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SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 • 20 Shaaban 1436 • Volume 20 Number 6454 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Sticker-free RPs for Barcelona crowned kings of Europe expatriates soon New ID cards to contain more details

DOHA: The Ministry of The new RP issuance and more details about the holder, Interior is expected to begin renewal system is expected to be including his or her address. issuing sticker-free residency implemented “within days”, Al These cards could be used by permits (RPs) to expatriate Sharq reported yesterday, quot- expatriates and their families workers and their family mem- ing sources. outside Qatar to show as proof of bers soon. The RP section of the expatri- residence in Qatar as the cards No stickers will be stamped on ate affairs unit at the Immigration will contain all details. the passports of expatriate work- Department issues some 7,500 They could be used at overseas ers and their dependents staying RPs daily, including an estimated airports while boarding flights to with them if they are issued RP or 5,000 renewed ones. Doha in place of RP stickers or as their RP is being renewed. All offices of the department, proof of residence for banking and A pilot project launched by the including its headquarters, other works overseas. ministry awhile ago on an experi- branches and units working in While in Qatar, during entry mental basis to assess the feasibil- the integrated service complexes and exit at Hamad International ity of the new system has turned of the Ministry of Interior, have Airport, an RP holder’s passport out to be successful. been readied to provide the new will suffice as immigration offi- Following the project, authori- RP issuance and renewal service. cials could check his or her RP ties have given their nod for the Electronic and regular ID cards details in their computer systems issuance and renewal of sticker- being issued will be replaced with by keying in the person’s name or free RPs to expatriates and their new ones. The new ID cards will passport number. Barcelona’s defender Gerard Pique (centre) holds up the UEFA Champions League trophy as his teammates families. have a new design and will contain THE PENINSULA celebrate after beating Juventus 3-1 in the final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin yesterday. Barcelona were crowned kings of Europe for the fifth time. Report on page 28

Firms warned over summer timing 77.2pc homes see no respite 2022 will be the best: for outdoor work DOHA: Companies failing to from price rise for a year Qatari envoy to US comply with the summer tim- WASHINGTON DC: Qatar is ready to invest part of its $35bn ing for outdoor work will face DOHA: A vast majority (77.2 released the findings of Qatar’s condition had worsened in the US investment fund in West Virginia, Qatari Ambassador to the closure of up to one month, the percent) of households inter- Consumer Confidence Index past 12 months, whereas 3.2 US Mohamed Jaham Al Kuwari said on the sidelines of a visit to Ministry of Labour and Social viewed as part of a Consumer survey for the first quarter of percent said they had no work. the state. He said Qatar has pledged $50,000 for a project in West Affairs has warned. Confidence Index survey have 2015. The households were asked Virginia to improve education in McDowell County, noting that he The summer working hours said they believed that there However, 70.7 percent of the if their financial condition had will bring a group of Qatari investors and businessmen to the state will take effect on June 15 and wouldn’t be any reprieve from respondents said ‘yes’ when improved or worsened in the in September to listen to investment proposals. will be in force until August 31, the price rise in the next 12 asked if they thought that past 12 months. Al Kuwari said Qatari investors are interested in investing in tour- as per the ministerial decree No. months. Qatar’s economy had improved Some 19.4 percent said their ism, real estate, education and energy, stressing that he held talks with 16 of 2007. Only a minority of those sur- in the past 12 months (since financial situation had wors- the business community in West Virginia. All firms employing people for veyed (some 2.6 percent) said March 2014), while 3.3 per- ened as their family expenses He invited Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Governor Earl outdoor work are required to give they thought the rate of infla- cent said it had worsened and had gone up. Ray Tomblin and business society representatives to visit Doha. a break from 11.30am to 3pm. tion would look downwards a fifth (21 percent) said it was And some 44.8 percent fami- Qatar has recently opened an investment office in New York. Morning working hours should in a year from now while 16.5 unchanged. lies said their financial situa- Asked about investigation into FIFA corruption charges, Al Kuwari not exceed five and 11.30am, percent of respondents said the Again, a majority of the sur- tion had improved in the past said Qatar is open to any probe because “we did the right thing... We according to an announcement price situation could remain veyed (64.5 percent) said the year while 48.3 percent said have nothing to fear. “We will show to the whole world that Qatar issued by the ministry yesterday. unchanged. prices had gone up in the coun- their financial status remained World Cup will be the best in the world,” he said, adding preparations THE PENINSULA The Ministry of Development try in the past one year and unchanged. have started and all facilities will be ready two or three years before Continued on page 3 Planning and Statistics has that was why their financial THE PENINSULA the tournament. QNA

Saudi shoots Automobile agents Advance rents down Scud for premises asked to review used by govt from Yemen DOHA: The Ministry of Finance SANA’A: Yemeni rebels flexed has announced that from 2016, their muscles yesterday by fir- warranty conditions its Housing and Government ing a Scud missile at Saudi Building Department will pay Arabia just days before they DOHA: The government has for cars repaired in undesignated rents for buildings government are to sit down with the exiled, asked automobile agents to garages or service centres within departments have taken on Saudi-backed regime for peace review terms and conditions of the warranty period. rent for six months in advance talks in Switzerland. the warranty they provide to “You should in no way put such — once in January and then in Saudi Arabia said it intercepted customers and change warranty terms and conditions that smack July each year. the missile fired by the Iran-backed and service record booklets of monopoly. We are all for allow- As for this year, rents will be Shia Houthis. The launch came a accordingly. ing fair competition in the mar- paid for three months in advance. day after rebel allies killed four The Ministry of Economy and ket,” the ministry said. The only The next payment will be made Saudi soldiers in cross-border Commerce has said it has noticed concession that can be given to an in October, a ministry statement attacks clouding preparations for that terms and conditions of war- agency is that if within the war- said yesterday. THE PENINSULA UN-brokered talks in Geneva on A Southern Popular Resistance fighter operates a machine gun at the front ranty for new cars sold are differ- ranty period a car is repaired out- June 14. line of fighting against Houthi rebels on the outskirts of Yemen’s southern ent in Arabic booklets from those side and a spare part is damaged “The Royal Saudi Air Defence in English. “Terms and condi- during repair, the agency would port city of Aden yesterday. Forces intercepted it with two tions must be the same in both not need to replace it, said the Massage service Patriot missiles,” said the Saudi- languages,” the ministry told car ministry. It said it had surveyed led coalition, waging an air war There has been cross-border calling it an act of “desperation”. agency representatives in several vehicle warranty booklets of nearly in salons banned against the rebels since March 26. artillery and rocket fire into Saudi The coalition’s latest raids meetings convened to discuss this all agents and found clauses that DOHA: B e a u t y s a l o n s a c r o s s t h e Coalition aircraft destroyed Arabia but there was no missile targeted rebel military sites and and other issues recently. violate Qatar’s anti-monopolistic country have stopped providing the launcher used in the 2.45am attacks since air strikes began. positions in northern, central and In a statement yesterday, the trade practices law. massage service to customers attack on the southwestern city of The coalition has made southern Yemen, including Sana’a ministry said that it had asked The Anti-Trade Monopolies and following instructions from the Khamis Mushait, said the state- destroying missile capabilities of where weapons storage depots car agents to invite all buyers Market Competition Protection Ministry of Municipality and ment carried by the official Saudi the Houthis and their allies a pri- were struck on hills overlook- whose vehicles are within the Committee has been informed of Urban Planning. Press Agency. The missile was ority. But its spokesman Ahmed ing the capital. They carried out warranty period and hand them the findings of the survey and it Civic inspectors have recently fired from south of the Houthi Al Assiri told Al Arabiya televi- strikes in Amran, Hajjah, Saada new warranty and service record has taken a serious note. Terms conducted an extensive campaign rebel bastion of Saada in Yemen’s sion that the rebels hid in caves and Lahj, where the rebel-held booklets with changed terms and and conditions contained in these to ensure the salons comply with northern mountains, it added. some of the 300 missiles they air base of Al Anad was bombed. conditions. booklets violate Article 4 of Law the new rule, Al Sharq reports. A pro-Houthi military spokes- were thought to have had prior The interception of the Scud “This must be done,” said the No. 19 of 2006 which bars monopo- The regulation aims to separate man told Yemen’s rebel-controlled to the campaign. Saudi forces had came after forces loyal to Saleh ministry stressed and asked the listic trade practices, said the com- treatment from procedures con- Saba news agency that the tar- “thwarted over 300 rebel attempts attacked locations on the Saudi agencies to not put the condition mittee, according to the ministry ducted by salons. get was Prince Khaled Air Base. to cross the border,” he added, border on Friday. AFP to buyers that warranty will cease statement. THE PENINSULA THE PENINSULA SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 02 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com HOME Ramadan: Subsidised sheep for Qataris Sale of Arab-origin sheep from four days before holy month

FROM LEFT: French Ambassador to Qatar Eric Chevallier; Qatari Ambassador to France Sheikh Mishaal bin Hamad Al Thani; French President Francois Hollande; QA Group CEO Akbar Al Baker; Hamad Al Mannai, Hussain Al Baker and Mohammed Al Baker at the event. Hollande honours Qatar Airways chief Al Baker with Legion of Honour PARIS: French President industry, and to France at large. one of France’s great establish- Francois Hollande presented a Al Baker was praised for his ments, the aircraft manufactur- Legion of Honour to Akbar Al and leadership in spearheading ing giant Airbus, of which QA is Baker, Group Chief Executive, a legacy of collaboration between the only airline in the world to Qatar Airways (QA), dur- Airbus and QA, a first for the fly each Airbus aircraft type in A customer checks prices of items at L ulu Hypermarket on D-Ring Road. People have begun shopping for Ramadan ing a ceremony in Salon des industry, where there has been a its fleet. as hypermarkets and other outlets have unveiled Ramadan promotions. ABDUL BASIT Ambassadeurs at Elysée Palace. highly intricate level of coordina- Al Baker said: “France is a The award was bestowed on tion between design and imple- country I admire for its inge- Al Baker for his leadership in mentation by the manufacturer nuity, grandeur and long legacy DOHA: The Ministry of Arab-origin sheep will begin one live. Subsidised sheep bought the aviation industry and spear- and operator. of craftsmanship of the highest Economy and Commerce has to be sold to nationals four days must be slaughtered by a Widam heading QA to be a leading global The high quality product and calibre. announced it will make avail- before the start of Ramadan abattoir and only its meat can be airline. service delivery presented on “I humbly accept this honour able sheep from Arab countries, (expected by the middle of this carried to prevent misuse, QNA This is the second honour each QA flight was recognised with immense pride and great including the locally-bred, and month) until the end of the said. So buyers will have to pay Al Baker received from France for standards and advancements appreciation to the people and those from Jordan and Syria, at month, Qatar News Agency QR16 as slaughter charges and after one awarded by the French it has made in hospitality, for culture of France in all of their subsidised rates to Qataris dur- reports. The sheep will be priced QR34 as porter’s fee. Minister of Transport in Qatar each of its guests on board. The contributions to QA, the national ing Ramadan. between QR850 and QR950 per Widam will set up air-condi- in 2002 during World Travel and efficiency of QA’s operations was airline of my country.” The ministry provides these head. tioned tents at the central mar- Tourism Summit. praised for precision and timely Guests at the private cer- sheep at lower than prevailing The government has asked ket in Doha and its abattoirs in Officier de la Legion d’Honneur effectiveness. emony included Qatari ambas- market prices to citizens during Widam, Qatar Meat and Livestock Al Khor, Al Shamal and in Al is of higher distinction and builds QA’s contribution to Hamad sador to France Sheikh Mishaal the fasting month every year cit- Company, formerly known as Mazrooah (Umm Salal) to serve upon the initial Chevalier Honour International Airport was rec- bin Hamad Al Thani, French ing increasing demand, particu- Mawashi, to import 30,000 sheep as luxury waiting areas for Qatari by virtue of France. ognised not only for the airline’s Ambassador to Qatar Eric larly in the local community. of Arab origin. The ministry said buyers. During the ceremony, the sig- benefit but for the public that Chevallier, French business lead- Syrian mutton is expensive and the subsidy to help nationals The ministry said it will mount nificance of the honour was con- travels to Doha and beyond. ers, the general secretary of the a hot favourite of Qataris and reduce their expenses during the vigil at outlets across the country veyed, announcing service and The long and historic relation- French Presidency, advisers to since its supplies were affected a fasting month. Buyers will have to during the holy month to prevent commitment Al Baker as an ship between France and Qatar Hollande and Al Baker’s two sons, bit due to the ongoing problem produce their ID cards to access irregularities and ensure consum- airline group chief executive has was noted, particularly as QA has Mohammed and Hussain. in Syria, Jordanian sheep were subsidised sheep from Widam ers enjoy the needed protection. had towards the global aviation been a long-standing supporter of THE PENINSULA favoured by some. and wouldn’t be allowed to carry THE PENINSULA SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 HOME www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 03

Greetings sent Kidney transplant project deal signed to Swedish king

DOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani HMC joins forces as part of Patient Support Fund undertaken by QRC yesterday sent a cable of con- gratulation to King Carl XVI DOHA: Qatar Red Crescent as an auxiliary to Qatar, partic- Gustaf of Sweden on his coun- (QRC) and Hamad Medical ularly in the health sector and try’s National Day. Corporation (HMC) have signed hailed the executive staff of the Deputy Emir H H Sheikh an agreement to pursue joint programme for their hard work. Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani work on the kidney transplanta- Dr Al Maslamani said he is also sent a congratulatory cable tion project being undertaken by happy with the five-year health to the Swedish king. QRC under the Patient Support partnership with QRC, with 32 Prime Minister and Interior Fund. patients undergoing kidney trans- Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah Under the deal, QRC will raise plants at HMC from inside and bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani funds to cover surgeries for kid- outside Qatar. sent a similar cable to King Carl ney and liver transplant patients “Despite the difficulty of finding XVI Gustaf. at HMC, in addition to non- donors, we and QRC could expand medical costs such as travel, visa, the scope of the programme, Condolences and accommodation for patients, helping relieve the pain of more donors, and caretakers from out- patients and bolstering the cen- offered to Biden side Qatar. The project is part tre’s expertise. We will go on with of QRC’s Health Empowerment this successful endeavour together DELAWARE: H E Sheikh Programme (Patient Support Officials at the agreement signing ceremony. with QRC,” he said. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Fund), established in 2006 to offer According to Dr Fadhil, “things Thani yesterday conveyed con- financial and non-financial assist- The signing ceremony was Organ Transplantation at HMC working with HMC, in consid- are different from five years ago: dolences of Emir H H Sheikh ance to poor patients to cover part attended by Saleh bin Ali Al and Medical Director of Hamad eration of its humanitarian role 45,000 people are registered for Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to or all of the costs of their surgeries Mohannadi, Secretary-General, General Hospital, and Dr Riadh and fruitful engagement in help- postmortem organ donation, and US Vice-President Joe Biden on and treatment. QRC, Rashid bin Saad Al Fadhil, Director, Qatar Organ ing patients who urgently need 70 percent of Qatari renal patients the death of his son Beau during Over 2010-14, 1,171 patients were Mohannadi, Director, Social Donation Centre (HIBA). such critical surgeries,” said Al have donors from relatives or his funeral in Delaware . served at a cost of QR11,450,000. Development Department, “The project has achieved many Mohannadi. friends. In 2015, some 14 trans- This year, the fund works with an QRC, Dr Yousef Al Maslamani, goals and we will proceed towards The secretary-general thanked plants were performed, including Qatar attends annual budget of QR3.5m. Director, Qatar Centre for more success. We are proud of HMC for partnership with QRC four livers.” THE PENINSULA FAO conference ROME: Qatar took part in the 39th session of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) conference, which opened yes- Mowasalat to represent Qatar terday and runs until June 13. Minister of Environment H E Ahmed Amer Mohamed Al Humaidi is leading Qatar’s transport industry in Milan delegation that includes Qatari Ambassador to Italy and perma- DOHA: In collaboration with Executive Officer. present a paper titled “Taxi fran- nent representative to UN organ- the Ministry of Transport and Qatar Rail CEO, Eng Saad Al chise programme in taxi industry isations in Rome, Abdulaziz bin Qatar Rail, Mowasalat is taking Mohannadi will be speaking in the in Qatar” in a session titled “trends Ahmed Al Malki Al Jehani. the lead to represent and show- MENA session to present some of and strategies in taxi sector”. The biennial forum will dis- case the transport industry of the company’s projects in pipeline. UITP is the international cuss issues, including food sta- Qatar at the 61st UITP World This session will be chaired by the network for public transport tus, agriculture, markets for food Congress being held in Milan Minister of Transport and chair- authorities and operators, deci- commodities, global food secu- from June 8 to June 10. man of UITP MENA HE Jassim sion-makers, scientific institutes rity, FAO-related Millennium Since 2005, Mowasalat is a Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti. and the public transport supply Development Goals and FAO member of the International Mowasalat and Qatar Rail will and service industry. It is a plat- policies and organisational Association of Public showcase their products, services form for worldwide cooperation, issues. Transport (UITP). and future projects for the growth business development and the It will endorse the re-election “Our participation in the UITP and development of Qatar’s trans- sharing of know-how between its of FAO director-general for a sec- Congress and Showcase will be a port network. members worldwide. UITP is the ond four-year term. significant opportunity to interact Engineer Ali Bahzad, Director global advocate of public trans- Najma Street to close and share ideas and experiences of the Taxi and Limousine port and sustainable mobility, Minister issues with leaders in the industry,” said Department at Mowasalat and and the promoter of innovations Khalid Al Hail, Mowasalat’s Chief UITP MENA Board member will in the sector. THE PENINSULA decisions for signal work DOHA: Minister of Youth and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem DOHA: The busy two-lane road use available interior roads to bin Nasser Al Ali has issued leading to Najma and Mansoura reach their desired destinations. seven ministerial decisions in from Al Nuaija intersection on Meanwhile, the “electricity” ‘Qatar committed to rule of law’ relation to the boards of several the D-Ring Road (near the roundabout on the E-Ring road youth centres. Mall) will be closed for one- that connects with Abu Hamour The decisions included extend- and-a-half month from June and Al Nuaija (Mall) intersection BANGKOK: Minister of the rule of law on a regional law and its relation to sustainable devel- ing the term of Qatar Youth 9, the Public Works Authority will also be converted into a signal Justice H E Dr Hassan and international scale. opment. It also merged the idea of the Hostels Association, forming (Ashghal) said yesterday. controlled intersection, Al Sharq bin Lahdan said yester- The minister highlighted rule of law and security as core require- the board of Qatar Centre for The closure is as part of work reported. day that Qatar, under the that Qatar National Vision ments, the minister added. Voluntary Activities and assign- to convert the small rounda- As part of this project, a sec- leadership of the Emir H H 2030, which was established The minister said that the current ing directors for Al Dhakira bout near Waqod petrol station tion of the E-Ring road between Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad by the Emir, act as the guide conference comes weeks after the 13th Youth Centre, Al Jamiliya Youth on Najma Street to a signalized the former parachute roundabout Al Thani, was committed to to the country for the future United Nations Congress on Crime Centre, Qatar Scuba Centre, and intersection. (now converted into intersec- the rule of law and understood and reflects the aspirations of Prevention and Criminal Justice held Qatar Centre for Wireless Sports. The road will be expanded by tion) and electricity roundabout its importance in achieving the Qatari people. The minis- in Qatar, with its success welcomed by One decision ratified the statute adding a third lane on the stretch will be developed into four lanes, sustainable development. ter also said that the role of the international community by adopting of Al Jamiliya Youth Centre. extending from Al Nuaija inter- the daily said, quoting Sheikha Al The minister was giving the Ministry of Justice was the Doha declaration. QNA QNA section to Mansoura intersection. Jefairi, a member of the Central a speech during the Asian to contribute to the vision This key road linking C-Ring Municipal Council (CMC) repre- Society of International Law by enhancing the rule of law road and D-Ring road and con- senting the Old Airport area. conference, which is taking through initiatives related to necting some most crowded areas She said Ashghal has posi- place in Thailand. He said the legislative fields. in the heart of the city has been tively responded to her proposal that Qatar was keen on par- The Minister praised the witnessing heavy traffic jams, in this regard and this project is ticipating in different confer- Asian Society of International especially in peak hours. expected to be implemented by ences to exchange ideas and Law conference, saying it During the temporary closure, the end of this year. place policies and strategies played an active role in pro- motorists have been advised to THE PENINSULA that contribute to enhancing moting dialogue on the rule of

Gold prices stable Summer work timings should be displayed

Continued from page 1 The evening/after- noon schedule should not start before 3pm. The summer work- ing hours should be displayed promi- nently at the work place, according to the decree. “The timetable should be in a visible place where all work- ers can see and labour inspectors can easily notice during their inspection visits,” said the ministry. Any facility violat- ing the decision will be closed for a period not exceeding one month, it added. Customers at a jewellery shop in Doha yesterday. Gold prices have been stable for almost a week. Pure or 24-carat The ministry has gold remains priced at QR143 a gramme and 18-carat gold, a favourite of most Filipinos, is being sold for QR110 per also provided a hotline gramme. Jewellery is mostly made of 22-carat which was priced in the local market at QR134.5 per gramme. The (44241101) to lodge rate of 21-carat was QR128.5 per gramme. Jewellers continue to charge high making fee varying from 17 percent to complaints about err- KAMMUTTY VP ing facilities. 25 percent of gold price. THE PENINSULA SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 04 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com HOME Ooredoo unveils new Passport scratch card DOHA: Ooredoo has introduced with data and call time. As multiple services on the go. The cards can Relations, Ooredoo, said: “The Passport Partner networks in code and send it via SMS to ‘127’, new scratch cards for its Ooredoo cards can be activated at the same also be given as gifts so that fam- new card will give our customers more than 65 countries. or scan a QR code in Ooredoo Passport service to ensure custom- time, customers can now enjoy more ily members and friends can stay more control over their roaming Customers can use 1GB data Application. Roaming allowances ers can top up as much roaming data roaming allowance within a week. in touch around the world. services, enabling them to top up allowance also on Ooredoo’s will be instantly credited to the and minute allowance as they need. Customers can either combine the Based on customer feedback, as much roaming data and min- bigger and faster 4G roaming customer’s account. The card works with Shahry and cards with existing Passport Pack or Ooredoo is continuing to upgrade utes as they need easily, when network. Passport cards are available Hala. use them separately so that there is its roaming services, as more and they travel abroad. “It’s the lat- As an added bonus, custom- at Ooredoo shops and author- With the new cards, customers can more accessibility and convenience more people look to stay con- est in a series of enhancements ers travelling in the GCC get ised dealers across the coun- pre-purchase and top up their passport for those who want to access roaming nected and online, when they to our roaming services, which additional 1GB of data in their try. Customers can check their travel abroad for business and enable our customers to enjoy allowance at no cost. The card Passport card balance by sending leisure. bigger, faster networks even when allowance is valid for seven days. SMS ‘Balance OPC’ to ‘114’. Ooredoo was the first operator they’re outside Qatar.” Customers can take a spare Users can activate the stand- in Qatar and the first company in When they use the card, cus- card to top up while in Qatar ard Ooredoo Passport Pack via the Ooredoo Group to offer 4G tomers get 100 roaming min- or abroad. To activate or top Ooredoo App, or SMS by sending roaming services. utes for receiving and making up Ooredoo Passport allowance, ‘OP’ to 114 for Shahry customers Fatima Sultan Al Kuwari, calls and 1GB of roaming mobile customers can scratch the back and ‘OP’ to 121 for Hala custom- Director, Community & Public data for QR100, when they use of the card, reveal the voucher ers. THE PENINSULA

