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Qatar-Asean Brilliant Kohli trade reached takes India into $16bn in 2014 World T20 semis

MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 • 19 Jumada II 1437 • Volume 21 • Number 6749 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar

Archaeologists Premier visits trained in Stone Age tool and East-West weapon making

By Raynald Rivera Corridor project The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatar Museums yester- Infrastructure Affairs, and Engineer day opened a training programme Nasser Ghaith Al Kuwari, Manager of for GCC archaeologists on the Major highway, key Ashghal’s Expressway Department. techniques of making tools and part of Expressway During the tour, Al Mawlawi and weapons in the Stone Age. other senior Ashghal officials briefed Under the patronage of its Programme, the Premier about the project’s scope Chairperson H E Sheikha Al expected to wrap up and the milestones achieved by the Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Authority so far. Thani, the workshop is organised next year. Al Mawlawi said in a press in response to a recommenda- statement: “The visit of the Prime tion from the 16th GCC Meeting of Minister to the construction sites Archaeology & Museums Under- The Peninsula of Expressway projects in south of secretaries, held in Doha last year. Qatar indicates his keenness to fol- Running until Thursday at the low-up closely on the progress and Museum of Islamic Art, “Tech- developments of the projects and niques of Making Weapons in the DOHA: Prime Minister and Interior fully support Ashghal in completing Stone Age” aims to educate par- Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin these projects. The visit also reflects Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani at the East-West ticipants on the history of human Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, visited the country’s commitment to sup- Corridor construction site. settlements in the Gulf, dating the construction site of the East-West porting the implementation of these back to the prehistoric period, Corridor project last Thursday. important development projects”. by exploring the different uses of The project is a vital part of the The East-West Corridor provide new access to key roads and Transport System and storm water been planned to reduce the reliance weapons and their importance in Public Works Authority’s Expressway Project includes construction of residential areas such as Al Matar drainage. The project will see the on vehicles and improve accessibility. both self-defence and for collect- Programme in the south of the coun- approximately 22km of a new dual Street, Najma Street Extension, Barwa installation of 2,842 metres of As part of the development, more than ing food. try and is expected to be completed carriageway. The new East West Access Road, F-Ring Road, the Orbital drainage lines, 78,000 metres of 6,000 street lights will be installed on By exploring the history of in the second quarter of next year. Corridor roads will feature five lanes Highway and Al Wakrah Bypass. irrigation lines, more than 80,000 the East-West Corridor. The Corridor weapons and their development The Premier was received by in each direction stretching from the Covering infrastructure metres of electrical high voltage will also link to Al Wakrah Bypass over thousands of years, the par- Engineer Nasser bin Ali Al Maw- west of Barwa City to Al Matar Street improvements in the area, the cables, and over 79,000 metres of Road as part of the Expressway Pro- ticipants will gain insights into the lawi, President of the Public Works south of the Air Force Roundabout. project will include the upgrade medium/ low voltage Cables. gramme in the South of Qatar. history of people in the Gulf. Authority (Ashghal), Engineer The project includes eight grade- and relocation of utilities, new road New and improved pedestrian Jalal Yousef Al Salhi, Director of separated interchanges that will lighting, installation of an Intelligent walkways and cycle pathways have → Continued on page 2 → Continued on page 2 Slashed AC importers and dealers hope for deadline extension roaming By Mohammed Iqbal electricity bills due to lower energy available in some other GCC markets energy-saving ACs, he said they will thousands of units with the old spec- rates from and Sanaullah Ataullah consumption. and they are now being introduced in be slightly higher than the existing ification and we have been revising The Peninsula The Ministry of Municipality Qatar. For several months, the author- ones. “However, the customers will the orders as per demand. How are April 1 and Environment has set the July 1 ities have been raising awareness in eventually benefit from low electric- we going to dispose of all these stocks deadline to phase out all air condi- the market about the new regulation. ity consumption,” he said. by July? The demand for ACs will start tioners not meeting the Qatari and Dealers may face problems in clear- He pointed out that despite only at the beginning of summer,” said By Mobin Pandit DOHA: Importers and dealers are Gulf standards from the local mar- ing the existing stocks and we are repeated reminders by the authori- an official. The Peninsula gearing up for the proposed ban on ket. Only energy-saving ACs will be expecting a grace period for imple- ties and several extended deadlines, The ministry has warned of legal conventional ACs which is expected allowed from that date. Import, sale, menting the new decision,” said a few in the market have anticipated action against traders and importers to come into force on July 1 but say display and storage of conventional senior official of a company dealing that the regulation could be imple- violating the rule but has not so far DOHA: Local telecom service they are anticipating a grace period air conditioners have been banned. in a popular brand of electrical and mented this year. mentioned about a possible grace providers Ooredoo and Vodafone to clear the existing stocks. Enquiries with wholesale deal- electronic products. Sources from another company period. will charge reduced roaming rates The energy-saving air condition- ers yesterday revealed that they “We are now placing new orders dealing in a different brand of ACs The Qatar General Organiza- within GCC states from April 1. ers that will eventually replace the have started placing orders for the with our manufacturers to deliver ACs said the traders will find it extremely tion for Standardization (QS) at the Qatar’s Communications conventional ones are expected to be energy-saving ACs meeting the new meeting the new specifications,” he difficult to clear their existing stocks ministry had said that it will conduct Regulatory Authority (CRA) said slightly more expensive. However, the requirements. added. by July 1. “From the beginning of intensive inspection campaigns after yesterday it has coordinated with customers will benefit from reduced “ Such products are already Asked about the prices of the this year, we have placed orders for the July 1 deadline. the two telecom service providers to launch the new roaming charges for their customers “as planned”. This is the first phase of imple- 5G service to mentation of the new regulation Palmyra retaken CyberKnife treatment on reduced roaming charges for the benefit of telecom consumers launch in 2018 in Qatar and the rest of the GCC to benefit dozens states, a CRA release said. The regulation applies to DOHA: The first stage of Oore- reduction in roaming rates for doo’s 5G network will be launched By Fazeena Saleem provide focused treatment of tumour voice calls, outgoing SMS and data in Qatar by 2018 and made com- The Peninsula tissue while sparing the surround- services in all GCC countries. mercially available two years later, ing normal tissue. These include Since the decision was a top company official said yester- brain tumours, which may lie close announced last year, CRA worked day. Once the 5G network is rolled DOHA: The CyberKnife treatment to structures such as the brainstem, with the service providers and out, Internet speed will jump to facility at the National Centre for the auditory or visual nerves. Pri- put in place the necessary regu- between 1GB and 10GB per second. Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR) mary and metastatic spinal tumours latory instructions to ensure they of the Hamad Medical Corporation ( in close proximity to the spinal cord had sufficient time to plan the HMC) is expected to benefit between and nerves are also indicated for this implementation. 65 die in Pakistan 50 and 100 tumour patients every treatment,” Dr Noora Al Hammadi, “Both service providers have year. The region’s first CyberKnife Senior Consultant Radiation Oncolo- been supportive in complying with suicide attack M6 FIM Suite opened in December gist and Chair of Radiation Oncology this new regulation,” the CRA said. last year facilitates state-of-the-art at NCCCR told this newspaper. The launch of this consumer- treatment and is likely to receive “Because of the robotic tracking friendly initiative is a direct result LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: A suicide patients from other countries in the capabilities of the unit, we antici- of the decision by the GCC Min- bomber killed at least 65 people region, besides Qatar. pate using the unit to treat tumours isterial Committee for Posts, and injured more than 280 oth- Generally, tumours in all parts in moving organs such as tumours of Telecommunications and Infor- ers, mostly women and children, of the body can be treated with the the lung and the liver. Tumours that mation Technology to reduce the at a public park in the Pakistani CyberKnife. It is a non-invasive are difficult to access through sur- rates for roaming, telephone calls, city of Lahore yesterday, striking at alternative to surgery, for both can- gery, such as skull based tumours or text messaging and data services the heart of Prime Minister Nawaz cerous and non-cancerous tumours. cancer patients who cannot undergo throughout the GCC countries. Sharif’s political base of Punjab. “At the NCCCR, we expect to use surgery due to other medical reasons Receiving SMS texts while in The blast occurred a few feet the unit to treat tumours which are may also be considered for Cyber- roaming will be free. The damaged Citadel Hotel after regime forces recaptured the from children’s swings. located in very close proximity to knife treatment,” he added. historic city of Palmyra, in Homs Governorate, yesterday. highly critical structures, due to the → Continued on page 6 → See also page 12 ability of the treatment machine to → Continued on page 6 02 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 HOME

Qatar condemns Al Wakrah Bypass project includes bomb attack in Iraq’s Babil 11km of new dual carriageway

Continued from page 1 The Peninsula & QNA and residential areas south of Qatar. The Orbital stretches from The new road will provide bet- Mesaieed to Al Khor city and Ras Al Wakrah Bypass project located ter connectivity between Doha and Laffan Industrial city. to the west of Al Wakrah, comprises Mesaieed. It forms a fundamental part of DOHA: Qatar has expressed strong the construction of 11km of new dual It will create free-flowing path the Expressway Programme provid- condemnation and denunciation of carriageway. connecting Mesaieed and Al Wak- ing better connectivity between the the bombing in Iraq’s Babil prov- The project starts near Al Mashaf rah city directly to the centre of Doha southern areas, Hamad International ince that killed and wounded Road and stretches up to Mesaieed without the need to travel through Al Airport and the New Doha Port. dozens of people. Road. Wakrah city. It also forms a free-flowing traf- In a statement, the Foreign It includes five major inter- The project also links to the New fic route without the need to travel Affairs expressed Qatar’s soli- changes along with access roads that Orbital Highway and Truck Route through Doha city, helping alleviate darity with the families of the will provide new access to key roads Orbital. congestion. Dr Aspa D Chatziefthimiou (left), from Richer Environments/ victims and the Iraqi government and people, wishing the injured a Environmental Consulting, with Andy Ford (right), from Gulf swift recovery. Contracting, and Kate Bygrave, Chair, CIHT Qatar, at the seminar. It also stressed the need for concerted efforts to fight terror- ism and eliminate the dangerous scourge. Doha among top 20

General Authority cities in WHO rankings of Customs The Peninsula and rich biodiversity that exist in launches Disaster Qatar. Andy Ford, from Gulf Contract- Recovery Site ing, discussed how the fast-paced DOHA: Doha has been ranked No. construction-growing Qatar is expe- 12 among the top 20 cities by World riencing air quality challenges. DOHA: The General Authority of Health Organisation (WHO), based Air pollution leads to environ- Customs, in collaboration with the on its ‘annual mean concentration mental and health concerns, which Ministry of Transport and Com- of fine particle matter’. Gulf Contracting are addressing by munications and an IT company, The need to consider sustain- minimising through the use of the has launched a Disaster Recov- ability, especially given the vast best practice in the construction Some of the participants at the programme. ery Site. number of infrastructure projects industry such as water spraying, The site will serve as a back– under way in Qatar, was discussed vertical barriers or wind screens, up for the continuity of service by two industry experts with a group extraction or ventilation, wet cut- under Al Nadeeb System in case of engineers and environmental ting and drilling techniques and of disruptions due to natural or Training programme to highlight planners at a seminar organised by the development of water reduc- other disasters. Chartered Institution of Highways tion plans on construction sites and The authority is the first and Transportation (Qatar Group) in workers’ accommodations. government entity to execute pre-historic settlements in Gulf recently. An additional initiative is the the project with the help of the Dr Aspa D Chatziefthimiou, from BIONEST waste water treatment ministry. Richer Environments/Environmental solutions, where almost 300 million Al Nadeeb is the single-win- Consulting, talked about the envi- litres of recycled water was gener- Continued from page 1 dow electronic clearance system participants to learn about early include training on making the dif- ronmental laws that are in effect ated from the BIONEST units in 2015, of the authority. human settlements in the Gulf region ferent types of weapons and tools, under the Ministry of Municipality of which over 26,000 trips of sew- The Disaster Recovery The five-day programme, which through a number of workshops and soft and hard forging, trimming and Environment, where develop- age and potable water tankers were Programme is an important includes participants from GCC, will field trips which investigate the his- through forging or pressing, and how ments must be adhered to. diverted from the road network. achievement considering that the be delivered by Faisal Abdullah Al tory of traditional weapons and their to make the most important tools, She also described the Envi- CIHT (Qatar Group) organises authority has massive customer Nuaimi and Khalid Al Sindi. development over time,” Al Kubaisi including axes, arrowheads, spears ronmental Impact Assessment technical events to maintain and data in its system since the launch Ali Jassim Al Kubaisi, Chief added. and bows. processes, focusing on services enrich the working knowledge of of Al Nadeeb. Archaeology Officer at Qatar Muse- The theoretical side of the pro- The programme will conclude provided by the consultancy such highways and transportation pro- For example, it has about four ums, said: “We are pleased to gramme will focus on the different with a field trip to a prehistoric as ecological surveys and baseline fessionals in Qatar. million customs declarations and organise this programme as part of weapons and tools used in the Gulf archaeological site in Qatar. studies that are integral parts of the CIHT Qatar is sponsored by more than 1,600 customs clear- our commitment to implementing in the prehistoric period, including It will allow the programme par- EIA. AECOM, Atkins, Dar Al Handasah, ing agents recorded in the system. the recommendations from the 16th their uses, how to identify and cate- ticipants to see flints and different Dr Aspa pointed out that despite DCE, Fugro, Gannett Fleming, The launch of Al Nadeeb has Meeting of Archaeology & Museums gorise them, and how to identify the tools across the site, as well as under- the harsh conditions of the desert Arcadis, TraffiConsult, White succeeded in providing round- Undersecretaries. raw materials used to make them. stand how the pieces are collected environment, life is buzzing all Young Qatar and WSP|Parsons the –clock customs clearance “The programme will allow Meanwhile, the practical side will and investigated by experts. around and she showcased habitats Brinckerhoff. services to agents, public and private institutions and other cus- tomers from any location in the world, electronically, thus reduc- ing time and efforts for customs Ministry signs MoU with QU on scholarships and training transactions. The launch of the programme is part of the authority’s efforts to upgrade the system. The Peninsula national growth and development in needs in the academic welfare pro- to providing training workshops for students with skills and knowledge The project will be a boon line with Qatar National Vision 2030. gramme and provide various levels of them. to join the jobs market following for customers too, as the disaster The MoU aims to lay the ground training, including English language Earlier this year, the ministry graduation. recovery programme has become for the development of success- training, and professional technical signed an MoU with QU to exchange Through its training programmes, an essential component of any DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and ful action plans by investing in certificates such as International expertise and carry out research the ministry seeks to provide a sup- company or organisation as los- Commerce yesterday signed a memo- national cadres at QU through Business Driving Licence (IBDL), and studies in the business sector to portive environment for university ing data can cause a real disaster randum of understanding with Qatar training programmes in the fields of International Computer Driving achieve mutual objectives. students to enable the new generation if there is no retrieval system. University (QU) on scholarship and management, accounting, finance, Licence (ICDL) and Certified Inter- Last summer, and within the of young Qataris to meet the require- The authority has achieved an training programmes for university customer service, leadership, and nal Auditor (CIA), among others. framework of cooperation with QU, ments of specialised job functions important strategic goal in ensur- students. legal expertise. The ministry will provide uni- the ministry launched a training pro- at the ministry and equip them with ing the continuity of Al Nadeeb The MoU is within the frame- The programmes aim to prepare versities with specialities based on gramme for male and female students practical and technical skills that services and securing informa- work of the ministry’s cooperation students for admission to job vacan- job vacancies and offer QU students at the Faculty of Management and enable them to perform their pro- tion and data in accordance with with QU as part of efforts to ena- cies at the ministry, enrol a larger the opportunity to train in disciplines Economics. fessional duties and responsibilities international standards. ble national cadres to contribute to number of students with special required at the ministry in addition The programme aims to equip in line with their university fields. Taqaddam programme launched to develop school kids’ life skills

The Peninsula launched in 10 Independent schools, flourishing and happy life,” he added. five girls’ schools and as many boys’ Abdul Hakeem Mostafawi, CEO, schools with 20 students from each HSBC Qatar, said, “With Taqaddam, school. HSBC is committing to invest in DOHA: The British Council, in part- Course content builds charac- the talent pool of the future with nership with HSBC Bank Middle ter strengths and soft skills such as an emphasis on developing critical East and the Ministry of Education team working, creative and innova- thinking and creative skills of young and Higher Education, has launched tive thinking and organisation skills. people. Taqaddam schools programme. It also seeks to instil principles of “The programme reflects HSBC’s Taqaddam is a special initiative to effective communication and critical community approach to invest support the development of life skills thinking and teaches young people to responsibly in the long-term pros- of 15-16 year olds in the Middle East take the initiative in future focused perity of the communities we work and North Africa (Mena) region. areas in life. in by giving young people skills for Research shows that demand in Frank Fitzpatrick, Director, work and life. It also makes economic the working world is shifting from an British Council Qatar, said, “The and social sense to do this, as oppor- emphasis on left-brain skills such as programme is designed to allow the tunities for businesses to expand subject matter knowledge and tech- young people to take an active role cannot be achieved without expand- Schoolchildren attending an activity as part of the initiative. nical know-how to right brain skills in their journey of personal develop- ing opportunities for young people in such as adaptability and imagination. ment. Through Taqaddam, we will the country.” Education researchers point to the enable students who will be part of Taught over seven weeks, the by trained teachers. “Through Taqaddam, our stu- youth succeed in today’s world and fact that Mena graduates appear to be the programme to identify, artic- course provides face-to-face work- Fawzia Al Khater, Director, Edu- dents have the opportunity to benefit they will enhance students’ capabil- lagging behind in this area. ulate and improve key character shops for teachers, helping develop cation Institute at the ministry, said, by developing crucial skills such as ities in learning, life and work.” The new programme aims to strengths such as resolve, confidence their capacity as educators in the area “We are confident that Taqaddam self-confidence, mettle, decision- In its pilot year, Taqaddam will equip Qatar’s students with essen- and purpose. of core skills followed by an online has the potential to seamlessly and making and the ability to maintain reach 1,620 youngsters in Qatar, Alge- tial life skills while expanding their “We see the development of these assessment for students and subse- effectively integrate life skills into the safety and health. ria, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, soft skills capabilities. It has been strengths as the foundation to build a quent development courses delivered school curriculum. “These skills are necessary to help Egypt and Lebanon. HOME MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 03

HMC’s paediatric services certified with Gold Seal of Approval in healthcare by JCI

The Peninsula healthcare entities. ill babies from all public and private To provide the best care for hospitals to the NICU for specialist babies and children, HMC has tertiary treatment. expanded facilities and introduced Hamad General Hospital has DOHA: Hamad Medical Corpo- quality services in paediatric care. introduced a new child friendly, ration’s (HMC) paediatric services “Caring for the growing number state-of-the-art clinic for its paedi- has been certified with a Gold Seal of newborns at Women’s Hospital atric patients. Children visiting the of Approval in healthcare from in Doha, Qatar, is a top priority for clinic are seen by the same multi-dis- the internationally-renowned and HMC. By expanding our facilities ciplinary team over time, creating a independent Joint Commission Inter- and enhancing services, we enable closer relationship between the child, national (JCI). our newborn and neonatal teams to their family and the care team. HMC recently underwent two deliver the safest, most effective and The Paediatric Emergency Officials with high school filmmakers at THIMUN. months of on-site inspections by JCI, most compassionate care to each of Centre (PEC) in Al Sadd has been which identifies measures and shares our patients,” said Dr Hilal Al Rifai, expanded to provide additional space best practice in quality and patient Medical Director, Women’s Hospi- and equipment to increase patient safety worldwide. tal, and Director, Neonatal/Perinatal satisfaction. Since the beginning of this Jan- Services. “We have achieved significant uary, a team of JCI experts and Women’s Hospital has expanded progress towards the development Young filmmakers honoured inspectors have examined over 1,400 its highly specialised, advanced Neo- of paediatric services due to the measurable elements in the hospitals natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for commitment, hard work and dedi- which make up HMC — all of which high-risk newborns, making it the cation of HMC staff at our facilities. Best picture award was pre- Cinematography — Mohammed have received accreditation under the largest unit in the region. They exemplify HMC’s commitment sented to Daniel Kai Shen from Ali Faisal Valiyaveettil from Birla Academic Medical Centre standards. The hospital also partnered with to provide the best patient care and The winners were Taipei American School in Tai- Public School in Doha for Human HMC remains one of the few Ambulance Services to launch a continuity of care in the country,” chosen from pei City, Taiwan, for Our Art, Our Capital; Best Story — Tulein Ham- international organisations that have nationwide emergency transporta- said Dr Mohammad Janahi, Chair- Voices. His compelling and emotive dan from the American Community achieved the accreditation for all its tion service that transports critically man, Paediatrics at HMC. 82 submissions film investigates the suppression of School in Amman, Jordan, for Grate- worldwide. indigenous people in Taiwan under ful and Best Poster — Seorin Park the rule of Japan and Kuomintang, from United World College of South and how the act of forbidding anyone East Asia in Singapore for Discom- from speaking their native tongue fort Women. Unstable weather again likely from today The Peninsula has affected their long-term cultural Lisa Martin, Director, THIMUN identity. Qatar, said: “We have a wonderful Ghufrane Daymi from Qatar display of young talent at this year’s Academy in Doha won best national film festival, with some of the most The Peninsula Thursday and Friday and thunder is warnings on its website and social DOHA: Talented young high school picture and best junior film for Life interesting and diverse films hav- also likely at some places. media accounts. filmmakers from around the world Between the Grains — a nostalgic ing been nominated. The THIMUN Fresh southerly wind will con- The routine weather forecast said were recognised at the seventh depiction of Qatar’s Bedouin herit- Qatar office is honoured to continue tinue until Tuesday morning, strong winds are likely this afternoon THIMUN Qatar Northwestern Film age, showcased through generations its partnership with NU-Q. Together, DOHA: A fresh spell of unstable changing to northwesterly-northerly and the seas will be high and witness Festival. discussing the peace of living in the we provide a unique opportunity for weather is expected in the country from early Tuesday afternoon. It will high winds. The winning films addressed desert, and their connection with the high school age directors to share from later today and may last until be fresh to strong with speed of 10 to Day temperatures would likely topics, including teen suicide, illiter- land where it is said their “money their films with the world. It is an the end of the week. 20 knots, reaching 28 knots at times. vary between 30 degrees C in places acy and child labour in India, social and roots were made”. inspiring group of students, and we A special bulletin issued by the Sea waves could jump up to four like Messaieed, Al Wakrah, Al Khor media’s impact on society, and spe- Voted by the guests, The People’s are honoured to have them at the weather bureau yesterday said Qatar to seven feet offshore. and Al Ruwais and 37 in Abu Samra. cific historical events such as Japan’s Choice Award went to Moham- film festival this year.” is likely to be affected by an extension The fresh northwesterly wind will During the day, Abu Samra will ‘Comfort Women.’ med Ali Faisal Valiyaveettil from NU-Q partners with Qatar of low pressure in the upper atmos- continue until the end of Thursday be the hottest and the coldest at night, The winners were chosen from Birla Public School in Doha for his Academy’s THIMUN Qatar office in phere beginning tonight that may with the possibility of blowing dust with the mercury expected to drop to 82 submissions worldwide. film Human Capital. Other win- hosting the annual international film continue until the end of the week. and low horizontal visibility of up to 20 degrees. “The festival offers talented high ners included Best Editing — Jacob festival for aspiring filmmakers. This will gradually lead to a 3km or less in some areas. In Doha, the day temperature will school students a chance to direct Nicholas Alcala from Winchester and The three-day event included partly cloudy to cloudy weather, with The Met Office has urged peo- peak at 32 degrees and the nightly their filmmaking skills towards Jebel Ali in Dubai for Connectedly workshops and local travel for par- chances of scattered rains, especially ple to exercise caution and avoid mercury will hover around 23. social problems and human issues Disconnected, Best Sound — Kevin ticipants. One workshop was given in the northern and western areas. sea activities during fresh winds Elsewhere, the minimum tem- that need illuminating,” said Everette Sun Yuanduo from United World by Northwestern alum Jaser Alagha The above condition may extend and weather changes and regu- perature will vary between 20 and E Dennis, dean and CEO, Northwest- College of South East Asia in Singa- on filmmaking and included a trip to other areas of the country on larly follow its weather updates and 22 degrees. ern University Qatar (NU-Q). pore for The Haunting Melody, Best to the desert to make a short film. 04 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 HOME

Al Jazeera to lay off 500 staff for workforce optimisation QCRI partners with Qatar Living

The Peninsula high quality, independent and hard- Qatar Computing hitting journalism around the world. “While our decision is consist- Research Institute ent with those being made across to incorporate DOHA: Al Jazeera Media Network the media industry worldwide, it was (the Network) yesterday announced difficult to make, nonetheless. How- natural language a reduction of its workforce as part ever, we are confident it is the right understanding of an optimisation initiative in step to ensure the Network’s long- connection with the ongoing trans- term competitiveness and reach,” technology on Qatar formation of the media landscape. he added. Living website. It is expected that around 500 posi- The optimisation initia- tions worldwide will be impacted, tive furthers the Network’s other the majority of which are in Qatar. announcements this year that reflect Mostefa Souag, Acting Director- the organisation’s commitment to The Peninsula General, said, “Over the past few its mission to inform and engage months, we have carefully evalu- audiences no matter who they are ated every option available to the or where they are, and consequently, Network to ensure that we are best to evolving its business operations. DOHA: Qatar Computing Research positioned in light of the large-scale Among them, recently the Institute (QCRI) of Hamad Bin Khal- changes under way in the global Network announced the future ifa University (HBKU) has partnered media landscape. expansion of its international dig- with Qatar Living, a rich source of “Based on the review, we have ital service across multiple platforms non-official information on Qatar, to embarked on a workforce optimi- into the US. incorporate natural language under- sation initiative that will allow us Launched in 1996, Al Jazeera was standing technology on Qatar Living to evolve our business operation to the first independent news channel website. maintain a leading position and con- in the Arab world to provide compre- QCRI’s Arabic Language Tech- tinue our recognised commitment to hensive news and live debate. nology (ALT) Group has worked on the advancement of the technology for over two years. In collaboration with engineers from Qatar Living, the development is ready for indus- Ministry recalls Nissan Altima try application, allowing visitors to the website the ability to easily and Officials at the event. quickly find answers to questions to 2013-2015 models save time. QCRI joined forces with our ability to build state-of-the-art search effectiveness and accuracy Processing has been incorpo- researchers from the Massachusetts technology in the field of natural lan- and, in the near future, the possi- rated into the website over the past The Peninsula vehicle defects and repairs. Institute of Technology’s Computer guage understanding.” bility of automatically deriving the week. The foundation research was The ministry said will coordi- Science and Artificial Intelligence The QCRI technology is based on veracity of information they receive. presented at last week’s annual QCRI- nate with the dealer to follow up on Laboratory (MIT-CSAIL) to develop machine learning and linguistic and Bilal Randeree, Managing Direc- MIT CSAIL research projects review maintenance and repairs and com- novel algorithms for language semantic analysis, enabling machines tor, Qatar Living, said, “As the most meeting in Doha. The research teams DOHA: The Ministry of Economy municate with customers to ensure processing on the data provided by to understand questions and com- popular local website in Qatar, we’re have begun developing a new type of and Commerce, in collaboration repairs are carried out. Qatar Living. ments by forum users. excited to be able to better help our Arabic language search technology with Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana, It urged customers to report any “The collaboration with Qatar By carrying out intelligent explo- users find the information they need and the next generation of seman- dealer of Nissan vehicles in Qatar, violations to its Consumer Protec- Living provides an excellent oppor- ration of textual data, computers by utilising the technology developed tic-based text search, featuring has announced the recall of Nissan tion and Anti-Commercial Fraud tunity to demonstrate our technology, can analyse user requests, and in a by the QCRI-CSAIL team. customised user interfaces, measur- Altima 2013-2015 models because of Department through call centre: and acquire insights from these few seconds, find key information “Because there is often a lack ing mechanisms for data reliability, a possible defect in the front engine 16001; email: [email protected]; real-world applications,” said Dr Ales- among the thousands of comments of reliable information available identification of malicious users and secondary hood lock. Twitter: @MEC_Qatar; Instagram: sandro Moschitti, Principal Scientist, on the Qatar Living website. With the related to different aspects of liv- near-duplicate search queries. To The ministry said the recall is MEC_Qatar; and the ministry’s QCRI, and Principal Investigator on introduction of semantic processing ing and working in Qatar, our users learn more about the initiative and part of its efforts to protect consum- mobile app for Android and IOS: the QCRI side of the project. “Our technology, Internet users are offered come to Qatar Living for help from other research being conducted at ers and ensure dealers follow up on MEC_Qatar research with MIT has strengthened benefits, including an increase in the community.” Natural Language QCRI, visit http://qcri.com/. Civic officials register 60 violations by food outlets

The Peninsula

DOHA: Inspectors from the Health Control Section of Doha Municipality paid 477 visits and conducted 33 surprise raids on food establishments and regis- Veterinary doctors check meat at a slaughter house. tered 60 violations of the Law No. 3/1975 during the campaign. They also issued 27 warnings to violators. Five violations of the provisions of Law No 8/1990 were also registered and 60 tonnes of food- stuff were found unfit for human consumption and destroyed. In light of the cam- paign, and reports of inspectors, the director of the municipality issued administrative decisions to shut down temporarily several food outlets for fail- ing to comply with health requirements. Veterinary doctors of the municipality last week checked 14,537 slaughtered animals, including 14,292 sheep, 125 cows and 120 camels and destroyed three tonnes of meat. Health inspectors also checked 324 tonnes of fish and found one tonne of it unfit for human con- sumption and destroyed it before it could reach consumers. Officials also destroyed 16 tonnes of vegetables and 50 tonnes of fruits during an inspection campaign last week at the Central Fruit and Vegetable Market. They reconciled with 40 food outlets after the latter complied with food safety and health requirements. These outlets included six in the Industrial Area and 34 in Doha. HOME MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 05 Qatari experts present live cooking QIFF marks Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture

Qatar International with a special zone Food Festival concludes today at The Peninsula Museum of Islamic Art Park, Katara Cultural Village, and the DOHA: Chinese food lovers have been enjoying Qatar Interna- Pearl-Qatar. tional Food Festival (QIFF) with a special zone celebrating the Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture. Stands from the Shangri-La Doha, Doha Marriott Hotel, Oriental Bowl and Spice Boat are offering special festival menus featuring peking duck burgers, shanghai pan fried dumplings, shrimp shu- The Peninsula mai, chicken dim sum, ginger egg drop soup and other oriental delicacies. “It has been a fantastic experience so far, we are happy to be participating in QIFF and to help showcase Chinese cuisine. “We feel very confident as a new hotel with the turnout that DOHA: Qatar International Food Fes- we have had and I believe the remaining days of the festival will tival (QIFF) has hosted live cooking be wonderful,” said Philip Reyamo, Manager, Shanghai Club, the presentations by Qatari culinary experts Shangri-la Hotel. to ensure wide participation of local The court offers visitors a wealth of Chinese fusion cuisine communities. served side-by-side with Qatari traditional dishes, marking the QIFF organisers have incorporated initiative which aims to create sustainable platforms for collabo- live cooking presentations by Qatari ration and cultural exchange between civilisations. vegan food guru Ghanem Al Sulaiti, Abi Sayed, Manager, Cafe Brouk, which serves local food such alongside the treasure of the Qatari as balaleet, khanfaroosh and date cheese cake, said, “I believe the kitchen, Umm Issa, who after decades incorporation of the Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture has lifted of professional cooking, lends her cook- the experience of the festival, as it is the first time Qatar and China ing talents to Ihsan (Qatar Foundation have zoned together. for the Elderly), where she is resident. “We believe that people are very happy with this collaboration Al Sulaiti, owner of the up and com- and we are proud to be presenting Qatar in this way.” Schoolchildren benefiting from a chef’s expertise at the festival. ing Evergreen Organics café, told Live Visitors at QIFF also have a chance to win two air tickets to any Cooking Theatre audiences: “I’m pas- destination in China by sharing their festival stories on social media. sionate about healthy eating and having with Special Needs, enabling them to Salam Al Shawa, Senior Vice- an initiative developed in partnership In partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Oore- a plant-based diet. Using organic food enjoy the festival’s offering and interact President, Marketing and Corporate between the Ministry of Public Health doo, Qatar Airways (QA) has launched a week-long social media and locally produced greens makes your with the cooks at their leisure. Communications, Qatar Airways (QA), and Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar competition encouraging visitors to submit their videos or pho- body react more positively and that’s “The festival is an important part said: “We’re so pleased that residents that uses media, digital and grass- tographs that express their experiences or memories from the something I want to raise awareness of developing Qatar’s tourism offering, from Qatar and visitors from around the roots campaigns to make information festival. The most compelling and distinctive entry capturing the about through QIFF.” and we wanted to make sure the com- world were able to join us at the festival. about healthy lifestyles and preventive true essence of the festival will win two return Business Class tick- Issa treated her audience to deep munity played a big part in it to ensure “We hope they enjoyed their time measures easily accessible to the local ets to Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong fried khanfaroosh and kebabs, tradi- it was reflective of Qatar’s culture and exploring the extensive range of activ- community. Kong or Shanghai. tional food she says are going out of traditions,” said Fatma Al Sayed, Coor- ities on offer in Doha and learnt some The initiative has a stand at the Faisal bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi, Director, PR and Communi- fashion because “everyone these days dinator, Festivals and Tourism Events, tasty tips from our talented regional Health Court, alongside Kulluna, an ini- cations, QTA, said “Now in its seventh edition, QIFF brings together is on a diet.” Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA). chefs. tiative by the Ministry of Public Health local residents and visitors to experience Qatar’s best culinary and Whether local or international, the “In the lead-up to this year’s edi- “The children from Shafallah Cen- and ConocoPhilips that helps visitors hospitality offerings. chefs’ expertise is available to school- tion we also took the festival to schools, tre received a warm welcome on board with the early detection of conditions “Events such as QIFF fit into the wider celebration of the Years children from across Qatar through having partnered with the Ministry of QA’s ‘A Taste of Business Class’ Dinner such as high-cholesterol, high blood of Culture, and this year we are delighted with the representations extended opening hours dedicated to Education, Your Health First, and Qatar in the Sky experience, where they had pressure and diabetes. of renowned Chinese chefs at the Live Cooking Theatre and Chi- visits from schools. Culinary Professionals to deliver a fun making memories with each other The festival concludes today at nese and Qatari restaurants serving their finest delicacies at the Last morning was set aside for stu- healthy food and nutrition awareness and our award-winning cabin crew.” Museum of Islamic Art Park, Katara Qatar-China Court. We invite everyone to join us during the remain- dents from Shafallah Centre for Children programme to 30 schools.” SahtakAwalan; Your Health First, is Cultural Village, and the Pearl-Qatar. ing days of the Festival to celebrate the nation’s multiculturalism.”

