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[email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780www.thepeninsulaqatar.comTHURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015 • 6 Jumada II 1436 • Volume 20 Number 6381

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Shop closed down for selling substandard heaters.

Moody’s slashes Ukraine rating to just above default.

Superpowers collide in World Cup semi-final.

ISO 9001:2008 C E R T I F I E D N E W S P A P E R

Emir praises Indian expats; concludes tourDOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has lauded the large Indian expatriate community in Qatar and said it is highly respected due to its peace-loving nature and ability to do hard work.

He said his country owes a lot to the Indian community for its contribution to development.

The Emir held official talks with Indian leaders, including President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Hamid Ansari, during his two-day official visit to New Delhi that concluded yesterday.

Indian’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, also called on him, QNA reports. The Emir was in India with a large delegation that comprised minis-ters, senior bureaucrats as well as busi-nessmen. It is interesting to note that many Qatar-based Indian businessmen were part of his entourage.

Among a series of agreements the two countries signed is one that paves the way for Indian prisoners in Qatar to be shifted home (to India) where they can spend the remaining jail term.

Likewise, Qatari prisoners in India can be brought to Doha to spend their remaining prison term here.

Indian community sources here said

the swap will mostly benefit Indian busi-nessmen who are jailed for business-related offences like issuing cheques that bounced due to insufficient balance in their bank accounts.

The Emir, in an interview published by The Times of India yesterday, said there were an estimated 631,000 Indians in Qatar and they were working in different occupations — from labourers to doctors to engineers.

The Emir was yesterday accorded a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of the Presidential Palace yesterday.

The Emir met President Pranab Mukherjee who hosted a banquet din-ner in his honour.

Earlier, the Emir held talks with Prime Minister Modi. He received Vice-president Hamid Ansari. He also received Minister of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan.

They noted that bilateral relations acquired a new momentum following the landmark visits of Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to India in 1999, 2005 and 2012 and received strong impetus with the visit of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Qatar in November 2008.

The Indian side highlighted the expe-rience and expertise its companies had acquired in infrastructure development, including in power generation and trans-mission, civil construction, railways and metros, hospitals, airports, housing, roads etc. It conveyed the interest of Indian companies to be a partner in the infra-structure development projects under-taken by Qatar in preparation for the FIFA 2022 World Cup and the develop-ment plans under vision “2030 for Qatar”.

The Indian side invited Qatar to par-ticipate in projects creating mega indus-trial manufacturing corridors, including the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor. Qatar expressed keen interest in the flagship — “Make in India” programme. The Indian side also informed the Qatari side of the Clean Ganges Programme and Digital India Programme.

The two sides condemned terrorism in its all forms and manifestations and affirmed that it threatened all societies and was not linked to any race, colour or faith.

The Emir extended invitations to the President and Prime Minister of India to visit Qatar at a mutually convenient time, which were gladly accepted.

THE PENINSULASee also page 4

DOHA: A Boeing 777 bound from Miami to Doha was forced to make an emergency landing in Newfoundland after a pregnant pas-senger gave birth mid-air to a baby boy, officials said yesterday.

The birth took place just hours after the Qatar Airways flight took off from Florida on Sunday morning and before the pilot was able to make the emergency landing in Gander, Newfoundland, eastern Canada.

With the help of two doctors travelling on the plane the woman gave birth to a healthy boy, Brian Hicks, safety manager at Gander International Airport, told AFP.

“Thirty minutes before the plane was preparing to land, she gave birth to a baby boy,” said Hicks. “There were two doctors onboard, they assisted with the birth.”

He added: “That’s the youngest passenger we’ve ever had at Gander.” The plane was on the ground for some two hours while the mother

and newborn were taken to a local hospital, before it then flew on to the Gulf. The unnamed mother, who was thought to be travelling alone, and the baby boy are said to be doing well and are thought to still be in Canada, Hicks said. AFP

DOHA: Qatar has imposed tough conditions for the licens-ing of child care facilities or nurseries after the Villaggio Mall fire tragedy of May 2012 in which several children died in an illegal crèche.

To begin with, rules ratified by the Cabinet stipulate that only Qatari graduates are entitled to apply to open a nursery.

Also, only a Qatari woman, also with a university degree, can be appointed as a nursery’s manager. The licensee, even if a woman, cannot be the manager.

The Cabinet yesterday approved a draft decision of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs setting rules for classify-ing nurseries and specifying the qualifications of their staff.

The decision also talks of licensing conditions for the nurseries and the licensing fee, as well as the fee nurseries would be charging for child care, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reports.

The Social Affairs section of the Labour Ministry has a Family Development Department (FDD), which is the licensing authority for the crèches (nurseries).

Children aged two months to four years can be left in the care

of licensed nurseries and a nurs-ery found having a child above four in its care will be punished.

An applicant wanting to set up a nursery must first seek a character certificate from the Criminal Evidence and Information Department — CEID of the Interior Ministry — that undertakes finger printing.

Likewise, the manager and staff members of a licensed nursery must also seek those certificates from the CEID.

The application for licensing then goes to the Civil Defense Directorate of the Interior Ministry. Its inspectors will visit the premises of a potential nurs-ery and check if the place is safe from risks like fire.

Children in all nurseries must be kept on the ground floor. The Traffic Department is informed later and its officials will need to clear the premises saying they are safe to house a nursery.

Then, business registration and licensing will be required from the Ministry of Economy and Commerce. This ministry will also approve the nursery’s signboard.

Continued on page 6

THE PENINSULA

ADEN: Yemeni rebels closed in on President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi as they seized Aden’s airport yesterday, prompting warnings of a full-blown con-flict and pleas for urgent foreign intervention.

The escalating turmoil in Yemen — which borders Saudi Arabia and lies close to key ship-ping routes — pushed up world oil prices on fears it could threaten Middle Eastern petroleum producers.

Acting foreign minister Riyad Yassin warned in Egypt that the fall of second city Aden would mean the “start of civil war” as he drummed up Arab military support for Hadi. His comments came as army units switched

allegiance to the rebels and seized Aden’s international airport.

Aides to Hadi said however that the Western-backed presi-dent had been taken to a safe haven “within Aden”. AFP

See also page 8

Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee (left)and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi yesterday.

Qatar, India sign slew of agreements, including on prisoner swap � Emir invites Indian president, PM to Qatar

Yemen rebels seize Aden airport, close in on presidentTough rules for nursery licence

DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce, in col-laboration with Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Company, dealer of Nissan vehicles in Qatar, has announced recall of Nissan Urvan models of 2013-2014 due to a defect in the turbocharger cooling supply hose that reduces efficiency of the engine.

The Ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to fol-low up on the maintenance and repair and will communicate with the customers to make sure that the necessary repairs are carried out. The Ministry has urged all customers to report any violations to the Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department.

THE PENINSULA

Baby born mid-air on QA flight

Nissan Urvan recalled overhose defect

TODAY’S EDITIONINCLUDES SPECIALSUPPLEMENTS ON

AND

44th Anniversaryof the Independence &National Day

02 HOMETHURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Fireworks at park

A display of fireworks at Al Rumailah Family Park on the Corniche last evening. SALIM MATRAMKOT

Leaders greetGreek presidentDOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday sent a cable of con-gratulations to Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on his country’s Independence Day.

Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani sent a similar cable to Pavlopoulos.

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also sent a congratulatory cable to Pavlopoulos.

Ministry to mark Earth HourDOHA: The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has called on its departments and officials to switch off unnecessary lights to mark the Earth Hour on March 28 from 8.30pm to 9.30pm.

World Wildlife Fund is organ-ising the global event to raise awareness about climate change.

“Through our participation, we can a send a message to the world that we are assuming our respon-sibility as part of the world to face climate change,,” Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani said in a statement addressed to the ministry staff and officials.

Through its social media accounts, the ministry has urged its employees to participate in the event.

Thundery showers forecast todayDOHA: The Meteorology Department has forecast strong winds today and thundery showers by the evening.

The weather is expected to be cloudy, with chances of scat-tered rains and thunderstorms in the later part of the day, said the department. Temperature in Doha would be between 17 and 28 degrees C.

THE PENINSULA/QNA

DOHA: The Cabinet yesterday approved a draft law that would make wastage of electricity and water a punishable offence.

The draft is being referred to Advisory Council for review and recommendations, reports Qatar News Agency (QNA).

According to the draft, people found wasting the utilities will be fined QR10,000 ($2,746).

Use of drinking water for washing cars, equipment or building premises will be an offence.

Leaving taps open or using water hoses will be punishable with the above fine.

Owners or tenants of all types of buildings found wasting water will be taken to task.

Building owners and tenants leaving lights in the exterior of their premises between 7am and 4.30am will be fined.

Utility distributor Kahramaa will make arrangements to have switches installed and its officials will use them to switch off such lights and street lights if they are on between 7am and 4.30pm.

The aim is to aid water and electricity conservation measures.THE PENINSULA

Draft law makes waste of power, and water punishable offence

DOHA: Private companies having more than 25 work-ers will be legally bound to employ at least one person with special needs in a job he or she can do.

A draft law approved by the Cabinet yesterday says at least two percent of jobs in state, mixed and private sectors should be reserved for people with special needs.

And they should be employed in jobs based on their ability to do the job and as specified by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, reports Qatar News Agency (QNA).

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani chaired the weekly Cabinet session at the Emiri Diwan.

Business owners in the private sector will also be

required to comply with two percent reservation for peo-ple with special needs, but the rule will apply only to companies with more than 25 workers and for jobs to be specified by the ministry.

A draft decision of the Cabinet was also ratified to form a committee for people with special needs to look after their rights. It will be known as the National Committee for Persons with Disabilities”, to be set up by the Cabinet, and chaired by the undersecretary of the ministry. Another panel in which people with special needs will have direct repre-sentation will be formed to take care of their healthcare and other matters. They will also access public and private facilities and med-ically-equipped means of transport to carry them to places. THE PENINSULA

Jobs for persons with special needs to be compulsory in private firms

DOHA: Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) has completed supervision of the eighth polio vaccination campaign in Syria, co-imple-mented with Unicef, World Health Organisation (WHO) and other local and global humanitarian organisations.

For over 10 days, the campaign continued in seven governorates, four of which — Aleppo, Latakia, Idlib and Hama and their coun-tryside parts — were supervised by QRC.

QRC’s mission in Gaziantep, Turkey, held a training course for 114 supervisor at its premises and in Syria to improve their supervisory, planning, follow-up and assessment skills. Then, they were aligned across the four governorates to accompany vaccinators. According to initial results, vaccinated children totalled 768,254, 491,340 of whom in Aleppo,

241,427 (Idlib), 6,614 (Latakia) and 28,873 in Hama.

Saleh bin Ali Al Mohannadi, Secretary-General, QRC, said: “We have completed the campaign as part of our attempts to improve the living conditions of our Syrian brothers in and outside of Syria, cater for their basic needs and pro-tect the next generation against physical impairment.

“A few oral vaccine drops can cre-ate a productive citizen who serves his homeland.”

He expressed happiness over coop-eration with Unicef over the past years, which culminated in a five-year memorandum of understanding to serve as a general framework for their relations, through exchange of experiences, cooperation in projects, and other joint actions.

QRC is to supervise the ninth campaign, to be launched early next

month, under the $10m polio vac-cination project executed by Unicef and regional and global organisa-tions, including QRC, to alleviate suffering of about 4.5 million Syrian children directly affected by the four-year crisis in their country.

Signed by Al Mohannadi and Dr Ibrahim Al Ziq, Gulf Area Representative, Unicef, the agree-ment covers humanitarian devel-opment, protection and response in favour of women and children, including but not limited to the lives, survival and development of young children; gender equality in basic education; HIV/Aids in chil-dren; protection against, prevention of, and response to all forms of vio-lence, exploitation, and abuse; and promotion of applicable policy com-pliance and partnership building for the protection of children’s rights.

THE PENINSULA

QRC finishes monitoring of polio drive in SyriaNinth campaign early next month under QRC’s supervision

03THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015

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DOHA: Non-urgent patients transported by ambulances to Hamad General Hospital (HGH) might be diverted to other hospitals within Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) dur-ing the weekend (Friday and Saturday).

However, HGH’s Emergency Department will continue to take walk-in patients and trauma cases.

Alternative arrange-ments are being made due to infrastructure upgrades and maintenance work at HGH to ensure we provide the safest, most effective and compassionate care to our patients, said a state-ment yesterday.

To facilitate improve-ments to our facilities and services, including enhanc-ing and expanding critical care services, HGH has undertaken maintenance work over two weekends.

The final phase of the will be during the weekend and some areas of the hos-pital will be without power.

A portion of the HGH Emergency Department will be without power, the statement said.

“The work has been carefully planned by our engineering experts in partnership with our clini-cal teams so that we expect full power to be restored within hours to each area impacted.

“To ensure minimal dis-ruption to patients and visitors, we are taking measures to ensure we continue to provide seam-less and high quality care to our patients,” the state-ment added.

THE PENINSULA

Non-urgent HGH patients could be diverted to HMC hospitals

DOHA: Three more primary health centres — Omar Bin Khattab, Al Gharafa and Al Daain — have joined the national health insurance scheme Seha, taking the total number to five. West Bay and Airport centres have been provid-ing Seha since last October.

The scheme will be implemented in all primary health centres in a phased manner, Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC) said yesterday.

It has asked citizens to bring their Qatari ID and Health Card when vis-iting centres to undergo a Seha eli-gibility check, see a doctor, and avail of other services. Eligible patients will have to sign a Seha consent form before proceeding as normal, PHCC said. Expatriates will be able to access PHCC services using their health card. Seha has covered all citizens for basic health needs and will be extended to expats next year. THE PENINSULA

3 more health centres join Seha



NEW DELHI: Qatar and India signed six agreements, including one on transfer of sentenced pris-oners, as visiting Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on energy, invest-ment and people-to-people ties yesterday.

The Emir, who was in New Delhi on a two-day visit, was accorded a ceremonial reception in the fore-court of Rashtrapati Bhavan in the morning.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on him, after which he held talks with Modi at Hyderabad House.

The Emir also held separate talks

with President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari and met top businessmen and investors.

He attended a dinner banquet hosted by Mukherjee in his honour. The Emir’s delegation was present. Besides bilateral ties, discussion between both sides focused on latest developments in the Middle East.

Qatar, the largest source of India’s liquified natural gas (LNG) imports at 86 percent, is keen to boost energy ties. Qatar expressed interest in Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and India is seeking to invest in major infrastructure projects in Qatar which is hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

Qatar, India sign six agreementsDeal on transfer of prisoners will enable them to be near their families, help in social rehabilitation

NEW DELHI: Trade and investment between Qatar and India reached $16.7bn in 2013-14, a section of Indian media said.

Qatar is the largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India. There is a large market for Qatar’s LNG, oil and petrochemical sectors in India, The Economic Times said.

Qatar’s RasGas company has a sale and purchase agreement with Petronet and has been supplying the Indian market since 2004, the report said.

Last December, India received its biggest shipment of LNG at Petronet LNG Ltd’s Dahej import terminal in the western state of Gujarat. Qatar’s major imports from India have increased in recent years, mainly food and construction materials.

India is also negotiating a free trade agreement with Qatar under the India-GCC Framework Agreement, the daily added. QNA

The agreements, besides transfer of prisoners, are: A memorandum of understanding for cooperation in information and communication technology, an MoU between the Ministry of Earth Sciences and Qatar Meteorological Department for sci-entific and technical cooperation, an MoU between Diplomatic Institute of Qatari Foreign Ministry and Foreign Service Institute of India’s External Affairs Ministry, an MoU for cooperation in the field of radio and television and an agreement for

cooperation and exchange of news.External Affairs Ministry spokes-

person Syed Akbaruddin tweeted: “India Qatar discuss energy, invest-ment & people to people ties. 6 agreements signed.”

Under the agreement on transfer of prisoners, Indians convicted in Qatar can be brought home to serve their remaining term and Qataris convicted in India can be sent home to serve their sentence.

The deal would enable the sen-tenced people to be near their

Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani reviews a guard of honour and (RIGHT) with Vice-President Hamid Ansari in New Delhi yesterday.

The Emir with a business delegation.

families and help in their social rehabilitation, said an official statement.

The Emir is accom-panied by a high-level delegation, comprising ministers, senior officials and captains of industry. He arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday night from Colombo.

He was earlier in Islamabad as part of his three-nation South Asia tour.

Later, the Emir returned home. He was seen off at Palam Military Base Airport by Minister of State for Information and Broadcast ing Rajyavardhan Singh, senior officials, Qatari Ambassador to India Ahmed Ibrahim Al Abdullah and Indian Ambassador to Qatar Sanjiv Arora.

The Emir sent cables to Mukherjee and Modi, expressing appreciation for the warm reception and hospitality accorded to him during the visit which contributed to exchanging views on issues of com-mon concern, promoting historic relations to serve the best interests of both nations, wishing them good health and happiness, and the Indian people further progress and prosperity.

Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani visited India in 1999, 2005 and 2012 and former Indian prime min-ister Dr Manmohan Singh visited Qatar in November 2008.

Around 600,000 Indians work in Qatar, compris-ing the largest expatriate community in the country.

IANS/QNA

The Emir and his delegation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and other officials at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

Qatar-India trade and investment reached $16.7bn in 2013-14


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DOHA: The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a global initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), in partner-ship with Imperial College London, has launched a ‘Safer Care Accelerator’ programme to share global best practices in care and treatment to expedite improvement in patient safety.

Patient safety is the third big-gest killer in the US and costs $1trn a year.

Errors in treatment and care claim about 400,000 lives each year and one in 10 patients is harmed while receiving hospital care.

Failure to address the growing concern of patient safety contrib-utes to waste in the healthcare system and skyrocketing costs.

It is estimated that about one-third of US healthcare spending was consumed by waste in 2011.

Patient safety is a serious public health issue but often overlooked

in national policy and global agen-das. In response to this challenge, the ‘Safer Care Accelerator’, a year-long programme, will bring together an international group of healthcare organisations con-cerned with unprecedented costs — financial and physical — associ-ated with poor patient safety.

Members will exchange insights, experiences and data on patient safety, culminating in the publication of a global report.

So far, 15 organisations in six continents have joined the effort, including Hamad Medical Corporation.

WISH is spearheaded by QF to inspire and diffuse healthcare innovation and best practice.

It is aligned with QF’s vision and mission to unlock human potential and reinforces Qatar’s pioneering role as an emerging centre for healthcare innovation.

The past two WISH summits have been held in Doha, attracting

leaders from the global health-care community. The ‘Safer Care Accelerator’ programme is part of WISH and Imperial College London’s Leading Health Systems Network (LHSN) initiative.

Professor Lord Darzi of Denham, Executive Chair, WISH, said, “Last year, over 5bn euros was spent on patients who con-tracted infections while receiving care in the EU alone.

“The WISH report offered val-uable case studies and evidence to support policy level recommenda-tions to start turning the tide on these figures.

“The LHSN Safer Care Accelerator allows healthcare providers to share their insights, learn about best practices and access key analytics.

“This multidisciplinary approach offers us a comprehen-sive toolkit from which to improve safety records and with it, patient experience.” THE PENINSULA

WISH unveils Safer Care Accelerator programme

DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has intensified crackdown on out-lets selling substandard electri-cal appliances.

The ministry said yesterday it has closed down another outlet for two weeks at Al Asmakh for selling electric heaters that do not meet Qatari standards and speci-fications. Two days ago, the min-istry had announced the closure of an outlet in Industrial Area for two weeks for similar violations.

Fifty-one heaters were seized during surprise raids by inspec-tors from the ministry. Samples were sent to Standards and Specifications Authority for checking their specifications.

The ministry said the outlet had violated Articles No. 6 and

13 of the law. It urged consum-ers to report any violations to the Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department

which receives complains and suggestions on hotline 8005000 and email [email protected]

THE PENINSULA

Notices displayed at the entrance of the outlet.

Shop closed down for selling substandard heaters



ScorePlus honoured

ScorePlus has been recognised as the top performing international partner of The Princeton Review in academ-ics and student growth for the third consecutive year, thanks to consistently positive feedback from students and their outstanding score improvement on standardised tests. The award was presented at The Princeton Review’s annual congress in New Delhi, India.

Quality Retail Group to open sixth outletDOHA: Quality Group of Companies is open-ing its sixth retail outlet, Quality Hypermarket, in Bin Mahmoud on Saturday at 4pm.

Shamsudheen Olakara, Managing Director of the Group, said in a state-ment that the outlet will be ready from Saturday onwards with more inno-vations to cater to the wide variety of needs and expec-tations of customers from all classes.

The hypermarket in the heart of Doha will give unique shopping experi-ence to citizens and for-eigners in the country.

It is designed in three floors with a total area of 100,000 square feet.

On the ground floor, there are shops and kiosks like pharmacy, optical, counters for flowers and chocolates, coffee shops, ATMs of leading banks, automatic utility payment machines in addition to a spacious supermarket for food and non-food items.

The first floor has mobile phone and watch shops, beauty parlours for men and children, fash-ion shops, garments and readymade, footwear, home furniture and decor, sta-tionery, fashion jewellery, among others.

The second floor is for electric, electronic, IT and technology and home appliances of leading global brands. Spacious and con-venient parking is ready for the customers.

THE PENINSULA

Quality Retail Group’s sixth outlet in Bin Mahmoud.

A reputed media house in Qatar is looking for reporters for immediate appointment.

Candidates should have an excellentcommand of English andexperience in reporting.

Eligible candidates may send their CVs to [email protected]

REPORTERS

DOHA: Clinics at Child Development Centre of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) are treating 190 children with Down Syndrome.

The centre provides support, clini-cal consultation and child develop-ment services for children with the condition, from birth until 14 years.

Physicians at the centre follow a clinical guideline protocol that incor-porates international best practices and offer follow-up to children every three to six months.

The centre’s Early Intervention Programme accepts children from a very early age and includes par-ent-to-parent counselling, family and group, occupational and speech therapies, special education and

physiotherapy services. HMC celebrated World Down

Syndrome Day with a full-day event, featuring fun-filled activities for chil-dren with the condition and their families. More than 150 people gath-ered at the event celebrated for the fifth year at HMC.

Hosted by Child Development and Rehabilitation Services at HMC’s Rumailah Hospital, the event aimed to provide a platform for greater interaction between healthcare pro-fessionals, patients and their families.

This year’s celebration was held under the theme, ‘My Opportunities, My Choices’, advocating equal oppor-tunities, rights, and life choices for children with Down Syndrome and stressed the role of their families.

Organisers and participants pose for a group photo at World Down Syndrome Day event.

190 Down Syndrome kids under treatment

Dr Haitham El Bashir, Head of the centre, said: “On this day, we cel-ebrate these children for their unique capabilities and achievements and let them know that they are invaluable to us and we also encourage parents to speak to us about their concerns and meet other parents like them.”

Fatima Mustafa, Acting Assistant Director, Child Rehabilitation, said: “We believe that given the right opportunities, sup-port and care for children with Down Syndrome, they can function as normally as anyone in society. They can attend mainstream schools, enjoy social activi-ties with friends and fam-ily, attend universities and have jobs.”

Individuals with the condition have 47 chro-mosomes in their cells instead of the usual 46. According to World Health Organisation, the esti-mated incidence of the condition is one in 1,000 to 1 in 1,100 live births around the world.

THE PENINSULA

HMC’s Child Development Centre providing support

DOHA: Ooredoo yesterday announced that Fortinet will be its preferred security partner, in a comprehensive agreement that will provide companies in Qatar with the highest level of digital security.

The partnership, signed by Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani, Chief New Business Officer, Ooredoo, and Alain Penel, Regional Vice- President, Middle East, Fortinet, will add a new dimension to Ooredoo’s portfolio of security services.

Under the MSSP (managed security service provider) agree-ment, Fortinet technology will be offered with Ooredoo business services, so that customers can deploy anti-spam services, fire-walls, VPNs and anti-virus solu-tions without compromising the performance of their network

Ooredoo will also work with Fortinet, which has more than

210,000 clients around the world, to develop a new range of secu-rity solutions that can work in networked, application or mobile environments — an essential resource for companies looking to manage the next generation of security threats.

Waleed Al Sayed, Chief Operating Officer, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “We are aiming to work with the world’s best partners on our bigger, faster network — which is why we are confident in our choice of Fortinet as a security partner.

“Working with Fortinet, we aim to develop comprehensive security solutions that meet the security and performance requirements of government agencies, retailers, hospitality, energy and finance organisations. Our customers will enjoy maximum security and minimal complexity, thanks to a consolidated security based on a single technology and a unified

environment from the network to the end-user.”

Penel said: “Fortinet provides MSSP services to some of the Middle East’s leading telecoms providers, and the agreement reinforces Fortinet’s leadership position in providing highly reli-able security solutions to meet demanding requirements.

“Working with Ooredoo, we are deploying our solutions on one of the region’s most robust networks and extending the highest level of security outside the office net-work and out onto devices.”

Ooredoo offers some of the most advanced communication solutions in the region, with next generation services including; Smart Home Automation, Out of Country Disaster Recovery, Cloud Security, Cloud Email Security Solutions, Smart Healthcare Solutions, Smart Cloud Marketplace, M2M Solutions and more. THE PENINSULA

Ooredoo partners with Fortinet for security solutions for businesses

Continued from page 1

If a nursery is being housed in rented premises, the rent agree-ment should be ratified by the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning.

And to authenticate the own-ership of premises, a certificate will be needed from the Real Estate Registry of the Ministry of Justice.

The Medical Commission must

carry out checkups of the man-ager and workers and clear them, and only then could the Family Development Department pro-vide the licence to a nursery.

THE PENINSULA

Nurseries’ rented premises deals must be approved


www.thepeninsulaqatar.comMIDDLE EAST

Israel suspends East Jerusalem building planJERUSALEM: As tension mounts with Washington, Israel’s outgoing government has suspended a controver-sial plan to build hundreds of new settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem, a news website reported yesterday.

The plan involves the construc-tion of 1,500 homes in the settle-ment neighbourhood of Har Homa where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a controversial speech on the eve of March 17 elections, pledging to build thou-sands of new homes if returned to office.

His remarks on east Jerusalem construction, along with com-ments ruling out a Palestinian state, have sparked a bitter spat with Washington.

Ynet said the Netanyahu’s office had frozen the plans due to their “political sensitivity”.

Daniel Seidemann, director of settlement watchdog Terrestrial Jerusalem, said that given the “highly problematic” nature of the plan and Netanyahu’s current standoff with Washington, it had “a ring of truth” to it.

“This would be a particularly inflammatory plan and I think that he’s afraid that the ceiling would cave in on him,” he said.

The r epor t quo t ed unnamed housing ministry and Jerusalem municipality sources as saying two meetings to discuss advancing the plans had been cancelled for reasons that were unclear.

Planning officials said Netanyahu’s office had not given the green light for the meetings.

In response to a question from

AFP, Netanyahu’s office neither confirmed nor denied the report, saying the plan “was not sent to the prime minister’s office”.

“Regarding other plans that were not brought up this week, there will be a discussion on the matter when the new government is in place,” it said.

While unable to confirm details in the report, Seidemann said the plan was for construction on pri-vate land west of Har Homa that had been shelved a year ago but was now being brought up for ini-tial approval.

He said there had been an unof-ficial freeze on east Jerusalem construction since the approval in late September of thousands of housing units in Givat HaMatos, a settlement suburb currently being built.

