’s National Security previous UN resolutions concerning ulterior motives remain”. Musical maestro Minister Dr Haider al-Abadi. al-Rumaihi. Adviser Faleh al-Fayad, and a number a political solution in Syria,” coalition “Sunni regional powers still fear that They discussed developments in Discussions during the meeting of Iraqi offi cials. head Khaled Khoja said on Twitter. this pragmatism perpetuates the status Kurt Masur dies the kidnapping of Qatari citizens in dealt with the kidnapping of Qatari On the Qatari side, the meeting was Fellow coalition member Samir quo and allows Assad to stay too long Kurt Masur, the German conductor Iraq. HE the Prime Minister of Qatar nationals in Iraq, where HE Assistant attended by Qatar’s ambassador to Nashar said bombing by the regime during a transition period,” he said. who revitalised the New York expressed his appreciation to the ef- Foreign Minister expressed apprecia- Iraq Zayed bin Saeed al-Kharyeen and and Russia must stop for there to be a The Security Council resolution calls Philharmonic and played a forts of the Iraqi government in deal- tion of the eff orts of the Iraqi govern- the delegation accompanying HE the sustainable ceasefi re, otherwise “the for “free and fair elections” supervised key role in peaceful protests in ing with the situation. He expressed ment to follow up the matter, hoping Assistant Foreign Minister. agreement is absolutely not applicate”. by the UN within 18 months in which Leipzig that paved the way for The Security Council met after the all Syrians would be eligible to vote. the 1990 reunification of postwar latest round of talks by the Interna- More than 250,000 people have died Germany, died in Greenwich, tional Syria Support Group (ISSG), since the confl ict erupted in March Connecticut yesterday at age 88. which had gathered in New York to re- 2011, and millions more have fl ed their Masur’s distinguished musical new its push for peace. homes. career saw him rise from an Beijing on “In January we hope and expect to be Regime troops backed by Russian orchestra coach at a theatre in at the table and to be able to implement warplanes have sought to wrest back communist East Germany to a full ceasefi re,” US Secretary of State ground from Assad’s opponents in re- roles including music director of red alert John Kerry said. cent weeks. the New York Philharmonic and “And that means all the barrel bombs They suff ered a setback yesterday as principal conductor of the London will stop, all the bombing, all the rebels managed to recapture a hilltop Philharmonic Orchestra. AFP shooting, all the attacks on either side.” overlooking a strategic highway in As- Beijing The US and Arab allies remain con- sad’s coastal heartland, Latakia, just vinced Assad must leave offi ce as part days after they were forced to retreat. EAST ASIA | Pageant of the process, but his allies Moscow The Britain-based Syrian Observa- Spanish model claims eijing issued its second-ever and Tehran insist this is a decision for tory for Human Rights said 18 pro- Miss World crown red alert for smog and put its the Syrian people. government fi ghters and several rebels Bemergency response plan into The resolution does not touch on were killed. Spanish model Mireia Lalaguna action once again as severe pollution this vital issue. It also reported that Kurdish fi ghters was crowned Miss World 2015 after hit China’s capital yesterday. “We often hear the argument that from the People’s Protection Units yes- beating out 113 contestants from The notice from the capital’s envi- without resolving the Assad question, terday agreed a ceasefi re with Islamist across the globe last night at a ronmental bureau ordered factories to it is impossible to truly co-ordinate in militants in the Sheikh Maqsud neigh- coastal resort city in south China’s close and pulled half of all private cars the fi ght against terrorism,” Russian bourhood of Aleppo after three weeks Hainan Province. The pharmacy off the streets, among other measures, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. of clashes. student from Barcelona claimed as bad air fl ooded into the city for the Steam rises behind a wall of the Forbidden City, once the home of China’s “This is a dangerous logic, a danger- Dozens of people on both sides have the illustrious crown after winning third “airpocalypse” of the month. emperors, on a polluted day in Beijing yesterday. ous approach,” RIA Novosti news agen- been killed in the fi ghting, which also over the contest’s judges during The red alert, the highest tier of a cy quoted him as saying. involved Al Qaeda’s Syria affi liate, Al the 65th edition of the world four-colour warning system, will last ronmental Protection Bureau’s web- level alert has been issued since the Kerry, who has “agreed to disagree” Nusra Front, in the northern city’s famous pageant in China’s Sanya.