Ahmad Al Sayed, Deputy Director, Operations Affairs, Katara, and other officials tour the exhibition. Female students showcase paintings at Katara

The Peninsula includes a collection of paintings pre- interaction with the public,” said Al sented by the students of preparatory Sayed. school aged 12 to 15. The collection Soha Eid, a teacher at the school depicts abstracts and topics related and in charge of the exhibition, said: DOHA: The Cultural Village Foun- to nature and others painted using “The exhibition is an illustration of dation-Katara yesterday hosted a knives and painting paste. students’ creativity outside their painting exhibition featuring works “Katara is keen to nurture talents school. Organising such events is by female students of Ibn Al Arqam and encourage emerging genera- aligned to our school’s mission and Academy, at Katara Art Studios. tion for attain more creativity. The vision to hone students’ talents.” She Ahmad Al Sayed, Deputy Direc- Cultural Village has left no stone said similar initiatives will positively tor, Operations Affairs, Katara, unturned to embrace students’ tal- contribute to making them more con- inaugurated the exhibition that ents to pave the way for constructive fident to showcase their creativity. Ooredoo sponsors online security forum for kids

The Peninsula Qatar, Dr Haya Al Madhadi, Director to express their fears and risks they of the centre, children and parents. face online every day. The ‘I am responsible’ event “Our speakers will develop solu- aims to empower young people aged tions to raise awareness among DOHA: Ooredoo will support the first 10-15 years to take the role of lead- children and provide security and online security forum for children, in ers for safety on the Internet in their safety for other young people and partnership with Al Fursan Centre for schools and community and enable society,” Al Kuwari said. Training and Consultations. them to act as ambassadors for social The forum will discuss cyber- The conference will include a networking. crime; dealing with social media; forum where children can express The forum will train selected maintaining the privacy and protec- themselves and their opinions on young people to teach educational tion of devices; Internet addiction; Internet safety. It will also spread Internet skills they have learnt at the and electronic games. Speakers will awareness through young leaders event, giving them the opportunity to consist of some 20 children who on electronic crimes. develop communication skills, lead- will provide educational tools, each The sponsorship was agreed at a ership, creativity, innovation and a according to the method they prefer. recent ceremony attended by Fatima culture of social responsibility. The children will also invite Sultan Al Kuwari, Director, Public “We’re proud to sponsor the parents, friends, schools, and fellow Relations and Community, Ooredoo forum, as it will give kids a chance students to take part in the forum. 06 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 HOME QA signs wildlife transport industry declaration

illegal trade in African elephants, rhinos, some big cats, and pangolins that originates from and The United for Wildlife transits through East Africa. Transport Industry “We are proud to be part of this initiative that recognises the need to protect endangered Declaration focuses on species from illegal trade and transportation,” the illegal trade in African said Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive, QA Group. elephants, rhinos, big “It is important that we work together as an industry to prevent violations of the regula- cats and pangolins that tions in place to safeguard these animals and originates from and adopt a zero tolerance policy regarding illegal wildlife trade. “As one of the world’s leading transits through East airlines serving customers across six conti- Africa. nents, we acknowledge our responsibility to society, the community and the environment; therefore we have a strict policy governing the types of animals and animal products banned The Peninsula from carriage on board QA.” The declaration, supported by International Air Transport Association, commits the partici- Officials and aviation industry leaders at the declaration signing ceremony in London. pating airlines to increase passenger, customer, DOHA: Qatar Airways (QA) has signed the client and staff awareness about the nature, United for Wildlife Transport Industry Decla- scale and consequences of illegal wildlife trade. and other locations. transportation and hopes its leadership encour- recommendations and best-practice for the ration at Buckingham Palace in the presence It will develop mechanisms to enable the QA was one of a small group of aviation ages other airlines to work together to conserve transportation of live animals through its of the Duke of Cambridge and the Rt. Hon. the transport sector to receive and share timely industry leaders invited to attend the ceremony the world’s natural heritage for generations state-of-the-art hub in Doha. The innovative Lord Hague of Richmond. information about the transport of suspected in London. As an inaugural signature to the to come. airline offers transport and provides dedicated Ulrich Ogiermann, Chief Officer, Cargo, QA, illegal wildlife and their products, including declaration, QA acknowledges the scale and QA Cargo, the world’s third biggest inter- handling facilities for horses, domestic pets, signed the declaration, which focuses on the methods of transportation, key routes, ports complexity of the challenge of illegal wildlife national cargo carrier, adheres to industry livestock, tropical fish and small mammals. Qatar Executive takes delivery of second Gulfstream G650ER

The Peninsula of its kind — and is perfectly suited market-leading business jets, includ- for those whose travel needs include ing Gulfstream’s all-new G500 and flights halfway around the globe. G600, for which Qatar Executive is Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive, the global launch customer. DOHA: Qatar Executive, the private QA Group, said: “We are delighted The second Gulfstream G650ER jet charter division of award-winning to welcome a second Gulfstream features an identical cabin interior Qatar Airways (QA), has taken deliv- G650ER to our expanding private as the first G650ER, delivered at the ery of a second brand new Gulfstream jet fleet and to be able to provide our end of last year. The spacious state- G650ER. clients with more flexibility and an of-the-art aircraft has a two-cabin In time for the upcoming busy enhanced product portfolio. configuration and seats up to 13 pas- spring and summer season, Qatar “The G650ER allows our cus- sengers. Seats convert into fully-flat Executive now has two luxurious tomers to reach the main business beds, so that seven guests can easily Gulfstream G650ER aircraft ready centres around the world in the short- sleep on board, and provides a three- for charter to meet the requirements est possible time, to travel in superior seater-divan in the jet’s aft cabin. of its affluent clientele. comfort and take more luggage along The cabin interior is kept in a clas- There are very few business jets than on other jets in this category.” sic-contemporary style, combining The spacious state-of-the-art aircraft has a two-cabin configuration and seats up to 13 passengers. of this calibre available in the charter Since Qatar Executive welcomed understated luxury and timeless ele- market and the Gulfstream G650ER is its first Gulfstream G650ER into its gance through a natural colour palette highly sought after among the global dynamic private fleet, the airline’s ranging from earthy tones of the wal- Gulfstream’s Cabin Management Sys- their window. — so customers can travel at 90 per- travelling elite, who value its phe- charter operation has received an nut brown wooden veneers to the tem, which allows passengers to use Further stand-out features of the cent of the speed of sound. nomenal range capabilities, industry excellent market response from the china-white leather seating and fin- their personal electronic devices to Gulfstream G650 are the fact that it The G650ER complements Qatar leading cabin technology and unpar- travel-savvy private jet community est woollen Loro Piana fabrics with control audio, video, lighting, tem- has the lowest equivalent cabin alti- Executive’s long-range fleet of one alleled passenger comforts. who recognise the speed and range soft brown fishbone patterns. perature, window shades and other tude of any business jet and the cabin Gulfstream G650ER and eight modern Qatar Executive’s G650ER air- benefits the aircraft offers on ultra The cabin is not only comforta- cabin functions. air is replenished 100 percent every Bombardier aircraft, including three craft can easily fly non-stop from long-haul sectors. ble but contains the most advanced The interior cabin has 16 pan- two minutes. Challenger 605s, four Global 5000s, a the Middle East to North America or Qatar Executive received its technology, including satellite com- oramic windows, the largest in The G650ER can travel 7,500 Global XRS and a 40-seat Airbus A319 from destinations in Asia to Africa first G650ER in December 2015, fol- munications, high-speed Internet, business aviation, perfectly posi- nm/13,890km at Mach 0.85 and All-Premium Class aircraft, all avail- — further, faster than any other jet lowing an order for up to 30 new wireless local area network and tioned so that every passenger has 6,400 nm/11,853km at Mach 0.90 able for worldwide charter. RAF helps Syrian displaced families CyberKnife treatment to The Peninsula benefit about 100 a year

DOHA: Sheikh Thani Bin Abdul- Continued from page 1 lah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF) is funding small businesses for needy families From the current caseload displaced in five Syrian cities — seen at the NCCCR, it is antic- Aleppo, Homs, Daraa, Hama and ipated that approximately Idlib. 50 to 100 patients per year The project aims to generate will benefit from CyberKnife income for beneficiary families treatment. The Department of for their livelihood and make them Radiation Oncology at NCCCR self-dependent. is meant to provide timely It is being implemented in access and world class quality cooperation with local partner Al A displaced family at their stationery shop funded by RAF. treatment to any patient indi- Sham Humanitarian Foundation to cated for radiotherapy. provide business opportunities for Referring to potential tens of families displaced in Syria. As per the contracts, they are workshops for metalwork, garages, patients from the region, A survey was conducted to select being provided with consultancy carpentry, tailoring shops, shoe- Dr Al Hammadi said, “Any the most deserving families. Con- services and other support. making, stationery and electric patient can access services at tracts were signed with beneficiary The businesses being financed shops. HMC, whether local, regional families after they got approval to by RAF include poultry, ani- The families will own their or international. If a patient begin their businesses. mal breading and dairy farms, businesses completely. is referred through the Multi- disciplinary Tumour Boards at HMC they will have access to the best available radiother- apy treatments including the Roaming charges cut to be gradual CyberKnife.” The NCCCR treated a total number of 450 patients in 2014 Continued from page 1 Chairman of the GCC Roaming A comprehensive mechanism in the Radiation Oncology Working Group, said that reduc- was also developed to collect Department. The patients that The reductions in roaming tion rates in roaming charges are data in a periodic, unified and received radiation oncology is charges on both the inter-opera- to reach 40 percent in the current organized manner, to help deci- about half of the total oncology tor wholesale level and end-user phase. The first phase of the new sion-makers and the working patients seen at the NCCCR, retail level will take place gradu- regulation (2016) is expected to group to be up-to-date with all the according to Dr Al Hammadi. ally, over a three-year period, for save $1,137m ($1.137bn) for mobile developments in the roaming serv- In Radiation Oncology, the voice calls and SMS services, and phone subscribers in GCC coun- ice market and to enable them to NCCCR recently introduced a over a five-year period for mobile tries and to boost social welfare monitor and ensure effective appli- MRI-guided ultrasound treat- data services. by $404m. cation of the regulation. The CRA ment for cancer patients with The decision aims at enhanc- A dedicated working group remains committed to continuing tumours that have spread to ing cooperation among the GCC from the GCC countries will moni- its efforts to promote competition the bone, and cause debili- states in the field of communica- tor the service charges on a regular in the communications sector, and tating pain. “We are the sole tion for the benefit of GCC citizens. basis and provide necessary rec- ensure that the benefits are passed Centre in the region to offer Adel M Darwish, Head of ommendations to the Ministerial on to consumers, and boost the this therapy and the out- International Relations at the Committee for Posts, Telecom- availability of advanced, innova- comes for our patients to date Telecommunications Regula- munications and Information tive and reliable services in Qatar, have been excellent,” said Dr tory Authority of Bahrain and Technology. said the CRA release. Hammadi. MIDDLE EAST MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 07 Islamic State thrown out of Palmyra

out of the city of Ramadi in neigh- to retake Palmyra, which is home to 180 regime and bouring Iraq, the first major victory some of the most extensive ruins of for Iraq’s army since it collapsed in the Roman empire. allied troops killed in the face of an assault by the militants Islamic State militants dynamited operation to retake in June 2014. several monuments last year, and Islamic State has lost ground else- Syrian television broadcast footage ancient city. where, including the Iraqi city of Tikrit from inside Palmyra museum yester- and the Syrian town of Al Shadadi in day showing toppled and damaged February, as its enemies push it back statues, as well as several smashed and try to cut links between its two display cases. Agencies main power centres of Mosul in Iraq Syria’s antiquities chief said other and Raqqa in Syria. ancient landmarks were still standing On Friday, the United States said and pledged to restore the damaged it believed it had killed several sen- monuments. “Palmyra has been liber- BEIRUT: Syrian government forces ior Islamic State militants, including ated. This is the end of the destruction backed by heavy Russian air support Abd Ar Rahman Al Qaduli, described in Palmyra,” Mamoun Abdelkarim drove Islamic State out of Palmyra as the group’s top finance offi- said yesterday. “How many times did yesterday, inflicting what the army cial and aide to its leader, Abu Bakr we cry for Palmyra? How many times called a mortal blow to militants who Al Baghdadi. did we feel despair? But we did not seized the city last year and dyna- Islamic State and Al Qaeda’s lose hope.” mited its ancient temples. Syrian branch the Nusra Front are The loss of Palmyra represents excluded from a month-long cessation HOPE FOR ARTEFACTS one of the biggest setbacks for the of hostilities in Syria that has brought Ancient artefacts in the city of ultra-hardline Islamist group since a relative lull in fighting between the Palmyra are in much better shape it declared a caliphate in 2014 across government and rebels battling Assad than expected, Syria’s antiquities chief large parts of Syria and Iraq. in the west of the country. said yesterday. The army general command said The limited truce has allowed Antiquities director Maamoun that its forces took over the city with indirect peace talks to resume at Abdulkarim said much of Palmyra’s support from Russian and Syrian air the United Nations in Geneva, spon- old city was intact and his department strikes, opening up the huge expanse sored by Washington and Moscow. would try to restore relics destroyed of desert leading east to the Islamic But progress has been slow, with the during the jihadists’ nearly year-long State strongholds of Raqqa and Deir A tourist sign at the ancient city of Palmyra, after government troops recaptured the Unesco world heritage government and its opponents deeply rule over the city. Al Zor. site from the Islamic State group, yesterday. divided over any political transition, “We were expecting the worst. Palmyra would become “a particularly whether Assad must leave But the landscape, in general, is in launchpad to expand military oper- power. good shape,” he said. “We could ations” against the group in those buildings. It quoted a military source a great collapse in the morale of its the city would be rebuilt. The government delegation, which have completely lost Palmyra,” said two provinces, it said, promising to saying Syrian and Russian jets were mercenaries and the beginning of its “Palmyra was demolished more portrays the fight against terrorism as Abdulkarim. “tighten the noose on the terrorist targeting Islamic State fighters as they defeat,” the army command state- than once through the centuries ... Syria’s overriding priority, will return “The joy I feel (today) is indescrib- group and cut supply routes ... ahead fled, hitting dozens of vehicles on the ment said. and we will restore it anew so it will to the talks next month bolstered by able,” he said in a telephone interview of their complete recapture”. roads leading east from the city. In a pointed message to the United be a treasure of cultural heritage for its battlefield gains. from Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Russia’s intervention in Septem- States, which has led a separate the world,” Syrian television quoted “The liberation of the historic Known to Syrians as the “Pearl of Human Rights said clashes contin- ber turned the tide of Syria’s five-year Western and Arab coalition against Assad as saying. city of Palmyra today is an important the Desert”, Palmyra is a well-pre- ued on the eastern edge of Palmyra, conflict in Assad’s favour. Despite its Islamic State in Syria and Iraq since Observatory director Rami achievement and another indication served oasis and boasts colonnaded around the prison and airport, but declared withdrawal of most mili- 2014, the military command said its Abdulrahman said 400 Islamic State of the success of the strategy pursued alleys, elaborately decorated tombs the bulk of the Islamic State force had tary forces two weeks ago, Russian gains showed that the army “and its fighters died in the battle for Palmyra, by the Syrian army and its allies in the and ancient Greco-Roman ruins. withdrawn and retreated east, leav- jets and helicopters carried out doz- friends” were the only force able to which he described as the biggest war against terrorism,” Syrian televi- Since it overran the city in May ing the city under President Bashar Al ens of strikes daily over Palmyra as uproot terrorism. single defeat for the group since it sion quoted Assad as telling visiting 2015, IS destroyed the grand Temple Assad’s control. the army pushed into the city. In a phone call with Russian announced its cross-border caliphate French parliamentarians. of Bel, the shrine of Baal Shamin, and Syrian state-run television broad- “This achievement represents a President Vladimir Putin, Assad said nearly two years ago. The loss of The Observatory said around several funerary towers, which the cast from inside the city, showing mortal blow to the terrorist organ- Russia’s air support had been essen- Palmyra comes three months after 180 government soldiers and allied ultraconservative Muslim extremists empty streets and badly damaged isation and lays the foundation for tial in taking back Palmyra, and said Islamic State fighters were driven fighters were killed in the campaign see as blasphemous.

Air strikes kill 5 Qaeda Somali pirates on trial suspects in France for hijacking in Yemen AFP rescuers that her husband’s body AFP had been dumped into the sea. It was never found. PARIS: Seven suspected Somali She had spent a nightmarish 48 ADEN: Saudi-led coalition war- pirates are due in court in Paris hours in the hands of the pirates, planes carried out a series of raids tomorrow over the hijacking of a kept under a tarpaulin, drenched by in southern Yemen yesterday tar- French yacht that left the owner waves and in constant fear of death. geting Al Qaeda positions that dead and his wife facing a hellish The trial of the seven men, aged killed five suspected militants, a kidnapping ordeal. between 25 and 32, is due to run for Yemeni military official said. Christian and Evelyne Colombo a fortnight from March 29. The official, who requested had sold everything to make their They have given their professions anonymity, said the jihadists were dream voyage around the world. as policeman, taxi driver, fisherman killed in air strikes that targeted But around lunchtime on Sep- or even “coolie” — a old colonial-era buildings in the city of Zinjibar, tember 8, 2011, naval authorities term meaning “porter”. including an intelligence and spe- received a distress signal from their They face possible life imprison- cial forces headquarters occupied “Tribal Kat” catamaran. ment if convicted. by the militants. They had left the port of Aden At least one may not face trial, Several people were also in Yemen five days earlier and were having reportedly developed psy- wounded and taken to a hospital in heading for Oman, a journey that chological problems in prison — a the nearby town of Jaar, the official took them through notoriously result not just of the isolated deten- said. An abandoned army weapons pirate-infested waters. tion they currently face, but also of factory in Jaar which the jihadists A German frigate found the boat the miserable lives they experienced had taken over was also hit, the several hours later. There were bullet before. “War... hunger... for these men official added, but was unable to holes in the deck and a pool of blood to properly judged, the court must say if there were any casualties. with a pair of glasses floating in it. understand the hell from which they Other raids carried out by No one was onboard. have come,” said one of their law- the Saudi-led coalition struck Two days later, a Spanish war- yers, Martin Reynaud. suspected Al Qaeda positions in ship located the skiff suspected to He added that this could only second city Aden at dawn, accord- belong to the pirates. They tried to explain rather than excuse their ing to the same official. approach but turned away when the actions, and said he was conscious of It was not immediately clear if attackers dragged Evelyne Colombo the ongoing pain experienced by the anyone was killed or injured. into view, a gun to her head. widow and two daughters left behind Al Qaeda in the Arabian Penin- The Spanish military prepared a by Christian and Evelyne Colombo. sula (AQAP) has taken advantage raid and attacked a few hours later, The accused have claimed the of Yemen’s war between Iran- leaving two pirates dead and the two men killed during the assault backed rebels and pro-government remaining seven arrested. were the leaders of the operation, forces. Evelyne Colombo told her according to a police source. Anti-terror coalition meet in Saudi Arabia

AFP complement previous efforts exerted” a mainly Gulf Arab coalition that in the fight against “terrorist” groups, launched a military intervention Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed Al against Iran-backed rebels last year RIYADH: Military chiefs from 39 Assiri told reporters following the in Yemen. countries met yesterday in Riyadh talks. Assiri said that Riyadh has for talks on a Saudi-initiated inter- “We are at the stage of laying the offered premises and funds for a national “anti-terrorism” coalition. foundations. We have not discussed coordination centre for the new Saudi Arabia announced the specific details,” he said. grouping. creation of the coalition in Decem- Several members of the group, He said the coalition would ber, saying its members would share including Saudi Arabia, are part operate within the limits of “UN reso- intelligence, counter violent ideol- of the US-led coalition bombing lutions and recognised conventions.” ogy and deploy troops if necessary the Islamic State group in Iraq and He said the meeting of military to combat extremists. Syria. chiefs paved the way for a meeting of “This coalition comes to Saudi Arabia is also leading defence ministers in the “near future”. 08 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 MIDDLE EAST Civilian exodus as battle for Mosul hots up

advance as the first phase of what is expected to be a long and difficult operation to retake Mosul, Scant support from the country’s second city and the largest urban government as authorities centre in IS’s cross-border “caliphate”. In the desert west of Makhmur, dust storms struggle to deal with were whipped up by the line of vehicles fleeing thousands fleeing conflict. IS-held territory, including a pickup carrying four women and 10 children in the back. A bearded man in a yellow dishdasha traditional gown emerged from the dust, holding the body of a AFP young girl wrapped in a blanket. “She is dead, she is dead,” he cried, his face caked in dust. His daughter, whose back was riddled with MAKHMUR: Thousands of desperate civilians shrapnel when shells rained down on their escape, were fleeing fighting yesterday on the new front was covered in blood. opened by Iraqi forces against the Islamic State “Some entire families have died,” the father group south of the city of Mosul. said. Families crammed in the back of pickup The battle has so far focused on four villages trucks, sometimes bringing dead and wounded west of Makhmur. Qayyarah, an area that includes with them, emerged from the dust after cross- a former air base and an oil facility, lies to the ing the front line and were met by Kurdish forces. west, on the other bank of the Tigris River. Iraqi army troops and allied paramilitary Smain Nuweis fled the village of Kharbardan fighters on Thursday launched a major offensive with his family of seven squeezed into the back aimed at retaking the northern Nineveh prov- of his Opel. ince, the capital of which, Mosul, is the main hub “We have seen a lot of suffering,” the 28-year- of IS in Iraq. old said. “And it got worse now with the shelling.” The forces have been advancing from their “Daesh will not allow the people to flee, they base in Makhmur towards the town of Qayya- want them to stay,” said Nuweis, using an Ara- rah, about 60km south of Mosul. bic name for IS. Growing numbers of civilians have been flee- The provincial council official urged the ing the advance to Makhmur where they are being government to do more for the flow of displaced assisted by Kurdish peshmerga forces. people, who were given little more than water “So far we have received around 3,000 peo- upon reaching the peshmerga. ple and the numbers are growing every day,” Ali “We need to open camps and provide urgent Khodeir Ahmed, a member of Nineveh’s provin- assistance. These people’s situation is very bad, cial council, said in Makhmur. they were barely able to take any belongings with “But there are no services offered to them by them,” said Ali Khodeir Ahmed. the Iraqi government, we have to put them up in More than 3.3 million people have been dis- a stadium in Makhmur,” he said. placed by conflict in Iraq since the start of 2014, Iraqi soldiers fire mortar shells as they hold a position on the outskirts of Makhmur, about 280km north of the capital The Iraqi government has described the according to figures from the United Nations. Baghdad, during a military operation to recapture Nineveh province and its capital Mosul from Islamic State group jihadists.

Rockets kill Turkish soldier Anxious Christians worry about shrinking community in northern Reuters extinction. This is a harsh word but The church provides food and and Yazidis once coexisted. bound to stay. Christianity in Iraq every day we are being depleted. Our money to 45 families displaced from “Very few people are thinking dates back to the first century, when Iraq base people are travelling, migrating,” said Mosul by the ultra-hardline mili- about returning to Mosul,” she said. it was said the Apostles Thomas and Father Muyessir Al Mukhalisi, a priest tants, who issued an ultimatum to Bishop Basilio Yaldo preached Thaddeus brought the Gospel to the BAGHDAD: Iraqi Christians gath- at Saint George’s Chaldean Church in Christians in 2014: pay a tax, convert against retribution on Friday. fertile flood plains of the rivers Tigris Reuters ered in Baghdad this weekend but east Baghdad. to Islam, or die by the sword. The Some Christians fight with the and Euphrates. were tempered by fears Islamic State Like millions of other Iraqis jihadists then stripped hundreds of security forces while others have The country is traditionally would eradicate their shrinking com- forced to leave home by the jihad- Christian families of their possessions taken up arms and formed militias home to many different Eastern Rite munity, even as the army launched a ist group’s seizure of a third of the as they fled. to defend their lands against Islamic churches, both Catholic and Ortho- ISTANBUL: A Turkish soldier US-backed offensive to retake Mosul, country, members of the Christian Huda Meti Saeed, 30, who State on the plains of Nineveh near dox, and their presence was once was killed and another wounded their ancestral homeland. minority have moved from northern attended weekend services with her Mosul, but the cleric’s message a sign of Iraq’s ethnic and religious in northern Iraq late on Saturday In mid-2014, Christians in Mosul towns and villages to the capital or husband and three young children, seemed to resonate with attendees. diversity. when rockets fired by Islamic State were forced to flee when Islamic State other cities, and many have joined the said her family left Mosul two years “Since we were young, we were But now Christians say they are during clashes with Iraqi Kurdish seized the northern city and began masses fleeing to Europe. ago. An uncle living there was kid- raised that there should be love often denied freedom of expres- fighters landed in a base where destroying centuries-old religious Their numbers have fallen to a napped and killed around the same and tolerance,” Reem Paulis Saada, sion in the predominantly Muslim Turkish troops were deployed, the sites, ending a presence that once few hundred thousand from about time. a 27-year-old church volunteer, country, and like many Iraqis, lack army said. numbered in the tens of thousands 1.5 million before the US-led inva- “We cannot return. Our neigh- said after the mass. “I will not seek security, basic services and economic Nato member Turkey, part and dates back to Christianity’s ear- sion in 2003. bours came and took our house. They revenge. What would I gain from opportunity. of the US-led coalition against liest years. Around 250 worshippers packed wanted to take us hostage and take all revenge? It will come back to hurt “The issue is: what comes after the Islamic State, sent troops to US-backed Iraqi forces launched the pews for a Good Friday mass at our valuables,” she said. me.” liberation of Mosul?” said Mukhalisi, northern Iraq in December, cit- an offensive against Islamic State the Catholic church fortified with con- The family does not plan to emi- Saada, a pharmacist who devotes the priest, suggesting the Baghdad ing heightened security risks last week touted as the beginning of crete blast walls, concertina wire and grate but even if the militants are much of her free time to the church, government needed to do more to near Bashiqa, where its soldiers a broader campaign to clear areas armed policemen. soon expelled, Saeed said she ruled added that although she was not protect Christians in areas under its have been training an Iraqi mili- around Mosul, though progress has The congregation sang hymns out taking her family back to Mosul, hopeful about the future in Iraq, as control. “Thinking only about liber- tia to fight Islamist militants. been slow. alternating between Arabic and a var- the largest city in the north where one of the last members of her fam- ating Mosul does not provide relief to Baghdad objected to the Turkish “We are threatened with iant of the ancient Aramaic language. Sunni and Shia Muslims, Christians ily still living in the country she felt Christians.” deployment. “Islamic State targets identi- fied in the region have been shot back at,” the Turkish military said in a statement. Davutoglu in Amman Netanyahu defends trooper Hurriyet newspaper quoted a later statement saying the army has fired artillery from the camp who shot wounded Palestinian on Islamic State targets while addi- tional targets have been struck by Turkish warplanes and jets from AFP threatened to further inflame tensions the US-led coalition. amid a wave of violence that erupted “Four Islamic State targets in October. have been bombarded by war- JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin It showed a 21-year-old Palestinian, planes from the coalition forces. Netanyahu defended the Israeli army who along with another man had alleg- An additional of four targets have yesterday as controversy gripped the edly stabbed a soldier minutes earlier, been fired at intensely by Turkish country over a soldier caught on video lying on the ground, apparently after warplanes and been destroyed,” shooting a Palestinian assailant in the being shot. the statement quoted by the paper head as he lay on the ground. The soldier then shoots him again, said. Saturday’s incident came less The incident on Thursday led to the in the head, without any apparent prov- than a week after Islamic State soldier’s arrest and strong condemnation ocation. The Palestinian, Abdul Fatah militants attacked the Bashiqa from military officials, but some right- Al Sharif, was killed. military base, triggering a retal- wing politicians and their supporters Sarit Michaeli, a spokeswoman for iation from Turkey. have reacted angrily to the response. Israeli rights group B’Tselem, which The Turkish army said on Sat- Netanyahu on Thursday joined con- posted the video, called it an “execution”. urday the rockets had landed near demnations of the soldier’s behaviour The UN’s special coordinator for the Gedu base area. Local sources but appeared to backpedal slightly yes- the Middle East peace process, Nick- said this referred to a site on the terday in remarks at the start of a cabinet olay Mladenov, called it “a gruesome, frontline north of Mosul, near to meeting. immoral and unjust act”. Bashiqa. Last week, backed by “Any challenge to the morality of the The soldier was detained, and Kurdish peshmerga fighters and IDF (Israel Defence Forces) is outrageous Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon vowed the US-led coalition, Iraqi forces and unacceptable,” he said. that the incident would be treated with launched an offensive against “The soldiers of the IDF, our children, “utmost severity”. Islamic State in the Makhmour maintain high ethical values while cou- But far-right politicians, including area, southeast of Mosul, that was rageously fighting against bloodthirsty Education Minister Naftali Bennett, have touted as the start of a broader murderers under difficult operational defended the soldier, while members of campaign to clear areas around conditions. “I am certain that in all cases, his family reportedly said he was being the city. Mosul is by far the larg- as in the current one, the inquiry takes publicly “lynched” and would not receive est population centre controlled into account all conditions. We must all a fair trial. by the Islamic State militants and support the IDF chief of staff, the IDF and Bennett questioned whether the has already been cut off on three our soldiers, who safeguard our secu- soldier thought the Palestinian had sides by the Kurdish peshmerga, rity.” Netanyahu leads one of the most explosives on him, though there were who are less than 15km from its rightwing governments in Israeli his- reports that he had already been northern outskirts at some points tory but holds only a one-seat majority checked for a suicide belt before the along the front line. in parliament. Video from Thursday’s shooting. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu reviews a guard of honour in Amman yesterday. Iraqi officials say they will incident in Hebron in the occupied “The soldier is not a murderer,” Ben- retake Mosul this year. West Bank spread widely online and nett wrote on his Facebook page. ASIA / PHILIPPINES MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 09 Dhaka seeks Manila’s help in heist probe

Reuters heists in history. Unknown hackers Philippines central bank and money in the Philippines that $30m of the the NY Fed. “We will wait till the breached the computer systems of laundering agency to assist Bangla- money was delivered in cash to a recommendations of the government- Bangladesh has Bangladesh Bank in early February. desh in retrieving the funds. casino junket operator in Manila, formed investigation committee,” appointed law firms It was also attempted to steal Kabir asked the Fed to investi- while the rest went to two casinos. Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul DHAKA: The new governor of Bang- $951m from its account at the Fed- gate if there had been any lapses or “In his letters the new governor Muhith said yesterday. ladesh’s central bank has sent formal to weigh its options eral Reserve Bank of New York, which whether it had any involvement in the sought all kind of help from them to It was referring to a three-mem- letters to the New York Fed, as well vis-à-vis the New York it uses for international settlements. heist, the official said. retrieve the stolen money as we are ber committee headed by Mohammad as central bank and money launder- Some attempted transfers were Kabir sent separate letters to the following multiple efforts for the sake Farash Uddin, a former central bank ing chiefs in the Philippines, asking Fed. blocked, but $81m was transferred to ambassador of Bangladesh at the UN of the country,” the official said. governor. them to help recover its stolen $81m, accounts in the Philippines belonging headquarters, and its permanent rep- Last week Bangladesh also for- “We will act as per its a senior central bank official said yes- to casino operators. resentative, urging them to pursue the mally sought assistance from the US recommendations.” terday. recommendations of an investiga- The central bank official told Reu- NY Fed. Federal Bureau of Investigation to Earlier this month Muhith said The news came as Finance Min- tion committee to decide whether the ters that Fazle Kabir, who became The previous central bank gover- track down the cyber crooks. Dhaka might resort to suing the Fed ister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said the central bank should file a suit against governor a week ago, had asked the nor, Atiur Rahman, resigned earlier Bangladesh has appointed law to recover the money: “The Fed must government was waiting to hear the the Fed after one of the biggest cyber NY Fed chief and the heads of the this month after details emerged firms to weigh its options vis-à-vis take responsibility,” he said. Top Bangladesh Missing Chinese columnist court convicts two ministers released from custody

AFP Reuters that something could happen to him because of his warnings to col- leagues about it. DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Supreme Calls seeking comment from Court yesterday found two minis- BEIJING: A prominent Chinese col- Beijing police on Sunday went ters guilty of contempt after they umnist has been released after being unanswered. criticised the country’s chief jus- detained earlier this month, possibly Xi has embarked on an unprec- tice, casting doubt on their future in connection with an online letter edented effort to clamp down on the in the cabinet. critical of China’s President Xi Jin- Internet and censor opinions that It fined the two lawmakers ping, his lawyer said yesterday. do not reflect those of Communist 50,000 taka ($625) each, with Jia Jia, who writes a regular Party leaders, including by impos- seven days in prison if they fail to column for Tencent Online, went ing tougher penalties for what the pay the penalty. missing late on March 15, around government calls spreading rumours Food Affairs Minister Qamrul the time he was scheduled to board via social media. Islam and Liberation War Affairs a flight from Beijing to Hong Kong. The online letter, circulated Minister AKM Mozammel Haq had His lawyer, Yan Xin, told Reuters widely at the beginning of China’s publicly criticised Chief Justice SK earlier police had detained Jia at a parliamentary session this month Sinha earlier this month. Beijing airport. and signed by “a loyal Commu- They asked him to step aside Jia had warned former nist Party Member”, blamed Xi for from an appeal case involving a colleagues of the danger of re-pub- “unprecedented problems”. top Islamist leader sentenced to lishing an open letter calling for Xi Jia’s disappearance had death for war crimes. to resign. Yan said yesterday it was attracted international concern The court said their remarks “not convenient” to elaborate on the from rights groups such as Amnesty Female Myanmar military soldiers march during a parade commemorating the 71st Armed Forces Day were tantamount to intervention in precise reasons for Jia’s detention. He International. the judiciary, according to a report declined to confirm if it was related A New York-based Chinese Inter- parade in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, yesterday. in the online edition of the Bengali to the letter. net activist told Reuters on Friday daily Prothom Alo. “He has been released and has that China’s authorities had detained “They have offered uncon- already returned home,” Yan said. three members of his family in con- ditional apologies. But the court Yan said Jia was not available for nection with the same open letter. rejected their apologies and fined comment. Police in Guangdong province, Myanmar army chief vows to them 50,000 taka each,” Abdul Yan told Reuters earlier that Jia where the activist’s family lives, and Baset Majumdar, Islam’s lawyer, said he had not written the letter foreign ministry spokesmen, were told reporters. critical of Xi, but expressed concern not available for comment. uphold democratic transition

Bullock cart race AFP democracy,” he added during a government, which faces a range conversation. of challenges including poverty, “Only if these two obstacles are corruption, years of chronic under- properly tackled and overcome will investment and insurgencies by MYANMAR: Myanmar’s powerful there be advancement on the path to ethnic minority rebels. army chief vowed yesterday to keep democracy.” The military still holds strong the nation “on the path to democ- Myanmar has undergone a stun- political sway under a charter that racy”, days before Aung San Suu Kyi’s ning political transformation since reserves a quarter of parliament seats civilian government takes office after 2011, blossoming from isolation for unelected soldiers. decades of army rule. under successive juntas to become It also grants the army chief Senior General Min Aung Hla- an increasingly vibrant nation. direct control over three key min- ing made the remarks at an annual Its growing political openness istries: home affairs, border affairs display of military might by Myan- was crowned by a historic November and defence. mar’s armed forces, a body that long election that saw Suu Kyi’s National It also has significant financial crushed democratic aspirations with League for Democracy storm to clout, with two sprawling military- an iron fist but has since stewarded victory. owned conglomerates owning vast the country through a remarkable After a lengthy transition her chunks of the economy and decades transition. government will take over from the of wealth accumulated by the mili- “I would solemnly impart the outgoing army-backed administra- tary elite over the years. fact that the Tatmadaw (army) will tion on Wednesday, ending more than Sunday’s parade was a vivid cooperate to bring about the pros- five decades of direct and indirect reminder of the military’s wealth perity of the Union and its citizens,” military rule. with polished battle tanks, surface- he said during a speech to troops at Suu Kyi, who is banned by a mili- to-air missiles, armoured vehicles the annual Armed Forces Day parade tary-era constitution from becoming and helicopters all on display. in the capital Naypyidaw. president, will serve as foreign minis- During junta rule, spending on “The two main obstacles to ter but has vowed to rule through her education and healthcare was a democratisation are a failure to abide proxy president Htin Kyaw. fraction of the military’s budget, a A man rides a bullock cart during the race at the traditional festival on the outskirts of Yemethin, by the rule of law and regulations and Her ability to cooperate with daunting legacy which now confronts Mandalay Division, Myanmar, yesterday. the presence of armed insurgencies. and confront the still powerful mil- the incoming civilian government. These could lead to chaotic itary will be a crucial test of her Suu Kyi did not attend the parade. Abused Hong Kong maid Erwiana says nothing has changed

AFP Both she and migrant rights cam- justice.” Most of Hong Kong’s foreign Erwiana’s case, but they have fallen paigners hoped the high-profile case domestic workers are from Indone- on deaf ears with authorities. would bring enough pressure on sia and the Philippines. A report released earlier this authorities in Hong Kong and Indone- Erwiana and fellow campaign- month by Hong Kong’s Justice Cen- HONG KONG: It is just over a year sia to improve conditions for migrant ers say workers’ home countries and tre said one in six migrant domestic since Erwiana Sulistyaningsih’s Hong domestic workers, known locally as receiving countries must clamp down workers in the city -- around 50,000 Kong employer was jailed for horrific “helpers”. on the private recruitment agencies people -- were in “forced labour”. abuse of her maid in a case that made Visiting Hong Kong for the launch that extract exorbitant fees from Its findings come after a report headlines around the world. of a documentary about her case and migrants, plunging them into debt by the UN Committee Against Tor- After pictures of Erwiana’s exten- the plight of other maids in the city, before they even start their jobs. ture in December urged Hong Kong sive injuries went viral in 2014, the Erwiana broke down in tears in front Workers’ passports are routinely kept authorities to reform laws in order to young Indonesian became the face of the audience of mostly Indonesian by their agencies or employers, to stop protect victims of forced labour and of a movement determined to force women, some of whom also wept, as them from running away. trafficking. “I feel sad. I remember change for the army of more than she spoke of her ongoing frustration. Abolition of the hated “live-in” my experiences. The cases keep com- 300,000 migrant domestic workers “I hear stories of abuse, cheat- rule in Hong Kong, which forces ing and coming,” says Erwiana. in Hong Kong. ing and exploitation by recruitment migrant domestic workers to live with The new film launched Sunday, Although she never admitted her agencies, many different cases, and their employers, making it almost entitled “Erwiana: Justice For All”, guilt, employer Law Wan-tung was not just women,” Erwiana, 25, said in impossible to escape abusive house- was shot by Hong Kong-based US jailed for six years, a triumph for qui- an interview. “We haven’t seen any holds, is another key demand. filmmaker Gabriel Ordaz and will etly spoken Erwiana who was held changes yet. There are still so many Campaigners have argued these initially be screened at universities Maid, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, speaks during an event in Hong Kong, up as a hero. cases of migrants who never get points repeatedly, even before in the city. yesterday. 10 MONDAY 28 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 Blasts in Lahore A tale of two cities errorists have struck Pakistan again. In a gruesome attack, at least 65 people were killed in a suicide bombing in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park of Iqbal Town and of whether Turks are seen as our Turkey’s cultural traditions are fun- himself up in Brussels airport. over 250 were injured. The attack took place at a ‘equals’ in the West, in life or in damentally different from that of Turkish officials had deported children’s park, where a large number of families, death. The Ankara and Istanbul Christian Europe. Turkey’s histor- Ibrahim El Bakraoui from Turkey Tespecially women and children, were present and was claimed terror attacks were significantly ical interaction with Europe has in July after he was picked up near by the Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. underplayed by the mainstream always been as an outside invader.” the Syrian border, dutifully warn- The choice of the city for the attacks and the scale of media in Europe and the US, com- The irony is that if you ask Muslim ing Interpol. pared to the rolling 24 hour news Turks about joining Europe they will As a result of not acting on the casualties show the terrorists wanted to send a clear message to coverage which the Brussels air- agree with that statement (almost) information Jan Jambon, the Bel- the government of Nawaz Sherif, which has unleashed a no holds port and train attacks received. entirely. gian Interior Minister, said he and barred campaign against terrorists. Residents of Lahore love the No one I’ve met on my tour here Turkish people expressed sym- the Justice Minister, Koen Geens, city for its relative calm and by choosing the city, the extremists so far, finds this prejudice surpris- pathy with Belgium after their terror have submitted their resignations. have sought to prove that they can strike anywhere in Pakistan. By Lauren Booth ing. ‘This is not Europe,’ they say attack. Sympathy for the civilian The Belgian Prime Minister, “We want to send this message to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in cafes and (behind hands) in injury and loss, has been counter- Charles Michel, has not accepted civic buildings. The Turkish For- balanced by a political memory them. Bokir said countries should that we have entered Lahore. He can do what he wants but he eign office web page asserts the which has resurfaced. An article not think that “some terrorist won’t be able to stop us. Our suicide bombers will continue these f you want European official line that Turkey is ready in the Turkish National Newspaper organizations are less harmful attacks,” said a spokesman for the faction. In another chilling Membership raise your and waiting to enter Europe. Yet reminding Turks of Istanbul’s own than others”- an aside presuma- message, he said the target of its attack was Pakistan’s Christian hand”. This was the the language used, even here, is first ever terror attack, a hundred bly about the glaring silence with community. Minorities like the Shias, Ahmediyas and Christians question I put to a meet- hardly a passionate poem express- and eleven years ago is of timely regard to the violent actions of the “Iing of civil servants, teachers and ing some great political desire. ‘As interest. Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in have borne the brunt of terrorist attacks. And the country is plagued by a venomous mix of Taliban insurgency, criminal university students. I am met by in the past, the destinies of Turkey On July 21 1905, the last Otto- the south eastern Provinces. silence. Not a single hand is raised. and other European countries are man Empire King, Sultan Abdul Turkey remains at the cross- gangs and sectarian violence. But this is not London and I’m not intertwined. We face the future Hamid II (1842-1918), survived an roads of ideas and ideals, at the crux Punjab has traditionally been more peaceful than other sitting with British voters about to together…our goal to become an unsuccessful assassination attempt. of dangerous borders and hopes for parts of Pakistan, so peaceful that Sharif’s opponents have even embark on the historic Brexit vote, EU member is a strategic choice.’ An eighty kilogram bomb was taken greater international cooperation. accused him of tolerating militancy in to determine their place in, or dis- On the other side, anti-Turkish by carriage to Yıldız Mosque, con- We would do well to pay greater return for peace in his province. But tance from, the European project. rhetoric online in the West, is symp- taining iron and steel nails. The attention to news from here, includ- yesterday’s blasts have shattered this I’m in a union office, in Samsun, a tomatic of the rising Islamophobia Sultan himself was unharmed, ing security advice. What unites port on the Black Sea. It was here, and refugee-fear increasingly nor- arriving later than usual for the Turkey and Europe is a shared peace. on the northern coast of Turkey that malised by parliaments, social Friday prayer, forcing the attacker history of mistrust- a timeline of The Terrorist attacks are frequent in Mustafa Kemal Atatürk landed by media and national press. Main- to a last minute change of plan. western interventionism on a state Pakistan, in which scores of people are boat from Constantinople in May stream sites dedicated to ‘debate’ The explosion killed 26 people and that holds the risky and yet wealth- government killed. In January, a Taliban gunmen 1919, making what local mem- on Turkish entry to the EU, pop injured more than fifty. filled opening to Asia. By the way, of Pakistan attacked a university in Charsadda, ory defines as the ‘first steps’ in up routinely, reminding us that: The Armenian Revolutionary the man who put together the first must continue killing at least 21. The terrorist the Turkish War of Independence. ‘97% of its (Turkish) territory lies Federation, claimed responsibility. ever terror attack on Istanbul was networks are so widespread and deep- Politicians here are hyper- in Asia not Europe.’- short hand for Istanbul is again living through a professional anarchist and agi- its campaign aware of the uniting and dividing the potent fear that an expansion an age of explosions and espionage. tator. He made the bomb which rooted the government machinery until terrorism issues between this strategically of the Schengen Zone to include One moment wined and dined by aimed to murder the Emperor of has failed to uproot them. But the significant nation and current Turkey would mean the EU effec- foreign interests, the next ignored, the Muslim world at that time. His is defeated. government has determined and Euro-Western political trends. tively sharing borders with Syria, or worse, pressured by subtle - and name was Charles-Edouard Joris unwavering recently in its battle, and President Erdogan and his team Iran and Iraq. less subtle ways - to bend to a mul- and he came from Belgium. terrorists have only reacted with more are clutched in an awkward tango The Muslim hordes are at the titude of demands. The writer is a journalist, broad- revenge attacks. with EU officials; two steps for- gates of our civilised world - they Meanwhile, Belgium’s govern- ward towards unity, two steps back, must be kept at bay! How about ment acknowledged it mishandled caster and media consultant: But the government and people of towards age old and mutual, suspi- this from debatingeurope.eu: ‘As President Erdogan’s warnings about www.laurenbooth.org , Twitter:@ Pakistan must remain unfazed. This cion. The question arose this week an overwhelmingly Muslim nation, the Belgian extremist who blew LaurenBoothUK is a battle that can stop only with the victory of one side – that of the government and people of Pakistan. The international community stands with them in solidarity. Also, the recent wave of atrocities – from the bloodbath in Beirut to and the massacre in Paris and Brussels – reveals that Unpardonable inaction the terrorists have taken the war outside the battlefronts of Syria and Iraq. The frequency of attacks can go up before they go down because an increasingly desperate IS will cause more By George Lardner Jr and serious about Clemency 2014? The been denied (more than five of the Project 2014 has, however, become terror as they are being pummeled in Syria and Iraq, where P S Ruckman Jr rules for commutation requests even previous six presidents), as well as a bureaucratic disaster, assigned they hold territories. Syrian forces yesterday took full control The Washington Post reaching the overburdened pardons 8,123 requests for commutations (a to volunteer lawyers and law stu- of the IS-held city of Palmyra and in Iraq too they are suffering office under the initiative are inex- new record). An additional 3,444 dents with little if any experience cusably discouraging. The worst requests have been “closed with- in the pitfalls of dealing with the setbacks. Terrorists will be on the run all over the world and can is that inmates must have served out presidential action.” federal criminal justice system. plot revenge attacks. hen the Obama admin- at least 10 years of their sentence. Obama’s record is all the more In June 2014, the Hill reported istration’s new acting Other rules state they must not deplorable because of assurances that Obama was pushing forward Wpardon attorney, Bob have “a significant criminal his- that he has made and that have with a review of the clemency Zauzmer, arrived on the job last tory” (whatever that means); they been made on his behalf. On April system. In March 2015, the pres- month, he ran headlong into a back- must be nonviolent, low-level 21, 2014, then-Attorney General ident told the Huffington Post log of more than 9,000 clemency offenders; and they must be serv- Eric H. Holder Jr. encouraged fed- that the pardon process had been Quote of the day petitions awaiting a decision on ing a sentence harsher than they eral prisoners to seek relief, noting “revamped” and that he would be whether they deserve the presi- would have gotten if convicted of the that, despite sentencing reforms exercising the pardon power “more dent’s consideration. Many of those same offense today. Those who fall Obama signed into law in 2010, aggressively.” On North Korea issue, petitions were the byproduct of “outside of this initiative,” accord- there were “still too many people . Seven months later, he told the the announcement of Clemency ing to the Justice Department, can . . sentenced under the old regime” Marshall Project that clemency China’s position is Project 2014, which was estab- still seek clemency under the old who needed attention. Holder said applications were being processed consistent. We are lished by the Justice Department rules if their applications are “espe- the White House had “indicated” “more effectively” and a “steady - to great fanfare - to process addi- cially meritorious.” that it wanted to “consider addi- ramp up” was in play. The Post dedicated to the tional applications from federal The results of this great, tional clemency applications to recently reported that some addi- denuclearisation of the prisoners seeking reductions of unprecedented effort? Obama has restore a degree of justice, fairness, tional grants are expected in the unjustifiably long drug sentences. a clemency record comparable to and proportionality for deserv- coming weeks, but “big” is hardly a Korean peninsula. Zauzmer has his work cut out the least merciful presidents in his- ing individuals who do not pose a word that appropriately describes for him - it has been widely reported tory. He has granted just 70 pardons, threat to public safety.” In addition, what has gone on to date. that his predecessor, Deborah Leff, the lowest mark for any full-term the Justice Department was “com- By now, Obama could have Li Baodong stepped down in January over frus- president since John Adams, and 187 mitted to recommending as many simply signed an amnesty proc- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister trations with a lack of resources. commutations of sentence. Mean- qualified applicants as possible lamation covering everyone Was the administration ever while, 1,629 pardon petitions have for reduced sentences.” Clemency qualifying for lesser sentences.