“Since the approval of Givat HaMatos — and I’m speaking exclusively about east Jerusalem — there have been no new tenders, no new plans deposited for public review and no new plans approved — which is quite remarkable,” he said. This plan is a private initia-tive, meaning that Netanyahu’s ability to block it would be lim-ited, he said.

“Netanyahu is obviously going to be very cautious at the moment given the nature of his relations with the US. On the other hand, his authority to hold up a private plan is limited,” he said.

If the plan were given the green light, it would complete a ring of settlement neighbourhoods around east Jerusalem, effectively cutting off the Holy City from the southern West Bank.

AFP

Plan involves 1,500 settler homes

DUBAI: Any deal over Iran’s nuclear programme must involve the immediate lifting of all sanctions, Iran’s foreign minister said yesterday, show-ing no sign of compromise on a major hurdle in world power negotiations.

“This is the position that the government has insisted on from the start,” Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted by the official Irna news agency as saying.

Iran wants all the sanctions imposed by the United Nations, European Union and United States on its energy and financial sectors removed at once if there is a deal, while Western powers want them dismantled gradually.

The speed of lifting sanctions is one of the elements being dis-cussed by Iran and the six major powers—the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia

and China. Their talks over Iran’s disputed nuclear ambitions are due to resume this week.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on all matters of state in the Islamic Republic, said last week that the immediate lifting of sanctions must be a part of any nuclear accord.

Western officials have consist-ently rejected that demand, with a senior European negotiator last week reiterating that this was “out of the question”.

This week’s negotiations are expected to kick off with a meeting between Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry today. The major powers are push-ing for a political framework agree-ment by March 31 that would pave the way for a comprehensive deal with Iran by June 30 under which it would curb sensitive nuclear

activities for at least a decade in exchange for an end to sanctions that have crippled its economy.

A senior Iranian nuclear nego-tiator, Hamid Baidinejad, said the remaining sticking points were “inter-related”.

“It’s not going to be a situ-ation where the sanctions are first stopped and then we talk about other issues,” the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Baidinejad as saying. “Everything must be resolved together.”

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry left Washington for a date with history, hoping to seal a deal reining in Iran’s nuclear ambitions for years to come. After months of closed-door negotiations, Kerry and his team was headed once again for talks in Switzerland with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. REUTERS/AFP

Tehran insists on lifting all sanctions in any N-deal

Netanyahu to form next governmentJERUSALEM: Israel’s presi-dent has asked Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next government after his shocking election victory that exposed deep divisions with key ally Washington.

President Reuven Rivlin formally handed the task to Netanyahu after he secured enough support from his right-wing and religious allies to form a coalition, guaranteeing him-self a third consecutive term as prime minister. Netanyahu’s vic-tory last week dramatically exac-erbated a diplomatic crisis with Washington, bringing his thorny relationship with US President Barack Obama into sharp focus.

In a bid to ramp up votes, Netanyahu veered sharply to the right, vowing there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, promising to increase settlement construction and warning that Arab Israeli voters were going “in droves” to the polls.

Palestinian PM pleads unity in war-battered GazaGAZA CITY: Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah urged rival factions to set aside their differences, even as pro-testers gave him a cool reception in war-battered Gaza yesterday. It was only Hamdallah’s second visit to the Gaza Strip since a unity government agreed on by rivals Fatah and Hamas took office last June.

“We have come here today to strengthen national reconciliation and to restart dialogue with all Palestinian factions,” Hamdallah told a news conference in Gaza City. He vowed that civilian workers of Hamas’s de facto administration in Gaza would go on the payroll of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA), which is dominated by the Fatah party. AFP

Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdulmohsen Al Mudej attends a parliament session at National Assembly in Kuwait City yesterday.

Second Kuwaiti minister quits over grillingKUWAIT CITY: Kuwaiti Commerce and Industry Minister Abdulmohsen Al Mudej resigned yesterday, two days after an MP called for him to be ques-tioned in parliament, the second such case in as many weeks. The official Kuna news agency said the emir accepted the resigna-tion of Mudej, a liberal, Western-educated minister appointed in January 2014.

Last week, Electricity, Water and Public Works Minister Abdulaziz Al Iraheem quit after he had indirectly accused some lawmakers of taking bribes to grill him. MP Roudhan Al Roudhan filed a request on Monday to grill the minister for allegedly violat-ing the commercial law. The law-maker held Mudej responsible for not forcing the board of directors of a local company to hold a meet-ing, resulting in heavy losses for small shareholders. AFP

08 MIDDLE EASTTHURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


Cartoonists fined for insulting ErdoganANKARA: A Turkish court has fined two leading cartoon-ists after convicting them of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a caricature.

Ozer Aydogan and Bahadir Baruter from the weekly satiri-cal magazine Penguen were each initially sentenced to 11 months in prison by a criminal court in Istanbul.

Lawyers representing Erdogan demanded that the court punish the cartoonists for “insulting a public official”, Hurriyet newspa-per reported.

Penguen had no immediate comment, but the cartoonists were quoted by Hurriyet as deny-ing the charges. They were ini-tially sentenced to 11 months in prison but the court immedi-ately reduced this to a 7,000 lira ($2,740) fine because of good con-duct during the trial.

Assad meets far-right Belgian politicianDAMASCUS: Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad yes-terday received a delegation of Belgian lawmakers led by far-right Flemish nationalist Filip Dewinter, state media reported.

State news agency Sana said Assad met the delegation to dis-cuss the conflict in Syria, in which more than 215,000 people have been killed since March 2011.

Assad criticised European countries, without naming them, for “making a serious mistake by allying with countries that support terrorism that distorts Islam”.

“Terrorist organisations and those who support them do not represent true Islam, which rejects all forms of violence,” Sana quoted Assad as telling the delega-tion. The group of lawmakers was led by Dewinter, head of Belgium’s far-right Vlaams Belang party and a controversial figure accused of xenophobia.

AFP

Mursi, 24 others to be tried for ‘insulting judiciary’CAIRO: Ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi and 24 others, including promi-nent Islamists and secular fig-ures, will go on trial May 23 for insulting the judiciary, a court official said yesterday.

The trial will be the fifth for Mursi, who faces the death sen-tence if convicted in the other cases for espionage and violence.

Mursi and the others are accused of having shown disre-spect to court rulings in com-ments on social media and in interviews. Among the defendants is Alaa Abdel Fattah, one of the activists who called for protests that led to the downfall of former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Already in prison for par-ticipating in an illegal protest in November 2013, he has been charged over comments on Twitter several months ago about legal pro-ceedings concerning 2011 raids on the offices of foreign civil society groups. Amr Hamzawy, a well-known political science professor and former member of parliament, and human rights lawyer Amir Salem will also stand trial. Along with Abdel Fattah, they backed the army’s 2013 ouster of Mursi.

TOP MUBARAK-ERA MIN-

ISTER FREED

A former interior minister under Egypt’s ousted leader Hosni Mubarak was freed from jail yes-terday after being cleared of graft charges, the state news agency reported, the latest senior official of the old regime to be released.

While Egyptian courts have been gradually absolving Mubarak-era figures, they have been handing down lengthy sen-tences to liberal and Islamist activists in cases ranging from political protests to acts of vio-lence. A court last week acquit-ted the former minister, Habib Al Adly, of charges of illegal profiting and squandering 181m Egyptian pounds ($23.72m) of public funds.

AFP

ADEN: Yemen edged closer to all-out civil war yesterday as rebels advanced on the south-ern city of Aden, the stronghold of the country’s president, and a military intervention by neigh-bouring Saudi Arabia appeared more likely.

Shia Houthi rebels seized Al Anad air base, a key military facil-ity between Taiz — Yemen’s third-largest city, which fell under rebel control last week – and Aden, in a renewed push for control of the country’s south.

The rebels, members of the Zaydi offshoot of Shia Islam, seized control of the capital, Sana’a, last year and placed the country’s president, Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, under house arrest in February.

Hadi fled to Aden this month. Yemen is the latest Arab country

facing the prospect of civil conflict in the wake of the Arab spring protests.

The rebel advance came as the likelihood increased of a military intervention by Saudi Arabia, which is amassing forces on the border. US officials said that Saudi Arabia was moving heavy equipment, including artillery, to areas near its border with Yemen, raising the prospects of an intervention.

The Saudi move came hours after a letter from Hadi to the UN security council’s president calling for an intervention.

The letter, segments of which were posted on the official Saudi Press Agency’s website, called on the international commu-nity to use “all necessary meas-ures” under chapter seven of the UN charter to defend Yemen’s

legitimate authorities against the advance of Houthi militias on Aden. The phrase “all neces-sary measures” is understood to include military intervention.

Hadi’s foreign minister echoed the call in a statement carried by the Saudi agency, in which he declared that he had formally asked the Arab League for a military intervention in Yemen. Riyadh Yassin told reporters in Egypt that he would call for “urgent intervention” at an Arab League summit due to start on Saturday. “In Yemen we are rac-ing against time for this Arab military intervention to hap-pen as soon as possible,” he told reporters in Sharm Al Sheikh.

The Saudi foreign minis-ter, Prince Saud Al Faisal, had warned on Monday that Arab countries might take action “to

protect interests from Houthi aggression”, according to Reuters.

These latest diplomatic moves appeared to set the stage for a military intervention by neigh-bouring Arab states, who see the country as a key battlefield with regional rival Iran, which backs the Houthis.

Similar diplomatic moves led by the Gulf states in the Arab League and the UN security council led in 2011 to the military interven-tion in Libya against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. Gulf powers also intervened in Bahrain to put an end to an uprising that same year that threatened the Sunni Al Khalifa monarchy, which rules over a Shia majority. The Gulf states had already expressed their explicit backing of Hadi as the legitimate authority in Yemen. GUARDIAN NEWS

T R I P OL I / BE NGH A Z I : Militants claiming allegiance to Islamic State (IS) fought forces loyal to Libya’s two rival governments in the cen-tral city of Sirte and further east in Benghazi, a Libyan news agency and residents said yesterday.

In Sirte, IS militants killed five members of a force loyal to the government that controls Tripoli, a Tripoli-based news agency said.

Two military sources said the attack near a power sta-tion on Sirte’s western out-skirts appeared to be a suicide bombing, but gave no further details.

Fighters loyal to the Tripoli government, sent to Sirte from

the western city of Misrata, have clashed several times with the militants and had set up checkpoints near the power station.

There was also heavy fight-ing between Islamists and forces loyal to Libya’s inter-nationally recognised govern-ment, which is based in the east in Benghazi, after IS mili-tants claimed a suicide attack on an army post in the port city.

War planes attacked sus-pected Islamist positions early yesterday, residents and mili-tary officials said. Gunfire and rocket propelled grenades could be heard in several districts.

Military officials had vowed air attacks on Islamists in

response to a suicide bomb-ing on Tuesday which killed seven people in Benghazi. Two more people had been killed by a rocket hitting residential buildings.

Militants claiming ties to Islamic State have exploited the turmoil in Libya, where two governments and parlia-ments fight for control four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.

Taking advantage of the secu-rity vacuum, just as Islamic State did in Syria and Iraq, the militants expanded recently in Sirte, taking over government offices, universities and a radio station.

The recognised government has been based in the east since

a rival faction seized the capital in August and reinstated a pre-vious assembly, challenging the elected parliament which is also based in the east.

Both governments rely on former rebels who helped topple Gaddafi and are now caught in a power struggle. In Benghazi the official premier Premier Abdullah Al Thinni has allied himself with general Khalifa Haftar who in May started his own fight against Islamists.

Islamic State militants have claimed several attacks includ-ing the storming of a Tripoli hotel in January and the beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts from Sirte.

REUTERS

Yemen: Saudi intervention likelyPeople seek shelter during a gunfire at an army base in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden yesterday. Sounds of gunfire and explosions were heard at a Yemen army base in the centre of Aden and Houthi militia forces were within about 20km of the city’s northern entrance.

Country edges towards all-out civil war as Houthis advance

IS takes on Libya’s rival govt forces

Saudi beheads drug smugglerRIYADH: Saudi author-ities yesterday beheaded a man found guilty of smuggling drugs into the ultra-conservative king-dom, the interior minis-try said, amid a surge in executions this year

Faisal bin Rafaa Al Ashjaie was convicted of smuggling “a large amount of amphetamine pills,” the ministry said in a state-ment on the official SPA news agency.

His beheading in the northwestern region of Jawf brings to 54 the number of death sen-tences carried out in Saudi Arabia so far this year, compared with 87 in all of last year, according to AFP tallies.

By comparison, Iran has executed more than 1,000 people since January last year, the UN special rap-porteur on Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, said last week.

AFP

Argentina forest fire

Fires rage in the Los Alerces National Park in the Patagonian province of Chubut, some 1,900km southwest of Buenos Aires in Argentina, yesterday.

EUROPE / AMERICAS 09THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


Probe team listens to cockpit recorder

S E Y N E - L E S - A L P E S , FRANCE: Investigators have extracted cockpit voice record-ings from one of the black boxes of the Airbus plane that smashed into the Alps and expect to have a read-out of their content within days, an official said yesterday.

The casing of a second black box has been found but not the box itself, French President Francois Hollande said as he came to the remote Alpine region with the leaders of Germany and Spain leaders to pay tribute to the 150 victims of Tuesday’s crash.

“We just have been able to extract a useable audio data file,” Remi Jouty, director of France’s BEA air incident investigator told a news conference at its head-quarters outside Paris.

But it was too early to draw any conclusions about the causes of the crash, he said.

“Detailed work will be carried on the file to interpret the voices and sounds that can be heard on the file,” he said, adding that he expected to have more analysis of the voices in “a matter of days”.

Jouty declined to give details of the recordings. While stressing it was too early to form a clear picture, he said the crash sce-nario did not appear to be linked to depressurisation and he ruled out a mid-air explosion having taken place.

Most of the victims are German or Spanish, including 16 German schoolchildren returning to Duesseldorf airport after a trip to the Barcelona region.

Hollande, Merkel and Rajoy thanked search teams and met residents in the village of Seyne-les-Alpes, where the salvaging

operation has been set up.“Dear Angela, dear Mariano,

rest assured ... we will find out everything,” a visibly moved Hollande told German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, pledging to get to the bottom of what caused the crash. “France stands by you.”

Merkel replied: “It feels good that in a difficult hour like this that we’re standing so closely together in friendship. Dear Francois, I’d like to say to you a heartfelt ‘thank you’ in the name of millions of Germans who are deeply appreciative of this German-Franco friendship.”

Hollande and Merkel had ear-lier flown over the nearby ravine where the Germanwings airliner came down.

Germanwings said 72 Germans were killed in Tuesday’s crash, the first major air passenger dis-aster on French soil since the 2000 Concorde accident just out-side Paris. Spanish officials said 51 Spaniards were among the victims.

A simple tribute ceremony took place on a site with a view in the distance of the mountain against which the Airbus crashed. French officials arranged it to give the families a mental image of the area in which their rela-tives died.

Earlier, Lufthansa said it could not explain why the Airbus run by its low-cost Germanwings unit crashed. Investigators said the remoteness of the crash site meant it could be days before a clear picture of the tragedy emerged.

However, they said the fact that debris was restricted to a small

area showed the A320 was not likely to have exploded in mid-air, suggesting a terrorist attack was not to blame.

“It is inexplicable this could happen to a plane free of tech-nical problems and with an experienced, Lufthansa-trained pilot,” Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr told reporters in Frankfurt.

Lufthansa said the 24-year-old plane had on Monday underwent repairs to the hatch through which the nose wheel descends for landing. A spokeswoman said that was not a safety issue but that repairs had been done to reduce noise.

Police and forensic teams on foot and in helicopters investi-gated the site about 100km north of Nice where the airliner came down en route to Duesseldorf from Barcelona.

“When we go to a crash site we expect to find part of the fuselage.

But here we see nothing at all,” said pilot Xavier Roy, coordinat-ing air operations.

Roy said teams of investigators had been dropped by helicopter onto the site and were working roped together at altitudes of around 2,000 meters.

It would take at least a week to recover all the remains of the victims, he said.

As well as Germans and Spaniards, victims included two Americans, a Moroccan and citizens of Britain, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Israel, Japan, Mexico and the Netherlands, officials said. However, DNA checks to identify them could take weeks, the French government said.

Germanwings said it cancelled one flight yesterday and was using 11 planes from other carriers for about 40 flights after some of its crew members had refused to fly.

REUTERS

A search-and-rescue worker at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in the French Alps, above the town of Seyne-les-Alpes in southeastern France, yesterday.

Aircraft was repaired Monday; 72 Germans among victims

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy arrive yesterday in a field to pay homage to the crash victims in the southeastern French village of Le Vernet.

US being beaten in information war with Russia: StudyWASHINGTON: The United States is losing an information war to Russia, Islamic State and other rivals, says a new report that calls for a strengthening in US counter-propaganda efforts and an overhaul of the govern-ment’s international broadcast-ing arm.

The study is the latest to high-light problems in the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), a fed-eral agency created in 1994 which also is tasked with maintaining a firewall between the State Department and government-funded news operations.

With an annual $730m budget, the BBG runs US government broadcasting to foreign audi-ences, including radio, television and digital efforts. Among them are the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, widely credited with countering Soviet influence behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.

The report, seen by Reuters, is based on assessments from 30 for-eign policy and public diplomacy professionals.

It does not advocate turn-ing government-funded broad-casters into instruments of US

propaganda. But it argues that the political firewall separating them from US national secu-rity agencies is “overblown,” and the broadcasters are not always in tune with US foreign policy objectives.

“Competitors with anti-US messaging are fomenting an information war — and winning — while US international broad-casting is challenged to keep pace with competitors and changes in the media landscape,” it says.

“US international communica-tions strategy should be rebuilt from the ground up,” the report

adds. Despite a modest expansion of programming since Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year and backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine, Washington is being out-gunned by the Kremlin, Western diplomats, congressional aides and other experts said.

The Ukraine crisis is “the most serious challenge US inter-national broadcasting has faced since the fall of the Soviet Union,” said report co-author S Enders Wimbush, a former BBG governor and director of Radio Liberty.

House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce

said this month, “Our nation is getting beat by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin prop-aganda and our international broadcasting is floundering. It’s unacceptable.”

Royce, a California Republican who sponsored legislation with bipartisan support to reform the BBG, issued his statement follow-ing the resignation this month of the agency’s CEO, Andrew Lack, after just six weeks on the job. Lack returned to NBC News, where he was president from 1993 to 2001.

REUTERS

In heated debate, Cameron says he is not lame duck

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron denied he had become a lame duck leader during his final debate in parliament before a tight national election as he sought to leverage his economic record to give his party an elusive lead in stagnant opinion polls.

Contesting the closest and most unpredictable British elec-tion since the 1970s, Cameron’s Conservative Party is neck-and-neck in opinion polls with the opposition Labour Party with nei-ther on course to win an outright majority.

In febrile scenes, Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband used the opportunity to rehearse their attack lines before the May 7 election to cheers and jeers, with Miliband quipping that Cameron’s surprise decision to rule out a third term meant he had announced his retirement.

Cameron’s remarks about his future, in which he named three possible successors and said he wouldn’t seek another term if re-elected in May, are widely seen to have backfired, sparking a media frenzy about his successor and talk of him becoming a lame duck leader.

“Would the prime minister agree with me that it is entirely fair now to refer to him as lame duck?,” Labour lawmaker Stephen Pound asked Cameron.

REUTERS

Ukraine arrests two officials on live TVKIEV: Ukraine yesterday dra-matically arrested two top officials on graft charges at a televised cabinet meeting hours after the president sacked a powerful oligarch as regional governor.

The dramatic shake-up came as the beleaguered authorities, already struggling to combat pro-Russian separatists in the country’s east, tried to make good on pledges to tackle ram-pant graft and curb the influence of the country’s powerful business magnates.

Police detained Sergiy Bochkovsky, director of Ukraine’s state emergencies service, and his deputy Vasyl Stoyetsky, in full glare of journalists and photog-raphers, accusing them of “high-level” corruption.

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the sight of hand-cuffed officials being marched out of a government meeting served as a warning to other officials sus-pected of graft, with international backers in the West demanding Ukraine stamp out corruption.

“This will happen to everyone who breaks the law and sneers at the Ukrainian state,” Yatsenyuk said. “When the country is at war and when we are counting every

penny, they steal from people,” he added.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the two men were suspected of overpaying for public procure-ments from companies includ-ing Russian oil giant Lukoil, and channeling the excess funds into offshore accounts.

Overnight, President Petro Poroshenko announced that bil-lionaire Igor Kolomoisky had offered to step down as governor of the key industrial region of Dnipropetrovsk after a dispute over control of the country’s larg-est oil producer ended up with armed men storming the offices of two state-controlled oil firms.

“The president of Ukraine con-firmed Igor Kolomoisky’s request to resign” at a meeting between the two men in Kiev, the presi-dency said in a statement.

The banking tycoon was appointed to the post after the ouster of Kremlin-backed presi-dent Viktor Yanukovich last year and he has proved a bul-wark against the pro-Russian rebellion rocking neighbouring eastern regions.

He funded a powerful volun-teer militia group that has played a leading role in fighting the insurgents. AFP

US judges split over challenge to pollution ruleWASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court appeared closely divided yesterday as it weighed whether the Obama administration had to consider costs before deciding whether to regulate emissions of mercury and other hazardous pollutants mainly from coal-fired power plants.

Justice Anthony Kennedy could be a possible swing vote on the

nine-justice court, with liberals backing the US Environmental Protection Agency’s rationale and conservatives hostile to the government’s arguments.

The conservatives, including Kennedy, asked questions that indicated they were concerned that it was not enough that the agency implicitly considered costs when issuing standards for spe-cific pollution sources.

Chief Justice John Roberts also suggested he was troubled by the disparity between the costs and benefits of the regulation, saying it was a “red flag” for him.

The challengers, including industry groups and some states, say the costs are $9.6bn a year but the benefits are only worth a few million dollars.

The government says it did not quantify some of the benefits, but

says they could be worth billions of dollars, including a reduction in mercury poisoning, which can lead to developmental delays and abnormalities in children.

The challengers appealed after an appeals court upheld the regu-lation in June 2014.

Companies opposing the rule include Peabody Energy Corp, the nation’s largest coal producer.

REUTERS

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SEVEN decades after the end of World War II, the interna-tional economic architecture crafted by the US faces its big-

gest shakeup yet, with China establish-ing new channels for influence to match its ambitions.

Three lending institutions with at least $190 billion are taking shape under China’s leadership, one of them infor-mally referred to as a Marshall Plan -- evoking the postwar US program to rebuild an impoverished Europe. Also this year, China’s yuan may win the IMF’s blessing as an official reserve cur-rency, a recognition of its rising use in trade and finance.

China’s clout has been expanding for decades, as its rapid growth allowed it

to snap up a ris-ing share of the world’s resources, its exports pen-etrated global markets, and its bulging finan-cial assets gave it power to make big individual loans and purchases. Now, the creation of international lending institu-tions is leverag-ing that economic influence closer to the political and diplomatic are-nas, as US allies

defy America to back China’s initiative.Power VisionChinese President Xi Jinping’s vision

of achieving the same great-power status enjoyed by the US received a major boost this month when the U.K., Germany, France and Italy signed on to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The AIIB will have authorized capital of $100bn and starting funds of about $50bn.

Canada is considering joining, which would leave the US and Japan as the only Group of Seven holdouts as they ques-tion the institution’s governance and environmental standards. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s cabinet approved negotiations to join too.

“China’s economic rise is acting as a huge pull factor forcing the exist-ing architecture to adapt,” said James

Laurenceson, deputy director of the Australia-China Relations Institute in Sydney.

ADB CooperationAsian Development Bank President

Takehiko Nakao on Wednesday said the institution would seek to cooperate with the new Chinese lender.

“Once it formally starts, I plan to cooperate with it,” Nakao said in Tokyo. “It would be impossible to be hostile. Lots of countries need funds, and it is natural that we will cooperate. It would be to the benefit of international society, the region and Japan.”

The new China-backed institutions -- the infrastructure bank, a $50 billion development bank in conjunction with fellow BRICS nations and a $40 billion fund to revive the ancient Silk Road trade route -- are being set up after years of frustrated attempts by China and other emerging nations to revamp the existing international financial institutions to better reflect the shape of the global economy.

A key sticking point is the US’s fail-ure for more than four years to approve shifts in the International Monetary Fund’s ownership structure, which would give emerging markets more influence and install China as the third-largest member nation, up from sixth. The changes have been held up by the refusal of the US Congress to ratify them, even though the White House and governments around the world support them.

Veto PowerThe US still has veto power on major

decisions made by both the IMF and the World Bank, and a lock on selecting the president of the World Bank. Both institutions are increasingly unrepre-sentative and undersized compared with demands they face.

“The real tragedy is, compared to the billions we spend on defense to support US global leadership, Congress under-mined it by refusing to provide the chump change needed to reform the IMF,” said David Loevinger, former US Treasury Department senior coordina-tor for China affairs and now an ana-lyst at TCW Group Inc. in Los Angeles. “Congress can abdicate its international responsibilities. What it can’t do is stop China from playing a bigger role in man-aging the global economy.”

Part of China’s international

development push stems from eco-nomic self-interest. With much of the nation’s almost $4 trillion in foreign-currency reserves earning little, “they see this as an opportunity to improve their rate of return over Treasuries,” said Nicholas Lardy, who’s studied China for more than three decades and is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington.

Silk RoadChina plans to spend $40bn to revive

the centuries-old Silk Road trade route between Asia and Europe, an idea raised by Xi in a 2013 speech in neighbouring Kazakhstan.

Some analysts have likened the plan to the postwar effort to help Europe that helped establish the US as a regional economic power. A detailed plan may be unveiled at China’s Boao Forum conference starting Thursday, where Xi is scheduled to speak, according to Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd.

Announced in July, the BRICS’ New Development Bank, to be based in Shanghai with initial capital of $50 billion, is the third building block of a China-centered international economic architecture.

Reserve Currency The increasing influence of the

world’s second-largest economy has extended to the existing institutions. The IMF in late 2015 will conduct its next twice-a-decade review of the bas-ket of currencies its members can count toward their official reserves. IMF chief Christine Lagarde said in Beijing this week that the yuan “clearly belongs” in the basket and the fund would work with China to that end.

China in recent years has gained several high-ranking jobs for Chinese nationals at the World Bank and IMF. At the World Bank, China last year almost doubled its contribution to a fund for the poorest nations to help support a low-interest, $1 billion loan to the unit. To lure countries to join, China has offered to forgo veto power at the new development bank, the Wall Street Journal reported this week.

With assistance from Christopher Anstey in Tokyo, Andrew Mayeda in Washington, Birgit Jennen in Berlin and David Tweed in Hong Kong. BLOOMBERG

THE influenza A(H1N1) virus continues to kill people in India, although its spread is not at a galloping pace. As on March

21, the number of people affected was over 32,200, and the death toll in excess of 1,900. The worst-affected States are Gujarat and Rajasthan. In Gujarat, the number of cases has crossed 6,300 and the death toll is 410. In Rajasthan, the cases number over 6,400 and the death toll is 400. The possibility of the actual numbers being much more than government data indicate cannot be ruled out. The influenza virus circulating in the country since last year has revealed how

ill-prepared India is in managing and preventing the spread of an infectious disease that could cripple it. The Pune-based National Institute of Virology had sequenced the haemagglutinin (HA) protein. But it is not known if it has completed the sequencing of the whole genome of the circulating virus strain; it had not done so till the end of February 2015. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare rubbished the results of a study published on March 12 in Cell Host & Microbe by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology team that claimed three mutations in the HA protein in the 2009 pandemic virus strain. The team found mutations in two samples deposited

last year by India in a public database. While the government continues to vehemently deny new mutations in the circulating virus, it has thus far failed to support the claim convincingly.