DOHA: LG Electronics (LG) has unveiled LG G4 smartphone at Lulu LG G4 smartphone launched Hypermarket, D-Ring Road and announced that it is available at all Jumbo Electronics show- rooms and leading hyper- markets in Qatar. LG G4, successor to G3, aims to provide consumers with an evolutionary expe- rience and set new rules in defining what a premium mobile device can be. With G4, LG focused on delivering comfortable elegance, a great visual experience and a human- centric user experience. LG G4 camera features a rare-in-smartphones F1.8 aperture lens which allows 80 percent more light to hit the image sen- sor than in LG G3. The innovative camera module is paired with new IPS Quantum Display, bet- ter in every way than inno- vative Quad HD display introduced to in LG G3. LG G4 embodies human sensibility visible in its Slim Jumbo Electronics and Lulu Hypermarket officials jointly launch the LG G4 mobile phone at the hypermarket on Arc exterior design and D-Ring Road on Thursday evening. QASSIM RAHMATULLAH graphical user interface. “LG is living up to its a better life with a premium smart- G4 is defined by slim arc, which runs kind to find its way into a promise of innovation for phone that is more focused on deliv- along its body, highlighted by a dis- smartphone. ering a balanced user experience play with a subtle curvature. For selfies good enough that can compete with the best of LG designed 16MP camera in to frame, LG included an the best,” said C V Rappai, Director LG G4 to capture beautiful images, industry-leading 8MP & CEO, Video Home & Electronic even under less than ideal lighting front-facing camera for Centre, at the launch. conditions. sharp, detailed portraits “LG wanted to give consumers a The camera module features a and group shots. human-centric device that combined wide F1.8 aperture lens that allows Gesture interval shot analog sensibilities with technologies 80 percent more light to reach the improves on the original that deliver real world performance. sensor and improves low-light per- gesture shot feature by From design to camera to display to formance further with its OIS 2.0. taking four shots spaced UX, this is the most ambitious phone New for G4, manual mode allows two seconds apart, increas- they’ve created. At Jumbo, we will experienced photographers the abil- ing the chance of getting continue to bring the best from LG ity to exercise more artistic expres- that perfect shot under the to our customers in Qatar.” sion by letting them directly control most difficult conditions. LG G4 is available in handcrafted, the focus, shutter speed, ISO, expo- Triggering the shutter genuine full grain leather in six sure compensation and white balance is as simple as opening and beautiful colours. Other material for every shot. closing one’s hand twice in options for G4 rear cover include Advanced photographers can also front of the camera. pure ceramic white with 3D patterns, save photos in RAW format, in addi- LG G4 is the first to artisan-forged metallic gray and a tion to JPEG. The advanced camera use LG Display’s new 5.5- lustrous shiny gold. in LG G4 is complemented by col- inch IPS Quantum Display, The comfortable elegance of LG our spectrum sensor, the first of its which offers 20 percent greater colour reproduc- tion, 25 percent improve- ment in brightness and 50 percent greater contrast. It is the first Quad HD display to employ Advanced In-Cell Touch technology, which combines LCD and touch sensor into a single layer to provide better col- our reproduction and touch sensitivity. With G4, the higher quality display doesn’t come at the expense of battery life, thanks to its 3,000mAh removable battery, combined with snappy yet energy-thrifty Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor. LG G4 is the first to utilise new human-centric UX 4.0 that promises to be simpler and more intuitive to better understand and respond to the needs of each user. The improved UX elim- inates unnecessary steps while providing more con- figuration options and fea- tures for advanced users, including the new: Quick Shot feature, Gallery fea- ture, Memories feature, Event Pocket feature, an improved Smart Notice feature and the all-impor- tant and improved Quick Help feature. In addition, Google Office comes pre-installed on LG G4 for easy collaboration on-the-go and G4 own- ers will receive additional 100GB of Google Drive storage free for two years. THE PENINSULA SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 HOME www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 05 Deliveries on the rise at HMC’s secondary hospitals Expectant mothers have more care options than at Women’s Hospital

DOHA: Deliveries at Women’s increasingly prefer to avail of evidence-based practices and because it is closer to my home Hospital dropped from 18,000 maternity services at the Cuban provide expectant mothers and in Dukhan and is not crowded in 2013 to 16,000 last year due Hospital due to its reputation their families with a positive so I did not have to wait long for to an increase in deliveries at for providing evidence-based experience.” my appointments. “Doctors are Hamad Medical Corporation’s care, advantages of convenience To book appointments at the very professional and qualified.” (HMC) secondary hospitals, and shorter waiting times. hospital, a referral or letter from She also highlighted clean- including the Cuban Hospital, Professor Barlow said, “As a primary care doctor on the liness and the availability of Al Khor Hospital and Al Qatar’s leading provider of clinic letterhead can be faxed to advanced equipment at the Wakra Hospital, according to women’s healthcare, HMC is +974-40157770 or scanned and hospital. a senior official. dedicated to providing effective emailed to Referral_Cuban@ Fadoua received antenatal The strategy to provide maternal and newborn care hamad.qa and postnatal care after her expectant mothers with addi- in a seamless continuum that A member of the bookings normal deliveries, including tional options for care has led to extends beyond the first few team will contact the patient screening for her babies under www.swiss-belhotel.com 25 percent of babies born across precious days after childbirth. within one-two working days. HMC’s Newborn Screening Tel the HMC network being deliv- “It also supports women to Patients who require more Programme, which screens for ered at these general hospitals, practise lifelong wellness for highly specialised care may diseases or disorders to facilitate Fax said Professor David Barlow, themselves and their families. be required to visit Women’s early intervention and help chil- Director, Women Services, “We continue to invest in the Hospital or other specialist cen- dren avoid lifelong disabilities. and Chairman, Obstetrics and development of clinical pro- tres within the HMC network. “Everyone was caring and Gynaecology Services, Women’s grammes and staff in all our Fadoua, a Qatari lady who supportive. I would encourage Tel Hospital. facilities, including the Cuban has delivered two babies at expectant mothers to consider Fax Women and families liv- Hospital, to ensure we always the hospital, said: “I chose to going to the Cuban Hospital,” ing in and around Dukhan deliver the most up-to-date, deliver at the Cuban Hospital she said. THE PENINSULA

Tel Mannai donates QR170,000 for Nepal victims Fax

DOHA: Mannai of our corporate values. Tel + 974 44298888 Corporation and In response to the needs its employees have created by the disaster, Fax responded with a dona- Mannai employees and tion of QR170,000 to management raised the an emergency appeal funds for the Nepalese Tel by Qatar Red Crescent people.” Fax (QRC) to save victims of Al Kaabi said, “I would the Nepal earthquake. like to express my thanks The contribution to officials and staff of was received by Saad Mannai Corporation for Tel bin Shaheen Al Kaabi, the donation which reflects Fax Director, Resources their sense of humanitari- Mobilisation Department, anism and belief in the QRC, during a meeting cause of charitable and at the Mannai Corporate social organisations in Tel headquarters on Salwa Qatar. Fax Road. “We hope the noble Mohamed Mahmoud, strategy will continue from www.doha.hilton.com General Manager, Human the company and that we Resources, Mannai enhance our cooperation Saad bin Shaheen Al Kaabi, Director, Resources Mobilisation, QRC, with Mohamed Tel 44233333 974+ Corporation, said, “We through a proposed part- Mahmoud, General Manager, Human Resources, Mannai Corporation, at the event. are saddened by the dev- nership agreement to Fax 44233000 974+ astation brought by the embody the company’s earthquake in Nepal. The slogan ‘Your Trusted Kathmandu. The donation will con- to humanitarian relief operations has massive impact of the Partner’,” he said. tribute to relief efforts of QRC staff in always been part of Mannai’s con- calamity manifests itself The earthquake caused Nepal who are conducting an urgent tinuous initiative to support local and not only on properties massive destruction of intervention programme involving international communities, as part but most importantly on buildings and blockades of sheltering, food and non-food assist- of the company’s corporate social human lives. The com- main roads. Millions were ance, water and sanitation services, responsibility programme and social mitment to communi- badly affected, includ- healthcare and other services in the mission. ties is an essential part ing over two million in most-affected regions. Contribution THE PENINSULA Tel Fax Revamped Tounes Ta3mal launched for Tunisian youth DOHA: A revamped Chebaane said, “We are Tunisiana), which provides quick assessments, career guidance and Tel Tounes Ta3mal youth constantly seeking to and easy access from 2G mobile job opportunities. Fax employability platform improve Tounes Ta3mal phones to English language THE PENINSULA was launched in Tunisia by listening to and recently in front of an incorporating feedback audience of over 150 job- from our users —young Tel seekers and students, Tunisians —and our local Fax representatives from partners. career centres and uni- “Tounes Ta3mal 2.0 versities, NGOs, and the provides greater usability, Tunisian Ministry of more localised Tunisian Higher Education and content and rich new Tel Scientific Research. multimedia content which Fax The original Tounes will assist youth in their Ta3mal (tounes.ta3mal. search for employment.” com) was launched in Presentations at the October 2013 by regional event ended with an inter- Tel co-founders Silatech active panel of HR experts and Microsoft, connect- representing Tunisian Fax ing Tunisian youth with companies Orange, Land tools, resources, career d’Or, Crown Cork & Seal guidance, training and and Bonna Tunisia. job opportunities to help They shared practical Tel them launch careers and advice about the Tunisian Fax start businesses. labour market, CV writ- Version 2.0 of the ing techniques, job search platform offers a more skills and techniques for complete end-to-end a successful job interview. experience — from devel- The youth in the audi- oping one’s career profile, ence had the opportu- access to career counsel- nity to ask questions ling online and in per- and engage in an active son, e-Learning courses, dialogue. Tel entrepreneurship train- Thanks to contributions Fax ing, advice on preparing a by over 65 local partners, CV, and job openings rel- Ta3mal has specialised evant to youth starting country portals for Egypt, their careers — all with a Qatar, Iraq, Tunisia, Tel more accessible and easy Palestine and Morocco, Fax to use interface. with the latest launched The new version was in May in Algeria. made possible, thanks to Over 4000 employers www.marriottmarquisdoha.com contribution of initiative from the region are regis- partners Edupartage, tered on Ta3mal network, Tel + 974 44195000 MercyCorps, Education posting almost 58,000 Fax + 974 44195100 for Employment, AIESEC job opportunities since Tunisia, USAID, Ooredoo Ta3mal’s inception. Tunisia, American In Tunisia, Ta3mal is Chamber of Commerce connected with Najja7ni (Tunisia) and ATUGE. Employment mobile app Tounes Ta3mal Project launched by Ooredoo Manager Mohamed Ali Tunisia (formerly SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 06 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com MIDDLE EAST Idlib gains bring Syrian rebels closer to Assad’s homeland IS working

AMMAN: Sunni Islamist groups have showed army trucks and large caches of advance against Muhambal, was quoted as broke out around Abu Al Dahour military to ‘develop’ overrun Syrian army outposts and vil- weaponry abandoned. The Islamist alliance, saying on an opposition television station. airport, the largest Syrian airport in the lages in the Idlib province, closing on including Al Qaeda’s Nusra Front, calls its Muhambal lies close to a highway that north of the country, and it’s last stronghold coastal strongholds of President Bashar operation the “Army of Fatah”, a reference runs between Aleppo in the north and the in the eastern part of Idlib province. chemical Al Assad’s government, rebels and a to conquests that spread Islam across the port city of Latakia. Syrian state television The army said it had killed scores of monitor said yesterday. Middle East from the seventh century. later said it killed “tens of terrorists” and jihadists holed in surrounding villages east The Syrian army said its troops had “After taking over several villages, we destroyed large convoys carrying Nusra and north of the major military installation weapons abandoned the town of Muhambal in the came from the mountains and entered the Front fighters in a series of air raids on their besieged unsuccessfully by Islamist rebels western part of Idlib and were regrouping town and began combing it,” Abu Malek, a positions in Basankoul and a string of villages for over a year but who have now renewed SYDNEY: The Islamic State for a counter-offensive. Social media videos field commander from Nusra who led the rebels had taken over. Heavy fighting also their offensive. REUTERS group has shown it is prepared to use chemical weapons and is likely to have among its recruits the technical expertise to develop them, Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said. In a speech late on Friday, Egypt cancels Hamas Bishop said Australia had no doubt that the Syrian regime had used toxic chemicals includ- ing sarin and chlorine over the listing as terror group past four years. But she said apart from some crude and small scale endeav- ours, the conventional wisdom Ruling to help relations with Cairo, says Zuhri had been that the Islamic State group’s intention to acquire and CAIRO: An Egyptian appeals into Egypt where they end up The Brotherhood was banned weaponise chemical agents was court yesterday cancelled a with militant groups fighting to in 2013 following Mursi’s ouster largely aspirational. ruling to list the Palestinian topple Cairo’s Western-backed as part of a crackdown includ- “The use of chlorine by Daesh, group Hamas as a terrorist government. ing many liberal and secular and its recruitment of highly organisation, judicial sources Islamist militants based in activists. technically trained professionals, said, signalling a possible eas- Egypt’s Sinai region, border- Hamas spokesman Sami Abu including from the West, have ing of pressure on the Gaza ing Gaza and Israel, have killed Zuhri welcomed yesterday’s revealed far more serious efforts Strip’s ruling faction. hundreds of police and soldiers decision as “correcting a pre- in chemical weapons develop- Hamas welcomed the deci- since Mursi’s political demise vious mistake”. ment,” she said in Perth. sion by Egypt, which faces an following protests against his “The decision today repre- “Daesh is likely to have amongst Islamist insurgency it says is rule. The insurgency has spread sents a commitment by Cairo its tens of thousands of recruits fuelled by weapons smuggled to other parts of Egypt, the to its strong role towards the the technical expertise necessary from Gaza. Hamas said the rul- most populous Arab country. Palestinian cause. There is no to further refine precursor mate- ing would help relations with doubt that (it) will have posi- rials and build chemical weapons.” Cairo. CRACKDOWN tive results and impacts on the The use of chlorine in home- Hamas is an offshoot of The lawyer who first raised relation between Hamas and made bombs has been reported Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood the case against Hamas told Cairo,” he told Reuters. in several parts of Iraq and Syria, which the authorities have Reuters he would request that Hamas had rejected previ- with car and roadside bombs easy declared a terrorist group Egypt’s Foreign Ministry place ous judicial rulings, while the to rig with chlorine canisters. and have repressed since the Hamas on its list of terrorist Brotherhood maintains it is And in March, Iraq’s autono- army ousted one of its lead- organisations, based on previ- committed to peaceful activism mous Kurdistan government ers, Mohamed Mursi, from the ous judicial decisions. and rejects links to violence. said that analysis of soil and presidency in 2013. “This ruling does not return Separately, the trial of two clothing samples showed that IS Cairo has for many years us to zero. I have two rulings Egyptian policemen accused used chlorine gas in a car bomb played a central role in engi- placing the Brotherhood and of killing a lawyer in custody attack in January. In a speech to neering ceasefires between the Izz Ad-Din Al Qassam began yesterday. the Australia Group, which works neighbouring Israel and Hamas, Brigades on the list of ter- The case is a rare action to deny licences for the export of which dominates Gaza, includ- rorist organisations,” Ashraf against members of the coun- chemical and biological-weapon ing a truce reached between Farahat said. try’s security forces. Rights related materials, Bishop said a the sides in August that ended Qassam Brigades, the armed groups accuse the police of global effort was needed to pre- a 50-day war. wing of Hamas, was classified abuses, which the government vent the proliferation and use of Egyptian officials say weap- as a terrorist organisation by denies. the toxic chemicals. ons are smuggled from Gaza Egypt in January. REUTERS AFP Two Russians abducted in Darfur freed KHARTOUM: Two Russians unidentified group near the town and their equipment and their kidnapped in Sudan’s Darfur of Zalingei, capital of Central vehicles are now under our con- in January have been freed by Darfur state, on January 29. trol,” Lieutenant General Taj their captors, a spokesman for “According to the information we Al Sir Osman said. Cherepanov Russia’s embassy in Khartoum got from the National Intelligence and Antyufeev were employed said yesterday. and Security Service yesterday, by Russia’s UTair company and The men, Sergei Cherepanov they were freed in central Darfur were in Sudan on a contract for and Mikhail Antyufeev, arrived at 1630 GMT,” embassy spokesman the UN-AU mission in Darfur, at Khartoum airport from Artur Safukov said. “There was no Russian media had reported. Zalingei on Saturday afternoon, ransom or use of force in order The mission deployed to the witnesss said. Both appeared in to release them. It was a peaceful western region in 2007 to protect good health as they attended a release,” Safukov said. civilians and secure aid to Darfur, press conference at the airport A senior NISS officer involved which has been wracked by con- with the Russian ambassador and in securing the Russians’ release flict since 2003 when mostly black Sudanese officials. said security forces had detained insurgents rebelled against the gov- They were abducted by an the abductors. “The kidnappers ernment. AFP

Jordan accepts family request for burial of Iraq’s Aziz

AMMAN: Jordan said yesterday that former Iraqi foreign minister Tareq Aziz will be buried on its soil after approving a request from his family to hold the funeral in the kingdom. Aziz, who served as the voice of Saddam Hussein’s regime for two decades, died in hospital on Friday aged 79. “The Jordanian authorities have accepted a request from the family of Tareq Aziz to bring his remains to be buried here in Jordan on humanitarian grounds,” an official said. Aziz gave himself up to the Americans a month after the March 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam. His fam- ily fled to Jordan the same year and has been living in the capital since then. Jordan was in the proc- ess of contacting the Iraqi authorities about the mat- ter, the source said. Aziz’s son Ziad said his family had yet to hear from the Iraqi government or its embassy in Amman to inform them whether or not they can receive the body or bury it in Jordan. AFP SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 MIDDLE EAST www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 07

Military action needed to end Turkey braces for tense polls unrest in Libya: AKP hopes to take majority in legislative elections today Spanish minister

DIYARBAKIR: Turkey yes- Erdogan said in a television a croak by the strain of a mara- MADRID: An international terday prepared for its tight- interview late on Friday that the thon campaign, was winding up military intervention could be est elections in over a decade, strike were a “bid to overshadow his tour with an address to tens needed to end unrest in Libya, with tensions riding high after the elections.” of thousands of supporters in his where the Islamic State group a bomb attack killed two and The explosion resulted in home region of Konya in central is gaining a foothold, Spanish wounded dozens at a rally of the the cancellation of the HDP’s Turkey. Defence Minister Pedro main pro-Kurdish party. Diyarbakir rally, one of the cen- The participation in the cam- Morenes said in an interview Judicial sources said the explo- trepieces of its campaign, where paign of Erdogan, who served as published yesterday. sions at a rally on Friday of the party leader Selahattin Demirtas premier from 2003-2014 is hugely “We went to Afghanistan to pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic was due to give a speech. controversial, as since becoming stop all of that from coming here, Party (HDP) in the southeastern The HDP has been leading an president in August last year he we are in Iraq, Mali or Somalia city of Diyarbakir was caused by energetic campaign aimed at sur- should have severed his links with with the same objective. And now a cylinder bomb packed with hun- mounting the tough 10 percent party politics. we have it nearby. Something may dreds of ball bearings. vote barrier needed to send MPs Erdogan yesterday fired off need to be done,” he told the top- The ruling Justice and to the Turkish parliament. any angry attack at foreign selling Spanish daily El Pais when Development Party (AKP) is Should it succeed, the party media over their coverage of the asked if there would be a military hoping to take a large majority could wreck the plan of the AKP elections, saying the Guardian intervention in Libya. in today’s legislative elections and to take a large majority and should “know (its) limits” and “I asked (EU foreign policy chief change the constitution to give change the constitution to give “Jewish capital” was behind the Federica) Mogherini in Singapore Turkey’s charismatic but divisive Erdogan more powers. New York Times. and she said: ‘It seems unbelievable President Recep Tayyip Erdogan In a bitter and personal cam- The AKP has been under that there are still nations that more power. paign, Erdogan launched a series greater pressure than in previ- object (to an intervention). Think But polls have indicated that of attacks against Demirtas, ous polls, with the economy los- of Syria. For four years we have its vote could be well down on the rubbishing him as a “pretty boy” ing some of its former sparkle and watched them massacre each other almost 50 percent score the AKP acting as a front for Kurdistan controversy growing over what while the (UN Security Council) is reaped in the last elections in 2011 Workers Party (PKK) Kurdish critics say are Erdogan’s authori- blocked by vetoes. This is the world and that it may even need to form militants. tarian tendencies. we live in’.” a coalition. Turkey’s political leaders made The main opposition Morenes reiterated Spain’s Tensions soared after the twin a final push for votes Saturday Republican People’s Party support for an Italian proposal explosions at the HDP rally, which ahead of the early evening legal (CHP) is expected to come sec- calling on the US-led coalition judicial sources and the govern- deadline for campaigning to end. ond followed by the Nationalist Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his wife Sare Davutoglu that is fighting Islamic State in ment confirmed were caused by Prime Minister Ahmet Movement Party (MHP) and then point toward the crowd during an election rally in Konya, Turkey, yesterday. Syria and Iraq to expand its oper- a bomb. “The experts collected Davutoglu, his voice reduced to the HDP in fourth place. AFP ations into Libya. hundreds of ball bearings and “There is not a coalition to fight pieces of the metal cylinder,” said against Daesh in Iraq or in Syria, a judicial source, who asked not Cockroaches made me want new palace: Erdogan there is a coalition to fight against to be named. Daesh full stop,” he said, using an The source confirmed that no ISTANBUL: If cockroaches But in an interview with Erdogan has always defended “Such a representation can never acronym for IS. “If the caliphate suspect had yet been arrested infest someone’s house or office, A-Haber television broadcast late the building of the palace, saying be a waste,” he added. extends to Libya, the coalition will over the blast but fingerprint and they might put down some on Friday, Erdogan said his rea- it is a worthy symbol of the new Erdogan’s election to the pres- have to take action,” he added. video evidence had been found. poison or maybe call in the sons for needing the 1,150-room Turkey he is trying to build. He idency in August 2014 led to a Libya descended into chaos Agriculture Minister Mehdi pest-controllers. palace were much more mundane. has already hosted high-ranking musical chairs of palaces, with after the 2011 Nato-backed Eker said “one of the explosions But President Recep Tayyip He said his old offices when he guests there, including Russian him moving to the new palace and uprising that toppled and killed was caused by TNT and the other Erdogan of Turkey had a more was prime minister from 2003- President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Muammar Gaddafi with battle- was very likely caused by TNT.” radical solution. The presence of 2014 were infested with cock- Pope Francis. moving to the old presidential hardened and heavily armed Mobile phones had been used for cockroaches in his old offices, he roaches. “A guest would come to Erdogan has also invited ridi- palace in central Ankara, the former rebels carving out their the detonations, he added. revealed in an interview, were the the old prime ministry office and cule for welcoming guests at the Cankaya. own fiefdoms across the country. In a statement, Diyarbakir reason why he needed a vast new find cockroaches in the bathroom. palace with an honour guard of Neither leader now uses the The north African country has prosecutors confirmed that two presidential palace outside Ankara. That’s why we built this palace.” warriors representing historic old offices of the prime minister. two rival parliaments and govern- people had been killed and over Erdogan’s new $615m presi- “Does such a place befit the Turkic empires going back cen- Critics of Erdogan took to Twitter ments, with Tripoli controlled by 100 wounded. The funeral was dential palace on the outskirts prime ministry of Turkey? If turies, carrying spears, clad in to ridicule his comments, under Libyan Dawn forces who seized held yesterday for one of those of Ankara has been ridiculed by a guest comes are you going to shiny helmets and boasting spec- the hashtag #karafatma (cock- the capital last year, forcing the killed, Ramazan Yildiz, who was the opposition as the tasteless put them there? If they see this, tacular fake moustaches. “This is roach in Turkish) and urging peo- internationally-recognised gov- only 17, witnesses reported. and needless extravagance of an what if they tell what they saw?” the palace of the Turkish nation,” ple to vote against his party in ernment to move to Tobruk, in President Recep Tayyip increasingly authoritarian leader. he asked. Erdogan said in the interview. today’s legislative elections. AFP the east of the country. AFP Water running short in Yemen

Yemenis fill cans with water from a source donated by a benefactor amid ongoing disruption to water supplies, in Sana’a yesterday. Some 20 million Yemenis are now in urgent need of food and water, in a humanitarian disaster dramatically worsened by a blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition as it continues military operations targeting Houthi and allied positions in the impoverished Arab state. No trust in Iran N-talks: Negotiator

TEHRAN: A top Iranian offi- either,” Araghchi said, noting technical limits of Iran’s nuclear cial, in an unusual declaration so-called “snapback” provisions programme, allowable research yesterday, said there remains would be as relevant to Iran as and development and a “common no trust between Tehran and to the United States if measures committee” that would supervise world powers and either side are reneged on. the deal, he said. could yet abandon a nuclear “Thus all the provisions in a The final appendix would lay deal after signing. deal... whenever each party feels out the timetable for the likely In comments that laid bare a the other side is violating the 10-year agreement “showing by paradox of long-running negotia- commitments, they can snap back when the two sides have to take tions between Iran and the West, and implement whatever existed the required measures,” according Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas before the agreement. to Araghchi. Araghchi said an agreement — due “We have taken every neces- Iran maintains its nuclear pro- by June 30 — was nearing despite sary measure so this would hap- gramme has no military implica- neither side trusting the other. pen for us. Naturally, the other tions and is solely for peaceful A final accord could rein in side will do the same for sanc- purposes — a contention western aspects of Iran’s nuclear pro- tions,” he added. powers have long disputed. gramme while allowing it to Araghchi, a key figure in the Recent weeks have seen argu- continue to enrich uranium in talks, also revealed the text of a ments on how Iran’s nuclear exchange for a lifting of sanctions, final agreement would comprise a activities can be monitored. but breaches could see the deal main document of about 20 pages International inspections of Iran’s being ripped up. accompanied by five appendices atomic facilities will be a corner- “Our basis is mistrust and this is totalling a further 40 to 50 pages. stone of any deal but officials in the reality,” Araghchi was quoted “Each word of this instrument Tehran have said military sites by state television as saying at the is being discussed and sometimes would be off-limits. end of the latest round of talks quarrelled on,” he said. “There are On April 2, Iran and the P5+1 in Vienna with the P5+1 group of differences but work moves for- agreed the main outlines of the nations that has been talking to ward very slowly.” nuclear deal, with Tehran agree- Iran for almost two years. One appendix would be related ing to mothball large sections of “We don’t trust the other side to sanctions to be lifted on Iran, its atomic programme. at all and they don’t trust us while others would document the AFP SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 08 VIEWS www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

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Crucial election Cartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate