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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S Korea and US China to push to strengthen cooperation US on N Korea QNA

SEOUL: South Korea and the United States have agreed to strengthen cooperation in dis- nuclear issue aster control and security crisis management areas in the face of heightened terrorism concerns, the maintaining peace and stability on Korean government said yesterday. the peninsula. On this important The Ministry of Public Safety We think this issue issue, Presidents Xi and Obama will and Security said the two sides should be resolved have an opportunity to have a full concurred during the weeklong exchange of views.” disaster and security management via dialogue and China has been calling for a meeting in Washington that there consultation. We resumption of so-called six-party is a need to forge a close com- talks between the two Koreas, China, munication channel to exchange are dedicated to the United States, Japan and Rus- information on terrorism and ways maintaining peace sia aimed at curbing North Korea’s to respond to disaster situations, nuclear ambitions. Russia has state-run Yonhap news agency and stability on the also urged Pyongyang to return to reported. peninsula: Minister negotiations. The understanding was Numerous efforts to restart the reached at talks between Public talks have failed since they collapsed Safety Minister Park In-yong and following the last round in 2008. US Homeland Security Secretary Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Jeh Johnson. The two partners held Un said last week the country would talks from yesterday to Friday last soon test a nuclear warhead and bal- week, It said in the future South listic missiles capable of carrying Korean Coast Guard planes oper- BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jin- nuclear warheads in what would be ating in the North Pacific on search North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un attending the ground test of a high-power solid-fuel rocket engine and ping will push President Barack a direct violation of UN resolutions. and rescue missions can land and Obama this week to resume talks The North’s state media said on its cascade separation at an undisclosed location. refuel at USCG stations in Alaska. on the North Korean nuclear issue, Thursday the country had success- a senior diplomat said yesterday, a fully tested a solid-fuel engine that meeting that could also touch on boosted the power of its rockets, hacking and the South China Sea. indicating it is continuing to develop China is North Korea’s sole major an intercontinental ballistic missile, ally but it strongly disapproves of also in defiance of the sanctions. Korean rival leaders get personal its nuclear programme and was China has also been upset by angered by its fourth nuclear test some US moves, including new in January and a subsequent rocket unilateral US sanctions against AFP have been rising since North Korea step further by ordering and person- around 40 colour photos of the launch. While China has signed up Pyongyang and the possible deploy- carried out its fourth nuclear test in ally monitoring a live-fire exercise drill in its Friday edition, showing for tough new UN sanctions against ment of a missile defence system to January, and a satellite rocket launch involving the same target. Kim watching through binoculars North Korea, it has said repeat- South Korea that Beijing says could a month later that was widely seen “Artillery shells flew like lightning as multiple batteries of heavy-cali- edly sanctions are not the answer harm its security. SEOUL: Escalating military tensions as a disguised ballistic missile test. and intensely and fiercely struck tar- bre artillery units and missile rocket and that only a resumption of talks North Korea is not the only issue on the divided Korean peninsula took gets simulating Cheong Wa Dae and launchers pounded an offshore island can resolve the dispute over North Beijing and Washington do not see an increasingly personal turn with Pyongyang has upped the rhetor- rebel governing bodies in Seoul,” the from a beach. Korea’s weapons programme. eye to eye on. Hacking has been a the leaders of North and South each ical ante in recent weeks, with near North’s official KCNA news agency South Korea’s Yonhap news Chinese Vice Foreign Minister sore spot. In September, Obama said threatening the other’s destruction. daily threats of nuclear and conven- said. agency cited military sources as say- Li Baodong said Xi and Obama will he and Xi had agreed that neither For North Korean leader Kim tional strikes against the South and Cheong Wa Dae is the Korean ing the exercise was held Thursday have their first meeting this year on government would knowingly sup- Jong-Un that meant overseeing a the US mainland in response to large- name for the Blue House. Accord- near the eastern port city of Wonsan. the sidelines of a nuclear security port cyber theft of corporate secrets long-range artillery drill, simulat- scale South-US war games. ing to KCNA, it was the largest drill The North always reacts strongly summit in Washington next week, to support domestic businesses ing a strike on the offices and official On Wednesday, it warned of a of its type ever conducted, involving to the annual South-US military exer- and will talk about North Korea. Li said disagreements on the residence of his South Korean coun- “miserable end” facing Park Geun- “hundreds of different types” of long- cises, which it sees as provocative “On this issue, China’s position hacking issue had been “hyped terpart, Park Geun-Hye. Hye, with its artillery units standing range artillery. rehearsals for invasion. is consistent. We are dedicated to up” by the media, but that the two Park, meanwhile, countered by ready to turn the presidential Blue “If the enemies challenge us... our Its protests have been espe- the denuclearisation of the Korean countries had a dialogue mecha- accusing Kim of leading his coun- House in Seoul into a “sea of flames artillery forces’ merciless retaliating cially vocal this year, because of the peninsula,” he told a news briefing. nism which was working well. On try down a “path of self destruction” and ashes”. blow will turn Seoul into rubble and first-time inclusion in the ostensibly “We think this issue should be the South China Sea, where China’s and suggesting it was time for regime According to a report by the ashes,” Kim was quoted as saying. defensive drills of a special operation resolved via dialogue and con- increasingly assertive territorial change in Pyongyang. North’s official KCNA news agency The North’s ruling party news- that envisages strikes to “decapitate” sultation. We are dedicated to claims have alarmed its neighbours. Tensions between the two Koreas on Friday, Kim took that warning a paper, Rodong Sinmun, published North Korea’s top leadership.

Dinosaur Planet in Bangkok Opponents of Malaysian PM step up drive to oust him Burundi accuses

AFP Mahathir Mohamad, around whom Kagame over the movement has coalesced. “We want the rule of law and the actions 1994 genocide of Najib has destroyed it. He no KUALA LUMPUR: Leaders from longer deserves to be the prime min- NAIROBI: Burundi’s rul- across Malaysia’s political spec- ister,” he said at the gathering near ing party has accused trum said yesterday that they plan the capital. Rwandan President Paul to present a petition to the country’s The 90-year-old Mahathir, who Kagame of seeking to Islamic royalty seeking the removal dominated Malaysia as premier for “export” genocide, as of scandal-plagued Prime Minister 22 years before retiring in 2003, relations between the two Najib Razak over a corruption crisis. has for months spearheaded calls neighbours deteriorate The highly unusual grouping of for Najib’s removal. further. heavyweights from the ruling party, Najib, 62, is under pressure over In a statement pro- the opposition and civil society allegations that billions of dollars vided yesterday, the head groups was formed in early March, were stolen from a state firm he of the CNDD-FDD party when it issued a call to “save” Malay- founded, and over his own accept- said Kagame had previ- sia from disaster by removing Najib. ance of a mysterious $681 million ously “experimented” with A succession of speakers pressed payment from overseas. genocide, referring to the that demand during a rally attended He denies accusations that 1994 Rwandan genocide by several hundred supporters Sun- the huge payment was siphoned in which around 800,000 day, accusing Najib of using his office off from the now-struggling state people were killed, mostly to thwart scrutiny of the graft alle- firm, 1Malaysia Development Ber- ethnic Tutsis. A Thai boy walks next to various species life-size moving dinosaurs models at Dinosaur Planet theme gations and avoid justice. had (1MDB), saying he is the victim park in Bangkok, yesterday. The theme park is aimed to attract more than 15,000 visitors a day “(Najib’s) leadership undermines of a political conspiracy.But Najib featuring a chance to experience more than 200 dinosaurs from various species. the very existence of our institu- has fuelled anger and suspicion by 4 Bangladeshis tions,” said former prime minister curbing investigations. killed in Benghazi

DHAKA: Four Bangla- Nigeria to verify whether suicide bomber is missing girl deshis have been killed in gunfights between rival groups in the war-torn Reuters Commissioner in Cameroon, Had- northern Cameroon carrying explo- keen to ascertain the girl’s identity so government in partnership with the Libyan city of Benghazi, a iza Mustapha, has been in contact sives claimed to be one of the missing she can be brought back to Nigeria Murtala Muhammed Foundation in minister said yesterday. with Cameroonian authorities who Chibok schoolgirls. and possibly assist the government Nigeria, a non-government organi- Alam said embassy have shown a willingness to assist the The girls were arrested after being in investigations regarding the fate sation which has been supporting the officials had received NIGERIA: The Nigerian government Nigerian government. stopped by local self-defence forces in and whereabouts of the other miss- parents association and has offered three bodies and they is sending parents from the Chibok The abduction of about 270 Limani near the border with Nigeria ing Chibok girls. to partly sponsor the trip to avoid any were being stored in a community of northeast Nigeria to school girls by Islamic militants that has been the target of frequent He said the two parents from delays. “If it is true, we are very happy hospital in Libya. The neighbouring Cameroon to verify from a school in Chibok on April 14, suicide bombings in recent months. Chibok selected to embark on the about it. If we see her with our eyes, fourth body had not whether a suspected female sui- 2014, sparked international outrage “We hope that the Chibok parents trip to Cameroon are Yakubu Nkeki, we will know where our girls are,” yet been recovered. An cide bomber is one of the schoolgirls and a campaign bringbackourgirls. will be able to identify the girl and chairman of the Chibok Abducted Galang told the Thomson Reuters estimated 20,000 Bang- abducted by Boko Haram nearly two While about 50 of the girls managed determine whether she is indeed one Girls Movement, and Yana Galang, Foundation. Shehu said the two girls ladeshis are believed to years ago. to escape, 219 of these girls remain of their missing students,” Shehu told the group’s women leader, whose will be brought by the Cameroonian be working in Libya. Last Garba Shehu, spokesperson for missing. Military and local govern- the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a 16-year-old daughter Rifkatu is government to Douala, the country’s year 2 Bangladeshi work- Nigerian President Muhammadu ment sources on Friday reported telephone interview in Abuja on Sat- among the missing. largest city, on Monday for further ers were abducted. Buhari, said the Nigerian High that one of two girls arrested in urday. Shehu said the government was The trip is being arranged by the checks into their identities. 12 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 PAKISTAN

Visa issues may 65 dead in Lahore park suicide bombing hinder Indian thespians Most of the injured and dead were women and performance children. The Punjab government ordered all Internews public parks to be closed KARACHI: Prior to the start of and announced three the World Twenty20, the Board of days of mourning in the Control for Cricket in India faced province. an uphill task in shape of convinc- ing Pakistani authorities to allow Afridi and Co to participate in the tournament. Reuters National Academy of Perform- ing Arts (Napa) seems to be faced with a similar situation as nota- ble Indian troupes have still not LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: A suicide bomber arrived for the ongoing Interna- killed at least 65 people and injured more than tional Theatre and Music Festival 280 others, mostly women and children, at a due to visa issues. public park in the Pakistani city of Lahore yes- Napa Repertory Theatre artis- terday, striking at the heart of Prime Minister tic director Zain Ahmed said the Nawaz Sharif’s political base of Punjab. organisers have already had to The blast occurred in the parking area of reschedule a few performances Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, a few feet (metres) away because of the delay. Delhi-based from children’s swings. theatre group Ilhaam Collective There was no immediate claim of respon- was scheduled to perform their Men mourn the death of their relatives after a blast outside a public park yesterday. sibility for the blast, which occurred in a busy play on March 23 and March 24. residential area during the holiday weekend. The academy had initiated the visa Police said it was not clear whether the attack toll may climb considerably.” Mustansar Feroz, the Services Hospital, crying as she waited for a charge he strongly denies. processes well in advance but the had deliberately targeted mainly Pakistan’s police superintendent for the area in which the doctors to update her on the condition of her Meanwhile, the United States condemned efforts bore little fruit, he said. small Christian minority. park is located, said most of the injured and two-year-old injured daughter. as “cowardly” attack and vowed to work with Ahmed said Napa has approached Eyewitnesses said they saw body parts dead were women and children. Soon after the attack, the Punjab govern- Pakistan to defeat those sowing terror in the numerous government officials in strewn across the parking lot once the dust had Media footage showed children and ment ordered all public parks to be closed country. “The United States condemns in the this regard. settled after the blast. “When the blast occurred, women standing in pools of blood outside the and announced three days of mourning in strongest terms today’s appalling terrorist attack “We have also spoken to eve- the flames were so high they reached above the park, crying and screaming and rescue offi- the province. The main shopping areas were in Lahore, Pakistan,” National Security Coun- ryone (at the embassy) but we trees and I saw bodies flying in the air,” said cials, police and bystanders carrying injured shut down and many of the city’s main roads cil spokesman Ned Price said in a White House haven’t received a response as Hasan Imran, 30, a resident who had come to people to ambulances and private cars. were deserted. The army was called in to con- statement. yet,” he said. Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park for a walk. Dozens of women and children were seen trol crowds outside the park. Some distraught, “This cowardly act in what has long been Although Indian troupes Salman Rafique, a health adviser for the being wheeled into hospitals, covered in blood. sobbing relatives clashed with police and res- a scenic and placid park has killed dozens of Aasakta and Ujjagar Dramatic Asso- Punjab provincial government, put the death Many of the injured were transported to hos- cue officials. innocent civilians and left scores injured.” ciation were supposed to close the toll at least 60 people. pitals on taxis and auto-rickshaws due to a Punjab has traditionally been more “We will continue to work with our partners festival on April 1-2, if they are not “There are more than 280 injured people,” shortage of ambulances. peaceful than other parts of Pakistan. Shar- in Pakistan and across the region, as together able to make it in time, the organ- Rafique said. “Many are in operation theatres “We were just here to have a nice evening if’s opponents have accused him of tolerating we will be unyielding in our efforts to root out isers will be forced to conclude the now being treated and we fear that the death and enjoy the weather,” Nasreen Bibi said at militancy in return for peace in his province, the scourge of terrorism,” added Price. festival two days before the set date. Differences Riot police use baton to control Qadri’s supporters within PTI AFP analysts as a “key moment” in Paki- paramilitary soldiers. On Saturday a group of angry waiting to attack him at the exit. stan’s long battle against religious Riot police carrying batons and men at a Pakistani airport assaulted The incident was captured on surface extremism, but it has also exposed shields fired tear gas to try to prevent a former pop star accused of insult- mobile phone video and has ben deep religious divisions in the them pushing closer to the city centre. ing the youngest wife of Prophet widely viewed. ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police fired country. The protest has been almost Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him), in The men, some wearing West- Internews tear gas yesterday at thousands of An estimated 25,000 support- entirely ignored by the Pakistani the latest case of vigilante violence ern clothes and others in traditional stone-throwing supporters of an ers of the former police bodyguard media. linked to blasphemy. shalwar kameez, were seen throw- Islamist assassin, a month after he gathered in Islamabad’s twin city Qadri was working as a body- Ex-singer Junaid Jamshed, who is ing punches at the 51-year-old, who in LAHORE: Revolt within the par- was hanged for killing a provincial Rawalpindi in the afternoon to offer guard for Punjab governor Salmaan now a prominent Sunni evangelist, addition to his preaching work runs a ty’s ideological workers and Insaf governor for alleged blasphemy. prayers, before turning toward the Taseer when he shot him 29 times was leaving Islamabad airport on Sat- chain of high-end clothing boutiques. Markaz of the Pakistan Tehreek- The execution of Mumtaz Qadri heavily-barricaded capital which was in 2011 over the governor’s call to urday night when he was set upon by “You have committed blasphemy, hit i-Insaf (PTI) has surfaced after on February 29 was described by patrolled by hundreds of police and reform the blasphemy law. a group of around six men who were him, hit him!” shouted one of the men. Muhammad Madni yesterday announced his candidature for party’s Punjab president slot – expressing distrust on the can- didature of Shafqat Mahmood for 40 Taliban fighters hand over weapons Pakistan and Iran to finalise the position. Madni says the nomination of free trade agreement next year Shafqat Mahmood has been made in contravention of the merit and added that party workers are also lobbying that Mahmood’s candida- Internews be headed by Iran’s deputy minis- ture should be withdrawn. Madni ter of industry, mine and trade and announced his candidature as PTI Pakistan’s commerce ministry’s Punjab president slot stating that additional secretary. he had dared to contest in view of ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran The first meeting of JWG will be the party’s deteriorating situation. have agreed to initiate talks on the held in June in Tehran to discuss the Shafqat Mahmood welcomed much-awaited free trade agree- framework agreement. Madni’s candidature and added ment (FTA) with an aim to finalise The rules of origin, tariff reduc- that everybody had the right to the treaty by end-December 2017. tion modalities and ratification contest the party election. The talks on FTA, which will procedures will be agreed upon Insaf Markaz head and PTI cover trade in goods, services and in the subsequent rounds of Lahore candidate Waleed Iqbal investment, will start in June this negotiations. said he was not aware of Madni’s year. Before the meeting, Pakistan candidature because he neither The objective is to boost bilat- will share a draft framework of the consulted him nor even asked for eral trade to $5bn by 2021. FTA with Iran by the end of April his vote. “I am supporting Shafqat Yesterday, it was agreed that the 2016. Mahmood and asked my support- Joint Working Group (JWG) estab- The Iranian side will convey ers to vote for him in the Punjab lished in April 2015 will act as trade the response on the draft text by election,” he added. negotiation committee (TNC) for the the end of May 2016. The framework The party’s ideological work- FTA. Commerce Minister Khurram agreement will deal with subjects ers and Insaf Markaz had jointly Dastgir Khan and Iranian Minister such as trade in goods, trade facil- constituted a committee headed by for Industry and Trade Mohamad itation, rules of origin and dispute Former Afghan Taliban fighters hold weapons as they wait to hand them over as part of a government Advocate Hamid Khan and pitched Reza Nematzadeh have inked the settlement. peace and reconciliation process at a ceremony in Jalalabad yesterday. Over 40 fighters from Shinwari Shafqat Mahmood as its consensus strategic document. The FTA framework will set candidate for PTI Punjab president districts of Nangarhar province handed over their weapons as part of the peace programme. Both sides also agreed on the modalities for tariff reductions on against former PTI Punjab organ- composition of the TNC, which will 80pc of tariff lines. iser Chaudhry Sarwar on March 11, when the Unity Group led by Jahangir Khan Tareen and Abdul Aleem Khan announced their sup- port for the latter. Tapping of CSR potential to fix depleting forest cover urged The committee had selected Shafqat from amongst six can- didates. Later, the committee announced Waleed Iqbal as its Internews country’s ailing forestry sector to He said that the prime minister million trees across the country has sector is not given top priority as part consensus candidate for the PTI fight socioeconomic impacts of global is serious about boosting country’s been set as a part of country’s efforts of climate forward action,” Hamid Lahore president position. warming-induced climate change,” tree cover by all possible means, to cope with devastating impacts of said urging the corporate sector The candidates had committed he said while chairing a meeting on referring to the PM’s Green Pakistan climate change, particularly floods, he representatives to pool resources to that they would abide by the com- ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Cli- “Promoting Afforestation Campaign Project (GPP). said. The minister said that the project extend their financial support to the mittee’s decision in letter and spirit mate Change Minister, Zahid Hamid, through CSR in Pakistan”. “The prime minister has directed clearly reflects the prime minister’s initiative. and support the nominated candi- has called for tapping corporate social Representatives of the corporate the climate change ministry to engage understanding of unprecedented He also highlighted that though dates. Madni said that he is party’s responsibility (CSR) potential to fix sector including automobile, tele- all provincial forest departments, significance of forests in fighting dif- Pakistan was among the lower emit- loyal worker for the past 18 years country’s depleting forest cover. communication, petroleum, banking, corporate sector, non-governmental ferent environmental issues including ters of carbon, ranking 135th out of and served it on different positions “The country’s corporate sec- industry and top key provincial for- organisations and other stakeholders pollution. 196 countries, the country was among in students and youth wings as well tor should divert a significant chunk est department officials attended the to actualise the GPP,” he said. “No country can achieve climate the top 10 countries most affected by as in the mainstream party. of CSR funds to reinvigorate the meeting. A five-year target of planting 100 resilience as long as the forestry climate change-induced disasters. INDIA MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 13 President’s rule in Uttarakhand

meeting Governor K K Paul said the budget appropriation bill by voice chief minister did not spare the cen- vote even as more than half the mem- Congress may move tral government and Prime Minister bers in the house sought a division, court against the Modi too. which would have led to recorded Modi had the “blood of the aspi- voting. decision to impose rations of the people of Uttarakhand The rebel Congress lawmak- central rule in the on his hands”, he said, alleging that ers supported the BJP’s demand for the BJP-led central government a conscience vote. Speaker Govind state. slashed the budget for his state and Kunjwal declined the request. even cut funds for the restoration of Before the rebellion, the Congress the Kedarnath temple, devastated by had 36 members in the 70-member the 2013 flash floods, and the Kumbh house and the BJP 31. IANS Mela. With nine of its lawmakers He hinted that the Congress may aligning with the BJP, the Con- move court against the decision to gress was left with 27 and six from impose President’s Rule. smaller parties backing the Rawat DEHRADUN/NEW DELHI: Pres- “We will take support to all legal government. ident’s Rule was imposed in options. This will be decided by our The chief minister was asked to Uttarakhand yesterday after days advocates. I was heading a very deli- prove his majority on Monday but the Members of a Pakistani investigation team walk to vehicles after their arrival at Indra Gandhi International of political uncertainty triggered by cate majority. If Congress comes back central government decided to act a a rebellion in the ruling Congress, to power, we will increase the Vidhan day earlier. Airport in New Delhi yesterday. prompting Chief Minister Harish Sabha seats from 70 to 90.” On Saturday, the 69-year-old Rawat to accuse the BJP-led central The central government justified chief minister was shown striking government of murdering democ- the Uttarakhand decision, saying the an alleged multi-crore rupees deal racy. state was “a textbook case for enforc- for bringing the rebels back into the Pathankot probe: Pakistani team arrives A Rashtrapati Bhavan source ing President’s Rule” on grounds of party. said President Pranab Mukherjee “breakdown of governance”. The sting operation was aired by approved the union cabinet’s decision “I believe there cannot be a better an Uttarakhand channel. AFP Parrikar told parliament earlier this from tomorrow. Other local media to dismiss the Rawat-led Congress example (for implementing Presi- The Congress leader denied the month it could not have been carried reports said the team would be government. The cabinet met on dent’s Rule),” Finance Minister Arun allegation and accused the BJP of out “without the (Pakistan) state’s escorted by Indian investigators to Saturday night with Prime Minister Jaitley said in New Delhi. “For the last “buying” the Congress rebels to top- support”. the attack site and allowed to inter- Narendra Modi in the chair and rec- nine days, the constitution was being ple his government. He said his two NEW DELHI: A Pakistani team It will be the first time Pakistan view eyewitnesses. ommended central rule in the hill violated in Uttarakhand.” former colleagues — Bahuguna and arrived in New Delhi yesterday to has taken part in a probe of this kind The rare targeting of an Indian state. The crisis in the state began Harak Singh Rawat — had connived help investigate an attack on an with arch-rival India, an Indian for- military installation outside the dis- The president signed the proc- when nine Congress legislators, with the BJP. Indian air force base that killed seven eign ministry source has said. puted region of Kashmir came days lamation, which also recommended including former chief minister Vijay The Congress said it was not soldiers in January, a foreign minis- India’s Foreign Minister Sushma after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s placing the state assembly in sus- Bahuguna, who Rawat replaced, surprised. try official said. Swaraj announced plans for the visit surprise visit to Pakistan in Decem- pended animation, the source said. revolted against the chief minister “The real desire of the gov- India has blamed militants from after meeting Pakistan’s foreign ber as a gesture of friendship. This is Uttarakhand’s first experi- and turned to the Bharatiya Janata ernment of India is to bring down the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Moham- affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz in Nepal The assault led to the post- ence with President’s Rule since it Party (BJP), which was happy to sup- duly-elected governments of small med for the assault on Pathankot air earlier this month. ponement of planned peace talks. was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in port them. states in an undemocratic and uncon- base in the northern state of Punjab, The foreign ministry official said Modi urged his Pakistani counter- the year 2000. On March 18, things came to a stitutional manner,” party general which led to two days of gun-battles. the five-member team had arrived part Nawaz Sharif to take “firm and Speaking to reporters after head when the assembly passed the secretary Ambika Soni said. Defence Minister Manohar from Pakistan and would start work immediate action” over the raid.

Aspiring model found dead; Politicians amuse with gaffes on social media husband held IANS the Narendra Modi government made with “warm greetings”. mind and bring peace.” Kiren Rijiju’s Facebook post earlier a fool of themselves by tweeting ‘good Only after the prime minis- Sharma wrote: “I wish you all this month about supposed links wishes’ on Good Friday — a day that ter tweeted “Good Friday is a day blessings of Good Friday as a dedi- between French seer Nostradamus’ IANS marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. of prayer and a day to remember cation to the sacrifice of Lord Jesus prediction 450 years ago and Modi’s NEW DELHI: Political leaders find The distinguished group included the noble, pious and compassionate Christ and to remember his noble and rule went viral on the social media. instant social networking sites a Suresh Prabhu, Najma Heptulla, thoughts of Jesus Christ”, the minis- pious thoughts.” Rijiju wrote that the much-quoted NEW DELHI: A 25-year-old mar- convenient platform to instantly Dharmendra Pradhan and Mahesh ters realised the gaffe. The revised tweet of Heptulla was: author of prophecies had predicted ried woman, who was an aspiring propagate their views or share their Sharma. As Prabhu and Sharma They immediately deleted their “Good Friday a day for prayers and that between 2014 and 2026, “a man model, was found dead under mys- thoughts. But their over-enthusiasm tweeted “Happy Good Friday”, Hep- tweets. A few posted revised ones. Jesus laid his life for mankind, and will lead India, whom initially, people terious circumstances at her house often leads to gaffes that often acquire tulla and Pradhan tweeted “warm Prabhu’s new tweet read: “Today we then he was resurrected.” will hate but after that people will love here, police said yesterday. Her a life of their own, embarrassing them greetings”. commemorate the passion, suffering, Pradhan chose to remain silent. him so much that he will be engaged husband has been arrested after and their parties. Bharatiya Janata Party (bjp) leader death on the cross of the Jesus Christ. Hussian retweeted PM’s tweet. in changing the country’s plight and it was alleged that he used to tor- Very recently, some ministers in Shahnawaz Hussain also followed May this day of prayer enlighten our Union Minister of State for Home direction”. ture her. Priyanka Kapoor was found dead late Friday at her residence in south Delhi’s Defence Colony area. She was married to Nitin Chawala Checkmate Modi tells farmers to who runs a restaurant, police said. “At about 12.30am on March 25 we got information that a woman was not responding from her room, embrace technology bolted from inside, at her flat in Defence Colony area. Police along with fire bri- IANS and position of farm-markets,” Modi gade staff reached the place and said, insisting the mobile application broke open the door in the pres- will connect the farmers directly ence of Priyanka’s mother and her with the agricultural scientists. husband. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Naren- “It is a myth that such a facility “In the room Priyanka was dra Modi yesterday called for use of can only be used by urban people found hanging from the ceiling fan. technology and water conservation and youth,” he said, asking farm- She was taken to All India Insti- to increase agricultural productivity ers to file a complaint to him if they tute of Medical Sciences where as he listed out various pro-farmer find any difficulty in the mobile doctors declared her dead,” the initiatives of his government. application. police officer said. “The government is plan- He also urged farmers to use A sub-divisional magistrate ning to make five lakh new ponds lesser fertilisers as “their over- (SDM) enquiry has been initiated through Mahatma Gandhi National dose is ruining the soil of its in the matter. On the statement of Rural Employment Guarantee Act fertility and bringing hazards to the Priyanka’s sister Dimpi Kapoor, a (MGNREGA). countrymen”. case under the Dowry Prohibition These will be our assets to con- Referring to the World Health Act was registered against her hus- serve rain water which will help the Day (April 7), Modi called for eradi- band who was later arrested, the farmers to irrigate their land in view cating diabetes from the country and police officer said. Anish Giri (right) of the Netherlands plays against Viswanathan Anand of India during the FIDE World of deficit monsoon,” Modi said in the asked people to do Yoga and physical In her statement, Dimpi alleged Chess Candidates Tournament in Moscow, yesterday. The event which determines the next Challenger 18th edition of his monthly radio exercise to fight the disease. that Chawala used to torture beat to Magnus Carlsen’s title takes place in Moscow until March 30. address ‘Man Ki Baat’. “Please defeat diabetes this time. and harass Priyanka for dowry. Asking people to find news India was home to around 6.5 Crore ways to conserve water, the prime diabetics in 2014. The disease brings minister said the ponds should be many other problems with it and it kept clean so that “more and more was responsible for more than three water can be conserved”. He also percent deaths in our country,” Modi Pension fund regulator to train more people for NPS requested farmers to download and said. use Kisan Suvidha App, which will Mentioning the government’s provide all the information regard- steps to deal with rising cases of ing agriculture and new technologies tuberculosis, he said people should IANS Regulatory and Development Author- The scope of the project is to on financial products. to improve the farm productivity. not delay going for check-ups if they ity (PFRDA), the RFP is to select design appropriate training pro- The organisation should have “You will be amazed to know find out any symptom of the disease. institutes for training of employees gramme on the basis of the content/ experience in training employees that we are presenting a Kisan “There are more than 13,000 of points of presence (PoP) and other material provided by PFRDA and then of Indian public and private sector Facility App for our farmers as part microscopy centres and four lakh CHENNAI: India’s pension funds reg- intermediaries to create a committed undertake the training programme on banks on banking, functional, the- of Digital India campaign. If you DOTS providers in the country who ulator plans to train around 75,000 work force driving the implementa- a dedicated basis within the training oretical, technological, behavioural, download it in your mobile, infor- grant medicines free of cost,” Modi people in around 600 district head- tion of NPS. According to the RFP, the infrastructure and venue(s) being pro- capacity building and/or marketing/ mation related to weather forecast, said. quarters on National Pension System selected bidder shall be required to vided by the agency/institute. sales areas. latest aggro-medicines and other Admitting that India is lagging (NPS) as per its Request for Proposal carry out the training programmes at According to the RFP, the appli- The institution should have developments in the fields will be behind in tourism sector compared (RFP) available on its website. one centre or different centres across cant should have minimum three adequately trained faculty having on your finger tips. You will have to the world, Modi asked country- According to the Pension Fund the country on parallel basis. years experience in field of training exposure in financial products. better knowledge of crop prices man to give thrust to tourism. 14 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 INDIA

Modi attacks Celebrating victory President to give Congress-Left away Padma awards today

NEW DELHI: The late tie-up in Bengal Dhirubhai Ambani, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Anupam Kher, Ajay Devgn and factories thrived in villages, with the Saina Nehwal are among Banerjee government giving a free the prominent personali- The Prime Minister run to the criminals in exchange for ties who will be conferred held responsible the the miscreants ensuring votes for the the Padma awards ruling party during elections. by President Pranab 34-year Left Front He launched a direct attack on Mukherjee at Rashtrapati rule followed by the Banerjee, saying she no more cared Bhavan today. “Presi- for the state. dent Pranab Mukherjee five-year Trinamool “Five years back, I had been will present five Padma regime for ‘ruining hearing of ‘poriborton’ (change). I Vibhushan, eight Padma also thought change will come (in Bhushan and 43 Padma Cricket fans celebrate in a hotel in Amritsar yesterday after India beat Australia in a World T20 cricket Bengal’. West Bengal). Change did come, Shri awards today at a tournament match. India reaches in the World T20 cricket semi-finals. but it came in didi’s (elder sister - civil investiture ceremony as Banerjee is affectionately called), to be held at Rashtrapati nature, her motives, her manner of Bhavan,” an official state- IANS work. But Bengal did not experience ment said yesterday. any change. “As an opposition leader, she used to fight on the streets. But that PM says strong wind of change Kerala’s 40,00 aid KHARAGPUR: Going all guns Mamata didi changed so much that blazing, Prime Minister Narendra she does not care for anybody. She seekers at mercy Modi yesterday dubbed West Ben- has become a shahenshah. Such a will blow away Congress in Assam gal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee change is not desirable in democ- of elections body as a “Shahenshah”, raised the sting racy,” Modi said, addressing a huge operation that showed a number of turnout in this town in West Mid- IANS no roads also here. But I am happy to majority. Never give an indecisive Trinamool Congress leaders alleg- napore district. see such a large gathering... I assure mandate, otherwise your future will THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: edly accepting bundles of cash and Modi also came down heav- you that I’ll return this love of yours be left insecure.” The Election Commis- called the Congress-Left Front poll ily on the Trinamool by referring to with interest by doing development Modi said people of India gave a sion’s code of conduct adjustment a challenge to Bengali the Saradha chit fund scam and the RANGAPARA: A strong wind blow- works,” Modi told people at the rally. decisive mandate to the Bharatiya has hit about 40,000 pride and wisdom. purported sting operation carried ing across Assam is all set to uproot “...this time, I can see that there Janata Party (BJP) in the 2014 Lok cases of people in Kerala Modi held responsible the out by the Narada News portal that the ruling Congress in the forthcom- is a strong wind of change blowing sabha polls. And now India is get- seeking aid amounting 34-year Left Front rule followed showed several Trinamool leaders, ing assembly polls, Prime Minister here, which will uproot the Congress. ting applauded worldwide. to Rs44.54crore from by the five-year Trinamool regime including former unions ministers, Narendra Modi said yesterday and The bad governance of 15 years will “If you want to listen to the same the Chief Minister’s Relief for “ruining Bengal” and urged the current state ministers, MPs alleg- appealed to people for a decisive end and there will be a new sunrise applause for Assam, vote for abso- Fund.“All these appli- people to give one opportunity to edly taking money. mandate in favour of the BJP. of development,” he said. lute majority to BJP and its allies in cations were cleared the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to Asking the people whether they He was addressing a public rally Targeting the Congress party for the forthcoming polls.” for payment before the turn the state around and take it to had voted the Trinamool to power at Rangapara, located on the north the problems of people in Assam, Highlighting lack of develop- model code of conduct heights of development. in 2011 only to see them go neck bank of the Branhmaputra river, in Modi appealed for a decisive ment in Assam’s northern region, came into effect and all “I have a three-point agenda deep in corruption, the prime min- Assam’s Sonitpur district. mandate. Modi said: “This area is left out from of these are assistance — development, fast paced devel- ister said: “First, there was Saradha, The two-phase assembly polls “When you press the button on development. In Assam, they spend to the most needy who opment and all-round development,” now Narada. In Narada, the entire in Assam’s 126 constituencies are April 4 and April 11, keep in your money from state exchequer only in are suffering on vari- the prime minister said, addressing leadership... (some even said) when scheduled to take place on April 4 mind the Congress’ misrule of 60 those assembly seats which they can ous counts,” said a press his maiden election rally in the state will you give the next instalment?” and April 11. years. The reason behind your win to form a government. They are release issued yesterday ahead of the assembly polls. “Did you want such a poribor- “Today my programme was at problems is only these people (Con- not bothered about others. This is the by Chief Minister Oom- He said that while the indus- ton? That they will take bundles of 10am and I was wondering how the gress). Press the button in such a way reason why this area has remained men Chandy’s office. trial scene was bleak, bomb-making notes before the camera?” people will come so early? There are that BJP and its allies get absolute left out from development.” With the model code of conduct in force from March 4, the aid to the 40,000 applicants could no longer be disbursed 17 Indian explorers spellbound by Antarctica Jewellers without the clearance by the Election Commission of India. The commission not to call on March 4 notified May IANS 16 as the day of polling off strike for the Kerala assembly.