A March 14, 2015 report in The Lancet makes it abundantly clear that India has not shared some criti-cal information with the World Health Organization that would help determine if the circulating strains are the same as the two strains that have shown resistance to the anti-viral drug. “We have not yet received detailed infor-mation in regard to the characteristics of the circulating viruses [in India]”, Masato Tashiro, Director of the WHO

Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Tokyo, told the journal. The failure to share the full genome sequence data with the WHO reference laboratories and/or deposit them in public databases, severely hampers global efforts to study the evolution of the virus. India has no national influenza policy either, to vac-cinate doctors and health-care workers who run the highest risk of contract-ing the infection; it only “recommends” vaccination of health-care workers. The time has come to take influenza more seriously, especially since H1N1 and H3N1 have become seasonal influenza.

THE HINDU

China’s influence set to climb as US thwarted on new bank

We have come here today to strengthen national reconciliation and to restart dialogue with all Palestinian factions.

Quote ofthe day

Rami HamdallahPalestinian Prime Minister

The other side

To lure countries

to join, China has

offered to forgo

veto power at the

new development

bank, the Wall

Street Journal

reported this

week.

Editorial

10 VIEWS THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


India flounders as H1N1 spreads

WASHINGTON’S decision to freeze the US troop levels in Afghanistan at 9,800 through the end of the year paints a rather rosy picture of Afghanistan’s progress in the fight against

Taliban. Half of the 9,800 troops were scheduled to leave in the months ahead and President Obama announced that he would slow the planned withdrawal after a White House meeting with the new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. A joint US-Afghanistan statement released by the White House said the change was being made “based on President Ghani’s request for flexibility in the US drawdown timeline.

The decision conveys two messages. First, the administration’s confidence in Ghani, who Obama praised repeatedly during the visit, and second, an improvement in the situation on the ground, with Taliban failing to throw any major surprises in the form of attacks after the induction of Ghani.

Ghani’s first visit to the US has helped strengthen relations between the two countries and made cooperation between the two sides smoother. Relations between Ghani’s predecessor, Hamid Karzai, and the US government were acerbic and had been steadily deteriorating for years. But the new president has chosen a policy of reconciliation and he was effusive in his praise of US help to his country during his address to the Congress. Obama too lauded Ghani for taking

on “the mantle of commander in chief in a way that we have not seen in the past from an Afghan president.”

The delayed departure of US troops will come as a relief to Afghan forces who are still finding the Taliban too formidable. Last year’s fighting season was one of the bloodiest for Afghan civilians and security forces since the US invasion in 2001. Keeping the extra US troops through the end

of this year would ensure the Afghan forces continue to make improvements to ensure that far-flung units have the food, ammunition and intelligence required to fight on their own.

Ghani is trying the path of diplomacy and negotiations to end the insurgency and bring peace and stability. He is deviating from the policies of Karzai and working on different formulas to persuade the Taliban to choose the path of negotiations. His government is working closely with Pakistan for this purpose. This change of policy has invited huge criticism from some quarters, but Ghani seems to be determined to try out his formula. His tactics haven’t produced results on the ground so far. The international community is keenly watching the situation, and Ghani will have to take the responsibility for both the failure and success.

The new president should also focus his energies on equipping the Afghan army to take on the Taliban. The US help is only temporary, and after that the government in Kabul will be fighting a lonely battle.

Ghani’s gamble

The new Afghan president is following a policy of reconciliation.

ARAB VIEWS 11THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


The visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Saudi Arabia, where he met the

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, represents another step in Saudi diplomacy during the past few weeks.

First there were visits by kings, Emirs and Sheikhs of GCC coun-tries, then a visit by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, who was followed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

This is not mere coincidence, since the region is witness-ing many developments, which allows us to conclude that there is something behind these visits.

Saudi-Pakistani relations have an Islamic and regional perspec-tive. This special relationship is perhaps what piqued the curios-ity of countries that are trying to dominate the region and wishing that this relationship wouldn’t exist.

Iran tops the list of these countries. Iran is often wary of alliances in which it doesn’t have a role. So it goes without saying that Iran seeks to prevent any alliance that will marginalise its regional role.

Iran fears the Saudi-Pakistani alliance for many reasons.

Pakistan can become a gateway for Saudi influence in the Central Asian countries that Tehran considers its backyard. These countries, which declared inde-pendence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, are close to Iran cul-turally and historically, but differ ethnically and religiously, as they are mostly Sunni Turks.

So, while these countries have cultural and historical ties with Iran, with Farsi being spoken in Tajikistan, from a sectar-ian perspective they are closer to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Ninety percent of the peo-ple in these countries, except in Azerbaijan, are Sunnis, and therefore they don’t trust Iranian influence in the region.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia can acquire economic and commer-cial clout in these countries by investing in development, tour-ism and industrial projects, which could affect Iranian influ-ence there.

Moreover, Pakistan has huge manpower, a powerful mili-tary and nuclear weapons. The Iranian media often dwells on the fear that Saudi Arabia will get nuclear weapons from Pakistan.

This is why Iran fears a Saudi-Pakistani alliance, especially

since Pakistan has a long border with Iran and it worries that it will have to counter Saudi influence on its eastern front, a region that poses major security and political challenges to the central government in Tehran. The Iranian regime believes that if it doesn’t stop interfer-ing in the internal affairs of Gulf states Saudi Arabia may change its strategy and start doing the same in Iran.

Iran tries to hide its

apprehension about an alliance between Riyadh and Islamabad, but often shows displeasure at any Pakistani support for the Gulf states.

For example, Iran expressed displeasure over the fact that Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani had visited Riyadh in 2011 and 2013 and met high-ranking Saudi officials.

She also met prominent figures from other Gulf countries, includ-ing Bahrain, and spoke afterwards

about the convergence of views of Pakistan and the Gulf states on developments in the region, espe-cially events in Bahrain, and its support for the Bahraini govern-ment with regard to the interven-tion by the Peninsula Shield forces to maintain security in that coun-try. She also expressed the former Pakistani government’s readiness to improve security cooperation with the Gulf countries to ensure security and stability in the region.

Iran is also trying to create

hostility towards Saudi Arabia in Pakistan by inciting some groups close to Tehran to carry out marches against Saudi Arabia.

It is also working to estab-lish pro-Iran groups in Pakistan that may be called the “Pakistani Hezbollah”, with the aim of exerting political and security pressures on Islamabad, particu-larly with regard to its relation-ship with the Gulf countries and its support for Arab causes. It also wants to counter Pakistani influence in Afghanistan, where Tehran is seeking political and economic dominance.

The fact is that Iran does not favour cooperation or solid rela-tions between the Gulf states and a nuclear state like Pakistan. It annoys the Iranian government, which sees itself as the only regional power. It does not want to see the Gulf states in alliance with any other regional entity, particularly the neighbour on its eastern flank, a region where Iran has major security concerns.

The political conditions and developments in the region require the Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia in particular, to work for closer relationships with Pakistan and the Central Asian states.

The Arab region has witnessed an expansion of Iranian influence over the past few years, which has whetted Tehran’s appetite for further expansion.

Diplomatic and political work and the use of soft power in Pakistan and Central Asia will contribute to forcing Iran to retreat and shift from an offen-sive to a defensive mode in the region.

The author is a columnist and political analyst specialising in Iranian affairs

Expect more Iranian and Houthi manoeuvresT

here are mountains of chal-lenges facing the Gulf from all sides, the latest of which

was the military manoeuvres car-ried out by thousands of Houthis earlier this month in Kitaf area in Saada governorate, which borders Najran in Saudi Arabia.

According to the Houthis’ spokesman, the goal of the exercise was to prepare for any challenge and initiate military operations.

The manoeuvres came in the midst of a political situation that looks like it was created in response to Iranian demands, which have been warmly received by the Houthis in order to get closer to Tehran and receive Iran’s economic support. A Houthi delegation recently returned from Iran after a 10-day visit. They signed several strategic agreements, including one for a year’s worth of Iranian oil supplies, in addition to renewing their loyalty to Tehran.

The timing of the manoeuvres coincided with Iranian war games in the Strait of Hormuz. But Tehran didn’t succeed in showing its strength as much as it did in hiding its vulnerability to the United States, and that was the intent.

Although the aim was to test new weapons, Iranian generals’ state-ments declared otherwise. It should be noted here that unlike in most countries, Iranian generals make more statements than their politicians.

The Iranian manoeuvres were a message to Washington, primarily related to their nuclear talks. They were also a political message to those who use the Strait of Hormuz and a message to the P5+1 states that have military equipment stationed on the shores of the Arabian Gulf.

The difference between the Iranian and Houthi manoeuvres was in size. Tehran involved the majority of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and several military divisions, including ground, artillery, missile, air and naval forces.

The Houthis used heavy weapons, including tanks, artillery and Katyusha rockets. Also, the Iranian war games continued for several days, while the Houthis finished theirs in only a few hours.

I estimate that the recent Houthi manoeuvre were nothing but an introduction to the application of new strategies pursued by Tehran. Therefore, we’ll often see the Houthis demonstrating their strength, with or without reason, since they don’t believe in using soft power. They can uplift their innate savage nature only by moving from using machine guns to using rockets.

What happened was a military manoeuvre deliberately provocative to neighbouring countries. Therefore, it was short enough to give political and military messages to the Arab Gulf states.

These manoeuvres were carried out to justify the increase in Iranian military aid to the Houthis, who will hold these exercises whenever asked to show their strength when negotiating with their rivals. In addition, such manoeuvres have a psychological and political impact.

When we try to find out what was behind the Houthi manoeuvres, we realise that the rules in this region have changed. Even the Houthis noticed after performing their manoeuvres that they increased confu-sion in the regional political scene, allowing them to change the rules.

Next, the Houthis will probably try to get Saudi Arabia preoccupied at its borders, and try to divert the attention of the decision-makers from what is happening in the north and east.

What is worrisome is that such manoeuvres might take place later in sync with Iranian war games in the other corner of the Arabian Peninsula, thereby closing Hormuz and Bab El Mandeb at the same time.

Iran has some of the most sophisticated sea mines and announcing manoeuvres on both sides of the Arabian Gulf for planting and clearing mines in both straits would be enough to subjugate the world.

The author is CEO of Gulf Monitoring Group

BY DR KHALID AL HAROUB

Instead of interpreting the Islamic State’s actions from an Islamic perspective and

condemning it for deviating from the scripture, something they are often criticised for, it would be better to return to the original religious text and reflect on the interpretations and explanations that have prevailed, leading to the creation of IS.

Such a reading will lead us to the shocking conclusion that the IS is a natural product of the rigid and intolerant inter-pretations of religious text that have been spreading in Arab and Muslim communities for centu-ries and have gained influence during the past half century.

Popular, simple, friendly and mystic religiosity that character-ised social, cultural and every-day life has disappeared from the religious scene in the Arab world.

The unilateral Salafi interpre-tation of religious text attacks creative and ingenious thought in our communities aimed at under-standing the role of religion in daily life.

In this free space, different sections of society, regardless of their degree of religiosity, coex-isted peacefully. Therefore, sec-tarian forces retreated to the background. But now, religious groups armed with thoughts of exclusion and claiming that oth-ers are disbelievers or religiously corrupt have taken centre stage, resulting in deep rifts between different sections of society.

This is just one religious interpretation, characterised by Salafism, which claims for itself perfection and ownership of “absolute truth” while labelling the rational, mystical and tolerant interpretations, including those of different sects, as void and unacceptable as they don’t have the “desired Salafi strictness.”

It is easy to see how narrow fundamentalism and Salafism has led to extremism.

Such thinking, which empha-sises strict interpretation of religious text, represents the “soft IS,” which nestles in our midst without us paying atten-tion to stopping its spread. That is the IS that created the environment for the crea-tion of the killer and savage IS,

which I will talk about later.The “soft IS” has expanded

and rooted itself in the Arab region by “religionising” politics and politicising religion — proc-esses carried out by regimes that have used religion to gain politi-cal legitimacy, and by Islamist movements that have deepened the confusion between religion and politics, creating an explo-sive social and political situation.

The competition between these two forces led to an increase in extremism and the use of the language of exclusion, with the result that the views of the “soft IS” have spread in all directions.

The result of the gradual and firm “IS-isation” of our reli-gious culture is the creation of a favourable environment for the emergence of the “savage IS”, which has ideas and convictions of the “soft IS”, which has been growing among us for decades.

The ideas of the “savage IS” are similar to those of other genocidal ideologies, which claim to provide the only path to sal-vation and have a messianic zeal. Those who believe in geno-cidal ideologies such as Nazism, and in the divine law, as in the case of IS, think they have a

natural right to rule the world.Their intellectual and ideologi-

cal extremism is intolerant and not open for discussion, debate or compromise. You are either with the Nazis (who profess the superiority of the Aryan race) or against them, or you are with the IS, because they represent the “absolute truth”, or are “misguided.”

If you are in neither camp, you are considered an “obstacle” in the path of the cosmic project and deserve displacement and killing with cold-blooded cer-tainty and conviction.

According to the Nazis, geno-cide served their project to lead humanity to a better future. For the IS, it leads the world to a caliphate and rule over the world.

The genocidal mania that took over Nazi Germany consumed European Jews and affected all the countries and communi-ties that rejected and opposed Nazism. So Hitler fought in all directions, north, east, south and west, from the Soviet Union to Britain.

The genocidal mania of the IS, which wants to “cleanse the ranks of hypocrites”, doesn’t spare anyone. It is an awful obsession

which the IS uses as justification for not fighting Israel, saying it cannot do so before cleansing the ranks of hypocrites.

Before fighting the “enemy”, the “savage IS” has its own projects that distinguish it from any prior purveyors of murder. It boasts of its killings and slaugh-ter, unlike most practitioners of genocide, who tried to hide their crime.

In the case of IS the number of killings has been much less than that in other cases of genocide because their strategy is to deter and scare by spreading terror in the ranks of the “enemy.” That’s why they publicise their killings.

They do their slaughter and burning in front of cameras, showing blood dripping and the victims in the hands of their executioners before they become lifeless corpses. Such hideous “slaughter” is seen by hundreds of millions of people.

The IS wishes to win through terrorism, which is another issue that requires us to go back to the interpretation of religious text and its application from the per-spective of the “savage IS”.

The author is a columnist and academic

Why Iran fears a Saudi-Pakistani alliance

BY DR MOHAMMED AL SULAMI

BY DR ZAFER MOHAMMAD AL AJMI

A file photo of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with the then Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the present Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

The Iranian media often dwells on the fear that Saudi Arabia will get nuclear weapons from Pakistan.

There exists a soft Islamic State

A file photo showing a Jordanian pilot captured by IS fighters after his plane went down near Raqa in Syria. One difference between the IS and past genocidal groups is that it boasts about its killings.

12 ASIA / AFRICATHURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


Jobless rate falls in Philippines

Filipinos look for job vacancies during a job fair inside a shopping Mall in Manila yesterday. The number of unemployed Filipinos fell in January as the booming services sector created more jobs, the government said. The jobless rate was down to 6.6 percent, from 7.5 percent in the same month last year, said Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. The figure translates to 2.63 million jobless Filipinos, versus 2.96 million in 2014, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

A boy holds a collage of condolence messages as he and others queue to pay their respects to late former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew near Parliament House in Singapore yesterday.

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans wept on the streets and queued in their thousands yesterday to pay tribute to founding leader Lee Kuan Yew after his flag-draped coffin was taken on a gun carriage to parliament for public viewing.

More than 26,000 had filed past the coffin before sundown, a government spokesman said, and thousands more were in line outside despite warnings that it could take them up to eight hours to view the casket.

After a two-day private wake for the family, Lee’s coffin was taken early yesterday from the Istana government complex, Lee’s workplace for decades as prime minister and cabinet adviser, to the legislature. It will lie in state there until the weekend.

The 91-year-old patriarch died on Monday after half a century in government, during which the city-state was transformed from a poor British colonial outpost into one of the world’s richest

societies. The government led by his son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, apparently surprised by the heavy turnout on day one, announced that Parliament House would stay open for 24 hours a day until Saturday night due to the “overwhelming response from members of the public”.

Lee will be cremated on Sunday after a state funeral expected to be attended by several Asia-Pacific leaders even though he was just an MP when he died.

Applause and shouts of “We love you!” and “Lee Kuan Yew!” broke out as the dark brown wooden coffin, covered by the red-and-white Singapore flag, emerged from the Istana in a tempered glass case perched on a gun carriage pulled by an open-topped military truck.

Earlier, in scenes that evoked Singapore’s colonial past, the carriage stopped in front of the main Istana building, from where Britain administered the island, as a bagpiper from the local

Gurkha Contingent — a special guard force — played Auld Lang Syne. As the motorcade left the government complex, many in the crowd along the route to parlia-ment were in tears as they raised cameras and mobile phones to record the historic event.

Some threw flowers on the path of the carriage, while office workers watched from high-rise buildings.

President Tony Tan and his wife Mary were the first to pay their respects, bowing three times before Lee’s closed coffin in the parliament’s foyer.

Queues snaked around the cen-tral business district despite the tropical heat and humidity.

In true Singaporean fashion the crowds were orderly, with free drinking water and portable toilets set up for mourners.

Police commandos helped direct traffic flow and priority queues were created for the elderly, preg-nant women and disabled.

AFP

BANGKOK: Thai junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha lashed out at journalists yesterday, saying he would “probably just execute” those who did “not report the truth”, in the latest outburst aimed at Thailand’s media.

Last month Prayuth said he had the power to shut down news outlets. Yesterday, he took an even harsher line. “We’ll probably just execute them,” said Prayuth, without a trace of a smile, when asked by reporters how the government would deal with those that do not adhere to the official line.

“You don’t have to support the government, but you should report the truth,” the former army chief said, telling reporters to write in a way that bolsters national recon-ciliation in the kingdom.

Prayuth, who is also prime minister, heads the ruling junta or National Council for Peace and Order. He toppled the govern-ment of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in a coup last May, that followed months of protests aimed at ousting Yingluck.

Known for his abrupt manner and impulsive remarks, Prayuth launched a crack down on dissent-ers after seizing power in May. He has said Thailand is not ready to lift martial law, which gives the army sweeping powers, including for arrest and detention.

In January the junta forced a German foundation to cancel a forum on press freedom say-ing Thailand was at a sensitive juncture. Since taking power, the junta has made full use of martial law, which also bans all political gatherings.

Prayuth was particularly criti-cal of the Thai-language Matichon daily newspaper, accusing the paper of siding with ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his allies. “Don’t think I don’t know that your writing is pro the previ-ous administration,” he told a Matichon reporter shortly before boarding a plane to Brunei. “The previous Interior Ministry bought many advertising spaces from you.” REUTERS

ABUJA: Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the closure of the country’s land and sea borders before this weekend’s general election, the interior ministry said yesterday.

The closure will take effect from midnight (2300 GMT yes-terday) until the same time on Saturday, after polling closes for presidential and parliamentary elections. The ministry said in a statement that the move was designed “to allow for peace-ful conduct of the forthcoming national elections”.

Nigeria is bordered by Benin to the west, Cameroon to the east and also had borders with Chad and Niger in the north.

In the last elections in 2011, about 1,000 people were killed in clashes after opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari was beaten by Jonathan for the presidency.

The two men are again contest-ing this year’s election, with many predicting that the vote — delayed for six weeks because of military operations against Boko Haram — is too close to call.

The head of Nigeria’s army vowed a violent crackdown on election-related unrest, as secu-rity tightened before the vote. Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Minimah said the armed forces, police and other organisations had made “adequate arrangements” for security at this Saturday’s poll.

Minimah said heightened secu-rity would be in place both for the presidential and parliamentary vote on Saturday as well as on April 11, when gubernatorial and state assembly elections are held.

Meanwhile, a Nigerian court effectively blocked an attempt to bar Buhari from running in what looks set to be the closest presidential race since military

rule ended in 1999. The court adjourned the case until April 22, leaving Buhari free to stand against Jonathan in the March 28 election.

Jonathan’s supporters had sought to disqualify the former military ruler on the grounds that he had forged his secondary school certificate, a charge the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has widely publicised and which is seen more as a smear campaign than a serious accusation.

“They are interlopers and busy bodies who want to waste the time of this court,” Justice Adeniyi Ademola said of the plaintiffs who brought the petition.

Both the PDP and Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) have mounted so far unsuccessful challenges to the eligibility of each other’s candidates to rule Africa’s biggest economy, most populous nation and top oil producer.

Investors, electoral observers and foreign powers will be closely watching how Nigeria conducts this election. Past polls have been marred by ballot box stuffing, thuggery and in some cases com-pletely fictitious results, although the one that gave Jonathan his first elected term in 2011 was deemed the fairest yet.

In a separate case this week, the Nigerian federal high court in Lagos barred the military from deploying near polling stations during the election. Neither side is likely to concede defeat, rais-ing fears that violence could fol-low whatever the outcome. When Buhari lost to Jonathan in 2011, 800 people died in three days of riots that left some 65,000 home-less. Western powers fear even worse or more protracted blood-shed this time around.

AGENCIES

COLOMBO: Jailed former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed has been prevented from appealing against his controversial 13-year jail sen-tence after authorities refused to release documents needed to prepare his case, his spokesman said yesterday.

The spokesman said the hon-eymoon islands’ first democrati-cally elected president has been denied a copy of the trial proceed-ings, which he needs to lodge an appeal before a looming deadline.

“The criminal court has tried to block the appeal at every step of the way,” spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said in Colombo. “It is not that he does not want to appeal, but he is not being allowed to file his papers.”

Nasheed’s office said the deadline for filing the appeal is Thursday. A Maldivian high com-mission (embassy) spokesman in Colombo, Hussain Mazin, said it was not until Sunday.

The Maldives government has resisted international pressure to release Nasheed, jailed this month under tough anti-terror laws for ordering the arrest of a chief judge in 2012 when he was president.

Western countries, India and the UN’s human rights chief have expressed concern over his trial, while his lawyers have said the case was aimed at destroying his political career.

The high commission in Colombo denied Nasheed has been stopped from lodging the appeal, saying he had refused to sign a copy of the case file and thereby had prevented it from being finalised.

AFP

TOKYO: Japan’s prime min-ister is set to rebuff a prickly invitation to a Chinese military parade, a report said yesterday, as the former World War II enemies jockey over the telling of their shared history.

Tokyo has not officially replied to Beijing’s comments on the march, being held to mark the 70th anni-versary of the end of the con-flict, but it is unlikely that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will go, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

The parade will officially cele-brate “Victory Day of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression”.

Beijing regularly invokes Japanese wrongdoing last cen-tury, a strategy that experts say is intended to burnish the rul-ing credentials of the Chinese Communist Party.

Earlier this month China’s

foreign minister said Abe would be welcome if he is “sincere”, and that Japan should face up to its wartime past and not “lose its conscience”.

Asked whether Abe would be invited to the march, Wang Yi said: “We will extend invita-tions to the leaders of all rele-vant countries and international organisations. We welcome the participation of anyone who is sincere about coming.”

China’s foreign ministry regu-larly urges Japan to “show sin-cerity” over history, signalling that it does not believe Tokyo is earnest enough. Abe has said he will release a fresh statement on World War II this year, one that will “in general” stand by previous apologies for wartime misdeeds.

However, the exact wording of the statement is being carefully watched for any signs of back-sliding. AFP

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s leader warned activists yester-day that the public would “not be sympathetic” to more pro-democracy protests as the city prepares for the next phase of controversial political reforms.

Parts of the Asian financial cen-tre were brought to a standstill by mass street blockades at the end of last year, sparked by restrictions from Beijing on how Hong Kong’s next leader will be chosen.

China announced in August that candidates running to become chief executive in 2017 — hoped to be the first ever public vote for the city’s leader — would be vetted by a pro-Beijing com-mittee. “I can say that the public, if Occupy happens again, will not

be sympathetic,” chief executive Leung Chun-ying said, referring to the pro-democracy protest movement known as “Occupy Central”.

Leung, who was speaking at an investment conference in Hong Kong, added that the Chinese government had “confidence” in Hong Kong’s handling of the pro-tests, which lasted for more than two months before rally sites were cleared in December.

Rumours swirled at the time that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which maintains a garri-son in the city, would be deployed if Beijing felt Hong Kong author-ities were unable to handle the demonstrations.

“Throughout the Occupy

movement... the Hong Kong garrison of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army was never called out from their barracks,” Leung said.

“It was a reassuring sign on the part of the central government of the faith and confidence in the Hong Kong government and its police force.”

Leung also said pro-democracy lawmakers who supported the Occupy Movement could be “pun-ished” by voters in the election for the city’s legislature in 2016.

Authorities in the southern Chinese city are pushing for a public vote to go ahead for the city’s next leader but say it must adhere to Beijing’s framework.

AFP

YANGON: A Myanmar court laid charges, including rioting, yesterday against 69 students involved in a protest two weeks ago that was broken up in a police action that drew sharp criticism from Western govern-ments, a student activist said.

Police clubbed students, monks and journalists with wooden batons to disperse protest-ers, according to a witness who reported the clashes in the town of Letpadan, about 140km north of Yangon, on March 10.

Western countries have encour-aged the semi-civilian government that took power in Myanmar in 2011 after 49 years of military rule to pursue political reforms,

and its response to other recent protests had been more measured.

But tensions had mounted in the week prior to the crackdown, as security forces blocked the students from marching to the commercial capital of Yangon to protest against an education bill they said would stifle academic freedom.

Ei Po, a student activist who waited outside the court in Letpadan where judges laid charges against 69 protesters, said the court also issued arrest warrants for four leaders of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions. “The government is scared of the students so they intention-ally suppress students from the ABSFU,” said Ei Po. REUTERS

Poll: Nigeria to shut land, sea bordersCourt ruling allows Buhari to contest

Thousands pay tribute to Lee

Thai PM lashes out at media

Abe unlikely to attend China’s war parade

Myanmar charges 69 protesters

Jailed Maldives ex-leader says his appeal has been scuttled

HK leader warns against protests

Graduating commandos

Female Pakistani police commandos salute during their passing out ceremony in Hyderabad yesterday. Some 1,084 police commandos, including 37 female police commandos, attended the graduation ceremony.a

PAKISTAN / AFGHANISTAN 13THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


Suicide bomber hits Kabul killing sevenTaliban warn on US troop pulloutKABUL: A suicide car bomber killed seven people in Kabul yesterday as the Taliban warned that Washington’s deci-sion to slow the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan will hamper peace efforts.

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday reversed plans to with-draw around 5,000 US troops from Afghanistan this year, an overture to the country’s new reform-minded leader, President Ashraf Ghani.

Hosting Ghani at the White House for their first presidential head-to-head, Obama agreed to keep the current level of 9,800 US troops in Afghanistan until the end of 2015.

“Obama’s announcement to continue to keep troops in Afghanistan is a response to the peace efforts,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

“This damages all the prospects for peace. This means the war will go on until they are defeated,” he said.

Hours later, a suicide car bomber struck close to the presi-dential palace in Kabul yesterday, killing at least seven people and wounding dozens more.

