BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 12 Kvitova suff ers knife attack, injures INDEX DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2-7, 24 COMMENT 22, 23 playing hand REGION 8 BUSINESS 1–8, 14-16 Budgeted infrastructure 19,957.78 10,393.83 52.23 ARAB WORLD 8, 9 CLASSIFIED 9-13 +74.72 +121.46 +0.11 INTERNATIONAL 10–21 SPORTS 1 – 12 spend ‘spurring growth’ +0.38 +1.18% +0.21% Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978 WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXVII No. 10309 December 21, 2016 Rabia I 22, 1438 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals PM honours champions Doha Metro In brief works make EUROPE | Terrorism Police free Berlin truck attack suspect A Pakistani asylum-seeker suspected of ploughing a lorry into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12, was ‘big progress’ released yesterday for lack of evidence, leaving investigators By Ramesh Mathew of 19km of the Greenline underground to pursue their hunt for the real HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Staff Reporter are already completed. perpetrator of the massacre. “The Khalifa al-Thani honours one of the national champions who took part in While 10 to 12m of boring is made at accused, detained over the attack Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the opening of the 41st an average by a Tunnel Boring Machine on the Berlin Christmas market on general assembly of the Arab Police Sport Federation in Doha yesterday. arking a signifi cant progress (TBM), as many as 60m of tunnel was December 19, 2016, was let go on Page 4 in the construction of the bored by a TBM on August 31, 2015, he re- this evening on the orders of the MDoha Metro project, 54-59% called. Similarly, 20 TBMs together made federal prosecutor,” the prosecutor’s of the total works on the four lines has 490m of tunnel on January 27 this year. off ice said in a statement. been completed, a senior offi cial said Altogether 21 TBMs were at work. Meanwhile, the Islamic State group yesterday. It was also informed that the op- yesterday claimed responsibility “The fi rst train would start running erations contracts of the project would for the rampage. “A soldier of the in the last quarter of 2019, as sched- be awarded in the second quarter of Islamic State carried out the Berlin Qatar slams terrorism uled,” asserted Markus Demmler, sen- 2017 and architectural contracts were operation in response to appeals ior director of the Qatar Integrated awarded in the last quarter of this year. to target citizens of coalition Railway Project (QIRP). Also the MEP work sub-contracts were countries,” the IS-linked Amaq news Giving a presentation at a gather- Markus Demmler making the awarded in the fi rst quarter of this year. agency said, without identifying the acts in Zurich, Berlin ing hosted by the Qatar Society of En- presentation yesterday. The Qatar Rail offi cial also released perpetrator. Page 16 gineers yesterday, he explained that some fi gures concerning the logistics QNA fi rm position rejecting violence and nearly 61.4% of the work is over in the 2020, at least two years before the 2022 movement involved in the construction ARAB WORLD | Confl ict Doha terrorism in all its forms and manifes- 13.6km underground stretch of the Red FIFA World Cup opening and fi nal activities of the Metro so far. tations. Line from Lusail to Wakrah, and 66.5% matches are to be played in the iconic While there were 466,290 move- Syria army closes in It also expressed Qatar’s sincere of the work on the 8.9km Red Line stadium to be built in Lusail city. ments in transporting 2.8mn sq m of on last Aleppo rebels he State of Qatar has strongly condolences to the victims’ families South elevated route is now complete. The Qatar Rail offi cial also informed concrete blocks for tunnel construc- As President Bashar al-Assad’s army condemned the shooting at Is- and the people and government of The Qatar Rail offi cial exuded confi - that they would be able to achieve the tion, earth from the excavation car- closed in on the last rebel enclave Tlamic Centre in Zurich, Switzer- Switzerland and Germany, wishing the dence that the company would be able target set on the 486km Long Distance ried out in the sites of the two major in Aleppo yesterday, Russia, Iran land, and the truck attack in a market injured speedy recovery. to deliver a transport system of world rail operations, connecting the country Inter-change station sites in Msheireb and Turkey said they were ready to in the German city of Berlin which left Meanwhile, the Secretary General of standards for the country’s residents with Saudi Arabia. involved as many as 620,000 truck help broker a Syrian peace deal. The dozens of people dead and