BENGALURU: Seventeen young Navy cannot be Indians have returned from Ant- IANS arctica with breath-taking stories of ignored: Parrikar its icebergs, icy winds, weather and inhabitants - penguins, seals, whales PANAJI: A nation which and sharks. NEW DELHI: The Confederation neglects its navy cannot “It’s an out of the world experi- of All India Traders (CAIT) and become a superpower, ence. It’s like being to another planet, All India Bullion Jewellers and Defence Minister Manohar where nature opens up its treasures Swarnkar Federation (AIBJSF) said Parrikar said on Sunday. and beckons humans to discover the yesterday that they will not with- “A nation which earth’s last great wilderness,” Inter- draw their strike, which entered neglects sea power national Antarctica Expedition (IAE) its 26th day, till the time the gov- doesn’t really become member D Chandrika said. ernment withdraws the proposed a superpower and India Chandrika cruised back to Ush- one percent excise duty on non- needs to achieve this uaia in Argentina on Friday from the silver jewellery. superpower status for 12-day adventurous trip, with 149 In the wake of indefinite strike which we need this other members from 26 countries. by jewellery trade in the country kind of spirit in our peo- The 17 Indians, including eight A stunning view of a floating iceberg near Land Ahoy in the Antarctica ocean since March 2 against imposition ple to really become a women and nine men in mid-to-late of excise duty, the CAIT, in a state- Blue Navy,” Parrikar said 20s, are university students, techies, ment, said: “The basic fundamental during the keel-laying researchers, executives and greens foot on North Pole and South Pole in spotted the first iceberg near Land seals amidst floating glaciers around of levying excise on jewellery trade ceremony of a sailing ves- with a common cause to save earth 1989, set up the Foundation in 1991 Ahoy Island, making everyone hit the the island. is untenable since the finance sel being built in Goa for from ill-effects of greenhouse emis- to preserve Antarctica by promot- deck and brave the icy winds to watch “I found it surreal to walk next minister in his budget speech has the first circumnavigation sions, rapid urbanisation, excess ing recycling, renewable energy and the floating spectacle, with huge to those wild animals, which are announced imposition of excise of the globe by Indian consumption of natural resources sustainability to combat affects of cli- twisted forms of ice in many layers not used to humans. They showed on manufacturing of gold & dia- Navy’s women crew. and changing lifestyle. mate change. and markings, revealing their age and no interest in us or fear as they were mond whereas jewellery traders Organised by the US-based 2041 Setting off in ‘Ocean Endeavour’, origins,” the 28-year-old astrophysi- in their own rightful place,” French are merely the sellers and not the Modi condemns Foundation under the leadership the luxury ship navigated by 50 crew cist from Pune recalled with awe. photographer Josselin Cornou, a part manufacturers.” of veteran polar explorer and Brit- members, from Ushuaia, the world’s Cruising along the edge of the of the 2016 expedition, posted in the It noted that under the Cen- Lahore blast ish environmentalist Robert Swan, southernmost town, the expedition world, the ship reached the Deception official blog. tral Excise Act, there is no term the expedition studied the impact of sailed on March 14 towards the Ant- Island, sitting on a dormant volcano On the following day, the ship like ‘principal manufacturer’ and climate change due to global warm- arctica Peninsula crossing the stormy and where the illegal whale industry entered Port Forester Island through as such, crafting this new term into NEW DELHI: Prime Min- ing for promoting renewable energy Drake Passage and entering the blue once thrived. Neptune’s Bellows, where a volcanic the ambit of excise is against the ister Narendra Modi sources, sustainability and preserve waters of the ocean with no land in Covered with ash and other vol- crater’s walls were breached by the provisions of the act and “a case condemned the deadly the earth’s fragile ecosystem. sight anywhere. canic remnants, the desolate place is mighty sea. The island was discovered of stretching powers to an unrea- suicide blast in Pakistan’s Swan, 60, the first person to set “In the midst of the ocean, we home to hundreds of penguins and in 1819-20 by explorer William Smith. sonable extent”. Lahore that killed around 65 people yesterday evening. “Heard about the blast in Lahore. I strongly US supporting India for building indigenous capabilities condemn it. My condo- lences to families of the deceased & prayers with the injured: PM,” Modi IANS commitment to India. and desire to emerge as a regional and different than our relationship with production of defence material and tweeted from his PMO Addressing a press conference global leader,” he said adding that the any other country in the region”. equipment and weapons and we think India account. here, US Consul General for Mumbai relationship between the two coun- Quoting US President Barack that American companies are worlds More than 65 people Thomas Vajda also dodged a ques- tries went well beyond a buyer and Obama, he said that in general, US leaders in terms of expertise and tech- were killed when a sui- PANAJI: The US has never before tion related to a comparison of the US seller relationship. aspires to be India’s best partner in nology,” he said. US Army’s Material cide bomber blew himself worked so closely with India to bolster defence co-operation with India and Asked to comment on the qualita- all areas of collaboration whether it is Command chief, Gen. Dennis Via said up last evening near the the latter’s indigenous capabilities, a neighbour Pakistan. tive difference between US government education, health etc and that defence that the measure of interest US busi- main gate of the crowded US consular official said, adding that “It is also unprecedented that US is defence co-operation between India collaboration was one of the most nesses had in the Make in India story Gulshan-e-Iqbal park in the presence of nearly 90 US compa- working so closely with India to help and Pakistan, Vajda said: “Our rela- important pillars. was evident from the number of com- Lahore, media reports nies at the DefExpo 2016 which gets build its own indigenous capabilities tionship with India stands on its own “We are clear that the Indian gov- panies which were participating in the said. underway tomorrow, was proof of its and to support India’s own strategy “qualitatively and quantitatively ernment aspires to increase domestic DefExpo 2016. EUROPE / UK MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 15 Ireland marks revolt’s centenary that led to freedom

14 of the 16 rebel leaders executed by Within six years, Britain had the British were killed by firing squad. agreed to the creation of an inde- Ireland staged Under a clear blue sky, he later pendent nation, though without the the largest laid another wreath at the General northeastern part of the island, which Post Office (GPO), the rebel headquar- still remains part of the United King- commemorative ters during the revolt, before leading a dom as Northern Ireland. event in its history minute’s silence for all those who died. The Rising “gave people the cour- to mark the six-day A military band played “Danny age to believe we could achieve total Boy”, and an army officer read out the independence”, Eamon O’Cuiv, dep- revolt. 1916 proclamation declaring “the right uty leader of political party Fianna of the people of Ireland to the owner- Fail and grandson of 1916 rebel Eamon ship of Ireland”. de Valera, told reporters. “It is quite emotional,” said The rebels were ahead of their AFP Patrick Morrison, a 72-year-old who time with their promise of equality travelled from the US state of Penn- and religious liberty, but President sylvania with his grandson for the Higgins noted that “in many respects commemorations. we have not fully achieved the dreams DUBLIN: Hundreds of thousands The government has sought to and ideals for which our forebears of people lined the streets of Dublin stress the “inclusivity” of the events, gave so much”. yesterday to mark the 100th anniver- highlighting the 250 civilians and 130 Ireland currently has a caretaker sary of the Easter Rising, a rebellion British armed forces who died along- government, after an election last against British rule that paved the way side more than 60 rebels. month failed to give any single party for independence. “It is important that we bear wit- a parliamentary majority, leading to Ireland staged the largest com- ness this centenary year to all those political deadlock. memorative event in its history to who gave their lives during Easter 1916,” On an island where political vio- mark the six-day revolt, when rebels Prime Minister Enda Kenny said. The lence is hardly a distant memory, the seized buildings across the capital and uprising began on April 24, 1916, when anniversary has prompted debate declared an Irish republic on Easter over 1,000 militants took over promi- over how best to mark the armed Monday 1916. nent buildings in the city centre. nature of the uprising. Members of the global Irish Britain sent reinforcements and Northern Ireland’s first minister Ireland President Michael D Higgins inspects the guard of honour from the parade outside the General Post diaspora and descendents of the began shelling the city, sparking days Arlene Foster, the leader of the pro- Office, at a programme of commemorative events to mark the 100th anniversary of the rising, yesterday. rebels were among those who turned of fighting that ended when the rebels British Democratic Unionist Party, out to watch a parade by almost 4,000 surrendered on April 29. refused to attend any events com- members of the armed forces and Public opinion was initially memorating what she described as targets in the province, which was commemorations were “inclusive and Ireland’s shared, often painful history emergency services. against the rebels, but the arrests of “a very violent attack on the state”. once plagued by sectarian violence. designed to promote reconciliation”. and to give thanks for our friendship President Michael D Higgins thousands of people in the subse- Police also warned that militants Britain’s minister for Northern Junior foreign minister David of equals today”. began the day’s events by laying a quent crackdown caused outrage and were planning to mark the cente- Ireland, Theresa Villiers, welcomed Lidington added that the centenary For some, the diplomatic approach wreath at Kilmainham Gaol, where a surge in support for independence. nary with attacks on police and army Dublin’s efforts to ensure the was “a time to reflect on Britain and can go too far.

Cameron calls Explosion of Cart ceremony France’s Marineland accused for defeat of of ‘mistreating orca whales’ terrorist to pump in clean water. International NGO Sea Shep- ideology The Antibes herd organised a protest attended by Marineland reopened around 250 people outside the park yesterday, saying the orca enclosures Bloomberg a week ago after remain highly unsatisfactory and the suffering severe animals should never have been sub- ject to such dangers in the first place. LONDON: UK Prime Minister damage in deadly “We are against the keeping of David Cameron called for Brit- storms that struck orca whales in captivity because it ons to defeat the ideology behind is simply not where they should be,” the Brussels terrorist attacks that the Cote d’Azur, Paul Watson, founder of the NGO, left 20 people dead last week, the in October. told reporters. worst attack of its kind in Bel- There has been growing global gium’s history. opposition to keeping orcas, also “When terrorists try to destroy known as killer whales, in captiv- our way of life, as they have tried ity, particularly since the release of to do again so despicably in Brus- AFP a widely seen 2013 documentary sels, we must stand together and Blackfish on the treatment of orcas show that we will never be cowed The traditional ‘Scoppio del Carro’ (Explosion of the Cart) ceremony in Duomo’s Square in Florence, at SeaWorld in the United States. by terror,” Cameron said in an Italy, yesterday. SeaWorld announced earlier this video message. “We must defeat ANTIBES, FRANCE: Environmen- month that it would no longer breed the pernicious ideology that is tal campaigners said yesterday they captive orcas and the current gen- the root cause of this terrorism by were taking legal action against a eration would effectively be its last. standing up proudly for our values French marine park, Europe’s larg- Sea Shepherd has lodged a legal and our way of life.” est, over the treatment of its orca complaint against Antibes Marine- Counter-terrorism investiga- Brexit to hit EU security: Petraeus whales and other animals after land, saying the park mistreats its tions are continuing in several many were killed in a recent storm. animals and pollutes the local envi- European countries amid fears of The Antibes Marineland reo- ronment. It expects a first hearing to further plots. Reuters The comments, days after sui- in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. pened a week ago after suffering be held in September. French President Francois Hol- cide bomb attacks killed 28 people Polls show that public opinion is severe damage in deadly storms that Marineland denies charges of lande warned on Friday that even in Brussels, support one of the Brit- evenly split on whether to remain in struck the Cote d’Azur, on France’s mistreatment and said in a statement if the terrorism network behind ish government’s key arguments in its the bloc. Survey results differ accord- Mediterranean coast, in October. that “the conditions of well-being of the attacks in Paris and Brussels LONDON: A British exit from the campaign to win over undecided vot- ing to the methods used to canvas Many animals and fish at the the marine mammals are carefully “is being wiped out, there’s still a European Union would signifi- ers - that the country is safer inside opinion, but polls last week suggested park were killed in the storm, includ- and strictly controlled by several threat weighing on us.” cantly weaken the bloc’s security, the 28-country bloc. that support for an exit was rising. ing Valentin, a 19-year-old orca organisations, as well as European Cameron’s call for unity on the David Petraeus, a former US mili- “I encourage my British friends to He said that whilst a retreat into whale which succumbed to inter- and international regulations.” terror threat comes as UK voters tary commander and CIA director think twice before withdrawing from the “perceived safety of isolation” nal injuries a week later. The park is already subject to a are considering whether to remain wrote yesterday, urging Britons not one of the most important institutions was tempting, history had shown The park was deluged with mud, preliminary investigation follow- part of the European Union ahead to vote to leave the union at a June that undergirds Western strength - such decisions were a strategic dead killing sharks, sea lions and turtles ing complaints of animal cruelty by of a June referendum. referendum. the European Union,” Petraeus wrote end. because it was left without electricity three French NGOs.

Disgraced celebrity surgeon’s Watching the movements spoiled dreams of fame

AFP 2010. He attained world fame for had downplayed the risks of the completing the first synthetic trachea procedure. Six of his eight patients transplant using stem cells in 2011. reportedly died, and allegations ensued Macchiarini used an ingenious that the risky procedure had been car- STOCKHOLM: Dreams of fame and artificial windpipe made of plas- ried out on at least one individual who fortune turned into a nightmare for a tic and seeded it with the patient’s had not, at the time, been critically ill. once-renowned Italian surgeon who own stem cells, which are immature Karolinska suspended all synthetic tra- compared himself to Doctor Frank- cells that grow into specialised cells chea transplants shortly after. enstein and now stands accused of that ultimately make up each of the Macchiarini also carried out clin- using patients as guinea pigs. body’s organs. His work was initially ical work in Krasnodar, Russia where Sweden’s Karolinska Institute hailed as a game-changer for trans- patients undergo surgery for research (KI), which awards the Nobel Prize plant medicine, with the surgeon purposes. But his time there was for Medicine, fired Paolo Macchiarini performing three such operations overshadowed by an internal inves- this week after years of controversy. in Stockholm and five others around tigation at KI, as well as the growing A pioneer in regenerative med- the world. number of news stories in the Italian icine, Paolo Macchiarini was born “We want to create new organs, and Swedish media about the doc- in Switzerland in 1958 and won like Frankenstein,” he said in a docu- tor’s troubled past. international renown in 2008 after mentary broadcast on Swedish public Prosecutors in Florence, Italy undertaking a grafted windpipe television in January 2016. But by that have begun a preliminary inves- transplant using stem cells. time, his star was fading fast. tigation into Macchiarini after In medical circles, his star was His troubles began in 2014 after patients accused him of violating the A female hippopotamus Kiwi swims in the water inside her enclosure as Rodolphe Delord director of rising, and he was invited to Stock- several surgeons at KI filed a com- Hippocratic Oath by charging exces- the zoological park of Beauval takes picture in Saint-Aignan, France. holm’s KI as a visiting professor in plaint alleging that Macchiarini sive sums of money. 16 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 EUROPE

Belgium attacks Brussels cops toll revised down to 28 clash with AFP

BRUSSELS: The death toll from the March 22 attacks on Brussels air- far-right mob port and the metro system has been revised down to 28, the Belgian Cri- sis Centre said yesterday. Belgian capital and to attacks and Spokesman Benoit Ramacker said plots across the border in France. that the previous toll of 31 included the In a fresh swoop, The clashes between the far- three suicide bombers—two who blew Belgian authorities right demonstrators and police themselves up at the airport and one underscored the tensions in Belgium on board a train stopped at Maalbeek detained four terror after Tuesday’s Islamic State suicide station. “The provisional toll is 28 suspects after attacks on the airport and the metro people killed in the attacks,” he said. system in which 28 people died and Only 24 of the victims have been carrying out 13 raids. 340 were wounded. identified, 14 of whom were killed at “This is our home” and “The the airport and 10 at the train station. state, Daesh accomplice” around Of the 24, The toll includes 13 Belgians 200 hooligans chanted, using an and 11 foreigners from eight different AFP alternate term for IS, as they gath- countries, the Crisis Centre said. ered near the square by the stock A total 340 people from 19 coun- exchange building, which has been tries were injured, of whom 101 covered in flowers, candles and mes- remain in hospital. Sixty-two of them BRUSSELS: Belgian riot police fired sages by mourners. are in intensive care, half of them with water cannon yesterday to disperse Police urged the mourners, who severe burns. far-right football hooligans who included some Muslims, not to pro- Flowers and candles displayed outside the Stock Exchange in Brussels yesterday, as a mark of tribute to the Meanwhile, Brussels Airport said disrupted mourners at a shrine for voke the hooligans, but some joined victims of terror attacks in the city claimed by the Islamic Sstate group last Tuesday. an examination of the main building victims of the Brussels attacks, as in chanting “Fascists! Fascists! We’re housing the departure hall wrecked police arrested several suspects in not having it!” by two suicide bombers showed the a series of new raids. Riot police with helmets and Belgian Prime Minister Charles prevent the carnage, as the links to the second person to be charged by structure is stable and it will now see In scenes that compounded a shields corralled the hooligans Michel said he “emphatically” con- the November Paris attacks by IS grow prosecutors in connection with Thurs- if temporary check-in desks can be week of grief for Belgians, black-clad before dispersing them with high demned the demonstration. clearer by the day. day’s arrest of a man near Paris who installed. protesters shouting anti-immigrant power water jets, and marshalling The mourners gathered despite the Police carried out 13 raids yester- had assault weapons and explosives “A team of engineers, techni- slogans moved in on the makeshift them onto trains out of the city. fact that organisers had earlier called day across Brussels and the towns of in his flat and was allegedly plotting a cians and independent external memorial at Place de la Bourse Around ten people were arrested. off a “March Against Fear” in Brus- Duffel and Mechelen, the federal pros- new attack in France. experts have carried out a first where hundreds of people had gath- Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur said sels today at the request of Belgian ecutor said, questioning nine people Overnight, Italian police arrested analysis of the damage caused by ered in a show of solidarity. police had done “nothing” to stop the authorities, who said police needed the and holding four for further inquiries. an Algerian national in connection with the explosions (Tuesday) ... after Under-fire Belgian authorities hooligans coming to Brussels despite resources for the attacks investigation. In the latest move, prosecutors said production of the fake ID documents detectives released the terminal meanwhile detained four terror sus- having advance warning, adding that As Belgium struggles to come to they had charged a second man with used by the Paris and Brussels attack- yesterday afternoon when they had pects after carrying out 13 raids as he was “appalled” that “such thugs terms with the tragedy, recriminations involvement in a terror group over a ers, suggesting their networks spread concluded their investigations,” it they seek to round up a web of jihad- have come to provoke residents at continue over whether the authorities foiled plot to strike France. far and wide and will not be easy to said in a statement. ists with links to the carnage in the the site of their memorial.” could and should have done more to The suspect, Abderamane A, was dismantle.

‘Two held in Strolling on river bank Migrants rush to sealed Germany has no link to Brussels’ border Greek camp

AFP AFP Cross officials would help them force their way across the fence into Mac- edonia, a young Syrian refugee told BERLIN: German authorities the Athens News Agency (ANA). have been unable to link two IDOMENI, GREECE: Dozens of “We heard today that the bor- men arrested by police there to hopeful refugees, some carrying der will open and we came here to the attackers who carried out babies, rushed to Greece’s over- cross,” he said. the airport and metro bombings whelmed Idomeni camp on the “They told us the Red Cross and in Brussels, the country’s federal sealed border with Macedonia yes- 500 journalists from all over the prosecutor said. terday following rumours that the world will be with us,” he said, with- A 28-year-old Moroccan man frontier would be forced open. out specifying the source. was arrested after being stopped The influx came as Greek Another young Syrian said his at Giessen railway station, north authorities were trying to evacuate sister, who is living in Germany, had of Frankfurt. an estimated 11,500 people already seen the same claim on the Internet His mobile phone was initially stranded at the squalid camp. and alerted him. thought to contain the name of About 250 people of all ages “People have been here for a long Khalid el Bakraoui, who Belgian gathered by the railway tracks time. I think it’s very dangerous to officials say blew himself up on and the border fence, singing and cross, especially for the children Tuesday at the Maalbeek metro shouting slogans, an eyewitness but what should we do?” 24-year- station in Brussels. said, in a largely peaceful dem- old Qasim Mosawy from Afghanistan It has been reported that the People walk along the Elbe river in Dresden, Germany, yesterday. onstration watched by the Greek told reporters. arrested man was in fact exchang- police in riot gear. Dozens of other migrants could ing messages with someone with Many elderly handicapped ref- be seen heading through the fields, a name spelt almost the same as ugees were sitting in wheelchairs carrying babies, towards the Ido- Bakraoui’s. sobbing while many other people, meni crossing. He remains in custody for who had dismantled their tents in “We are trying to step up our other offences, according to Germany to host anti-terrorism meet order to be ready to cross the bor- information campaign to the refu- German federal prosecutor der quickly, were waving white gees. Some people, for reasons we responsible for terrorism cases, handkerchiefs. don’t understand, are creating false but is no longer suspected of links QNA chair of the Organisation for Security Syria, which has largely held for four “No violence, we just want to hope,” said Giorgos Kyritsis, spokes- to the attacks. and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). weeks, was the greatest blow to the cross,” read one banner, while man for the SOMP agency which is Another man, a follower of the Steinmeier also praised the role IS group. another said: “Freedom of move- coordinating Athens’ response to the ultra-conservative Salafi strain of BERLIN: Berlin will host an inter- Russia was playing in the Syrian “Government troops and the ment is everybody’s right.” refugee crisis. Islam, was arrested in the Duessel- national anti-terrorism conference conflict. “The ceasefire, the provi- opposition are at least not mutu- Some in the crowd, however, Using loudspeakers, Greek offi- dorf region in western Germany in the capital in the summer, Ger- sion of humanitarian access, the start ally annihilating each other at the attempted to move towards the cials told those gathering that the on suspicion of links to one of the man Foreign Minister Frank-Walter of peace talks in Geneva, all of that moment, but rather they can concen- police line but were blocked by oth- crossing would remain closed, Bakraoui brothers, police said. Steinmeier told the German media would not have been feasible with- trate their forces on the fight against ers who formed a human chain, the repeating the message in both Ara- A search of his house and yesterday. out the constructive involvement of IS and the breeding ground of terror- eyewitness said. bic and Farsi, ANA said. workplace along with scrutiny of The main topic of the conference Russia,” he said. ism,” he said. Arguments erupted, with Syrians Two weeks ago, hundreds of his mobile phone failed to pro- will be preventing young people from The OSCE is a forum which For the first time in five years and Iraqis accusing the Afghans and people were stopped by Macedonian duce any evidence tying him to being seduced by terrorism, Stein- agrees for further common steps of war, there was hope of defus- Pakistanis of wanting to push their troops after crossing a surging river the attacks in Belgium that killed meier told the newspapers of the with Russia in the fight against ter- ing a conflict that had given the way through, the witness said. on the border. Bypassing the regular 28 and injured 340, police told the Funke media group. rorism, he said. terrorist gangs daily sustenance, The wave of new arriv- crossing, they tried to wade through DPA news agency. Germany currently holds the Steinmeier said the ceasefire in he said. als appeared to be triggered by a the fast-flowing water, clinging to a rumour that journalists and Red rope strung between the banks. EU pledges to better share information on terrorism

AFP “Today we put pressure on eve- called to “increase as a matter of from the underground train station rybody to cooperate better,” Dimitris urgency the systematic feeding, which was hit by a suicide bomber. Avramopoulos, the commissioner consistent use and interoperability The ministers agreed to speed responsible for security issues and of European and international data- up the implementation of previous BRUSSELS: European Union interior migration, told journalists. bases in the fields of security, travel measures, such as against the financ- and justice ministers pledged to bet- “If we were sharing information, and migration.” They also called for ing of terrorism and against forged ter share intelligence on terrorism, we might dissuade their actions,” “making full use of technological identity cards used by IS militants. during a meeting to support Belgium Avramopoulos said, referring to a developments and including privacy They also urged the European following the Brussels attacks. string of jihadist attacks in Paris, safeguards from the outset.” Parliament to adopt plans to track The European Commission, Copenhagen and Brussels since 2015. An EU diplomat said that despite airline passenger names under the the executive of the 28-nation EU, He complained there was “some- improvements, still only five mem- Pasenger Name Record (PNR) system. in January already set up a coun- times still a lack of trust” but called ber states provide 90 percent of the The PNR was supposed to be ter-terrorism centre at Europol for more resources for the counter- information. adopted in March but some members headquarters in The Hague to improve terrorism centre and for member The ministers decided on no new of parliament postponed it in order to Migrants protest in front of anti-riot police at the Greek-Macedonian information sharing and break down states to make full use of it. measures during the hastily arranged allow a simultaneous vote on protect- the mistrust that hinders it. In a joint statement, the ministers meeting held hundreds of metres ing personal information. border, near Idomeni village, yesterday. AMERICAS MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 17 Sanders hails momentum after trouncing Clinton

In the wider context of their bat- out of the South and heading to the tle for the Democratic presidential West Coast, which is the most pro- The Vermont Senator ticket Sanders’ Saturday success gressive part of America.” breathed fresh life barely dents Clinton’s formidable Sanders has drawn strong sup- lead—she now has 1,733 delegates, port from voters with a populist into his campaign including superdelegates who are message that rails against police for the White House unelected by voters, to Sanders’ 1,039, brutality, a too-low minimum wage, according to a CNN count. soaring student debt and other soci- with a clean sweep To win the Democratic nom- etal ills. in caucuses in ination at the July convention in In particular, millennials and Philadelphia, 2,383 delegates are first-time voters have been flocking Alaska, Hawaii and needed. It means that the dele- to Sanders’ message of economic Washington. gate math still dramatically favors equality, universal health care, and Clinton, a former first lady and sec- his call to reduce the influence of bil- retary of state, in large part because lionaires on the campaign finance Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign rally at the Alliant Energy Democrats allocate delegates pro- system. AFP portionally by state, making it all but Sanders also pointed to a series Centre, in Madison, Wisconsin. impossible for Sanders to overtake of national polls that show him con- Clinton. sistently doing better than Clinton But Sanders, who has called for against Donald Trump, Ted Cruz or Trump details 'America first' foreign policy WASHINGTON: A buoyant Bernie nothing short of “a revolution” and Ohio governor John Kasich—the three Sanders said yesterday he has the captured the imagination of younger Republicans who remain in the hunt momentum as he attempts to claw voters in particular, said he now has for their party’s nomination. AFP Trump said he was not an isola- from North Korea, Trump suggested back Hillary Clinton’s handsome lead the impetus going into another bruis- “A lot of superdelegates pledged tionist, but described the United States that would be an acceptable situation. in the race for the Democratic pres- ing round of primary and caucus to secretary Clinton, but when they as a poor debtor nation that dispropor- “Would I rather have North Korea idential nomination, after scoring a contests next month. begin to look at the reality... in poll tionately funds international alliances have them with Japan sitting there trio of big wins. “We won six out of seven contests after poll we are beating Donald WASHINGTON: Donald Trump such as Nato and the United Nations. having them also? You may very well The Vermont Senator, a self- in the last 11 days. We’ve cut secretary Trump by much larger margins than described his foreign policy as an Similarly lopsided relationships be better off if that’s the case.” he said. described democratic socialist, Clinton’s lead by a third during that is secretary Clinton,” he told CNN. “America first” approach that will exist with allies such as Japan, South Trump said he would withdraw US breathed fresh life into his cam- period of time,” a triumphant Sand- Wisconsin becomes the next stop the US from being systematically Korea and Saudi Arabia, he said. troops from Japan and South Korea paign for the White House with a ers told the ABC news programme state to hold primaries, on April 5, “ripped off,” he said in a lengthy inter- “We have been disrespected, unless the two Asian countries signif- clean sweep in caucuses on Saturday “This Week.” but Clinton—who polls particularly view published yesterday. mocked and ripped off for many many icantly increased their contributions in the western US states of Alaska, “Clearly we have the momen- well among minority groups and The phone interview with the New years by people that were smarter, to Washington for military presence. Hawaii and Washington. tum,” he added, echoing the same hammered Sanders in the US South— York Times was the most in-depth dis- shrewder, tougher,” he told the Times. “We cannot afford to be losing vast In Washington—the biggest prize sentiment on CNN, where he also appears to already have shifted her cussion so far on foreign policy for the “So America first, yes, we will not amounts of billions of dollars on all of at the weekend with 101 delegates up declared: “We think we have a path focus toward November’s general Republican frontrunner who has spent be ripped off anymore. We’re going to this,” he said. He then slammed Presi- for grabs—Sanders blitzed Clinton toward victory.” election. his entire career in business. be friendly with everybody, but we’re dent Barack Obama’s administration with an estimated 72 percent of the “The South is the most conserva- At the moment that will most He detailed his views on issues not going to be taken advantage of by for seeking a political exit for Syr- vote, against 28 percent of the long- tive part of America,” he added. “We likely pit her against Trump, who is ranging from East Asian security to anybody,” he said. ian President Bashar al-Assad while time frontrunner, according to US did not do well there. Secretary Clin- streaking away with the Republican Syria, the Islamic State group and rela- Asked if Japan should be allowed to simultaneously fighting the Islamic news networks. ton gained a lot of delegates. We’re nomination. tions with allies such as Saudi Arabia. have nuclear weapons to protect itself State group as “madness and idiocy.” Children facing deportation Pentagon to spend $3bn for F-35 upgrade ‘have right to attorneys’ Reuters defence weapons systems acquisition ensure oversight and transparency But Bogdan said the programme at GAO, told a hearing of the House of the modernisation drive, which will would require a switch to a so-called Armed Services tactical and air land give the jets improved capabilities. open systems architecture by around Reuters Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. forces subcommittee that it would be Bogdan said the Pentagon’s chief 2023, which would make it easier to That wave subsided, but the flow WASHINGTON: The Pentagon difficult for Congress to oversee the arms buyer Frank Kendall would swap out sensors and other equip- of immigrant children increased expects to award contracts for a $3bn, upgrade unless it was carved out of review the upgrade plans before ment on the aircraft in the future. again towards the end of last year, six-year effort to upgrade its newest the larger F-35 programme. allowing them to proceed, and the He said the programme would SEATTLE: Lawyers for nine chil- with 12,505 taken into custody warplane, the Lockheed Martin Corp Lawmakers and independent F-35 programme office would also draw lessons from the Air Force’s dren suspected of being illegal between October 1 and November F-35 fighter jet, by the end of 2018, watchdogs are anxious to keep tabs set up separate cost, schedule and new B-21 long-range bomber pro- immigrants argued that they have 20 of 2015. the Air Force general who runs the on the upgrade programme after performance metrics for the upgrade gram, which is being designed the right to a court-appointed attor- Zilly heard arguments on sev- $391bn programme said. years of cost overruns and delays on effort. Contractors will also have to from the start with such an open ney, in a lawsuit that challenges the eral motions in the case, including Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan the initial fighter jet programme. US set up separate systems to oversee architecture. notion that minors can competently whether to dismiss several of the rejected a call by the Government officials said the F-35 programme their work on the new programme. The Pentagon’s Joint Require- represent themselves. plaintiffs and whether to allow it to Accountability Office, the research has made progress on cutting costs, He said there were no plans to ments Oversight Council was The lawsuit by the Ameri- proceed as a class action suit. arm of Congress, to make the $3bn schedule and technical issues since a replace Lockheed as the prime con- expected to approve a document can Civil Liberties Union and Among the children seeking legal project into a separate weapons major restructuring in 2010. tractor for the airplane, or Pratt & mapping out the upgrade plan for other groups in federal court in representation via the case are an programme. Bogdan said the Defence Depart- Whitney, a unit of United Technolo- the F-35 this summer, Bogdan said, Seattle seeks to force the federal 11-year-old in Washington state whose Michael Sullivan, director of ment would make every effort to gies Corp as the enginemaker. without giving details. government to provide attorneys mother abandoned him, a 4-year- for undocumented children facing old from El Salvador who lives in Los deportation in immigration hearings. Angeles, and others in Texas and Flor- If successful, the move would ida, said ACLU Deputy Legal Director American couple change longstanding policy that only Ahilan Arulanantham, who is repre- Art exhibition in New York US citizens are entitled to an attor- senting the children. confirmed dead in ney in immigration courts. The complaint says that send- “Their only hope of having a ing indigent children into a civil fair proceeding is if they have a immigration hearing against an Brussels attacks legal representative,” Matt Adams, adversarial prosecutor violates con- an attorney for the children, said at stitutional guarantees of due process hearing before Judge Thomas S Zilly. as well as federal laws requiring a Reuters “There is no justification for mak- “full and fair hearing” before a ing immigration law the exception immigration judge. to the norm.” Deputy Assistant US Attorney LOS ANGELES: An American hus- The case made headlines after General Leon Fresco, representing band and wife missing since the a federal immigration judge said in the federal government, argued that suicide bombings in Brussels have a deposition that he has been able the children are protected by existing been confirmed to have died in the to explain the nuances of US immi- policies and pro-bono legal services, attacks, according to family mem- gration law to children as young as and that offering foreigners the auto- bers and their employers. three- and four-years-old, provok- matic right to an attorney would Justin and Stephanie Shults, ing outrage from activists. wreck the immigration system. Belgium residents originally from Immigration policy became a “Once you recognise that peo- Tennessee and Kentucky, were last hotly debated issue in the US presi- ple who have not had any ties or seen dropping off her mother at dential campaign after Republican interest in the US can come in and the Brussels airport shortly before frontrunner Donald Trump accused sue, you will have an unadminster- the check-in area was rocked by Mexico of sending criminals to the able immigration system,” he said. a powerful explosion on Tuesday, US and vowed to build a wall to keep Fresco said class-action status would one of three blasts that took at people from crossing the border betray the varying “individual inter- least 28 lives. illegally. A surge of unaccompanied ests” at stake for each child, and that “Today we learned from Steph- children crossed the US border in the 72 percent of cases in which children Guests view artwork by Edgar Degas on display during the “Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty” anie Shults’ family that she and her latter half of 2014, mostly fleeing gang do not have attorneys end without exhibition press preview at Museum of Modern Art in New York City. husband, Justin, were among those violence and economic hardships in removal from the US. killed in the attack on the Brus- sels airport,” Mars Inc, Stephanie Shults’ employer, said on its Face- book page. “We are mourning the loss of our colleague and friend. Our Hundreds mourn dead Indiana 1-year-old girl hearts and thoughts are with their families,” the company said. Justin Shults’ brother, Levi Sut- Bloomberg a river the following day, according to of interest, but no charges have been Parker’s mother, Christina Pat- Although police are questioning ton said in a post on Twitter, “He the Associated Press. A coroner ruled filed. Shaylyn’s family identified the ton, said in a statement republished someone, authorities warned that the was smart and kind and generous. her death a homicide by asphyxiation. man being questioned as Kyle Parker. . by Fox59, a local TV affiliate, that the case is far from closed. I never met a single person who “I put her to bed around 10 or The girl’s uncle described Parker family is “completely heartbroken” by “Right now, there’s just too many didn’t like him. He worked hard NEW YORK: Hundreds of people 10:30, and I checked on her at mid- to the Indianapolis Star as a “friend of the girl’s death. unanswered questions, too much his whole life and achieved goals attended a prayer vigil in Indiana to night before I went to bed,” Shaylyn’s a friend,” someone the family trusted. “We wish to extend our most sin- information we haven’t gathered that most could only dream about.” mourn a 1-year-old girl whose death grandmother, Tamera Morgan, said. Parker even once rocked Shaylyn to cere condolences to Shaylyn’s family,” yet,” Owen County Sheriff Leonard Of Stephanie Shults, he said: authorities had ruled a homicide. “She was laying in her bed sound sleep after she awoke in her crib, the she said. “Our hearts are heavy and Hobbs said. “I’m sure that in the next “Stephanie was always so happy. Shaylyn Ammerman disappeared asleep, and then we went to bed, and Ammerman family told the Star. filled with grief over this beautiful lit- few days and weeks they’ll have all I really enjoyed any chance I got to from her father’s house in Spencer we woke up and she was gone.” “He talked so kindly,” Morgan tle girl’s passing. It is a difficult time the information they need to bring be around her. The world lost two and was found dead near the banks of Police are questioning a person said. “He played with Shaylyn.” for all families involved.” charges accordingly.” amazing people today.” 18 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 AMERICAS

Brazilian party US navy captain jailed in bribery case plans policies for new govt Bloomberg Sammartino said in the judgement. conspiracy to defraud the government James B Burch, director of the Depart- Dusek, 49, and other Navy officers and “did what he was asked” by Glenn ment of Defence, Defense Criminal US District Court were accused of taking bribes from Defence Marine. Investigative Service, said in a state- Reuters Judge Janis Glenn Defence Marine (Asia), which Defence attorney Douglas Apple- ment about the sentencing. SAN DIEGO: The highest-ranking had contracts worth hundreds of gate told the judge that while Dusek The contractor at the centre of US Navy officer convicted in a brib- Sammartino in San millions of dollars for servicing Amer- initially was “not forthright” with the case, Leonard Glenn Francis, who SAO PAULO: The Brazilian Dem- ery scheme with a Singapore-based Diego sentenced ican ships at ports in Southeast Asia, investigators, he was the first officer was chief executive officer of Glenn ocratic Movement Party (PMDB) contractor involving cash, gifts and in exchange for disclosing classified in the case to come forward and self- Defence Marine, pleaded guilty in is already working on poli- prostitutes was ordered to serve Captain Daniel information. report his crimes. January 2015 and faces as long as 25 cies including sweeping welfare almost four years in prison by a judge Dusek to 46 months The corruption scandal ranks He also said the investigation is years in prison when he’s sentenced cuts should their coalition part- who said the captain put national of incarceration among the worst for the US armed casting a wide net. later this year. He paid Navy com- ner President Dilma Rousseff be security at stake when he sold out. forces in a quarter century. “There are probably close to 200 manders for information about where impeached and it formed the new US District Court Judge Janis following his guilty Dusek apologised to the judge for officers still being investigated,” US ships were scheduled to dock and government, a newspaper said Sammartino in San Diego sentenced plea. his crimes and said he “will never for- Applegate said, adding that “there for help steering vessels to ports that yesterday. Captain Daniel Dusek to 46 months give myself.” are still high-ranking admirals under were the most lucrative for his com- Rousseff’s opponents want of incarceration following his guilty “This guilt will be in my heart for investigation.” pany, according to prosecutors. to impeach her over accusations plea last year to one count of conspir- the rest of my life,” he said. Pletcher declined to comment The government also has won that she manipulated government acy to commit bribery. Assistant US Attorney Mark after the hearing comment about guilty pleas from two Navy com- accounts. She also imposed a $70,000 fine conspiracy in which she said Navy Pletcher described Dusek as “near the defense attorney’s comments manders, a lieutenant commander, The PMBD leader, Vice Pres- and ordered Dusek to pay $30,000 officials were plied with “meals, royalty” in the Navy because of his except to say, “The investigation is a Naval Criminal Investigative Service ident Michel Temer, would take in restitution. hotel rooms, entertainment and rank of captain. continuing.” agent and two of Francis’s employ- over if she is ousted. The judge said it was “unimag- prostitutes.” The prosecutor in its argement in “This outcome again sends the ees. A former civilian employee of Many also blame Rousseff for inable to the court that someone in “Your actions were potentially the court said that Dusek “was in an message that corruption will be vig- the Defense Department awaits trial, sinking the economy into its worst your position would sell out” in a jeopardising the national security,” incredibly influential position” in the orously investigated and prosecuted,” according to prosecutors. recession in at least 25 years and mass protests were held against her this month in cities across Bra- zil. The political crisis has been compounded by a sweeping anti- Bolivia to take Chile to For the missing Mexican students corruption crackdown. The PMDB, Brazil’s largest party, is considering changes in social benefits including a large court over water dispute housing programme in a bid to cut spending and reestablish a fiscal equilibrium, said a report pub- AFP forward with the suit. lished by O Estado de S.Paulo. “If a suit materialises regarding “We are looking at measures use of the water from the Silala River that could benefit the population, at any time, Chile will file a counter- but at the same time achieve fis- LA PAZ: Bolivian President Evo claim against Bolivia to safeguard cal balance and keep government Morales said that his country has our interests,” Munoz said. accounts healthy,” Moreira Franco, decided to file suit against Chile at The move would mark the sec- a former minister under Rousseff, the International Court of Justice ond legal action taken by Bolivia was quoted as saying. Franco is in (ICJ) over a water dispute. against Chile at the Netherlands- charge of putting together possible Bolivia argues it owns the Silala based court that oversees disputes actions, the report said. spring waters originating in its between countries. Rousseff, who says she will not southwest department of Potosi and Last year, the ICJ agreed to take quit, is the latest leftist leader in that it is not being compensated for up a century-old dispute between Latin America to face upheaval as Chile’s use of the water, which flow the two nations in which La Paz is a decade-long commodities boom across their shared border. seeking to regain its former access that fueled breakneck growth and Chile, however, argues that the to the Pacific Ocean. social spending comes to an abrupt waters constitute an international Bolivia became landlocked end. river. after losing a four-year war against One of the potential changes “We have decided as a pacifist Chile at the end of the 19th century, being considered by the PMDB country to go to The Hague so that forfeiting territory and its access concerns a large housing pro- Chile respects our water in Silala,” to the sea. gramme called “Minha Casa, Morales said at a public event. After a number of fruitless nego- Parents and supporters of the 43 Mexican students that went missing in Iguala in September 2014 hold Minha Vida”, which is heavily sub- Chilean Foreign Minister Her- tiations with Santiago over the issue, a banner that shows Mexican rebel Francisco Pancho’ Villa. The demonstration marks the 18-month sidised by a federal fund (FGTS) aldo Munoz said his country would La Paz lodged a complaint to the ICJ anniversary of the mass kidnapping. which originally build to compen- file a counterclaim if Bolivia goes in April 2013. sate workers who lose their jobs. Republican campaign an embarrassment: Kerry Canadian man arrested

AFP his chief rival Ted Cruz have stepped air strikes on the IS group in Syria on terror-related charge up the anti-Muslim rhetoric since the and Iraq, but the latest attacks are suicide bombings in Brussels Tuesday another painful reminder that the that left 28 dead. jihadists remain a grave threat far AFP “While there was no indication WASHINGTON: Secretary of State In an interview with The New beyond those war-torn countries, of any plans for a domestic attack, John Kerry (pictured) said that the York Times, Trump described his said Kerry. we must remain committed to pre- Republican presidential campaign approach to foreign policy as “Amer- “I think everybody is concerned venting individuals from traveling has descended into “an embarrass- ican first,” borrowing the isolation because for several years now foreign OTTAWA: Authorities arrested a abroad to gain training and expertise ment” that raises awkward questions slogan of Americans who wanted to fighters have been returning from 23-year-old man in the Toronto sub- that could be used in the planning abroad about the reliability of the keep the United States out of World Syria or from other locations and urbs on a terrorism-related charge, and implementation of future attacks United States. War II. implanting themselves in the com- but stressed it was not linked to the on Canadian soil,” Superintendent Kerry said that everywhere he Speaking about the recent ter- munities,” Kerry told the Sunday CBS deadly suicide bombings in Brussels. Lise Crouch was quoted as saying goes, every leader he meets asks ror attacks in Brussels, Kerry said television show “Face The Nation.” Kevin Omar Mohamed was in the statement. about what is happening in America. way they’re posed to me, it’s clear the bombings underscore “great “We’ve been looking for addi- arrested under a “Fear of Terrorism Mohamed was scheduled to be “They cannot believe it. I think to me that what’s happening is an urgency” facing Europe to prevent tional screening. We’ve been engaged Offence” law, the Royal Canadian indicted on Tuesday at a court in it is fair to say that they’re shocked. embarrassment to our country.” more extremist atrocities. actually with the Belgium authorities Mounted Police said in a statement, Brampton, a suburb west of Toronto, They don’t know where it’s taking the Kerry was asked out the impact The jihadists struck at the heart of for some period of time now trying suggesting he was preparing to travel Canadian police said. United States of America,” Kerry said abroad of the Republican campaign Europe on Tuesday, hitting the Belgian to fill gaps that they’re aware exist.” abroad to train with extremists. Around sixty Canadians who in an interview on the Sunday CBS with its calls for bans on Muslim capital’s airport and metro system Asked if there was a sense of He was also charged with car- traveled abroad to join terror groups news show “Face The Nation.” immigrants, surveillance of Mus- and leaving 319 people wounded, four urgency in Europe to plug those holes rying a concealed weapon and are now back in the country, and “It upsets people’s sense of equi- lim neighborhoods and the return months after the IS group claimed and prevent a repeat of Brussels or possession of a weapon danger- another 180 are estimated to be librium about our steadiness, about of waterboarding, an interrogation responsibility for coordinated deadly Paris, Kerry replied: “There’s great ous to public peace. If convicted, he overseas engaged with extremists, our reliability, and to some degree I practice regarded as torture. attacks on Paris. urgency. There’s a sense of urgency, could face a maximum of 10 years Canada’s spy chief Michel Coulombe must say, some of the questions, the Frontrunner Donald Trump and Washington is leading coalition clearly.” in prison. told a newspaper last month. Mexicans burn Trump effigies

Reuters and began talking about immi- accused Mexico of sending drug grants, Mexico, and Mexicans, I runners across the border and said ‘I’ve got to get this guy,’” said vowed to increase fees on some Felipe Linares, the artisan who Mexican visas and all border cross- MEXICO CITY: Mexicans burnt crafted Trump. ing cards to help make Mexico pay effigies of US Republican presiden- Trump, the front-runner to win for the wall. tial hopeful Donald Trump, whose the Republican nomination for the Judas effigies are burnt in vil- anti-immigrant views have sparked November 8 election, has drawn fire lages and towns in several Latin outrage south of the American border. in Mexico with his campaign vow American countries such as Ven- In Mexico City’s poor La Merced to build a wall along the south- ezuela and in parts of Greece. neighborhood, hundreds of cheering ern US border to keep out illegal Anthropologists say the prac- residents yelled “death” and various immigrants and drugs, and to make tice serves a symbolic function to insults as they watched the explo- Mexico pay for it. overcome divisions and unite com- sion of the grinning papier-mâché Mexican President Enrique Pena munities around a common enemy. mock-up of the real estate tycoon, Nieto has said his country will not Linares has also done mock- replete with blue blazer, red tie and pay for the wall and likened Trump’s ups of corrupt former union leader his trademark tuft of blond hair. “strident tone” to the ascent of dic- Elba Esther Gordillo and Presi- Media reported that Trump effi- tators like Adolf Hitler and Benito dent Enrique Pena Nieto, whose gies were burned across Mexico, Mussolini. popularity has been hit by con- from Puebla to Mexico’s industrial Trump, who has also aroused flict-of-interest scandals and the hub Monterrey. concern among many in his own disappearance of 43 students at “Since he started his campaign party with his proposals, has the hands of corrupt police. Mexican’s set fire to an effigy of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Mexico City.