It is the first suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in nearly a month and highlights the fragile security situation as the country prepares for the start of the tra-ditional spring-summer fighting season. Ghani condemned the attack as “inhuman and un-Islamic”, while police said the target of the rush-hour blast appeared to be civilians.

Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said all of those killed and wounded in the attack were civilians, and included women and children.

Since coming to power in

September after protracted power-sharing negotiations, Ghani has sought to establish a peace process with the Taliban to end their 13-year insurgency.

Supportive signals from Pakistan, which has long held significant influence over the Taliban, have boosted hopes for possible dialogue.

The Taliban, who have waged a bloody insurgency since being toppled from power in 2001 in a US-led invasion, have always denied talks with the government.

They maintain they will not negotiate while foreign troops remain on Afghan soil.

Nato’s combat mission ended in December, leaving the 350,000-strong Afghan security forces to lead the fight against the Taliban.

The decision means they will have air and other crucial US support through this year’s fight-ing season, which begins in weeks.

But the militants voiced defiance.

“When there were more than 100,000 troops on the ground, they could not beat us — now with 10,000 they cannot do anything,” Mujahid said.

The US still plans to reduce its military contingent in Afghanistan to a “Kabul-based embassy presence” by the end of 2016, but the rate at which troops will pull out during that year has yet to be decided, Obama and Ghani said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

Obama said Afghanistan remains a “dangerous place,” but insisted the decision to maintain higher troop numbers for longer was not a change in his policy of ending America’s frontline involvement soon.

AFP

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani (left) addressing a joint meeting of Congress on the floor of the US House of Representatives, in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, yesterday.

Ghani thanks Americans in speech to Congress WASHINGTON: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani addressed the US Congress yes-terday, thanking “the people of the United States” for their service and sacrifice over a dec-ade of war in Afghanistan.

“We owe a profound debt to the 2,315 servicemen and women killed and the more than 20,000 who have been wounded in serv-ice to your country and ours,” Ghani said, after receiving a warm welcome from members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Ghani presented a sharp con-trast, both in style and substance, to his predecessor Hamid Karzai

whose relations with Washington grew bitter and mistrustful in his final years in office.

Hailing a revived “partnership” with Washington, the Afghan leader also gave a nod of recogni-tion to the US Congress’ role in buttressing a nation ravaged by the Taliban and poverty.

“The service of American men and women, civilian or military, in our country has been made pos-sible by the bipartisan support of the Congress of the United States,” he said.

“On behalf of our own parlia-ment and people, I salute and thank you.”

Ghani, who took office six

months ago, said Americans have provided an inspirational gift of “hope” to his nation, not only by combatting extremism but in helping more than three million girls enrol in primary schools and raising the average Afghan lifespan from just 44 years in 2002 to over 60 today.

“I would like to return that gift of re-born hope by offering the American people a partnership with a nation that is committed to the cause of freedom and that will join the fight against the growing threat of terrorism.”

Ghani addressed members of the House of Representatives and Senate wearing a dark

Western-style suit, unlike Karzai, who addressed Congress in 2004 in resplendent Afghan garb.

Karzai’s relationship with US officials was fraught with ten-sion in his final years in office. He refused to sign a bilateral secu-rity agreement, a move Ghani acknowledged led to “lost momen-tum, and both partners had to operate under uncertainty.”

But Ghani stressed that both sides “made up for the loss,” with President Barack Obama able to hold to his promise of ending all US combat opera-tions in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

AFP

Six condemned for murder executedISLAMABAD: Pakistan yes-terday hanged six prisoners condemned for murder, officials said, bringing the total executed since the death penalty was resumed in December to 61.

Four went to the gallows in prisons across Punjab province and two others were hanged in the southern city of Sukkur, including a seminary teacher who slit the throat of a student.

Pakistan restarted executions in December as part of a crack-down on militants and criminals after Taliban militants gunned down 154 people, most of then schoolchildren, at a school in the restive northwest.

A moratorium had been in force since 2008. It was initially lifted only for those convicted of terrorism offences, but the move was extended to all capital offences this month.

Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan is to settle the contro-versy over the age of the murder convict Shafqat Hussain that had made the government put off his execution for 30 days.

“This is not a political issue. This is a question involving life or death for somebody,” said Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan breaking the news to the media here on Wednesday.

A FIA panel would look into “all aspects of the case” to ascertain if the convict was a juvenile in 2004 or not, he said, making it clear that the decision to stay the execution had nothing to do with any exter-nal pressure or internal influence.

In reply to a question, he said medical test was not a feasible option to determine the age of Shafqat Hussain as such test pro-duced best results when a person is around 18 or 19. The accuracy of the test declines for people aged 24 or 25, he said.

AGENCIES

Pakistan freezes over $102m foreign terror fundsISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan have frozen a number of accounts used to funnel Rs10.2bn ($102m) in cash to terror suspects, officials over-seeing the National Action Plan (NAP) said.

Law enforcement agencies also recovered Rs101.7m ($1.02m) either from clerics or workers of banned organisations, they said.

These actions — taken with the assistance of the State Bank of Pakistan — are part of the over-all efforts to throttle the flow of foreign funding to terrorists and proscribed organisations in the country.

Nine days after militants mounted a bloody attack on the

Army Public School in Peshawar, the government formulated the action plan in a bid to purge the country of all kinds of terrorism.

“To choke terror funding [in all shapes] is our top priority, this is our strategy to weaken foreign-funded militants,” said Hamid Ali Khan, national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta). Under UN Security Council resolutions 1,267 and 1,373, he explained, Pakistan is bound to stop terror funding.

Another senior official of the interior ministry said both the UN resolutions bound member states not only to take measures against terrorists but also estab-lish a global sanctions regime

against designated individuals and entities associated with notorious global terror networks.

The official, who did not want to be named, revealed that civil-ian and intelligence agencies have arrested 150 people, half of them clerics, in violation of laws deal-ing with hawala, hundi, suspicious transactions and anti-money laundering by registering cases against 130 individuals who were getting money from foreign coun-tries including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Australia, the US, the UK, Hong Kong, the UAE and Kuwait.

The agencies held 83 people and registered 64 cases under hawala and hundi, 50 people were

apprehended and 57 cases were registered under anti-money laundering and 17 were detained and nine cases registered under suspicious transactions, he added.

In an ongoing crackdown against those who delivered hate speeches and violators of loud-speakers, the law enforcement agencies registered 5,017 cases against clerics while 4,647 of them were arrested, he said.

Over 3,758 clerics were held in Punjab, 508 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), 197 Sindh, 94 Islamabad, 86 Balochistan and 30 clerics were detained in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), he said.

Police have confiscated more than 1,466 instruments from

several mosques and madrassas across the country, according to the official. They have also sealed 40 shops that were selling and distributing hate material.

Senator Colonel (Rtd) Tahir Mashhadi of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) believes the law enforcement agencies, par-ticularly the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), need to take tougher action to stop foreign financial support to seminaries/terrorist organisations.

“Better financial regulation system can lead us to choke ter-ror funding and this will, for sure, help our law enforcement agencies to net more criminals,” he said.

INTERNEWS

30 allied with Taliban killed in air strikesDERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistani jet fighters killed 30 militants allied to the Pakistani Taliban in a missile attack in the mountainous northwest-ern Khyber region yesterday, including the group’s spokes-man, intelligence officials said.

The air force has been pound-ing positions in the Tirah Valley for days and the military says it has killed scores. At least seven soldiers have also been killed.

The 30 killed in yesterday’s attack in the Sipah district were from the Lashkar-e-Islam, which announced an alliance with the Taliban earlier this month, the intelligence officials said. The cas-ualties included group spokesman Salahuddin Ayubi, the officials said.

Members of the group said they could neither confirm nor deny the intelligence officials’ version of events and said they were checking. A US drone strike

killed 11 Pakistani Taliban mili-tants in Kunar in northeastern Afghanistan, intelligence officials said on Wednesday, hours after a strike killed at least nine mili-tants in the same area. They said six or seven senior Taliban com-manders had been killed, a claim the Taliban denied.

“I am sitting here in Kunar along with several other peo-ple but our fighters and com-manders haven’t been killed in a drone strike,” Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman for the Taliban fac-tion, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaatul Ahrar, told Reuters.

The Pakistani and Afghan Taliban share a similar jihadist ideology but operate as separate entities. No one tracks drone strikes in Afghanistan, but Taliban commanders say that fighters there have been increas-ingly targeted since late last year.

REUTERS

14 INDIATHURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


Fire in Ahmedabad textile mill

A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire that broke out in a textile mill in Ahmedabad yesterday. No casualties were reported and the cause of the fire is still unknown, a fire official said.

Spring bloom

A Kashmiri shepherd boy herds a flock of sheep in an almond garden on the outskirts of Srinagar yesterday. Almond bloom heralds the arrival of the spring season in Kashmir after a long spell of winter.

Army’s Kargil response was ‘sluggish’Govt obtains stay from SC on AFT’s quashing of policy to have unit commanded by 37-year-old colonelNEW DELHI: The government yesterday told the Supreme Court that Indian army’s response during Kargil war was sluggish as it sought and obtained a stay of the Armed Forces Tribunal’s order quash-ing the 2009 policy to have a combat unit commanded by a colonel at the age of 37 years.

As a bench of Justice T S Thakur, Justice R Banumathi and Justice Amitava Roy stayed the tribunal’s March 2, 2015 order quashing the 2009 policy under which newly-created 750 posts of colonels were not disbursed across the army on pro rata basis, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that the response in Kargil war was “sluggish”.

Telling the court that the pol-icy of giving the command of a

combat unit to a colonel at the age of 37 followed an examination of why the army’s response in the conflict was “sluggish”, he said it was found that while an Indian army combat unit was being com-manded by a colonel aged 41, his counterparts in the Pakistani and Chinese army were aged 37 years.

The AFT order was coming in the way of promotion policy in the army reducing the age of a colonel to 37 years, he said.

The tribunal quashed the January 21, 2009 policy which weighed in favour of infan-try, mechanised infantry and armoured corps insofar the 750 newly-created posts of colonels were concerned, saying that it was violative of the constitution’s article 14 (equality before law).

The government move had

followed the recommendations of Ajay Vikram Singh Committee, which besides other things, had investigated the army’s “sluggish” response.

The government had created 1,500 additional posts of colonel — 750 in 2004 and another 750 in 2009 — a larger chunk of which was to go to these three arms for a better age profile of the com-mand structure.

Rohatgi said that the 750 posts created in 2004 for improving the age profile of combat units had been mistakenly disbursed across the army on a pro rata basis, but since this did not achieve the desired objective, a pro rata dis-tribution of another 750 posts was not followed in 2009.

Besides improving the age pro-file, the additional posts of colonel

were needed to accommodate these officers after they exited combat command as in the army hierarchy’s pyramid, not everyone could be promoted to brigadier.

Having some reservations on Rohatgi’s stand, the court won-dered how could pro rata disbur-sal of the posts would not favour combat units as it would be on the basis of their respective strengths and these were in a much larger number.

“You can’t affords to have dis-gruntled, dissatisfied and frus-trated officers in other wings of army,” it said.

Rohatgi however said that if the tribunal’s order was to be implemented then the entire pol-icy will have to be unscrambled.

Appearing for the officers who had approached the tribunal,

counsel Meenakshi Lekhi con-tested Rohatgi’s assertions, say-ing that A V Singh Committee report did not only talk about the combat units but of a larger age profile at brigade level.

Senior counsel Shekhar Naphade, appearing for another set of aggrieved officers, said that 12 Lieutenant Generals have opposed the policy, but Rohatgi countered that they were out of 84 but had acknowledged policy decisions rested with the government.

The tribunal order said that government would create super-numerary posts to accommo-date Lieutenant Colonel P K Choudhary and other officers denied promotion on the basis of quashed policy subject to merit.

IANS

One rescued, two missing as Navy plane crashes in Goa

PANAJI: A Dornier surveil-lance aircraft of the Indian Navy with three personnel on board crashed into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Goa on Tuesday night. One navy officer has been rescued, but the other two — including a woman officer whose husband is also in the navy — are still missing, offi-cials said yesterday.

The aircraft was from the 301 Naval Air Squadron based at INS Hansa near Dabolim in Goa.

It was on a training sortie and communication was lost at 10.02pm on Tuesday, after which the aircraft “ditched” in the sea, an officer said.

The aircrew onboard the air-craft comprised three officers — two pilots and one woman observer, the navy said in a statement.

One survivor, Commander Nikhil Kuldip Joshi, was picked up by a passing fishing boat from a fishing hamlet off Karwar and transferred to a naval Fast Interceptor Craft.

“He is presently in the Naval Hospital at Karwar and is reported to be stable,” the navy said.

A board of inquiry has been ordered to probe the crash.

Navy chief Admiral Robin Dhowan rushed to Goa from New Delhi yesterday morning and met the families of the aircrew, offi-cials said.

Dhowan also met Commander Joshi, who was fished out of the sea after the crash.

The navy chief took stock of the search and rescue opera-tion, before returning to Delhi in the evening. A total of 12 ships, including two ships from the Indian Coast Guard, and four aircraft have been deployed for search operations.

IANS

Son of MP governor found dead in LucknowL U C K N O W / B H O P A L : Shailesh Yadav, son of Madhya Pradesh Governor and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ram Naresh Yadav, was yes-terday found dead under mys-terious circumstances at his father’s residence in Lucknow. The Congress described the death as “unnatural” and demanded a CBI probe into it.

The 50-year-old Shailesh Yadav was an accused in the scam in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board or Vyapam, and was reportedly under severe stress for the past few weeks.

He was found dead in the pri-vate residence of his father at Mall Avenue in Lucknow.

While family sources said Shailesh Yadav died due to brain haemorrhage, police officials tak-ing up investigation into the death told IANS that an autopsy would be conducted to ascertain the cause.

Shailesh Yadav, sources said, was evading notice from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which is probing the Vyapam scam, and was holed up in the house in Lucknow.

He was charged with taking bribe from 10 applicants appear-ing for the contractual teachers’ examination in Madhya Pradesh.

The sources also said proper-ties of Shailesh Yadav were on the verge of being attached by inves-tigating agencies.

He was found lying dead near his bed around 7 a.m. by a servant.

The servant saw blood oozing out, and informed family mem-bers about it. They called a doctor, who declared him dead.

Family members said Shailesh Yadav was alone in his room on Tuesday night.

Three daughters-in-law of Ram Naresh Yadav, Shailesh Yadav’s two children as well as three serv-ants were present in the house at the time.

On hearing the news about the death, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi reached the house and offered their condolences.

Joshi termed the death “natu-ral” and asked people not to polit-icise the issue.

However, the Congress party wrote letters to the govern-ments of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“Shailesh Yadav’s death was not a natural one. He was an accused in the Vyapam scam, but the alle-gations have not yet been proved. The cause of his death must be made public. This will be possible only if the death is investigated by the CBI.

“We have requested the govern-ments of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to look into our demand,” said Satyadev Katare, Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh assembly.

The Special Task Force (STF) of police had registered a case against Shailesh Yadav, and he was also issued summons.

The STF had also visited Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh while searching for him.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday visited the private hospital in Bhopal in which Governor Ram Naresh Yadav was undergoing treatment for some undisclosed illness.

Ram Naresh Yadav’s other two sons are Kamlesh Yadav and Ajay Naresh Yadav.

IANS

Manmohan challenges coal block summons at SCNEW DELHI: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh yesterday moved the Supreme Court challenging the summons issued to him by a special court over the allocation of Talabira II coal block in Orissa to Kumarmangalam Birla-owned Hindalco in 2005.

The matter is likely to be men-tioned for an early hearing today.

Birla too moved the apex court challenging the December 16, 2014, and March 11, 2015, orders for summons issued by the special court. The court trying coal scam cases did not accept the closure reports by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in respect of allocation of share in com-bined coal blocks Talabira-II and Talabira-III and took cognizance

of alleged offences. Special Court Judge Bharat

Parashar, who is holding trial of cases rooted in coal block alloca-tion scam, on March 11 summoned Manmohan Singh as an accused for allocating Talabira II coal block in Orissa to Hindalco in 2005.

Besides the former prime min-ister, the court also summoned Birla and then coal secretary P.C. Parakh under offences of criminal conspiracy and breach of trust of the Indian Penal Code, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In his plea, Birla contended that making a representation for seek-ing a share in combined coal block was not illegal as the prime min-ister was exercising his discretion, which could at best be arbitrary

but cannot be described as crimi-nal in the absence of any material.

“The impugned order holds that the allocation was violative of law and of the rule of law. It fails to identify any statute, rule or even a regulation that was vio-lated. It proceeds on the premise that a departure from a guide-line (applicable to the Screening Committee) by the prime minis-ter is a per se a violation of the rule of law — a proposition that is contrary to the settled law on the subject,” reads his petition.

“The guidelines incidentally did not — as they could not — impinge on the discretion of the Prime Minister’s Office in deal-ings with these matters — they did not purport to constrain the powers of the prime minister,” the

petition said. It argued that the “existence of powers of the prime minister under rules of business and the role of a prime minister in a Westminster model of parlia-ment” escaped the notice of the special court judge.

Defending the decision taken by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the petition by Birla said: “The final decision arrived at by the prime minister was based on his assessment of the right balance between the interest of the state government and that of a central public sector undertak-ing. The state government felt it would subserve public interest if an allotment was made to Hindalco, and the prime minster partly agreed with this assessment.”

IANS

Police probe threats to burn down Bengal Catholic schoolKOLKATA: Police in eastern India said yesterday they are investigating letters found at a Catholic school which threaten to burn it down, renewing fears about the safety of the Christians.

Police have stepped up security at St Capitaneo School in West Bengal state after the discovery of the five letters, threatening arson unless it was closed and its 13 nuns removed from the area.

“We are trying to trace the source of the letters. It’s too early to comment on the authenticity of the letters but we are taking no chances,” district police chief Celling Simik Lepcha said. The incident comes just over a week after an elderly nun was raped during a robbery at a separate convent school in the same state.

Staff alerted police on Sunday to the letters which were found in the compound of the school’s hostel, said West Bengal police Inspector General Anuj Sharma.

AFP

Modi to visit France, Germany and CanadaNEW DELHI: Giving a fillip to India’s ‘Link West’ foreign pol-icy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go on an eight-day official visit to France, Germany and Canada from April 9 to 16.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, announcing the tour, said: “The prime minister’s visit to these countries reflects the ‘Link West’ aspect of India’s foreign policy. We see this as an opportunity to rein-force our strong links with these countries, with a focus on invest-ments and technological tie-ups.”

Modi’s first destination would be France from April 9 to 12, where he will have meetings with French President Francois Hollande.

He will also interact with vari-ous sections of the French soci-ety and members of the Indian community, who are residents in France, the spokesperson said.

Modi’s second destination will be Germany. He will be in Germany from April 12 to 14 for the Hannover Messe. He will

hold bilateral discussions with Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders.

The prime minister will be in Canada from April 14 to 16. “In each of these countries, he will visit cities other than the capi-tals,” Akbaruddin said.

In Canada, Modi is to make stops in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. This was announced by the Canadian High Commission here.

Modi’s visit will be the first bilateral tour to Canada by an Indian prime minister since 1973.

The visit to Canada will provide an opportunity for the leaders “to reaffirm the close relationship between Canada and India and to discuss ways to further broaden its scope”, the high commission said.

“Increased cooperation in the fields of science and technology, innovation, education, security, counter-terrorism and energy are expected to feature prominently in discussions,” it said in a press release.

IANS

MORNING BREAK16THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


Boat mail delivery

Mail carrier Andrea Bunar rides along a stream in her yellow mail boat at the start of the mail delivery per boat season in Lehde, Germany, yesterday. The post office begins to deliver mail per mail boat after a winter break in the Spreewald region.

LONDON: The BBC announced yesterday that it was dropping one of its most popular pre-senters, Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, for physically attack-ing a producer.

“It is with great regret that I have told Jeremy Clarkson today that the BBC will not be renew-ing his contract,” BBC Director-General Tony Hall said.

Clarkson’s contract with Top Gear, a motoring show which draws more than 350 million viewers around the world, is thought to expire at the end of this month. His departure will have financial implications for the British broadcaster, as its commercial arm BBC Worldwide earns around £50m ($75m) a year from the show.

But Hall said: “There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commer-cial considerations.” The BBC said it would now “look to renew Top Gear for 2016” and put out the final episodes in the current series of the programme, which had been postponed.

A spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron, a friend of Clarkson’s who initially backed him, said that “aggres-sive and abusive behaviour is not acceptable in the workplace”. “If you do something wrong at work there can be consequences,” the spokesman said.

More than a million people had signed an online petition for the BBC to reinstate Clarkson.

Clarkson was suspended on March 10 over what the BBC said at the time was a “fracas”.

An internal investigation revealed that he launched an “unprovoked physical and ver-bal attack” on “Top Gear” pro-ducer Oisin Tymon after filming on March 4. The physical attack lasted around 30 seconds and saw Clarkson strike the producer, giv-ing him a swelling, bleeding lip for which Tymon sought help at a hospital.

Clarkson subsequently made a number of attempts to apologise to Tymon after the incident in a hotel where the team was staying in Yorkshire in northern England, and then reported himself to BBC management.

AFP

WASHINGTON: Nasa’s Curiosity rover has found nitro-gen on the surface of Mars, a significant discovery that adds to evidence the Red Planet could once have sustained life, the space agency said on Tuesday.

By drilling into Martian rocks, Curiosity found evidence of nitrates, compounds containing nitrogen that can be used by living organisms. The Curiosity team has already found evidence that other ingredients needed for life, such as liquid water and organic matter, once existed at the site known as Gale Crater.

“Finding a biochemically acces-sible form of nitrogen is more support for the ancient Martian environment at Gale Crater being habitable,” Jennifer Stern of Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland said in a statement.

Nitrogen is essential for all known forms of life, because it’s a building block of DNA and RNA.

However, “there is no evidence to suggest that the fixed nitrogen molecules found by the team were created by life,” NASA cautioned.

“The surface of Mars is inhos-pitable for known forms of life.”

The research team suggested that instead, the nitrates are ancient and likely came from meteorite impacts, lightning and other non-biological processes.

Curiosity is currently at the foot of Mount Sharp, an 18,000-foot mountain formed by sedi-mentary layers. AFP

BBC drops Top Gear host Clarkson

Mars has nitrogen, says Nasa

Fajr (Dawn) 4:16

Shorook (Sunrise) 5:32

Zuhr (Noon) 11:40

Asr (Afternoon) 3:07

Maghrib (Sunset) 5:48

Isha (Night) 7:18

PRAYER TIME

High: 28° Low: 17°

High: 26° Low: 19°

High: 28° Low: 19°

Partly cloudyPartly cloudy Clear

Today Friday Saturday

SUNRISE | SUNSET

05:32 17:48 08:30 & 22:15 04:00 & 14:30 06-16/22 KT

HIGH | LOW WIND

SUN TIDE SEA

TODAY TOMORROW

HI/LO WEATHER HI/LO WEATHER

THE REGION

TODAY TOMORROW

HI/LO WEATHER HI/LO WEATHER

THE WORLD

DOHA - SUN & SEA

WEATHER

MUSCAT 33/26 Sunny 33/27 Sunny

MAKKAH 37/24 Sunny 37/25 Sunny

KUWAIT 29/16 Mostly sunny 28/13 Sunny

BAHRAIN 26/19 Scattered showers 24/18 Partly cloudy

SANAA 27/12 Mostly sunny 27/12 Sunny

RIYADH 31/18 Showers 26/17 Scattered showers

DUBAI 28/21 Partly cloudy 28/17 Sunny

BAGHDAD 24/11 Mostly sunny 27/12 Sunny

ATHENS 17/14 Rain 18/13 Scattered showers

WASHINGTON 24/07 Scattered showers 12/01 Showers

SYDNEY 26/13 Sunny 24/13 Mostly sunny

LONDON 13/02 Showers 12/04 Mostly cloudy

PARIS 11/04 Showers 13/08 Showers

ISTANBUL 18/09 Clear 16/10 Rain

MANILA 32/23 Partly cloudy 33/22 Mostly sunny

DHAKA 34/24 Mostly sunny 33/24 Mostly sunny

DELHI 36/20 Partly cloudy 36/23 Sunny

ISLAMABAD 32/17 Mostly cloudy 29/16 Mostly sunny

Weather Conditions:

Moderate temperature daytime and partly cloudy to cloudy with chance of scattered rain may be thundery at time by evening.

Thursday 26 March 20156 Jumada II 1436

Volume 20Number 6381

Price: QR2

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QNB first to deploy NCR’s CxBanking

Business | 19

Oil dynamics to throw big surprises in Q1Price slump to hit company results

Qatari stocks dip on Yemen, Q1 earning worries DOHA: Qatari stocks down yesterday as fund manag-ers predicted declines in first quarter GCC corporate earn-ings due to oil slump. Qatar Exchange’s (QE) benchmark index declined 1.45 percent in a broad sell-off to settle at 11,503 points. Of the 39 traded stocks, 29 declined.

The entire sector indices ended red with the banks and financial services declining the most by 2.09 percent. The QE index drop was mainly led by QNB and Industries Qatar (IQ) falling. The banking major QNB fell 2.02 percent as IQ declined 2.18 percent.

A section of market watchers said the instability in Yemen is also having a negative impact on the regional stock market. “Whilst events in Yemen are somewhat impacting regional markets, we remain of the view that the recent selloff in equi-ties is mainly driven by high stock valuations, especially when considering current vol-atility in oil prices”, said a top analyst.

“Brent dropped 45 percent over the past six months, how-ever regional stocks declined only by 15 percent, mainly because investors continue to believe that oil price will even-tually recover back to $70. The volatility is affecting both busi-ness as well as investor senti-ment, and when coupled with political instability such as the recent events in Yemen, it is inevitable that some inves-tors will prefer taking profits and cautiously observe from the sidelines until thinks calm down,” Afa Boran, Head of Asset Management, Amwal said.

“Like Syria, Libya, and Egypt, Yemen in our view is an isolated event which is unlikely to have any material impacting on GCC markets in the medium term. We continue, however, to stay close to the Iranian develop-ments as a permanent solution will most likely have an impact on regional oil prices as well as regional equities, and we think this presents risks and buying opportunities at the same time, and of course, key to success is always being very selective and evaluating stock fundamentals,” he said. THE PENINSULA

BY SATISH KANADY

DOHA: The changing oil mar-ket dynamics is expected to throw up ‘surprising’ first quarter results for many Qatari companies. The first quarter of this year witnessed sharp slide in the oil prices and this is going to be reflected in the Q1 results.

The oil price drop is expected to put a damper on energy-related companies.

“The oil prices declined most during the end of fourth quarter extending it to the first quarter. The crude was trading about $85 per barrel during the opening of first quarter. Today, the global benchmark Brent was traded at $56 per barrel. This kind of drop and volatility will have a huge impact on the first quarter cor-porate earnings,” a top market watcher told The Peninsula.

“This kind of drop will have more direct profits of the compa-nies whose products are directly linked to the oils chemical compa-nies, but the companies that use oil as energy as a cost will benefit. The Q1 results will gives us exact picture how the earnings have impacted by the oil price slide for the first time. There are big surprises in store,” he said.

A series of listed companies are expected to announce their first quarter results during the second week of April. Banking major QNB announced it would disclose its first quarter results on April 8. Gulf Warehousing yester-day announced it will announce its financial results on April 23.

Developer UDC is expected to announce its first quarter results on April 26, 2015.