ITH President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s giant persona looming in the backdrop, Turkey holds parliamentary elections today. The vote comes Wat a stage of multifaceted volatility for Turkey which is struggling with a polity largely dominated by the ruling Justice and Development Party, known as the AKP. The right strategy to The Turkish economy is not doing too well and the question of the rights of the Kurdish minority is a much-debated issue. The ruling AKP is likely to dominate the results. However, the run up to the parliamentary vote has seen Erdogan shoot off his mouth at the slightest provocation and sometimes defeat the Islamic State BY DAVID A DEPTULA even without it. capability; (3) undermine its ability to effectiveness while still minimising The issue of Erdogan’s new presidential palace in Ankara control the territory it occupies; and collateral damage and casualties is to was a controversial feature of the campaign. The palace efence Secretary Ashton Carter’s (4) eliminate its ability to export terror. allow them to use their judgment. This is many times larger than the White House and even the recent remarks on the efficacy of But to do these things, air power has is called “mission command,” and the Versailles. The Turkish president has been crying himself DIraq’s army reflect the fact that, to be applied like a thunderstorm, not Pentagon should empower our aviators despite years of training by thousands a drizzle. In the campaign against the to employ it. hoarse justifying the grand mansion with all the tenacity of of US and coalition forces, the army Islamic State, we are averaging 12 strike The fastest way to end the inhuman- a seasoned politician. Yesterday, he cited cockroaches as the has not been able to halt Islamic State sorties per day. During Operation Desert ity of war is to eliminate its source — in reason for moving into the new palace that has 1,150 rooms. aggression. What makes anyone think Storm in Iraq and Kuwait in 1991, the this case, the Islamic State — as quickly Erdogan, who was prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to that a few more months of similar train- average was 1,241; in Operation Allied as possible. 2014,told a television channel on Friday that his old office was ing will yield success? Force in Kosovo in 1999, it was 298; Gradualism doomed the effectiveness infested with cockroaches that made him move into the new We must not, however, confuse Iraq’s in the first 30 days of Operation Iraqi of air power in the “Rolling Thunder” objectives with critical US national Freedom in 2003, 691; during Operation air campaign from 1965 to 1968 during building built at a cost of $615m. security interests. While the two may Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in the Vietnam War. The current gradu- This election is of strategic importance to the AKP that overlap, they are not the same. Each 2001, 86. alist approach is worsening the suffer- would want to increase its hold over power by granting demands its own strategic, military and In the past two decades, several ing and increasing the loss of innocent more authority to the president. policy approach. strategic victories were brought about life. While unintended casualties of Erdogan’s role during the election From the US by air power operating in conjunction war are regrettable, those associated campaign has come in for perspective, the with indigenous ground forces — none of with airstrikes pale in comparison with most important which were better than the Iraqi army. the savage acts being carried out by Turkey’s criticism as the president’s office Gradualism goal is not the Robust air power, along with a few the Islamic State. What is the logic of is supposed to be impartial and maintenance of air controllers, carried the Northern a policy that restricts the use of air election comes above party politics. Opposition doomed the the Iraqi gov- Alliance to victory over the Taliban, at power to avoid the possibility of col- parties criticised Erdogan for ernment but the minimal cost in blood and treasure to lateral damage while allowing the cer- at a time of campaigning for the AKP and effectiveness of destruction of the the United States. Bosnia, Kosovo and tainty of the Islamic State’s crimes Islamic State. Libya similarly involved airstrikes well against humanity? openly soliciting support. political and air power in the The current in excess of those being used against the This does not have to be a “long war,” The stormy campaign saw US-led coali- Islamic State. as has been claimed by those whose economic bloodshed yesterday with a rally “Rolling Thunder” tion is following Complicating the effort to defeat the politics benefit from that assertion, of the pro-Kurdish HDP hit by a air campaign the counterin- Islamic State is an excessive focus on as well as those whose experience is crosscurrents. bomb blast that killed two persons surgency model the avoidance of collateral damage and rooted in counterinsurgency. The coun- and wounded dozens. The party from 1965 to used in Iraq and casualties. terinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan In an armed conflict, the mili- Afghanistan went on for eight and 14 has been working hard to reduce 1968 during the for more than tary establishes rules of engagement years, respectively. the number of seats of the AKP a decade, but designed to balance the moral impera- Desert Storm took 43 days; Bosnia’s so that it finds it difficult to Vietnam War. The the Islamic tive to minimise damage and uninten- Operation Deliberate Force, 22 days; change the constitution for more powers in the hands of the current gradualist State is not an tional casualties against what’s required Allied Force, 78 days; the decisive phase president. insurgency. to accomplish the mission. Recently of Enduring Freedom took 60 days. A The ruling party has 327 seats out of 550 in parliament. It approach is The Islamic reported by pilots actually fighting the robust air campaign can devastate State is a self- Islamic State is that the current rules — the Islamic State to the point where is targetting at least 330 in the current election that would worsening the declared sover- which far exceed accepted “Law of War” Iraqi and Kurdish forces can end the enable it to float a referendum on presidential powers. If eign government. standards — impose excessive restric- occupation. the AKP wins an unlikely two-thirds majority of 367 seats, suffering and We must stop tions that work to the advantage of the Let’s stop unnecessarily restricting the party can simply pass the constitutional amendment in increasing trying to fight enemy. our asymmetric advantage and get on parliament without putting it up to a public vote. the last war and The ponderous and unnecessary set with the task of destroying the Islamic develop a new of procedures in place is allowing the State as quickly as possible through This election is not only a test of the AKP’s performance the loss of strategy. Islamic State to exploit our desire to the optimal use of air power. America’s but also of how the Turkish electorate is able to reconcile the innocent life. The Islamic avoid civilian causalities to commit enemies are exploiting our humanity to demands of a nation which is changing fast amid domestic State can be atrocities on the ground. impose their terror. It is time to change and international challenges. The way Turks vote today is decomposed through a comprehensive We have the finest, most professional strategy. crucial for how the future of Turkey shapes up in the days to and robust air campaign designed to: men and women flying the finest combat Deptula, a retired Air Force general, is come. (1) terminate its expansion; (2) paralyse aircraft in the world. dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace and isolate its command-and-control The best way to improve our force Studies. WP-BLOOMBERG The other side Quote of Cholera’s fresh attack in Haiti the day HE fight against the cholera 2010 earthquake killed at least 160,000 million — has been raised and spent such as Partners in Health, which has epidemic in Haiti, by far the people. so far. vaccinated thousands of people in world’s worst in recent years, It’s impossible to know whether flag- That means that blueprints to rural areas, and a Haitian group called Thas been a hard slog. Still, ging contributions reflect donor fatigue improve and replace portions of GHESKIO, which has done similar work the number of new cases had fallen or the fact that relatively few cholera Haiti’s glaringly inadequate water and in the slums of Port-au-Prince. Supplies Japan, as a country precipitously, to just 1,000 per month victims end up dying (less than 1 per- sanitation infrastructure are not being of the vaccine, which was not in wide for much of 2014 from an average in cent), thanks to quicker recognition and implemented. In the absence of those demand before the Haitian outbreak, that next year will 2011 of nearly 30,000 per month. treatment in many parts of the country. upgrades, more Haitians will continue remain limited. chair the Group But a recent spike — to about Still, tighter money means longer odds to succumb to cholera, a diarrheal ill- The United Nations has done exten- 1,000 new cases per week — is a grim for tackling the disease over the long ness caused by consuming contami- sive and admirable work in Haiti, includ- of Seven, will do reminder of how much is left to do to term. nated food and water. ing on public health, but it maintains everything possible eradicate an illness that was virtually A plan to eliminate cholera in Haiti Vaccinations have been a major it is immune from legal liability for the unknown in Haiti until U.N. peacekeep- by 2022, devised in coordination with focus of international health organiza- cholera epidemic. This is despite the to find a peaceful ers from Nepal introduced it in 2010. the Port-au-Prince government, was tions combating cholera in Haiti. Yet consensus of health experts that U.N. The surge in new cases also casts pegged to cost $2.2 billion. But of the in a country of more than 10 million peacekeepers introduced the disease solution to the an unflattering spotlight on international $1.7 billion sought to execute the first people, fewer than 400,000 Haitians into the country. In January, a federal problems facing donors, whose focus has gradually five years of the plan, from 2013 to have received the cholera vaccine judge in New York sided with the United Shinzo Abe shifted elsewhere since the deadly 2018, only 17 percent — about $286 despite the efforts of organizations Nations. The Washington Post Ukraine today. Japanese Prime Minister SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 VIEWS www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 09 ‘Erdogan is not authoritarian’ Turkey is holding parliamentary elections today. The ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), is expected to score another election victory. But, it might lose considerable popular support. The party might be even forced to form a coalition government. Feyza Gumusluoglu spoke to Ayse Böhürler, a founding member of the AK Party and a prominent journalist.

s a founding member, how do growth rate up to 11 percent. It intro- you describe the AK Party? Is duced radical reforms in health care, it a religious party? granting people the right of getting free Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets supporters during a rally in Eskisehir, Turkey. Contrary to common health care, and improved the conditions perception, the AK Party of hospitals. We can say the same thing Awas born as a right-wing conservative for education as well. Level of education This helped some problems come to the definitely more open to dialogue than believes in the hereafter. He knows that party. It was not established as a reli- has increased by 50 percent under the surface. These problems have always that opposition parties such as the CHP he will not live forever! When a system gious party. Yet its objective was to pro- AK Party’s rule. Positive changes were been there. Since the foundation of the and the MHP. changes, it is a change for your future vide a space for all religions. The party, introduced in terms of gender equality. Turkish Republic, an identity struggle In the past, the Kurdish names were generations, for your country; not for the remaining loyal to its original objective, Positive discrimination towards women had continued as people with a religious not allowed to be given to children. current leader. has not pursued any identity-based pol- has been added to the constitution. tendency had always ben suppressed in Streets that had Kurdish names were icy. Since the foundation of the modern Women’s political participation was also Turkey. The conservative people had not changed to Turkish. Now all of them have Presidentialism was debated during the Republic of Turkey, however, all govern- increased by over 100 percent, as it was been allowed to represent themselves in been given back their original names. We formative years of the AK Party. ments had suppressed religion. Different 4 percent when the AK Party came to political life. The AK Party has changed have a Kurdish channel today, which is Yes. This debate is not new to Turkey. from those parties that had suppressed power and it is currently 14.5 percent. this. In this regard, the party has laid a ran by a state TV, TRT. The Kurdish lan- The model was first introduced by Turgut the Muslim identity of the people and With all these improvements, the AK stronger emphasis on its religious iden- guage can be taken as an elective course Ozal, and before him Suleyman Demirel. instead embraced a Western identity, the Party has had 50 percent of the votes in tity. There are also things that the AK in schools. That is why the AK Party is Presidentialism is a more efficient sys- AK Party has followed a policy that has the last elections. It has gone through 13 Party could not realise. For example, the strongest party in the eastern part of tem. Let me give you an example. There given religion more space. In this regard, elections in the last nine years and the the number of universities in Turkey Turkey. The CHP has no parliamentarian was a plan for a stadium construction in it has struggled with the Turkish Armed votes have been increasing in every elec- increased but there is still a long way to from this area. The AK Party has par- the province of Van. You have to get 50-60 Forces which had dominated Turkish tion. The AK Party means stability and go in terms of the quality of education in liamentarians from 81 cities and this is a approvals from different offices for this politics for a long time. On the other trust for Turkey. those universities. There are also some great achievement. In the last elections, construction to start. The whole proc- hand, the AK Party brought a different issues in foreign policy. Of course, when 20 million people voted for Erdogan. ess may take years. Bureaucracy is very approach that helped Turkey develop You talked about positive developments the AK Party first came to power, it was These 20 million people cannot be out of slow in Turkey. Some decisions take a better relations with the Arab and only. How about negative ones? dreaming of a country that had no prob- their minds! very long time to be implemented. Now Muslim world. Of course as a founder of the AK lems with neighbours. But as a result of the population is over 70 million, and you Party, I like to talk more about positive the negative conjuncture in the region, Is Erdogan becoming more authoritarian, need a faster and more efficient mecha- Was this the AK Party’s greatest success? developments. But maybe after 2010, the it could not achieve this goal. as some suggest? nism. But if you look through a narrow No, the AK Party’s greatest success party has had a tendency towards pursu- I do not think so. I worked with him window, you can read it as Erdogan’s is of course its economic success. It ing a policy based on identity. I mean, it The opposition parties criticise the AK for a long time. I am among the found- desire to have more power. I believe presi- increased Turkey’s GDP per capita from began to emphasise its religious identity Party for turning its back on Europe and ers of the AK Party. I never thought that dential system will advance pluralistic $2,000 to $11,000 within three-and-half more than before. Before 2010, its reli- focusing only on the Muslim world. Do you he had such a desire. The AK Party was democracy. Not only me, there are many years, as well as raising the country’s gious identity was not that dominant. agree with that? not designed as an authoritarian party. academics who think the same way. The European Union process has been Also, the Turkish people will never accept a priority for the AK Party. However, authoritarianism. Today there are more Were you expecting such a success in the the interruption in this process came than 100,000 non-governmental institu- beginning? as a result of problems created by the tions in Turkey. Civil society is vibrant We were not. But we have worked so European Union itself. These problems and active. You can find many groups hard. Erdogan himself, street to street, have slowed down the process a little, which not only represent the right but house to house, person to person. It is but Turkey is a bridge between the East also the left. Neither Turkey can endure not very easy to win people’s hearts. and the West. It can never break apart an authoritarian structure, nor Erdogan When you create a new party, especially from the West as there are many ele- has such a desire. Personally, I do not feel at a time when everybody is against you, ments from the West in its culture. The that is his intention. The AK Party has of course you do not expect such a big AK Party has developed good relations gone through difficult times since it was achievement. People used to say “he can with the Arab world as well. Since 1923, founded. It faced court cases two times not even be a village headman” for your modern Republic of Turkey had turned to be closed down. Struggling with all party’s leader. Personally, I faced many its back on the Arab and Muslim world. those challenges, we see a more aggres- challenges myself. When the AK Party Its policy was based on a Turkish identity. sive Erdogan from time to time. But I do was formed, the constitutional court sued The AK Party has changed this identity not consider this authoritarianism. me, arguing that “a founding member and added an Islamic element to that. cannot wear headscarf.” Just because I Of course, 12-13 years is a short period Erdogan’s emphasis on building a Turkish said “a female judge can wear a head- for a country to gain positive results. model of presidentialism is interpreted by scarf” when I was on TV, I was charged May be after 10 or more years, we will some as a move towards authoritarianism. again for the second time. Wearing a start witnessing more positive outcomes. People pay too much attention to this headscarf was a crime! Having a woman Today Turkey is a country that is dear to talk of “Turkish model.” Each country with a headscarf could be a reason for the Arabs. 15 years ago, the Arabs were has its own model, the US, France etc. your party to be banned. As Muslim despised in Turkey. The Arab tourists When it comes to Turkey, people equate women, we suffered a lot. With the AK were not welcomed at that time. But this model with sultanate or monarchy. Party, this has changed. But of course today, Turkey has established very good Presidential system is another form of there are people who are not happy with relations with them thanks to the AK parliamentary system. You continue to these changes. There are some who want Party. keep the parliament. Do we call the coun- to keep their privileges of the past. This It is the case for the Kurds as well. tries who have a presidential system non- created a political struggle between AK The Kurdish issue has been normalised, democratic? This issue is associated with Party and the others. We have come to as we have a Kurdish party (HDP) in the Erdogan and described as his personal this point not by luck, but by working parliament today. There are some Kurds matter. In Turkey, opposition is based on hard. Of course the others can be strong among the founders of the AK Party. The anti-Erdoganism. rivals by working hard like us! Ayse Böhürler, a founding member of the AK Party, is a prominent journalist. AK Party’s policy towards the Kurds is In the end, Erdogan is a person who THE PENINSULA Hillary Clinton gets it right on voter registration BY JONATHAN registration in the US is a real, voting, making Election Day a valuable, time available for politi- Democrats favour easier voting To me, it’s simple. Policies that BERNSTEIN and unnecessary, hurdle. That’s holiday) is mixed. Some politi- cal action, and even interest in because they think it will help make it easy to vote are good for no coincidence: Registration was cal scientists find “substitution” government. Universal suffrage them, which is why Republicans democracy; policies that make illary Clinton’s call for originally set up around the turn effects — in many cases, early vot- is a partial remedy, but that oppose it. The evidence is that it hard aren’t. I’ll support any- universal automatic voter of the previous century in part by ing just allows people who would only works if voting is easily and even compulsory voting wouldn’t thing, even selective measures, Hregistration is a major those concerned that the wrong vote anyway to do so at more equally accessible. make much of a difference (see that make it easier to vote. After positive development in the vot- kinds of people (mostly recent convenient times, but it doesn’t That’s why registration is so Jamelle Bouie and Greg Sargent all, if both parties reduce vot- ing wars. She puts the national immigrants from southern and encourage new voters to partici- corrosive. Even if it’s not much for the politics of automatic regis- ing barriers for their supporters, Democratic Party squarely behind eastern Europe) would vote. pate. But automatic or simpler of a barrier, those who are tration as an election issue). eventually we’ll get to the right Oregon’s recent innovative regis- There are plenty of ideas to registration works. deterred are almost certainly Is fraud a concern? I don’t place. tration law. make voting easier, but remov- To me, however, the strong- the same people who lose out in think so. Yes, people could find Universal automatic registra- As Bloomberg View columnist ing registration as a hurdle is the est arguments are based on a system that cannot (and in my ways to beat an automatic system, tion has the virtue of not being Cass Sunstein says, Americans big one, on both a practical and democratic theory. Democracy, view should not) help but reward but they can find ways to beat selective. It’s the right reform, don’t need to register with the theoretical level. a system of government in those with more resources. Voting the current system, too. Fraud is and kudos to Clinton for moving government to be entitled to As a practical matter, political which people rule themselves, itself should be easy for the same an unfortunate but unavoidable her once-indifferent party in that other rights; voting shouldn’t be scientists have repeatedly found is extremely difficult even with reasons, but registration holds a byproduct. If we want a bigger direction. any different. that making registration easy will the best intentions. A core prob- special status as the entryway to military, we’re going to get more — Jonathan Bernstein is a It’s pretty simple: If we want increase turnout. Indeed, the evi- lem is that people have different politics. procurement fraud; if we want to Bloomberg View columnist cover- everyone to participate, then dence when it comes to some vot- resources — money, of course, Granted, there is a partisan make it easy to vote, some may ing US politics. voting should be easy. Voter ing reforms (early and absentee but also skills that are politically component to voting as an issue. try to abuse that. WP-BLOOMBERG SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 10 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com EUROPE Putin tells West: Don’t be afraid of Russia Still committed to Ukraine peace deal: President

MOSCOW: Russia is not a threat and Nordic countries reporting an Putin said Moscow was ready to the West, President Vladimir uptick in Russian military activity to build an equal partnership with Putin insisted in an interview over the past year. the EU and accused Brussels of published yesterday, saying he Pentagon officials said on Friday pursuing relations based solely was still committed to a Ukraine that the United States was con- “on material interests”. “We peace deal after a fresh flare-up sidering a range of moves to beef never treated Europe like a mis- in the country’s east. up security, including bolstering tress,” he said, using a metaphor “I would like to say - there’s missile defences or even deploying suggested by an Italian journalist. no need to be afraid of Russia,” land-based missiles in Europe. Putin told Italian newspaper Speaking about the Ukraine JAPAN, CANADA LEADERS Corriere della Sera in an inter- crisis, Putin accused Kiev author- VISIT KIEV view, ruling out a major conflict ities of being unwilling to imple- The leaders of Japan and between Russia and Nato member ment a European-brokered peace Canada made a point of dropping countries. deal agreed in February in Minsk by Kiev on the eve of a major “The world has changed so much and enter into dialogue with pro- leadership summit from which that people in their right mind Moscow rebels. Russia has been barred over its cannot imagine such a large-scale “The problem is that repre- actions in Ukraine. military conflict today. We have sentatives of the current Kiev But both visits were partially Protesters and German police officers clash during a protest against the G7 summit in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, other things to do, I can assure authorities do not even want to sit eclipsed by news that Europe’s Germany, yesterday. you,” Putin said. “Only a sick per- down to talks with them,” Putin chief mediator in the Ukrainian son — and even then only in his said. “And there is nothing we can crisis was quitting in evident frus- sleep — can imagine that Russia do about it,” he added, urging the tration at being unable to broker Heavy police presence for G7 as would suddenly attack Nato.” West to prod Kiev into negotiat- a lasting ceasefire and instead The Russian president spoke ing with the rebels. “We would seeing more intense warfare ahead of his visit to Italy next like these agreements to be imple- resume this week. week that will include a meet- mented,” Putin said, stressing that The Swiss foreign ministry said protesters stage colourful demos ing with Pope Francis. Putin’s Kiev should ensure autonomy for the top representative from the interview was released by the rebel-held territories and imple- Organisation for Security and GARMISCH-PARTEN- a watchful eye on demonstrators. demo and it’s great.” At the other Kremlin just as Group of Seven ment a law on municipal elections Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), KIRCHEN: Around 4,000 peo- A wide variety of anti-G7 pro- end of the age scale, a 22-year- leaders are gearing up to meet in and on amnesty. Swiss national Heidi Tagliavini, ple staged colourful and largely testers joined the demonstra- old woman, who declined to give the Bavarian Alps for a summit “The leaders of the self-pro- “wishes to step down from her peaceful protests under a very tion, from black-clad anarchists her name, said: “We’re here to this weekend without Russia. claimed republics have publicly position in the near future.” heavy police presence yesterday to communists to people sporting criticise capitalism. The G7 is a In the interview, Putin stressed said that under certain conditions It gave no further explanation, on the eve of the G7 summit in traditional Bavarian Lederhosen display of power and it’s no longer that Russia merely sought to — that is the implementation of saying only that the career diplo- southern Germany. (leather trousers). More than compatible with democracy.” defend itself from outside threats. these Minsk agreements — they mat — whose one-year mandate Police reported isolated inci- 22,000 police have been deployed Near to Garmisch- He pointed out that Nato mem- are ready to consider the possibil- was renewed in January — “is cur- dents and in one case deployed to watch over the event. Partenkirchen, in picturesque bers have defence expenditures ity of considering themselves part rently not available for comments.” pepper spray to disperse some Margit Landgraf, a 73-year-old meadows nestled under the that are 10 times Russia’s mili- of Ukraine.” The announcement appeared to protesters but the demonstra- local, placed herself at the head Bavarian Alps, protesters had tary spending, adding that the US “I believe this position should underscore increasing worries that tion in the city of Garmisch- of the demonstration wielding a set up brightly coloured tents for military budget was the biggest in be considered as a serious, good a shaky, European-brokered cease- Partenkirchen was noisy but banner calling on fellow protest- accommodation. the world. preliminary condition to start fire agreed in February was now on mainly good-natured with music ers to “demonstrate peacefully.” As the mercury rose, some pro- To ensure a strategic balance, serious negotiations,” he said, life support. pumping out in sweltering “I just want things to pass off testers stripped off and plunged Russia will develop “systems to urging the European Union to This week’s resumption of temperatures. peacefully. What the demon- into a nearby river. overpower anti-missile defences”, provide “greater financial assist- heavy weapons fire near big cities There were seven police inju- strators are calling for is not all Several curious locals strolled Putin said. “We have made signifi- ance” to Kiev. in the east has killed around 30 ries as some protesters hurled wrong. But for me what’s impor- out to visit the tent city, some cant progress in this direction,” Ties between Russia and the Ukrainian soldiers and scores of bottles, authorities said. tant is that it’s peaceful. That’s bringing cakes. he added, without providing fur- West have plunged to their low- civilians. The pro-Russian rebels The main street in Garmisch- why I’m marching right at the However, later a loud thun- ther details. est level since the end of the Cold rarely report their exact losses Partenkirchen, around 15km from front, so there’s no violence. Wish derstorm broke over the area Russia’s annexation of Crimea War, with Moscow being accused but have also admitted to suffer- the Elmau Castle where world me luck,” she said. bringing heavy rain, forcing an from Ukraine last year has jan- of inciting a separatist rebellion ing heavy casualties. leaders will gather from today, Another local, 74-year-old Egon evacuation of the camp. gled nerves in Europe, with Baltic in eastern Ukraine. AFP was lined with riot police keeping Rueppel, said: “It’s my first ever AFP