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER Minimum: 23o C Maximum: 32o C

FAJR 04.14 am ZUHR 11.39 am MAGHRIB 05.50 pm HIGH TIDE 07:00 - 20:30 Strong wind and high seas. Partly cloudy with SHOROOK 05.31 am ASR 03.07 pm ISHA 07.20 pm LOW TIDE 01:45 - 13:30 slight dust, chance of rain by late night.

20 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 MORNING BREAK

ONLINE CHART BUST Eating potatoes may Walking fish discovered www.thepeninsulaqatar.com boost diabetes risk MOST READ QNA Al-Jazeera says to cut around 1 500 jobs

Oman to increase air traffic fees in WASHINGTON: Eating lots of 2 state revenue push potatoes especially chips or crisps is linked to a higher risk Man arrested in Saudi for flying rainbow for women of developing a type 3 flag; not aware what it stands for of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, a study said. So-called gestational diabe- tes can have long-term health TWEET OF THE DAY consequences for both mother and child, including a higher chance of heart disease and other forms of diabetes. Pota- pregnant between 1991 and toes consumed massively across 2001. the globe contain important Of 21,693 single-foetus nutrients, including vitamin C pregnancies, 854 some 4% and potassium. developed gestational dia- But compared to other veg- betes, according to the study etables and carbohydrates, they published in the British Medical also contain extra starch, which Journal. The women were asked is associated with a more rapid to report their potato consump- increase in blood sugar levels. tion during the year previous Generally speaking, diabe- to becoming pregnant, rating tes occurs when the body is intake from "never or less than no longer able to make enough once a month" to "six portions insulin, a hormone that prompts per day". cells in the body to absorb sugar This data was matched from the blood for energy and against medical records which storage. Up to now, the possible showed whether they had devel- association between gestational oped gestational diabetes. After INSTAGRAM OF THE DAY diabetes and eating spuds had taking other factors such as age not been investigated. and family history of diabetes To see if there was a link, into account, the study found researchers led by Cuilin Zhang a strong link with taters, espe- at the National Institutes of cially fried and baked. "Higher Health in Rockville, Maryland total potato consumption was Qatar’s Sheikh used data from the Nurses' significantly associated with Ali bin Khalid al Health Study II, which has an increased risk of gestational Thani won the monitored more than 115,000 diabetes. A handout picture provided by the New Jersey Institute of Technology in feature event women since 1989. Zhang and Substituting two servings of the third and colleagues looked at the records of potatoes a week with other US shows the newly discovered blind cavefish (Cryptotora thamicola). This final leg of the for 15,632 women with no his- vegetables or whole grain foods species of cave fish, according to reserchers, can walk and climb waterfalls QNB Doha tour. tory of gestational diabetes or yielded an approximately 10% in a manner similar to four-footed creatures like salamanders. chronic disease who became reduction in risk, they reported. ‘Batman v Superman’ French rocker Johnny Hallyday brings shatters records musical solace to grieving Brussels

Reuters “Ratatouille.” In third place, Univer- AFP which responded with chants of sal scored a counter-programming "Johnny, Johnny, Johnny!" success with “My Big Fat Greek Wed- In a still shell-shocked nation, ding 2.” The romantic comedy pulled fans said the concert was their way UNITED STATES: “Batman v Super- in female crowds not interested in BRUSSELS: French rocker Johnny of showing they would not give in man: Dawn of Justice” steamrolled watching the superhero beatdown, Hallyday's decision to press ahead to fear. past records, debuting to a gargan- earning a solid $18.1m from 3,133 with his concert in Brussels on Sat- "If we give in to panic, we'd tuan $170.1m over Easter weekend locations. urday despite security concerns never go anywhere anymore. I'm not despite being pilloried by critics. That “It’s not so much to do with strat- was met with a deafening roar of worried, I trust the security services ranks as the top opening weekend egy and positioning as it is just a fun approval from fans seeking respite and... Johnny!" said Lindsey, enjoying for a DC Comics film, the best March film,” said Nick Carpou, Universal’s from a traumatic week. the music with a beer in her hand. launch ever, and the sixth biggest distribution chief. “’It’s about fam- The 72-year-old singer, known Coming just four days after Bel- domestic opening weekend of all- ily and everyone has that experience as France's answer to Elvis Pres- gium's worst-ever terror attacks, time. and can relate to a lot of what’s in ley, highlighted his Belgian roots as which left 31 dead, security at the It’s a shot in the arm for Warner the film and the way people care for he took to stage for the latest leg of gig was boosted significantly, with Bros., which has been reeling from a each other in the story.” his "Staying Alive" tour, delighting a police and even soldiers deployed series of costly bombs such as “Jupiter “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” is sold-out crowd determined to have at the Palais 12 venue. Ascending” and “Pan,” and is look- a follow-up to the 2002 box office a good time after the horror of Tues- "We have tripled the number ing to the Dark Knight and Man of phenomenon, which grossed $368m day's airport and metro attacks. of staff and have police and army Cast members Ben Affleck (left) and Henry Cavill attend the New Steel throw down to kick off a series at the global box office. Gold Circle "Part of my blood is French reinforcements," Stefan Feldbusch, of inter-connected comic book fran- York premiere of 'Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice' at Radio Entertainment, HBO and Playtone through my mother and the other security coordinator at Palais said. chises. Warner Bros. has already City Music Hall in New York. produced the sequel for $18m and part is Belgian through my father," "Everyone is being searched, which announced release dates for sequels brought back original stars Nia he told the 11,000-strong audience, is not necessarily the case usually." and spin-offs for the next five years, New York Times’ A.O. Scott said see- “This is not a movie that any one Vardalos and John Corbett. with the first of these superhero ing the film is “ about as diverting as wants to see in a small venue.” Last The weekend was a grim one for adventures, “Suicide Squad,” com- having a porcelain sink broken over weekend’s champ, “Zootopia,” slid Lionsgate, which saw “The Divergent ing out in August. your head” - but audiences didn’t to second place, racking up $23.1m Series: Allegiant” plunge 67% in its “This sets us up well,” said Jeff care. They were kinder to the picture to push the family film’s domestic second weekend, eking out $9.5m. Hugh Jackman helps swimmers Goldstein, Warner Bros. distribution too, giving the film a B CinemaScore total to $240.5 million. Globally, the The film has earned $46.6 million, executive vice president. “We’re very grade. Disney Animation blockbuster has a disappointing result that puts the proud of what we’ve made before in “It’s the fans that speak the loud- earned $696.7m, pushing it past the studio in an uncomfortable position Reuters the DC world and what’s coming in est,” said Jeff Bock, a box office analyst likes of “Tangled,” “Big Hero 6,” and given that another sequel, “ front of us is really exciting.” for Exhibitor Relations. “It proves how The studio spared no expense, strong these characters are.” tapping Ben Affleck to assume Bat- The film’s audience was largely SYDNEY: Australian actor Hugh man’s cape and cowl, bringing back male (66 percent) and crowds tended Jackman (pictured) turned real- “Man of Steel” director Zack Snyder to be younger, with 63% of ticket buy- life action hero at Sydney’s Bondi and Superman star Henry Cavill, and ers ranging between the ages of 18 and Beach on Saturday, when he helped shelling out $250m in production 34. Imax showings contributed $18m his son and another man to safety expenses, as well as millions more to the gross, premium large format from strong currents in the surf. in promotional razzle dazzle. The bet screens added an estimated $17m to Jackman is shown linking hands was the man Jackman helped, said appears to have paid off, position- the earnings, 3D screens were respon- with a man and pulling him from a he wasn’t rescued by the film star. ing DC and Warners to have the kind sible for 40% of the opening weekend fast-flowing channel on to a sandbar, “He wasn’t rescuing me, I was of cinematic universe of costumed results, and RealD 3D accounted for where the water is shallow, in tele- assisting him to get his daughter up heroes and villains that rival Marvel an estimated $47m of the total. vision footage broadcast by the Nine to the sandbar. He then grabbed my has leveraged to enormous profits. “The filmmakers delivered expe- Actors dressed up as Superman (left) and Batman during the season Network. The network said Jackman hand to get us up,” Adam said. It also undercuts the influence rientially on something that can best inauguration of the Madrid Warner amusement park in San Martin later helped his own son, Oscar, 15, The actor is also shown beckon- of top critics. Reviews for “Batman be seen in movie theaters,” said Greg from the same current. ing other swimmers to shore, away de Valdeiglesias, near Madrid, Spain. v Superman” were withering - the Foster, CEO of Imax Entertainment. Peter Adam, who told Nine he from a rip current flowing out to sea. www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

PAGE | 23 QE 10,229.02 -56.48 PTS PAGE | 24 Kalyan Jewellers DOW 17,515.73 +13.14 PTS CI Capital acquisition unveils GCC FTSE100 6,106.48 -92.63 PTS stalled by security: expansion plans BRENT $39.59 -$0.33 Sawiris

MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 • 19 Jumada II 1437 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar

Ooredoo to launch 5G network in Qatar by 2018

By Mohammad Shoeb in the process of putting in place the need- launch 4G services in Tunisia and Algeria. The The Peninsula ful equipment and support services. So the Ooredoo Group has plans to invest between 11 challenge is how fast the standardized can and 20 percent of its revenues on enhancing be brought forward to launch 5G,” Al Sayed its infrastructure depending on the topogra- added, while speaking to reporters on the side- phy and geographical size of the country of its DOHA: The first stage of Ooredoo’s 5G network, lines of the Ooredoo Group’s AGM yesterday. presence. Shareholders ratified all the agenda the next generation telecom services, will be Earlier during the AGM, Sheikh Abdulla of the meeting, including the recommendation launched by 2018, which will be commercially bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman, of the Board of Directors to distribute a cash available by 2020, a top official of the Qatar- Ooredoo’s Board of Directors, announced that dividend of 30 percent of the nominal share based telecom giant said yesterday. the Group has withdrawn its investments in value (QR3 per share). The Ooredoo Chairman Once the 5G network is rolled out in Qatar, wireless businesses in Pakistan, Jordan and outlined the company’s significant achieve- the internet speed will jump to between 1GB and the Philippines as the technology is not pick- ments in 2015, including its success in building 10GB per second. “We are already working to ing up well. Al Sayed also said that the Group data leadership across its markets. Group’s build the first R&D Centre and also a research is currently focusing on expansion of its ICT data revenue now represents 37% of group laboratory with Huawei, which is going to be business and investing very aggressively to revenue compared to 25% in 2014. Data rev- open for professionals soon,” said Waleed Al build its capabilities and data centres aiming enues reached QR12bn in 2015. Sayed, CEO, Ooredoo Qatar, adding, “We are to become the biggest and the most impor- Ooredoo delivered QR32.2bn in revenue in Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani (second left) Chairman, speaking ready to implement 5G in Qatar as soon as it tant player in the ICT sector. 2015, and EBITDA of QR13bn. Net debt is down during the Ooredoo Ordinary and Extraordinary General Assembly Meeting at Four is standardised and available commercially.” The Group, which has big operations in 11 4% and net debt to EBITDA ratio improved Seasons Hotel yesterday. Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani (second right), Group CEO, “The building is ready, and it will take countries (including Qatar), is focusing more from 2.3 to 2.2, reflecting Ooredoo’s efforts and other board members are also seen. Pic: Kammutty V P/The Peninsula another one year to be operational as we are in North Africa and Asia and soon going to to have an efficient capital structure in place. 22 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 BUSINESS

HSBC wins ‘Best Foreign Private Bank in the Middle East’ award QFB expects QE The Peninsula listing in April

DOHA: HSBC Private Bank’s Middle By Satish Kanady East operations received the ‘Best For- The Peninsula eign Private Bank in the Middle East’ award. Receiving industry’s most DOHA: Qatar First Bank (QFB) has said it is expecting regulatory prestigious award at a ceremony approval for the listing of its shares on Qatar Exchange (QE) towards held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Dubai, the end of next month. Farzad Billimoria, Senior Executive QFB Chairman Abdulla bin Fahad bin Ghorab Al Marri said yes- Officer & Head, Private Banking, UAE terday: “QFB is expecting the listing towards the end of April”. said: QFB is a boutique investment bank that offers financial advisory “We’re honoured to be recognised services. The firm provides corporate finance, private equity, mergers in this way. I’d like to thank each and and acquisition, recapitalisation, and restructuring advisory serv- every one of our employees for their ices. It caters to real estate, basic materials, oil and gas, healthcare, unwavering commitment to serving and education sectors. the needs of our clients, who rely on QFB is expected to make a detailed disclosure on its listing at the us to bring them the very best ideas bank’s annual general meeting scheduled to be held at La Cigale Hotel from around the world each and today. every day. This award is testament QFB, previously known as Qatar First Investment Bank, is the first to their commitment and skills.” independent Shari’ah compliant financial institution based in Qatar Amer Daouk, Managing Director and regulated by the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority & Business Head, Private Banking, (QFCRA). It has a diversified shareholder base of prominent GCC busi- UAE and Oman, added:“We’re liv- nessmen and women, family offices, pension funds and institutions. ing through a fascinating period for our industry with new opportunities created by the creation of significant Officials at the event held at Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Dubai. wealth in emerging markets, and by a much younger generation of entre- preneurs. The UAE and Saudi Arabia creating their business at the age of HSBC Private Bank is one of the banking, investment and wealth Qatar’s foreign trade which now host the youngest suc- just 26. Now is a very exciting time for top international private banks in advisory services to clients across cessful entrepreneurs in the world, our industry in this region.” the Middle East, providing integrated the region. surplus rises by 3%

The Peninsula gaseous hydrocarbons such as LNG, condensates, propane, butane, etc. Al Attiyah energy awards: Badri and that reached QR10.4bn in February 2016, a decrease of 41.2 percent. DOHA: Qatar’s foreign merchan- Petroleum oils & oils from bitumi- dise trade surplus (the difference nous minerals (crude) was QR2.2bn, between total exports and imports) showing a fall of 31.5 percent. Fatih to lead selection committee stood at QR7.4bn in February Petroleum oils & oils from bitumi- 2016, showing rise of 3 percent nous minerals (not crude) reached or QR0.2bn compared to January QR0.7bn, reflecting a decline of 34.5 same year. percent. The Peninsula Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Hamad Al-Attiyah International Energy Awards According to preliminary figures Japan was at the top of the coun- Industry Chairman, Energy Security Group, Naren- are part of this year’s Selection Committee. The released yesterday by the Ministry of tries of destination of Qatar’s exports dra Taneja, will join the group, along with IRENA’s IEA’s Dr. Birol won the ‘Lifetime Achievement for Development Planning and Statis- with QR2.9bn in February 2016, a Deputy Director of the Knowledge, Policy & Finance the Advancement of Producer-Consumer Dialogue’, tics, the surplus has shown a decline share of 17.2 percent of total exports, DOHA: The heads of the world’s most influen- Centre Dr. Rabia Ferroukhi. while Qatar Petroleum’s Al-Jaidah won the ‘Lifetime of 53.5 percent compared to Febru- followed by and South Korea with tial energy institutions, Opec’s Secretary General “Al Attiyah’s unique and accomplished career Achievement for the Advancement of The Qatar ary last year. QR2.7bn and a share of 15.7 percent Abdalla Salem El Badri and the IEA’s Executive has taught energy professionals around the world Energy Industry’. Opec’s Dr. Ramzi Salman won The year on year (February 2016 and India with QR2.3bn, a share of Director, Dr Fatih Birol, lead the selection com- vital lessons on how to succeed. I am delighted to be the ‘Lifetime Achievement for the Advancement of to February 2015) decrease in total 13.6 percent. mittee for The 2016 Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah on the esteemed Selection Committee to recognize Opec’ and IHEID’s Professor Giacomo Luciani won exports was mainly due to lower During February 2016, Motor International Energy Awards at Doha’s Museum of and honor others who are also making significant the ‘Lifetime Achievement for the Advancement of exports of Petroleum gases and other cars & other passenger vehicles., was Islamic Art on May 24. contributions to the global energy markets,” said Education for Future Energy’. gaseous hydrocarbons. at the top of the imported group of The Al Attiyah International Energy Awards cel- IEA’s Executive Director Dr. Fatih Birol. “We are honored that previous winners Abdalla The total exports of goods commodities, with QR0.8bn, show- ebrate the legacy of H E Al Attiyah, Qatar’s former The 2016 Award winners will be presented with Salem El-Badri and Dr. Fatih Birol, both interna- (including exports of goods of ing a decrease of 0.1 percent compared Minister of Energy & Industry and Deputy Prime their Lifetime Achievements by Al-Attiyah during tionally respected figureheads in the global energy domestic origin and re-exports) to February last year. In second place Minister, by recognising the career achievements the gala dinner, which will be supported by Mae- industry, will be using their vast knowledge to select amounted to QR17bn in February was parts of aircraft and helicopters of distinguished individuals in service of the glo- rsk Oil Qatar and attended by leading members of the 2016 Award winners that have made outstanding this year, showing a decrease of 32.5 etc with QR0.6bn, showing an increase bal energy industry. “I am honoured to join the Qatari society and industry, along with their inter- contributions to the world of energy,” said Al-Atti- percent compared to February 2015. of 47.9 percent and in third place was world-leading figures on the Selection Commit- national counterparts. yah, Chairman of the Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Total exports decreased by 4.8 per- Electrical Apparatus For Line Teleph- tee for the 2016 Awards to appreciate and applaud “We are honoured to support these awards, International Foundation for Energy & Sustainable cent compared to January 2016. ony/Telegraphy, Telephone Sets etc great pioneers of the global energy markets, espe- which illustrate the respect and appreciation that Development. Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Petro- The imports of goods in February parts thereof with QR0.2bn, decreased cially during times of such market volatility,” said the global energy market holds for His Excellency leum and Natural Resources, Ali Al Naimi will 2016 amounted to QR9.6bn, showing by 9.7 percent. Opec’s Secretary General Abdalla Salem El Badri. Al-Attiyah’s outstanding achievements – a sen- deliver The 2016 Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah a increase of 3.5 percent over Febru- US was the leading country El Badri and the IEA’s Dr Birol will be joined timent echoed by Maersk Oil - who have had the International Energy Awards Lecture. The annual ary last year. However, on a month of origin of Qatar’s imports with on the Selection Committee by Qatar Petroleum’s privilege of working under his stewardship as Lecture provides the National and International on month (M-o-M) basis the imports QR1.2bn in February 2016, a share of Board Member Nasser Khalil Al Jaidah and Opec’s Energy Minister to develop Qatar’s Al-Shaheen audience with an outlook for the energy industry, decreased by 10.1 percent. 12.1 percent of the imports, followed former Deputy Secretary-General Dr Ramzi Sal- oilfield,” said Lewis Affleck, managing director, delivering insights on the possible implications of The year on year decline in total by China with QR1bn, a share of 10.3 man. The IHEID’s Executive Master in Oil & Gas Maersk Oil Qatar. current trends for the international markets in the exports was mainly due to lower percent and United Arab Emirates Leadership Professor Giacomo Luciani and the Four winners from The 2015 Abdullah Bin year ahead. exports of Petroleum gases and other with QR0.9bn, a share of 9.4 percent. Turkish Airlines brought Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice premiere to New York City

The Peninsula

DOHA: Turkish Airlines, the offi- cial airline partner of Warner Bros. Pictures’ highly anticipated action adventure Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, sponsored the film’s world premiere in New York City, which took place on March 20, at the world famous Radio City Music Hall, days ahead of the March 25 nationwide release. A host of celebrities joined director Zack Snyder and the film’s Batman and Superman, Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, and its acclaimed ensemble cast, includ- ing Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, and Gal Gadot, Callan Mulvey and Tao Okamoto. Turkish Airlines’ Board Chairman M İlker Aycı (right), with Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of M İlker Aycı, Turkish Airlines’ Warner Bros Kevin Tsujihara in New York City. Board Chairman said: “Recently we’ve been able to bring the film entertainment systems.” travel guide for the airline’s new- took part in a special advertise- to life through unique in-flight The premiere is part of a larger est “destinations” Gotham City ment announcing Turkish Airlines’ experiences and activations. partnership with Warner Bros. and Metropolis, inflight menu newest “destinations”– Gotham We’re also excited to be a part Pictures that was announced in items and a special edition fre- City and Metropolis. of the movie’s premiere with January 2016. The movie experi- quent flyer Miles & Smiles card. Turkish Airlines, which flies fans from around the world. And ence is extended to fans inflight In the film, Turkish Airlines to more countries than any other coming soon, there’s one more through an exclusive 777 Turk- is featured within a pivotal scene airline, encourages fans to join the piece of good news for our pas- ish Airlines wrapped in Batman aboard a Boeing 777 airplane. online conversation around the sengers. Turkish Airlines is proud v Superman: Dawn of Justice Additionally, two of the film’s movie using the hashtags #fly- to introduce the first in-flight imagery, limited-edition Turk- stars, Ben Affleck, who plays Bat- gotham and #flymetropolis. For premiere of the film outside of ish Airlines Batman v Superman man, and Jesse Eisenberg, who more information, visit turkishair- theaters as part of our in-flight themed amenity kits, a Time Out plays global magnate Lex Luthor, lines.com. BUSINESS MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 23

Kalyan plans footprint in SE Asia

By Satish Kanady invested QR600m in the GCC, includ- Regulations in India varies from make up 10 to 20 percent”, he said. The Peninsula ing QR200m in Qatar in the past two province to province. Here it is almost Kalyan has been rapidly expand- years, is sitting on QR500m in dry uniform. But we enjoy what we are ing its distribution operations, both powder that targets GCC in 2017. doing in India and what we are doing in India and West Asia. The company “We are on track with our expan- in GCC markets.” was the first to attract the largest pri- DOHA: After consolidating its posi- sion plans and look forward to open The jewellery market in the vate equity investment of $200m by tion in West Asia, India-based Kalyan more showrooms in the GCC, includ- region is witnessing a perceptible Warburg Pincus in the jewellery sec- Jewellers is looking to expand its ing five outlets in UAE by the end shift in terms of consumption pat- tor in India in 2014. Kalyan had made footprint to South East Asia. Kalyan of next fiscal”, Ramesh said. The tern. Arabs are increasingly showing an emphatic entry into the GCC by will foray into Singapore, Malaysia branded jewellery retailer is also a liking for Indian jewellery. The GCC launching six showrooms on a sin- and South Asia’s Sri Lanka in the looking to open new showrooms in showrooms have dedicated sections gle day in the UAE. coming years, its Executive Direc- Saudi Arabia as well. featuring Kalyan’s most popular The company leverages its strong tor Ramesh Kalyanaraman told The On doing business in the GCC vs house brands such as Ameera- exclu- roots of over a century in the business Peninsula. India, Ramesh said: “We cannot com- sive Arabic wedding jewellery. of textile trading, distribution and “Market studies are progressing pare India and Middle East in terms Bespoke collections such as Turkish, wholesaling. Starting with the first in these countries. It is too early to of doing business. Here it is different Antique and Omega are also be avail- jewellery showroom in 1993, Kalyan disclose the size of investments and set of rules and regulations. Every- able in the showrooms. The designs Jewellers has enjoyed a long-standing which country would be the first to thing is in black and white in GCC. provide a sparkling range of contem- presence in the Indian market of over make the debut. But I can tell you we It is transparent .You need to follow porary and traditional designs to suit two decades. Beyond gold, Kalyan will be an active market player in the law and regulations and every- every celebration apart from elevat- Jewellers is aiming to tap the real these countries in the coming years”, thing will be fine.” ing everyday wear. estate market, banking on the trust The Executive Director of Kalyan Jewellers, Ramesh Kalyanaraman, he said in an interview. “In terms of trading, doing busi- “ Of our total customers in Dubai that it has built with its transparency speaking to The Peninsula yesterday. Pic: Salim M/The Peninsula The jewellery maker which has ness in India and GCC are same. and Kuwait, Arab customers would and ethics in jewellery business. Qatar-Asean trade reaches $16bn

Qatar is keen to promote trade and cooperation with Asean members, says Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kawari, Al Rayan Bank Vice Chairman, Qatar Chamber. appoints Premier/ Private Banking head By Sachin Kumar The Peninsula The Vice-Chairman of Qatar Chamber Mohamed bin Ahmed Towar Al Kuwari and Chairman of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Committee in Doha (ACD) and Ambassador of Singapore Wong Kwok Pun, with ambassadors of other ACD member countries and Qatari officials The Peninsula prior to the Asean-Qatar Chamber Joint Business Seminar at the Qatar Chamber in Doha yesterday. Pic: Salim M/The Peninsula

DOHA: The total trade between Qatar headquarters yesterday. Delivering the third largest economy in Asia. It Asean countries in 2014, out of which Al Kawari, Vice Chairman, Qatar and Asean (Association of South his opening remarks, he said that is also a big market with around 622 half of the visitors were from Asia. Chamber said that Qatar is keen to DOHA: Al Rayan Bank PLC East Association Nations) countries Asean, a group of 10 countries, was million people living in the member These countries also have half of the promote trade and cooperation with announced that Ahmed Rawaf reached $16bn in 2014. The trade set up in 1967 to promote cultural, countries. Asean countries attracted population below the age of 30 years. Asean members. He invited business- (pictured), has joined the Bank as between the two sides is set to rise in economic and political development about $136bn Foreign Direct Invest- The Ambassador said that the men and investors from Asean to Head of Premier/Private Banking. coming years, said Wong Kwok Pun, in the region. The group offers huge ment (FDI) across the globe, in which group has signed Free Trade Agree- explore opportunity in Qatar. Dur- He joins from Credit Suisse where Chairman of the Asean Committee opportunity of Qatar’s businessmen FDI from The United States was ments with countries such as China, ing the seminar, representatives he specialised in private banking in Doha and Ambassador of Singa- and investors in oil and gas, miner- around $24bn. Japan, South Korea, India, Australia from Brunei, Indonesian, Malaysian, and wealth management, initially pore to Qatar. als, forestry and agriculture sector. Apart from being a business des- and New Zealand. These agreements Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and based at the multinational bank’s Pun was speaking at Asean- Asean’s, in terms of GDP (Gross tination, the member countries are were signed to integrate Asean econ- Vietnam Embassy gave presenta- headquarters in Zurich and latterly Qatar Chamber Joint Business Domestic Product) is the seventh also attractive destination for tour- omies with global economy. tions highlighting opportunities for in London. Seminar organised at the chamber’s largest economy in the world and ists. About 105 million tourists visited Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Twar Qatari businessmen and investors. Rawaf is based in Al Rayan Bank’s flagship Knightsbridge branch, the hub from where the Bank provides exclusive Private and Premier banking services, Tsinghua’s Zhao touts including real estate finance, day- to-day banking facilities and other specialised services tailored to $30bn arsenal for chips the needs of its client base. In this newly-created position, Ahmed will use his expertise in private Bloomberg empire are emerging as a candidate banking to further strengthen and to achieve that. Zhao is planning to expand Al Rayan Bank’s offering to raise as much as $15 billion by the High Net Worth clients from Qatar end of 2016 to fund his spending and the wider Gulf Co-operation BEIJING: Zhao Weiguo wants to cre- program, with the source of funds Council (GCC) region, the United ate China’s first giant in the global evenly split between local gov- Kingdom and beyond. semiconductor industry and has a ernments, private placements and A graduate from Brunel Uni- $30bn investment plan to do it. buyout funds. The money will be versity, Ahmed Rawaf holds an The billionaire president of used for deals and building produc- MBA from London Business School Tsinghua Unigroup is focusing his tion capabilities. and an MSc in Management from aspirations on memory chips and “It’s a hard business doing mem- the University of Bath. Comment- remains undeterred even as overseas ory, with huge investment, slow ing upon his appointment, he said, regulatory hurdles threaten to sty- returns and high risks,” said Gu “The Al Rayan Bank brand has mie some of his deals. Raising funds Wenjun, chief analyst at iCwise, a become synonymous with aspira- from local governments, investors Shanghai-based consulting com- tion, innovation and stability, and Jack Saba (third left), General Manager of Public Affairs at Sasol, receiving the award. and private equity will fill his arse- pany. “I suggest Unigroup takes it I am excited by the opportunity to nal to take on foreign giants such as cautiously. Before finding coop- help develop it as a marque of excel- Samsung Electronics Co. eration partners and sources of lence in the Premier/Private Bank “Capital is the most loyal and technology, it should be cautious.” sector. My role presents me with a Sasol wins ‘Best Stand Award’ at OGWA 2016 cruel thing in the world,” Zhao said Unigroup is just one of a number great opportunity: to build a robust in an interview in Beijing. “It chases of affiliates of state-backed Tsinghua private banking business which after you when you can make money University, the prestigious Beijing offers a personalised client-cen- The Peninsula Omani culture on the other. More- to visitors the product portfolio of the and abandons you as soon as you school that has produced Chinese tred approach that is both accessible over, a section of the booth titled company’s performance chemicals cannot.” leaders, including President Xi Jin- and responsive. As a rapidly grow- “The Sasol Journey” depicted the which range from anionic to nonionic Memory for devices spanning ping and his predecessor Hu Jintao. ing, agile organisation, Al Rayan various locations of the Sasol inter- surfactants which are specifically mobile phones and computers, an Other arms include Tsinghua Unis- Bank is free from the ‘red tape’ often DOHA: Sasol, the international national offices and the milestones designed to meet requirements for area led by Samsung, SK Hynix Inc. plendour Co. and Tongfang Guoxin associated with larger companies; integrated chemicals and energy that the company has achieved in applications in different regions. and Micron Technology Inc., could Electronics Co. it’s therefore able to provide a swift company won “The Best Stand various regions, starting from South Patrick Nijssen, Market Devel- generate $20bn of sales for Tsinghua Zhao’s relationship with his alma and flexible service to its clients. Award” at the recent Oil and Gas Africa to Oman over its 65 years in opment Manager EOR-EMEA said: as the business is scaled up, accord- mater stretches back three decades, To date, two key objectives for West Asia Exhibition - OGWA 2016, operation. “Sasol Performance Chemicals is ing to Zhao. when enrolling required a 74-hour Al Rayan Bank have been to pro- one of the largest and most impor- Sasol joined more than 275 broadcasting its capabilities on Closely held Unigroup had sales train journey from his home in vide its Premier/Private banking tant oil and gas events in the region. exhibitors at the OGWA 2016, reach- crude oil and natural gas produc- of 52bn yuan ($8bnn) last year with remote Xinjiang region, where his clients with a high quality per- The Sasol booth highlighted the ing over 5,000 participants. The tion enhancement by means of an after-tax profit of 3.9 billion yuan, family raised pigs and sheep. He sonalised and bespoke service company’s expertise in the oil and exhibition, now in its 10th edition, surfactants for real life EOR appli- according to the company. In its chip draws a clear distinction between providing a range of Sharia com- gas industry, in particular the uses is held on a yearly basis. Visitors to cations for the first time in Oman design business, profit was$200m on his business and the bloated state- pliant financial solutions, and to of performance chemicals in the the stand were exposed to several at the OGWA. Sasol is now actively sales of 13.5bn yuan. owned enterprises his companies are expand its presence in the real Enhanced Oil Recovery Process. integral parts of Sasol’s business, engaged in full field projects where China has been trying to free often compared to. estate sector, particularly in Jack Saba, General Manager of Pub- including the full international foot- surfactants are injected in steam, itself from a heavy reliance on “People call us an SOE London, a favourite of its Brit- lic Affairs at Sasol received the award print, oil and gas field operations and foam and highly saline injection foreign technology, with semi- sometimes but it’s a sort of misun- ish and Middle Eastern clients. from OGWA officials. processes and the extensive range waters in both carbonate and sand- conductors seen by the nation’s derstanding. Real SOEs could get Consequently, Al Rayan Bank The stand highlighted the South of products that are used in the 36 stone formations, with the aim to political leadership as vital to lots of support from government,” experienced significant growth in African culture reflecting the com- countries in which Sasol operates. improve oil recovery to target 70% national security. Zhao said. “We make money totally the volume of property transac- pany’s heritage in one side and the Sasol representatives explained recovery of the original oil in place. The 49-year-old and his business by ourselves in the market.” tions it financed in the UK in 2015. 24 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 BUSINESS

Farming in Nile Delta Saudi Butanol Egypt unveils plant starts operations programme to Reuters lure investment AL KHOBAR: Saudi Butanol Co (SABUCO), a joint venture of local petrochemicals firms, has started commercial operations at its plant raised its key interest rate by the in Jubail, one of the shareholders most since at least 2006 after deval- said yesterday. The plant will have a Egypt is struggling uing the currency by more than 10 capacity of 330,000 tonnes a year of to restore investor percent. n-butanol, a type of alcohol used to The moves were part of a pack- make other chemicals, and 11,000 confidence and age of measures designed to address tonnes a year of iso-butanol. unlock more aid a dollar shortage that has impeded The project is owned by Saudi growth, hampered investment and Kayan Petrochemical Co, Sadara to plug a budget made it difficult for foreigners to Chemical Co, which is a joint ven- deficit that may repatriate funds. ture between Saudi Aramco and Central Bank Governor Tarek The Dow Chemical Co, and Saudi reach 11.5 percent Amer said Saturday that the intro- Acrylic Acid Co (SAAC). SAAC is an of economic duction of the VAT is key to securing affiliate of National Industrialization the first part of a $3bn World Bank Co (Tasnee) and Sahara Petrochem- output in the fiscal loan. The country has been reli- ical Co. The start of “commercial An Egyptian man works at a field in the village of Shamma in the Nile Delta province of Al Minufiyah, year that ends on ant on tens of billions in aid, grants operations follows the successful test- and investments from wealthy Gulf yesterday. ing of the butanol plant equipment June 30. Arab states since 2013, but those and production efficiency in accord- sums probably will be curtailed ance with the technology licenses and given the slump in the global oil implementation contracts,” Sadara market. Basic Services Co said in a bourse Bloomberg Amer, in a televised interview, statement. also said the government plans to Last year, Tasnee said the offer shares in government compa- China industrial profits rise 4.8%, project was expected to start trial nies and complete deals to sell three operations in the third quarter of CAIRO: Egypt unveiled a long- banks by the end of 2016. 2015. Estimated to cost around awaited economic programme The government is target- ending 7-month losing streak 2 billion riyals ($533m) when in a bid to secure foreign aid and ing economic growth of 6 percent announced in 2012, the project investment crucial to reviving its in the 2017-2018 fiscal year, com- was expected to go on stream in economy. pared with 4.2 percent in 2014-2015, the first quarter of 2015. The buta- The plan calls for the adoption according to a copy of the pro- Bloomberg machinery and food companies led this month renewed their pledges nol project will strongly support of a value-added tax and the sale gramme obtained by Bloomberg gains as 28 of 41 industry groups to continue overhauling inefficient the coatings industry in the King- of stakes in government companies. ahead of its presentation to posted profits, NBS said. Profits fell state-run businesses, with Premier Li dom. Potential investors can use In an address to parliament yester- parliament. 2.3 percent in 2015. Keqiang vowing in his annual press the n-butanol and its derivates to day, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail It aims to reduce the unemploy- BEIJING: Chinese industrial profits “Industrial sectors still face many conference that reforms won’t spur introduce a wide range of coat- warned that the nation faced “dif- ment rate to 10.9 percent from 12.7 snapped a seven- month losing streak difficulties,” NBS officials said in an mass layoffs and don’t imperil the ing products for the local, regional ficult decisions” and is “still in the percent over the same period and in the first weeks of this year, while explanatory statement. “First, there’s government’s plan to keep economic and global markets. danger phase.” raise the savings rate to 10 percent the data also showed companies fell a sharp decline in profits for mining growth above 6.5 percent this year. Located at Tasnee’s petro- Egypt is struggling to restore of gross domestic product versus 5.9 deeper in debt while inventories grew. and raw materials. Second, inventory Debt at Chinese companies chemical complex in Jubail, the investor confidence and unlock percent. Industrial companies’ prof- pressures remain quite large.” Profits increased 5.5 percent during the butanol plant will enhance glo- more aid to plug a budget deficit The presentation of the pro- its climbed 4.8 percent from a year also benefited from a low-base effect period to 54 trillion yuan, NBS said. bal competitive advantages for the that may reach 11.5 percent of eco- gram had been delayed in part by earlier to 780.7bn yuan ($120bn) compared with the same period last Businesses had 16.5 days worth of fin- national petrochemical industry, nomic output in the fiscal year that ministerial changes, including the in January- February, the National year, they said. ished goods inventory at the end of and Tasnee’s integrated acrylates ends June 30. replacement of the finance and Bureau of Statistics said in a state- Top Chinese officials at the February, 2.3 days more than the end complex which is the first of its Last week, the central bank investment ministers. ment. Oil processing, electrical National People’s Congress in Beijing of December. kind in the region.