On the Q2, 2015 outlook, another analyst said, the oil price trending is going to be a big direc-tion for Qatari stock market. “If oil stabilises on $60-$70, it’s good and we are not expecting any neg-ative impact on the stock market. But again it is very important to be in picking stocks.”

The GCC Earnings Review -2014 released yesterday by the “Global Research” noted Qatar ranked third, after UAE , Bahrain and Kuwait, in the growth rate of corporate earnings last year. The UAE has been the best-performing market in the region during 2014, recording a 30.2 percent year-on-year increase, followed by Bahrain’ 15.0 percent increase and Kuwait’s 7.6 percent growth rate.

QE’s corporate earnings rose 6.1 percent year-on-year to $11.9bn during 2014, driven by the banks and financial services and real estate sectors.

Gains in real estate were driven by a more than doubling of earnings of Barwa Real estate, which contributed 50.7 percent to the earnings growth. This was partly due to higher rental earnings and increase in capital gains. UDC rose 93.9 percent and Ezdan grew by 21.4 percent. The increase in Ezdan Real Estate was mainly because of higher operat-ing income ascribed to many new real estate projects and improving productivity.

THE PENINSULA

Qatar to treat GCC investors as localsDUBAI: Qatar’s stock exchange will treat investors from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as local cit-izens from today when calculating whether foreign ownership in listed companies has reached permissible limits, the bourse said.

The move will in effect allow foreign investors, from both the Gulf and out-side the region, to hold bigger stakes in listed Qatari companies, most of which have ceilings on total foreign ownership of 25 or 49 percent.

However, the decision looks likely to have little immediate impact on investment flows since foreign owner-ship limits for most stocks are far from being used up.

Foreigners own just 7.3 percent of Qatar National Bank and 6.8 percent of Industries Qatar, two local companies with the heaviest weightings in global benchmarks. REUTERS

Ezdan Holding Group Chairman Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani (second right) with Groups Deputy Chairman Sheikh Abdullah bin Thani Al Thani (second left), CEO Ali Al Obaidli (right) and Board Member Abdul Basit Ahmed Al Shaibi at the AGM in Doha yesterday. SALIM MATRAMKOT

DOHA: Ezdan Holding Group yesterday held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) which approved all agenda of the meet-ing, including the Board’s rec-ommendation to distribute cash dividend of 4 percent of the nom-inal value of shares, equivalent to 40 dirhams for the year ended December 31, 2014.

The shareholders also approved the recommendation of adjusting the Group’s strategy to sell real estate and buy shares in listed or under establishment companies in order to make way for diversifica-tion of investments.

Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani, Chairman of Ezdan Holding Group, said: “In this year of 2015, Ezdan Holding Group celebrates 55 exciting years since its foundation, and that this long journey represents but a legacy to be proud of.”

“Last year’s record profits are the best testament to the success of the Group in its strategy, and it sends a great message that Ezdan Holding Group carries deep wisdom and insight within its core, and has all the strength and determina-tion for moving towards achieving

its mission, armed with unfailing faith, and a knowhow that reads and analyses our reality to safely reach to the future we aim for.”

He added that last year the Group made successful steps that began by fully implement-ing investment operations, and enhancing the efficiency of all its operations to achieve maximum profitability. “The Group has pre-cise and specific objectives consist-ent with its principles and mission, and based on two pillars, raise prof-itability rates on one hand, and support the community on the other, while staying committed to the laws of the market and full transparency,” he said.

Sheikh Khalid said Ezdan Holding does not hesitate to sponsor national initiatives as an expression of its love for this country, and he added that the Group has devoted a fixed share of its profits to charity and humanitarian work, mention-ing the noble act of Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani who allo-cated 22.8 percent of the Group’s shares to charity, which is QR310m based on last year’s profits.

He asserted that the General Assembly’s approval to treat

shareholders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as equal to Qatari nationals in terms of share ownership will have a good impact on the performance of the Group’s share during the coming period, noting that this comes as a continuation of the decision of the previous Assembly to allow non-Qataris to own up to 49 percent of Ezdan Holding Group shares.

Ali Al Obaidli, CEO of the Group, said: “We would like to congratulate the shareholders of Ezdan Holding Group, as the finan-cial results of 2014 reflect record growth in profits, we express our thanks to everyone who contrib-uted in support us in order to reach the position we enjoy today. This also means that the Group fulfilled its promises, made sev-eral years ago, to meet the aspira-tions of its shareholders and make Ezdan a leading Group in the local and regional market with a pres-tigious and privileged position in the business world.”

The net profit in 2014 increased by 27 percent to QR1.36bn in 2014 compared to QR1.07bn earned dur-ing the previous year. THE PENINSULA

Ezdan holds AGM, approves 4pc dividend recommendation

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg giving a keynote address at Facebook F8 in San Francisco, California yesterday.

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook Inc yesterday opened up its Messenger service for developers to create apps and for consum-ers to communicate directly with retailers, in the social media network’s latest effort to expand its reach.

The push to transform Facebook’s messaging service into one that operates inde-pendently of the company’s social media network comes as it faces intensifying com-petition from Twitter Inc and Google Inc, as well as from fast-growing messaging apps such as Snapchat and WeChat.

Facebook unveiled the

new features at its annual developer conference in San Francisco, for the first time allowing developers to create apps that function inside the Messenger app, which has more than 600 million users.

Forty different apps will be available on Messenger in the coming days, allowing users of the service to send each other sports clips and animations, Facebook said.

Another feature will allow consumers to use Messenger to send a text message to make a restaurant reserva-tion or to receive a notifica-tion that a product purchased online has shipped.

REUTERS

Facebook expands messaging features

Telefonica sells O2 to Hutchison Whampoa for £10.25bnMADRID: Spain’s Telefonica said it would sell British tel-ecom giant O2 to Hong Kong group Hutchison Whampoa for £10.25bn in a deal that could create Britain’s biggest mobile phone firm.

“A definitive agreement has

been reached after the finalisa-tion of the process of due dili-gence on O2 UK,” the Spanish firm said in a statement, adding the deal was worth the equivalent of $15.2bn. Subject to regulatory approval, Hutchison Whampoa will make an initial payment of

£9.25bn and a further £1bn later once O2 reaches an agreed cash flow level, it said.

It hopes to wrap up the deal by June 30, 2016 — a deadline that may be pushed back to September 30, 2016 in certain circumstances.

It is the latest purchase in a

spending spree by Hutchison’s owner, Hong Kong investment tycoon Li Ka-shing, one of Asia’s richest men.

Li, 86, who is worth $30.6bn according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, announced a sweeping re-arrangement of his

business empire in January.Hutchison already owns

Britain’s Three mobile phone network — if he merged O2 with that company, he would reduce to three the number of players in Britain’s fast-consolidating wire-less telecoms sector. AFP

BUSINESS18THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


UAW meeting

United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams speaks to delegates at the UAW Special Convention on Collective Bargaining at Cobo Center yesterday in Detroit. Approximately 900 delegates from UAW unions in the US and Canada attended the event.

‘Qatar-India relations special’DOHA: Doha Bank CEO R Seetharaman participated in the CEO’s meeting with Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in New Delhi.

After the meeting he mod-erated the session “Sovereign investment fund and investment fund opportunities” at Qatar India Join economic and Business meet.

Speaking at the conference, he gave insight on Qatar economy. He said: “Qatar’s National Vision 2030 (QNV2030) builds on a soci-ety that promotes justice, benevo-lence and equality.

“Qatar, with its enlightened vision has brought a new set of governance.... Qatar’s economic growth is expected to rise to 7 percent this year and inflation at 3 percent. Private sector can play a key role in non– hydrocarbon diversification.”

He also highlighted the ration-ale for doing business in Qatar. He said: “Qatar welcomes and encourages foreign participa-tion through several attractive incentives.”

He also gave insight on bilateral trade between Qatar and India.

THE PENINSULA

Gulf Air suspends Sana’a operationsDOHA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, confirmed the suspen-sion of its five weekly flights to and from Sana’a International Airport from today until fur-ther notice due to safety and security concerns and in light of recent developments in the Yemeni capital.

“The national carrier apolo-gises to its passengers for any inconvenience caused and all affected passengers are being contacted by the Gulf Air World Wide Contact Centre which can be reached 24/7 on +973 17373737 for additional information, or to answer any queries, or facilitate rebooking options. Passengers are

also advised to visit the airline’s website gulfair.com for regular updates,” the airlines said in a statement yesterday.

The airline hopes to resume services to Sana’a as soon as operational conditions permit and it will continue to monitor and assess the security situation in Sana’a. THE PENINSULA

Greece fails in bid for early cash releaseEFSF says Athens not entitled to €1.2bn; raises pressure for reform list to avert bankruptcyBRUSSELS/ATHENS: Greece failed in a bid to secure a quick cash payment from the euro-zone rescue fund to help stave off potential bankruptcy next month, raising pressure on Athens to deliver a convincing reform programme within days.

Athens had appealed for the European Financial Stability Facility to return €1.2bn ($1.32bn) it said it had overpaid when it transferred bonds intended for bank recapitalisation back to the Luxembourg-based fund this month. But senior eurozone offi-cials agreed in a telephone confer-ence that Greece was not legally entitled to the money, although they said they would consider how to deal with the issue in the future.

The decision by the Eurogroup Working Group was a setback for leftist Prime Minister Alexis

Tsipras, who is struggling to secure fresh funds to keep his gov-ernment afloat while he presents a comprehensive reform plan and argues for debt relief.

A source familiar with Greece’s financial position said Athens would run out of money on April 20 without new cash.

EU paymaster Germany, to which Tsipras made a fence-mending visit this week after weeks of acrimony between Athens and Berlin, was among the coun-tries that opposed handing back the €1.2bn. “We see no reason to release it,” German Finance Ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger told a news conference, adding that EFSF funding was made available to Greece last year as a safeguard during bank stress tests but had not been needed.

Jaeger said eurozone finance

ministers decided last month, when they extended Greece’s bailout agreement, to transfer that money back to the EFSF in Luxembourg where it would be available for bank recapitalisation should Greece need it in future.

The German stance made clear that despite the improved atmos-phere in relations between Tsipras and Chancellor Angela Merkel, Berlin has not softened its posi-tion in substance.

Tsipras has promised to deliver a full list of planned reforms by next Monday, but it is not clear whether it will include measures agreed by the previous conserva-tive-led government such as priva-tisations and pension reform.

Eurozone officials have said it will be hard for Athens to make the budget numbers add up with-out a forecast €4bn due from the

sale of state assets this year and savings through later retirement and a merging of pension funds.

However, both reforms are bit-terly opposed by Tsipras’ leftist Syriza party, and ministers have already halted several planned privatisations.

Greece is also hoping to secure another €1.9bn in profits made by the European Central Bank on past purchases of Greek govern-ment bonds, but the eurozone has tied that to approval of its reforms by the institutions representing its main creditors — the International Monetary Fund, the ECB and the European Commission.

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the European Parliament he had been “very pes-simistic” about Greece in recent weeks but now believed its bailout process was back on track.

“I have to recognise that I was very pessimistic during the last weeks because there was no progress whatsoever,” Juncker told the European Parliament.

“But now we are back in a nor-mal process and I do think that we can come to a conclusion that will be both in favour of Greece — we love Greece — and the European Union,” he said.

The ECB slightly loosened its leash on Greek banks on Wednesday, increasing the amount of emergency cash they can bor-row from the Greek central bank to above €71bn, from €69.8bn pre-viously, a banking source said.

However, wearing its other hat as the eurozone’s banking supervi-sor, the ECB ordered Greek banks in a letter not to increase their holdings of short-term govern-ment debt. REUTERS

Heinz, Kraft to merge in deal led by 3G, Buffett investmentsNEW YORK: Ketchup maker HJ Heinz Co, owned by 3G Capital and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc, is acquiring a majority stake in Kraft Foods Group Inc to cre-ate the third-largest North American food company, execu-tives said yesterday.

Shares of Kraft were up more than 38 percent near $85 in morning trading.

The deal would provide Heinz with access to Kraft brands, which it says are in 98 percent of North American households and include well-known names like Oscar Mayer and Jell-O. Heinz’s international presence provides an opportunity to sell those brands overseas.

Kraft stockholders would get one share in the combined com-pany, to be called the Kraft Heinz Co, and a special cash dividend of $16.50 for every share held.

Heinz shareholders will own 51 percent of the combined company and Kraft shareholders the rest.

Packaged-food makers such as Kraft are battling sluggish demand as consumers shift to products perceived to be healthier.

Kraft has overhauled its sen-ior management over the past few months and has said it will develop products to meet chang-ing consumer preferences.

However, “the board saw the 3G opportunity as more compelling,” Kraft Chief Executive Officer John Cahill, who will be vice chairman of the combined company, said on a conference call. The com-bined publicly traded company is expected to save about $1.5bn in annual costs by the end of 2017. It will have eight brands worth over $1bn each, the companies said.

Kraft Heinz will be led by Heinz CEO Bernardo Hees and have revenue of about $28bn, about half that of market leader PepsiCo in 2014.

Berkshire Hathaway will own more than 320 million shares in the combined company, which will have about 1.22 billion shares out-standing, Buffett said. “We will be in the stock forever,” he said.

Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway acquired Heinz for $23.2bn in 2013. The Kraft deal is unlikely to face antitrust hurdles as there is little overlap in products, ana-lysts said. REUTERS

Catalyst inks MoU with German tech firmDOHA: Catalyst, a local soft-ware development company yes-terday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a German tech company, 004 GmbH, to establish a joint ven-ture (JV) in Qatar to pursue e-commerce business opportu-nities in Qatar and the MENA region, said a statement.

The MoU, singed by Sheikh Turki bin Faisal Al Thani, Chairman of Catalyst and Robert Hein Founder and CEO of 004 GmbH, coincided with the visit of German Vice Chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel and his accompanying delegation to Qatar.

The new company will focus on e-commerce business activities ranging from services and mar-ketplaces to e-commerce hubs and other e-commerce related opera-tions. The JV brings together the leading e-commerce technology provider, 004 GmbH, and the technology company Catalyst to create 004 Arabia. The new ven-ture will offer a one-stop shop for e-commerce with the know-how, infrastructure, speed to market and credibility to become the top e-commerce enabler for the region.

004 Arabia will focus on pro-viding the e-commerce serv-ices such as shop creation and

management, product content creation (text and photography), marketing, customer service, pay-ment processing and accounting services. 004 Arabia will also build a local technical team to support the projects. The core develop-ment of the 004’s SaaS-technology and e-commerce process portfolio will take place in Germany.

“E-Commerce in the Mena region is at a relatively early stage. Due to the structured nature of the Mena retail mar-ket, we see a great opportunity to help existing retailers take their businesses online. Internet usage is mobile, shopping is local, and 004’s technology provides exactly what is needed for omni-channel

solutions. By partnering with Catalyst, 004 Arabia will have the local power to realize a rapid and sustainable growth path without compromising on quality or serv-ice. A local team with full Arabic support across the technology solutions and services will be a key factor to our success,” said Hein. THE PENINSULA

Sheikh Turki bin Faisal Al Thani, Chairman of Catalyst, and Robert Hein, Founder and CEO of 004 GmbH, along with other officials at the signing ceremony.

IMF ‘Plan B’ on reforms could slash US powerW A S H I N G T O N : Washington’s block on crucial IMF reforms has pushed the crisis lender into discussions of other options, with one pro-posal potentially slashing US voting power nearly in half.

Talks on “Plan B” have emerged because patience has run out with the US Congress’ failure to ratify the 2010 reforms originally strongly sup-ported by the White House.

The reforms would both realign the power of members on the IMF executive board, boosting emerging countries like China and India, and dou-ble the capital resources the bank uses to support countries in financial crisis.

Brazil’s executive director at the IMF, Paulo Nogueira Batista, has outlined a plan to “delink” the two components of the reforms in a way that could allow them to go ahead without requiring the US Congress to approve them.

After that happens, the resources increase could also be enacted separately. AFP

19BUSINESS THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


Crash heavy blow to Lufthansa imageGermanwings’ parent company already battling bitter labour dispute and ferocious competition from rivalsFRANKFURT: The deadly crash of a jet belonging to low-cost carrier Germanwings deals a body blow to the image of its parent company Lufthansa, already battling a bitter labour dispute and ferocious competi-tion from budget rivals, analysts said yesterday.

“These are very hard days, undoubtedly one of the hardest days in the history of Lufthansa,” the airline’s finance chief Simone Menne said, after the group held a minute’s silence for all 150 peo-ple aboard Germanwings flight 4U 9525, which went down in the French Alps en route from Barcelona to Duesseldorf.

Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr, who only took over at the helm of the company last May, had already described the crash, which the German carrier has described as “inexplicable”, as a “dark day” for the company.

Staff were still reeling from the shock yesterday, with some Germanwings crews saying they were not in a position to fly. But in addition to the tragic human toll, the accident could have a drastic impact on the company’s strategy, aviation analysts said. “The crash is a tragedy and means a sharp hit for Lufthansa,” said DZ Bank ana-lyst Dirk Schlamp.

“Lufthansa stands for techni-cal competence and reliability and the crash could lead to a sub-stantial damage to its reputation. Moreover, the crash could endan-ger the company’s low-cost con-cept, too,” he said.

In the past, Lufthansa, which celebrates next month its 60th anniversary, has enjoyed an impec-cable reputation. But in recent months, it has suffered bad press as a result of a long-running indus-trial dispute with its pilots.

The Lufthansa group includes

premium airlines such as Austrian Airlines and Swiss. But Spohr is fighting hard to expand Lufthansa’s low-cost business and take on rivals such as Ryanair and Easyjet, and fierce competition from airlines in the Gulf.

As part of the strategy, Spohr wants Germanwings and its other discount airline, Eurowings, to handle most of the group’s short- and medium-haul flights taking off and landing in Germany outside the two main hubs of Frankfurt and Munich.

An overhaul of the pilots’ costly pension provisions is one of the key factors to the success of that strat-egy. And Lufthansa wants to scrap an arrangement under which pilots can retire at 55 and receive up to 60 percent of their pay until they reach the statutory retirement age of 65. But pilots are fighting tooth and nail to hold on to their ben-efits and have staged more than

a dozen walkouts in the past 12 months in an increasingly bitter dispute. Grounding hundreds of aircraft and stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers, the strikes cost Lufthansa an esti-mated €232m ($254m) last year alone, hitting 2014 profits.

And there is still no end to the dispute in sight, even if unions have said they will put it aside for now following the crash.

Gerald Wissel, who heads the Hamburg-based Airborne Consulting, said Spohr’s low-cost ambitions could now be in jeop-ardy. The pilots of the doomed Germanwings aircraft had more than 10 years experience and 6,000 hours of flying with an Airbus A320 under their belt.

And if it emerged that a pilot error had caused the crash, “every-one will then start asking whether Germanwings undergo the same stringent tests as Lufthansa

pilots,” Wissel told the business daily Handelsblatt.

Until this week, Germanwings has had a clean safety record since it was set up in 2002.

“We’ve never had a total loss of aircraft in the company’s history until now,” a company spokes-woman said.

Lufthansa, too, is regarded as an extremely safe airline.

The last fatal crash involving one of its jets was when an A320 that caught fire on landing near Warsaw in September 1993, killing two people and injuring 54.

Its most serious accident hap-pened in Nairobi in November 1974, with a total of 59 deaths.

The A320 jet that went down Tuesday in France was bought by Lufthansa in 1991 and been in con-stant service since then, passing to Germanwings in January 2014. Spohr insisted that it was in “per-fect condition.” AFP

A ‘no entry’ sign stands in front of German airlines Lufthansa and Germanwings signs at Duesseldorf airport.

QNB first to deploy NCR’s CxBankingDOHA: Qatar National Bank (QNB) will be the first bank in Qatar to deploy NCR’s CxBanking Activate Platform to transform the banking serv-ices in the nation, said a state-ment yesterday.

QNB has signed a software pro-fessional services agreement with NCR Corporation, a global leader in consumer transaction tech-nologies, to successfully migrate to NCR Consumer Experience Banking (CxBanking) software — APTRA Activate.

The Bank will also be one of the first large financial institutions in the Middle East to move its self-service network to the Windows 7 platform, enhancing security and user experience.

The APTRA Activate multi-channel platform integrates smoothly with the bank’s current infrastructure and will empower QNB customers to have consist-ent experience across the bank’s entire self-service channel in an advanced and secure environ-ment. “Our agreement with NCR will deliver the latest software technology to help transform the QNB banking experience so we can sharpen our focus on customers and better under-stand their needs — a key pillar of our business strategy,” said Adel Al Malki, General Manager Information Technology at QNB Group. “NCR brings a unique

vision for transforming banking service through innovative soft-ware platforms that will help us innovate faster and improve our customer experience.”

As part of its endeavour to provide secure banking environ-ment for its customers, QNB has already installed NCR Solidcore Suite for APTRA, a compre-hensive ATM whitelisting soft-ware that protects ATMs from insider attacks by preventing the

introduction of unauthorised code on the network, and maintaining its integrity and availability.

“As one of the premier financial institutions in the region, QNB continues to find new ways to delight their customers with out-standing service and convenience and the adoption of NCR’s latest software solutions will allow the bank to provide consistent bank-ing experience across digital and physical banking channels,”

said Habib Hanna, NCR’s Area Managing Director for South Gulf and Pakistan.

“Through this new software platform, QNB customers will experience a faster and more con-venient banking experience and it will allow the bank to drive cus-tomer engagement to a new level through safe, secure, and inte-grated transactions,” said Hicham Yamout, Country Manager NCR Qatar. THE PENINSULA

FROM LEFT: Adel Al Malki, Habib Hanna and Hicham Yamout at the function.

Annual Brookings Doha Energy Forum opensDOHA: The Brookings Doha Center (BDC) and Brookings Energy Security Initiative (ESI) launched the two-day “Brookings Doha Energy Forum 2015” yes-terday. This year’s Forum takes on the theme “Energy Stability or a False Sense of Security: How Changes in Geopolitics, Political Economy, and Markets Alter the Energy Landscape.”

This private, closed-door con-ference is the fourth in an annual series that examines the relation-ship between the Middle East, established energy markets in Europe and the United States, and emerging Asian powers. This year’s Forum will shed light on three principal themes: the changing geopolitics of energy, the implications of political and economic changes in the Middle East and Asia for energy produc-tion and consumption, and the shifts in global energy markets and their consequences for pric-ing. The Forum provides access to and engagement on these topics through a series of speeches, ple-nary sessions, and breakout group discussions.

H E Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi (pictured), Minister’s Assistant for Foreign Affairs delivered the key note address. A High-Level Session followed, including presentations by Abdelkader Amara, Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, Kingdom of Morocco; Amos Hochstein, Special Envoy, Bureau of Energy Resources, US Department of State; Toshihiko Fujii, Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Japan; and Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Secretary, Department for Energy and Climate Change, United Kingdom.

The Forum convenes promi-nent industry experts and poli-cymakers from around the world for an in-depth discussion of the

changing global energy landscape. Attendees include a range of offi-cials, experts, leaders of national oil companies, and representatives of the corporate sector.

“Constant political uncertainty and the changes in the geopoliti-cal landscape pose a number of challenges for energy producers in the world, and particularly in the Middle East,” said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center. “This year’s Forum seeks to analyse and address changes in global energy markets by bring-ing together government officials, business leaders, and industry experts from around the world for valuable, in-depth discussion in a framework that encourages ground truth understandings.”

Subsequent to the Forum, the Brookings Institution will release the “Brookings Energy Forum 2015 Policy Paper,” summarizing the Forum’s context and principle findings. THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatari Islamic Bank (QIB) hosted its private bank-ing customers on the occasion of Knight Frank’s presentation of its “2015 Wealth Report”, yes-terday. Knight Frank is a glo-bal residential and commercial property consultancy.

‘The Knight Frank Wealth Report’ is an annual award-win-ning publication that examines and analyses the performance of prime property markets, glo-bal wealth distribution and the behavioural direction of wealthy individuals towards property and other wealth-related topics, including luxury spending trends.

The Wealth Report con-tains a huge amount of data, not only from Knight Frank’s own research teams, but also

from leading industry analysts and commentators. Much of the report’s content is informed by the results of its unique Attitude Survey, which is based on a detailed survey of almost 500 leading private bankers and wealth advisors from across the globe, and reflects the attitudes of their ultra-wealthy clients who have a combined wealth of over $1.7 trillion.

Covering many aspects of the lifestyles of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) — with a net worth of over $30m, from wealth creation to philanthropy, from property investments to lux-ury spending trends, the survey’s findings offer a unique insight into the attitudes of the super-wealthy.

The Doha event was attended

by QIB’s Private banking custom-ers who are interested in proper-ties investment worldwide, QIB senior managers, Knight Frank officials and a team from QIB-UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of QIB headquartered in London, together with representatives from Orange Field Group & BLP International Law Firm.

Topics covered in the presenta-tion included the drivers, oppor-tunities and threats from global wealth distribution, prime resi-dential property markets, global cities of importance to UHNWIs, attitudes of these UHNWIs to property and investments, luxury spending trends, and much more.

Tom Bill, Head of London Residential Research from Knight Frank , presented the report.

QIB’s Group Chief Executive Bassel Gamal said it was suitable for QIB to host such an event that is exclusively dedicated for its Private Banking Customers: “The report, being presented for the first time in Qatar, is part of QIB’s efforts to introduce to our the latest trends in wealth distri-bution throughout the world. The report paints a clear picture of the Global Property Market’s per-formance, thus helping customers formulate a comprehensive vision on investments in this vital sector that is attracting growing interest from High Net Worth Investors around the globe”.

Knight Frank is a residential and commercial property consul-tancy founded in London.

THE PENINSULA

QIB hosts Knight Frank Wealth Report launch

Officials at the launch of the report.

DOHA: Qatar Navigation (Milaha) has announced to extend its support as a golden sponsor to the upcoming ‘Made in Qatar’ exhibition, which is to begin from May 19 at Doha Exhibition Centre, said a state-ment yesterday.

The fourth edition of the event is being organised by the Qatar Chamber (QC) under the patronage Emir H H Sheikh

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The four-day exhibition, which

will be held in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Industry, aims at attracting investments in the manufac-turing sector while promoting and showcasing locally manu-factured products. QC’s Deputy General Manager and Head of the Organising Committee Saleh Hamad Al Sharqi signed

the partnership agreement with Milaha’s CEO Khalifa Ali Al Hitmi at the chamber venue.

Milaha will also exhibit its products at the exhibition.

Al Hitmi said: “As a leading national company, Milaha is committed to its responsibilities towards Qatar’s society and to its vision that aims at maintaining traditions, values and modernity. We are mainly keen to support

economy, society, sport and education.”

Al Sharqi added: “Milaha’s participation in the exhibi-tion symbolizes to the interest to highlight the national prod-uct’s position and competitive-ness. We appreciate the leading roles played by the company in the industrial sector and in the national economy.”

THE PENINSULA

Milaha to support ‘Made in Qatar’ expo as golden sponsor

BUSINESS20THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


Australia may join China-led bankAbbott wants to know how much power Beijing would hold in AIIB before formal decisionSYDNEY: Australia is “well and truly” disposed to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Prime Minister Tony Abbott said, but wants to know how much power Beijing would hold in the institu-tion before a formal decision.

Fairfax Media citing govern-ment sources, reported the federal cabinet has approved Australia signing a “memorandum of under-standing” on joining the AIIB.

