BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 Sheikh Salman manifesto aims to rise INDEX DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2, 20 COMMENT 18, 19 ARAB WORLD 3, 4 BUSINESS 1-8 FIFA from Qatar budget ‘focusing’ 17,488.96 10,429.36 37.12 INTERNATIONAL 5-16 CLASSIFIED 5 -114.91 -06.61 +1.42 ISLAM 17 SPORT 1-8 on sustainable growth ‘ashes’ -0.65% -0.06% +0.52% Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978 FRIDAY Vol. XXXVI No. 9954 January 1, 2016 Rabia I 21, 1437 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Hopes on the horizon Blaze engulfs GULF TIMES WISHES ITS Dubai hotel READERS A HAPPY NEW YEAR near world’s In brief tallest tower Reuters QATAR | Offi cial Dubai Emir exchanges ire engulfed a 63-storey sky- New Year greetings scraper in downtown Dubai near HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Fthe world’s tallest building last Hamad al-Thani exchanged cables of night, but the block was successfully congratulations with Their Majesties evacuated and there were only light and Highnesses the leaders of injuries, the emirate’s police chief friendly countries on the occasion said. of the New Year, wishing them the Tongues of fl ame shot skywards best of health and happiness and The sun sets on 2015 as people enjoy a pleasant winter evening in Doha’s Aspire Park yesterday. An eventful year for Qatar from one side of the luxury Address their peoples further progress and and the rest of the world has gone down in history. The New Year, 2016, brings with it many hopes and challenges. Downtown Dubai hotel and residen- prosperity. HH the Deputy Emir PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil Page 20 tial block, which stands across a plaza Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani from the 830m Burj Khalifa tower exchanged cables of congratulations where people were gathering for a with the crown princes and deputy spectacular fi reworks display due to presidents of friendly countries on mark the start of the New Year. Televi- the New Year. HE the Prime Minister sion pictures showing pieces of blaz- and Minister of Interior Sheikh ing debris raining down. Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al- The Dubai government’s media of- Thani exchanged New Year greeting RasGas, Petronet fi ce said the blaze was 90% under with the heads of governments of control. Police chief Major General friendly countries. Khamis Matar told Al Arabiya televi- sion: “All residents of the hotel were evacuated and there are 14 injured, REGION | Military with light injuries.” Iran-US tensions A medic on the scene who declined sign LNG supply to be identifi ed told Reuters: “There over sanctions threat are more than 60 people injured with Iran accused the US of lying yesterday light injuries from smoke inhalation Flames rip through the Address about alleged test-firing of rockets and from crowding while in the stairs Downtown hotel after it was hit by a near an American warship and anger evacuating the building.” massive fire, near the world’s tallest rose in Tehran at the spectre of new One resident staying on the 15th tower, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, yesterday. sanctions from Washington. Iran’s deal for India fl oor of the tower, completed in 2008, Revolutionary Guards denied that its told Britain’s Sky News of “absolute fi ce said the blaze had started on the naval forces had been involved in a asGas and Petronet have en- current level of oil indexation with the RasGas acts as the operating com- pandemonium” as those inside real- 20th fl oor, on the outside of the 300m December 26 incident in which the tered into a “binding” sale and oil index more closely refl ecting the pany for and on behalf of the owners of ised the building was ablaze. tower, and that internal fi re-fi ghting US said rockets came close to the USS Rpurchase agreement (SPA) for prevailing oil prices. the LNG projects - RL, RL (II) and RL3. “The alarms went off when the systems were operating to try to pre- Harry S Truman aircraft carrier in the supply of an additional 1mn tonnes RasGas CEO Hamad Mubarak al- With operations facilities based in building was already properly on fi re,” vent it getting inside the hotel. Four fi re strategic Strait of Hormuz. The naval per year (tpy) of liquefi ed natural gas Muhannadi said: “These positive de- Ras Laff an Industrial City RasGas’ he said. brigade teams were at the site. unit is responsible for securing Iranian (LNG) to India. velopments, including the new SPA, principal activities are to extract, proc- A Reuters correspondent saw po- Dubai is a trade, tourism and invest- interests in the Strait. Page 3 The additional quantity of LNG will demonstrate the strength of our long- ess, liquefy, store and export LNG and lice evacuating a viewing