Kuwait’s Agility Q4 net up 5%; CI Capital acquisition stalled by security: Egypt’s Sawiris lowers dividend Reuters withdrawn a loan offer meant to help finance the deal. He did not name the bank. DUBAI: Kuwait’s Agility, one of “This gives a negative and harmful message the largest Gulf logistics compa- to the investment climate, saying to investors be nies, reported a 5 percent rise in CAIRO: Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris warned if you wish to invest in Egypt because the fourth-quarter net profit yesterday. said yesterday his bid to acquire CI Capital, the state will enter and compete with you using pub- The firm’s profit in the three investment arm of Egypt’s largest listed bank, lic funds,” he wrote. months to December 31 was was being held up by national security concerns The head of the Egyptian Financial Super- KD14.31m ($47.4m) compared with and criticised state meddling in business that he visory Authority (EFSA), which regulates 13.69 million dinars in the same said would put off investors. non-banking financial services, declined to period a year earlier. Earlier this year, Commercial International comment on whether the CI Capital acquisition SICO Bahrain had forecast Bank (CIB) signed a deal to sell CI Capital to a was awaiting security clearance or to discuss Agility would make a quarterly unit of Sawiris’s Orascom Telecom for 924 mil- the approval process. profit of 13 million dinars. lion pounds ($104.06m). “EFSA does not comment publicly about the Net profit for all of last year Sawiris said at the time he planned to merge process, or what missing documents are needed also increased 5 percent to CI Capital with Beltone Financial, which OTMT or what other clarifications are being sought. KD53.38m, the statement added. bought last year, to create one of Egypt’s largest Once the paperwork is in order, EFSA issues its Agility said its board was pro- investment firms. decision,” Sherif Samy told Reuters. posing to pay shareholders a cash But in a column published by state-owned There was no immediate comment from CIB dividend of 0.030 dinar a share for Al Akhbar newspaper, Sawiris said the deal was but banking sources said it was not unusual for 2015. The company paid out a cash still awaiting security clearance, adding that the regulatory approval to take months. dividend of 0.035 dinar a share for hold-up was the latest move by authorities to EFSA rejected in 2013 a bid by a Qatari 2014 plus five free shares for every prevent him owning a large financial institution. investor to acquire EFG Hermes, Egypt’s larg- 100 held. Sawiris’s bid for CI Capital was challenged est investment bank, and sources at the time said Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris speaks during an interview with Reuters in Sharm El The company said yesterday in February when a subsidiary of state-owned security concerns scuppered the deal. Sheikh, in the South Sinai governorate, south of Cairo. it would pursue a treasury share National Bank of Egypt made a last-minute Sawiris had also tried unsuccessfully to buy-back to repurchase up to 10 counter-offer. It later withdrew after failing buy EFG in 2014. Egypt’s economy has been foreign investors and tourists - earners of foreign president, Islamist Mohamed Mursi, in mid-2013. percent of its share capital in com- to agree with CIB on a timeframe for feasibil- struggling since the 2011 uprising ushered in currency. Confidence initially improved after But a foreign exchange crisis has since hit busi- pliance with regulatory rules. ity studies. Sawiris said a state bank had also a period of political instability, driving away the army overthrew Egypt’s first freely elected ness sentiment. Wave of attacks add to fears for fragile Turkish economy

AFP While financial markets have so far to live,” Eraslan said. The recently renovated allocations,” Demir said, predicting “a signif- upside with a 5.6 percent increase in Janu- reacted with relative sangfroid to the terror Golden Age hotel, which lies just a few min- icant adverse shock to the Turkish economy”. ary, while economic confidence rose in March wave, analysts say the bloodshed is putting utes walk from the scene of Saturday’s blast, Further tarnishing the image of the coun- after a three-month decline. strain on Turkey which is already battling high is also struggling to fill its 180 rooms, only half try of 78 million are concerns over the alleged But there are many pitfalls ahead and ISTANBUL: Six suicide attacks in eight months inflation and mid-term economic uncertainty. of which were occupied this week, mainly by authoritarian drift of President Recep Tayyip Finansbank’s Demir said he believed investors and a spat with Russia have added to concerns “There could be large economic costs from Iranians celebrating Persian New Year. Erdogan. would be closely watching who replaces Tur- for the Turkish economy as tourists flee, taking these attacks, particularly in terms of long- “Our general manager just came back In dramatic scenes earlier this month, key’s respect outgoing central bank governor billions of dollars in spending elsewhere, and investment and the tourism sector,” William from (the International Tourism Trade Fair) the authorities seized Zaman, a opposition Erdem Basci when his term expires next month. foreign investors skirt the troubled country. Jackson, senior emerging markets economist in Berlin. He said no-one wanted to come to newspaper linked to Erdogan’s arch-enemy Erdogan has repeatedly called for interest rates Days after a suspected Islamic State jihad- at Capital Economics in London, said Turkey,” an employee said, speaking on con- the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen while the mil- to be lowered, ignoring economists’ calls for rates ist blew himself up on a top shopping street Western tourist numbers have slowed dition of anonymity. itary is battling the rebel Kurdistan Workers to be hiked to rein in inflation which stood at 8.8 in Istanbul, hotels, restaurants and retailers since Turkey began to come under sustained Inan Demir, an analyst at Turkey’s Fin- Party (PKK) in the southeast. percent in February. in the city are counting their losses. attack from IS jihadists and Kurdish rebels ansbank, said he expected tourism revenue Capital Economics’ Jackson said the Amplifying the concerns of markets, the Shops and restaurants on Istiklal Street, last July. to drop under 17 billion dollars in 2016, down crackdown was likely to further dent already bank pruned a key interest rate by 25 basis the usually bustling two-kilometre-long The industry’s headaches worsened when from 21 billion in 2015 (3 percent of GDP), declining levels of foreign investment. points at its latest monetary policy meeting. pedestrian artery targeted in the March 19 Turkey shot down a Russian jet on its border worsening Turkey’s already gaping current “When business and legal decisions appear For Demir, the bank’s failure to raise rates attack, complain of a sharp drop in business with Syria in November, nearly eradicating the account deficit and adding to unemployment to be politically motivated it is obviously very “is illustrative of the impact of politics on since the bombing, which killed four foreign- key annual influx of Russian tourists. of over 10 percent. concerning for foreign investors because it macro-economic policy making in Turkey”. ers and injured dozens. Hikmet Eraslan, chairman of the upmar- Foreign arrivals in January were already creates uncertainty,” he said. The choice of new governor would be a The attack on Istiklal — the beating heart ket Dosso Dossi hotel chain in Istanbul, said down 20-percent year-on-year. Yet the economy has also showed signs of key test of the bank’s independence, he said, of Turkey’s biggest city — emphasised the he had been forced to halve room prices to Foreign investors, too, are likely to be resilience, with energy importer Turkey helped warning that appointing someone who “plays security threat after three deadly suicide try attract visitors. “We had to let people go to “much warier about coming to Turkey, both by the persistently low price of oil and gas. to the tune of Erdogan’s advisors” would likely attacks in the capital Ankara. reduce costs. What else can you do? We have physically and in terms of their portfolio Industrial production surprised to the “change investor sentiment for the worse.” BUSINESS MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 25

Kuwait’s trade Saudi stocks lead Mideast declines; Qatar index drops surplus down to KD7bn

Bloomberg/QNA 5,292 deals on Thursday. past year. Jabal Omar Development rally in recent weeks, and softer oil Kuwait’s SE Price Index declined 0.6 KUWAIT: Kuwait’s trade sur- From the 43 companies listed on Co.’s 9.3 percent plunge was the last week isn’t helping either.” percent and 0.5 percent, respectively. plus narrowed to a 10-year low QSE, shares of 39 saw trading today. biggest contributor to declines. The With about half of the GCC’s The Bahrain Bourse All Share Index in 2015 mainly due to a decline in From these 15 gained, 21 closed lower DFM General Index lost 1.2 percent population made up of expatriates, slid 0.1 percent, while Oman’s MSM30 oil export earnings, while imports RIYADH/DOHA: Saudi stocks led and three remained unchanged. on less than half the average daily many of whom celebrate Christian Index rose 0.1 percent. Israel’s TA-25 remained firm however, in line Middle Eastern markets lower as oil Indices of three sectors ended in turnover value over the past year. holidays, and most school terms Index retreated for a second day, with good growth in the non-oil languished near $40 a barrel and the the green and four in the red today. The Bloomberg GCC 200 Index, which ending around the third week of losing 0.7 percent. economy. Easter weekend holiday in Europe QSE Total Return Index dropped tracks the biggest companies in the March, trading volumes typically Egypt’s EGX 30 Index lost 0.9 The surplus shrank from KD sapped volumes. Equities in Dubai -0.55% to 16,425.87 points. QSE Al six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, drop on Easter Sunday. That has percent, the most in six weeks. North 20bn in 2014 to KD7bn in 2015, the extended the longest losing streak in Rayan Islamic Index gained +0.44% slid 1.2 percent. compounded pressure on regional Africa’s biggest economy, suffering trade balance was mainly driven more than two months. to 3,962.72 points and QSE All Share “Once again, a major public stocks as some traders seek to lock from a dollar shortage, has attracted lower by a drop in oil export rev- Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index Index decreased -0.11% to 2,827.51 holiday in Europe and the U.S. has in profits following a recent surge $500 million of portfolio investments enues as a result of lower oil dropped 56.48 points or -0.55% when points. depleted GCC volumes, so today is in prices. Gulf countries, home to since weakening its currency this prices, according to a report by the the bourse closed trading at 10,229.02 The Tadawul All Share Index sank irrelevant to an extent,” said Akber about 30 percent of the world’s crude, month, central bank Governor Tarek National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) on points. The daily turnover today for a fourth day, losing 1.5 percent Khan, who manages $850 million as rely on income from energy to fund Amer said in a televised interview Saturday. declined to QR 273.949 Million with a to 6,256.68 at the close in Riyadh. senior director of asset management spending. Brent crude posted its first on Saturday. The nation may lure as A further decline in non-oil volume of 8,847,314 shares from 3,672 About 4.8 billion riyals ($1.3 billion) of at Al Rayan Investment in Doha. weekly decline in five. much as $20 billion of foreign cash export earnings and a pickup in deals compared to QR 338.11 Million shares traded, or 17 percent less than “There are worries of some technical Abu Dhabi’s ADX General Index by year-end as it pushes ahead with imports also weighed down on the with a volume of 9,718,101 shares from the market’s daily average over the exhaustion given the strong market lost 0.8 percent. Qatar’s QE Index and economic reforms, he said. overall balance. Moroccan refiner Samir Busy port appeals on liquidation

closure would make the country The court has given Samir until entirely reliant on imports. At just June 20 to continue business as usual Morocco’s tax under 300,000 barrels per day, pending a final solution for the com- administration has Morocco’s petroleum consumption pany. Saudi billionaire Mohammed is Africa’s fifth largest, according to al-Amoudi, owner of Corral Holdings frozen the company’s data from the U.S. Energy Informa- which controls 67.26 pct of Samir, has bank accounts in tion Administration. been negotiating with the Moroccan The trustee, running the opera- government, but talks have failed so pursuit of a 13bn tion pending the appeal, is preparing far to find a solution to the refin- dirham ($1.34bn) tax to resume production at the compa- ery’s crisis. Morocco’s government ny’s 200,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) said it would do everything possible claim. Mohammedia refinery, located on to recover unpaid taxes and protect the Atlantic coast near Casablanca, the refinery’s workers. sources from the company said. Meanwhile, When Morocco’s cen- One of the sources said the com- tral bank cut interest rates on March Reuters pany may face difficulties in getting 22, it joined a parade of 46 others that Casual labourers load goods in the port of Djibouti, yesterday. The port of Djibouti is located at the the crude to process after starting have eased monetary policy at least southern entrance to the Red Sea, at the intersection of major international shipping lines connecting production. once since the beginning of 2015. Asia, Africa and Europe. The source added the refinery Perhaps more trenchantly, it was RABAT: Moroccan oil refiner Samir would start by processing a tanker also the 15th time this year - still has lodged an appeal against a court of 120,000 tonnes of crude oil that less than a quarter old - that a cen- decision to put it into liquidation and has been stuck at Mohammedia port tral bank has eased policy in some named an independent trustee to since August when the management form. Taiwan and Turkey have since run the company, the refiner’s law- announced it had halted production. taken that up to 17. 250 business executives back Brexit yer said. “The trustee has been trying to The parade is clearly still on the Samir, controlled by Corral get the required authorisations to let march, with the European Central Petroleum Holdings, halted pro- it dock, but that tanker will last barely Bank waving the baton somewhere Bloomberg LLP; Tim Martin, chairman of U.K. its membership on “Brexit.” duction last August due to financial 5 to 6 days,” the source said. out in front. The US Federal Reserve, pub operator JD Wetherspoon Plc; Vote Leave also released a difficulties. “We had 10 days to file Samir has also launched a ten- however, is strolling the other way, and David Ross, founder of Carphone YouGov poll of over 1,000 small an appeal and we finally did it on der to buy 8 million barrels of regular having raised rates. The coming week Warehouse Group Plc. and medium-sized enterprises that Thursday,” Samir’s lawyer Abdelk- Urals or Kirkuk crude oil for delivery should underline why, in both cases LONDON: Former HSBC Holdings “With our growing list of busi- showed just 14 percent believe the bir Tabih said. from April through June, according to The 19-nation euro zone will Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael ness supporters, Vote Leave will EU makes it easier for their business Morocco’s tax administration has a company email sent to traders and release inflation data for March on Geoghegan is among 250 business make that case that whilst the EU to employ people. With the future frozen the company’s bank accounts seen by Reuters on Friday. Thursday and it is expected to show leaders backing the push for the UK may be good for big multination- of the UK economy at the heart of in pursuit of a 13bn dirham ($1.34bn) The tender will close on March 30 prices fell on an annual basis for the to leave the European Union. als, for smaller businesses it acts the debate over whether to stay or tax claim. The Moroccan government at 10 am local time (1000 GMT) and second month in a row. Geoghegan was CEO of HSBC as a job- destruction regulatory leave, each side is seeking to gain has said Samir’s total debt is around all cargoes are for delivery to the port American exceptionalism should from 2006 until 2010 and his support machine,” said Matthew Elliott, CEO the support of corporate executives 44bn dirhams. of Mohammedia. be on display the day after, with US for “Brexit” stands in contrast to the of the group. to promote its case. The company warned last week Business news website Medias24, monthly jobs data showing contin- bank’s current management, which “Jobs, wages and the economy Bosses from 36 of the FTSE 100 it expected to report a wider loss for which first reported the tender, said ued, if perhaps not overwhelming, warns it will send 1,000 staff to Paris will thrive when we take back con- companies recently wrote to the 2015 after the production halt and its Samir might get a deal with a trading growth. For the euro zone, a Reuters from London if voters side with with- trol.” The group also announced John Times newspaper endorsing con- bank accounts were frozen. It said it house already exposed to its finan- poll shows year-on-year inflation drawal in the June 23 referendum. Longworth will chair its business tinued membership in the bloc. The was still paying salaries and social cial difficulties. Medias24 said Samir coming in at -0.1 percent, a smaller Others on the list released Saturday advisory council after resigning as Confederation of British Industry contributions for its 1,200 workers. would receive the crude and pay back fall than the -0.3 percent in Febru- by the Vote Leave group were John director general of the British Cham- has said most of its members sup- As Morocco’s only refinery, its by refined products. ary, but still an actual fall in prices. Moulton, chairman of Better Capital bers of Commerce for breaking with port remaining. Workers suffer as once-mighty Hariri firm falters

AFP Lebanon, meaning remittances to that coun- political bloc in opposition to Hariri’s faction. try will be affected. He also noted the impact Riyadh has accused Hezbollah of exert- on Saudi Oger’s lower-income workers. ing a “stranglehold” on the Lebanese state. The informed source said poor manage- “If Hariri can prove he is still useful, the RIYADH: He’s had no salary for six months, he ment “is one of the main problems” at Saudi Saudis may help him,” a Lebanese banker said. cannot pay his children’s school fees and his Oger, but this has been compounded by the “But if not, they won’t.” permit to reside in Saudi Arabia has expired. economic challenges of a kingdom confronting Attempts to reach a Saudi Oger spokes- But Robert still holds out hope that things a projected budget deficit of $87bn this year. man were unsuccessful. The company built might improve for him and thousands of other France’s embassy, concerned for the many some of the most grandiose complexes in Riy- workers at Saudi Oger Ltd, the once-mighty French employees at the company, sent two adh, including the palatial Ritz-Carlton hotel. construction giant led by Lebanon’s billionaire letters to the firm, which responded with its Among its ongoing projects, Saudi Oger’s former prime minister Saad Hariri. promise to start paying the salaries. website lists a five-star hotel and office tower Delayed receipts have left employees of “The thing is, do they have the funds to along with a monorail in the King Abdullah the company struggling to survive while they keep their promises?” the informed source Financial District. wait to be paid, Robert and other sources say. asked. “The group’s treasury has for a long Cranes perch, unmoving, atop more than Other contractors are also affected, but time been badly run,” said a Lebanese busi- two dozen towers that were nearing comple- sources say problems at the 38-year-old Saudi nessman who works in the kingdom. tion at the northern Riyadh project. Oger go deeper than the kingdom’s current He said the plight of the Hariri family com- Robert confirms the Financial District is economic strains. pany raises two questions: “Will local banks among the stalled Saudi Oger projects but he “Already when I worked at Saudi Oger continue to finance Saudi Oger, and secondly, adds that none have been cancelled. there were delays in salary payments to local will the Hariri clan manage to enlist an inves- Most towers in the complex are being employees,” a former staffer said. tor willing to provide new investment?” built by local construction giant Saudi Binla- “It seems the situation got worse.” The Hariris have been a political and eco- din Group, which is “also having problems”, Saudi Oger employs around 50,000 peo- nomic force in Lebanon for decades. according to a veteran contractor. ple of various nationalities, from managers Saad Hariri, whose political bloc is close Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King to labourers, and Robert said the salaries of to Saudi Arabia and the West, was catapulted Salman bin Abdulaziz suspended the Bin- nearly all have been delayed. into Lebanese politics 11 years ago after the ladin Group from new public contracts after But at six months without a pay cheque, The towers under construction at the King Abdullah Financial District in the Saudi assassination of his father Rafiq. one of its cranes working on a major expan- he is among the longest-suffering. capital Riyadh. Towers in the complex are being built by the Saudi Oger Company Longstanding problems at Saudi Oger sion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Islam’s “I don’t have money,” he said. “It’s hard.” and other constructors. peaked as tensions escalated this year holiest site, toppled in September killing at The veteran employee of Saudi Oger says between Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and least 109 people. he has “no choice” but to stay with the firm company promised in a letter that salaries families facing a similar plight to Robert’s. its rival Iran, which back opposing sides in In a business which is ultimately all tied because he cannot find another job. will flow at the end of March. “They can’t pay for the tickets” to even fly wars in Syria and Yemen. to the government, construction projects have Robert, whose name has been changed “It’s a desperate situation,” a well- home, the source said, adding that many sen- Tehran also supports Hezbollah, the Shia been “slowed down” and cash “is not coming because he asked for anonymity, said the informed source said, describing expatriate ior officers of Saudi Oger support families in militant group leading a powerful Lebanese in on time,” the contractor said. 26 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 BUSINESS

QE INDICES SUMMARY QATAR STOCK EXCHANGE QE Index 10,229.02 0.55 % QE Total Return Index 16,425.87 0.55 % QE Al Rayan Islamic Index 3,962.72 0.44 % QE All Share Index 2,827.51 0.11 % QE All Share Banks & Financial Services 2,778.51 0.39 % QE All Share Industrials 3,095.22 0.36 % QE All Share Transportation 2,533.13 0.20 % QE All Share Real Estate 2,471.08 0.00 % QE All Share Insurance 4,445.64 0.86 % QE All Share Telecoms 1,090.3 0.21 % QE All Share Consumer Goods & Services 6,637.49 0.22 %

QE MARKET SUMMARY COMPARISON 27-03-2016 Today 24-03-2016 Previous day Index 10,229.02 10,285.50 Change 56.48 166.78 % 0.55 1.60 YTD% 1.92 1.38 Volume 8,847,314 9,718,101 Value (QAR) 273,949,395.28 338,110,833.26 Trades 3,672 5,292 Up 15 | Down 21 | Unchanged 03

WORLD STOCK INDICES Index Day’s Close Pt Chg % Chg Year High Year Low All Ordinaries 5204.312 -26.473 -0.51 5379.6 4762.1 Cac 40 Index/D 4451.66 19.69 0.44 4586.11 3892.46 Dj Indu Average 17582.57 -41.3 -0.23 18351.4 15370.3 Hang Seng Inde/D 20615.23 -51.52 -0.25 21794.84 18278.8 Iseq Overall/D 6206.86 27.91 0.45 6791.68 5611.89 Karachi 100 In/D 32928.3 -94.57 -0.29 33304.4 29785 Nikkei 225 Index 17000.98 -47.57 -0.28 18951.12 14865.77 S&P 500 Index/D 0 0 0 2134.72 1810.1

EXCHANGE RATE Currency Buying Selling US$ QR 3.6305 QR 3.6500 UK QR 5.1171 QR 5.1920 Euro QR 4.0283 QR 4.1098 Pent up dollar demand CA$ QR 2.7170 QR 2.7789 Swiss Fr QR 3.7143 QR 3.7676 Yen QR 0.0320 QR 0.0326 by jewellers to exert Aus$ QR 2.7026 QR 2.7712 Ind Re QR 0.0538 QR 0.0551 Pak Re QR 0.0349 QR 0.0348 pressure on Indian rupee Peso QR 0.0771 QR 0.0796 SL Re QR 0.0245 QR 0.0253 Taka QR 0.0468 QR 0.0467 IANS currency markets were closed on Thursday- Nep Re QR 0.0340 QR 0.0347 Friday, on account of Holi and Good Friday. SA Rand QR 0.2362 QR 0.2408 On a weekly basis, the rupee weakened by 12 paise to 66.62-63 (March 23) against a MUMBAI: Pent up demand for US dollars by US dollar from its previous close of 66.50-51 A file picture of a security guard walking past a montage of US dollar GOLD AND SILVER the jewellery sector, coupled with a weak Chi- (March 18) to a greenback. nese yuan, are expected to exert pressure on Other analysts, attributed the rupee weak- bills outside a currency exchange bureau in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. GOLD QR144.3135 per gramme the Indian rupee during the upcoming week, ness on a strong US dollar. The US dollar has SILVER QR1.8191 per gramme experts said. strengthened on the back of increased chances “Keep an eye out for the bullion users, as once of a hike in US interest rates in April. Goldman to Fed: Stop worrying they get back to work, we can see a lot of pent up Even the Brussels attacks led investors to demand from these guys to emerge. This demand, park their funds in safe assets like the US dol- about the stronger dollar along with demand from central bank can exert lar. Anand James, co-head, technical research an upward pressure on dollar/rupee (pair),” desk with Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Serv- Junk-bond sales Anindya Banerjee, associate vice president for ices, told IANS: “The US dollar rose due to its Bloomberg “The majority of the effects of currency derivatives with Kotak Securities, said. appeal as a safe haven asset, pushing rupee a stronger dollar on import prices A sizeable section of jewellery industry towards the 67 mark.” have already been realized,” New may top $20bn players have been on strike against a proposed However, there was an increased inflows NEW YORK: It’s time for the Fed- York-based analysts Zach Pandl and one percent hike in excise duty on non-silver by the foreign investors in the country’s equity eral Reserve to end its dollar fixation. Elad Pashtan wrote in a note. “Infla- jewellery in the union budget for 2016-17. They and bond markets. The National Securities That’s the takeaway from a Goldman tion data to date appears to be more Bloomberg have been on strike since March 2. The central Depository Limited (NSDL) figures showed that Sachs Group Inc report that suggests closely tracking a path with less dol- government has constituted a panel to look into the FPIs (Foreign Portfolio Investors) bought the US currency poses little threat to lar pass-through to core inflation” their demands. Rs6,340.82 crore or $952.79m in the equity and the Fed’s inflation goals, challenging than implied by the Fed’s projections “Chinese yuan has begun weakening which debt markets from March 21-23. policy makers’ comments to the con- for consumer prices. NEW YORK: Bond investors are opening their wallets should be an added negative for rupee as well. Data with stock exchanges disclosed that trary. That’s good news for dollar bulls Investors agree. The gap between again to junk-rated companies in the US. There are signs We see USD/INR trade between 66.30-50 and the FPIs invested in stocks worth Rs3,468.68 who are betting on expanded mone- yields on Treasury Inflation-Pro- of life in the market for risky corporate debt with sales 67.00/67-20 levels for the next week,” Banerjee crore during the week under review. tary-policy divergence between the tected Securities and nominal of speculative-grade bonds rising for the last three con- cited. According to Banerjee, despite a mid- According to Hiren Sharma, senior vice US, Europe and Japan. 10-year notes, known as the break- secutive months. More than $14bn of junk debt has been week sell-off towards 66.93, rupee managed to president, currency advisory at Anand Rathi Inflation is at the heart of the even rate, climbed to the highest sold in March and another $6bn billion of the securities close nearly flat, due to relentless selling of US Financial Services, US Federal Reserve’s slow Fed’s debate about the timing of since August earlier this week. The may be issued before the end of next week, according dollars from fronts like IT (information tech- rate vision and expansion of ECB’s (European interest-rate increases as officials measure indicates inflation will to data compiled by Bloomberg. Western Digital Corp nology) companies. Central Bank) bond purchase program has look to normalize monetary pol- average about 1.58 percent during is planning to sell $5.6bn of notes to help pay for its “Demand for US dollars from RBI (Reserve motivated global equity investors. icy after seven years of near-zero the next decade, compared with 1.2 takeover of SanDisk Corp. in what would be the big- Bank of India) has managed to build a floor under “A revival in crude oil price has instigated a borrowing costs. With a stronger percent last month. gest junk-bond offering this year. the US dollar for the moment, around 66.40-50 risk on mood presently. Since March 1st, a net of dollar not translating into signif- The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Junk bonds are benefiting from a rally in oil prices levels on spot,” Banerjee elaborated. “However $1.6bn inflow (mostly in equity) has come into icantly cheaper import prices, Index, which tracks the currency that started last month. After losing close to 1.6 percent in going into the final quarter of the year, we can India,” Sharma said. “Rupee has a very strong Goldman Sachs suggests the cen- versus 10 peers, rose 0.2 percent on January, the securities eked out a 0.5 percent gain in Feb- see more selling from large exporters.” support at 66.50-40 and resistance around tral bank faces fewer headwinds to Thursday, climbing for a fifth day in ruary and have advanced 4.7 percent this month, Bank During the truncated week ended March 23, 66.80-67.10. It is expected to remain in this hiking rates than markets are cur- its longest streak of gains since Jan- of America Merrill Lynch Index data show. This has given the rupee weakened by 12 paise. The domestic range for penultimate week of FY15-16.” rently pricing in. uary 20. an opening to the strongest speculative-grade issuers to raise debt even as investors remain leery of weaker credits. “This market often runs feast or famine,” said Ken Mona- ghan, the head of global high yield at Amundi Smith Bredeen. “There are a lot of companies that have been sitting on the Long-term thinking could become focus for a new index fund sidelines and I think what we’re likely to see now through the end of April is more opportunistic financing.” The extra yield investors demand to hold junk debt has been declin- ing after reaching 8.9 percentage points on February 10, Reuters Designed with the help of the Canada regulatory approvals. conglomerate 3M Co. the day before oil prices started to climb. Pension Plan Investment Board, the index Asset managers have already had However, the index does not screen This relative calm has benefited companies like consists of companies with what S&P con- something of a hand in the effort. Focus- out companies that spend cash buying Charter Communications Inc. The cable operator sold siders strong corporate-governance plans ing Capital on the Long Term, a group that back their own shares, even though such $1.7bn of bonds last month, $200m more than what it NEW YORK: S&P Dow Jones Indices is and solid financial numbers. advocated for the index and was founded repurchases have been criticized by inves- originally planned. The securities have since gained 5.2 negotiating with asset managers to licence “We have to do things to stop that by CPPIB and management consultant tors who would rather see the money go to percent. And just this week AMC Networks Inc issued its new index, which it says represents short-term focus,” said Poul Winslow, man- McKinsey & Co in 2013, counts senior man- long-term ventures like capital expendi- $1bn of bonds in its first visit to the junk bond market companies that focus on the long term aging director at Toronto-based CPPIB. He agement from fund-managing companies tures or workforce development. in more than three years. rather than the current quarter. said the index relied on a scoring system BlackRock Inc and State Street Corp among One of the long-term index’s top hold- That doesn’t mean investors are embracing every The Long-Term Value Creation Global that draws out important details about how its members and advisers. ings, retailer O’Reilly Automotive Inc, is issuer. Fortress Investment Group was forced to scuttle Index could be the basis for one or more companies are governed. To come up with its index, S&P starts also one of the largest components of the plans to pay itself a $325m debt-funded dividend from a mutual funds, exchange-traded funds or The CPPIB and other institutional with the largest public companies and S&P 500 Buyback Index. Srivastava said truck- equipment leasing company it owns after junk- structured products, Vinit Srivastava, S&P’s investors have committed $2bn to private allocates money to those that produce a companies with good governance rules bond investors balked at the deal last week, according senior director of equity strategy, said in funds tracking the index. hefty return on equity and seem to develop tend to do buybacks “for the right reasons.” to people with knowledge of the matter. And last month an interview last week. S&P, a unit of McGraw Hill Financial Inc strong policies on legal compliance, envi- The index’s focus on corporate governance Solera Holdings Inc raised $1.73bn in bonds to finance S&P created the index over the past and the largest provider of indexes tracked ronmental reporting and philanthropy. does not necessarily mean a focus on social its leveraged buyout by an investor group led by Vista year in response to concerns that com- by US-listed ETFs, has not decided whether Such practices, advocates like Winslow issues, even though pension funds often Equity Partners, down from the $2bn it originally targeted. pany executives, under pressure from such a licence would be exclusive to one said, can predict performance better than consider such criteria. Investors remain leery of riskier deals amid signs that hard-charging board overseers and the asset manager. Srivastava declined to name balance sheets. Two of the index’s top 10 holdings are credit quality is getting worse. The number of companies earnings calendar, have put short-term any bidders or comment further on the dis- Among the top companies in the tobacco companies Reynolds American Inc to default this year globally has risen to 31, the highest wins ahead of building businesses that cussions. Bringing such a product to market index are health insurer Cigna Corp, cof- and Altria Group Inc, which socially con- year-to- date tally since 2009, Standard & Poor’s said. thrive over time. could take several months of planning and fee chain Starbucks Corp and industrial scious investors often screen out. BUSINESS VIEWS MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 27

In oil rout, some US More banks and investors energy bosses were spared the pain help write blank cheques

By Ross Kerber and comment. Offering executives Michael Erman financial incentives to stay through Reuters upheaval, be it a merger or restruc- turing, is a common practice. But whatever the merits, fre- quent changes in incentives “can ORE cash, lower tar- absolutely undercut the relation- gets and bigger share ship between pay and performance,” awards - not all US said Ken Bertsch, head of the Coun- energy bosses are feel- cil of Institutional Investors, whose Ming the full impact of tumbling oil members include big pension funds prices in their paychecks. Some and asset managers. oil and gas companies are mak- Anne Simpson, who over- ing it easier for their top managers sees corporate governance at to meet performance goals or are the $279.5bn California Public offering more cash as a prolonged Employees’ Retirement System, oil slump keeps share prices at lows told Reuters that it planned to take not seen in five years, filings show. a hard look at pay adjustments in Among the beneficiaries are coming months when proxy votes bosses of both solid performers are due. “Performance is not a one and struggling companies, and way bet, paying off on the way up, the changes may rankle inves- and never going down,” she said tors facing losses. Oilfield services in an e-mailed response. company Schlumberger NV, for A Reuters analysis of filings example, used lower earnings tar- through mid-March showed that gets for the second half of 2015, a number of companies changed which helped its CEO Paal Kib- their payout plans for leaders in sgaard receive total pay of $18.3m, ways that shielded them from the only slightly below the 2014 level. collapse in oil prices, even as they The company’s shares fell 18 continued to slash other spending percent last year, about half the and lay off thousands of workers. decline of its index and have since Since November 2014 Schlum- recovered about 7 percent. berger alone has laid off 34,000 By Lauren Hirsch $450m initial public offering last month to securities filings compiled by Symmet- Linn Energy , meanwhile, people, or about a quarter of its Reuters raised $50m more than originally planned. ric. Wilber Ross’ $435m WL Ross Holding whose shares nosedived 87 per- workforce. It was the first SPAC successfully taken Corp WLHR.O attracted MFS Investment cent last year under the weight of Most companies, however, paid public by Goldman, which served as an Management, TD Asset Management Inc its swelling debt and dwindling their top executives less in 2015 to underwriter alongside Deutsche Bank AG and Wellington Management. financing options, announced a reflect falling profits and share N obscure corner of the US and Citigroup Inc , which have been work- Typically, SPACs allow investors to new incentive plan last month prices amid crude’s more than 60 IPO market is getting a new ing on SPACs for more than a decade. redeem their common stock at the IPO for its top executives that focuses percent fall since mid-2014, com- lease on life as more Wall Chinh Chu, a private equity veteran price if they disagree with a proposed more on cash rather than stock. pensation consultants said. Street banks and institutional who ended a 25-year career at Blackstone acquisition. This can challenge a SPAC’s Dallas-based oil and gas explora- “A lot of wealth has come off investors turn to blank-cheque Group LP last year, is preparing to launch ability to write the equity check needed tion company Exco Resources Inc the table for senior executives in acquisition vehicles, once the a $1bn SPAC and is working with Citigroup, for a potential acquisition. will offer its directors restricted the span of 18 months,” said Mike Adomain of only a few underwriters and Bank of America Corp and Credit Suisse To address this, Chu and his partner in stock worth $140,000 a year – Halloran, senior partner at consult- hedge funds, for better fortunes. Group AG on its IPO, Reuters reported this the new SPAC, William Foley, chairman about 10 times the value of shares ing firm Mercer. Halloran estimates These special purpose acquisition com- week. of the board of U.S. title insurance serv- awarded in 2014, according to 2015 executive pay at large energy panies (SPACs) have no assets but use the Another SPAC planning a $300m IPO, ices provider Fidelity National Financial securities filings, even though its firms fell by a fifth on average. That IPO proceeds, together with bank financ- Colony Global Acquisition Corp, sponsored Inc, have sought to attract some corner- shares fell 43 percent last year. compares with a 24 percent drop in ing, to buy other companies and boost their by real estate mogul and Donald Trump stone investors ahead of the IPO. These In another example, Halcon the energy sector index value through operational improvements. supporter Thomas Barrack, is set to name cornerstone investors have committed not Resources Corp - built by its CEO For example, John Lindsay, The companies that are acquired by SPACs Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase & Co to redeem their money if they disapprove Floyd Wilson, who has made a for- CEO of contract driller Helmerich go public without ever going through the IPO and Barclays Plc among its underwrit- of a proposed acquisition, giving the SPAC tune launching and selling off oil & Payne Inc saw his total pay drop process. SPACs have traditionally struggled ers alongside already publicly disclosed more financing certainty to be able to go companies - disclosed in a secu- by nearly a quarter to $3.7m for the to attract long term investors, due to their underwriter Credit Suisse, according to after the companies it wants. rities filing last week that Wilson 12 months ended September 30 complicated structure and investment risks. people familiar with the matter. It would To be sure, many of the historical risks received $3 million and three other after the company skipped bonus Instead, they appealed be Barclays’ first US-based SPAC IPO since that SPACs entail remain for both banks and top executives $800,000 each in payments for top executives citing to hedge funds and other 2007 and JPMorgan’s first since 2008. Rep- investors. Of the 130 SPACs that have com- exchange for an agreement to stay missed performance targets. opportunistic inves- resentatives for Colony and the banks pleted an acquisition since 2003, the average for at least another year. ExxonMobil Corp, the largest tors, who bought into declined to comment. annual return has been a 15.3 percent loss, A representative for Halcon, energy company, has yet to release the SPAC only to take “It is becoming more fashionable, we are versus the Russell 2000 index’s .RUT annu- which has hired financial and all details on compensation paid advantage of the struc- starting to see more banks interested in the alized return of 4.5 percent over that period, legal advisors to navigate the to its CEO Rex Tillerson. How- ture’s inefficiencies. product,” said Gregg Noel, a capital mar- according to data provider SPAC Analytics. downturn, did not return mes- ever, his total $33.1m package in But tweaks in their kets partner at law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, There are 31 US-based SPACs still sages. Schlumberger declined to 2014 included $21.4m in 225,000 bylaws and leader- Meagher & Flom LLP. Overall, US IPO volumes looking for a deal, several of which are comment beyond its recent proxy shares granted on November 25, ship by a new crop of are down 93 percent year-to-date, totaling coming up against their two-year dead- statement. An Exco representa- 2014 and although he received the These special purpose industry veterans with $317m, as stock market volatility prevents lines to invest the money they raised in tive said the new plan makes its same number of shares last Novem- acquisition companies acquisition experience many companies from going public. SPAC IPO their IPO or return it to investors. For director pay more competitive ber, they were worth $3.1m less. are gradually making volumes, however, are up 26 percent over the banks, roughly half their fees are paid and aligns their compensation Schlumberger’s 2015 com- (SPACs) have no them more mainstream. same period to $619m, according to data com- after a SPAC’s IPO, when it finalises an with performance of the company. pensation for its CEO Kibsgaard assets but use the IPO As a result, Gold- piled by Thomson Reuters. acquisition. Even when an attractive A representative for Linn included an incentive payment of man Sachs Group Inc’s This is because SPAC IPOs are less vul- acquisition target is found, SPAC share- Energy told Reuters in February $3.3m. It rose from $2.9m in 2014 proceeds, together biggest successfully nerable to market jitters, since they have no holders can veto a deal. the compensation changes were after the company used lower with bank financing, to completed IPO assign- existing business to fret over. Investors can “I say about raising the money, ‘congrat- designed to ensure management earnings targets for the second buy other companies ment so far this year is speculate about the companies SPACs will ulations, 25 percent of your work is done,’” stayed on to secure the compa- half of the year, citing in its recent not a red-hot technology buy, but initially SPACs are only worth the said Neil Shah, head of alternative capital ny’s future. The company did not proxy “the continued challenges and boost their value startup or a multibillion- money they raise. markets at Citigroup. Deutsche Bank and respond to requests for further of the industry.” through operational dollar leveraged buyout; Private equity firm TPG Capital LP’s Citigroup have big SPAC practices, taking it is an energy-focused SPAC, Pace Holdings Corp, which went pub- between 40 and 80 percent of the SPAC IPO improvements. SPAC called Silver Run lic last year after raising $450m, enticed proceeds every year since 2006, according Acquisition Corp, whose Janus Capital Management LLC, according to Thomson Reuters data. Ubisoft uses talent exodus threat to thwart hostile Vivendi

By Marie Mawad our games are known for attention to detail Bollore, started buying into Ubisoft last Octo- Activision and Take Two,” said Michael Bloomberg and complex worlds.” ber. Vivendi’s initial 10 percent stake is up to Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush. While Ubisoft The importance of a small handful of just over 15 percent now. The company said has done its due diligence—courting investors individuals in a successful game is such that this month it plans to keep buying shares and and hiring bankers to sound out alternatives— no hostile takeover has ever been pursued seek board representation. Potentially more Guillemot, 55, knows that his best weapon is HEN fighting off a corporate to the end in the video-game industry. That worrisome, it began a hostile bid for Gamel- his talent. He’s said that a hostile takeover by raider, companies usually hire argument played a key role in preventing an oft SE, another game company founded by Vivendi would “kill creativity.” bankers, lawyers and a bunch unsolicited takeover of Ubisoft by Electronic the Guillemot brothers. Of Ubisoft’s 10,000 employees, there of other corporate types in Arts a decade ago, and EA backed off from For 30 years, Guillemot has been running are at most a few hundred with star status. Wsuits. Sometimes an artsy guy in purple buying Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. Ubisoft, based in the Paris suburb of Mon- They’re typically in their late 30s or early 40s, French video-game maker sweatpants is all they really need. in an initially hostile approach. treuil, as a family business where creatives with artistic or technical credentials, and the French video-game maker Ubisoft Enter- “There’s a Ubisoft way that was true when are given time, space and a little extra budget confidence they could land another job in a Ubisoft Entertainment tainment is counting on a handful of creative EA made an approach in 2004 and is still true when they need it. That’s a far cry from the snap. Yet, most have stuck around for a dec- is counting on a handful employees who’ve made blockbuster titles today, based on teamwork, on crossing paths iron fist culture of Bollore, who took control ade or more, and have resisted approaches — and billions of dollars for the company with people and growing together,” said Edi- of advertising agency Havas SA and installed from headhunters and rivals. of creative employees — to thwart an unwelcome approach by a torial Chief Olivier Dauba, who joined in 1998 his son as chief executive officer. Francois, a 42-year-old former TV pro- who’ve made blockbuster billionaire and his media conglomerate. The and sits in what looks more like an action-fig- Vivendi risks turning Ubisoft into an ducer from New Jersey, is in charge of message to Vincent Bollore and Vivendi SA: ure collector’s dream than an office. Company “empty shell” unless it can keep its approach developing Ubisoft’s intellectual property and titles — and billions Back off or the talent will leave and you’ll end founder Yves Guillemot has been a big part of friendly and retain Guillemot as a top exec- has been at the company for 9 years. For him, of dollars for the up buying an empty shell. building that culture, Dauba said. utive, said Richard Maxime Beaudoux, doing the work sometimes involves seemingly company — to thwart an “This company lets the creatives get Ubisoft, the third biggest independent an analyst at Bryan Garnier & Co. “This crazy initiatives like sending a team of 7 peo- on with their work,” said Tommy Francois, game maker, is behind some of the most industry’s all about star developers and cre- ple half-way around the globe to research the unwelcome approach by a who has bushy red hair and was dressed one popular games of today including “Assas- atives—they create the added-value. And at “Christmas spirit” in New York and make sure billionaire and his media recent day in purple camouflage sweatpants sin’s Creed” and “The Division”. Guillemot and Ubisoft, Guillemot has their support.” it’s reflected in “The Division.” The game this and shoes adorned with Mickey Mouse. “We his four brothers, who own about 9 percent “If there’s a hostile takeover by Vivendi month broke the industry record for sales of conglomerate. take time to dig, to go out on the field. That’s of the company, are on the defensive after and Guillemot leaves, every person who is new franchise in an opening week by gross- not something our rivals do and that’s why Vivendi, the media conglomerate headed by good at Ubisoft would be recruited by EA, ing more than $330m. 28 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 BUSINESS

BACK TO BUSINESS sight How an airline helped to create Despite oil’s decline, energy firms win Vietnam’s first woman billionaire with equity offerings