Scientists stage rare anti-govt World haunted by atmosphere of war: Pope demo in Moscow SARAJEVO: Pope Francis former status as a beacon of yesterday bemoaned the multiculturalism. MOSCOW: Russian scientists “atmosphere of war” haunting “In a world unfortunately rent staged a rare anti-government the world as he urged the people by conflicts, this land can become demonstration yesterday, amid of war-scarred Sarajevo to pro- a message: attesting that it is pos- fears that after cracking down vide an example of how differ- sible to live together side by side, on the media, rights activists and ent cultures and religions can in diversity but rooted in common the opposition, the Kremlin is co-exist peacefully. humanity.” now training its sights on science. The 78-year-old was given Despite a show of unity to wel- Several thousand protesters a rapturous reception by a come the pope, it was not hard including scientists and intel- 65,000-strong crowd at the to find reminders of how fragile lectuals took to the streets of city’s Olympic stadium and tens Bosnia’s unity is. Moscow to express fears that sci- of thousands more took to the It was noticeable that there entific research in Russia faces streets to greet him. were far more red and white dire prospects due to stifling Many conflicts across the Croatian flags being waved than bureaucracy and mismanagement. planet amount to “a kind of third Bosnia’s blue and yellow ones. Prominent opposition figures world war being fought piecemeal The national anthem played including top activist Alexei and, in the context of global com- for Francis on his arrival remains Navalny joined the rally. munications, we sense an atmos- without words because the three “Authorities are strangling phere of war,” the pontiff said in a communities have been unable to science” and “Nobel laureates mass at the stadium during a one- agree a common text. are foreign agents” read some of day visit to the Bosnian capital. Katarina Dzrek, a Bosnian the placards held by protesters. “Some wish to incite and Croat who was in the stadium “Putin cannot solve problems, he foment this atmosphere deliber- crowd said: “Bosnia is in need of is the problem,” read another sign. ately,” he added, attacking those the message of peace the pope will Astrophysicist Boris Shtern who want to foster division for send because there is still a lack of told the rally: “Alas, science is political ends or profit from war trust between the communities.” slowly dying. The massive advance through arms dealing. The 1992-95 Bosnian war left of ignorance is being supported by “But war means children, nearly 100,000 people dead and the media and authorities.” women and the elderly in refugee resulted in half the population, The protest was originally camps, it means forced displace- Pope Francis waves from his ‘Popemobile’ along a street in Sarajevo yesterday. some two million people, being called in support of a top private ment, destroyed houses, streets forced to leave their homes, many foundation whose 82-year-old and factories: above all countless “European Jerusalem”, a cross- ruins and Bosnia permanently set aside,” Francis said in a meet- of them never to return. founder, philanthropist Dmitry shattered lives. roads of cultures, nations and reli- divided along ethnic lines, he ing with officials of the rotating More than a third of Bosnia’s Zimin, has recently come under “You know this well having gions which required “the building urged the country’s Muslim, Serb presidency. pre-war ethnic Croat population fire for financing Russian science experienced it here.” of new bridges while maintaining and Croat communities to reach Later, at a meeting with have left the country which is now from overseas accounts. The pontiff had earlier referred and restoring older ones.” out to each other at every level. Catholic, Muslim, Jewish and divided in two between a Bosnian Discontent among scientists to Sarajevo, with its synagogues, In a reference to the legacy of “In so doing, even the deep Orthodox religious figures, he Serb republic and a Croat-Muslim has been brewing for months but churches and mosques, as a the war, which left Sarajevo in wounds of the recent past will be said Sarajevo could reclaim its federation. AFP the crackdown against Zimin’s Dynasty Foundation sparked acute anger and disbelief. The justice ministry in late May added the Dynasty founda- UKIP plea to Eurosceptic rivals tion, set up by ex-telecoms mag- LONDON: The leader of Britain’s anti-EU party, UKIP, called France, Spain ‘enemies of peace’: ETA nate Zimin, to its list of “foreign yesterday for Eurosceptic politicians from rival parties to put agents” under a law that critics aside “personal animosities” and join the campaign against MADRID: Basque separatist operation, ETA said in a statement the most extreme attitude” of say is designed to muzzle critics of Britain’s continued membership of the bloc. group ETA accused France and published in Basque newspaper Spanish Prime Minister Mariano President Vladimir Putin. Prime Minister David Cameron is currently attempting to per- Spain in a statement yester- Gara, a mouthpiece for the group, Rajoy’s conservative government, Zimin, a hugely-respected suade European leaders to back EU reform before holding an in-out day of being “enemies of peace” that the weapons were going to which has long taken a hard line former radio engineer who spent referendum on Britain’s EU membership. He has promised the vote after French police seized a be put out of use or sealed by the against the group. millions of dollars supporting by the end of 2017. weapons cache belonging to the group as part of its decision to end “All forces favourable to the Russian scientific research, has Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), organisation. its armed campaign. resolution (of the conflict) should threatened to shut down his said the “Yes” campaign to stay in had already started, but many Police raided an opulent villa The French and Spanish govern- politically back this process and foundation, demanded an apology Eurosceptics, including senior figures in Cameron’s Conservative in the southern French seaside ments “are enemies of peace. What take a strong stand against his from the authorities and tempo- Party, were waiting to see what reform was achieved before voicing resort of Biarritz at dawn on May else explains this scenario which type of aggressions,” it added. rarily left Russia. Witnesses said their opposition. He said it would be to late to begin a proper “No” 28 and found weapons and bomb- consists of attack the process which A source close to the case said more than 2,000 people turned campaign if Cameron called a referendum early next year. “If that making materials and arrested has as its objective putting Eta weap- there was no clear evidence that out for the rally, while activists happened, the ‘No’ campaign simply wouldn’t have time to organise the couple who own the home on ons out of use?”, the statement said. ETA was about to seal the weapons counted some 3,500 participants. and mobilise”,” Farage told BBC radio. REUTERS suspicion of ties to ETA. ETA said the French govern- which were found in Biarritz. AFP In its first reaction to the police ment was aligning itself “with AFP SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 AMERICAS www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 11

LA police officers Obama struggles deemed justified in black man’s for deterrence slaying: Report LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles police chief and an independent watchdog have amid data hack determined two patrolmen were justified in the shooting death of unarmed black man Ezell Ford White House looks for effective defence last year, the L A Times news- paper reported on Friday, citing WASHINGTON: The auda- response capabilities.” unidentified sources. cious hack of data on four mil- Prosecuting offenders would Department investigators lion US government employees play a role. Last year, five offic- found evidence indicating Ford exposed America’s shaky cyber ers from Unit 61398 of the Third had struggled for control of one defences and the Obama admin- Department of the People’s of the patrolmen’s gun, supporting istration’s ongoing struggle to Liberation Army of China were the account the officers gave after develop an effective deterrence. charged with spying on six US the incident, the newspaper cited On April 1 — in the midst of companies in the nuclear, metals two sources as saying. tense negotiations over Iran’s and solar sectors. The department’s inspector nuclear programme — President On the scale of deterrence general, Alex Bustamante, also Barack Obama signed an execu- options, indictments, like sanc- found the shooting justified, but tive order authorising sanctions tions, sat usefully between diplo- faulted the officers for the manner against foreign-based hackers. matic complaints or “demarches” in which they approached Ford in For the administration, it was a unlikely to be a game-changer and the moments before the shooting, critical step to address a growing kinetic military action. the Times reported, citing the national security threat, a threat But even today, with a range sources. every bit as real as that posed by of responses available to Obama, Los Angeles Police Department Tehran. there is still limited deterrence, US President Barack Obama hugs Vice-President Joe Biden during funeral services for Beau Biden at St Anthony spokeswoman Jane Kim said Part of the strategy was to said retired Lieutenant General of Padua Church in Wilmington, Delaware, yesterday. the department would not offer boost cyber defences — new ver- David Barno, who commanded any comment ahead of a Police sions of the government’s intru- US and coalition forces in Commission meeting on Tuesday, sion detection system “Einstein” Afghanistan from 2003-2005. when the civilian watchdog group is would be fast-tracked and the “We have a degree of deter- Obamas, Clintons join Biden scheduled to weigh the use of deadly National Security Agency would rence” toward state actors, he force and the officers’ behaviour. be given more powers to screen said, “but it’s inadequate to the The newspaper said Beck will for potential attacks. scope of the threat.” at son Beau’s funeral recommend to the oversight But defences — as the latest The chief problem may be that commission that the officers be China-originated breach at the cyber adversaries still do not cleared of wrongdoing. Office of Personnel Management know what response to expect. WILMINGTON: President of character. A man who loved chapter in the life of the vice presi- Bustamante will recommend showed — are imperfect, quickly Because cyber attacks range Barack Obama and his family deeply and was loved in return,” dent, who lost his first wife and his the panel fault the officers for outdated and expensive to keep vastly in scope and intent, know- joined a host of US political fig- Obama said. “To know Joe and daughter in a car accident shortly their tactics based on the find- up. ing who, how and when to hit ures including Bill and Hillary the rest of the Biden family is to after winning election to the US ings of his own investigation. The The Department of Defence back is fraught. Clinton on Saturday to mourn understand why Beau lived the Senate in 1972. Beau and his board makes a final ruling, the alone has an estimated seven mil- Officials point to the difficulties Vice President Joe Biden’s son, life he did.” brother Hunter, who were three newspaper said. lion networked devices to protect. in simple attribution in an arena Beau, who died last week of One thousand people filled the and two years old at the time, were Two officers shot Ezell Ford, So the White House looked at where lines are blurred between brain cancer at the age of 46. St Anthony of Padua Catholic injured in the crash but survived. who was 25 and described by developing an effective deterrence. military and civilian, criminality Obama, his voice breaking Church in Wilmington for the Hunter Biden said his first mem- family attorneys as mentally “We’ve talked a lot about what and espionage. on occasion, delivered a moving funeral Mass. The vice president ory was being in the hospital after challenged, on August 11 last year we are doing to protect our net- “What is easily overlooked if funeral eulogy for the popular son processed into the church with that accident, his brother holding after he struggled with one of work defences and increase you are talking about a response and politician in his own right, his family at the beginning of the his hand. “We were always under them and tried to grab the police- public-private cooperation on is the fact that it is so exceedingly who served as Delaware’s attorney service. Beau Biden was diagnosed his wing,” he said. The death of man’s holstered service revolver. information sharing,” said an complicated and difficult to affix general and completed a year-long with brain cancer in August 2013 Beau Biden, who was married with Ford’s death came two days administration official, who asked firm and certain attribution if you term in Iraq as a member of the and underwent surgery, radiation two children, has drawn wide US after the fatal police shooting of not to be named. are talking about cyber activities,” Delaware Army National Guard. and chemotherapy. It recurred in media coverage and an outpouring unarmed black teenager Michael “But you are also seeing an said the administration official. “Beau Biden was an origi- the spring of this year. of sympathy for the vice president. Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. effort to develop some new AFP nal. He was a good man. A man His death was another tragic REUTERS REUTERS US patrol copter hit by gunfire near Lunch with Warren Buffet Mexican border auctioned for $2.35m SAN ANTONIO: A US Customs and Border Protection WASHINGTON: The chair- at the Smith & Wollensky steak- helicopter was forced to make man of a Chinese company house in Manhattan. an emergency landing near the that develops online games has Buffett, 84, will talk about Mexican border after it was hit agreed to pay $2,345,678 for a almost anything, including phi- several times by gunfire, the private lunch with billionaire lanthropy and life, but not what FBI said yesterday. investor Warren Buffett, win- he is buying and selling. The helicopter was on an ning a charity auction. Some past winners chose to eat operational mission along the This year’s auction was the 16th with Buffett at a steakhouse in Rio Grande near Laredo, Texas, to benefit the Glide Foundation, Omaha, Nebraska, where he has when shots from the ground a nonprofit in San Francisco’s run Berkshire Hathaway Inc for struck it late on Friday after- Tenderloin district that provides 50 years. noon, Special Agent Michelle food, health care, rehabilitation The auctions began in 2000 Lee said. and other services to the poor and after Buffett’s first wife Susan “The rounds penetrated and homeless. introduced him to Glide. She died damaged the aircraft, forcing the Glide said Zhu Ye, chairman in 2004. pilot to make an emergency land- of Beijing-based Dalian Zeus None of the first three winners ing,” Lee said. The pilot was not Entertainment Co, submitted paid more than $25,000, but the injured and no one on the ground the highest of 76 bids to win the price soared once the auctions, was affected by the emergency five-day auction on eBay, which which had been live only, moved landing, she said. concluded on Friday night. online in 2003. Lee said the FBI is investigat- His bid was well below the One past winner, Ted Weschler, ing the incident, along with the $3,456,789 winning bid in 2012, ended up working for Buffett as a Texas Rangers. still a record for an eBay char- Berkshire portfolio manager after She declined to say what the ity auction, but will help Glide paying $5.25 million to win the helicopter’s mission was at the meet its $16m annual budget. 2010 and 2011 auctions. time, and said all other aspects The 16 auctions have raised about Just eight people submitted of the incident, including whether $20.2m. bids this year, probably because the gunfire came from the US or “What we try to do is work the high bid reached seven fig- Mexican side of the border, are to empower our people, to make ures on the first day. Smith & part of the investigation. sure that people find some way to Wollensky founder Alan Stillman The Texas National Guard was have hope,” the Reverend Cecil also donates to Glide. deployed to the border last fall in Williams, a Glide co-founder, said Buffett is worth $69.2 bil- response to a spike last summer after the auction ended. “We were lion, ranking fourth worldwide, in refugees from Central America overjoyed when the count came according to Forbes magazine. He attempting to enter the United in.” is donating nearly all his wealth States illegally. The winner can invite up to to charity. REUTERS seven friends to eat with Buffett REUTERS

Colombian police recapture scribe attacker

BOGOTA: Colombian authori- According to local media But he retracted his confession ties have recaptured an ex-par- reports, Cardenas was captured two years later. Bedoya identified amilitary accused of the rape late on Friday in a nightclub Cardenas as one of the paramili- and torture of a journalist, fol- southwest of Bogota. tary fighters who abducted her in lowing public outcry in the days In a Twitter message, President May 2000, drugged her and tor- since authorities ordered his Juan Manuel Santos said he tured her for 16 hours “in every release. approved of the recapture of way imaginable.” Alejandro Cardenas Orozco, a Cardenas. “Sexual violence can- Bedoya, who was 26 at the time, former member of a right-wing not go unpunished,” he wrote. had been reporting on a far-right paramilitary group, confessed in Cardenas had confessed under paramilitary group. 2011 to taking part in the bru- Colombia’s “Justice and Peace” Still working as a journalist, tal kidnapping of investigative law, which disbanded the para- Bedoya condemned the decision to reporter Jineth Bedoya a decade military groups involved in the release Cardenas. Santos quickly earlier. Colombian prosecutors country’s long-running civil war waded into the controversy and ordered his release on Wednesday, and offered members reduced said the order to release him had but reversed their decision the prison sentences if they confessed been due to a “misunderstanding.” next day amid an uproar. to their crimes. AFP SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 12 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com ASIA / AFRICA 13 dead after Climate change forum quake jolts Malaysia peak Aftershocks keep rescuers on edge

KUNDASANG: A strong the United States, the Philippines, earthquake that jolted Mount Britain, Thailand, Turkey, China Kinabalu in Malaysia has left 13 and Japan. Authorities have not people dead and another six miss- provided a breakdown or given ing on Southeast Asia’s highest details on the number of injured. peak, an official said yesterday. Major earthquakes are rare The 6.0-magnitude quake struck in Malaysia and the tremor was early on Friday near the pictur- one of the strongest in decades, esque mountain, a popular tourist jolting a wide area of Sabah and destination, sending landslides and sending people fleeing outdoors. huge granite boulders tumbling But there have been no reports of down from its wide, 4,095-metre- major damage, nor any casualties high (13,435-foot) crown. outside of those on the mountain. “There are 13 (dead) bodies. Two Masidi said all climbing would yesterday and 11 today. We’ve got be suspended at Mount Kinabalu six people still missing. I cannot for at least three weeks to allow for Participants attending a climate debate forum titled “World Wide Views on Climate and Energy” pose for a group photo in Manila yesterday. From confirm with you where they are repairs to damaged trails, accom- the typhoon-ravaged Philippines to the Arizona desert, thousands of people began gathering yesterday in small groups in 79 countries for what was from,” Mohammad Farhan Lee modation and other facilities. touted as the biggest public debate on climate change. One of the first debates was in the Philippines, a Southeast Asian nation particularly vulner- Abdullah, police chief of the town Malaysia’s Bernama news agency able to climate change and already hit by an average of 20 major storms or typhoons a year. of Ranau near the mountain, said. quoted a climber describing his Malaysian media reports have terror as the quake unleashed a said the dead included members shower of large stones from the of a Singapore primary school rocky peak. “Rocks were raining group on an excursion to the down fast, like rock blasting,” Lee mountain, including a 12-year- Yoke Fah, a 60-year-old Malaysian old girl who was killed, as well as who suffered minor injuries, was Ship sinking: Search for bodies widens a local Malaysian climbing guide. quoted as saying. “I am not going “It’s very sad. The Singapore to climb again, I am scared.” JIANLI: Rescuers extended their companies to assist in the hunt, Online images showed workers said, after the ruling Communist children were so happy when they Mount Kinabalu is among the search for victims of a Chinese which stretches from Jianli in wearing surgical suits handling party’s all-powerful Politburo arrived here, but now...” Masidi top tourist attractions in a state cruise ship sinking to include a Hubei province, past the cities of body bags in the vessel’s dark cab- Standing Committee vowed to Manjun, tourism minister for famed for its rainforests, wild riv- vast stretch of the Yangtze river Wuhan and Nanjing, to Shanghai ins, while others slept on a nearby leave “no doubts remaining” about the Malaysian state of Sabah on ers and coral reefs. Around 20,000 yesterday, as the confirmed death on the east coast. The death toll floating platform, exhausted by the disaster. Information about Borneo island, told reporters. complete the relatively easy climb toll rose to 396, marking the coun- jumped by over 200 after rescuers their grim work. the sinking and media access to Rescuers earlier yesterday fin- each year, usually taking two days. try’s worst shipping disaster in used massive cranes to hoist the At a nearby funeral parlour, the site have been tightly control- ished escorting down to safety The force of the tremor was nearly 70 years. vessel out of the water on Friday witnesses saw men also dressed led, and online criticism of the 137 hikers who were stuck on the so strong that it toppled one of With most bodies retrieved and began recovering bodies in the white suits driving a convoy search operation quickly deleted. mountain for up to 18 hours after the two “Donkey’s Ears”, tower- from the battered ship, officials trapped inside. of about 20 mini-vans adapted to Relatives of those on board the the quake damaged a key trail and ing twin rock outcroppings that widened the search scope to Xinhua put the number of dead carry coffins towards the disaster Eastern Star clashed with police they faced the threat of continu- form a distinctive part of the 1,300km of the Yangtze in the at 396 as of noon local time (0400 site. Reports citing witnesses said earlier this week, and an angry ing rockfalls. peak’s profile. hope of finding 46 people still GMT) yesterday. The figure makes the 76.5-metre-long and 2,200- woman berated officials at a press Crews and officials engaged in Mount Kinabalu is sacred to unaccounted for, state news it China’s worst shipping disaster tonne ship overturned in under a conference in Jianli on Friday. further search and rescue efforts the local Kadazan Dusun tribe, agency Xinhua said. since 1948, when up to 4,000 on minute, and weather officials said A group of relatives from were kept on edge, however, by who consider it a resting place for Only 14 survivors have been board the SS Kiangya were killed a freak tornado hit the area at Nanjing, the city in the eastern aftershocks including a Saturday departed spirits. Malaysian social confirmed out of the 456 people when it sank near Shanghai. A the time. province of Jiangsu where the afternoon temblor that Malaysian media users and some officials — mostly tourists aged over 60 — government spokesman said on The vessel was cited for safety boat began its journey, argued with officials rated at 4.5-magnitude. It have suggested the quake was a on board when the “Eastern Star” Thursday that no further survivors infractions two years ago, accord- officials from their home town at a sent staff and journalists scurry- sign the spirits were angry after rapidly sank on China’s biggest are expected to be found. ing to a notice by the Nanjing meeting in Jianli yesterday morn- ing out of the park’s headquarters. a group of 10 apparently Western river in a storm on Monday, in the As images showed the blue and Maritime Bureau, but no further ing. Family members who emerged Reports said most people on men and women tourists last central county of Jianli. white vessel’s caved-in roof, state details have been given about the from the meeting looked visibly the mountain when the quake hit weekend snapped nude photos at The Ministry of Transport broadcaster CCTV said rescuers’ state of the ship. upset as they hugged each other were Malaysian but that they also the summit and posted them on yesterday ordered water traf- torches were visible inside the Investigators will probe the and walked away arm in arm, included hikers from Singapore, the Internet. AFP fic authorities and shipping ship overnight. ship’s structure for flaws, CCTV shaking their heads. AFP

Yoga class at Joburg Art Gallery Nine more cases of Mers Qaeda-linked virus in South Korea group beheads SEOUL: South Korea yester- man who was the first case, and militiaman in day confirmed nine more cases his wife who contracted the virus of the Mers virus, which has from him, have both been cured killed four people, but said it did and were released from hospital. Philippines not represent a spread of the Four people have died since the outbreak as the infected were 68-year-old man was diagnosed ZAMBOANGA: Members of already in quarantine. on May 20 after a trip to Saudi an Al Qaeda-linked militant The additional cases brought Arabia. group beheaded a pro-govern- the total number of people Consequently, more than ment militiaman in the latest infected with the virus to 50. The 1,660 people who may have been clash in the troubled southern new cases were part of a group of exposed to the virus have been Philippines yesterday, a mili- 1,660 quarantined after they came placed under varying levels of tary statement said. into contact with people infected quarantine. The outbreak has Two members of the extremist with the disease prior to the first forced hundreds of schools to Abu Sayyaf group were also killed case being diagnosed on May 20, shut their gates, thousands of in the fighting against soldiers the health ministry said. people to cancel travel plans and and pro-government volunteers “The nine people contracted the dealt a blow to many businesses in the strife-torn southern island virus (in three different) hospitals as people were told to avoid large of Basilan, the statement said. and there is no evidence to sug- crowds. The troops were guarding a gest any transmissions in commu- The WHO on Friday said that town’s water system following nities outside hospital settings,” it it would send a team of experts a series of extortion demands Yogis practise yoga asana in a weekly mass yoga class held at the Joburg Art Gallery in Johannesburg, South said in a press statement. to South Korea for a joint mission by Abu Sayyaf when they were Africa, yesterday. The weekly class is taught and organised by Steven Haymen from Yoga Works and is held Kwon Joon-Wook, a senior with the government in collecting attacked by about 20 gunmen. in open city parks, a roof top venue in the inner city and now for the first time in the gallery. Yoga is a spiritual ministry official, told reporters information of the outbreak. “A fire fight ensued for five Saturday that the 68-year-old AFP minutes (and) resulted in the practice growing in popularity in the Western world outside of its origin country, India. death of (one civilian auxiliary) who was eventually beheaded,” the report said. Two Abu Sayyaf members were also killed in the fighting, the military said, adding that troops Migrants trapped in Myanmar-Bangladesh tussle were pursuing the extremists. Abu Sayyaf, set up with seed MAUNGDAW: Unwanted by last month, and eventually allowed them “I want to go back to Bangladesh. I’m their relatives pay release fees of around funding from Al-Qaeda in the Bangladesh and unwelcome in Myanmar, to disembark in its western Rakhine state praying to God to be able to go back home $2,000 as well as selling victims on to busi- early 1990s, has been blamed for hundreds of stick-thin migrants found on Wednesday. quickly,” said 20-year-old Shophikuu from nesses in Malaysia. many of the deadliest militant adrift at sea as a transnational traf- The would-be migrants were then driven Chittagong in Bangladesh, who like many Recalling the hardships of the journey, attacks in the Philippines, includ- ficking route collapsed are now living in to camps in a remote region near the others boarded the boat in the hope of where migrants were given only one scant ing the 2004 firebombing of a tents on a frontier scrubland. Myanmar-Bangladesh border, where an earning a better living in Malaysia. meal a day, Nishok spoke of his parents: “I ferry on Manila Bay that claimed After weeks crammed together on a earlier boatload of 200 men was already Nishok, 24, is also desperate to get back miss my mum and dad so much. I really more than 100 lives. boat bound for Malaysia — a treacherous being held, to wait in limbo as authorities to his family, saying he was forced to leave want to see them.” The group has been known to journey many braved to flee persecution or wrangle over which country they belong to. at gunpoint. “A broker asked me whether I The migrant crisis has sparked interna- behead some of its hostages and poverty — they are back near to where they Neither nation has shown a willingness would like to go to Malaysia. When I refused tional condemnation. Both Myanmar and mutilate slain opponents. began. Since Southeast Asia’s migrant cri- to accept them and rights groups are con- to go, he pointed his gun at me and took me Bangladesh are under increasing pressure It has engaged in mass kidnap- sis erupted more than a month ago, 4,500 cerned some could be pushed to the wrong to the boat,” he said of the moment he was to take the migrants back and improve liv- pings and extortion to raise funds Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants have side of the border. cornered by traffickers in Cox’s Bazar, an ing conditions to stop their exodus. and has proved resilient despite been washed ashore, and the UN estimates Arriving at one of the camps, the men impoverished coastal region in Bangladesh On Saturday afternoon Major Imran the Philippine military receiving that around 2,000 others are still trapped bathed for the first time in days and where around 300,000 Rohingya refugees Ullah Sarker, a spokesman for Border Guard US training to hunt them down. at sea. received urgent medical treatment, some eke out a life alongside poor Bangladeshis. Bangladesh in Cox’s Bazar, said that 150 of A key leader of the group posted Myanmar found the boat of 733 Rohingya attached to IV drips, as Myanmar immi- There have been previous reports of the first batch of 200 migrants found off video footage of himself and other Muslims and Bangladeshis — the majority gration officials noted down names, ages migrants being forced to make the danger- Myanmar had been identified as Bangladeshi gunmen last year pledging alle- men but also including women and chil- and addresses of migrants now at the heart ous journey south as brokers can earn hefty and would be repatriated tomorrow. giance to Islamic State fighters dren — abandoned by people-smugglers late of a diplomatic tussle with Bangladesh. sums in the lucrative trade by demanding AFP in Syria and Iraq. AFP SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 PAKISTAN / AFGHANISTAN www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 13 Officials deny acquittal Beating the heat in Jalalabad of Malala case accused Suspects still in jail facing other terrorism charges