Australia, South Korea and Japan are the notable regional absentees from the bank, which the United States had warned against. Despite Washington’s mis-givings, US allies Britain, France, Germany and Italy announced this month they would join the bank, leading the Obama administration

to reassess its stance. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that China had proposed to forgo veto power at the AIIB to attract more countries to join the new bank.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that each country’s stake in the AIIB would decrease as new mem-ber countries are brought into the organisation. She dismissed the notion that Beijing sought — or gave up — veto power as an “impossible proposition”.

The AIIB has been seen as a significant and possibly historic setback to US efforts to extend its influence in the Asia Pacific region to balance China’s growing financial clout and assertiveness.

Although Australia is a vital

part of Washington’s strategic “pivot” toward Asia, it is close to joining as well. “We are certainly well and truly disposed to joining something which is in fact a genu-inely multilateral institution with transparent governance, clear accountability and with major decisions made by the board,” Abbott told reporters. “That is really the fundamental thing for us, would major decisions be made by the board and is it going to be a multilateral institution rather than one that is controlled by any one country,” he said at a news conference in Canberra.

Japan, however, is cautious about joining while South Korea has said it is yet to decide.

Tokyo “does not need to sign in” on joining the bank unless China

lays out clear rules on when and what conditions it will provide loans, Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Tuesday.

Japan is hesitant to join out of concern over China-led lend-ing practices, Tokyo’s relations with Washington and the AIIB’s potential rivalry with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Manila-based multilateral insti-tution dominated by Japan and the United States. But ADB chief Takehiko Nakao said his institu-tion could cooperate with the AIIB and co-finance projects if stand-ards for loans were met.

“When it is formally established, co-financing would be a major way of complementing ... We’d like to proceed with co-financing” and other ways of cooperation, Nakao,

a former Japanese vice finance minister for international affairs, told a news conference in Tokyo.

By custom, the ADB is headed by a former senior official from the Bank of Japan or the country’s finance ministry.

The World Bank has also said it is discussing cooperation with the AIIB. Abbott said he has discussed the matter with US President Barack Obama and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and would continue talking to them.

Speaking to the Australia China Business Council, Treasurer Joe Hockey said it was important to secure the country’s best inter-est in a well governed bank that will work to promote greater infrastructure and growth in the region. REUTERS

Niger on trackfor solid growthdespite dip in commodity: IMF DAKAR: Niger is weather-ing a fall in the price of its key exports and remains on track to grow by an average of 5.6 percent over the next two years, the International Monetary Fund’s resident representative said.

Uranium and refined oil accounted for roughly two-thirds of Niger’s exports in 2013. While volatile oil prices can make revenues uncertain, the price of uranium — which makes up 40 percent of exports — is contractually determined annually and lags international markets.

“The negative impact of the fall of commodities prices has, so far, been manageable,” the IMF’s Ahmed Zorome told Reuters. “Overall, the medium-term outlook remains favourable and growth is expected to average 5.6 percent in 2014-2016.”

Niger’s $8bn economy prob-ably grew by around 6.5 per-cent last year, accelerating from 4.1 percent in 2013, driven by agriculture and government infrastructure projects, the Fund said in December.

Zorome said there was no evidence that spending on security was jeopardizing the budgetary balance. Niger posted a budget deficit of 2.7 percent of GDP in 2013.

Niger is taking part in a regional operation against Islamist militant group Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, as well as stepping up secu-rity in its own north against traffickers and jihadi groups operating across the border in neighbouring Libya.

“However, security-related outlays are frustrating the government’s develop-ment programmes, as scarce resources which could have been directed to infrastructure building and poverty reduction are diverted,” he added.

REUTERS

Monsanto stocks slip after cancer report

Activists protest against the production of herbicides and GMO (genetically modified organisms) food prod-ucts outside Monsanto headquarters in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto fell 1.7 percent after the United Nations’ International Agency for Research on Cancer said that the company’s popular weedkiller Roundup is suspected of causing cancer in humans.

Moody’s slashes Ukraine rating to just above defaultWASHINGTON: Ratings firm Moody’s cut Ukraine’s sovereign debt rating to one notch above default on Tuesday, saying credi-tors will be forced to take deep losses in a debt restructuring.

“The key driver of the down-grade is the likelihood of exter-nal private creditors incurring substantial losses as a result of the government’s plan to restruc-ture the majority of its outstand-ing Eurobonds” and other debt, Moody’s Investors Service said.

Ukraine’s long-term issuer and government debt ratings were downgraded to Ca from Caa3, and the outlook remained negative, the firm said. Also included in the gov-ernment’s debt restructuring plan is the external debt of state-guar-anteed entities and selected other state-owned enterprises, and the Eurobonds issued by the capital city of Kiev.

Moody’s said the debt restruc-turing was aimed at provid-ing $15.3bn of the four-year, $40bn bailout arranged by the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral and bilat-eral creditors for Ukraine, which is fighting a war with pro-Russian separatists in the east.

The IMF approved $17.5bn for the bailout on March 11, in exchange for the government’s successful implementation of economic, budget and monetary reforms. Crucial to the program is a restructuring of the country’s debt. Kiev says it wants a volun-tary deal with creditors, but some have already expressed opposition. “Although negotiations over the specific details of the restructur-ing are only now getting underway,

Moody’s believes that the likeli-hood of a distressed exchange, and hence a default on government debt taking place, is virtually 100 percent,” the ratings firm said.

The outlook for the country’s rating remained negative.

Moody’s said that Ukraine’s government and external debt will remain at very high levels even if it successfully implements reforms and cuts its debt burden.

“These solvency challenges are the key reason for maintaining a negative outlook on the govern-ment’s downgraded ratings.” AFP

MILAN: India’s Mahindra & Mahindra is in talks to buy a majority stake in luxury car designer Pininfarina in what would be the latest Asian bid for an iconic Italian brand, three sources with knowledge of the matter said yesterday.

Shares in Milan-listed Pininfarina, which has designed cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce and Cadillac, jumped 21 percent to €4.96, their highest in nearly a year on hopes of a takeover by India’s largest maker of sport utility vehicles.

A spokesman for Pininfarina said the company did not com-ment on market rumours. Mahindra declined to comment.

One of the sources said the talks were at an advanced stage, but the other two said the companies were far from an agreement.

“It will be a nice acquisition for (Mahindra), but it’s not a must have, so they will be very cautious on valuations,” one of the sources said.

Turin-based Pininfarina’s market capitalisation as of Tuesday night was $135m.

The company has been loss-making for years and has a bank debt that is almost equal to its market value. It has been strug-gling to stay in business as car companies have moved to hire more in-house stylists at the

expense of independent design firms. The group, which today also designs buildings, interiors, furniture and electronics, among others, reported a 2014 net loss of €1.3m. Its net debt stood at €45m at the end of 2014 and is expected to rise this year.

If the talks succeed, Pininfarina could become the latest Italian industrial brand to be snapped up by an Asian buyer after China National Chemical Corp on Sunday agreed to buy into tyre-maker Pirelli in a €7.3bn deal.

Mahindra’s link to Pininfarina goes back to 2013 when the Indian company hired Hubert Tassin, a former designer who

worked at Pininfarina for more than six years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Tassin is the lead designer at Mahindra Reva, the company’s electric car business. Among his top projects is Halo, a sporty-looking electric car that was on display at the auto show in New Delhi in 2014.

Mahindra has earned a rep-utation for buying distressed, undervalued companies, ana-lysts said. In 2010, it bought troubled South Korean auto-maker Ssangyong Motor and last year it acquired a majority stake in France-based Peugeot’s loss-making scooter business. REUTERS

Mahindra in talks to buy Italy’s Pininfarina

WASHINGTON: US business investment spending plans fell for a sixth straight month in February, likely weighed down by a strong dollar and weak glo-bal demand, leading economists to further lower their first-quarter growth estimates.

The Commerce Department’s durable goods report yesterday was the latest data to suggest economic growth braked sharply early in the year, in part due to bad weather and a now-settled labour dispute at the country’s busy West Coast ports.

While economists largely view the slowdown in activity as temporary, softer growth could prompt the Federal Reserve to delay raising interest rates until later in the year. “Today’s report provides strong evidence that the manufacturing sector is feel-ing some considerable heat from the stronger dollar,” said Anthony Karydakis, chief economic strate-gist at Miller Tabak in New York.

The Commerce Department said non-defence capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for busi-ness spending plans, dropped 1.4 percent last month after a down-wardly revised 0.1 percent dip in January.

The so-called core capital goods orders were previously reported to have increased 0.5 percent in January. They last rose in August.

The dollar fell against a basket of currencies on the dour report, while US stocks were trading lower. Prices for US Treasury debt were marginally weaker.

Business spending on capital goods has been hurt by a strong dollar, which has cut into the overseas profits of multinational companies. Lower crude prices also have acted as a drag, forc-ing oil firms to either delay or cut back on investment projects.

The dollar has gained about 13.2 percent against the currencies of the main US trading partners

since last June on expectations that the Fed will start raising rates this year after keeping its key short-term lending rate near zero since December 2008.

Construction and mining equipment maker Caterpillar Inc warned in January that lower oil prices would hurt its business in 2015. Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest household prod-ucts maker, already has said that full-year sales are likely to fall 3 percent to 4 percent because of the dollar.

Economists polled had forecast core capital goods orders gaining 0.3 percent last month.

Shipments of core capital goods, which are used to calcu-late equipment spending in the government’s gross domestic product measurement, rose 0.2 percent last month after slip-ping by a revised 0.4 percent in January. They were previously reported to have gained 0.1 per-cent in January. REUTERS

Weak US business spending data points to tepid first quarter growth

Workers walk past Caterpillar excavator machines at a factory in Gosselies. US business investment spending plans fell for a sixth straight month in February. Caterpillar Inc warned in January that lower oil prices would hurt its business in 2015.

Pakistan bond rating upgradedKARACHI: Moody’s upgraded Pakistan’s dollar bonds rating one notch from stable to positive on the back of the country’s improving macroeconomic indicators.

The financial ratings firm said its decision came in view of Pakistan’s strengthening foreign exchange reserves.

Militant-plagued Pakistan has been trying to boost its flagging economy since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was elected nearly two years ago.

“Moody’s Investors Service has revised the outlook on Pakistan’s foreign currency government bond rating to positive from stable,” the com-pany said in a statement.

Pakistan issued $1bn in five-year Sukuk Bonds. AFP

QATAR EXCHANGE | DAILY TRADING REPORT | 25-03-2015

QE Market Summary Comparison Today Previous day

25-03-2015 24-03-2015

Index 11,503.72 11,673.45

Change 169.73 152.16

% 1.45 1.32

YTD% 6.37 4.98

Volume 6,041,021 8,077,731

Value (QAR) 272,843,755.17 403,811,720.60

Trades 4,002 4,729 Up 08 | Down 29 | Unchanged 02

QE Indices SummaryQE Index 11,503.72 1.45 %

QE Total Return Index 17,749.18 1.45 %

QE Al Rayan Islamic Index 4,200.36 1.08 %

QE All Share Index 3,069.63 1.36 %

QE All Share Banks & Financial Services

3,129.72 2.09 %

QE All Share Industrials 3,717.6 1.25 %

QE All Share Transportation 2,388.24 0.91 %

QE All Share Real Estate 2,329.82 0.62 %

QE All Share Insurance 4,160.28 1.22 %

QE All Share Telecoms 1,326.93 0.26 %

QE All Share Consumer Goods & Services

6,889.54 0.16 %

EXCHANGE RATE

GOLD & SILVERWORLD STOCK INDICES

CRUDE OIL

Buying SellingINDEX Day’s Close Pt Chg % Chg Year High Year Low

A B G Infra-T/D 176 -2.8 11447

A C C-A/D 1581.2 -1.75 9555

Aarti Drugs-B/D 645 18.75 39479

Aban Offs-A/D 424.1 -9.45 149684

Aegis Logis-B/D 564.9 -18 8414

Ahmed.Forg-B/D 213.4 -2 83501

Alembic-B/D 34 0.1 190808

Alok Indus-A/D 6.84 -0.12 1623239

Apollo Tyre-A/D 161.55 -0.1 94550

Asahi I Glass-/D 136 -4.05 5324

Ashok Leyland-/D 67.35 -0.15 1054535

Bajaj Hold-A/D 1304 6.7 2501

Ballarpur In-B/D 13.3 -0.09 690719

Banaras Bead-B/D 34.15 -1.6 3106

Bata India-A/D 1150.9 -13.75 7357

Bayer Crop-A/D 3276.2 -39.7 15594

Beml Ltd-A/D 1029.8 -30.25 42926

Bh Electronic-/D 3189.15 -54.1 20051

Bhansali Eng-T/D 21 -0.65 72162

Bharat Bijle-B/D 601 -9 2050

Bharatgears-B/D 70.95 0.95 3494

Bhel-A/D 236.6 -2.9 442101

Bom.Burmah-B/D 434.95 -8.45 45454

Bombay Dyeing-/D 63.9 -0.6 720120

Camph.& All-B/D 241 -9 7180

Canfin Homes-B/D 560 2.5 10848

Caprihans-B/D 68 -1.1 3073

Castrol India-/D 470.55 -1.85 21842

Century Enka-B/D 147.6 0.6 23570

Century Text-A/D 567.35 8.85 99341

Chambal Fert-B/D 64.35 -1.85 49852

Chola Invest-B/D 555 -15.45 2763

Chowgule St-T/D 24.75 -0.45 5515

Cimmco-B/D 91.2 -4.8 6740

Cipla-A/D 710.1 0.2 173746

City Union Bk-/D 96.3 -0.35 504599

Cmc Ltd-A/D 1917 -23.75 18860

Colgate-A/D 2031.5 -25.9 9422

Container Cor-/D 1588.8 27.4 70531

Dai-Tichi Kar-/D 165.3 0.8 3717

Dcm Shram Ind-/D 65.35 -4.65 4887

Dhampur Sugar-/D 35.25 -0.15 37500

Dr. Reddy-A/D 3501.15 -11.8 19402

E I H-B/D 103.7 1.15 15630

E.I.D Parry-A/D 164 -0.15 63761

Eicher Motor-A/D 15551.25 37.6 3396

Eimco Elecon-T/D 389 1.4 4495

Electrosteel-B/D 17.35 -0.3 131160

Emco-B/D 32.05 -2 48246

Escorts Fin-B/D 4.09 0.04 19797

Escorts-A/D 132.1 1.25 152866

Essar Oil-T/D 110.55 2.1 267281

Eveready Indu-/D 263 1.6 28177

F D C-B/D 153 -2.9 12992

Federal Bank-A/D 136 3.55 93782

Ferro Alloys-B/D 4.25 -0.22 27318

Finolex-A/D 279.45 4.15 380629

Forbes-B/D 1751.5 47 4407

Gail-A/D 380.1 -9.9 351731

Gammon India-T/D 17.1 -1.25 167451

Garden P -B/D 25.15 -0.6 40106

Godfrey Phil-B/D 440 -4.45 2542

Goodricke-B/D 148 -4 7205

Goodyear I -B/D 525 3.75 4897

Hcl Infosys-B/D 50.7 -1.35 409642

Him.Fut.Comm-T/D 14.2 -0.7 1194740

Himat Seide-B/D 79.65 -1.3 16104

Hind Motors-T/D 6.19 -0.03 162507

Hind Org Chem-/D 13.35 -0.65 20181

Hind Unilever-/D 884 -3.65 71977

Hind.Petrol-A/D 629.45 -2.35 164686

Hindalco-A/D 132.8 -0.4 280644

Hous Dev Fin-A/D 1355.3 -4.3 120080

I F C I-A/D 33.4 -0.15 617160

Idbi-A/D 72.95 -0.5 353916

Ifb Agro-B/D 241 -5.4 3353

Ifb Ind.Ltd.-B/D 581 5.5 4236

India Cement-A/D 91.8 -0.05 120751

India Glycol-B/D 83.7 8.05 159112

Indian Hotel-A/D 109.9 4.9 100931

Indo-Tcount-T/D 387.9 11.4 5795

Indusind-A/D 870.45 -12.6 54241

J.B.Chemical-B/D 195.8 3.45 21037

Jagson Phar-B/D 26.05 -0.2 22287

Jbf Indu-B/D 203 11.7 351923

Jct Elect P -B/D 0.4 -0.02 22020

Jct Ltd-B/D 2.7 -0.12 141096

Jenson&Nich.-B/D 6.21 0.04 38295

Jik Indust-T/D 0.9 -0.02 10109

Jktyre&Ind-B/D 100.25 -1.1 104873

Jmc Projects-T/D 175.7 -0.5 27384

Kabra Extr-B/D 74.1 -1.1 14853

Kalpat Power-B/D 204.7 -4.55 19031

Kalyani Stel-T/D 131.8 -2.2 41283

Kanoria Chem-B/D 39.25 -0.35 8749

Kg Denim-B/D 20.65 -0.65 19070

Kilburnengg-T/D 45.9 0.45 18987

Kopran-B/D 44.8 -0.15 75471

Lakshmi Elec-B/D 298 -5.9 6842

Lloyd Metal-B/D 7.49 -0.26 38402

Lok.Hous&Con-B/D 9.9 0.39 238958

Lupin-A/D 2009.2 -1.95 79105

Lyka Labs-T/D 46.9 -0.3 41669

Mafatlal Ind-B/D 147.5 0.4 97339

Mah.Seamless-B/D 195.25 -5.45 12114

Mangalam Cem-B/D 255.4 1.2 10294

Mastek-B/D 384 -11.1 87867

Max India L-A/D 437.65 -0.55 47127

Mrpl-A/D 64.25 1 60699

Nahar Spg.-B/D 82 -1.2 44474

Nation Alum -A/D 43.55 -1.1 92462

Navneet Edu-B/D 101 0.6 66578

Nepc India-T/D 2.3 -0.11 25818

Neuland Lab-B/D 324.5 -2.6 2583

Nrb Bearings-B/D 136 1 5312

O N G C-A/D 309.65 -4.35 518947

Ocl India-B/D 424 -26.1 438320

Oil Country-B/D 29.9 1.9 9064

Orchid Chem-B/D 50.55 -1.85 141247

Orient Hotel-T/D 19.05 -0.95 9694

Orient.Carb.-T/D 398 -11.7 5470

Orient.Carb.-T/D 398 -11.7 5470

Oudh Sugar-B/D 19.6 -0.5 24910

Punjab Chem.-B/D 162.2 13.8 40718

Radico Khait-B/D 85.95 -2.35 48268

Rallis India-A/D 214.8 3.3 121105

Rallis India-A/D 214.8 3.3 121105

Reliance Indus/D 394 -6.25 33440

Ruchi Soya-B/D 42.85 -0.9 131071

S Bk Bikaner-B/D 613.5 2.85 10728

Saur.Cem-B/D 47.2 -5.85 5339711

Thirumalai-B/D 78.5 -0.35 1973

Timexgroup-T/D 16.9 0.4 50591

Tinplate-B/D 54.5 -1.55 68217

Ucal Fuel-B/D 107 7.4 91274

Ucal Fuel-B/D 107 7.4 91274

Ultramarine-B/D 61.45 0.05 6161

Unitech P -A/D 15.75 -1.1 9923425

3I Group/D 501.5 0 279341

Assoc.Br.Foods/D 2930 5 349885

Barclays/D 252.4 -6.05 18357666

Bg Group/D 884.6 3.8 3796318

Bp/D 446.6 2.45 7400020

Brit Am Tobacc/D 3650 -14 942834

Bt Group/D 468.15 2.65 7558741

Centrica/D 257.9 1.3 5247305

Gkn/D 370 -2.1 3281633

Hsbc Holdings/D 585.2 6.9 9189364

Imperial Tobac/D 3183 -2 622026

Kingfisher/D 365.6 -1.6 2040543

Land Secs Grou/D 1277 -9 437317

Legal & Genera/D 293.56 -0.9 2402176

Lloyds Bnk Grp/D 80.59 0 47664843

Marks & Sp./D 542 0 1312255

Next/D 7245 20 171398

Pearson/D 1505 -3 938141

Prudential/D 1747.5 4 1233780

Rentokil Initi/D 141.1 -0.7 320036

Rolls Royce Pl/D 978.5 -10 1236007

Rsa Insrance G/D 436.2 -2.9 626717

Sainsbury(J)/D 269.6 -2.8 1611404

Schroders/D 3347 7 145036

Severn Trent/D 2085 -12 283211

Smith&Nephew/D 1172 4 687299

Smiths Group/D 1208 -5 445682

Standrd Chart /D 1102.5 -17.5 3565599

Tate & Lyle/D 600.68 -1.5 476906

Tesco/D 242.15 -1.5 5113911

Unilever/D 2903 -4 1001074

United Util Gr/D 953 -3.5 573276

Vodafone Group/D 225.1 -1.85 22929721

Whitbread/D 5320 -15 203360

LONDON

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS A List of Shares from the worldCOMPANY CLOSE NET VOLUME VolumeNAME CHG TRADED

COMPANY CLOSE NET VOLUME VolumeNAME CHG TRADED





US$ ..........................QR 3.6305 QR 3.6500

UK ...........................QR 5.4039 QR 5.4789

Euro .........................QR 3.9769 QR 4.0326

CA$ ..........................QR 2.8922 QR 2.9492

Swiss Fr ..................QR 3.7827 QR 3.8369

Yen ..........................QR 0.0302 QR 0.0308

Aus$ ........................QR 2.8505 QR 2.9065

Ind Re ......................QR 0.0579 QR 0.0590

Pak Re .....................QR 0.0354 QR 0.0361

Peso ........................QR 0.0806 QR 0.0822

SL Re .......................QR 0.0270 QR 0.0276

Taka .........................QR 0.0463 QR 0.0473

Nep Re ....................QR 0.0362 QR 0.0369

SA Rand ..................QR 0.3066 QR 0.3127

BRENT

$ 55.50

DUBAI

$ 52.93

GOLDQR140.4781

SILVER QR 2.0034

All Ordinaries 5937.089 2.554 0.04 5962 5248.5

Cac 40 Index/D 5046.81 -41.47 -0.82 5106.04 4076.16

Dj Indu Average 18011.14 0 0 18288.6 15855.12

Hang Seng Inde/D 24528.23 128.63 0.53 25101.96 23312.5

Iseq Overall/D 6106.18 -35.21 -0.57 6212.11 5072.7

Karachi 100 In/D 31086.51 -224.22 -0.72 35055.94 31259.41

Nikkei 225 Index 19746.2 32.75 0.17 19778.6 16592.57

S&P 500 Index/D 0 0 0 2119.59 1814.36

Straits Times/D 3419.02 5.76 0.17 3458.14 3267.89

Straits Times/D 3290.99 -1.82 -0.06 3387.84 2953.01

Straits Times/D 3274.06 -8.82 -0.27 3291.83 2953.01

21MARKET THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


SPORT22THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


FROM LEFT: MotoGP riders Cal Crutchlow,

Andrea Dovizioso, Valentino Rossi,

Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Aleix

Espargaro are seen at a pre-event press conference at Losail International Circuit

yesterday.

Free practice key to sound start in 2015: MotoGP starsMarc Marquez and Valentino Rossi mean business ahead of first GP

MotoGP action to reach 207 territoriesDOHA: D orna Sports yester-day announced that the 2015 MotoGP season will reach a record broadcast coverage across the globe with 87 net-works in 207 territories show-ing the 18-race full-throttle spectacle.

Europe:In both France and Germany,

Eurosport Discovery has increased its MotoGP offer-ing drastically across numerous areas, offering a fully personalized programme with full coverage of every session and race throughout the weekend.

This includes its commentary team, as well as dedicated pit-lane and paddock presenters along with camera crews giving the full MotoGP experience.

British audiences will continue to benefit from BT Sport as its pay TV provider for a full and extensive live coverage from all 18 races throughout the whole week-end, while free-to-air broadcaster ITV4 will retain its 52-minute highlights programme on Monday evenings after the race.

Asia & Oceania:The popularity of the MotoGP

championship has been growing drastically in the Asian region over recent years, which the ever-increasing range of TV coverage reflects.

Cross continental network Fox Sports Asia, which covers countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines, will continue broadcasting all of the races live, as well as their preced-ing qualifying sessions.

Trans7 continues to bring the motorcycle-racing spectacle to MotoGP-mad fans in Indonesia

Japanese viewers will get a boost from 2015 in a new three-year deal, with G+ offering all QP and races live.

India’s Ten Sports will broad-cast live QP and races in a new exclusive agreement.

America:Across the Pacific it remains

a Fox theme as US channel Fox Sports 1 will continue to high-light local rider Nicky Hayden’s progress with every MotoGP race live, the Moto2 race on SDD and a delayed Moto3 race. At the US Grand Prix however there will also be live or SDD MotoGP qualifying.

Canada’s RDS has renewed its contract to broadcast the MotoGP race live in French, as well as the support classes as delayed highlights.

Central and South America has a similarly exciting race coverage, with Argentina’s ESPN+ offer-ing both the MotoGP and Moto2 races live, as well as a variation of live, SDD and delayed Moto3 race coverage.

Middle East & Africa:In the Middle East, continental

network beIN Sports will broad-cast all MotoGP qualifying prac-tices and races live across the region.

Africa has a similar continent-wide agreement with SuperSport.

THE PENINSULA

Two-time world champion Marc Marqeuz of Spain smiles during a pre-event press conference at Losail International Circuit yesterday. RIGHT: Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi of Italy listens to a question during the same news conference. Both will be seen in action during the opening Grand Prix of the new MotoGP season this Sunday. BELOW: Jorge Lorezno answers a question.

BY RIZWAN REHMAT

DOHA: Improved times in pre-season testing would count for little if riders can’t make the top-10 bracket at this week’s free practice sessions, MotoGP stars Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi said yesterday.

Just a week ago, Ducati were the happiest of the manufactur-ers after dominating proceed-ings during the first two days of pre-season testing at Losail International Circuit.

The Italian manufacturer com-pleted a 1-2 on Saturday and only missed out on achieving the same feat on the second day by 0.013s.

The third day was cancelled due to rains.

“We were here for the testing last week. The feeling was good then, but everything looks really, really tight with the times. It will be interesting,” Marquez said at a pre-event press conference yesterday.

“The times were incredible in Malaysia. Last week (in Qatar) there were many riders with simi-lar good results. If you don’t push in the practice, you can go into Q1,” the two-time world cham-pion said.

“Yamaha riders and my team-mates are really strong like every year but it looks like Ducati did a big step in Malaysia, especially here last week,” the Honda Repsol star said.

“This week they will be there but I think it is good for the championship to see more manu-facturers in the front,” he added.

Rossi, the nine-time world champion across three formats of bike racing, echoed Marquez’s sentiments.

“The free practice is important because you have to stay in top 10,” Rossi said.

“Because I looked at the times last year also - the difference between the top 10 riders is not a lot,” the 36-year-old Italian added during the same press conference.

“We have to work in the race but you have to be faster and if you are not in the top 10 it becomes

more difficult,” the Yamaha giant warned.

Rossi rued missing one session of testing at Losail Circuit last week after a heavy downpour left the race track under water.

“Unfortunately we missed one day of testing (because of rain last week). We try to do the simula-tion so that things could be clear,” Rossi said.

“From what we saw in the tests in Qatar is that two Ducatis are closer to Marc. They are very fast in one lap. We have to work because we want to try to stay with them and try to fight for the podium,” he said.