By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen, as a trade distributor with little money, receiving K Oanh Ha and Sterling Wong clothing, office equipment and consumer goods Reuters which said on January 13 that Bloomberg on credit from suppliers in Japan, Hong Kong and it was raising $226m through a South Korea, and selling them in Russia in the years stock offering to repay the debt before collapse of the Soviet Union. under a revolving credit facil- “I worked so hard and earned the trust of sup- ORE than a dozen ity, with the rest for exploration, IETNAMESE Nguyen Thi Phuong pliers by always being honest with them,” said Thao, companies in the development activities and other Thao (pictured) made her first whose mother was a teacher and father, a phar- hard-hit explora- purposes. Since then, Diamond- million at 21 trading fax machines macist. “I didn’t have much money. They gave me tion and production back’s shares have climbed 31 and latex rubber. Almost a quar- more and more products with longer credit terms.” Menergy industry have announced percent against a 19 percent rise ter of a century later, she’s poised After making her first million three years later, Thao new share offerings this year for the SIG Oil Exploration & Pro- to become Southeast Asia’s first moved on to trade steel, machinery, fertilizer and – and have generally been duction index .EPX. Vself-made woman billionaire known for putting other commodities. rewarded in the stock market Despite “mixed emotion” bikini-clad models on her VietJet Aviation Joint She returned to Vietnam and invested in Tech- for the strategy. about the offering because it did Stock Co. planes and calendars. combank, also known as Vietnam Technological Although it might seem that dilute the stock, Breard pointed to With the initial public offering of Vietnam’s and Commercial Joint-Stock Bank, and a second companies would upset their the “safety” provided by the fund- only privately-owned airline, Thao is set to have lender, Vietnam International Commercial Joint investor base by diluting earnings ing given that oil was only about a net worth exceeding $1bnTKTK, according to Stock Bank. She later lodged an application to run per share when they added more $30 a barrel at the time, about the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making her the an airline in anticipation the communist govern- stock, most of the 15 companies $10 cheaper than it is now, mak- country’s first woman billionaire. The majority ment, which adopted a market economy in 1986, that have done so have actually ing the climate more uncertain. of her wealth is derived from her stake in VietJet would open up the industry to compete against outperformed their peers. “Under the conditions that and her holdings in Dragon City, a 65-hectare real state carrier Vietnam Airlines. Their share prices have beaten existed then, you’d rather own estate development in Ho Chi Minh City. VietJet is known for its young and attractive an oil and gas producers index, 90 percent of a company with “I’ve never sat down and calculated my assets,” flight attendants who wear bikinis on inaugural on average, by about 3 percent- a stronger balance sheet than Thao, 45, said in an interview. “I’m just focused on flights to beach locations and featured simi- age points since their respective 100 percent of one with a slightly how to boost the company’s growth, how to increase lar models on its calendars, which Thao says offerings, and the outperformance worse balance sheet,” Breard said. the average salary for my employees, how to lead are empowering images in Vietnam’s conserv- is even stronger when compared Oasis Petroleum Inc, Callon the airline to gain more market share and make it people, who asked not to be named because the ative culture. with that of the broader S&P Petroleum Co and PDC Energy number one.” information isn’t public. She bought the site more “You have the right to wear anything you like, energy sector. With widespread Inc have also outperformed the Thao said she’s planning for VietJet to hold its than a decade ago in what was a swampy area in either the bikini or the traditional ao dai,” she said, worries about energy compa- oil producers index by more than IPO as early as within the next three months, where Vietnam’s economic hub, and the valuation is calcu- referring to the traditional long tunic worn over nies collapsing under debt loads, 10 percentage points since their it may sell as much as a 30 percent stake. lated using the equity- to-debt ratio of the project’s loose pants. “We don’t mind people associating the analysts and investors said that respective offerings. Cabot Oil & The carrier is aiming to seek a valuation of $1bn investment value. airline with the bikini image. If that makes people shareholders could more eas- Gas has lagged the most, under- more than $1bn, according to two people with Thao also has majority stakes in three resorts happy, then we are happy.” ily stomach the dilution of their performing by more than 30 knowledge of the plan, who asked not to be in Vietnam — the Furama Resort Danang, the Eva- holdings if it means adding cash percentage points. named because the information is private. Thao, son Ana Mandara Nha Trang and the An Lam Ninh ‘EMIRATES OF ASIA’ to strengthen balance sheets. All told, US exploration and who founded the airline, owns 95 percent of the Van Bay Villas, the people said. The properties are Thao wants to make VietJet the “Emirates of The stronger companies production companies have raised company, according to two people familiar with valued using current income, and occupancy and Asia,” modeling after the success of the Dubai- in the industry were generally more than $10bn through equity the shareholding structure. prevailing capitalization rates from real estate con- based carrier that’s the world’s biggest long-haul those able to raise capital through offerings this year, analysts at Cap- “She’s not like other wealthy people — she’s sultant Cushman & Wakefield. airline with flights to about 150 destinations. The share sales, analysts said, and the ital One Securities estimate. quite quiet in Vietnam actually,” said Vo Phuc Thao and her holding company also own Vietnamese budget carrier, which began opera- recent successes did not neces- Companies including Pioneer Nguyen, a Ho Chi Minh City-based analyst at CIMB about a 20 percent stake in Ho Chi Minh City tions in 2011, flies to 47 locations in the country sarily mean a flood of further Natural Resources Co, Synergy Group Holdings Bhd. “She’s really successful with Development JS Commercial Bank or HDBank, and across Asia, and the valuation it’s seeking will offerings would follow. Resources Corp, PDC Energy and VietJet. From nothing, that airline now accounts according to the people. Thao’s the vice-chair- make it more valuable than South Korea’s Asiana “The companies that are Callon did not urgently need cash for more than 30 percent of market share in Viet- man of the privately-held commercial bank, Airlines Inc. or Finnair Oyj. doing it are good solid compa- but stood to “immunise” their bal- nam in just over the last few years.” which has total assets of about $4.6bn last year. “You have to take the lead and take calculated nies,” said Mike Breard, an energy ance sheets in case the oil markets The company has 225 branches and employs risks,” she said. “As a businesswoman, I have a stock analyst at Hodges Capital are ugly into 2017, said Irene Haas, MAJORITY STAKES almost 10,000 people. responsibility to contribute to the economy and Management in Dallas. exploration and production ana- The billionaire also owns a 90 percent stake in Thao’s foray into business began around 1988 to push for positive changes of the country and in Hodges Capital owns shares lyst at Wunderlich Securities in Sovico Holdings, a closely-held company that has as a second- year student in Moscow, where she the society, in light of the international integration of Diamondback Energy Inc, Houston. a 90 percent stake in Dragon City, according to the was studying finance and economics. She began that’s happening.”

Oil prices will reach some stability and rise to $60 a Yousef Al Benyan, , Saudi Capital barrel by the end of this year. Of course, prices are not Basic Industries Corp’s really at levels where we wish (them to be) but that’s (SABIC) Chief Executive Comment normal in a cyclical market. Officer

TOP TWEETS BLOGS AND VIEWS EGAS completes Market Talk tender for two Dealogic @Dealogic MoneyBeat LNG cargoes

#China Real Estate IB NAME IN THE MARKET: LEVERAGED LOANS Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s CAIRO: Egypt has purchased revenue hit a record two liquefied natural gas car- high, and already 36% corporate bond indexes show goes for April delivery from of the annual record how investors are already set in 2015 two international compa- anticipating the impact of ECB nies, EGAS Chairman Khaled Argaam Plus @ Abdel Badie said yesterday. buying. Across both financial and EGAS launched a ten- ArgaamPlus der earlier this month, open #SaudiArabia tells non-financial companies, average only to some of its existing companies expats bond yields have declined more suppliers, for the delivery of must not exceed 25% of workforce in the eurozone’s periphery than one cargo on April 1-7, and another on April 27-28. Badie in the ‘core’ countries. said two shipments for 170 thousand cubic metres each Fitch Ratings @ were successfully tendered CFO Journal for and EGAS was “in the FitchRatings final stage of contracting”. Oil, Gas and Commod- Traders said last week ity Corporates Lead The number of mergers and that EGAS had so far failed Sector Downgrades acquisitions continued to fall from to make purchases from sup- pliers, some of which were their 2015 highs in February. The hesitant to arrange delivery number of US company deals on short notice. Project Syndicate @ For the late-April cargo, ProSyn fell 12.6% last month with 868 EGAS had lined up com- Expansionary fiscal announcements, compared with modity trader Trafigura as policy and accommo- 993 in January. The figure is the supplier, but the deal dative monetary policy ran into difficulties after are vital to China’s eco- also 16% lower than year-ago EGAS tried to bring for- nomic future volumes. ward delivery to the middle of April, traders said. www.thepeninsulaqatar.com PAGE | 31 PAGE | 34 Afghans claim Atlanta Hawkswks historic win over end Pistons’ West Indies winning streakeak

MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 • 19 Jumada II 1437 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar Struggling Al Wakrah face tough task against Lekhwiya

Teams prepare for 24 round of the Qatar Stars League as relegation fears bite bottom-placed sides

The Peninsula

DOHA: With Al Rayyan already The winners of the first Qatar ITF Junior Open 2016 tournament pose crowned as Qatar Stars League (QSL) champions for this year, the for a photograph with officials at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash focus will now shift to the race for Complex on Saturday. the Qatar Cup and the battle to avoid the drop in round 24 of the league. Relegation threatened Al Wak- rah know that a victory will all but Great Britain grab confirm their QSL status for another year when they face former champi- ons Lekhwiya on Friday evening at Al Wakrah stadium at 6.15pm. Whilst major honours at 1st Djamel Belmadi’s side knows that a win will confirm their place in the Qatar cup for this season. So plenty will be on the line in Qatar ITF Junior Open this match up. Last time they met, Lekhwiya emphatically beat Wak- rah 6-2 with South Korean attacker Nam-Tae Hee grabbing a hat-trick for The Peninsula TENNIS: QATAR ITF the Red Knights. A file picture of action from Qatar Stars League (QSL) match of Round 18 between Al Sailiya and Al Wakrah. JUNIOR OPEN 2016 El Jaish will be looking to build Relegation threatened Al Wakrah face former champions Lekhwiya on Friday evening at Al Wakrah Stadium on their victory over Al Rayyan when at 6.15pm. they face up against relegation threat- DOHA: The first Qatar ITF Junior ened Qatar SC. The Kings currently Open 2016 was concluded at the Biagianti of Italy partnered with occupy the second relegation zone of the season to El Jaish. Whilst status for this season. firmly on the Qatar Gas League after Khalifa Tennis and Squash Com- DenisaHindova of Czech Republic and need a result in this match is des- Gharafa will be looking to build on At the same time, Al Arabi will confirming relegation a few weeks plex on Saturday. to defeat the British duo of Esther perately needed if Sebastio Lazaroni’s the attractive brand of football they face off with top 4 rivals Umm Salal ago, last time out the sides shared a The event featured the partici- Adeshina and Megan Davies 6-3, side are to beat the drop to the Qatar have been playing under new coach in the QSL match of the week. Al 2-2 and Rodion Gancian will be hop- pation of players from 30 countries. 6-4 in the final match. Gas League. Pedro Caixinia. Back in the first half Arabi has endured a inconsistent ing the Flames can rasie themselves Joe Tyler of Great Britain Tariq Zainal, Assistant Secretary Last time out Qatar SC defeated of the season, Rayyan ran out 2-0 season, and will be looking to keep for this game. claimed the title of Boys Singles General of the Qatar Tennis Feder- El Jaish in the first leg, a Mousa Allaq winners thanks to Rodrigo Tabata their slim Qatar cup chances alive Sunday’s only QSL tie will see Al Event after beating his compatriot ation (QTF) crowned the winners. goal was enough for all three points and Nathan, the Cheetah’s will have with a victory over Umm Salal. Kharitiyat in a relegation six pointer Aidan Mchugh 6-2, 6-4. Also present at the occasion for the Kings. They will be hoping revenge on their mind. Last time out the side shared the at Al Khor stadium. In Girls Event, Megan Davies were Sultan Khalfan, Director of the for the same on Friday evening at Saturday’s QSL action kicks points in a 1-1 draw, and Gianfranco Both teams have very real of Great Britain defeated the other Qatar ITF Junior Open 2016 tour- Lekhwiya stadium. The kick-off is off when Al Sailiya will take on Al Zola will be keen to avoid the same chances of ending up in the Qatar British player Esther Adeshina 1-6, nament and Ihab Awad, Assistant set for 6.15pm. Sadd at Al Ahli stadium, KO at 18:15. fate on Saturday evening. Gas League come the end of the sea- 6-1, 6-3. Director of the Tournament. The final match on Friday will Impressive Sailiya ran out 2-1 win- Meisameer and Al Ahli bring son, and need points in the last three The British duo of Joe Tyler Tariq Zainal stressed that the see QSL champions Al Rayyan take ners back in the first half of the Saturday’s action to a close; Yus- games to guarantee safety. Back in and Will Davies won the title of tournament has achieved its goals on Al Gharafa in a match between season and head coach Sami Trabelsi eff Adam has rallied Al Ahli and December both teams shared the Boys Doubles Event after beating and wished all the best for the two of Qatar’s best attacking sides. will be expecting more of the same recent weeks and will be looking spoils in a 2-2 draw. Mohamed Abdel-Aziz of Egypt and Qatari players in the second edi- Al Rayyan will be looking to get from his side. Whilst Al Sadd will be to build on his sides derby win in With relegation on the line, both Aidan Mchugh of Great Britain 6-2 tion of the tournament to begin back to winning ways after suc- looking to register their third win in round 24. sides will be pushing hard for a vital ,4-6 [10-1]. today at Khalifa Tennis and Squash cumbing to only their second defeat a row and confirm their Qatar Cup Whilst Meisameer’s focus will be win in the race for QSL survival. In Girls Double Event, Martina Complex. Qatar ready for 2018 World Championship, says QGF President

QNA World Cup Series was perfect in all aspects, Qatari gymnast Ahmed Al Dayani in whether it was the action during the pommel horse event organization, partic- on the opening day of the Ninth Artistic DOHA: President of ipation or the level of Gymnastics World Cup Series at Aspire Qatar Gymnastics Fed- attendance from the Dome on Friday. Ali Al Hitmi, President eration (QGF) Ali Al Hitmi fans. of Qatar Gymnastics Federation praised expressed his delight He also highlighted the performances of Qatari gymnasts with the success of 9th that the latter in par- during the 9th Artistic Gymnastics Artistic Gymnastics ticular exceeded all World Cup Series, Ahmed Al Dayani World Cup Series, which expectations. and Farah Tarek in particular. concluded on Saturday. Al Hitmi then Speaking to the thanked Qatar Olym- press, Al Hitmi said that pic Committee for their the competition was a support that helped make rehearsal ahead of host- the gymnastics world ing Gymnastics World cup series a success. Championships in two The QGF President years’ time. also praised the per- He expressed his formances shown by belief that Qatar will Qatari gymnasts dur- deliver a strong compe- ing the competition. He tition in 2018. praised Ahmed Al Day- Ali Al Hitmi, President of Qatar He said that the 9th ani and Farah Tarek in Gymnastics Federation Artistic Gymnastics particular. 30 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 SPORT Brilliant Kohli takes India Roy, Willey fined AFP The International Cricket Coun- cil (ICC) said on Sunday that Roy had shown “dissent at an umpire’s deci- sion during an international match”. NEW DELHI: England opener Jason Willey, meanwhile, who took into World T20 semis Roy and fast bowler David Wil- 2-26, was fined 15 percent of his fee ley have been fined at the World after giving a colourful send-off to Twenty20 after emotions spilled over Milinda Siriwardana when the Sri during their win over Sri Lanka on Lankan was dismissed immediately SCOREBOARD Saturday. after hitting the seamer for six. The 27-year-old hits Both players gave solid perform- The ICC said he breached the AUSTRALIA ances during England’s nailbiting code of conduct for “actions or ges- a powerful 51-ball U Khawaja c Dhoni b Nehra 26 10-run victory over Sri Lanka in tures which disparage or which knock to guide India A Finch c Dhawan b Pandya 43 New Delhi to secure a place in the could provoke an aggressive reac- D Warner st Dhoni b Ashwin 6 semifinals. tion” from a batsman on their to victory in do-or-die But Roy was fined 30 percent of dismissal. S Smith c Dhoni b Singh 2 showdown his match fee for swearing and then Both players admitted the G Maxwell b Bumrah 31 throwing his bat and helmet upon offences during a meeting with S Watson (not out) 18 leaving the field, after being given match referee Jeff Crowe, the ICC J Faulkner c Kohli b Pandya 10 out lbw for 42 off 39 balls. said in a statement. AFP P Nevill (not out) 10 Extras (LB-2, W-11, NB-1) 14 Total (for 6 wkts in 20 overs) 160 MOHALI: India qualified for the Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-72, 3-74, 4-100, World Twenty20 semi-finals and 5-130, 6-145. knocked out Australia after Virat Bowling: Nehra 4-0-20-1; Bumrah 4-0-

Kohli smashed a brilliant unbeaten 32-1; Ashwin; 2-0-31-1; Jadeja 3-0-20-0; 82 in their do-or-die showdown in Singh 3-0-19-1; Pandya 4-0-36-2. Mohali yesterday. INDIA Kohli’s powerful 51-ball knock propelled India to a six-wicket vic- R Sharma b Watson 12 tory, successfully chasing down S Dhawan c Khawaja b Coulter-Nile 13 Australia’s 160-6 total and keeping V Kohli (not out) 82 their World T20 title dreams alive. S Raina c Nevill b Watson 10 India now face the West Indies in Y Singh c Watson b Faulkner 21 a semi-final encounter in Mumbai on Thursday, despite the Caribbean side M S Dhoni (not out) 18 suffering their first loss at this tour- Extras (LB-3, W-2) 5 nament to underdogs Afghanistan Total (for 4 wkts in 19.1 overs)161 earlier yesterday. Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-37, 3-49, 4-94. England play New Zealand in Bowling: Hazlewood 4-0-38-0; Coulter- the other semi-final in New Delhi on Nile 4-0-33-1; Watson 4-0-23-2; Faulkner Wednesday, before the final show- 3.1-0-35-1; Maxwell 2-0-18-0; Zampa down at Kolkata’s Eden Garden on Sunday. 2-0-11-0. India, who won the inaugural tournament in 2007, are gunning to become the first nation to clinch T20 WORLD CUP the title twice and the first ever on home soil. SEMI-FINALS Australia’s hopes of winning Wednesday their first World T20 trophy are At New Delhi once again in tatters, with the top- ranked Test side now bowing out of England vs New Zealand (13:30GMT) the tournament. Thursday Sri Lanka’s skipper Angelo Chasing Australia’s challenging At Mumbai Mathews raises his bat after total, India had looked down and out scoring a half-century during West Indies vs India (13:30GMT) at 94-4 but Kohli and skipper Mahen- the World Cup T20 match dra Singh Dhoni (18 not out) put on against England at the Feroz 67 runs to take the team to the fin- and opted to bowl in Nagpur, with Shah Kotla Cricket ground in ish line. leg-spinner Samuel Badree (3-14) New Delhi on Saturday. The 27-year-old Kohli planned his spearheading the attack and plough- knock to perfection, mixing caution ing through Afghanistan’s top order. with aggression to smash two sixes But Najibullah Zadran, batting at and nine fours in a pressure-cooker number six, smashed an unbeaten 48 atmosphere at the packed Punjab off 40 balls, to guide Afghanistan to Mathews exits World Cricket Association ground. a respectable 123-7. “This innings has to be in my Afghanistan then held their nerve top three, perhaps the top right now to overcome the West Indies whose because I’m a bit emotional,” Kolhi, India’s Virat Kohli celebrates after winning World Cup Twenty20 run chase got off to a shaky start T20 as Sri Lanka’s named man of the match, said. match against Australia at Mohali in India yesterday. India qualified when Evin Lewis -- in for the rested Dhoni, who effected three dis- for the World Twenty20 semi-finals after the victory which also Chris Gayle -- was out for a duck in missals, hit the winning four with saw Australia being knocked out. the third over. five balls to spare to trigger wild cel- Andre Fletcher retired hurt with tragic hero ebrations in the stands. a hamstring twinge but was forced to Shane Watson’s international Afghanistan had failed to qual- Windies captain Darren Sammy return late in the game as Afghani- career ended in disappointment ify for the semi-finals heading into brushed off his side’s first loss, stan’s spinners led by 17-year-old although the retiring Australian all- Sunday’s match, but were determined describing it as a “banana skin” on Rashid Khan (2-26) kept the Wind- Reuters more than burnishing his personal rounder did well to grab two key to take home a consolation victory the road to clinching their second ies wickets tumbling. reputations. wickets and a spectacular running against the Windies, who had already crown after wining the final in 2012. With the West Indies needing 10 “We were just short of a batter catch. made the final four. “We have two more steps to take, runs from the final over, Najibullah in the last couple of overs,” the all- Earlier, opener Aaron Finch The never-say-die Afghans and we just had a slight banana skin sprinted several metres on the bound- NEW DELHI: Hamstrung, running rounder rued, confessing they did shared 54 runs for the opening wicket clinched an historic six-run victory, in the race, and we just have to ary to take a spectacular, tumbling out of partners and his team’s title not deserve to be in the semi-finals. with Usman Khawaja to give Australia their first ever in the Super 10 stage regroup and come back again,” he catch and claim Carlos Braithwaite defence at stake -- the stage was Outside their ardent fans, not a flying start after Steven Smith won of the World T20, sparking team cel- said. for 13, just when he looked like bring- set for Angelo Mathews to emerge many expected them to reach the the toss and elected to bat. ebrations on the pitch. The West Indies won the toss ing the West Indies home. from the Saturday night drizzle and last four either. enter Twenty20 folklore but the Sri Sri Lanka suffered a jolt even Lankan captain fell agonisingly before kicking off their title defence short. with Lasith Malinga handing over At 15-4, after England had set the captaincy to Mathews following them a 172-run victory target in the a slow recovery from a knee injury, World Twenty20 match, Sri Lan- which would subsequently rule him ka’s title defence looked all but over out of the tournament. inside three overs. “It was a big blow for us,” Math- Their skipper then engineered ews said of the paceman, who has a stunning recovery in the tour- been instrumental in Sri Lanka’s nament’s most portentous contest progress to three World Twenty20 that was key to the semi-final finals over the last four editions. hopes of three teams, including “He has won us so many games South Africa. but he had to pull out at the last But the lion-hearted effort took moment. It was a big blow for the its toll on his hamstring and Math- whole team.” ews was clearly struggling when he A depleted pace attack put the took guard for the final over from pressure on their spinners and Ran- Ben Stokes - 15 runs separating him gana Herath was not the force that from Twenty20 greatness and his many expected him to be in a spin- team from a place in the last four. dominated tournament. A misfiring As a mild drizzle fell on the Feroz batting order added to the problems Shah Kotla Stadium, Stokes charged for Lions, who conclude their cam- in with a ball in hand and ice in veins paign with Monday’s inconsequential to thwart Mathews’ audacious bid to group match against South Africa. pull off a heist. Mathews bashed the Their early exit, on the back of first delivery to cover and declined a poor Asia Cup, suggests Sri Lanka a single. still remain in the throes of a tricky Stokes replied with a yorker transition since the retirements of which Mathews dug out for two runs stalwarts Kumar Sangakkara and and two more came in the next deliv- Mahela Jayawardene two years ago. ery when Adil Rashid nearly grabbed Mathews knows the reality and India’s Virat Kohli plays a shot during his scoop shot at short fine leg. urged for patience. their World Cup Twenty20 match against Stokes sealed the contest “It has been a disappointing few India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni(left) Australia at Mohali in India yesterday. with three successive dot balls. A months for all of us. We let down the shakes hands with Australia’s captain Steve dejected Mathews hurled his bat on fans, we let down the whole coun- Smith as he celebrates after victory. the turf, his unbeaten 73 doing little try,” he said. SPORT MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 31

Afghanistan’s players celebrate after McMillan their historic win against West Indies during the World T20 match which was played at the Vidarbha Cricket heaps praise Association Stadium in Nagpur yesterday. on versatile NZ batsmen

Reuters

KOLKATA: New Zealand’s impressive bowling and field- ing in their unbeaten run at the World Twenty20 has captured the attention, yet batting coach Craig McMillan has been most impressed with his side’s adaptability when Amla insists building totals. Having won all four tosses, New Zealand captain Kane Wil- SA stars can liamson has chosen to bat first in each of their games on surfaces that have all differed in pace, still win a bounce and turn. Their bowlers have then exploited the slow, turning wickets global title to ensure they won their pool and advanced to a semi-final against AFP either England or West Indies in New Delhi on Wednesday. “That has been one of the NEW DELHI: South Africa bats- strengths of the guys. They have man Hashim Amla (pictured) adjusted really quickly,” McMillan insisted his team’s World Cup said of the batters. dream lives on, saying the top Pro- “It hasn’t been the wham, bam teas stars are still hoping for glory Afghans claim historic win ...sort of way that T20 cricket has in the near future. been. Apart from their Champions “They have had to assess it ... Trophy triumph in 1998, South and have done a really good job Africa have never won a major of putting the runs on the board International Cricket Council event to give the bowlers something to since their post-apartheid return over former champs Windies work with.” in 1991. That approach was none more Faf du Plessis’ side have evident than Colin Munro’s innings already exited the World on Saturday against Bangladesh. Twenty20, even before their final Table toppers The burly left-hander has a group game against Sri Lanka on career strike rate in excess of 145 today, their World Cup jinx strik- Caribbeans fall in the shortest form of the game, ing again. six runs short as but tempered his stroke making “Well listen, this team will win on the slow Eden Gardens’ pitch. a World Cup or ICC tournament at the South Asian Munro scored 35 from 33 balls some stage, I think we have won underdogs make their but hit only two sixes and one one in 1998,” Amla told reporters boundary along with 17 singles in at New Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla. presence felt his innings, with his scoring shots South Africa haven’t enjoyed mostly concentrated between mid- much success of late, with a T20 on and mid-wicket. series loss against Australia head- Williamson’s man-of-the- ing into the world event, where AFP match 42 from 32 balls was also the side have lost two of their restrained though his character- three matches so far. istic cover-drives brought four of “It’s an unfortunate situation his five boundaries as New Zea- that we have found ourselves in. NAGPUR: Afghanistan downed the land scored 145-8 in their 20 overs. Certainly as a team we haven’t powerful West Indies by six runs in Their bowlers, like they had played our best cricket,” admit- a historic World Twenty20 match in against India in their opening ted Amla. Nagpur yesterday, handing the never- game at Nagpur, then mixed their With Amla, AB de VIlliers say-die underdogs their first ever pace and strangled Bangladesh’s and Dale Steyn, the Proteas have Super 10 victory. run chase, eventually dismissing seen the ‘golden generation’ fail to Afghanistan had failed to qualify them for 70 in the 16th over. claim a global title. Amla assures for the semi-finals heading into yes- the big boys will hang around for terday’s match, but were determined a while. to take home a consolation victory A fgf haanin ssttann’ss Naja ibbuullaah ZaZaddrraan plalaysys a shot “Lot of us feel we have a against the West Indies. dud ring theiri Worrldd T2020 Crriickkeet mattchh againi st Mortaza few more years left in us, so the After being sent into bat, Asghar WWest Indiees atat theh Viddara bhbha CCricket Associattioon Champions Trophy is next year Stanikzai’s side posted a respectable Sttaaddiui m inin Nagpup r yey ststeerddaay.. blames ICC ban and it would be great if we could 123/7, with Najibullah Zadran smash- make to the next World Cup, that ing an unbeaten 48 against the 2012 for Bangladesh will be ideal,” said Amla. World T20 champions. “We take it as it comes. As long The West Indies, who had a per- from the small but vocal crowd. SCOREBOARD as you are fit and healthy, scoring fect record heading into the match Afghanistan had lost all of their T20 exit runs and the form is good and you with three straight wins, warned that previous Super 10 matches, but they AFGHANISTAN WEST INDIES want to perform for the team then they were not going to let up against have won new admirers in India with Mohd Shahzad c Benn b Badree 24 Johnson Charles b Hassan 22 AFP you can make it,” he added. Afghanistan. But their run chase got their aggressive and carefree brand of U Ghani b Badree 4 Evin Lewis c Khan b Hamza 0 With the chokers tag hanging off to a shaky start, with opener Evin cricket that has caused some anxious A Stanikzai c Bravo b Badree 16 Andre Fletcher (not out) 11 around their necks after a series Lewis dismissed for a duck, and some moments for their opponents. DHAKA: Bangladesh skipper G Naib c Bravo b Sammy 8 Marlon Samuels b Khan 5 of narrow defeats in the last two excellent Afghanistan spin bowling led Opener Mohammad Shahzad Mashrafe Mortaza yesterday decades, South Africa didn’t do by 17-year-old Rashid Khan (2-26) made a confident 24, but was caught S Shenwari c Sammy b Benn 1 Denesh Ramdin st Shahzad b Khan 18 blamed the ICC’s suspension of their reputation any good after meant the wickets kept falling. off leg-spinner Badree, trying to heave N Zadran (not out) 48 Dwayne Bravo lbw Nabi 28 two of its key bowlers for illegal

going down in crunch games this With the West Indies needing over the infield, just as he was look- Mohd Nabi c Samuels b Russell 9 Andre Russell (run out) 7 actions for his side’s exit from the time around. The Proteas’ hopes 10 runs from the final over, Najibul- ing exciting. S Shafiq c Fletcher b Russell 4 Darren Sammy c Shenwari b Naib 6 World Twenty 20. of clinching a first international lah sprinted several metres along Asghar Stanikzai also made a Bangladesh were bundled Rashid Khan (not out) 6 Carlos Braithwaite c Zadran b Nabi 13 trophy were dented in their open- the boundary to take a spectacu- handy 16. The skipper shuffled down out of the tournament after four ing match, when England chased lar, tumbling catch and claim Carlos the wicket to smash a six over long Extras (LB-2, W-1) 3 Samuel Badree (not out) 2 straight losses in the Super 10 down a record 230 runs to win. Braithwaite for 13. on, but was caught the next ball by Total (for 7 wkts in 20 overs) 123 Extras (LB-1, W-2, NB-2) 5 group stage -- including a crush- They survived a scare to beat Samuel Badree and Andre Fletcher Dwayne Bravo off Badree attempting Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-33, 3-50, 4-52, 5-56, Total (for 8 wkts in 20 overs) 117 ing 75-run defeat to New Zealand minnows Afghanistan by 37 runs, could only manage to push the total to the same shot. 6-90, 7-103. Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-33, 2-34, 3-38, 4-79, on Saturday. but lost a thriller when the West 117 in the three remaining deliveries. As the wickets started to tum- But Mortaza said they were Bowling: Russell 4-0-23-2; Badree 4-0-14-3; 5-89, 6-98, 7-107, 8-114. Indies successfully chased 123 After being sent in to bat, ble thanks to some strong fielding, hobbled by the International Brathwaite 2-0-21-0; Benn 4-0-18-1; Bravo Bowling: Hamza 4-0-9-1; Nabi 4-0-26-2; with just two balls to spare, and Najibullah top scored for Afghani- 23-year-old Najibullah held his nerve, Hassan 2.4-0-19-1; Khan 4-0-26-2; Shenwari Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to Sri Lanka’s defeat to England on stan, striking four fours and one six guiding Afghanistan past the 120 mark 4-0-28-0; Sammy 2-0-17-1. 4-0-22-0; Naib 1.2-0-14-1. bar key pacemen Taskin Ahmed Saturday sealed their fate. in his 40-ball knock to bring cheers and to what proved a winning total. and left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny early in the group stages. Bangladesh, whose side fin- ished runners-up to India in the Asia Cup just before the World T20, made a failed frantic appeal ‘Happy dressing room’ as flawless Kiwis march on to the ICC to have Taskin’s suspen- sion overturned. “In the last eight matches, AFP team that is largely devoid of Taylor, himself a former room and obviously we’re now advantage of the conditions. of playing horses for courses Taskin’s economy rate was the best household names. captain who was replaced as looking forward to the final, Mitchell Santner, who has and the selections showed the in the world. So it was always dif- While pre-tournament skipper by McCullum, said the er, the semi-final,” he added been playing international strength in depth of one of the ficult to lose him,” Mortaza said favourites India and World New Zealand dressing room to laughter from the assembled cricket for less than a year, smallest Test-playing nation. at Dhaka airport after returning NEW DELHI: Unsung New Cup holders Australia have was a happy place to be these reporters. is the top wicket-taker in the Taylor said captain Kane home. Zealand have begun to emerge put in nervy performances, days, with players comforta- New Zealand’s next assign- group stages with nine scalps Williamson, who has gone up “The way he was bowling, we from Brendon McCullum’s New Zealand have appeared ble in their roles. ment is that semi-final, in New while fellow spinner Ish Sodhi the order to open in the T20s, had our plan set around him. We shadow and are revelling in serene even when defending “As the tournament has Delhi on Wednesday, when has eight. was growing into his new lead- had to change the entire game their success over cricket’s modest totals. gone on, we are winning those they are likely to play England. Their performances have ership role, partly by absorbing plan. Before the Australia game big guns, according to veteran After McCullum’s retire- crucial moments and putting The World T20 final is in Kolk- meant pacemen Trent Boult lessons learnt from playing when he was banned we could Ross Taylor. ment on the eve of the pressure on opponents,” the ata next Sunday. and Tim Southee, New Zea- under the famously swash- not hold our emotions due to this After they cruised through tournament, few observers 32-year-old told reporters after Taylor admitted New Zea- land’s premier bowlers in Test buckling McCullum. shock. We accepted that Sunny’s the group stages of the World gave the Black Caps much hope Saturday’s 75-run victory over land had been lucky to have cricket, have been kicking their “Any time you have an action has problems. Even Sunny Twenty20 in India, winning in India but their unblem- Bangladesh. won every toss but said the heels on the bench. influential captain, there’s still himself accepted it. But Taskin’s all four matches, the spotlight ished group stage record has “Still a long way to go but team’s unheralded spinners But Taylor said everyone going to be a period where his ban was a complete shock for us,” is beginning to be shone on a prompted a rethink. it’s a pretty happy dressing deserved praise for taking had bought into the philosophy influence is still in,” said Taylor. he said. 32 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 SPORT

French public want England stun Germany 3-2 as Euro 2016 to go ahead

Russia and Poland post wins AFP PARIS: The French public is strongly against any cancellation of this summer’s Euro 2016 football World champions championships due to the fear of further terrorist attacks, an opin- Germany fail to close ion poll published yesterday has the match despite shown. The poll was carried out by leading 2-0 at one the Odoxa institute for RTL and stage of their friendly Winamax two to three days after the bomb attacks in Brussels that against England killed 31 people and left 340 oth- ers wounded. Asked whether, in the context of the terrorist threat, it would be AFP better to cancel Euro 2016, due to be held in France from June 10 to July 10, 79% of those questioned PARIS: Eric Dier scored a dramatic replied no. stoppage-time winner as England On the matter of fan-zones, rallied from two goals down to stun special areas set up around the world champions Germany 3-2 in country in front of giant screens Saturday’s international friendly in for match-viewing, 58% replied Berlin. no to the question of whether they Russia and Poland stepped up should be scrapped with 41% say- their preparations for Euro 2016 with ing yes. thumping victories over Lithuania The French government has and Finland, while Austria overcame already made it clear that there is tournament newcomers Albania 2-1. no contingency plan to call off the In Berlin, a minute’s silence was Euro 2016 tournament, although observed in memory of the victims of Interior Minister Bernard Caze- the Brussels terror attacks, with both neuve has said that the fan-zone sets of players wearing black arm- situation will be closely monitored. bands in honour of Dutch great Johan Cruyff who passed away on Thurs- day at the age of 68. Toni Kroos gave Joachim Loew’s INTERNATIONAL men a 43rd-minute lead at the Olym- pic Stadium with a crisp left-footed FRIENDLY RESULTS drive that beat Jack Butland, who was At Antalya, Turkey Eric Dier (second left) of England celebrates with team-mates after scoring the winning goal during the international friendly in Berlin, Germany, then immediately stretchered off with Azerbaijan 0 Kazakhstan 1 (Bayzh- a leg injury, at his near post. on Saturday night. England won 3-2. anov 8) After seeing a first-half effort At Moscow incorrectly ruled out for offside, England should have gone ahead We never gave in and what a night,” European Championship, cruised to a with Switzerland and booked their Russia 3 (Smolov 41, Golovin 61, Mario Gomez doubled Germany’s after Vardy pounced on a loose pass Kane said. 3-0 victory over Lithuania in Moscow place at this year’s edition after drop- Glushakov 72) Lithuania 0 advantage on 57 minutes by head- inside the Germany area, only for Asked about the result raising with goals from Fedor Smolov, Ale- ping just two points during qualifying At Vienna ing home a Sami Khedira cross for Dele Alli to blaze over with the goal expectation levels in France, Kane ksandr Golovin and Denis Glushakov. in a group that also featured Sweden his first international goal in almost gaping. replied: “Everyone needs to stay calm, Poland have again been drawn and Russia. Austria 2 (Janko 6, Harnik 13) Alba- four years. But Dier ensured Roy Hodgson’s it’s a friendly.” alongside title frontrunners Ger- In Vienna, Marcel Koller’s side nia 1 (Lenjani 47) But Harry Kane halved the deficit side weren’t left to rue that miss as He added: “It’s a great night for many at this summer’s finals, having defeated an Albania team heading At Wroclaw four minutes later as the Tottenham the Tottenham midfielder powered England, it’s a great night for our already faced them in qualifying, to their first major tournament cour- Poland 5 (Grosicki 18, 85, Wszolek striker produced a piece of skill befit- home a header from Jordan Hend- nation. 2-0 down away from home and strolled to a morale-boosting tesy of early strikes from Marc Janko 20, 66, Starzynski 33) Finland 0 ting the late Cruyff to fire beyond a erson’s corner in the 91st minute to to the world champions and coming 5-0 demolition of Finland in Wroclaw. and Martin Harnik, with Ermir Len- At Budapest helpless Manuel Neuer. complete a remarkable turnaround. back shows what kind of team we are. Rennes midfielder Kamil Grosicki jani pulling one back for the visitors. Hungary 1 (Dzsudzsak 79) Croatia 1 Substitute Jamie Vardy made an “We played brilliant today. I “We just need to keep doing what and Verona winger Pawel Wszolek Hungary will also travel to France (Mandzukic 29) immediate impact after replacing thought we fully deserved the win,” we’re doing, another important game both netted twice apiece with Filip in June after a 30-year finals absence, At Berlin Danny Welbeck, with the Leicester Kane told ITV. on Tuesday (against the Netherlands) Starzynski also on target as star and Balazs Dzsudzsak struck 11 min- City forward superbly flicking home “We had a lot of chances that on and we’ll go from there.” striker Robert Lewandowski came utes from time in Budapest to cancel Germany 2 (Kroos 43, Gomez 57) Nathaniel Clyne’s right-wing cross on another day we probably could have Earlier Russia, who will face Eng- on for the final 27 minutes. out Mario Mandzukic’s first-half England 3 (Kane 61, Vardy 74, Dier 74 minutes. scored two more. We’re all buzzing. land in their opening match of the Austria co-hosted the 2008 finals opener in a 1-1 draw with Croatia. 90+1)