PESHAWAR: Eight of the terrorism-related charges against operation that involved the army, 10 men acquitted by a court them, he said. police and intelligence agencies. over the attempted murder “The trial was held at intern- The announcement of the con- of Pakistani schoolgirl activ- ment centre Swat which is con- victions in April came as a sur- ist Malala Yousafzai are still trolled by security forces and prise to many, given there was no being held in custody on other access of media, even police, is indication a trial was under way, charges, officials said Saturday. restricted,” the official said on and until this week officials have Court and security officials condition of anonymity. done nothing to contradict the said last month 10 men had been He said police only came to reports of 10 men being jailed. convicted in a secret trial by an know of the court’s decision Despite several high-ranking anti-terrorism court and jailed for some two weeks after the hear- police and legal sources now say- life over the October 2012 attack ings, which were conducted by a ing only two were convicted, a in which the teenager was shot in civilian judge. senior security official in Mingora the head on her school bus. The Pakistani army, which on Friday insisted the court had But in a surprise twist on wields enormous influence across jailed all 10 for life. Friday, officials said that in fact the country, has a strong pres- The security official accused Afghan children cool off at a pond to escape the heat on a hot day in Jalalabad yesterday. Temperatures rise eight were cleared and only two ence in Swat and another inves- the police of lying, suggesting to 40 degrees Celsius and even more during these months. sent down for their part in the bid tigations officer said civilian law divisions between the military to silence education campaigner enforcement personnel and inves- and civilian authorities over the Malala, who last year became the tigators could not operate freely handling of the case. Following youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize where the military was in charge. a shocking Taliban massacre winner. - Surprise announcements - at a school in December that Presidency, PM The suspects’ trial was held Malala, now aged 17, survived left more than 150 people dead, Taliban take district in behind closed doors at a military the attempt on her life and in Pakistan rushed through legisla- Office to get internment centre and even its October last year won the Nobel tion allowing military courts to existence was not known until Peace Prize for her courageous try terrorism cases. So far these northeast Afghanistan more money the verdicts were handed down and determined fight for children courts have met behind closed in April. to have the right to go to school. doors, announcing only brief KABUL: Taliban mili- Mujahid, said the Taliban cap- ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Police said Saturday that the The man suspected of actually verdicts afterwards, prompting tants captured a district in tured Yamgan district at 10 government has increased eight men who were cleared were firing the gun at Malala, named sharp criticism from lawyers and Afghanistan’s northeastern a.m. and the government forces expenditure of the presidency in fact still in custody. by officials as Ataullah Khan, rights groups. After the attack, Badakhshan province yester- retreated from the area. to Rs801m for the new fiscal “The eight who were acquit- is believed to be on the run in Malala was taken to the United day, the local Tolo news channel Badakhshan has been the scene year 2015-16, which begins next ted are still being held in various Afghanistan, along with Pakistani Kingdom for treatment and has reported. of Taliban-led militancy over the month, despite the opposition jails and an internment centre,” Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah, not returned to Pakistan. She “Following heavy clashes, the past one year and the militants having raised questions about a police official who followed the who ordered the attack. has resumed her studies in the Yamgan district was captured by killed 28 government troops in increasing allocation for the trial and had access to documents Pakistan’s military announced UK and said she aspires to one Taliban militants this morning,” Yamgan’s neighbouring Jarm dis- ceremonial office. relating to case told AFP. the arrest of the 10 suspects in day become prime minister of Tolo said, citing local officials. trict last month. According to the budget docu- The eight had various other September 2014 as part of an Pakistan. AFP Meanwhile, Gul Mohammad Meanwhile, at least seven ment, the allocation is 7.8 per cent Bedar, deputy to Badakhshan civilians were killed when their higher than last year’s Rs743 m. provincial governor, told Xinhua vehicle struck a roadside bomb The expenditures of both news agency that heavy clashes in eastern Afghanistan, a govern- the presidency and the Prime were still going on between secu- ment official said yesterday. Minister’s Office are increas- Rs768m spent rity forces and Taliban militants, Shafiq Nang Safi, spokesman ing every year despite claims of Heat wave kills 10 pilgrims and the government was send- for Ghazni provincial govern- austerity by the ruling Pakistan ing reinforcements to dislodge ment, said six other civilians Muslim League-N. on Musharraf ISLAMABAD: At least 10 saint, Geo News reported. advancing militants from Yamgan were injured in the incident that This year’s allocation for the pilgrims died in Pakistan due Devotees had to face a severe district. occurred in Andar district friday PM Office is also 8 per cent treason trial to the heat during the 763rd heat wave as the temperature On the other hand, an official evening, dpa reported. higher than last year. Urs celebrations of Hazrat Lal in Sehwan touched 44 degrees on the condition of anonymity “These individuals were going The opposition parties believe ISLAMABAD: The interior Shahbaz Qalandar yesterday. celsius. said that hundreds of Taliban to attend a wedding ceremony,” that the presidency has turned ministry of the Nawaz Sharif Thousands of devotees from Every year, more than half a militants begun attacking check- he said. into a ceremonial office, especially government first received across the country arrived in million pilgrims across Pakistan, points around Yamgan district No group claimed immediate after the 18th Amendment to the Rs22.59 million supplementary the small town of Sehwan in especially from Sindh and Punjab, headquarters late Friday. responsibility for the bombing. Constitution in which almost all grant for high treason trial of Jamshoro district of Sindh prov- visit the shrine. A self-proclaimed spokesman Agencies powers of the president have been former military ruler Pervez ince to pay homage to the Sufi IANS for the Taliban outfit, Zabihullah IANS transferred to the prime minister. Musharraf that followed the President Mamnoon Hussain dharna (sit-in) of Imran Khan’s has not confronted or opposed PTI and Tahirul Qadri’s PAT to any decision of the government dislodge the government forcing during the past two years. the ministry to get additional Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Rs745.46 million to deal with it. Chairman Imran Khan had said The supplementary budget for US drone strike kills seven militants during his protests against alleged Musharraf’s trial is in addition to rigging in the 2013 elections that Rs57.2 million spent in the finan- PESHAWAR: A US drone which groups have used to launch the government was wasting cial year 2013-14 raising the total attack on a militant compound attacks on NATO forces in millions of rupees on the presi- expenses to Rs79.79 million. in a restive Pakistani tribal area Afghanistan. dency. He had vowed to turn the Likewise, the amount spent for yesterday killed at least seven Pakistan began a long-awaited President House into a university police deployment and damages to militants, security officials said. push to clear insurgent bases after coming to power. public property during dharna is The drone strike took place from North Waziristan last June The allocation for the presi- more than Rs745.46 million what in the Shawal area of lawless after a bloody Taliban attack on dency under all heads have been was demanded through the sup- North Waziristan tribal district Karachi airport sank faltering increased, including grant subsi- plementary grant. bordering Afghanistan, where peace talks. dies and loan write-offs of Rs86 The budgetary documents also the Pakistani military is battling The army has intensified its m with a Rs3 m increase, employ- included supplementary grants Taliban militants. offensive since the Taliban’s ees’ expenses raised to Rs53.5 m sanctioned to various minis- “At least seven militants were massacre of 153 people, mostly from last year’s allocation of Rs49 tries in the outgoing financial killed in a drone attack,” a senior children, in a school in the m, allowances Rs37 m, operation year pending approval from the security official told AFP. northwestern city of Peshawar expenses Rs124 m from Rs116 m, National Assembly. Another security official in in December. employees’ retirement benefits Included among them were Peshawar confirmed the attack At least four policemen were enhanced to Rs6 m from Rs4 m spending of interior ministry over and casualties. killed yesterday when gun- and repair and maintenance Rs14 and above the budget allocated Local intelligence authorities men attacked their vehicle in m against last year’s Rs13 m. last year among others. said that the militants belonged Balochistan, police said. PM OFFICE: The expenditure As for as expenses relating to to the Haqqani network, a feared The police vehicle was on rou- of Prime Minister’s Office will go dharna, Rs695.46 million were militant group which targets for- tine patrol when attacked in the up to Rs842m against last year’s spent for maintaining law and eign troops across the border in Pashtunabad area of the capi- Rs779 m.The last year’s alloca- order. Afghanistan. tal Quetta. A police official said tion was 3.26 per cent higher Another sum of Rs30 “An important meeting of mili- that about four militants riding than the amount allocated in million was allocated for the fuel tants was in progress at the com- on two motorbikes escaped after 2013-14 (Rs754 m). In 2010-11, expenses of forces called in aid pound when missiles launched by the early morning attack. Nobody the increase in the PM Office’s of civil administration and Rs20 US drones hit it,” a local intel- Police officials inspect a vehicle after unknown assailants opened fire on claimed responsibility but Baloch expenditure was 8.25 per cent, million were distributed among ligence official told AFP. it in Quetta yesterday. nationalists often attack the secu- while inflation was 13.7 per cent. police personnel as cash award. North Waziristan is one of rity forces and civilians in the In 2011-12 and 2012-13, the Spending on maintaining public seven semi-autonomous tribal early 2000s. number and identity of the dead. volatile province. They are fight- government increased the budget order during dharna is in contrast districts that border Afghanistan. The area is generally off-lim- Washington pressed Islamabad ing for greater control over the of the PM Office at the whopping with what it cost to PTI. It has been a hub for Al-Qaeda its to journalists, making it dif- for years to wipe out militant natural resources of the region. rates of 56 per cent and 58 per INTERNEWS and Taliban militants since the ficult to independently verify the sanctuaries in North Waziristan, AFP cent. INTERNEWS

Five-year-old Pakistani Pakistani provinces to get Rs1.9 trillion

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s fed- for the provinces, but a net Rs102 bn going to the provinces lion’s share of Rs894.7 bn followed model to walk the ramp eral government has allocated amount of Rs1.636 trillion was has been allocated under the head by Sindh, which will receive Rs1.938 trillion on account of actually transferred, as per the of straight transfers. These two Rs482.8 bn. KARACHI: For those fol- world with her adorable cam- net transfers to the country’s revised estimates. components alone total Rs1.85 The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa lowing the upcoming fashion paign for Burberry, will be mak- four provinces in the next fiscal Allocations to the provinces trillion. government will get Rs300.45 extravaganza Fashion Parade ing her first appearance on the year - a major portion of which for the next year have been made The divisible pool of taxes bn while Balochistan’s share has in London, there’s great news! ramp for a Pakistani designer. comes from the divisible pool of under the 7th National Finance comprises income tax, capital been decided at Rs171.48 bn. Five-year-old British- She will be walking the ramp taxes. Commission Award, which will value tax, sales tax, federal In addition to these heads, Pakistani fashion sensation for Pakistan’s very own master According to the budget expire at the end of this month. excise and customs duties. the provinces will also get Rs776 Laila Naim, who became the first couturier Ali Xeeshan on June 11 document presented in parliament, Under the NFC Award, provinces Straight transfers include m on account of general sales Pakistani model for 159-year- at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, the provincial share in federal enjoy a share of 57.56 per cent in royalties on crude oil and tax on services, Rs38 bn in old British luxury fashion house London. taxes and straight transfers was the federal divisible pool. natural gas, and development special grants, Rs85.5 bn in Burberry, will be making a special Laila has also been featured jacked up by 17.4 per cent for the A large portion of next year’s surcharge and excise duty on project loans and grants, appearance at the grand fashion in renowned fashion magazines fiscal year beginning July 1. transfers will be drawn from the natural gas. Rs19.17 bn as programme loans event in London on June 11. such as Red, Marie Claire and In the previous year’s budget, divisible pool of taxes which is Of the total Rs1.85 trillion and a Rs52 m grant from the Laila, who lives in London and Tatler. the federal government had estimated at Rs1.746 trillion. allocated for the provinces in Japanese government. recently won hearts all over the INTERNEWS initially set aside Rs1.852 trillion The other major component of federal taxes, Punjab will get the INTERNEWS SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 14 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com INDIA NYT expose of pollution IIFA Awards Sour taste for Modi government during its first anniversary celebrations

NEW DELHI : Just when the gives every indication of stay- brother to various hill stations keeps an unsparing critical eye Narendra Modi government ing on against his will. His in search for reasonable prop- on China. This, because China was celebrating its first year in wife appears to have been torn erty to enable him to escape is in winnable competition with office on a note of simulated well between her wifely desire to Delhi’s unspeakable pollution. the West. Therefore, the western being, Gardiner Harris, bureau be with her husband in trou- He is a big man and, on the face media is part of the armoury to chief of New York Times in New bled harness and to run away of it, healthy. But over the years, keep China under pressure. Delhi, spoilt the party by mak- to Washington with her son. his tolerance level for Delhi’s India, by comparison, is ing a gloomy announcement: Harris quotes “nascent areas of increasing pollution has declined. indulged, strung along, not per- New Delhi, the capital of Modi’s research suggesting that pollu- In recent months, alarmingly so. ceived as a threat as far as the eye dream nation, was unlivable tion can lower children’s IQ, hurt I have also seen relatives and can see. The high comfort level and that Harris was leaving, their test scores and increase the friends carrying inhalers on their of the Indian elite in being intel- with his wife and children to risks of autism, epilepsy, diabetes persons, sometimes furtively. It lectually colonized can be traced the cleaner air of Washington. and even adult-on-set diseases is not uncommon to have dis- to the nature of the national We poor natives have been like multiple sclerosis”. cussions veer around to Delhi’s movement. screaming the same alarm from There is frightening descrip- record levels of air pollution. If A section of the Indian elite rooftops without any appar- tion of his son, Bram, being a government official happens which places some premium on ent effect. But now that the injected steroids to fight acute to be present, the point is made self esteem is riled when well New York Times has squealed, breathlessness because of Delhi’s even more pungently: Delhi’s pol- researched Indian journalism the Times of India reproduced pollution. lution levels are twice as high as on the filth, squalor, the pol- the piece on page one. This was In a state of panic, his wife left Beijing’s. Adverse comparison lution augmented by 500,000 admission by India’s most power- for Washington two years ago. with Pakistan would work like automobiles willfully disgorged ful newspaper that its excellent Doctors reassured her that some magic. on Delhi’s roads each year falls campaign on pollution was not as medicines might help. So she Apparently, levels of five par- on deaf years. Only when an effective and that it gained geo- returned to New Delhi “but she ticles in the air called PM 2.5, expat reporter focuses on Delhi’s metrically by leaning on the New sobbed for hours on the return which cause maximum lung dam- impending catastrophe does the York Times story. flight”. age, are twice as high in Delhi as establishment wake up. During the three years that Even though the Harris story they are in Beijing. In Beijing PM The AAP government is strug- Harris was posted to South Asia, is a simple one which should 2.5 levels which exceed 500 make gling to find its feet in Delhi. he was occasionally afflicted by elicit all our sympathy, Indian global news. But levels twice as Instead of helping it attend to pangs of conscience that “it was responses are not so straight high, say 1,000 or more in Delhi, Delhi’s problems, every vested unethical for those who have a forward. There are attitudes and are not noticed by the media. interest, each political party is out choice to willingly raise children attitudes towards critical obser- Interesting, that Harris should to waylay it. Modi needs to give Bollywood actors Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar and Anushka Sharma here”. vation by a white foreigner. make an observation which the Delhi government a helping pose during the IIFA Gala, second day of the 16th International Indian Harris clearly was not blessed In recent weeks, I have been exposes two things: the global hand to save India’s capital city. Film Academy (IIFA) Awards at Suria KLCC in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. with another choice because he accompanying my younger media’s double standards. It IANS

UP clears plying of e-Rickshaws Court to record ‘Modi govt will go if it Irom Sharmila’s LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has Chairman of RTA and Lucknow divisional com- allowed plying of e-rickshaws in five cities in the missioner Mahesh Gupta said that legal provisions statement state, an official said yesterday. are now in place to assimilate these battery oper- doesn’t build temple’ At a meeting of the Road Transport Authority ated rickshaws as vehicles used for commuting and NEW DELHI: A court here (RTA) on Friday, the state government okayed the licenses will be given after registration. NEW DELHI: Although BJP the party needs 370 seats in the on Saturday set August 11 for use of e-Rickshaws as passenger vehicles, as defined Only those e-Rickshaws will be registered which president Amit Shah says that Lok Sabha to address its core recording the statement of Irom by the union government. have been certified fit by the testing agencies. the Narendra Modi govern- issues. Home Minister Rajnath Sharmila in an attempt-to-sui- Plying of the battery operated rickshaws in Officials added that only those persons will be ment doesn’t have the mandate Singh said earlier that the core cide case against her during her Unnao, Hardoi, Lakhimpur, Sitapur and Lucknow allowed to purchase and run the vehicles who have to address its core issues, the issues were not the government’s fast-unto-death here in 2006. has been given in-principle approval, an official a license to run them. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), priority for now as it was focussed Metropolitan Magistrate told IANS. IANS a constituent of the Sangh on development. Akash Jain fixed the date after Parivar, disagrees. Jain said building the Ram closing the recording of state- The VHP has said that the temple was also in the BJP mani- ment of prosecution witnesses of huge mandate with which the festo. “How can they backtrack on the case. Modi government came to power the issue?” he asked. The court recorded the state- was not only for development but Jain said the previous NDA ment of prosecution witness Vijay also to delver on its core issues, government didn’t address these Kumar, who had done videogra- Maggi tests in Karnataka show including building a grand Ram issues, and the voters had shown phy of the spot where Sharmila temple at Ayodhya. them the door. “BJP leaders was on hunger strike. The Hindu outfit also reminded should learn from their mistakes Kumar, then posted as photog- the government to be ready to of the past.” rapher and videographer in police lead within permissible limits “face the consequences” -- like the He said a committee of holy section of New Delhi district told previous NDA government led by men and spiritual leaders would court that it is wrong to suggest BENGALURU: The initial results of the seven samples laboratory with its main branch Atal Bihari Vajpayee -- if it did soon meet Prime Minister that video footage produced on tests on the Maggi noodles’ analysed. in Pune.” not deliver on the core issues. Narendra Modi to urge him to record is tampered. samples sent by the Karnataka However, the results on Mono “So far, 26 Maggi samples have “The mandate which the BJP construct the Ram temple. While being cross-examined, government showed presence Sodium Glutamate (MSG) were been sent for testing including the got in last general election was Recently, the Shiv Sena, he stated that it is wrong to of lead content within the per- yet to come. seven already tested. More Maggi not merely for development. another BJP ally, had said that suggest that violation of human missible limits, a food safety “One more component is MSG. samples are in line for tests from People expect that they will the prime minister should reveal rights committed by Delhi police and standards official said here It requires more complex evalu- across Karnataka districts. address the core issues too,” VHP his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on the con- officials during the demonstra- yesterday. ation. That will take another two “Yesterday only we received an spokesperson and national secre- tentious issue of the temple in tions is deliberately withheld or The samples were sent to two days, probably we are expecting order from the Food Safety and tary Surendra Jain told IANS. Ayodhya. removed from the records. laboratories. that report,” added Kumar. Standards Authority of India “Despite several comments on Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar, The court on Friday had “We received the reports. Kumar said samples were (FSSAI). They (retailers) need to the issue by senior BJP leaders, who was the face of the Ayodhya recorded the statement of three Lead, which is the main concern, being sent to two laboratories in withdraw all the products related our hope is still alive. We expect movement in the 1990s, has said policemen in the case who testi- is within the permissible limits. Bengaluru from across the state to Maggi. Otherwise, if it is found that this government will fulfill its that the government should fied as witnesses in the case. Nothing wrong, there is no issue for testing. (retailing Maggi), they will defi- commitment to construct a Ram resolve the issue through legisla- Sharmila has been on a fast there, said H. Shiva Kumar, joint “The labs are Robust nitely be booked under FSSAI temple at Ayodhya,” he added. tion or dialogue and not wait for for the past 12 years, demanding director, food safety and stand- Material Technology Pvt. Ltd. Act,” said Kumar. Bharatiya Janata Party presi- the Supreme Court’s verdict. the repeal of the Armed Forces ards, Karnataka, revealing the and PUDSUV, a South Asian IANS dent Shah said last month that IANS Special Powers Act IANS