Rossi, who won in Qatar in 2005, 2006 and 2010, said he was feeling ‘excited’ to be starting the season this week.

“The first race is always spe-cial. You feel a bit different. The pressure is there and you feel it’s like your first day at school,” Rossi said with a smile.

“(In 2013), the battle was funny between me and Marc because Jorge was in the front,” Rossi said when asked about his battles with Marquez and Lorenzo.

“But I was able to beat him to the second place. Unfortunately Marc was able to beat me for the first place last year.

“We have had great races and I enjoy those competitions a lot,” he said.

“Last year it was strange because all manufacturers didn’t come here and (yet) they were very strong in the race.

“It was a big group in MotoGP.

I think this is what everybody wants on Sunday,” the affable Italian said.

Marquez said he feels ready for the new season.

“Yes, here we go! We are here for another start to our champi-onship,” Marquez said.

“I feel better than last year. I look forward to starting the sea-son in a good way. Because it is important and we were here for the testing also,” he added.

Former champion Lorenzo said he was fitter than ever before having dropped weight in recent months.

“I feel stronger and lighter from last year. I have lost 5 kilos in body weight,” Lorenzo said.

“It’s going to be hard. During the tests, we had some problems.

But those little problems need to be addressed quickly so we are in the top.

“But I feel strong - physically and mentally but we have to dem-onstrate that on the track,” the 27-year-old Spaniard said.

“This year luckily the front tire will be softer. This will help,” Lorenzo said. “But I need to be stronger in the practice to be ready for the race,” he added.

“Looks like a close season but you can’t tell what will happen. During the testing we saw many riders were close. Ducati did well.

“The Yamaha engineers also did well. I am happy about the improvements we’ve made,” Lorenzo, winner in Qatar in 2012 and 2013, said.

THE PENINSULA

Grand Prix racing numbers you need to knowDOHA: Here are a few inter-esting points to consider before the season’s opening race on March 29.

150 - Karel Abraham will be making his 150th Grand Prix start at the Qatar GP. He will be the first Czech rider to reach the milestone of 150 grand prix starts.

150 - At the Qatar Grand Prix Bradley Smith is scheduled to become the youngest ever British rider to reach the milestone of 150 Grand Prix starts across all classes; the current holder of this

record is Mike Hailwood.94 - Dani Pedrosa’s third place

finish in the final race of 2014 at Valencia was the 94th time that he has stood on the podium in the MotoGP class. One more top three finish for Pedrosa and he will equal the number of premier-class podiums of Mick Doohan. Only Valentino Rossi, with 160 top three finishes, has more podi-ums in the premier class than Pedrosa and Doohan.

20 - 2015 is Valentino Rossi’s 20th successive year as a Grand Prix rider. During this lengthy

GP career he has only missed four races, after breaking his leg at Mugello in 2010.

19 - The victory by Marc Marquez at the final race of 2014 in Valencia was his 19th victory in the MotoGP class, the same number of premier-class wins that Barry Sheene achieved dur-ing his career. One more win for Marquez and he will equal the 20 premier-class career wins achieved by Freddie Spencer.

12 - This will be the twelfth occasion that a Grand Prix event has been held at the Losail circuit

and the eighth under floodlights.9 - This will be the ninth

successive year that the Losail International Circuit has hosted the opening Grand Prix event of the year.

5 - The two riders with most GP victories at Losail, having amassed five wins each, are Casey Stoner (4 x MotoGP, 1 x 250cc) and Jorge Lorenzo (2 x MotoGP, 2 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc).

5 - Yamaha have been the most successful manufacturer in MotoGP at this circuit with five wins. THE PENINSULA

23SPORT THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015


Dakar Rally star Roma set for Sealine challenge DOHA: There is just over a week to go before entries offi-cially close for this year’s Sealine Cross-Country Rally, the third round of the 2015 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies and round two of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, which will take place on April 18 to 24.

Officials at the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) have received interest from across the world from teams keen to face the challenges of five gruelling selective sections across the Qatar desert.

Two-time Dakar Rally winner Joan ‘Nani’ Roma is the latest addition to the list of entrants already received for the Sealine event, which gets underway from the Losail International Circuit on Monday, April 20.

Roma, 43, won the Dakar Rally on a factory KTM motorcycle in 2004 and followed in the foot steps of the French duo of Hubert Auriol and Stéphane Peterhansel to repeat his winning feat in a car – a Mini All4 Racing – in 2014.

The Spaniard has yet to announce his co-driver for this year’s Sealine event, although Frenchman Michel Perin has been his regular navigator in recent years.

Roma began his enduro racing career as early as 1991 by finish-ing second in the 125cc category of the Spanish Junior Cross-Country Championship.

He graduated to the senior European series the following sea-son and went on to win a sequence of gold and bronze medals at the prestigious International Six Days Enduro (ISDE).

He first competed in the Dakar Rally in 1996 and began to carve out a career on two wheels in cross-country rallying, initially with the BMW team and then with KTM.

Roma’s first taste of rallying in a car was in the 2004 Qatar Baja at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Pajero MPR9 with the late Henri Magne as his co-driver.

He finished second that time out behind Qatar’s leading driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah’s Chevrolet Pro Truck and went on to finish third, second and fourth in the Dakar Rally before his vic-tory in 2014.

The German X-raid team that runs factory and customer Mini All4 Racings won the Sealine Cross-Country Rally last year with Al-Attiyah and has entered a strong driver line-up this year.

One notable addition to the X-raid customer line up will be the young Briton Harry Hunt, who is also set to tackle the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge this com-ing weekend with the experi-enced German navigator Andreas Schulz. Hunt has made the switch from more conventional special stage rallying - where he won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) 2WD Cup for the second time in 2012 - and will compete in Qatar for the first time.

The QMMF continues to make ground-breaking improvements within the organisation of the Sealine event and the federation has been granted an FIA waiver for sporting and environmental reasons in connection to the way that competitors navigate their way across the selective sections through the desert.

“To validate any route way-point, a competitor must pass within 90 metres of it this year,” said clerk of the course Pedro Almeida.

“In the current FIA regula-tions, to validate a WPE (eclipse waypoint) or a WPM (hidden waypoint), which represents 95% of the waypoints at the Sealine event, a competitor must pass within 200 metres of it.

“This means in the regulations for our event this year, validat-ing waypoints becomes a more accurate task for co-drivers and makes it more difficult for driv-ers, especially in sand dunes and difficult terrain.”

Entries close on Thursday, April 2. Full details on costs and concessions are available at www.qmmf.com, organisers said yester-day. THE PENINSULA

QMMF Racing Team’s chief rider Anthony West of Australia is seen during one of the riding sessions at

the pre-season testing at Jerez,

Spain, last week. West, who welcomed Julian Simon as his new

riding partner at the end of last season,

said he is in a better position to improve

his lap times compared to stats recorded last year.

QMMF Racing Team ready for tough Moto2 battleI think we are moving in the right direction, says Anthony West

Anthony West is seen with

QMMF President Nasser bin Khalifa

Al Attiyah in this file photo taken at Losail International Circuit last

season. RIGHT: West’s new

team-mate Julian Simon.

BY RIZWAN REHMAT

DOHA: QMMF Racing Team rider Anthony West is pleased with the changes made to his bike as he goes head long into the new season’s first Moto2 race at Losail International Circuit this Sunday.

West, who welcomed Julian Simon as his new riding partner at the end of last season, said he is in a better position to improve his lap times compared to stats recorded last year.

“I think we are moving in the right direction. There’s a lot of things I requested last year that didn’t happen,” West said in an interview yesterday.

“I think from where the bike was last year to where it is now, it will be easier to do better lap-times,” the 33--year-old former MotoGP rider added.

“My lap-times are more con-sistent then they were last year after we made the changes to the bike. I could only do one or two laps fast as it was difficult to manage that bike.

“It was easy to lose traction then. But now it is like the other bikes as in you can make mistakes and still be fast.

“Each lap is faster so I think qualifying will be better also,” the Australian added.

Excerpts from a candid chat ahead of this week’s Grand Prix of Qatar.

Question: What are your realistic goals in the new season?

Answer: I am happy to con-tinue with QMMF. Everybody’s been really good in Qatar; my mechanics and my team mem-bers. There’s a lot of good peo-ple. I am just happy to continue. I just hope we can have better and consistent results. Last year we started quite good but then we had some problems during test-ing with the bike. None of those problems got resolved so it’s got more difficult as the year went on. Everybody is so strong in the championship and you need to

be strong and 100 percent. That wasn’t the case last year. We are just trying to improve that with the bike. We made some changes after the last Grand Prix. We changed suspension brands. From the first moment when we put in the new suspensions, we were going faster than before. So we are looking good for the new sea-son. I am quite confident that it will make us consistently faster.

Question: Do you feel you are in a better position to be consistent than you were at the start of 2014?

Answer: Yes, preparation-wise. I think we are moving in the right direction. There’s a lot of things I requested last year that didn’t happen but with Simon - my new team-mate here - he came from a different bike last year, a Kalex. He’s come to the team. It has helped me a lot. The things I was complaining about are gone as he is confirmed for the new season.

So we have made changes to the bike. It’s not the team but the manufacturer which didn’t listen to me last year so much. Now that there’s Simon, they are listening to me a bit more (smiles). We are going to get some new parts so it will all help us getting more speed consistently in each race track. Hopefully it should work better at all circuits.

Question: Last year you said you wanted to replicate your form in qualifying sessions on race-day also. Is that the plan for 2015 also?

Answer: I think if we get the changes to the bike the way I want, then everything goes well. I think from where the bike was last year to where it is now, it will be easier to do better lap-times. My lap-times are more consistent then they were last year after we made the changes to the bike. I could only do one or two laps fast as it was difficult to manage that

bike. It was easy to lose traction then. But now it is like the other bikes as in you can make mistakes and still be fast. Each lap is faster so I think qualifying will be bet-ter also.

Question: Do you see podium finishes along the way in 2015?

Answer: I hope so. As long as the changes me and Simon are requesting are made then I am sure we can be on the podium. If these changes don’t happen, then it is going to be tough for us. So we are still waiting to see what happens in the first race.

Question: Do you think lack of experience of your team-mate last year pulled you down?

Answer: It made it harder in terms that he wasn’t at the same level as me. So that made it harder. Kalex, for example, had 15 other riders to take information from. From gearing to suspension settings and there were many other things to look at. After one

session at a race track, there were inputs from me and very little inputs from my team-mate. And remember he had a completely different riding style. He wasn’t on the pace. So I had to set the bike 100 percent on my own. So I didn’t have the chance to get the information from other riders because everyone tries different things when they exit on to the race track. You lose that informa-tion so we had to do everything ourselves last year. We had to a fight a lot. We had to put in a lot more to get the bike settings in. Whereas it would be easier for other riders (last year).

Question: Would you be giv-ing motocross a thought in future?

Answer: Motocross was some-thing that I wanted to do when I first got into bike racing when I was about 11 or 12. But my dad thought it was too dangerous and I didn’t do it. Then I went road racing which is just as dangerous but I would definitely like to give it a good go. I definitely need six months to a year’s training to be up with those fast (motocross) guys. It is a different sport. It’s not the same as road racing at all.

Question: It’s a very spectac-ular sport, wouldn’t you say?

Answer: Oh yes! For me I watch road racing and I am like ‘it is fast and it is pretty crazy’ when you see it. For me, I enjoy motocross a lot more. I think that way because I don’t race it so I look at it with enjoyment. I wish I was as fast as them but it needs a lot of training. If I get a chance I would give it a go but it feels quite special on the bike.

THE PENINSULA

Moto2 Stats and Facts��For the last four years, the winner of the Qatar Moto2 race has gone on to clinch the world title: Stefan Bradl in 2011, Marc Marquez in 2012, Pol Espargaro in 2013 and Tito Rabat last year.��Tito Rabat won the Moto2 race at Qatar last year from pole position. He is the first rider since the Moto2 championship was introduced in 2010 to attempt to defend his world title, and could be the first rider to become a double World Champion in the Moto2 class.��In addition to Rabat, the only other past Qatar GP winner who is currently competing in the Moto2 class is Luis Salom, who won the Moto3 race at Losail in 2013.��Mika Kallio has finished second at Qatar on three occasions: in the 125cc class in both 2005 & 2006, and in the Moto2 race last year.��Three of the riders in the Moto2 class in 2015 have competed in all eleven previous Grand Prix events to be held at the Losail circuit: Mika Kallio, Julian Simon and Simone Corsi.�� Thomas Luthi has finished on the podium twice in the Moto2 class at the Qatar Grand Prix; 3rd in both 2011 and 2014. Luthi also qualified on pole at Losail in 2012 and was leading the race starting the final lap, before a clash with Marquez at Turn 1 resulted in him running off the track and eventually finishing fifth. Luthi won the final Moto2 race of the 2014 season and in Qatar will be aiming to take back-to-back wins for the first time in his GP career.

THE PENINSULA



NZ want fairytale farewell for Vettori

SYDNEY: Another World Cup semi-final but another failure to get to the final has left many South Africa fans questioning what their side must do to reach one-day international cricket’s showpiece match.

Tuesday’s dramatic four-wicket defeat by New Zealand in a rain-affected clash at Auckland’s Eden Park was the fourth time the Proteas had made it to the last four — and the fourth time they hadn’t reached the final.

In 1992 they were undone by the unfairness of the rain rule then in force which left them needing an impossible 21 off one ball to beat England, while in 2007 they were swept aside by Australia.

However, Tuesday’s clash had echoes of South Africa’s 1999 tie with Australia — a result that saw the Australians into the final on superior net run-rate — in that the Proteas squandered chances to win the game.

But this time around a selec-tion decision may have hampered South Africa even before the match started.

Fast bowler Kyle Abbott, who took an excellent one for 27 off a tight six overs during the quar-ter-final victory over Sri Lanka, was dropped to make way for Vernon Philander — who missed several matches including the last eight clash this World Cup with a hamstring injury.

Philander’s first over was sav-aged for 14 runs by New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and he was taken out of the attack,

with none of his eight overs on Tuesday producing a wicket.

“You’ve got an in form bowler (Abbott) who’s got bounce and he’s got pace and has bowled so well in the last couple of days. You’ve got to be so brave to change that bowling line-up,” former South Africa spinner Pat Symcox told local radio.

Dale Steyn is widely acknowl-edged as the best fast bowler of his generation, his Test average of just over 22 runs per wicket placing him among cricket’s all-time greats.

But a return off 11 wickets in eight matches at this World Cup was modest for a man of his class and on Tuesday his 8.5 overs cost an expensive 76 runs.

Steyn also needed lengthy treatment for a leg problem dur-ing the final over, and this was a further setback for a South Africa side who throughout the tourna-ment, had to ‘fiddle’ 10 overs from a fifth bowler — reviving a long-standing criticism they had been excessively cautious in selecting an extra batsman rather than an additional bowler.

The Proteas may well have made a 350-plus score had not rain intervened, but a total of 281 for five, which left New Zealand needing a revised 298 in 43 overs, looked enough when the Black Caps were 149 for four.

Yet it was from then on that the worth of England 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward’s oft-repeated phrase of ‘T-CUP’ (Thinking Clearly

Under Pressure) became appar-ent, with captain AB de Villiers fumbling a run-out of Corey Anderson and Grant Elliott benefitting from another failed run out attempt and a dropped catch.

Anderson (58) helped Elliott added 103 for the fifth wicket before the South Africa-born Elliott, raising his game, com-pleted a match-winning 84 not out.

“I didn’t take that (run-out chance) unfortunately, but yes if you want to see it that way that I cost us then I’ll gladly take it,” said a distraught de Villiers.

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith, writing on the ICC’s website, said: “The Proteas missed the half-chances that counted and it ultimately cost them.

“Most tellingly they seemed to deviate from their pre-planned bowling strategy to McCullum by bowling poor lengths which allowed him to dictate the pace of the game,” he added.

Inevitably, South Africa’s latest World Cup loss will revive accusa-tions of “choking”, yet in recent years they have won Tests from improbable positions against sides as good as Australia — not the act of a bunch of mentally weak players.

However, blows often come thick and fast in the one-day game, with the fall-out from this latest loss leaving South Africa with four more years of World Cup hurt. AFP

Hopefully we’ve got one more game, one more big finish for him, says McCullum

Pietersen returns to English cricket with SurreyLONDON: English county Surrey yesterday confirmed the return of flamboyant batsman Kevin Pietersen, who is bidding to force his way back into the England team.

Pietersen was axed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in February last year, but incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves has suggested a return to county cricket would enhance his chances of an England recall.

He agreed a release from the majority of his contract with Indian Premier League side the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday and will therefore be available to play for Surrey from the start of the county season in April.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be back at Surrey,” Pietersen, who was de-registered by Surrey at the end of last season, told the club’s website.

“It’s a club very close to my heart and (director of cricket) Alec Stewart, (coach) Graham

Ford and everyone at the club has been exceptionally supportive.

“There is a fantastic group of lads here, and I hope we can deliver what the great Surrey fans want to see — lots of runs and comprehensive victories.”

Stewart added: “A Kevin Pietersen with ambitions to play for England and a real determina-tion to score big runs for Surrey will be a huge asset to us.”

Pietersen has revealed that he will donate his wages to his own Kevin Pietersen Foundation, which he set up to help under-privileged children.

“I always said this was not about money, and I will be donat-ing my full Surrey wage to my foundation,” Pietersen wrote in his Daily Telegraph column, shortly after his return to Surrey was confirmed.

Surrey begin the 2015 County Championship season with a match against Glamorgan in Cardiff that starts on April 19.

Pietersen, 34, has agreed to sit out the Sunrisers’ entire league programme, but he could be recalled if they reach the IPL knockout phase, which runs from May 19-24.

The South Africa-born bats-man is England’s all-time lead-ing run-scorer in all formats and he reiterated his desire to end his international exile.

“Even if this does not work out and I do not get back in the England team, I will at least end my career knowing I gave it another shot,” Pietersen added in his Telegraph column.

“I would kick myself for a long time if I walked away now, without having a go. The public support since this all started has been incredible and helped make up my mind to pursue this chance to play for England again.

“All I am looking for is a fair opportunity to play for England again. I just want a blank sheet of paper, and to be judged on merit.

“I will be meeting Mr Graves face to face. I think he is open to discussing drawing a line in the sand in terms of what’s gone on.”

However, despite Graves’s comments, other figures in the England hierarchy have played down the prospect of a comeback for the outspoken batsman.

National selector James Whitaker said last week that Pietersen was “not part of our plans”, while captain Alastair Cook described the chances of his former team-mate making a comeback as “very unlikely”.

Pietersen was dropped after England’s 2013-14 Ashes series whitewash in Australia, with ECB managing director Paul Downton citing his “disengagement” with his team-mates during the last Test in Sydney.

He subsequently released an autobiography in which he alleged that a bullying culture had taken root in the England changing room. AFP

Kevin Pietersen has signed a contract to return to Surrey this summer.

South Africa’s comedy of errors is no laughing matter

WELLINGTON: Brendon McCullum yesterday conceded Daniel Vettori had probably played his last international innings on home soil, saying New Zealand were intent on giving the veteran a fairytale send-off in the World Cup final.

Vettori was in the middle at Auckland’s Eden Park on Tuesday night when the Black Caps clinched a spot in Sunday’s title decider in Melbourne with a dramatic one-ball-to-spare vic-tory over South Africa.

The 36-year-old Vettori, who scored a crucial boundary at the death to help seal the four-wicket win, has been coy about his future plans but McCullum said “this was potentially his last game on New Zealand soil”.

“Last night with him out there at the end, that’s a memory he’ll never forget,” McCullum told reporters.

“Hopefully we’ve got one more game, one more big fairytale fin-ish for him and then we’ll have a few beers.”

The Black Caps skipper said Vettori, who claimed his 300th one-day international wicket earlier in the tournament, was still experiencing pain from a back injury that almost ended his career.

“He’s played a lot of his cricket with bumps and bruises and nig-gles and strains,” McCullum said.

“People probably don’t realise but he’s had to overcome quite a bit to continue to back up and get out there and represent New Zealand. He’s a tough customer and he’s been an amazing servant for New Zealand cricket.”

McCullum said he was still savouring the “special” semi-final win, New Zealand’s first in seven attempts, and had not yet thought about the tournament decider.

“We’ll deal with the final in the next couple of days. Today it’s all about letting (the South Africa win) sink in,” he said.

“When you’ve achieved some-thing as special as we have, you don’t want to park it too quickly. You have to allow yourself the opportunity to stop and smell the roses and identify what’s been the catalyst to your success.”

The New Zealand skipper, who scored a Test triple century last year, said the feeling when Grant Elliott smashed a six to send the Black Caps into the final was the best of his career.

“That was without doubt the best feeling I’ve been a part of,” he told reporters.

“I’ve had many people con-gratulate us today and say it was

the single greatest sporting event that they’ve ever been to, which is pretty amazing, to be a part of that.”

The Black Caps skipper said the assured manner in which New Zealand chased down South Africa’s imposing total on Tuesday was a hallmark of a team that had developed into a cohesive unit over the last two years.

“I looked around the group and saw that everyone was pretty calm,” McCullum told reporters of how his team dealt with the intense pressure of the match situation.

“I was pretty calm for most of it but towards the end I started hoping ... the boys would be able to pull it off.

“I had immense faith in them.”Faith is exactly what coach

Mike Hesson had in Elliot, whose innings of 84 not out justified his inclusion in the World Cup squad after somewhat surprisingly hav-ing been out of the team for 14 months. “We have been confident all along in terms of what we do,” Hesson said. “We know the brand of cricket we want to play, we are pretty confident that is a good style for us. We have got a chance to put on a good show on Sunday and we will prepare for that.”

AGENCIES

New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori (right) and Brendon McCullum celebrate after their side’s victory over South Africa in the semi-final of the World Cup, at Eden Park in Auckland on Tuesday.

Elliott forces Proteas to introspect

Showing one’s true colours

An Indian artist paints the face of a young man with the image of the Indian national flag and the Cricket World Cup trophy in Ahmedabad yesterday, on the eve of the semi-final between India and Australia in Sydney.

AUCKLAND: Kevin Pietersen may be South African crick-et’s most high-profile expatri-ate talent, but Grant Elliott’s World Cup showstopper left the Proteas once again cursing another of their lost sons.

Elliott, born in Johannesburg and schooled at the same St Stithians College in the city which also nurtured England’s Cape Town-raised Jonathan Trott, dealt the blow that killed off South Africa’s latest attempt to win a World Cup in Tuesday’s semi-final epic in Auckland.

The 36-year-old Elliott, known to team-mates as “Shunt” and “Magic”, left his home country in 2001 and seven years later made his Test debut for New Zealand.

His Test career has since stalled — the last of his five caps came back in 2009 — but he has thrived in one-day internationals even if his selection for the World Cup came as a surprise for those expecting the more flamboyant Jimmy Neesham to get the nod.

“I came for a lifestyle change and also for my cricket. As soon as I arrived in New Zealand and

made it my home, I had aspira-tions of playing international cricket for New Zealand,” Elliott told local media when he was first called into the squad.

“It’s a really tough move because you always grow up thinking you’re going to be a Springbok or a Protea.”

Whereas other South Africans have left to pursue international cricket under a different flag because of the quota system in operation, Elliott insists his move to New Zealand was purely con-tractual. AFP

Semi-final buzzThe semi-finals of the World Cup have got social media and the cricketing world buzzing with excitement.

“David will be fine. He knows the rules, as we all do, and his rules are no different than the rest of ours.”— Australia captain Michael Clarke backs temperamental opener David Warner to behave himself in Thursday’s semi-final against India in Sydney

“I heard Davey (Warner) say he was not going to get involved in all that stuff. Someone has got to do it and I think I might put my hand up. It’s part of the game.”— Australia fast bowler Mitch Johnson offers to step in on Warner’s behalf for sledging duties

“Look a bit of sledging is okay as long as bound-aries are not crossed. The Indian team will not cross the line, but we will not back down either.”— India batsman Rohit Sharma

“I talked to Dale Steyn today in Auckland and must say that my respect for him is enormous. True cricketing gentleman.”— Former England spinner Graeme Swann on encountering the South African fast bowler, whose side were knocked out of the World Cup by New Zealand

“He did say when I saw him at the end ‘does this mean I get to come to Melbourne?’ There’s a bit of irony there, I suppose. He’s shown how he important he is to us so I’m sure he is looking forward to Melbourne.”— New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum on semi-final star Grant Elliott, who was not selected for a 20-man group which visited the Melbourne Cricket Ground on a scouting mission in October as his chances of being picked in the World Cup squad were considered to be slim

“Hopefully we’ve got one more game, one more big fairytale finish for him and then we’ll have a few beers.”— McCullum on aiming to give veteran spinner Daniel Vettori a winning send-off on Sunday

“The bigger the expectation, the more that’s asked, the bigger they stand up. I honestly don’t think this World Cup final is going to daunt these guys.”— Former New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram

“50-50 call because of a single factor — MS Dhoni knows how to win World Cups and that goes quite a long way.” — Former England captain Michael Vaughan on the Sydney semi-final between India and Australia

“I honestly think that Australia will win on Thursday, I think they’ve got the right balance in the team.” — Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee

Mission is to win World Cup: Rohit



Superpowers collide in blockbuster semi-finalSYDNEY: Sparks can be expected to fly when confident, well-balanced teams from crick-eting superpowers Australia and India clash in a mouthwatering World Cup semi-final at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) today.

The match pits four-times champions Australia, the top-ranked team in one-day cricket, against title holders India, the dominant financial power in world cricket.

The winners will go on to face the other co-hosts New Zealand on Sunday in another of the great arenas of the game, the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

While today’s clash will have to go some way to match the tense climax of New Zealand’s victory over South Africa on Tuesday,

Australia’s meetings with India are rarely dull.

If familiarity between the two sides has not quite bred contempt, the frequent heated exchanges in their clashes indicates at the very least a fierce competitiveness.

“The fact we’re playing India now is extremely special,” Australia captain Michael Clarke said yesterday.

“I think you’ll see two teams at the top of their game wanting to play their best cricket, I’m really confident both teams will put on a great show.”

In the Test arena at least, home advantage has been the decisive factor in their meetings in recent years.

It has less of an impact in the one-day game and there is good reason for India to have some

confidence it will not mitigate too heavily against them today.

Clarke admitted it was a “no brainer” that Indian fans would outnumber those of Australia, while the SCG has always offered something for the one area of the game where the visitors can be said to have a distinct edge, spin bowling.

Australia can look to their record of having lost just one of 14 one-day internationals at the ground against India and to their utter dominance of their meetings since the tourists arrived Down Under last November.

India have been transformed since the start of the World Cup, however, with a newly potent bowling attack firing alongside their always fine batting to take them to the last four unbeaten.

That has given the side such confidence that batsman Rohit Sharma said it was irrelevant whether there was spin on offer at the SCG or not.

“If you look at the tournament, we’ve taken 70 wickets in seven games, distributed between the spinners and the fast bowlers,” he said.

“So it doesn’t matter how the wicket behaves. If it suits the fast bowlers or the spinners, we’ve got everything covered in those two areas. We just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’ve played some really good cricket in the World Cup and it’s just a matter of two more hurdles.”

Australia, by contrast, would clearly welcome a wicket to favour their quick bowlers Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson

and Josh Hazlewood. However, Hazlewood, who took 4-35 in the quarter-final victory over Pakistan, looks likely to get the nod ahead of off-spinner Xavier Doherty to keep Australia unchanged for the first time in the tournament.