wounded. the Organisation of Islamic Co-opera- with the fi nal launch of the ambitious Work on the project, to be built in movements. Syrian army used loudspeakers to In a statement yesterday, the Foreign tion (OIC), Dr Yousef A al-Othaimeen, project three years from now. fi ve phases, comprising 11 stations, is Similarly for carrying the TBM broadcast warnings to insurgents Ministry said that these criminal acts has also strongly condemned the Ber- Work on the Lusail Light Rail Tran- expected to kick off shortly and the fi rst muck, amounting to 6.6mn tonnes, that it was poised to enter their that target innocent civilians are con- lin market attack, describing it as one sit, comprising 32km of lines and 35 phase would be operational in 2019 as close to 666,000 truck movements rapidly diminishing area during the trary to all ethical and humanitarian of the most heinous and despicable stations, is slightly behind the schedule per the current schedule. were reported. day and told them to speed up their principles and values. acts that is committed by senseless with 44.8% of the overall work done so As per the fi gures released by The simultaneous average availabili- evacuation of the city. Ministers from The statement also reiterated Qa- criminals. far. Demmler about Doha Metro in his ty of TBMs at its peak was close to 97%. Russia, Iran and Turkey adopted a tar’s fi rm position rejecting violence He expressed the OIC’s solidarity with “But we are very confi dent that the presentation yesterday, 58.6% of the A full-fl edged Logistics Traffi c Co- document they called the “Moscow and terrorism regardless of their mo- the government and people of Germany. work would be ahead of the schedule 19.1km Red Line South Underground, ordination Centre monitored the entire Declaration”, which set out the tives and causes. The OIC condemned in the strong- shortly as it is fast catching up in diff er- 55% of the 14.8 km Gold Line Ground movement of trucks, Demmler said. principles that any peace agreement The ministry stressed Qatar’s soli- est terms the assassination of Russsian ent areas of the project,” Demmler said. Underground, 54.3% of the Msheireb Earlier, Qatar Society of Engineers sec- should follow. At talks in the Russian darity with Switzerland and Germany. ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov in The current expectation is that Lu- Interchange stations, 59.4% of the retary general Ibrahim Mohamed al- capital, they also backed an The statement renewed the Qatar’s Ankara on Monday. sail LRT will become operational by 2.98km Greenline elevated, and 54.4% Sulaiti introduced the speaker. expanded ceasefire in Syria. Page 9 The outlook is windy and dusty conditions he country is likely to experience 22 knots in inshore areas and reaching a The detailed forecast for inshore Samra today, followed by 12C in Me- For more, one can see http:// another spell of strong winds high of 25 knots at times. areas today states that slight to saieed, Wakrah, Al Khor and Dukhan, qweather.gov.qa/NewsDetail. Tand dusty conditions until early There is a chance of blowing dust blowing dust is expected in some 15C in Ruwais and 16C in Doha. The aspx#sthash.LccnZjLt.dpuf tomorrow, the Qatar Met department and low visibility, especially in open places at times, bringing down vis- maximum, too, will drop to 19C in has said. areas, during this period while tem- ibility to 2km or less. Mild daytime Ruwais and 20C in Dukhan and Abu Shortest day of the year The mercury will dip during this pe- peratures may see a slight drop. In conditions and scattered clouds are Samra. riod, according to the weather offi ce, Doha, the maximum and minimum also expected, and it will be cold by Yesterday, a minimum tempera- The winter solstice will occur today, which has also issued a warning for temperatures are expected to be night. ture of 10C was recorded in Abu marking the shortest day – and longest strong winds and high seas in off shore 25C and 16C, respectively, and low- Dusty conditions are also likely in Samra until 6pm, 12C in Turay- night – of the year in the northern areas. er than that in the external areas. off shore areas today along with some na and Karana, 13C in Mesaieed, hemisphere. Informing this yesterday, In a report yesterday, the Met de- Windy conditions will make it feel clouds. Dukhan and Batna, 16C in the Qa- the Qatar Met department said the partment said a high-pressure ridge colder. Temperatures, meanwhile, have tar University and Hamad Inter- days gradually become longer after the was expected to aff ect the country from Waves may reach a height of 12ft to- started coming down again after wit- national Airport areas and 18C in winter solstice until days and nights are today dawn until early tomorrow.