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BUSINESS | 17 SPORT | 24

THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016 • 20 DHUL HIJJA 1437 • Volume 21 • Number 6927 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar 2 Riyals

Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is received at the Los Angeles International Airport by Consul General of Qatar in Los Angeles Khalid bin Yousif Al Sada. Also seen are US Ambassador to Qatar Dana Shell Smith and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Emir in Los Angeles

By Mohammed Iqbal

The Peninsula

DOHA: With the beginning of the new academic year, the Ministry of Public Health has launched a crackdown on school canteens violating the health and safety regulations.

The Ministry said yesterday that it has intensified inspections at school canteens as well as outlets serving food to schools to ensure they comply with the requirements.

Sources of drinking water in every school is also under scrutiny. The Ministry said that the inspection drive was intended to guarantee highest safety standards of food and drinking water in all the

schools across the country.A food safety guide has already

been circulated to the schools, with instructions on the conditions to be met by school canteens and the food suppliers. The onus has been put on the schools for any failure to meet the health and safety standards requirements. School sources said yesterday that it is not permitted for the schools to prepare food at their premises. They have to tie up with a supplier from outside.

The Ministry said that it is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to raise awareness among schools regarding safety of food and drinking water and prevent all sources of contamination. Inspectors from the Environmental Health department at the Ministry visit the schools regularly and give necessary advice to improve their situation in this regard.

As part of monitoring the quality of water, the inspectors take water samples from the schools for labora-tory tests to make sure the drinking water is free from any source of contamination. In case the min-istry receives any complaint from schools in this regard, the inspectors check the sources of water, suppliers and the tanks and take necessary procedures.

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The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatar has announced it will implement new procedures to ease the entry of cruise passengers arriving at Qatari ports as the start of cruise season nears.

The new procedures come in anticipation of the huge number of cruise passengers this coming cruise

season. Thirty-two ships carrying over 50,000 passengers are expected to arrive in Qatar this cruise season, from October 18 to April 2017.

Under the new procedure, a passenger manifest containing passport details of passengers and crew will be shared with immigra-tion officials 48 hours before the ship’s arrival in Qatar. This will allow immigration officials to proc-ess all relevant information and

clear passengers for entry before the ship berths.

In addition, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and the Ministry of Interior (MoI)have confirmed that cruise passengers, due to the short duration of the stay, will be eligible for transit visas, which will further ease their entry into the country.

Officials from QTA, MoI and Qatar Ports Management Company – Mwani Qatar have confirmed that,

thanks to enhanced technology and close collaboration between cruise operators and security officials, cruise passengers will be able to dis-embark within minutes and begin enjoying their on-shore excursions.

Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tour-ism Development Officer at QTA, said the new procedures have been introduced in anticipation of sig-nificant increase in the number of cruise passengers. While Qatar has

previously welcomed smaller ships carrying less than a thousand pas-sengers, the coming season will be the first to witness the arrival of larger ships with over 1,500 passen-gers on board. The MSC Fantasia will be the first “mega-ship” to arrive in Qatar. It will dock in December with an expected 3,900 passengers and 1,500 crew-members on board.

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The Peninsula

DOHA: The State Cabinet yes-terday approved a draft law stipulating punishment for taking or transferring photos or videos of the injured or deceased in acci-dents, through a device of any kind, in an unauthorised manner.

The Cabinet decided to refer the draft law to the Advisory

Council for its recommenda-tions. The draft law amends some provisions of the Penal Code promulgated by Law No. 11 of 2004, Qatar News Agency reported yesterday.

In its ordinary meeting at Emiri Diwan, chaired by the Prime Minister and Interior Min-ister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Cabinet took the necessary measures to issue a draft law on

the Official Gazette after it was briefed on the Advisory Council’s recommendation on the draft law.

Under the terms of the draft law, the Ministry of Justice shall prepare and publish the Official Gazette. Laws, decrees and other legislative instruments, and any other rule that law provides for the publication must be published in the Official Gazette.