Wild elephants Protest against China over stapled visas kill four, hurt NEW DELHI: Hundreds Since then such incidents have five in Bihar of people representing the been repeated with several acad- Arunachal Civil Society organi- emicians and sportspersons. PATNA: Wild elephants sation staged a protest here on “We strongly believe that China went on a rampage in Bihar’s Saturday against the issuance issues stapled visas to the people Bhagalpur district on Saturday of stapled visas to the people of Arunachal Pradesh to under- for the second consecutive day, of Arunachal Pradesh by the mine the dignity, integrity and killing at least four people and Chinese government. sovereignty of India. leaving five others injured, They marched towards the “We feel humiliated and police said. Chinese embassy from Arunachal insulted by the action of China “Wild elephants trampled four Pradesh Bhavan in the national and more so by the silence of people to death in Bansitikar capital and submitted a memo- India on the issue,” Tayum said. area near Sabour in Bhagalpur. randum of their demands to the “India’s lack of efforts to solve Two people were killed by the Chinese ambassador. the staple visa issue is giving elephants Friday in Bhagalpur. They also blamed the Indian China an opportunity to con- The wild pachyderms also government for not taking up the tinue doing whatever they want,” damaged standing rabi crop, issue with China. he added. destroyed several houses and “Our Prime Minister Narendra J.T. Tagam, a senior represent- created fear and panic among Modi recently visited China (May ative of the Arunachal Pradesh the villagers,” a district police 14-19), held talks on several issues Student’s Union in Delhi, said the official said. related to industry, defence, and absence of any action by India has Bhagalpur is around 225 km other bilateral agreements but not emboldened the Chinese army from state capital Patna. on the stapled visa issue. This was to intrude into many parts of “It appears that wild elephants indeed very disappointing,” Patey Arunachal Pradesh. had ventured in rural parts of the Tayum, chairman of Arunachal “It is astonishing how the district in search of water and Civil Society, told IANS. Indian government permitted food,” officials added. China has been issuing sta- Chinese engineers to work in The district administration has pled visas to Indian citizens from the field situated in Arunachal sought help of the forest depart- Arunachal Pradesh since 1981 Pradesh, while China continues ment officials to capture the wild when it refused to issue a visa to deny giving regular visa to elephants believed to have strayed to then speaker of Arunachal people of Arunachal Pradesh,” into Bihar from neighbouring Pradesh assembly, late T.L. he said. Arunachal Pradesh residents during a protest yesterday. Jharkhand’s forest. Rajkumar, to attend a conference. IANS IANS SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 INDIA www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 15 Bangladesh, India sign boundary pact Both nations to swap 200 tiny enclaves DHAKA: India and Bangladesh The two countries are also thorn that has troubled relations yesterday signed an agree- looking to boost trade and secu- between the two countries since ment to simplify their 4,000-km rity along the border and fight Bangladesh’s 1971 war of secession (2,500-mile) border and clarify human trafficking. from Pakistan. the identities of 52,000 living Also on Saturday, Adani Power India’s intervention on behalf of in enclaves, over four decades Limited of India and Reliance the independence fighters proved after the neighbours first tried Power Limited of India signed decisive in that conflict and suc- to untangle complex territorial deals worth over $4.5bn with cessive Bangladeshi governments rights set down in 1713. state-run Bangladesh Power have enjoyed close ties with their Under the deal, signed in Development Board (BPDB) giant neighbour. the presence of Indian Prime to develop six units of power But an agreement on the own- Minister Narendra Modi and his plants to produce 4,600 MW of ership of 162 enclaves -- essen- Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh electricity. tially islands of land resulting Hasina in Dhaka, the two coun- Reliance will invest $3 billion from ownership arrangements tries will swap 200 tiny enclaves, to produce 3,000 MW power, made centuries ago by local most of them close to the official while Adani will set up two coal- princes -- had proved elusive in border. Their inhabitants have fired plants with a total capacity the decades since. been deprived of public services of 1,600 MW, costing more than Bangladesh actually endorsed and living in squalid conditions. $1.5bn. the deal in 1974 but it was only Established by a treaty between Bangladesh and India yesterday last month that India’s parlia- two former princely states, the sealed a historic land pact to swap ment gave its approval, teeing 106 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh territories, which will finally allow up Saturday’s joint ratification and 92 Bangladeshi enclaves in tens of thousands of people living ceremony between Modi and his India are islands of foreign terri- in border enclaves to choose their counterpart Sheikh Hasina. tory inside each country. nationality after decades of state- Under the agreement, the Under the agreement, each less limbo. countries will exchange terri- country will take over most of Foreign secretaries of the tories, with 111 enclaves being Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata the enclaves on its territory and two nations signed a protocol transferred to Bangladesh and Banerjee witness the exchange of agreements between India and Bangladesh in Dhaka yesterday. residents will have the right to and exchanged instruments of 51 to India. stay where they are or move to ratification to make operational People living in the enclaves India’s Foreign Secretary S. at boosting trade and transport Modi’s talks with Bangladesh the other side of the border. the Land Boundary Agreement will be allowed to choose to live Jaishankar said the deal would links, including deals on the opposition leader Khaleda Zia The deal was originally agreed (LBA) in the presence of visiting in India or Bangladesh, with the help combat smuggling of people, movement of goods across borders on Sunday will also be closely in 1974 by Indira Gandhi of India Indian Prime Minister Narendra option of being granted citizen- drugs and illegal currency. and rail projects. watched by observers, with her and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Modi and Bangladeshi premier ship in the newly designated ter- “The enclaves in the past have Just an hour after Modi’s long-running calls for fresh elec- Bangladesh. Progress stopped Sheikh Hasina. ritories, and the enclaves would been territories out of bounds for arrival, top Indian conglomer- tions having gained little traction. for a long time, however, after The two premiers also inaugu- effectively cease to exist. law enforcement agencies. Often ates Reliance Power and Adani Indian officials have played Mujibur was assassinated in 1975, rated two bus services connect- Around 50,000 people who are they have been misused to seek signed outline agreements with down the idea of Modi playing and subsequent governments ing the Bangladeshi capital with thought to live in the landlocked refuge by elements who have been Bangladesh’s state-run electricity a mediation role in the dispute failed to agree on the transfer of four easternIndia cities as part of islands lack many basic services undermining law and order,” he agency to invest some $5 billion between Hasina and Zia, although enclaves. a raft of deals the two countries such as schools, clinics or utility told reporters. in the country’s rickety power he might press on Zia to ensure an Dhaka’s Foreign Minister are expected to sign to deepen services because they are cut off “So the clarity and discipline, sector. end to anti-government attacks. Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali has bilateral ties. from their national governments. which will come from the clearly “Top officials of Bangladesh’s Scores of people have been described the deal, which has Modi’s first trip to Dhaka since Modi, who was received by demarcated borders will help the Power Development Board (PDB) killed in firebomb attacks on vehi- since been updated, as “a his- his election win last May has been Hasina at the airport, has com- land border between the countries and those from Reliance Power cles since Zia called a transport toric milestone in the relation- dominated by the deal to fix per- pared the agreement to the dis- much more secure.” and Adani signed the deals in blockade at the start of the year ship between the two neighboring manently the contours of a border mantling of the Berlin Wall, saying Wary of China’s growing inter- Dhaka to generate 4,600 mega- in a bid to topple Hasina. south Asian countries.” which stretches some 4,000 kilo- it marks “a watershed moment in est in India’s backyard, Modi has watts of electricity,” PDB spokes- India held off from criticising The two prime ministers, along metres (2,500 miles) along India’s our ties with Bangladesh”. been keen to play a greater lead- man Saiful Hasan told AFP. Hasina’s re-election in January with the chief minister of West eastern flank. Bangladesh has been similarly ership role in South Asia since But a breakthrough in a dis- 2014 in a contest that was boy- Bengal, India Mamata Banerjee, While Delhi’s relations with effusive, with Foreign Minister coming to power. pute about the sharing of water cotted by the opposition and also inaugurated bus services China and Pakistan continue to A.H. Mahmood Ali stating it Officials on both sides said from the Teesta river which dismissed as “not credible” by along the border towns of India be dogged by border disputes, “would open a new chapter” in Modi’s visit would see the signing flows through both nations is not Western nations. and Bangladesh. the LBA’s ratification removes a ties. of around 20 agreements aimed expected. AGENCIES Rahul Gandhi questions Mamata’s Three guerrilas Ex-MP to face trial shot dead NEW DELHI: Former parliamentarian Dhananjay Singh will be tried for destruction of evidence in a case pertaining to the torture new-found friendship with Modi in Kashmir and murder of his maid. The trial will begin July 2. Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal framed charges of destruc- KOLKATA: On a day when SRINAGAR: Three guerril- tion of evidence against Singh. Prime Minister Narendra las trying to enter into Jammu After Singh pleaded not guilty and asked for trial, the court fixed Modi and West Bengal Chief and Kashmir were killed July 2 for recording of statement of prosecution witnesses in the case. Minister Mamata Banerjee are on Saturday by the army at The court on Friday dropped the charge of abetment to murder and in Dhaka for the inking of the the Line of Control (LoC) in others against Singh. Land Boundary Agreement, Kupwara district, an official However, it framed charges under various other sections of the Congress vice president Rahul said, adding the infiltration bid Indian Penal Code dealing with murder and criminal intimidation Gandhi yesterday questioned was foiled. against his wife Jagriti. their bonhomie. A defence spokesman here said The court has discharged Dhananjay Singh for the offences of inten- He also slammed the duo for a group of four to five heavily tional omission to give information of offence by person legally bound to making tall promises. armed militants made an infiltra- inform, punishment of abetment of offence, read with murder, criminal Attacking Banerjee for pulling tion bid in Tutmaar Ghali area of conspiracy and attempt to murder. out of the then prime minister the LoC in the morning. Singh’s counsel and advocate S.P.M. Tripathi, during argument on Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka “Alert troops of the army chal- charges, said that it was his client who had informed police about the in 2011, Gandhi questioned the lenged the intruders after which incident and he was not in Delhi from November 1 to 4, 2013, when Trinamool Congress supremo’s they opened heavy volume of the incident occurred. change of heart that prompted automatic gunfire at the troops The police in the charge sheet had alleged that Jagriti used to mer- her to join Modi on his two-day triggering an encounter. Three cilessly beat her three domestic helps and ‘compelled’ them to work trip to Bangladesh. militants have been killed in this by holding them captive. Police also claimed Singh and his wife might “When Manmohan Singh ongoing encounter and the infil- have ‘tampered’ with the footage of the CCTV cameras installed at his went to Dhaka and asked her tration attempt has been foiled,” home. The former MP from Jaunpur constituency of Uttar Pradesh to accompany, Mamataji said the spokesman said. is out on bail while Jagriti, a dental surgeon at a government hospital ‘no’ asserting she wanted Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi addresses Congress workers IANS here, is lodged in Tihar Jail. IANS ‘ekla chalo re’ (go your own during a rally at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata yesterday. way alone). But now with Modi, she is not singing ‘ekla chalo re’ government of stunting Bengal’s who have a hammer in their party (go alone). development Gandhi took a dig symbol used to hammer the soul Sikhs recall Blue Star “Why is this friendship between at Banerjee’s ‘whimsical’ ways of Bengal. Looking for respite, Modi and Mamata, what is the saying she has misinterpreted people brought in the Trinamool reason of this friendship, you all Rabindranath Tagore’s master- hoping its symbol, the flower will know the answer,” Gandhi said piece ‘Ekla Chalo re’. bloom. But to the people’s misfor- addressing party workers here. “She has misinterpreted ekla tune, the flower turned out to be Gandhi said both Modi and chalo re and has been running more destructive than the Left’s Mamata had a habit of making Bengal without listening to any- hammer. tall promises with no intentions body. She has nothing to do with “The Left had put a brake to fulfil them. what her party leaders say or on Bengal’s growth and the “Both Modi and Mamataji what the youth have to say,” said Trinamool had put both its feet on make only promises. Mamata has Gandhi. the brake. It’s time for Mamata to been saying industry is coming to Calling on the party workers vacate the seat and if you want Bengal, but I ask has a single unit to stand up against Trinamool’s the vehicle of progress to move been set up here. She says youth violence, Gandhi said Bengal will ahead then bring Congress to will get jobs but there are over go ahead on the road to develop- power. I am there with you all. I one crore jobless youth in Bengal,” ment only if Congress comes to am ready to receive Mamata stick said Gandhi. power in the state. blows but will always stand beside Accusing the Trinamool “The (CPI-M) led Left Front you,” added Gandhi. IANS Two militants Maoists torch eight vehicles killed in Kashmir PATNA: Maoists set on fire eight vehicles of a private construc- SRINAGAR: The Indian Army tion company in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district and assaulted two of foiled a bid by a group of mili- its guards for not paying the levy they had demanded, police said tants to infiltrate across a dis- yesterday. puted border with Pakistan Muzaffarpur Superintendent of Police Ranjit Kumar Mishra told in Jammu and Kashmir state, IANS that a group of over 50 armed Maoists attacked the camp of Sikh activists from radical Sikh organisations shout slogans in support of Sikh leader Sant Jarnail Singh defence sources said yesterday. Gamon India construction near Kamtaul village late Friday. Bhindranwale and Khalistan, the name for an envisioned independent Sikh state, after prayers at Sri Akal Takht Two of the insurgents were Mishra said police have detained three people in this connection. at the Golden Temple in Amritsar yesterday. Sikhs commemorated the 31st anniversary of the assault known killed in the clash near the line of Maoists in rural areas across Bihar are paid a levy by private con- as Operation Blue Star, which saw the storming of Sikhism’s holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, by control that serves as the de facto struction companies, contractors, traders, and businessmen. border in the Baramullah district, Muzaffarpur is one of the Maoists affected districts of north Bihar. Indian troops on June 6, 1984. The army’s operation enraged Sikhs who accused the troops of desecrating the sources said. AGENCIES IANS their holiest shrine and still remains a divisive issue. SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 16 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com MORNING BREAK

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Boy smuggled Donning Egyptian headdresses in suitcase to be reunited with mother MADRID: An African boy found inside a suitcase at a Spanish border crossing will be reunited with his mother since DNA tests proved the two are related, the family’s lawyer said. Eight-year-old Adou Ouattara has been staying at a centre for underage migrants in Ceuta, one of two Spanish enclaves in North Africa, since police found him on May 7 curled up and cov- ered inside a suitcase without air vents at a border checkpoint in the territory. The suitcase was being taken through a pedestrian border crossing by a 19-year-old woman, whose identity has not been released, when a border security scanner detected the boy inside. Several hours after the young- ster was detected his father, Ali Ouattara who is from the Ivory Coast, was arrested at the same border crossing on charges of human rights abuse, for trying Race fans wearing Egyptian headdresses pose for a picture during the 147th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, yesterday. to have the boy smuggled into the country. “We are going to get the boy on Monday,” the family’s lawyer, Juan Isidro Fernandez Diaz, said. Officials last month granted Adou authorisation to live in Three tunes vie for new Swiss national anthem Spain for one year and were wait- ing for results of DNA tests before RUETLI: The lofty tones fill the 205-year-old Swiss Society cantons signed a pact here in 1291 well what Switzerland should be,” a referendum on the issue in a turning him over to his mother a wood cabin on the outskirts for Public Good behind the that laid the foundation for the Gerber said. country renowned for its direct Lucie Ouattara, who lives legally of the emerald green meadow competition. Swiss Confederation. It is also the “Let us allow peace to reign, democracy, but Gerber acknowl- in Spain’s Canary Islands off the considered the birthplace of A full 208 songwriters sent spot where mythical 13th century harmony and fraternity, and let edged that the whole process Moroccan coast. She moved to Switzerland, as three songs in contributions by the deadline Swiss freedom fighter William Tell us seize the good fortune of our “could take a while”. Spain from the Ivory Coast last compete to become the coun- last July, with contributions in all shot an apple off his son’s head, as differences,” is the translated Lukas Niederberger, manager year to join the boy’s father, who try’s new national anthem. four of Switzerland’s official lan- portrayed in Friedrich Shiller’s message in one of the songs. of the so-called Chymne Project, was already living legally in the The choir on the screen enthu- guages, German, French, Italian famous 1804 play. For the melody, meanwhile, said the ease of convincing the Canary Islands. siastically belts out the tunes, all and Rumantsch — a Romance “The new texts seem to better participants were free to use Swiss to embrace a new anthem She brought along their celebrating high-minded values language spoken by several thou- reflect the spirit in Switzerland the existing one, modify it a bit would likely depend on which 11-year-old daughter but left like freedom, democracy and sand Swiss. today,” said 58-year-old Elisabeth or compose a new tune, with the tune wins. Adou behind with his grand- solidarity. The three are finalists After a jury, made up of politi- Golovanow, one of about 30 peo- three finalists each representing “If for example the melody mother and brother in the town in an unofficial competition that cians, musicians, journalists and ple to have made the journey to one of those categories. doesn’t change and only the text of Assuefry in the northeast of could lead to Switzerland replac- members of yodel clubs, choirs Ruetli. It can only be reached by A second round of online voting changes, it will probably be easier the Ivory Coast. After the grand- ing its less than beloved national and sports associations, whittled the white steamboats that criss- that kicks off tomorrow will help to convince the parliament and mother died in 2014, Ali requested anthem. down the list to six, some 70,000 cross the turquoise waters of determine the winner, along with government and also the whole a residency permit in Spain for Critics have likened “The people voted online for the final Lake Lucerne, which is flanked by votes cast at a national music fes- people to change,” he told AFP, Adou, the lawyer said. Swiss Psalm”, penned in 1841, to three, Gerber said. towering snow-capped mountains. tival in the canton of Aarau on pointing out that many appreciate But the request for family a weather forecast crossed with a The three winning songs, which The competition rules called September 12, where the cham- the existing melody. reunification was declined. Each religious hymn, given its repeated have been translated into all four for the texts to drawn from pion will be crowned. Those behind the competition year, thousands of migrants risk references to God and breathtak- official languages, were presented the preamble to Switzerland’s But this is only the beginning complain that the “Swiss Psalm”, their lives trying to enter Ceuta ing Alpine views. The bid to find for the first time on Friday at updated constitution, which was of a process to try to convince which sets a poem on piety and and Melilla, another Spanish a replacement has been widely the historically significant Ruetli approved by the public in a 1999 the parliament, government and Alpine beauty to music composed territory bordering Morocco, in embraced. meadow. referendum. Swiss people to officially agree to by a priest, is too religious and too search of a better life in Europe. “It’s been quite a success,” said Legend has it that representa- Its references to values like replace the existing anthem. long, with few Swiss able to sing AFP Jean-Daniel Gerber, chairman of tives from the country’s three first freedom and democracy “reflects That could pave the way for along. AFP

Re-enacting ‘Battle of Five Armies’ World’s last tribes on collision course with modern society

WASHINGTON: Threatened grew up planting potatoes and by disease and deforestation, corn and using bamboo arrows, the world’s last isolated tribes and who remembers running in the Amazon are on a collision away with his mother the first course with modern society like time they saw people from the never before, experts say. outside world in the 1950s. Entire cultures of people are While other regions of the the verge of being wiped out in world—such as the mountains of Peru and Brazil, according to a New Guinea and the Andaman series of papers published this Islands in the Indian Ocean—are week in the journal Science. home to remote tribes of people, “We are on the threshold of “by far the largest numbers are large extinctions of cultures,” found across the Amazon,” said Francisco Estremadoyro, direc- the Science report. Participants re-enact the “Battle of Five Armies” from J R R Tolkien’s novel “The Hobbit” in a forest near the town of Doksy, Czech Republic, yester- tor of the Lima-based nonprofit “And it is in Peru that the situ- day. Hundreds of enthusiasts dressed as characters such as elves, dwarves, goblins and orcs re-enacted the clash. ProPurus, was quoted as saying. ation appears most dire,” it added, “There is no question that this is describing what experts believe a historic moment.” are 8,000 people scattered in While it is difficult to know small bands across the rainforest. precisely what is going on inside The Peruvian government has remote tribes, researchers say set aside three million hectares of Detergents linked to genital defects in babies: Study dangerous encounters with mod- protected land, but it may not be ern people are on the rise. And enough. The collision of cultures MONTPELLIER, FRANCE: Pregnant Hypospadias can be treated with surgery that interfered with their endocrine systems not only because of the risk of vio- began in 1492 with the arrival women regularly exposed to a range of but it can affect the boy’s fertility once he in the womb at the moment when the sex of lence — common ailments like the of Christopher Columbus in the detergents, solvents and pesticides have a reaches adulthood. the foetus is determined. Both parents’ pro- flu or whooping cough, transmit- Americas, and has killed an esti- substantially greater risk of giving birth to The study, led by paediatric surgeon Nicolas fessions and where they live can play a role, ted accidentally by loggers, news mated 50 million to 100 million boys with genital deformities, according to Kalfa and paediatric endocrinologist Charles the study added. crews, drug traffickers or well- native people, the report said. a new French study. Sultan, was carried out over five years and The study identifies mothers working as meaning anthropologists, can be AFP The research, led by two professors at the examined 600 children at hospitals in four cleaners or housekeepers, hairdressers, beau- even more deadly. Regional University Hospital Centre in the French cities, 300 of whom were boys born ticians and laboratory workers as being par- In one case, a fish-bone neck- French city of Montpellier, found that women with hypospadias. ticularly at risk. lace left by a German researcher who regularly work with such chemicals, “The study shows for the first time that For the father, being a farmer, lab worker, decades ago was blamed by villag- including cleaners and hairdressers, were regular professional or domestic exposure (to cleaner, mechanic or painter was found to ers along the upper Curanja River at greatest risk of having sons born with these chemicals), and more generally being in bring a greater chance of the son having the for being poisoned. Soon after it hypospadias. contact with them, seriously raises the risk of defect. Living within 3km of an incinerator, was found, a sore throat and fever The birth defect, which affects about three genital deformity,” Sultan said. landfill site or a chemical factory brings a illness killed around 200 people. in 1,000 newborn boys, is a condition where A summary of the research said boys were greater risk of having a son with hypospa- “We were so weak, and some the urinary opening is abnormally positioned three times more likely to be born with hypo- dias, Sultan said. vanished into the forest,” recalled on the penis. spadias if they had been exposed to chemicals AFP Marcelino Pinedo Cecilio, who Sunday 7 June 2015 20 Shaaban 1436 Volume 20 Number 6454 Price: QR2

Qatargas presents key papers at WGC

Business | 18

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 44557741 | Advertising: 44557837 / 44557780 India imposes Greece to resume debt talks anti-dumping duty on steel Prime Minister Tsipras rejects ‘absurd’ terms, to travel to Brussels on Tuesday NEW DELHI: India’s finance ministry has imposed anti- ATHENS: Greek Prime An EU diplomat said Tsipras before she chairs an annual meet- out, by obtaining public legitimacy well as the pension cuts. dumping duties ranging from Minister Alexis Tsipras will would fly to Brussels on Tuesday ing of leaders of major industrial for difficult decisions to secure aid. Tsipras called on the creditors $180 to $316 per tonne for some resume talks with eurozone before a two-day EU-Latin democracies at Schloss Elmau in But two ministers said on to accept Greece’s rival proposal industrial-grade stainless steel lenders in Brussels next week America summit, and that Bavaria from today. Saturday they saw no case for that would reverse labour and imported from China, Malaysia after telling parliament he would be an opportunity for She is keen to avoid it turning an early poll and an opinion poll pension reforms, calling it the only and South Korea in a bid to rejected the creditors’ “absurd” political talks on a solution, into another crisis summit on the showed Greeks have little appe- “realistic” proposal on the table. stem surging imports and pro- terms for a cash-for-reform while experts from Greece euro zone that would showcase tite for a return to the ballot box “The Greek government can- tect the domestic industry. deal to keep his country from and the EU/IMF lenders work Europe’s difficulties in resolving just five months after Tsipras won not consent to absurd proposals,” The move comes after India’s default. on detail in parallel technical the problems of its single currency. power on a radical leftist agenda Tsipras told lawmakers. He also trade ministry said in March the The unresolved Greek debt negotiations. European officials said they did to end austerity. refused to sign any deal that does domestic industry was suffering impasse, which is weighing on By focusing anger on two of the not want to be lectured on Greece The poll by Metron Analysis for not include the debt relief he has “material injury due to such dumped financial markets and could hit lenders’ key demands - the scrap- by US President Barack Obama, Parapolitica weekly showed only long demanded. imports” and that a definitive meas- global economic recovery, will ping of an income supplement for but they expected Merkel, French 35 percent of Greeks want the Greece wants to restructure ure was required to stop it. hang over a Group of Seven lead- the poorest pensioners and the President Francois Hollande, Italian government to refuse to compro- its huge debt through a mix of The anti-dumping duties will ers’ summit in Germany starting hiking of value-added tax on elec- Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and mise with lenders, while 47 per- cheaper refinancing, extending be effective for a period of five today. A German spokesman said tricity - Tsipras left open possible the presidents of the European cent want it to reach a deal even maturities, switching some loans years, the finance ministry said Tsipras was not invited to the G7 alternatives to those measures to Commission and the European if it means making concessions. into perpetual or GDP-linked in a statement late on Friday. talks. clinch an agreement. Council, Jean-Claude Juncker and Some 73 percent saw no need bonds and a principal write-off, “It’s a welcome move and a nec- Greece postponed a payment EU diplomats have said mid- Donald Tusk, to discuss the way for- for new elections to approve an but the plans have no support in essary one to save the domestic due to the International Monetary June is the final deadline for a deal ward to a solution on the sidelines. eventual accord, compared with the euro zone. industry which (is) at the suffer- Fund on Friday until the end of to secure ministerial approval and An Obama administration brief- 22 percent who said a popular On Thursday, Athens decided ing end,” said N C Mathur, presi- June, highlighting its precarious parliamentary backing for dis- ing reporters ahead of the G7 vote was necessary. The survey to bundle some 1.6 billion euros it dent of the Indian Stainless Steel cash position and spooking mar- bursement before Greece’s 240 said: “We’re obviously encourag- also showed 79 percent want to was scheduled to pay the IMF in Development Association. kets, but giving itself a few more billion bailout expires at the end ing all sides to continue to focus remain in the euro zone, confirm- four instalments into a single pay- India consumes about 1 million days to negotiate a deal linked to of the month. on finding a solution that’s going ing previous poll findings. ment at the end of June, skipping tonne of this type of stainless steel some future debt relief. The lenders added an incentive to allow Greece to chart a path The conciliatory public mood a ¤300m payment due on Friday. and more than 40 percent of that In a defiant speech to parlia- by raising the prospect of releas- to recovery.” contrasted with anger among It was the first time in five is imported, mainly from China. ment on Friday, the leftist prime ing an additional ¤10.9bn in fro- Tsipras is under pressure to Syriza leftists at the lenders’ years of crisis that Greece has Steelmakers from Asia to Europe minister balanced indignation at zen funds originally earmarked sign a deal this month while proposal that crossed many of postponed a repayment on its are facing increasing pressure from what he called “a very bad nego- for bank recapitalisation to tide trying to placate hardliners in the government’s “red lines”, bailouts from euro zone govern- a rise in cheap imports as Russia tiating trick” with confidence Athens over a big repayment his Syriza party who oppose the demanding tax hikes, privatising ments, the European Central and Ukraine, armed with weaker that a deal was “closer than ever hump in July and August. terms creditors are demanding. strategic state assets and refrain- Bank and the IMF. The rare tac- currencies, join China in pushing before” to keep his country in the German Chancellor Angela One far-left deputy minister ing from any unilateral action to tic does not constitute a default. surplus output on to world markets. currency bloc. Merkel tried to force a deal suggested snap elections as a way restore collective bargaining, as REUTERS REUTERS SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 18 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com BUSINESS Qatargas presents key papers at WGC World Gas Conference ends in Paris

DOHA: Qatargas presented Qatargas Chief Operating several key papers at the just- Officer - Commercial & Shipping, concluded 26th World Gas Alaa Abu Jbara, presented a paper Conference (WGC 2015) held titled “Fundamental Drivers in Paris. This year, the trien- of Global Supply & Demand: A nial event was attended by over Qatargas Perspective”. The paper 4,000 industry professionals explained how the fundamentals from across the globe. Qatargas of favorable demographics, eco- was a Principal Sponsor of the nomic growth, energy demand latest edition of WGC. growth, and rising levels of envi- Qatargas delegates at the World Gas Conference in Paris. On the opening day of the con- ronmental awareness, leave LNG ference Qatargas CEO, Khalid bin uniquely positioned among the paper highlighted the advan- Senior Commercial Analyst Global Sustainable Energy Future and why LNG is needed for Khalifa Al Thani, delivered a key- world’s primary energy sources. tage of natural gas as a cleaner established that Portfolio optimi- and the Role of Qatargas” was the the future clean energy needs note speech focused on the theme “Greenhouse Gas Life Cycle fuel as levels of GHG emission zation is an essential tool to meet title of a paper by Pawandeep of Europe was the subject of a “Natural Gas – A Core Pillar of Assessment for an LNG Plant in resulting from power generation demand where and when needed. Singh, Senior Commercial paper titled “What does it take a Sustainable Energy Future”. Qatar” was the title of a presenta- using natural gas is significantly The presentation described how Analyst. The paper highlighted for Europe to attract LNG” The speech underlined the fact tion by Khalifa Ahmed Al-Sulaiti, lower than the most efficient Qatargas has redeployed its port- the attributes of LNG as the fuel by Stephanie Aqui, Senior that LNG will play a major role Environmental Affairs Division coal-based power generation folio by increasing supplies to Asia for the future and some of the Commercial Analyst. in a sustainable energy future as Manager. The paper showed how technologies. to meet the growing demand and initiatives Qatargas has taken Hundreds of conference dele- it represents an attractive alter- GHG emissions from Qatargas’ Another paper titled “Role reducing supplies to Europe and to support the development and gates visited the Qatargas stand native to unsustainable, higher LNG production compare favo- of LNG Portfolio Optimisation America following the drop in long term sustainability of LNG at the exhibition held in conjunc- priced, higher polluting, and less rably with other existing as well in a Rapidly Changing Market demand. markets. tion with the conference. reliable energy options. as upcoming LNG facilities. The Environment” by Amine Yacef, “LNG – A Clean Fuel for a Europe’s current energy today THE PENINSULA