area near the ment hub for the Gulf region, and is be utilised for “onward sale” to four term relationship with Petronet and its derivatives from the North Field. base of the Burj Khalifa, where tourists one of seven emirates that make up the Indian entities- Indian Oil Corpora- commitment to growing sales into In- RasGas exports to countries across and Dubai residents were set to enjoy United Arab Emirates (UAE). ARAB WORLD | Confl ict tion, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, dia to meet its expanding clean energy Asia, Europe and the Americas with a one of the world’s largest pyrotechnic The 160-storey Burj Khalifa tower War on IS ‘starting GAIL (India) and Gujarat State Petro- needs”. total LNG production capacity of ap- displays to usher in 2016. opened in 2010 and stands almost leum Corporation. Petronet CEO, Prabhat Singh said: proximately 37mn tonnes per year. The Dubai government’s media of- 830m (2,722ft) tall. to pay off ’: Le Drian Further, RasGas and Petronet LNG “These developments highlight both Petronet is promoted by ONGC, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Limited have entered into a “binding parties confi dence in the Indian mar- GAIL (India), IOCL and BPCL for im- Dubai lit by spectacular fi reworks despite fi re Le Drian told forces on an aircraft agreement” to adjust some aspects of ket and our commitment to LNG as a port, storage and regasifi cation of carrier in the Gulf yesterday that the their existing long term LNG sale and cleaner, more effi cient source of en- LNG. Petronet LNG started commer- war against the Islamic State group purchase agreement (SPA) of 7.5mn ergy”. cial operations of its fi rst LNG termi- A spectacular fi reworks display lit up the 63-storey Address Downtown hotel. was starting to bear its fruit. “The tonnes per year, signed by the parties RasGas is one of the main suppliers nal at Dahej, Gujarat (India) in Janu- the sky above Dubai yesterday, centred Burj Khalifa was lit up with the fl ags of war (against IS) is being played out in 1999, which laid the foundation for of LNG into India and has been sup- ary 2004, which is operating at 10mn on the iconic Burj Khalifa tower close to the six Gulf Co-operation Council states, here,” he said aboard the Charles LNG business in India. plying Petronet since 2004. Petronet tonnes per year (tpy) and is currently where a huge fi re in a luxury hotel injured of which the United Arab Emirates is a de Gaulle, which is participating in “Such adjustments will protect and is the largest importer of LNG into under expansion to 15mn tpy. 16 people hours earlier. member, witnesses said. the US-led coalition carrying out preserve the overall value of the con- India and is the owner and operator of The second LNG terminal of 5mn The display was most elaborate at the “From @BurjKhalifa to the world: Happy air strikes on IS in Syria and Iraq. tract,” a joint statement said. the country’s largest receiving termi- tpy was commissioned in August 2013 828m (2,700ft ) Burj, where blasts of New Year 2016,” tweeted the Dubai “The strategy is starting to pay off . As per such agreement, LNG vol- nal at Dahej (Gujarat) and also the Ko- at Kochi, Kerala. colour and light exploded as the clock government media offi ce. Everywhere our sensors show that umes not taken by Petronet from Ras- chi LNG terminal in Kerala state. LNG bunkering, storage, reload and struck midnight. Other fi reworks were seen at the sail- Daesh is going on the defensive... Gas during 2015 will be taken and paid RasGas is a Qatari joint stock com- gassing up and cooling down services Lasers fl ashed through the skies over the shaped landmark Burj al-Arab hotel, in as shown in the loss of Ramadi,” he for by Petronet during the remaining pany established in 2001 by Qatar Pe- are also being provided at the Kochi chic district surrounding the tower, close addition to various spots across the city said, using an Arabic acronym for IS. term of the SPA and will maintain its troleum and ExxonMobil RasGas Inc. terminal. Business Page 1 to where fl ames were still billowing from as spectators cheered on. Prime Minister visits schools World greets New Year AFP people were gathering to watch New ments that help the stu- QNA Dubai Year’s Eve celebrations. All residents Doha dents to perform their ex- were safely evacuated, police said, aminations smoothly and and the celebrations went ahead as easily. he world greeted 2016 with planned. E the Prime Min- He also paid a visit to cheers, but tightened security The chimes of midnight will move ister and Minister Doha Preparatory Inde- Tput a damper on the party in Eu- across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Hof Interior, Sheikh pendent School for Boys rope and a spectacular fi re at a hotel in Europe and fi nally the Americas.