India have only altered their line-up during their title defence because of an injury to paceman Mohammed Shami and are also likely to be unchanged.

“We’ve played a lot of cricket against India,” Clarke added. “We know their strengths, we know their weaknesses, and we know they’re a very good team.

“We have to execute our skills as well as we possibly can, and if we do that, I have confidence that we can beat any team we play against.” REUTERS

I’m really confident both teams will put on a great show, says Clarke

Australian captain Michael

Clarke bats during a

training session at the Sydney

Cricket Ground yesterday.

RIGHT: Indian captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

(right) talks to coach Duncan Fletcher during

a practice session

in Sydney yesterday,

ahead of their World Cup semi-final

match against Australia today.

Kohli hails ‘wonderful’ Indian bowling before Australia matchSYDNEY: The transforma-tion of India’s bowlers at the World Cup has been “wonder-ful to watch” and the reigning champions will have a great chance of reaching the final if 10 Australian wickets tumble today, says Virat Kohli.

India’s bowlers were hammered all over Australia from the start of December to mid-February as the team lost a Test series 2-0 and failed to win a single match in the following Tri-series, which also featured England.

Fast bowlers Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma have upped their game considerably at the World Cup, however, and have combined with the strong spin-bowling depart-ment to forge a potent attack.

With the help of a sprinkling of run-outs, the Indian bowlers have dismissed the opposition in all seven matches on their way to the semi-finals.

Kohli, the leading light in the much-vaunted Indian batting line-up, said everyone was aware of the areas where improvement was required and he was grati-fied by the way the pacemen had responded.

“The way the bowlers have reacted and the way they have performed with the compo-sure and the confidence and the aggression all together, it’s been wonderful to watch,” he told Cricket Australia’s website.

“So we expect the bowlers to step up if you want to beat qual-ity sides in the world and the way they have done this in this World Cup has been commendable.

“We’ve played the right kind of cricket and the difference now is how our bowling attack has come into play in this World Cup taking 70 wickets in seven games.

“That’s probably been the dif-ference, and if we continue to do that we have a great chance come game day.”

India have not beaten Australia in any format since they arrived Down Under in late November but Kohli thinks Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground is the perfect opportunity to break that cycle.

“There couldn’t be a better time for us,” he said. “It’s an opportu-nity for us to do justice to the way we’ve played so far in Australia, and we haven’t had the results.”

Kohli’s team-mate Rohit Sharma felt his side would be suc-cessful irrespective of whether the wicket took turn or assisted fast bowlers.

“It does not worry us what sort of wicket we get because we are confident of doing well on any surface,” said Sharma.

“We have taken 70 wickets in seven matches, bowled out the opposition every time, so we know what we need to do. Our seamers have done well and so have the spinners. We are ready for any-thing that we get.” AGENCIES

India’s Virat Kohli leaves after a practice session in Sydney yesterday.

SYDNEY: Like a racehorse trained to peak for the big race after months of preparation, India’s cricketers are confident they have timed their run to perfection at the World Cup.

Beaten by Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Test series, then by Australia and England in the Tri-Series, India’s hopes of winning the World Cup seemed slim when the tournament started more than a month ago.

However, after seven straight wins, India are starting to resemble the team that won the sport’s greatest spectacle four years ago.

“Our mission is to win the World Cup,” said batsman Rohit Sharma. “So when we finished the Tri-Series, I know it was two and a half months then, none of the guys thought about going back.

“We were right there and we just wanted to feel history. Yeah, it’s been tough, but ... we have to make the last four months we spent here work by staying in the semi-finals and finals.”

After struggling in their lead-up games, India have bowled out their opposition in each of their seven World Cup matches, as well as piling on the runs with the bat.

“We’re playing some different cricket now,” said Rohit.

“So what happened (before) we never wanted to carry into the World Cup. We always spoke about this. We know how impor-tant the World Cup is and to come out and play some good cricket.”

Rohit was dropped from India’s squad for the 2011 World Cup but has been making up for lost time after being promoted to open the batting.

Last week he was named man of the match after scor-ing his first World Cup century in the quarter-finals against Bangladesh. “We’ve all played big games ... so it brings the best out of everyone during those big matches,” he said. “So, yes, we’re looking forward to this and hopefully it will be an exciting contest.” REUTERS

India’s Rohit Sharma

addresses a news

conference in Sydney

yesterday — on the eve of the second World Cup semi-final.

FACTBOX Australia vs India

SYDNEY: Factbox on Thursday’s cricket World Cup semi-final between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

AUSTRALIA

Captain: Michael Clarke

Coach: Darren Lehmann

Squad: Clarke, Aaron Finch, David Warner, Shane Watson, George Bailey, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.

Results so far at 2015 World Cup: (Matches 7, Won 5, Lost 1, 1 abandoned)

Beat England by 111 runs (Opener Aaron Finch’s 135 and a 5-33 from paceman Mitchell Marsh gave the co-hosts an easy win); Match abandoned against Bangladesh (Match called of due to heavy rain in Brisbane); Lost to New Zealand by one wicket (Mitchell Starc’s 6-28 could not compensate for a batting collapse); Beat Afghanistan by 275 runs (David Warner top-scored with 178 in an Australia’s run-feast); Beat Sri Lanka by 64 runs (Glenn Maxwell smashed 102 in 53 balls to outshine Kumar Sangakkara’s ton); Beat Scotland by seven wickets (Starc led Scotland’s rout and Australia chased down target in 15.2 overs); Beat Pakistan by six wickets (Hazlewood’s 4-35 restricts Pakistan to 213 and Australia chases down target after a few hiccups)

Top performers

Maxwell (301 runs): The middle-order batsman has been in red-hot form, smashing bowlers to all corners of the ground and often with unconventional shots. He has scored 66, 1, 88, 102 and 44 not out in five knocks and also took five wickets with his off-spin.

Warner (288 runs): Warner made the most of the Afghanistan bowling, scoring 178 against them in Perth and has averaged 57.60 in the tournament.

Starc (18 wickets): The left-arm seamer is second in the list of wicket-takers and has taken wickets at an average of 9.77. He has bowled fast and accurate.

Key to beating India: Starc will have to make early inroads and the frontline batsmen need to deliver against India’s bowling attack which has dismissed opponents in all seven matches so far.

INDIA

Captain: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Coach: Duncan Fletcher

Squad: Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Akshar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma.

Results so far at 2015 World Cup: (Matches 7, Won 7)

Beat Pakistan by 76 runs (Kohli ton secured win against arch-rivals); Beat South Africa by 130 runs (Dhawan’s hundred and some tight bowling sunk South Africa); Beat United Arab Emirates by nine wickets (Ashwin spun web around UAE to set up a small chase); Beat West Indies by four wickets (Shami led a strong bowling display to beat West Indies); Beat Ireland by eight wickets (Dhawan century helps chase down modest target); Beat Zimbabwe by six wickets (Unbeaten 196-run stand between centurion Raina and Dhoni bails India out); Beat Bangladesh by 109 runs (Rohit Sharma’s 137 took India to 302-6 and Bangladesh were all out for 193 with Yadav taking 4-31).

Top performers so far

Dhawan (367 runs): Has batted himself back into form and will have to continue the good work. His partnership with Sharma at the top will be crucial for the holders against the formidable pace attack of Australia.

Kohli (304 runs): He has failed to convert his starts after scoring a ton against Pakistan in the opening match. He had gone without a half-century since that 107.

Shami (17 wickets): Has impressed in World Cup debut with his ability to bowl at a lively pace and clever use of the bouncer.

Yadav (14 wickets): He has bowled short and fast and has been able to swing the new ball with good control.

Key to beating Australia: Need to bat well against Starc in the opening overs and Kohli needs to bat long against the co-hosts who have been unbeaten against India in the four months across all formats.

Australia vs India head-to-head

Total played: 117

Australia won 67, India won 40, no result 10

At Sydney Cricket Ground

Played 14, Australia won 12, India won 1, no result 1

Last match: Jan. 26, 2015 - Rain washed out play after 16 overs.

Sheffield ShieldSYDNEY: Victoria won their 29th Sheffield Shield title after the five-day final against Western Australia ended in a draw at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval yesterday. Victoria took the title by finishing top of the competi-tion’s point standings after the season’s 10 regular rounds.

Scores: Western Australia 421 and 293 for 2 declared; Victoria 381 and 158 for 4. AFP



LEFT: Danell Leyva of the US is seen in action on the pommel

horse at the 8th FIG Artistic

Gymnastics World Challenge

Cup at Aspire Zone in Doha

yesterday. RIGHT:

Oukraine’s Oleg Stepko in action.

KAMMUTTY VP

Brazilian star Hypolito sparkles on first day LEFT:

Qatar’s Ahmad Al Dayani in action on

the pommel horse at Aspire

Academy in Doha

yesterday. Al Dayani

has resumed

competing after a

year out of action due to an injury.

Spectacular start to 2015 World Challenge Cup in Doha DOHA: Things got down to busi-ness for the 123 gymnasts com-peting at the 8th edition of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup where qualifica-tions began with Brazilian Diego Hypolito impressing in his first routine in floor exercises.

The competition has begun to unfold at the famous Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, a venue for scores of prestigious sports events every season.

In the men’s floor exercises, Hypolito (15.400) gave a memo-rable performance on floor with tight and clean landings to seal qualification.

American Jacob Dalton also showed commendable precision (15.350) as did Croatia’s Tomislav Markovic; Petro Pakhnyuk and Shotaro Shirai with (15.100).

In the pommel horse routines, it did not take long for Armenian Harutyum Merdinyan to put his talent on display, keeping an edge on competition (14.800) and an eye on Ukraine’s Oleg Stepko (14.750).

Olympic champion Arthur Zanetti of Brazil looked good and showed it off with a 15.750 point to emerge as a strong candidate for the podium in the finals.

Armenia’s Davtyan Vahagn was 0.30 points shy of his adversary, while Romania’s Andrei Muntean looked to be a strong prospect for the finals.

In the men’s vault, Armenia’s Artur Davtyan looked in sublime form and showed it off with a 14.950 point vault.

He was followed by Japan’s Shotaro who landed with an extra measure of precision, best-ing Muntean and Ferhat Arican of Turkey with 14.525.

In the parallel bars, ster-ling work by Azerbaijan’s Oleg Stepko was obvious as he pro-duced a tally of 15.650 followed by Colombian’s Jossimar Calvo with 0.05 difference.

Romanian’s Marius Berbecar

was next with a unanimously fantastic performance (15.350) to suggest a real stab at the podium.

In the horizontal bar, American Danell Leyva and his 15.250 will be hard to beat in the finals.

His near-perfection exercise oozed elegance yesterday. It was ravishing and utterly artistic gymnastics, as one fan put it!

In the women’s vault, Swiss Giulia Steingruber dominated the qualification with 14.150 but is up against Vietnam’s Phan Thi Ha Thanh and Slovenian Teja Belak (13.850).

In the uneven bars, Ana Filipa Martins of Portugal was the first to start but mucked up her land-ing with one-step and a touch of the hands.

A neat performance and a smile to match was produced by Romanian Laura Jurca who showed good execution devoid of excessive risk (13.150). She was followed by Lucie Perdreau (13.050).

In the beam, Thanh took the event hands down (14.050), carv-ing a comfortable gap between herself and Brazil’s Daniele Hypolito.

In the floor exercise, Steinbruger impressed with her 14.300 points in the qualifying rounds.

Romanian Jurca was fluid and elegant in her exercise with (13.800) followed by the Portuguese Martins who could be another podium threat in the coming days.

Also yesterday, the President of Portugal Gymnastics Federation met with QGF President and offi-cials and said he is delighted by his visit to Doha.

He said he visited Doha when the first edition of the tournament was staged in 2008 and stressed that he saw a great development in every thing including sports facilities and organisation.

“Even those of the cognos-centi would agree that gymnasts here in Doha have elevated their technical level and presented a well-crafted and technical form of gymnastics without neglecting execution,” he said.

He added that the level of the competition is very high and extended his appreciation to ‘Ali Hitmi and the Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) for their

hospitality’. He also reaffirmed that the FIG Challenge Cup is a rehearsal for the World Championships in 2018.

On another topic away from gymnastics, he said that the 2022 FIFA World Cup ‘will be a successful event as Qatar pays a great attention to sports in gen-eral and gymnastics in particular.’

Meanwhile, Mohammad Al Maraghi, Board Member of QGF and head of the Public Relations Committee said: “The tourna-ment is successful at all levels. The heads of participating del-egations have lauded the level of organisation and the available facilities.”

Al Maraghi told media that the event is witnessing a great fan turnout as the finals will be con-tested by the world’s best gym-nasts over the course of the next two days.

Al Maraghi reaffirmed that all the participating stars were ‘happy and satisfied by the level of organisation as they said that Qatar really deserves the level it has reached.”

Competition Manager Al Buainain said: “I am proud that Qatar has the best gymnastics training centers in the region, which are ready to host the par-ticipating teams.”

QGF President Ali Al Hitmi said the on-going event is a test event considering the 2018 World Championships will be staged at the same venue.

According to Al Hitmi, gym-nasts from Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iraq, Jordan, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, Switzerland, Taipei, Turkey, USA, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Vietnam are cur-rently seen in action in Doha.

The finals will be staged today and tomorrow with today’s pro-gramme starting at 4:00pm.

THE PENINSULA

ABOVE: Germany’s

Antonia Alicke performs during

the qualifying session at

Aspire Academy yesterday. LEFT:

Jacob Dalton of the US is a picture of

concentration on the floor exercises yesterday.

RIGHT: Youna

Dufournet Madeleine of France

in action at Aspire Zone yesterday. LEFT: Ali Al Hitmi, President of Qatar

Gymnastics Federation, speaking to media

during the 8th FIG Artistic World

Challenge Cup

yesterday.

Warm-ups start at

4:00pm while finals begin at 5:30pm

today.



Bentley spurs Al Hareth to Halul Island Cup victory Jockey Harry

Bentley, riding Al Hareth, celebrates after winning the Halul Island Cup

Local Thoroughbred Conditions race at the Qatar racing

and Equestrian Club (QREC) in Doha

yesterday. RIGHT: Bentley spurs Al

Hareth to victory in the 1200m dirt-track race. The Jassim Al

Ghazali-trained horse left Absher, trained by M. Hussain and ridden by Marco Monteriso, and

Battash, trained by Mohammed Hamad Al Attiya and ridden by Gaetan Faucon, in second and third

place respectively to win prize money of

QR57,000.

Uzbekistan and Iran romp into quarter-finals Qatar have another bad day but Fan Zone wins hearts

DOHA: Uzbekistan and Iran roared into the quarter-finals of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2015 — AFC Qualifier Qatar yesterday. The Lebanese also made it to the final eight, thanks to the Iranians’ 8-1 thrashing of Thailand, as did the Bahrainis.

Hosts Qatar, however, had another woeful day at the Katara beach here, losing 8-0 to Oman.

The Omanis were terrific on both ends of the pitch for nearly the entire 36 minutes of play. They steadily built on their pre-vious accomplishments and goals, getting two goals in the first and second periods and hammer-ing in four in the third and final frame.

Oman fin-ished first in their group and will face China in their quar-ter-final match today. Qatar did not finish with a win in the event, but they will have another bite at the cherry when they face FC Barcelona in a friendly on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the fans have been having a ball at the adjacent Fan Zone put on by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) at Katara beach.

One of those to attend the SC’s Fan Zone was Nasser Al Dossari who said: “We’re here having a great time, as you can see with my kids playing foosball. I’m Emirati and my wife is Qatari, and we’re

here to watch and support these two teams while also having a fun time. This fan zone is great.”

The Fan Zone is operational on each match day and includes sand sculpture workshops for kids, a mini beach soccer field and beach soccer workshops, a speed shot booth, soccer tricks shows, a Batak reaction wall, football tables, instant photo booths, face painting workshops and con-cession stands with a variety of delicious foods and snacks. There is also a large central display of art produced by children from

local communi-ties as part of the SC’s Jeeran programme.

Bella, from Russia, said: “It is very well organ-ised, and a great place for teenag-ers to hang out and learn more about football. It is also a nice chill-out zone for teen-agers. I support

Lebanon in this tournament and I think the organisers have done a really good job.”

Japan’s coach Marcelo Mendes said: “The fan zone is very nice, I think the kids are enjoying it a lot, and the tournament is really good because between the games people have a place to have fun. The fan zone completes the tournament.”

Japan are the favourites in the tournament but there’s no doubt that everyone who has come to Katara beach has been a winner.

THE PENINSULA

Qatar set to begin Davis Cup campaign DOHA: The Qatari men’s ten-nis team is set to begin their Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group III campaign in Malaysia.

The Qatari team arrived in Malaysia 10 days ago and held a training camp to get ready for the event.

The Qatari squad includes Jabor Al Mutawa, Ali Al Sayegh, Jassim Al Zeyarah, Mousa Shanan, Mubarak Shanan, Abdullah Shanan and Mohammad Al Khanji in addition to coaches Younis Al Aynawi, Greogre Banas, Luis Lobez, Alex Lashenko and Ibrahim Al Khelaifi, Deputy Head of the National Teams Committee and Head of Qatar’s delegation.

The Asia/Oceania Zone Group III features Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Syria, Vietnam and Qatar. At the end of the competition two nations will be promoted to Asia/Oceania Zone

Group II in 2016. Qatar began its participation in the Davis Cup in 1992 and has played in Asia/Oceania Zone Group II on three occasions. They made it from Group IV to Group III last year.

The Qatari squad are holding intense training sessions in the morning and evening. They also participated in a number of local and international tournaments to prepare for this event, including the futures championship in Doha and Paris.

Khalid Al Khelaifi, Board Member of the Qatar Tennis Federation and head of the national team’s committee, said: “We are confident that our young men will be able to qualify to Group II in 2016. We depend on our new technical staff, includ-ing the international star Younis Al Aynawi whose experience will motivate our players.”

THE PENINSULA

Laudrup, Dioko are best of the month

QSL’s manager of the month Michael Laudrup (left), of Lekhwiya, and player of the month Al Ahli’s Alain Dioko with their awards.

Serena to fight through pain at MiamiMIAMI: World number one Serena Williams is prepared to fight through pain to get onto the court tomorrow and begin defending her title at the ATP and WTA Miami Open.

The 19-time Grand Slam sin-gles champion, forced out before her Indian Wells semi-final last week against eventual champion Simona Halep, said Wednesday that she expects to “manage pain” when she opens in the second round against Romanian Monica Niculescu.

“I’m just managing where I am right now,” Williams said. “Just trying to stay out of as much pain as possible and see what happens. I know I’m going to have to man-age the pain. I think if I’m in that mental state, OK, you might be in a little pain. You just have to figure out the best way around it.”

The Niculescu match is a repeat of the second round a fort-night ago in Indian Wells, which Williams won in two difficult sets, and will probably bring her big pain test.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on it before,” she said. “I’m just here in Miami, so I’m just going to go for it and see what happens.”

The top seed will be bidding for a record eighth trophy at her home event, capturing her seventh last year when she beat China’s Li Na in the final.

“I definitely don’t have low expectations,” Williams said. “I

just definitely expect to do the best that I can.

“Whether that’s winning or just stepping out on the court, that’s what I’m going to have to do. I don’t feel any pressure because I have won this title a few times, so I feel good about being here.

“When I hit on the court today, I just feel so good out here in Miami. I’m just looking forward to just enjoying myself this year

more than anything.”The 33-year-old American

admitted that she had not imag-ined being able to play Miami after her knee problem, but added, “It takes a tremendous amount for me to stop. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or that’s a bad thing, but I think I will be OK.”

With all seeds on the men’s and women’s draws given byes, first round matches for the remain-der continued, with Swiss teen-ager Belinda Bencic advancing over veteran Daniela Hantuchova 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) and Briton Heather Watson defeating Russian Evgeniya Rodina 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Americans Christine McHale and Alison Riske both advanced, joining Pauline Parmentier in the second round after the French player beat Kiki Bertens 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

On the men’s side, American Donald Young will line up against British third seed Andy Murray after advancing when opponent Lu Yen-Hsun retired trailing 5-1 with a neck injury.

Yesterday’s Results

Uzbekistan 6-1 Iraq (Group C)

Vietnam 4-6 Kuwait (Group B)

Bahrain 8-2 Laos (Group A)

Japan 5-0 China (Group B)

Qatar 0-8 Oman (Group A)

Iran 8-1 Thailand (Group D)

Today’s Matches

4.15pm: Uzbekistan vs Lebanon

5.30pm: Iran vs UAE

6.45pm Oman vs China

8pm: Japan vs Bahrain

A Qatari player tries to dribble past an Omani defender during a group-stage match of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2015 – AFC Qualifier Qatar at Katara beach in Doha yesterday. PICTURE: SALIM MATRAMKOT

Defending women’s champion Serena Williams of the USA addresses a news conference in Miami, Florida, yesterday.

DOHA: Al Ahli’s Congolese striker Alain Dioko and Lekhwiya’s coach Michael Laudrup were chosen as the QSL’s best player and manager respectively of this month.

It was Laudrup’s second man-ager of the month award this season. The winners were cho-sen by the QSL’s Competition and Football Development Department.

Laudrup’s side has been unbeaten in the month of March, notching three wins and a draw. Grinding out victories has been the hallmark of his team and this has been typified by tight QSL victories against Al Kharaitiyat, Umm Salal and Al Arabi this month, which have all but assured Lekhwiya their fourth QSL title.

The player of the month award recognises players who make an outstanding impact on their team.

Dioko’s goals have been cru-cial to his side’s rise up the QSL table this season, having bagged an impressive haul of six goals in four matches in the month of March.

He started the month with an impressive brace against Al Sadd. Dioko was amongst the goals again in week 22 with a quick-fire

hat-trick in 11 minutes against Al Wakrah.

In round 23 Dioko was on the score sheet again, this time res-cuing a point for his side against Umm Salal, again with the vital equaliser coming in the second half.

March also saw Dioko break his own personal goal-scoring goal-tally in the QSL of 22 goals. He is currently leading the race for the top scorer award with 24 goals in 23 games.

Statistics provided by Prozone, the QSL’s preferred statistical partner, shows Dioko’s lethal finishing has kept Al Ahli in the hunt for Qatar Cup qualification.

In March, the pacey striker has averaged 1.5 goals per game, along with 4.3 shots on goal per match.

Al Ahli’s counter attack play caters to the strengths of Dioko. His explosive pace coupled with shooting accuracy has helped his side remain unbeaten in March.

On average, he has racked up an impressive 320m per game at sprinting speed. It’s also impor-tant to note that all of Dioko’s goals came in the second half of games in March, either rescuing or securing points for his side.

THE PENINSULA

Thursday 26 March 20156 Jumada II 1436

Volume 20Number 6381

Price: QR2

[email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 44557741 | Advertising: 44557837 / 44557780www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Sport | 25 Sport | 26

Superpowers collide in World Cup semi-final

Brazil’s Diego Hypolito shines in qualifying

SportQatar take on Algeria today

Members of the Qatari national football team train ahead of their friendly match against Algeria at Lekhwiya Stadium today. It will be the Maroons’ first international encounter after the Asian Cup. They will take on Slovenia in another friendly on Monday at the same venue. Today’s match starts at 7pm.

PARIS: Valentino Rossi is still the biggest draw in MotoGP and after a strong showing last year the charismatic Italian’s state-ment he is eyeing a 10th world title doesn’t ring as hollow as it might have done ahead of last year’s championship.

The 36-year-old, who has earned the nickname ‘Il Dottore’ (Doctor) according to his father Graziano because in Italy it is a title that demands respect, has not won the title since 2009 and experienced several fallow years, especially during an unhappy three-year spell at Ducati where he finished as low as seventh in 2011.

However, a change to Yamaha has re-energised the exuberant rider and last year’s superb sea-son, which included two victories and another 11 podium finishes saw him finish runner-up but 65 points adrift of Spaniard Marc Marquez, who is threatening to eclipse even his achievements after winning two successive titles.

Hence Rossi, who with 108 wins in all categories, has legendary compatriot Giacomo Agostini’s overall race record win of 122 in his sights, is upbeat about his chances of securing a magi-cal 10th title overall and eighth in the 500cc/MotoGP category beginning at the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix this weekend.

“I will just be focused on deliv-ering my best, on winning as many races as I can,” said Rossi in February at the team’s launch of their bike for the upcoming season.

“So... yes, I am also thinking to my 10th title.”

Rossi, who is the oldest rider in

the MotoGP championship, said he was looking to get a good start to the championship, unlike last year where both he and team-mate and two-time world cham-pion Jorge Lorenzo struggled in the first half of the season while Marquez had the title virtually sewn up in winning 11 of the first 12 races — the latter’s Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa winning the other one.

“I am fully focused on a good start to the new season and I want to be immediately competi-tive,” said Rossi, who is contracted to Yamaha till 2016.

“I am sure both of us will start the new season with a great desire to win.”

Marquez, though, will be a for-midable obstacle to overcome, as

confirmed by an impressive series of testing in Sepang, Malaysia, in February.

Just 22-years-old, in 2013 he became the youngest rider to be crowned 500cc/MotoGP world champion and the first rookie since Kenny Roberts in 1978 to win the title.

Marquez is understandably wary of Rossi but even more so of Lorenzo.

“You never know with Valentino,” Marquez told MCN Sport.

“I didn’t expect his level. I expected more like last year (2013) but he will be there because his motivation is there and Dani (Pedrosa) is always constant.

“Maybe he won’t be better or worse than you but he will always be there and you need to pay attention with him. But I expect Jorge will be the strongest rival.”

Lorenzo, who will be seeking a better start to last term where he failed to finish in Qatar, backed up Marquez’ prediction he would be the big danger after finishing the testing session in Malysia second fastest.

“I am better this year because I have not had to undergo sur-gery in the off-season. Yamaha and I finished well last year, but while we’ve taken a step forward with the new updates to the bike, the favourite is still Honda and Marquez,” the 27-year-old said.

“Last year I was the rider with the most points from Germany to Valencia and finished the Championship very strongly. If we can start at the same level or even stronger, then we can definitely aspire to win the championship.”

AFPAlso see pages 22 and 23

MotoGP Schedule Schedule for the 2015 MotoGP season which gets underway in Qatar today

March 29: Qatar (Losail, night race)

April 12: Americas (Austin, Texas)

April 19: Argentina (Termas de Rio Hondo)

May 3: Spain (Jerez de la Frontera)

May 17: France (Le Mans)

May 31: Italy (Mugello)

June 14: Catalonia (Barcelona)

June 27: Netherlands (Assen)

July 12: Germany (Sachsenring)

August 9: Indianapolis (Indianapolis, USA)

August 16: Czech Republic (Brno)

August 30: Britain (Silverstone)

September 13: San Marino (Misano)

September 27: Aragon (Motorland Aragon, Spain)

October 11: Japan (Motegi)

October 18: Australia (Phillip Island)

October 25: Malaysia (Sepang)

November 8: Valencia (Valencia, Spain)

Ageless Rossi is not slowing down ‘Doctor’ eyeing 10th MotoGP world title

TOP: (From left) MotoGP riders

Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez and Jorge

Lorenzo attend a pre-event press conference at Losail International

Circuit, on the outskirts of Doha, yesterday.

RIGHT: Valentino Rossi of Movistar Yamaha

negotiates a turn during a MotoGP pre-season

testing session that was held at the Losail International Circuit earlier this month.

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