QNB holds forum on asset management solutions

DOHA: QNB’s 2nd Asset The dual purpose of the QNB importance of diversification and experienced asset management Management Forum discussed forum was to both enhance under- finally the importance of investing team has a proven track record various global macroeconomic standing of the investment climate during pessimistic situations. and have secured many prestigious scenarios which affect the domes- and to discuss various global mac- QNB Group, the leading fund awards including the 2015 MENA tic and international markets. roeconomic scenarios which affect manager in the country and one of Fund manager-“Best Equity Fund This year’s forum was led by both the domestic and international the leading asset managers in the of the Year”, 2014 Global Investor QNB’s and other global financial markets. The panel addressed region, has a specialized research magazine –“Best Regional Asset experts who provided a number of these scenarios, and the current team that actively tracks relevant Manager “along with Global selected clients with a panel dis- situation’s possible challenges and economies and asset classes. The Investor magazine – ‘Best Asset cussion on Asset Allocation under opportunities. Topics discussed bank manages various asset classes Manager in Qatar’ for the year Macroeconomic Global Scenarios”. included: commodities, specifically such as commodities, fixed income 2013, 2012 and 2010 and the 2011 This forum capitalised on last year’s oil and gold outlooks, inflation and and equities across several regions EMEA Finance – ‘Middle East version that focused on Establishing currency fluctuations, fixed income including Qatar, GCC, frontier and Banking Achievement Award.’ A QNB official speaking at the forum. the Need for Investing”. market future prospects, the emerging markets. The highly THE PENINSULA Capital outflow from China reach record level, says QNB analysis

hina is the world’s larg- to be made available, but China’s lead to stronger portfolio inflows est economy and the main external debt dollars fell by $23bn by foreign investors seeking to Cdriver of global growth. in Q3 2014. The trend of paying benefit from the high-growth Since its opening up to the world back foreign-currency debt and environment. in the early 2000s, the perform- the resulting capital outflows are An unintended consequence of ance of China has had significant expected to continue in 2015. capital outflows is tighter domes- impact on economies and markets Partly offsetting capital flight, tic monetary conditions in China. around the world. But China is China’s current account regis- As corporates exchange domestic also influenced by global economic tered a large surplus in Q1 2015. currency for US dollars with the currents, and the strong forces of The $78.9bn surplus — equiva- People’s Bank of China (PBoC), lower oil prices, divergent global lent to 3.5 percent of GDP — it leads to lower currency in cir- monetary policies and a stronger was due to the drop in oil prices culation and tighter monetary US dollar are setting new trends which reduced crude oil import conditions. The PBoC’s repeated in China. Nowhere is this more bill despite a steady increase rounds of easing, most recently visible than in the Q1, 2015 bal- in the volumes of imported oil. just before the publication of ance of payments data, where The current account surplus the balance of payments data, capital flight from China reached occurred in spite of the appre- are therefore necessary to keep record levels, a QNB Group anal- ciation of the Chinese yuan, monetary conditions at least sta- ysis said yesterday. which has seen its real effective ble. As a result, further easing is China’s financial account, where exchange rate appreciate by 12.9 expected going forward to achieve capital and financial flows are percent since June 2014. This has the authorities’ growth target of recorded, registered a deficit of hurt Chinese exports, by making 7 percent in 2015. $159.1bn, by far the largest defi- them less competitive relative to Overall, global economic forces cit since at least 1998. The large other countries. Going forward, are having serious implications financial account deficit occurred we expect the current account for the Chinese economy. The despite the impressive performance surplus to reach three percent current account is expected to of the Chinese stock market, which of GDP as the effect of lower remain in surplus due to lower rallied by 15.9 percent in Q1 2015. commodity prices will continue commodity prices, despite the The deficit was a reflection to outweigh the impact of a less appreciation of the yuan. Capital of accelerating capital outflows, competitive exchange rate. outflows are expected to continue as Chinese corporates paid off Because the financial account as Chinese corporates pay down their foreign-currency debt. deficit was much larger than their debt ahead of the US mon- These debts were accumulated as the current account surplus, etary normalisation. But they are Chinese corporates took advan- China’s overall balance of pay- expected to be mitigated by port- tage of the low interest rate envi- ments recorded a deficit in Q1, folio inflows as China takes fur- ronment in the US to borrow in and reserves fell by $D80.2bn. ther steps to liberalise its capital US dollars. And because they We do not expect the drawdown account. In this sense, the liber- expected the yuan to appreciate, in reserves to continue, nor do alisation of the capital account is they left their liabilities unhedged. we expect significant currency not just necessary for the interna- This process has begun to reverse depreciation. Going forward, we tionalisation of the renminbi, but ahead of the Federal Reserve’s expect capital outflows to be miti- also to keep its volatility under normalisation of monetary pol- gated by the gradual liberalisation control. icy in the US. Full data are yet of the capital account. This should THE PENINSULA

Global business growth eased in May

LONDON: Global business 50 mark that divides growth from “With job creation the highest growth stuttered in May but contraction since October 2012. since late-2007 and new order firms recruited staff at the fast- “Although the May PMI sug- inflows still solid, there remains est rate for over seven years, gests that the rate of global scope for GDP to accelerate head- suggesting they were optimis- economic expansion has slowed ing into the third quarter.” tic about the future, a survey further, the implied growth rate An employment sub-index rose showed. remains slightly above the econ- to 52.9, its highest reading since JPMorgan’s Global All-Industry omy’s potential and well above December 2007. The new orders Output Index, produced with what was achieved in Q1,” said index dipped to 53.6 but has been Markit, fell to 53.6 in May from David Hensley, a director at above 50 since October 2012. April’s 54.2. It has been above the JPMorgan. REUTERS SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 BUSINESS www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 19

Dairy prices Airbus planning drop to 5-year low on record reusable rocket milk production

LONDON: An abundance of milk from New Zealand to launcher Europe is driving global dairy costs to the lowest in five years. Prices have plunged almost 40 percent from a record in Technical, financial challenges ahead February 2014 as farmers ramped up production and Chinese PARIS: European aircraft phase of its journey. The later demand slowed, according to a and aerospace giant Airbus stage comes into action in the sec- United Nations measure of dairy has unveiled plans for a reus- ond part,” said Francois Auque, products. Global production of able space rocket launcher that director of Airbus’s Defence and milk, cheese and butter will rise should be ready in 2025, which Space programme. to records this year, accord- the firm says will be radically Adeline, which stands for ing to the US Department of different from the concept of ADvanced Expendable Launcher Agriculture. rival US firm Space X. with INnovative engine Economy, European farmers are increas- Airbus must overcome signifi- is original because it combines ing output after the government cant technical and financial chal- space technology with aeronau- ended production limits in April, lenges, while the Space X company tics, said Herve Gilibert, technical while supply from New Zealand, owned by South African-born bil- director at Airbus Defence and the biggest milk powder exporter, lionaire Elon Musk, co-founder of Space. has been better-than-expected PayPal, is already experimenting “In order to reuse the main during a drought, according to with its model. stage, we bring back the most INTL FCStone, a commodities Since 2010, a team of engi- expensive parts and try to make brokerage. Average prices on neers has been secretly working them in a way that they become New Zealand’s GlobalDairyTrade at an Airbus warehouse at Les much cheaper to reuse them than auction, the global benchmark, Mureaux, just outside Paris, look- to make new ones,” Auque said. fell to $2,412 a metric ton on ing for ways to reuse space rocket The idea is to recover the pro- A view of an inflatable scale size model of “Adeline”, short for Advanced Expendable Launcher with Innovative Tuesday, the lowest since August launchers. pulsion bay and the engine, which engine Economy, a reusable Ariane rocket first-stage engine and avionics package, at an Airbus Defence and 2009. They have a difficult task ahead account for 80 percent of the Space site of Les Mureaux, east of Paris. “Supply is relatively strong,” because they must ensure that launcher’s total value, by putting John Lancaster, a dairy analyst reuse ends up costing less than them behind a heat shield that be refuelled by new launchers with rocket, but land like a plane, said will require two tonnes of fuel at FCStone in Dublin, said by sticking to classic single-use will protect them as they come the help of satellite technology. Auque, who wants to reuse the to be brought back to Earth — phone Thursday. “With the quo- models. back to Earth. The plan is “to stock them up engine 10 or 20 times. half the amount its rival will tas gone, there’s no restriction Now, as they give journalists Adeline comes in the form of a in a space ‘car park’” for future Gilibert meanwhile claims the need. on farmers.” access to their site, it appears stabiliser at the base of a launcher, use, Auque said. Airbus project is superior because In terms of financing, the com- At the same time, there are their project might end up and is outfitted with little wings Once Adelines have completed it is being designed to with- pany is aiming for a 30 percent signs of weaker demand. China working. and a turboprop engine. As with their mission, they are flown stand more reuse than Space X’s gain on the launcher’s operating may reduce purchases of whole Airbus has baptised the two most aircraft, fuel is stored in the remotely like a drone to a land- version. costs — estimated at $70m (¤63m) milk powder this year, while phases of its reusable launcher wings. ing strip. Space X’s project is also differ- for the upcoming Ariane 6.2 imports of non-fat milk powder concept Adeline and Space Tugs. The Space Tugs concept calls As for how the reusable launch- ent because its launcher is being launcher model that is equipped will grow at a slower rate than “The main stage launches and for devices that will hover at an ers would work, the principle is built to land on a vessel at sea. with a dual rocket booster. previous years, according to the operates the rocket in the first altitude of 1,000km, which would to have them take off like normal Airbus estimates its module AFP USDA. China, which uses milk powder in infant formula, has been a driver of global demand in the past. Tax relief in Wisconsin The EU is also exporting less whole milk powder and cheese BoE should promote after Russia banned food imports from the region in retaliation for sanctions related to its policies in Ukraine. alternatives to banks Milk was 20 percent cheaper in April than a year ago, accord- LONDON: The Bank of improving access to finance was ing to data released last week England should make it easier an area where the FPC should from the Dutch Federation of for businesses and households to make progress over the next Agriculture and Horticulture, borrow money safely from capi- three years. known as LTO. tal markets and lenders other A lack of access to finance is The FAO’s gauge of global dairy than banks, a central bank poli- one reason BoE officials have costs fell to 167.5 points in May, cymaker said in a speech. given for Britain’s slow recovery the lowest since October 2009. Don Kohn, a member of the from the financial crisis and ongo- Lower prices may pinch BoE’s Financial Policy Committee ing weak productivity, as entre- farmer profits, leading to less and former vice-chairman of the preneurs find it hard to start new production later this year, US Federal Reserve, said British businesses or retool existing ones. Lancaster said. banks’ reluctance to lend after the Kohn did not give details of While they’ve benefited from financial crisis showed the need steps the FPC could take, but he lower feed costs, adverse weather, for alternative sources of funds. said it was essential to ensure that such as too much or too little rain, “Having financing available new sources of finance -- includ- would hurt pasture growth and through both banks and markets ing securitising consumer loans -- result in less milk production, he has been characterised as a ‘spare did not create the problems that said. tyre’ approach to intermediation led to the subprime crisis in the “If milk prices come down — if one aspect of intermediation United States. further in Europe, we’d expect is impaired, the other could be “The risks we should be look- to see some kind of a response available to take up the slack,” ing for could be quite different from production side,” he said. People walk by an unoccupied commercial real estate business for sale in downtown Superior, he said. from the leverage or maturity “We could see more culling from Wisconsin, United States. Shortly after taking office, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker travelled to the British businesses typically mismatch or poor underwriting herds, depending on how low rough-hewn port city of Superior to unveil a new sign that proclaimed his push to slash taxes and lure raise much less money through standards issues that we are used prices go and potential cash flow companies across the border from neighbouring Minnesota. capital markets than their US or to dealing with in banks,” he said. issues.” German counterparts. Kohn said REUTERS WP-BLOOMBERG Britain to sell stake in Royal Mail, targets £1.5bn

LONDON: Britain will sell its 30 per- final stage in one of Britain’s most high- cent stake in postal operator Royal profile privatisations in decades. Mail, currently worth about £1.5bn, In 2013, Britain sold 60 percent of the as it renews its drive to wipe out the 500-year-old postal operator, attracting budget deficit, Chancellor George criticism from rival politicians and trade Osborne said. unions who said the firm had been sold The sale was announced alongside a off too cheaply. The share price subse- further £3bn of debt-reduction measures quently rose by as much as 87 percent. as Osborne said he was redoubling his Osborne acknowledged those con- efforts to fix the public finances after cerns, saying the government would only his Conservative party’s surprise election sell when it was sure it was getting value win in May. for money. “It is the right thing to do for the Forecasts for Royal Mail have wors- Royal Mail, the businesses and families ened since its flotation, with growth pros- who depend on it and crucially for the pects in the key parcel market hindered taxpayer,” Osborne said. by increased competition and emails con- The sale will begin later this year, and tinuing to eat into the letters market. no decision has been taken yet on how it Nevertheless the stock was trading will be conducted. at around 508 pence on Thursday, well Osborne wants to run a budget surplus above the initial offer price of 330 pence, by 2018/19, wiping out a deficit which but down by around 3 percent on the day. is currently equivalent to nearly five The Communication Workers Union percent of economic output, primarily objected to the plan. through spending cuts. “The CWU will oppose this final part “As with any challenge the sooner you of the selloff and continue to campaign get on with it, the better,” Osborne said against unfair competition and the race in parliament. to the bottom which privatisation inevi- The other £3bn of debt reductions, tably brings,” it said in a statement. which will come from government Treasury officials cited the sale of a departmental budgets in the current fis- government stake in Lloyds Banking cal year, will allow Osborne to ease the Group as a possible model for Royal pace of cuts he has previously outlined Mail. Lloyds shares are being sold con- for subsequent years. tinuously with safeguards to prevent The sale of the government’s remain- flooding the market. ing stake in Royal Mail will mark the REUTERS SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 20 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com BUSINESS

Boeing confident Jobs boom triggers rebound in housing of targets, Hardest hit industry during US recession becomes a highlight of economic recovery suppliers as it

WASHINGTON: The resur- other,” said Danielle Hale, direc- forecast. In Utah, job growth clients are first- or second-time improvement, both on the jobs increases output gence of job growth in the tor of housing statistics at the spiked over the past six months, home buyers rather than families front and in the housing market. United States is helping to National Association of Realtors. and the unemployment rate is seeking to upgrade. About 2.5 million people have NEW YORK: Boeing Co said it power a rebound in the housing “The job market’s improvement well below the national average, In fact, one of the puzzles of the been out of work for six months is increasingly confident it can market, turning what was the comes first, and then the housing at 3.4 percent. economic recovery has been that or more, while nearly 7 million deliver new jetliner models on hardest-hit industry during the market follows.” Utah enjoys a booming tourism people seemed reluctant to live are in part-time jobs even though time and on budget, and will not recession into a highlight of the Mounting layoffs and the col- industry, an up-and-coming tech on their own. While job growth they would like full-time posi- need to cut output as it transi- recovery. lapse of the housing market sector and a growing population was still anaemic, many people — tions, government data show. And tions to the upgraded designs. Home sales are at their high- arrived hand-in-hand during the — adding up to big business for often recent college graduates — though workers’ average earn- The world’s largest plane- est level since 2006, according recession. Shoddy loans led many Realtor Ryan Kirkham. were not confident that they could ing increased 8 cents in May, to maker also expects that its sup- to industry data, and housing homeowners to default on their The 20-year real estate veteran afford to pay rent or a mortgage $24.96 an hour, wage growth has pliers will keep up as it increases prices across major metro areas mortgages. The resulting wave of who lives near Salt Lake City said by themselves. That “household been stuck around 2 percent for output, despite problems at have increased 30 percent since foreclosures depressed local econ- that every house his clients have formation” reached an all-time much of the recovery. some that have slowed aircraft bottoming out three years ago. omies, leading to higher unem- bid on in the past few weeks has low between 2007 and 2011. “You’ve got a lot of people who deliveries. Government numbers show that ployment — creating a vicious had multiple offers. Some have But as the employment pros- are trading one struggle, which “We’ve been very focused on new residential construction cycle. had up to a dozen. And he said pects have brightened, household is unemployment, for another making sure our suppliers have jumped by 20 percent this spring, Now, a healthy job market is that he hasn’t yet this year had formation has returned to more struggle, which is underemploy- the capability and capacity to go and in some areas the market has in many ways reversing that pat- to deal with a short-sale, a tool normal levels. Even though many ment,” said Jason Richardson, to 12 a month,” said Larry Loftis, been so strong that analysts are tern, economists say. Those who homeowners use when they are of these new households are rent- director of research and evalua- general manager of the Boeing worried about another bubble. own a home are less likely to fall in distress. ing, they still hold potential for tion at the National Community 787 programme. Alongside those gains is a behind on their mortgage. More “Even though the competition the housing market. Realtor.com Reinvestment Coalition, which The company plans to boost 787 pickup in job growth that started people are able to start saving for is kind of crazy, I hope that it’s chief economist Jonathan Smoke works in needy neighborhoods. output to that level in 2016 from in 2014 and has yet to lose steam. a down payment. And workers are crazy and robust because of good said he is particularly encour- “They’re not building assets; 10 a month currently. New government data showed gaining confidence to strike out factors that are driving it and not aged by the fact that a million they’re not buying homes.” The remarks by Boeing sen- that the economy added 280,000 on their own, rather than bunk just speculation and bad loans,” jobs over the past year went to Nationally, housing prices are ior executives about the 737, 777 jobs in May, the biggest number with family or friends, spurring said Kirkham, who also heads the workers ages 25 to 34 — the prime rising at about double the rate of and 787 programmes were made this year. US employers have not demand for housing. Utah Association of Realtors. demographic for first-time home wage gains. Nela Richardson, chief in a series of briefings ahead of been on such a long hiring spree That may be most evident in Kirkham said that many buy- buyers. economist at Redfin, attributed the Paris Airshow that starts on since the dot-com boom of the late the West, which led the country ers are interested in moderately “With more jobs, more peo- the increase primarily to a lack June 15. 1990s. The unemployment rate in job creation in April, accord- priced townhomes and condos. ple in the labor force and higher of inventory: Many homeowners Investors are concerned pro- ticked up to 5.5 percent, largely ing to the most recent regional High-end homes over $750,000 wages materializing, this spring’s remain reluctant to sell, and new duction could falter as Boeing because more people decided to breakdown available from pay- — roughly three times Utah’s strong pace for home sales will construction is only starting to introduces new versions of all seek work. roll processor ADP, which com- median price — are not moving continue,” he said. catch up after years of lying fallow. three aircraft while simultane- “They both feed off of each piles a closely watched private as quickly, he said. Many of his Still, there is room for WP-BLOOMBERG ously boosting output of the 737 and 787 and holding 777 produc- tion steady. European rival Airbus Group SE also faces challenges Abe promotes plum increasing rates and building new models. Egg rationing in US To help meet its production target, Boeing is installing more robots in its factories, carefully managing suppliers and building officially begins new facilities. On May 29, Boeing began building the first 737 MAX, a WASHINGTON: In recent been crippling for the egg indus- new version of its best-selling days, an ominous sign has try. But it’s becoming increasingly aircraft that promises to burn appeared throughout Texas. clear that it isn’t merely those 14 percent less fuel that the cur- “Eggs (are) not for commercial who produce eggs that will suf- rent model. sale,” read warnings, printed fer. Those who eat them will pay The company is quickly erecting on traditional 8 1/2-by-11-inch a price, too. a massive building in Washington pieces of white paper and posted The wholesale price of eggs state to house autoclaves that will at H-E-B grocery stores across sold in liquid form (aka egg beat- bake composite wings of its new Texas. “The purchase of eggs is ers, the kind used by large food 777X model, due in 2020. limited to three cartons of eggs manufacturers) has skyrocketed Boeing expects to install the per customer.” — from $0.63 per dozen to more first autoclave on schedule in the H-E-B, which operates some than $1.50 — since the virus began third quarter, and to complete the 350 supermarkets, is one of the to spread. While that stands to building in May 2016. largest chains not only in the affect the price of breads, pastas, Boeing also said it raised its state, but in the whole country. cakes and other commercial con- forecast for passenger traffic And it has begun, as the casual fections made with eggs, it also and jetliner demand, and that but foreboding notices warn, to bodes poorly for food service pro- it expects 160 million more pas- ration its eggs. viders, such as McDonald’s, which sengers to fly this year than last “The United States is facing sell millions of egg-filled meals year, creating demand for 900 a temporary disruption in the every morning. Texas-based fast- additional aircraft, not counting supply of eggs due to the Avian food chain Whataburger recently Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (centre) eats a pickled plum as he meets with Miss Plum Fuyuka Baba replacements. Flu,” a statement released on announced that it will be short- (right) and Miss Plum Kozue Kimoto, who are representing the Kishu Plum Organization, at Abe’s official REUTERS Thursday said. “H-E-B is com- ening its breakfast hours for the residence in Tokyo. mitted to ensuring Texas fami- foreseeable future. lies and households have access “We know this is no fun for to eggs. The signs placed on our anyone and hope this doesn’t last shelves last week are to deter long, and we apologize the sup- commercial users from buying ply of eggs cannot currently meet Japan, China to push for infrastructure development eggs in bulk.” demand,” the company wrote on The news, as the grocer sug- its Facebook page. gests, comes on the heels of what In-shell egg prices have risen BEIJING: Japan and China and Chinese Finance Minister Bank (AIIB) is “welcomed by the communication and coordination has been a devastating several too. The average price per dozen agreed to push for infrastruc- Lou Jiwei exchanged their views international community.” Lou said in various ministerial sectors to months for egg farmers in the has just about doubled since the ture development in Asia dur- on economic and financial issues. the door is still open for Japan to enhance mutual understanding. United States. Avian flu, which end of May, according to the ing a bilateral finance dialogue During the dialogue, Aso join the AIIB. Japan has stayed out “The ministers shared the com- has proven lethal in other parts of USDA. in Beijing yesterday. explained to the Chinese delega- of the AIIB for now, raising ques- mon view that the dialogue is of the world, has spread throughout But incremental price increases “Both sides will promote infra- tion that Japan plans to invest tions over the institution’s ability important significance for both the United States like wildfire. are hardly as noticeable as strict structure development in Asia, about $110bn (about 14 trillion to ensure fairness in management. sides, which contributes to deep- Since April, when cases began limits on purchases, such as those including through coordination yen) in infrastructure develop- Meanwhile, the two ministers ening exchange of macroeconomic spreading by the thousands each already appearing at one of the with development financial insti- ment in Asia, such as through the vowed to strengthen financial situation and policy measures of week, the virus has escalated to country’s largest supermarket tutions, on the basis of common Asian Development Bank, which cooperation in East Asia while the two countries, strengthening a point of national crisis. chains, which makes the signs at interests,” said a joint statement is led by Japan and the United discussing the future direction for financial cooperation, and hence As of this month, some 46 mil- H-E-B stores all the more fore- released after the dialogue. States. Aso said at a press confer- developing financial cooperation helping further advance Japan- lion chickens and turkeys have boding. H-E-B has called the dis- In the fifth Japan-China ence, “The plan was understood among ASEAN Plus Three coun- China strategic and mutually been affected, according to the ruption “temporary” but hasn’t Finance Dialogue, held for the well by the Chinese side.” tries: members of the Association of beneficial relationship in the eco- US Department of Agriculture. delineated any time frame for the first time in three years and two Meanwhile, Lou stressed at the Southeast Asian Nations as well as nomic and financial fields,” the Nearly 80 percent of those are three-dozen-egg limit. months, Taro Aso, deputy prime beginning of the dialogue, the China- Japan, China and South Korea. The joint statement said. egg-laying hens, a reality that has WP-BLOOMBERG minister and finance minister, led Asian Infrastructure Investment ministers also agreed to strengthen WP-BLOOMBERG

World Economic Forum on Africa Japan first quarter GDP revised up

TOKYO: Japan’s economy consumption.” The economy month. From a year ago, core was expected to expand faster was to expand an annualised orders are seen to have fallen 1.3 pace than initially projected 2.7 percent in the first quarter, percent, the poll showed. in the first quarter, helped by an upward revision of the initial “In the long run, we see firms’ a pickup in capital spending, a estimate of a 2.4 percent, the poll capital spending picking up,” poll showed, suggesting firms’ of 25 analysts found. said Hidenobu Tokuda, senior business investment supports This would translate into a economist at Mizuho Research gradual economic recovery. quarter-on-quarter increase of 0.7 Institute. “Firms’ appetite for Data due next week is also seen percent compared from an initial business investment is solid, as likely to show Japan’s core reading of 0.6 percent. underpinned by positive earnings.” machinery orders slipped in April, Capital expenditure, one of the The Cabinet Office will release but analysts see them gradually components of GDP, is expected the machinery orders at 8.50am regaining momentum, reflecting to have risen 2.3 percent for the on Wednesday. positive corporate earnings. quarter from a preliminary 0.4 Japan’s current account bal- “Growth data for January- percent increase, the poll showed. ance is expected to show a sur- March will likely confirm a view The Cabinet Office will release plus of 1.6964 trillion Japanese that the economy is gradually the revised GDP data at 8.50am yen in April as the trade balance recovering, but the data will not on Monday (2350 GMT Sunday). likely stayed in surplus partly due be something to be happy about,” The poll also found core to lower oil prices and a soft yen said Yoshiki Shinke, chief econo- machinery orders, a highly vola- probably boosting income gains Archbishop Emeritus of South Africa Desmond Tutu (fourth right) greets Minister of Finance of South Africa mist at Dai-ichi Life Research tile data series regarded as an from overseas earnings. It would Nhlanhla Nene (right) as delegates gather around for a group photograph at the closing of the World Economic Institute. indicator of capital spending in be the 10th straight monthly sur- Forum on Africa at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa. The forum on Africa this year “There is a risk that the econ- the coming six to nine months, plus. The finance ministry will omy over April-June will not fell two percent in April from announce the data on Monday. marks 25 years of change on the continent. be good, especially for private a 2.9 percent gain the previous REUTERS SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 BUSINESS www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 21 $500bn buffer plan adds risk for rouble buyers Rouble weakens to more than 55 against dollar as Bank of Russia plans to buy foreign currencies to boost reserves