England manager Roy Hodgson better. We still have four more friend- Hodgson England’s midfielder Eric (right) and Germany coach lies and two months of work before Dier (left) and Germany’s Joachim Low after the game. we play the first game which will says England count which is the group game against forward Mario Gomes vie Russia in Marseille. for the ball during friendly ‘a work in “Jamie (Vardy) and Harry Kane in Berlin. have had wonderful seasons with progress’ their clubs and are playing with con- fidence. But Clyne and Danny Rose are also playing with a degree of con- fidence. I’ve felt for a while that this is AFP the start of something. “Let’s keep these players feet on the ground and more importantly, I BERLIN: Roy Hodgson insists England want them to stay hungry to learn.” are still “a work in progress”, but goal- Meanwhile, Germany’s head scorer Harry Kane hailed a ‘special coach Joachim Loew admitted he was night’ after the Three Lions’ stunning annoyed to see the world champions 3-2 fightback win away to Germany. squander a two-goal lead in their 3-2 Toni Kroos and Mario Gomez had defeat at home to England in Berlin. put the world champions 2-0 up at “It’s annoying as a coach when we Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on Saturday lose after being 2-0 up, but you can’t with an hour gone before the game say we didn’t deserve it,” admitted turned England’s way. Loew, who steered Germany to win The Three Lions roared back their fourth World Cup at Brazil 2014. with three unanswered goals from “Even when we were 2-0 up, we Kane and Jamie Vardy, then Eric Dier weren’t in control. headed the winner on 91 minutes to “We had problems in our build- stun the World Cup winners. up and struggled up front.” “It’s important to remain humble Germany host Italy in Munich in these moments. We have an awful tomorrow and Loew knows there is long way to go before we can claim to plenty of work to be done in his final be like the Germans, after what they international friendly before naming have achieved in the last few years,” his squad for Euro 2016. said England manager Hodgson. “We know the areas we have “But it was a good performance night. When you’re 2-0 down to expectations on England, who host to work on, some of the combina- do if they are to add the European Goal-scorer Mario Gomez was and we can take a lot of pride and the world champions, to then turn the Netherlands tomorrow, before tions didn’t work and left a lot to be crown to their world title in France also at a loss to explain the defeat. encouragement from it. It was good it around in their backyard shows their opening Euro 2016 match against desired,” said Loew. in June. “It’s hard to explain how things to see the players play their way back character,” said the Tottenham Hot- Russia, having also drawn Wales and “In the second-half, we gave away With their captain Bastian Sch- worked out,” said the striker. into the game. It showed character to spur striker. Slovakia in Group B. a crazy amount of space. weinsteiger facing a race to be fit for “Up until we went 2-0 up, we come from 2-0 down. “We dug in and got the goals. It But he was pleased with the “We didn’t stand compact in Euro 2016 after a knee injury, Germa- played really well, although we didn’t “What pleased me most was qual- will be a night many of us won’t forget. performances of inexperienced wing- defence, we lost balls on the coun- ny’s stand-in skipper in Berlin, Sami really use all our chances. ity in our passing and movement, we “You dream about scoring against backs Danny Rose, who was making ter and the English had more and Khedira, was not amused. “After that, we left too much space ended up scoring three goals from an teams like Germany on the big stage, his debut, and Nathaniel Clyne, who more space for their quick attackers “It was an unnecessary, dumb and gave England the belief.” awful lot of chances. I am pleased to but to have gone and won makes it all won his 10th cap. to exploit.” defeat,” fumed the Juventus mid- Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos put have been able to pick up from where the more special. “The result won’t do any harm, But his senior players were far fielder. “Every single member of the the defeat down to poor defending we left off in November having played “We have a great mentality about but it’s a friendly match and you have from amused after surrendering their team has to remember to keep work- throughout the German team as cen- well against France.” us, we never stopped playing and to be careful of attaching too much lead to vastly inexperienced England ing hard. tre-back Jonathan Tah made his debut Nevertheless, Hodgson conceded things were working. importance to it,” he said. side. Germany have failed to impress “We did a lot right up until we in the second-half in an inexperienced this was his best night so far with Eng- “It was about staying focused, “I’m pleased with the progress the since winning the World Cup, losing went 2-0 up, then a lot less after back four. land since taking charge in May 2012. not just kicking long balls, and stay- young lads are making. Euro 2016 qualifiers to Poland and that. We played well for 60 minutes “When you play, you always want England’s goal-scorer Kane was ing patient enough to wait for our “It was a good step forward in Ireland. only. We have to play much better to win, so the result is important, even thrilled to have beaten the world chances.” terms of the work we are doing, but Despite finishing top of their qual- against Italy and at the European if it was only a friendly,” said Germa- champions in Berlin. “It’s a special Hodgson played down there is an awful lot we can still do ifying group, Germany have much to championships.” ny’s goal-scorer. SPORT MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 33

Dunga calls up home-based pair to replace Rooney faces battle to regain Neymar and Luiz

Reuters

SAO PAULO: Santos striker England place after Berlin win Gabriel and Corinthians defender Felipe were called up to the Bra- zil squad to replace David Luiz and Neymar, both of whom will serve out suspensions in tomor- England’s Dele Alli row’s World Cup qualifier against Young Dele Alli in action as German Paraguay. impresses pundits players brace for “Dunga has called up cen- with his daredevil an attack in Berlin tral defender Felipe (Corinthians) on Saturday night. and striker Gabriel (Santos) for game in international England won 3-2. the World Cup qualifying match friendly against INSET: Alli gestures against Paraguay in Asuncion on during the same game. March 29,” the Brazilian Football Germany in Berlin Confederation said in a statement. Gabriel, a 19-year-old wide player who took part in the Olym- pic team’s 1-0 defeat by Nigeria Reuters on Thursday, replaces Barcelona striker Neymar, who was cau- tioned for stamping in Friday LONDON: Outstanding perform- night’s thrilling 2-2 draw in Recife. ances by three attacking players in Corinthians centre half Felipe England’s 3-2 comeback win over will replace Paris St Germain’s Germany on Saturday has sparked Luiz, who came in for heavy renewed debate about where injured criticism after Brazil lost a 2-0 captain Wayne Rooney fits in for the advantage to the visitors. Euro 2016 finals. Brazil got the perfect start with After Roy Hodgson’s team fell a goal from Douglas Costa in 39 2-0 behind to the world champi- seconds and then doubled their ons in Berlin, the Premier League’s lead through Renato Augusto 24 two leading scorers this season, Tot- minutes later. tenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and However, Edinson Cavani Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy, brought scored after half an hour and Luis England level with superb goals. Suarez equalised three minutes Many observers, including Ger- into the second half. many’s former World Cup-winning The visitors had chances to captain Lothar Matthaeus, made win the game as Brazil struggled teenager Dele Alli the man of the to contain the physicality of the match in what Hodgson called his visitors. best night as England manager. Dunga complained that his Alli, 19, played in the ‘No.10’ role players needed to be more “vir- just behind the main striker, which ile” and the famously combative is arguably Rooney’s most effective coach will want to see more back- position. game,” Matthaeus said during live “And Alli has made an impact not choice to come back in, with the side Rooney is England’s record scorer and bone against the always sturdy When playing as a lone striker, television coverage. just at club level but in internationals.” as they have done without him,” he his 109 appearances make him the Paraguayans. the Manchester United captain has Geoff Hurst, whose hat-trick Under-achievers at recent inter- said. country’s fourth most capped player. Both uncapped players will often looked isolated and become won England the 1966 World Cup national tournaments, England have “He’s not quite cracked tourna- Solutions to the selection dilemma join the Brazil side today before frustrated by a lack of involvement, final against West Germany, believes often been criticised for taking play- ments for England. could include playing him on the the squad head to Asuncion the tending to drop too deep to seek the Vardy could be a surprise package in ers who were not 100 per cent fit “You’ve got three warm-up games left of the midfield three, where he day before the game. ball. the European Championship finals -- including Rooney at the 2006 in May and June and Wayne’s got to has sometimes operated for United, Paraguay sit in fourth place in Before injuring a knee against in France. World Cup. prove he’s worth his place,” added or dropping Alli deeper, which the 10-team table, having stopped Sunderland on February 13 Rooney “He’s come from nowhere, a very Trevor Brooking, the FA’s director Brooking. might limit the Tottenham man’s Ecuador’s perfect start to the qual- was on a good run, but still has only good level-headed guy who’s very of football development from 2004- “It’s very tempting to have Kane effectiveness. ifiers by grabbing a deserved 2-2 seven league goals this season -- sensible, very intelligent,” Hurst told 14, told the BBC the most important and Alli as automatic choices if they Suddenly, however, the prospect draw in Quito on Thursday. like Alli -- compared to Kane’s 21 the BBC yesterday. thing for Rooney was to be fully fit stay fit and continue playing like of Rooney catching Steven Gerrard The top four will qualify for and Vardy’s 19. “Either Harry Kane or Vardy def- this time. they are. Then you’ve got the option (114 caps) and David Beckham (115), let Russia 2018 and the fifth-placed “I am a big fan of Wayne Rooney, initely deserve their place with the “The starting point is get him- to bring Jamie Vardy on.” alone goalkeeper Peter Shilton (125) side will go into an interconti- but today we didn’t miss him in the season they’ve had. self fit because he’s not an automatic With 51 international goals, looks less than a formality. nental play-off Guilherme Roar top as Court orders makes history Wonder goal for Kekana, others keep Egypt football as Russia floor pace in federation board Lithuania dream debut for Renard A-League dissolved AFP AFP

Reuters AFP SYDNEY: Brisbane Roar topped CAIRO: Egypt’s top administra- Australia’s A-league after beating tive court yesterday ordered that MOSCOW: Brazilian-born goal- JOHANNESBURG: South African Hlompho Kekana struck finals contenders Sydney FC, as the board of Egyptian Football keeper Guilherme made history a wonder goal and French coach Herve Renard made an defending champions Melbourne Federation be dissolved follow- when he went on as a halftime instant impact with Morocco in Africa Cup of Nations Victory triumphed against the ing allegations of rigging during substitute in Russia’s 3-0 friendly qualifying Saturday. Western Sydney Wanderers in the the 2012 election of its members. victory over Lithuania on Saturday. Kekana scored from inside his own half five minutes last rounds of the contest. Yesterday’s court judgement, The Lokomotiv Moscow stop- after half-time as South Africa drew 2-2 with Cameroon In a dramatic clash on Satur- which is final and can not be per became the first player born in Atlantic town Limbe after leading twice. day night, Henrique scored in the appealed, ordered Egypt’s minis- outside of Russia to represent the Spotting Cameroonian goalkeeper Guy Roland Ndy dying minutes for the Roar to seal ter of youth and sports to dissolve national team when he replaced Assembe off his line, the recalled South African midfielder a memorable 3-2 win over Sydney. the board. Stanislav Kritsyuk. thumped the ball from close to the touchline. The victory all but ended the Two candidates who had par- The 30-year-old Guilherme, And to the horror of the capacity 20,000 predomi- Sky Blues’ chances of securing a ticipated in the October 11, 2012 who received his Russian pass- nantly Cameroon-supporting crowd, the ball sailed over spot in the finals. election for the federation’s board port last year, had little to do as the goalkeeper and dropped into the middle of the net. Adelaide United, second in the had filed a case alleging that the the European Championship final- Kekana has scored spectacular long-range goals for table, came from behind to record results were rigged at that time. ists eased to a comfortable win. leading South African club Mamelodi Sundowns, but none a 4-2 win over the Central Coast Election for the federation’s Fedor Smolov scored five to match the one that gave Bafana Bafana (The Boys) a Mariners yesterday. next board is scheduled for Sep- minutes before halftime while 2-1 lead. Victory on Friday reminded tember 2016. Alexander Golovin and Denis Cameroon recovered to equalise for a second time football pundits that they too The same court also ordered Glushakov were on target after midway through the second half when defender Nico- should not be discounted for the yesterday the dissolution of Cairo- the break for Leonid Slutskiy’s side. las Nkoulou nodded a free-kick past hesitant goalkeeper finals series as they overcame the based Al-Ahly club’s board over Coach Slutskiy named a Itumeleng Khune. Wanderers 2-0. similar reasons. largely experiential lineup with Striker Tokelo Rantie shrugged off rustiness after Roar coach John Aloisi said In November, a lower court only Sergei Ignashevich and Igor injuries and a lack of game time with English Premier they were focused not on the pros- had ordered Al-Ahly’s board be Smolnikov likely to start their first League club Bournemouth to put South Africa ahead on pect of silverware but on the next dissolved, but an appeal was filed Euro 2016 game against England 17 minutes. game against the Newcastle Jets, against that order. Burkina Faso’s Bertrand Isdore Traore (right) vies in Marseille on June 11. Midfielder Sebastien Siani levelled in the final minute who lost 1-2 against Perth Glory Yesterday, the higher court Smolov was given a chance to of the first half with a shot that flew into the corner. for the ball with Uganda’s Isaac Isinde during their on Saturday to leave them eighth upheld the earlier verdict. stake his claim for a place at the A draw lifted South Africa off the bottom of the Group 2017 African Cup of Nations qualification match in on the ladder. Meanwhile it was announced finals in France and the Krasnodar M standings, but they trail Cameroon by five points with Ouagadougou on Saturday. “There’s no (premiership) talk that Netherlands captain Wesley forward impressed in a 45-minute three rounds left. among the players -- we are tak- Sneijder will not be travelling to outing. The 13 group winners and best two runners-up qual- a coach, but only Renard has succeeded with different ing it still one game at a time,” the Wembley next week with his coun- He broke the deadlock in the ify for the 2017 Cup of Nations in Gabon. countries. Daily Telegraph quoted him as try’s squad for the international 40th minute with an excellent left- Spain-based striker Youssef El Arabi converted a He replaced Badou Zaki last month after indifferent saying. against England after suffering a foot finish beyond keeper Vytautas first-half penalty to give Morocco a 1-0 away win over Moroccan results and another win over Cape Verde in “As you saw tonight, Sydney hamstring injury. Cerniauskas after being sent clear top-ranked African team Cape Verde in their first match Marrakech tomorrow would virtually clinch a finals slot. FC, one of the biggest clubs in the Sneijder, 31, led the team in by Dmitri Tarasov’s pass. under Renard. Morocco top Group F with nine points followed by competition... with probably one place of injured Arjen Robben in It was Smolov’s fifth goal on Although the Frenchman failed to save one Ligue 1 Cape Verde with six, Sao Tome e Principe have three and of the best squads, they might not Friday’s 3-2 home loss to France his 11th international appearance, club from relegation and was fired by another, he has Libya none. make the six. but went off just past the half-hour stats showee. been highly successful in Africa. Cedric Bakambu, the leading African scorer in the “Every game’s hard and we mark with a hamstring strain. Substitute Golovin then made The 47-year-old former Paris garbage collector led Spanish La Liga this season with 11 goals, put the Demo- have to be up for every game,” he He became the seventh player it 2-0 after pouncing on a knock- no-hopers Zambia to a shock African title in 2012 and cratic Republic of Congo ahead in a 2-1 win over Angola added, originally selected for the two down from Alexander Kerzhakov. repeated the feat with perennial underachievers Ivory in Kinshasa. Fourth-placed Melbourne City matches against France and Eng- Glushakov made sure of the Coast last year. Victory lifted the 2015 bronze medallists from third will meet the Wellington Phoenix, land by coach Danny Blind to win when he headed the ball in at Egyptian Hassan Shehata and the late Ghanaian to first in Group B with six points, Angola and the Central which are second from bottom, have had to pull out of the friendly the near post following a corner. Charles Gyamfi each won three Cup of Nations titles as African Republic have four each and Madagascar two. today. encounters because of injury. 34 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 SPORT

Squash: Egypt in historic British Hawks end Pistons’ Open finals sweep

KINGSTON UPON HULL, United winning streak Kingdom: Ramy Ashour, the three-time former world cham- pion, led a charge which ensured that Egypt will on Sunday have NBA RESULTS of Detroit’s nine-game homestand, both British Open champions for Millsap of Hawks Brooklyn 120 Indiana 110 118-114, on March 16th. the first time. Atlanta, which won 60 games last Ashour produced a sensational Orlando 111 Chicago 89 scores 23 points and season, currently holds the No. 3 seed performance to beat reigning has nine rebounds Toronto 115 New Orleans 91 thanks to its late surge. “We’re defi- world champion Gregory Gault- and five assists in Atlanta 112 Detroit 95 nitely under the radar and that’s fine,” ier, 11-6, 12-10, 8-11, 9-11, 11-7, Cleveland 107 NY Knicks 93 Korver said. and reach the men’s final, where 112-95 victory over Charlotte 115 Milwaukee 91 “We have no problem with that. he will face compatriot Mohamed It’s been a much different season than El Shorbagy, the top-seeded Pistons Utah 93 Minnesota 84 last year. We hit our stride in Decem- titleholder. Oklahoma City 111 San Antonio 92 ber and January last year and had a In between these successes, Boston 102 Phoenix 99 big win streak in February. Then, we there were also defeats for the Reuters Portland 108 Philadelphia 105 kind of cruised. We didn’t feel like we other world champion, Nicol were playing our best at the end of David, and the other British Open four blocks, left the game with 5:21 the season. We still have eight games titleholder Camille Serme, on a remaining after banging into Detroit left but we feel good about how we’re day which must rank as one of LOS ANGELES: Quietly and effi- center Aron Baynes. going into (this season’s) playoffs.” the most dramatic the 94-year- ciently, the Atlanta Hawks keep piling He suffered a cut above his left Tobias Harris had 23 points, 10 old event has ever seen. up victories. The team that headed eye that required 10 stitches. Kent rebounds and five assists for the It ended with Nouran Gohar into the Eastern Conference play-offs Bazemore contributed 17 points Pistons, and Andre Drummond earning a chance of being the last season as the top seed could be and Al Horford added 13 points, five supplied 19 points and 17 rebounds. first player ever to become British this season’s darkhorse. rebounds and five assists for the Detroit remained two games ahead Open senior and junior champion Paul Millsap had 23 points, nine Hawks (44-30), who extended their of Chicago, which lost to Orlando on simultaneously, and with Nour El rebounds and five assists and the Southeast Division lead to one game Saturday, for the final playoff spot in Sherbini being favourite to become Hawks snapped the Detroit Pistons’ over Miami. the Eastern Conference. the first Egyptian woman ever to five-game winning streak with a 112- Jeff Teague collected his fourth “That was a very good team that win the British Open. 95 victory at The Palace. Atlanta, double-double with 12 points and 12 is really hitting its stride,” Pistons But it was Ashour’s triumph which had eight players in double assists in a game the Hawks never coach Stan Van Gundy said. in reaching a big final in his first figures, won for the 13th time in its trailed. “They played terrific at both ends tournament in four months which last 16 games. “More than defense, it was the tonight. That’s the most intense and was the undoubted highlight. “I think we’re playing our best energy,” Horford said. energetic anybody has played against His semi-final against Gaultier basketball right now,” said Hawks “We understood this was a really us all year.”The Pistons, who shot was full of breathtaking attack- shooting guard Kyle Korver, who big game. They’re playing for some- 38.6 percent, were down double dig- ing and stunning retrieving, with chipped in 12 points. thing over there. It’s not a coincidence its most of the way after scoring 15 the advantage swinging first to the “You look at a period of 10 games, they just won the previous five before first-quarter points. charismatic Egyptian, then to the 15 games, you can get a good grasp this. They’re probably going to go “That’s a playoff team, that’s a 32-year-old Frenchman; then at of where we’re at as a team. These ahead and win their next five. It’s team that’s trying to fight for some- 0-5 in the decider, back to Ash- last 15 or so games has probably been fun to play teams at this stage that thing,” Pistons forward Marcus our again. San Antonio Spurs player Danny Green (left) tries to block a shot against our best stretch of the season. We feel are fighting for something.” Morris said. “After what I have been good about where we’re at.” The Hawks, who won the season “To come off a back-to-back and Oklahoma City Thunder player Russell Westbrook in the first half of the through (with injuries) this win is Millsap, who was also a force at series 3-1, also handed the Pistons have that much energy really opened NBA game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a huge thing for me personally,” the defensive end with four steals and (39-35) their previous loss at the start my eyes.” on Friday night. said Ashour, who has reached his 55th final, and won 330 of his 395 matches, a percentage of more than 83 which is better than any- one else on the tour. If he still has petrol in the Jets eliminated from play-off contention tank he could win his 37th title on Sunday for El Shorbagy, despite heading the rankings all this year, has never beaten him in a full five- Agencies NHL RESULTS game 1:23 into the third period fol- defenceman Mark Pysyk kicked the game PSA Tour match. Buffalo 3 Winnipeg 2 lowing a faceoff to the left of the puck out, only to have it carom back David’s bid to win back the Winnipeg net. Zemgus Girgensons in off a skate in front. The Sabres British Open title came to an end Pittsburgh 7 Detroit 2 won the draw and his shot hit the struck back three minutes later when when she lost to the 20-year-old BUFFALO, NEW YORK: Sam Rein- Minnesota 4 Colorado 0 right goal post. The puck bounced rookie Hudson Fasching scored short- Sherbini for a fourth time in five hart tied the game and then set up Dallas 4 San Jose 2 into the slot, where Reinhart slipped handed in his NHL debut. Bursting matches. Jack Eichel’s go-ahead goal 4:07 into Boston 3 Toronto 1 a shot under goalie Michael Hutchin- up the left wing, Fasching got around The fourth-seeded Alexandrian the third period on Saturday, rally- NY Rangers 5 Montreal 2 son’s left arm. defenceman Jacob Trouba and drove beat the Malaysian 11-6, 2-11, 11-9, ing the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 victory Reinhart then set up Eichel with to front of the net, where he back- 11-5, with a flawed but aggressively Anaheim 4 Ottawa 3 over the Winnipeg Jets. a no-look backhand pass from the handed a shot inside the right post. impressive performance which sug- The loss mathematically elimi- Florida 5 Tampa Bay 2 sideboards in the neutral zone. Get- The Sabres had just signed gested she might soon become the nated the Jets from playoff contention St Louis 4 Washington 0 ting the puck in stride, Eichel caught Fasching to an entry-level contract fourth person in little more than a in a matchup of teams out of the post- NY Islanders 4 Carolina 3 defenceman Mark Stuart flat-footed Monday after he completed his junior year to gain the top women’s rank- season picture. Nashville 5 Columbus 1 in crossing the blue line, and snapped season at Minnesota. Jets defence- ing. David, however, showed many Buffalo won consecutive games a 30-footer just inside the far left post. man Tyler Myers said he was happy signs of producing a more creative Chicago 4 Calgary 1 for the first time since taking two The Jets opened the scoring with to make the trip back to Buffalo, but and varied short game and led 8-5 straight on February 12 to 14. The Arizona 2 Philadelphia 1 two goals in 42 seconds. wished he was able to play after sea- in the third game, at which stage it Sabres improved to 3-0-1 in their past Los Angeles 6 Edmonton 4 Ehlers scored first 4:27 in, by driv- son-ending surgery on his right knee seemed quite possible she would four games, their longest point streak ing up the right wing and beating this past week. atone for defeats in Qatar, New York since they won six straight from 28 scored for the Jets, who squandered goalie Chad Johnson on the short side. The Jets acquired Myers as part and Chicago. November 15 December. a chance to win three straight for Copp was credited with Winni- of a trade that sent forward Evander “At that stage, I felt really The rebuilding Sabres drew on the first time this season. The Sabres peg’s second goal, which came during Kane and defenceman Zach Bogo- good and I could sense that she Edmonton Oilers centre Connor their youth movement, which pro- overcame their second consecutive a scramble in front. Copp began the sian to the Sabres in February 2015. started to relax. Then she went McDavid (97) handles the puck in duced all three goals. Newly signed 2-1 deficit following a 3-2 win at play by driving to the net from the Myers expects to be ready for the start for three outright winners, and I the first period of the game against forward Hudson Fasching rounded Carolina on Tuesday in which Buffalo right wing. Johnson made the ini- of training camp, though he faces a felt I stepped back slightly, and you the Los Angeles Kings at Staples out the scoring. scored twice in the final four minutes. tial stop but then lost sight of the long rehabilitation. Next week, he’s can’t afford to do that, you have to Centre on Friday night. Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrew Copp On Saturday, Reinhart tied the puck as it lay in the crease. Buffalo to have hip surgery. be sharp,” David said. Rakan runs riot against the Lions in Qatar Rugby 7s

The Peninsula The second half had no longer powerhouse and man-of-the-match had started when half Omer Mutawaa credited his success to his Bahamed pounced on a loose ball team mates. and sent it to a waiting Mutawaa who “I just love to play rugby whether DOHA: Rakan Mutawaa has once sped away for his second try narrow- it’s for my team or my country. My again proved his worth as a national ing the score 14-12. team mates really inspire my drive. rugby representative by single hand- Shortly after the Camels were I may have scored the tries but it was edly serving the Lions a blow out in remarkable in the set pattern as they my team mates who gave me the ball the seventh round of the Qatar Rugby etched meters from the Lions try line. and put me in that opportunity. I just Sevens on Saturday night at the A loose ball had players all scram- did the running and scoring”. Aspire Warm up and purpose built bling before Mutawaa took control Mutawaa also praised the Lions rugby track. and used his 86 kilogram frame to saying “What a fantastic effort by the The Lions started with a great barge over for his hat-trick giving Lions. They gave us a scare early on roar leading 7 nil in the open- the Camels (2) the lead for the first and we were rocked. Their big men ing minutes and it looked like they time 19-14. played hard, fast, wide and were bril- were going to stretch that lead fur- The Lions in their despera- liant with the ball. Luckily for us they ther before Mubarak Al Malik threw tion lost grip of the match throwing made the mistakes we were waiting it wide to Mutawaa who jumped impossible passes and made too for and we took advantage of that”. over one defender and ran through many forced errors. In the other matches played the another to score underneath the Lions had their chances but when Hurricanes downed the Blue Falcons black dot. The converted try leveled Maciej Lenartowicz drew his man 68 nil. Lions had back to back victo- the score at 7-7. and hit Mutawaa with a magic pass to ries beating CNAQ 19-12 and easily In the next few minutes the score his fourth try for the evening, it overcoming the Blue Falcons 31 nil. game settled as both teams faced was all over for the roaring The Camels (1) had a 35 point each other off set after set but it was Lions. The final score Camels (2) walk over win over Al Khor . Next the strong Lions outfit with flawless 24 – Lions 14. Sudam Parinda and week all seven teams return to Aspire execution who managed to post their Andrew Jansen were outstanding for for the eighth round of the champion- Rakan Mutawaa receives the Copthorne Hotel Man-of-the-Match award from Qatar Rugby Federation second converted try seconds from the Lions. ship while the semis and finals will half time to take the lead 14-7. Speaking to the media the Qatari be played on April 9. President Yousef Al Kuwari and General Secretary Ali Al Malki on Sunday night. SPORT MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 35

QNB Doha Tour Show Jumping

Qatar’s Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al Thani, winner of the feature event of the third and final leg of the QNB Doha tour, celebrates on the podium with Saudi’s Khaled Abdulaziz Al Eid and Abdullah Al Sharbatly at Katara on Saturday after receiving the trophy from Qatar Equestrian Federation President Hamad bin Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah. CENTRE: Qatar’s Sheikh Ali in action at the QNB Doha tour. RIGHT: Sheikh Ali shows off his winner’s medal.

ATP and WTA Miami Brook eyes Garcia Open scores bout after speedy Murray wins but Nadal Men 2nd round Kei Nishikori (JPN x6) bt Pierre- world title defence Hugues Herbert (FRA) 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR x27) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-4, 6-4 AFP Milos Raonic (CAN x12) bt Denis out in Miami health scare Kudla (USA) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 Jack Sock (USA x22) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-2, 3-2, retired, LONDON: Britain’s Kell Brook back injury said he wanted a fight against rival world champion Danny Gar- Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) bt Stan cia after making short work of his Kuznetsov defeats Wawrinka (SUI x4) 6-4, 6-3 International Boxing Federation 2015 French Open Gael Monfils (FRA x16) bt Tatsuma welterweight title defence with a champion Wawrinka, Ito (JPN) 6-3, 6-2 second-round stoppage of Cana- Damir Dzumhur (BIH) bt Rafael da’s Kevin Bizier on Saturday. Makarova stuns Nadal (ESP x5) 2-6, 6-4, 3-0, Victory in front of his home Kvitova retired, illness crowd in Sheffield, northern Eng- Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) bt Thomas land, saw Brook extend his perfect Bellucci (BRA x30) 5-7, 6-3, retired, professional record to 36 wins dehydration from 36 bouts with 25 knockouts. AFP But the speed with which Pablo Cuevas (URU x23) bt John Brook stopped his game, if out- Millman (AUS) 7-5, 6-4 classed, opponent was sure to Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x26) bt raise questions about how the IBF MIAMI: Britain’s Andy Murray moved Frederico Delbonis (ARG) 7-6 (10/8), managed to select Bizier as a man- into the third round of the ATP and 4-6, 6-4 datory challenger for the title. WTA Miami Open on Saturday but Nick Kyrgios (AUS x24) bt Marcos “I have been training a long, Rafael Nadal, dizzy as he struggled to Baghdatis (CYP) 6-2, 6-1 long time. I wanted to warm up cope with heat and humidity, retired Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x17) bt into it and have an all out war, but from his match. Aljaz Bedene (GBR) 7-5, 2-2, retired, he couldn’t stand up to it,” Brook World number two Murray, twice wrist injury told Sky Sports after victory by a Grand Slam champion, downed technical knock out in two min- Uzbekistan’s 76th-ranked Denis Tim Smyczek (USA) bt John Isner utes and 15 seconds of the second Istomin 6-3, 7-5 to reach the third (USA x13) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7/5) round. round in a night match. Adrian Mannarino (FRA) bt Sam “I want the big fights. I have “That second set was tight but I Querrey (USA x29) 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4 my mandatory out of the way. I managed to get through it,” said Mur- Andy Murray of Great Britain returns the ball to Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan during their second round Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x9) bt have power that can knock heav- ray, who next faces Bulgarian 26th match at the Miami Open on Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida, on Friday. Santiago Giraldo (COL) 6-3, 6-1 yweights out,” he added after his seed Grigor Dimitrov in his quest for Andy Murray (GBR x2) bt Denis third title defence. “That is what a third Miami crown. Wawrinka and Petra Kvitova crashed is good or bad please?” he said. Told it He was in the most intense part of Istomin (UZB) 6-3, 7-5 we have to do now -- make a big Spanish fifth seed Nadal, a out of the hardcourt event, although was good, he said, “Continue.” the sun whereas I was on the tail end fight.” 14-time Grand Slam champion Nadal’s exit proved most stunning of After dropping the third game, he of it.” Swiss fourth seed Wawrinka, Women 3rd round Brook has yet to have a career- playing in the heat of the afternoon, all. “Hopefully it’s nothing,” Nadal sat with his head down as a trainer who has won titles this year at Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x30) bt defining contest against a major feared for his safety and handed 94th- said. “Hopefully it’s just the extreme told him, “If you’re feeling bad, there’s Chennai and Dubai, was ousted by Petra Kvitova (CZE x8) 6-4, 6-4 name such as American fighter ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur a conditions out there, the begin- no point to continue.” Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov 6-4, 6-3 Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x15) bt Garcia and, pressed on who he 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 triumph, stopping dur- ning of a virus combined with the Nadal battled through three more while Czech eighth seed Kvitova, the Caroline Garcia (FRA) 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) wanted to face next, the 29-year- ing a match for the first time in six conditions.” points and finally said he could not 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon winner, old said: “I want that WBC (World Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x3) bt years. Nadal, a four-time Miami final- go on. fell to Russian 30th seed Ekater- Boxing Council) belt, Danny Madison Brengle (USA) 6-3, 6-2 “Everything was fine until the end ist but never a champion, was also “Definitely I want Rafa to ina Makarova 6-4, 6-4. Wawrinka, Garcia. of the first set and I started to feel not a first-match loser at the Australian recover,” said Dzumhur. “He’s one of the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 Heather Watson (GBR) bt Yanina “Or Manny Pacquiao, or Tim- very good,” Nadal said. “It was getting Open, only the second Grand Slam the best players in tennis and I wish French Open champion, managed Wickmayer (BEL) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 othy Bradley,” he added, with the worse and worse and worse. opener defeat of his career. all the best for him.” only 16 winners against 37 unforced Simona Halep (ROM x5) bt Julia latter two boxers facing each other “I get a little bit scared to be too Dzumhur, 23, won 22 of the last World number one Serena Wil- errors and went 0-for-8 on break Goerges (GER) 6-4, 6-1 in a couple of weeks’ time. dizzy and to lose fluids. I called the 29 points as Nadal, 29, repeatedly liams ousted Kazak Zarina Diyas 7-5, point chances. Kuznetsov, ranked Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Zarina This was Brook’s first fight doctor a couple of times. I decided I spoke with a trainer, asking for his 6-3, in the match after Nadal and was a career-best 51st, avenged a third- Diyas (KAZ) 7-5, 6-3 since May last year after he suf- was not safe. I wanted to finish the blood pressure to be taken after two also tested by the conditions. round loss to Wawrinka at Indian fered a broken rib following a match but I decided I would not.” games of the third set. “It was definitely humid,” Wil- Wells and made the Swiss his high- Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x19) bt Ana straightforward win over com- Two-time Slam winners Stan “Can we not check the tension, if it liams said. “Rafa played before me. est-ranked beaten foe. Ivanovic (SRB x16) 7-5, 6-4 patriot Frankie Gavin. Brook stunned Shawn Por- ter of the United States to win the title in August 2014, but was out of action for more than a year follow- McIlroy books WGC Match Play semi-final against Day ing injuries sustained in a stabbing incident in Tenerife. A routine victory over Roma- AFP McIlroy responded emphatically, GOLF: SPIETH OUSTED IN thinking I’m going to be able to play semi-finals after losing in the quarters nian Jo Jo Dan followed before the with birdies to win the 10th, 12th, 13th TEXAS with what happened Wednesday. And the last two years. He trailed Johnson defeat of Gavin. and 15th -- all with putts from within turn around I’m number one in the much of their match, but sealed it with Bizier entered the ring hav- 10 feet. world on Saturday. a 21-foot birdie putt at 17. ing won 25 of his 27 professional LOS ANGELES: Defending champion “I was a little annoyed going from “It’s a strange feeling,” he said. But it was Oosthuizen’s morning bouts but, significantly, his record Rory McIlroy birdied four of the last the ninth green to the 10th -- letting next two to grab the lead. “I’m glad I stuck it out.” match that made headlines. included two defeats by Dan, both six holes in a 4 and 3 win over Chris Chris get back into it with a three-putt The American couldn’t find The other semi-final pits Spieth hadn’t trailed in three via split decisions, in 2013 and Kirk on Saturday to book a semi-final on nine,” McIlroy said. another birdie, however, and Day Spain’s’ Rafael Cabrera Bello against round-robin matches. 2014. showdown with Jason Day at the WGC “But after that I was four-under regained the lead with a seven-foot Oosthuizen. “I got to the range this morning Right from the opening bell he Match Play in Texas. for my next six holes and that was birdie at the 10th and added an eagle Oosthuizen, seeded 16th, followed and I was hitting some slices with my demonstrated an alarming lack Day advanced with a 3 and 2 vic- enough to get the job done.” at the 12th before winning the 15th up his 4 and 2 win over Spieth with a irons, which is bizarre,” Spieth said. of head movement, with Brook tory over Brooks Koepka. McIlroy, who edged Zach Johnson with a par. 2 and 1 triumph over eighth-seeded “I just tried to compensate somehow landing some solid punches and The victory means the Austral- 1 up to reach the quarters, admitted Day, who had downed Brandt American Dustin Johnson. on the golf course. I got away with it causing a cut above his opponent’s ian will regain the world number one he has more than a title repeat on his Snedeker 3 and 2 on Saturday morn- Cabrera Bello, who advanced to on the first couple of holes and then eye. ranking from American Jordan Spieth, mind. ing, said he expected the clash with the quarters when South Korea’s An it got the best of me.” By the early stages of the sec- who was ousted on Saturday morn- “It’s great for my confidence, McIlroy to be “a lot of fun” although Byeong-Hun retired with a sore neck Spieth, who hadn’t made bogey ond round, blood was pouring ing in the round of 16 by South African especially with the Masters only a he’s hoping the weather will be warm while 4 down through 11, beat Ryan at the first six holes in his first three from Bizier’s nose and it was not Louis Oosthuizen. couple of weeks away,” he said. “To for the benefit of his injured back. Moore 2 and 1 to reach the final four. matches, bogeyed the fourth to fall long before Brook rocked him with McIlroy, seeded third, reached the get a good run in this tournament, “It’s been a bit of an up and down The Spaniard, ranked 54th in 1 down. a powerful head shot and then sent semi-finals of the elite event for the which is my last competitive start week, especially emotionally,” said the world and seeded 52nd, never Oosthuizen held onto the lead as the 31-year-old to the canvas with third time in his career. before Augusta is really pleasing.” Day, whose back was so bad after trailed against Moore, who had just Spieth scrambled through a stretch a flurry of punches. He took a quick lead over Kirk Day, the 2014 winner, had three his first-round win on Wednesday one birdie after producing four on the that included two birdies, two bogeys Bizier, never previously with an 11-foot birdie putt at the birdies and an eagle against Koepka. he thought he might have to withdraw. front nine in a 4 and 3 victory over and a double bogey, with the South knocked out in his career, got opening hole, but his three-putt bogey He took the lead with a seven-footer “It’s been quite amazing to be Patton Kizzire in the morning. African nabbing three birdies in the back up only for Brook to floor at the ninth let Kirk square the match. at the third, but Koepka birdied the able to start the week and not really Oosthuizen reached the last five holes to seal it. him again moments later. 36 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016

Ma Long of China, winner of the singles title at the Qatar Open table tennis championship, poses with his trophy at the victory ceremony in Doha yesterday. Top seed Long defeated compatriot Fan Zhendong, the no.2 seed, in five games (11-8, 11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 11-5). Qatar Olympic Committee General Secretary Dr Thani Abdulrahman Al Kuwari and Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) President Khalil Ahmed Al Mohanadi are seen. RIGHT: Liu Shiwen, the winner of the women’s singles title, receiving the winner’s cheque from QTTA President Khalil. Shiwen defeated compatriot Ding Ning in the final. Long overcomes Zhendong to win in Doha, Shiwen clinches women’s title

Long secured victory on his third Chinese paddlers match point. “We both played well, there might dominate at the 2016 not have been many fantastic rallies ITTF World Tour Qatar but we were both fully focused”, said Long. Open by also winning “It’s only been a month since Men’s and Women’s the World Championships in Kuala Lumpur, and we didn’t have much rest doubles titles to recover to our best state.” “It was a very tight match, the first three games that I won were both The Peninsula decided by the minimal two points”, added Long. “It was not easy at all, the first three games were the most critical DOHA: China’s Ma Long defeated in the match.” compatriot Fan Zhendong to win the Success for a Long in his 32nd Men’s Singles title at the 2016 ITTF second ITTF World Tour Men’s Sin- World Tour Qatar Open. gles final; it was his 22nd win and Liu Shiwen completed the Chi- he is now the most successful of the nese domination by winning the Chinese male players. He surpasses Action from the men’s singles final. RIGHT: Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning, women’s singles crown while the Wang Liqin who won on 21 occasions. the doubles winners with their trophies. men’s and women’s doubles titles He trails Vladimir Samsonov of also went the China way. Belarus who has 26 such titles but if consecutive World Tour event, so we had reached the Women’s Singles Yesterday at the state-of-the-art you add the Grand Finals, he is only were a little exhausted”, said Shiwen, final at an ITTF World Tour tourna- Ali Bin Hamad al Attyiah Arena, the one behind. who had proved the model of consist- ment in Qatar and the third time she top seed in the men’s singles won in Samsonov has won the Men’s Sin- ency, her movement and balance an had faced Ning in the final. five games 11-8, 11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 11-5 gles title at the Grand Finals on one example to all. In 2010 she made her first to make amends for last week’s loss occasion, Long has won four times; However, Shiwen faces the big- appearance in the title deciding to colleague Zhang Jike in the final thus overall Samsonov has 27 Men’s gest test of her character in the next match; she was beaten in the final in Kuwait. Singles titles, Long is one behind, 26 few months. by her colleague, Guo Yue; in 2011 The result means that Long main- in total. “We are in a crucial period of and 2013 she faced Ning in the final tains his ascendancy over Zhendong, In the women’s singles, Shiwen time where our internal competi- on both occasions, in the former they have now met on seven occa- took sweet revenge of her dramatic tion is very intense to qualify for Rio”, year she won, in the latter it was sions in world ranking events and final at the Qoros 2015 World Cham- added Shiwen. defeat. Long has won all seven. pionships in Suzhou just under one “This win definitely helps in Shiwen earlier won the doubles However, the contest in Doha was year ago. boosting my confidence.” title partnering Ding Ning. not as dramatic as their most recent The top seed, accounted for Chi- The avowed aim is to compete in At the final hurdle the Chinese previous duel. nese colleague, Ding Ning, the no.2 the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. pair were severely tested by the Jap- At the GAC Group 2015 ITTF seed, in the title deciding contest; a Looking ahead but looking back, anese combination of Ai Fukuhara World Tour Grand Finals last Decem- five game outcome was the end result Shiwen can reflect on her perform- and Mima Ito, the no.7 seeds. ber in Lisbon in the seventh game of 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9. ance in Doha with pride; it is a city Eventually, the Chinese justified their clash in the Men’s Singles final, “I think the match itself wasn’t as where in the past she has enjoyed their top seeded position to emerge Zhendong had led 6-3 and then lost exciting as we had hoped it would be, success in previous years. successful is five games 6-11, 11-9, the next seven points. Eventually probably because this is the second It was the fourth time that she 11-6, 4-11, 11-7.

Javier Pastore of PSG at Aspetar 2018 World Cup qualifying: Qatar train in China

Paris-Saint Germain midfielder Javier Pastore of Argentina during his visit to Aspetar in Doha yesterday. Qatar team players training in China ahead of their Group C 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying clash Pastore arrived in Doha on Friday accompanied by his physician. During his stay, Pastore underwent against China. The two will clash on March 29. Unbeaten Qatar lead the group followed by China. screening for an injury to his leg by Aspetar’s specialists. This is the third visit to Aspetar by the PSG Coach Daniel Carreno side is looking for their eighth successive win in Group C. player.