MOSCOW: As if investing in is very negative,” Oleg Kouzmin, a Groep NV as going against the the end of last week, up from an towards 60 will make the Bank after a pickup in fighting the pre- Russian markets didn’t carry former central-bank adviser who’s central bank’s so-called free-float eight-year low of $350.5 in April, of Russia revisit their buying vious day resulted in the deadliest enough risks, the central bank now an economist at Renaissance policy, in which market conditions central bank data sow. The Bank policy.” period in three months. Flare- just added another one: a $140bn Capital in Moscow, said by e-mail set the ruble’s exchange rate. of Russia has purchased about The Bank of Russia doesn’t ups risk endangering a cease-fire rouble-sale plan. Thursday. “Now, in addition to oil The authority isn’t abandoning $2.9bn since the new reserve- rule out taking a pause in daily sealed in Belarus in February, Bank of Russia Governor and geopolitics, we have to con- the program, though “more fre- accumulation programme — foreign-currency purchases, RIA which has curbed deaths in the Elvira Nabiullina said on sider the Bank of Russia’s policy quent interventions on the cur- which involves buying between Novosti reported yesterday, cit- more-than-yearlong conflict Thursday she plans to buy for- of reserve accumulation as a risk rency market” are possible during $100m and $200m daily — started ing First Deputy Bank of Russia and eased concern over more eign currencies to boost reserves factor.” the “initial phase” of the regime in mid-May. Governor Dmitry Tulin. sanctions. to $500bn in coming years. Russia is building financial adopted in November, Nabiullina Nabiullina’s comment on The currency slid 2.5 percent to “Escalation of tension in east- Purchases of about $2.9bn helped buffers as sanctions over its role said on Thursday. reserves was “somewhat unex- 55.6770 at 5.28pm in Moscow on ern Ukraine where the fragile turn this year’s best-performing in Ukraine and weaker oil prices The central bank has no time- pected,” according to Ivan Thursday, the lowest level since cease-fire is holding on a shoe currency into the worst in the push the economy into reces- table for how fast it wants to Tchakarov, an economist at April 7. Government bonds fell string” may force Nabiullina past month. The rouble, which sion. While the start of dollar reach the $500bn reserve target, Citigroup Inc in Moscow and the for a second day, pushing five- to scale back foreign-currency is the most volatile currency purchases on May 13 coincided according to Nabiullina. Reserves second-most accurate ruble fore- year yields up 17 basis points to purchases as the exchange rate globally, weakened to more than with official statements that the tumbled 24 percent last year as caster in a Bloomberg survey of the highest since April. approaches 60 per dollar, accord- 55 against the dollar for the first ruble’s advance had gone too far, Russia took steps to slow the the past four quarters. The ruble’s three-month ing to Piotr Matys, a London- time in two months on Thursday the currency’s weakening spurred currency’s decline, the biggest “I don’t necessarily think this implied volatility, which reflects based foreign-exchange strategist as bonds tumbled. by flare-ups in Ukraine this week worldwide at 46 percent, in the is a goal set in stone, but rather expectations for currency swings, at Rabobank, ranked among the “We still hope the central bank risks stoking inflation. face of declining oil prices and US a desired or optimal level they was 21 percent, compared with five most accurate ruble forecast- will stop buying currency as the Russia’s start of foreign- and European Union sanctions would like to achieve eventually 18 percent for Brazil, the second- ers. “The key word is ‘flexibility’ exchange rate moves to 55-57, or currency purchases last month imposed after Russia’s annexation in order to have a nice buffer,” highest worldwide. given that market conditions can at least diminish the interven- prompted criticism by banks of Crimea in March 2014. Tchakarov said by e-mail Tensions eased in Ukraine’s change rapidly.” tions considerably, otherwise this including PAO Rosbank and ING The stockpile was $356.5bn at on Thursday. “Depreciation easternmost regions on Thursday WP-BLOOMBERG

Rumaila oilfield Regulators bungled auto ignition probe

WASHINGTON: In a scathing action, and “key facts were with- self-examination, federal regu- held by, or unrecognised within, lators acknowledged that for GM.” The report says GM “with- years, they failed to adequately held critical information about address a 57-cent defect in an engineering changes” that would ignition switch that killed 109 have helped NHTSA investigators people and injured more than identify the defect. 200 others. But the brunt of the critique The ignition switch problem, falls on the shoulders of NHTSA. which could prevent air bags from The safety agency did not under- deploying, endured for a dozen stand air bag technology, accepted years before General Motors what GM told it without demand- recalled 2.6 million cars last year. ing sufficient accountability, National Highway Traffic Safety didn’t dig into the problem deeply Administration administrator enough and failed to follow up on Mark Rosekind, joined in a con- what it found, the report says. ference call by US Transportation “Defective agencies, like defec- Secretary Anthony Foxx, said the tive people, need the capacity for agency he took over six months self reflection and to make room ago deserved much of the blame for self-improvement,” Foxx said for the deadly problem. in the conference call with report- “If there is a single explana- ers. “And that is what NHTSA is tion for why GM’s ignition defect doing today.” went undetected for too long, it Rosekind, who came to is that this agency believed that NHTSA after four years on the it understood how GM’s ignition National Transportation Safety and air bag systems worked and Board, said he already has taken we believed information from GM steps to transform NHTSA into confirmed our beliefs,” Rosekind a more aggressive agency. He said said. automakers would be required to A general view shows the Rumaila oilfield in Basra, southeast of Baghdad, yesterday. Rosekind issued two reports share all safety investigations Friday, one examining the GM they have underway. debacle and the other using it to “It would allow us to conduct plot a path forward for his agency. hundreds of crash field inves- Underlying both is the realization tigations every year focused US auto safety agency sets reforms after GM recall that the introduction of the com- on detecting potential defects,” puter chip into the automotive he said. “We would like to cre- industry 30 years ago has radi- ate a NHTSA go-team that WASHINGTON: US safety NHTSA analysed the incomplete the recall of 2.6 million vehicles. for ways for the entire agency cally changed the landscape. would be focused specifically regulators acknowledged short- responses,” the regulator said Regulators said the automaker first and the entire safety system to That contributed in part to a on going out and investigating falls in their probe of a General in one of two new reports on its became aware of a problem as early get better so this stuff doesn’t record recall of more than 60 mil- intensely defect-specific kinds of Motors Co ignition switch internal practices and plans for as 2001 but did not acknowledge a happen in the future.” lion vehicles in the US last year, investigations.” defect linked to over 100 deaths, reform. defect until 2014. In a report titled, “NHTSA’s a record which seems likely to be Rosekind said a team of three and unveiled plans for more The release of the reports “GM withheld information, Path Forward,” the agency pre- broken this year after the recent outside experts would help in aggressive enforcement of auto coincide with a more aggres- failed to provide timely responses sented a menu of changes that recall of almost 35 million cars overhauling his agency. defects. sive stance by the new NHTSA to NHTSA’s requests, and used would bring a stronger focus to for one defect alone — air bags To do its job most effectively, The National Highway Traffic administrator, Mark Rosekind, evasive techniques to distract automakers and parts suppliers that can spray drivers with deadly however, Rosekind said, NHTSA Safety Administration said its who recently announced the larg- NHTSA from potential defects,” and a closer relationship between shards of metal. would need about $89m to hire staff missed early signs of an igni- est recall in US history to address the agency said. regulators and plaintiffs’ attorneys. GM began installing the igni- 380 defect enforcement workers. tion problem because they mis- defective Takata Corp airbags But NHTSA also found no evi- Rosekind announced a new tion switch in some models 12 A graph in one report shows that understood the technology and and heightened scrutiny of the dence of intentional wrongdoing team of outside experts to years ago, apparently unaware NHTSA’s office of enforcement failed to demand a clear account recall practices at Fiat Chrysler among its own staff and has taken advise NHTSA on implement- that if it were inadvertently has 90 employees, while a similar of events from the automaker. Automobiles NV. no steps to fire or discipline the ing reforms. The group includes jarred out of the “run” position, it agency at the Federal Railroad “GM’s responses often con- Faulty GM ignition switches people involved. experts from the National would disable the air bag system. Administration has 678 and tained very little information could easily be jarred out of posi- “You can either have safety or Transportation Safety Board As the automaker became another at the Federal Aviation and included invocations of legal tion, preventing air bags from you can have blame,” NHTSA and the National Aeronautics and aware of the problem, one of Administration has 6,408. privilege. Rather than push back deploying in a crash. The result was Administrator Mark Rosekind Space Administration. the reports says, it failed to take WP-BLOOMBERG and request more information, 109 deaths, over 200 injuries and told reporters. “We’re looking REUTERS

Mexico petrol protest Deutsche Bank probes $6bn suspected money laundering

BERLIN: Deutsche Bank AG the highest standards in com- that about $6bn of transactions is looking into possible money bating suspicious activities and over about four years were being laundering transactions by will take tough measures if we investigated, citing people famil- some of its clients in Russia find evidence of wrongdoing,” the iar with the matter. which could exceed $6bn, a statement said. Up to three staff The report came as Deutsche source familiar with the matter have been laid off by the bank, the Bank strains to put a raft of legal said. source said. and regulatory problems entail- Transactions conducted over a “The misconduct was on the ing billions of dollars in fines and period of years are being investi- part of the client. The bank got settlements behind it and focus gated, and the sum could exceed used. The internal probe will try on delivering a new strategy that $6bn, the source said, adding to determine how the bank got will satisfy shareholders. that the internal probe of the used,” the source said. Germany’s Manager Magazin possible abuse being conducted Launderers used ‘relatively last month cited people familiar by Deutsche Bank is in its initial simple transactions’ conducted with the matter as saying that stages. in different locations using the Deutsche Bank was investigat- Deutsche Bank repeated a dollar and rouble currencies, the ing whether its employees in statement from May 20, saying it source said. Moscow may have helped laun- had suspended a small number of The European Central Bank, der at least a triple-digit million- traders in Moscow and was con- German regulator BaFin as well euro amount of money through People wait in line to fill containers with gasoline at a gas station in Oaxaca, Mexico. At least four petrol ducting an internal review, but as the FCA and DFS have been the purchase and sale of over-the- stations remained open after members of the CNTE teachers’ union continued to block access to a pet- gave no details of the reason for informed about the internal counter derivatives in Moscow rol storage and distribution facility of state-owned oil company Pemex for the fifth day. the suspension. investigation, the source also said. and London. “We have pledged to uphold Bloomberg on Friday reported REUTERS SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 22 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com BUSINESS VIEWS

Opec’s production limit Solar power to people: How sun has just ceased to exist can ease Africa’s electricity crisis BY LEONID BERSHIDSKY BY KEVIN WATKINS burning firewood and dung kill Panel report, published this energy poverty is the destruction 600,000 people a year – half of week, estimates that 138 million of forests to produce charcoal for s expected, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting e shall make them children. Health clinics are households living on less than rising urban populations: fewer Countries agreed Friday to maintain crude oil produc- electric light unable to refrigerate life-saving $2.50 a day spend $10bn annu- trees means the loss of vital car- tion at 30 million barrels a day. In effect, that means a so cheap vaccines and children are denied ally on energy-related prod- bon sinks. Alicense for both Opec and non-Opec producers to increase that only the the light they need to study. ucts, including charcoal, candles Small-scale solar energy can output as they see fit. Saudi Arabia intends to continue its price wealthy can Politics is at the heart of and kerosene. Measured on a provide millions of people with war on U.S. shale that was interrupted by the recent speculative Wafford to burn candles, said Africa’s energy crisis. The per-unit cost basis, these poor a first step on the energy lad- upswing in crude prices. Thomas Edison, inventor of continent’s power utilities are households pay 60-80 times more der. But it cannot in the medium Oil prices plummeted last year after Opec, led by the Saudis, the modern lightbulb. That notoriously inefficient. This is for energy than people living in term fill the energy void left by refused to cut output in response to a global glut. That has already was almost a century and a partly down to mispricing and London or Manhattan. Off-grid large-scale utilities. African gov- cost the oil industry about 100,000 jobs and as much as $1 trillion half ago. underinvestment. But it’s also solar power could slash these ernments must aim for an annual in scrapped investment projects. Yet the main players have only Today in Africa, 621 million because utilities are vehicles costs, releasing resources for growth rate in power generation increased output. In April, according to the International Energy people – two-thirds of the popu- for political patronage and, in productive investment, health of 10% a year for the next two Agency, Opec supply was at 31.2 million barrels a day, the highest lation – live without electricity. some cases, institutionalised and education, driving down decades – about five times cur- since September 2012. That was the 12th consecutive month that And the numbers are rising. A theft. Some $120m went missing poverty and raising life expect- rent levels. Countries such as Opec production was above the official 30 million barrel limit, and kettle boiled twice a day in the from the Tanzanian state ancy. If you think this is a pipe- Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda Saudi Arabia was pumping as fast as it could, keeping its output UK uses five times as much elec- power utility last year through dream, think again. Bangladesh have demonstrated this is pos- above 10 million barrels a day. tricity as someone in Mali uses a complex web of offshore has installed more than 3.5m sible. Both have simultaneously Its enthusiasm was, however, surpassed by the biggest non- Opec in a year. Nigeria is one of the companies. off-grid solar power systems, and increased public investment oil power, Russia. In May, it extracted 10.7 million barrels per day, world’s biggest oil exporters but The sheer scale of Africa’s the figure is set to double over while attracting large-scale for- compared with the Saudis’ 10.2 million. It was the first time Russia 93 million residents depend on energy deficit often fuels a the next few years. The key to eign investment. Aid donors can took the global lead since 2010. firewood and charcoal for heat sense of fatalism and paralysis. success? Financial and techni- help by providing bridging loans The U.S. oil industry, too, did its best to show it was not intimi- and light. On current trends, Yet on the flipside of this cri- cal support from government, and helping to reduce risk. dated. In May, it produced an average of 9.4 million barrels of there is no chance Africa will sis are enormous opportunities. allied to new business models. In Throughout history electric- crude per day, 2.7 percent more than in January and the most since hit the global target of energy Sub-Saharan Africa has some of Africa, a vibrant off-grid solar ity has fuelled the growth that 1972. That provided a nice backdrop to the gung- ho speech by for all by 2030. the world’s most abundant and industry is poised for takeoff. has created jobs, cut poverty, and ConocoPhillips Chief Executive Officer Ryan Lance at this week’s Unlike droughts, health epi- least exploited renewable energy The only thing missing in most improved the quality of life. Now, Opec conference. “This business will survive at $100 Brent oil demics and illiteracy, Africa’s sources, especially solar power. countries is government action almost 150 years after Edison pricing and it will survive at $60-70 Brent pricing,” he said, adding energy crisis seldom makes With the price of solar panels to support, encourage and enable developed the lightbulb, it is that a 15 percent to 30 percent drop in production costs in recent the headlines. Yet the social, plunging, there are opportuni- this investment. time to spark an African energy months allows the best U.S. frackers to stay profitable even with economic and human costs are ties for firms and governments to Supporting the development revolution. We lack neither the Brent crude at $40. devastating. Inadequate and connect millions of poor house- of large-scale renewable energy finance nor the technologies to That last bit of bravado is either unjustified or irrelevant to unreliable electricity undermines holds to affordable small-scale, is not just the right thing to do do so: all that’s needed is the traditional producers trying to put pressure on U.S. shale. The investment. Power shortages cut off-grid systems. for Africa. It is also the smart vital connection of international U.S. Energy Information Administration expects U.S. crude economic growth by 2-4% annu- This would help the poorest thing to do on climate change. cooperation and political will. production to start going down this month and to keep falling ally. The toxic fumes released by most. The latest Africa Progress One of the symptoms of Africa’s THE GUARDIAN through September before growth resumes. According to analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence, prices predicted by the futures market wouldn’t be sufficiently high to get U.S. oil companies to start unsealing drilled but uncompleted wells. That, however, is hardly a satisfactory result for the Saudis. Like Lance, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi is putting on a brave face: On Monday, he said things were moving “in the right direction” and the Saudi strategy was working to reduce supply as demand increased. But he can’t really be happy until he’s put the upstart Americans in their place. The biggest obstacle to that is the oil price: It’s too high, higher than is necessary to make frackers bleed rather than just squirm. All those production records and the de-facto absence of an Opec output ceiling have been unable to lower it enough, largely because of speculators. In May, money managers still had a net long position in oil futures and options, expecting prices to rise. It’s hard to find a rational explanation for these expectations. With oil supply still growing faster than demand, it can hardly be sustainable, and the expected U.S. production drop in the summer months won’t be big enough to help. The Opec decision sent the price lower, to below $62 per barrel of Brent from above $65 just two days ago, but that’s not a big change, either. Perhaps Iran will set off the next downward slide if it does a deal with the rest of the world on the future of its nuclear program. Sanctions on the oil industry would be lifted, and Iran would ulti- mately be able to increase its exports by as much as 1 million bar- rels a day. Apparently, this wouldn’t affect the increasingly fictional Opec production quota. “You know that production is a sovereign right,” al-Naimi said Friday, adding that Iran was free to produce as much as it wanted. In other words, the sky, not 30 million bar- rels per day, is the real output limit, and the Saudis will welcome anyone willing and able to pump more oil so its attack on frackers can resume. Both Saudi Arabia and Russia are now prepared for lower prices. The Saudi budget was drafted in December, when the price was about $60 per barrel, but the country can take much more pain thanks to its $731 billion sovereign wealth fund. Russia’s budget is based on $50 per barrel, and because the price is higher, the ruble has also been stronger than the Russian authorities want, forcing the central bank to buy dollars and euros. Neither of the oil market leaders wants the pain of last year’s price drop to have been in vain, and they haven’t secured their market share yet. For now, financial speculators are playing an outsize role in maintaining the current price equilibrium. Once something spooks them, frackers will be in for another round of shock therapy. Cartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate BLOOMBERG

Rejected for credit: Loyal customers turned down as ‘too risky’

BY RUPERT JONES demand from borrowers who apartment as soon as we saw it of three years, and anyway, at Howes told us this week that sometimes that can outweigh the are being turned down by the because the demand for two-bed- ages 85 and 83 respectively we he was delighted that NatWest extra cost. ohn Howes must be one of banks because of their age. room flats is so great – we didn’t wouldn’t have qualified.” was providing them with an With this type of finance, the NatWest’s longest-serving Bridging loans are short-term want to lose out,” says Howes, who The couple looked at obtain- overdraft sufficient for their interest is added into the loan, customers – he opened his secured loans designed to bridge formerly worked in local govern- ing the money from elsewhere needs, adding that it was “a so income and affordability is Jaccount just two years after a temporary cash shortfall ment in London. The estate agent but now don’t need to, because victory for the Guardian’s assessed in a different way to a the end of the second world war when buying a property, and indicated that their house could NatWest has decided it will help intervention”. mortgage, which can suit “asset- and is still with the bank today. demand for them has surged be sold in four to eight weeks. them after all. After Money Andre Bartlett at bridging firm rich but income-poor” borrow- His wife became a customer – but they can be a risky and However, they were separately passed on the details of their SPF Short Term Finance, part ers such as the retired or people around 1952. expensive option. advised that if they were able to case, the bank investigated and of mortgage broker SPF Private downsizing. But all those years of loyalty to The good news for Howes make an immediate cash offer for acknowledges that even though it Clients, says that over the past “On a case like this we would the now state-owned bank didn’t and his wife is that, following the flat, this would put them at stopped offering bridging loans in few years banks have increasingly expect to obtain terms at 0.59% seem to count for much when Guardian Money’s intervention, the front of the queue. 2013, it could have done more to “discriminated against” borrow- per month, with the interest the couple, who are aged 85 NatWest has changed its tune and The couple offered cash, and assist them. It has been in touch ers because of their age. “Most of added each month. There would and 83, approached it for a short- is now helping them to buy their then approached the bank for the with the couple and says that our clients approach us because be a negotiable arrangement term loan so they could make a new home. short-term loan. Howes says that subject to a few standard condi- their bank has refused to help fee of up to 2%, and no exit fee cash offer on a retirement flat Howes has been a customer as they were seeking a relatively tions, such as confirmation of the where logic says it should have when the borrower redeems – so while they were selling their of NatWest since November small loan for a short period, he investments held and estate agent done,” he adds. they only pay for the time they house. 1947 when, as a teenager, he imagined that the bank wouldn’t views on the sale of the property, Bridging loans are usually borrow. This is a classic bridg- With the property valued at signed up with Westminster have a problem, bearing in mind it has agreed to provide an unse- taken out to help someone buy ing loan and one we are increas- £785,000, plus investments and Bank, which in 1968 merged with the value of the property they cured overdraft facility. their next property if the sale ingly required to arrange,” says a decent combined pension National Provincial Bank to cre- were selling, and their annual “We want to be a bank that of their existing one hasn’t been Bartlett. income, they were hopeful ate National Westminster Bank. income and investments. our customers can trust, and it completed, and the tightening up Earlier this year, Benson NatWest would agree to their His wife, who worked as a school- Howes says the bank told is instances like this where we of the rules on standard mort- Hersch, chief executive of the request for a short-term bridg- teacher, followed his lead just a them it had stopped offering should do everything we can to gages has brought them into the Association of Short Term ing loan of £165,000 lasting for, at few years later. bridging loans two years ago on help our customers with their mainstream. Lenders, said that with lend- most, a couple of months – but all The couple own a four-bed- the grounds that they were “too aspirations. We are very sorry SPF specialises in placing bor- ing into retirement “becoming it was prepared to offer them was room house in south London, risky”, and instead offered them that we let Mr and Mrs Howes rowers with specialist lenders. an increasing no-no for a £5,000 personal loan or a £2,000 but recently decided to downsize. a loan or overdraft for just a down in this instance by not These are traditionally more high street banks, there is a overdraft. They found a two-bedroom retire- tiny fraction of the amount they offering an alternative solution. expensive than the high-street growing need for both older And it appears their plight ment apartment in an area they needed, which was “no use at all”. We have contacted them to apolo- banks but, Bartlett says, don’t people and their financial wasn’t unusual. One bridging really liked, but needed to sell He adds: “One member of staff gise and we’re now helping them have the same restrictions on the advisers to look for more creative loan provider told Guardian their home. suggested a mortgage – but that to buy their new home,” a bank type of funding they will do, so options”. Money that it is seeing growing “We wanted to bid for the would have been for a minimum spokeswoman says. they can be more flexible – and THE GUARDIAN SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015 SPORT www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 23 Lingmerth grabs lead as Woods barely makes cut Swedish golfer one-shot ahead of Dufner after firing 65

DUBLIN, US: Sweden’s David Lingmerth fired seven birdies in a seven-under 65 on Friday to grab the halfway lead at the Mariajo Uribe of Colombia takes her first shot on the 7th hole during the Memorial as five-time champion first round of the Manulife LPGA Classic at the Whistle Bear Golf Club Tiger Woods scrambled to make on Thursday, 2015 in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. the cut on the number. Lingmerth’s 12-under total of David 132 gave him a one-shot lead over Lingmerth Ohio native Jason Dufner, who of Sweden Pettersen, Uribe top carded a 67 for 133. watches Lingmerth ignited his round his tee shot with three straight birdies at seven, eight and nine. His four on the 18th crowded leaderboard birdies coming in included both hole during of the par-threes. the second KITCHENER, Canada: on Friday but nothing like “I started giving myself oppor- round of the Norways’ Suzann Pettersen Thursday when Thailand’s PK tunities and the putts started Memorial fired a bogey-free seven-under Kongkraphan, American Cristie dropping in,” said the Swede, who Tournament 65 to seize a share of the lead Kerr and Cheyenne Woods of the is seeking a first US PGA Tour presented by with Mariajo Uribe atop a US tied the course record by post- title. Nationwide crowded leaderboard after the ing nine-under 63s. Dufner, a former US PGA at Muirfield second round of the LPGA The 34-year-old Pettersen Championship winner, had back- Village Golf Tour’s Manulife Classic. has looked good since returning to-back eagles, including a hole Club on Pettersen missed just three from a left shoulder injury that in one at the par-three 16th -- Friday in fairways and hit every green to forced her to pull out of the Lotte helping him bounce back from a Dublin, Ohio. sit tied with Ur