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Strict vigil on school canteens

By Sidi Mohamed

The Peninsula

DOHA: The total collection in the second day of the fourth online auction of 25 fancy car plates launched by the General Direc-torate of Traffic reached more than QR7m.

The plate number 322222 has registered yesterday the highest price which is QR712,000, while the plate number 366666 regis-tered the second highest price of QR682,000. The lowest price was QR130,000 for the plate number 363633, while other plate num-bers ranged from QR160,000 to QR500,000.

The total collection on the first day was more than QR4.6m, and the highest price was 464,000 for the plate number 355555. The bidding is done through Metrash 2 and will end today at 10pm. It began at12 noon on Tuesday and today it is expected to witness more com-petition among bidders.

The General Directorate of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior has announced as per rules, that bidding starts from QR100,000 and participants are required to make a deposit of QR20,000 as insurance.

Qatar to ease entry procedures for cruise passengers

UDC to study new

road connecting

Pearl-Qatar to Doha

Fancy number plate fetches QR712,000 in online auction

The Ministry of Public Health has intensified inspections at school canteens as well as outlets serving food to schools to ensure they comply with the health & safety requirements.

Draft law to punish illegal transfer of accident images

AP

UNITED NATIONS: The United States and Russia blamed each other for Syria’s fail-ing cease-fire yesterday, illustrating why a fractured UN Security Council has been unable for more than five years to do any-thing to stop the Arab country’s civil war.

In a public session originally envi-sioned to enshrine Syria’s Sept. 9 truce, world powers were left to rue the possibil-ity of the conflict entering an even darker phase after a series of attacks on humani-tarian workers. Washington, Moscow and the council’s other nations all sought to revive the US-Russian cease-fire deal, but seemed stuck on fundamental differences old and new: Who bears ultimate respon-sibility for the war and whose actions over the last days scuttled perhaps the best opportunity for peace?

“Supposedly we all want the same goal. I’ve heard that again and again,” a clearly

angry US Secretary of State John Kerry told the council, referencing oft-repeated international objectives of a united, sec-ular and democratic Syria. “But we are proving woefully inadequate in ... mak-ing that happen.”

Kerry outlined a litany of US com-plaints against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government and its chief backer, Russia. He recited Moscow’s changing nar-rative over a deadly attack this week on an aid convoy that has included everything from claims of a justifiable counterterror strike to vehicles spontaneously com-busting. “This is not a joke,” Kerry said, sharply criticizing those who engage in “word games” to dodge responsibility over questions of “war and peace, life and death.” Kerry offered one concrete sugges-tion to revive diplomatic hopes. Focused on protecting key aid routes in northern Syria, it was unclear if Russia and Syria would agree.

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Syrian men remove a baby from the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported air strike in the Qatarji neighbourhood of the northern city of Aleppo, yesterday. Heavy bombardment pummelled Aleppo city and the wider province, key battlegrounds in Syria’s conflict.

Russia & US clash at UN over Syria

Cabinet approved a draft law

stipulating punishment for

taking or transferring photos

or videos of the injured or

deceased in accidents, through

a device of any kind, in an

unauthorised manner.

DRAFT LAW

$20bn Qatari investments in

Turkey until last year

Qatar finish on a high at Paralympic Games

The Peninsula

DOHA: United Development Company (UDC), master devel-oper of The Pearl-Qatar, is set to conduct an engineering study for a new connection road link-ing The Pearl Island with the rest of Doha, in coordination with the Ministry of Transport and Com-munications.

UDC has already commissioned specialised consultants to study feasibility of the project including possible alternative routes to con-struct the proposed connection with the external road network around The Pearl, while looking to minimise environmental impact and expropriation loss.

The study will also cover mod-ern road traffic control solutions to facilitate entry and exit to the island. This UDC initiative aims at easing traffic congestion linked to the growing number of The Pearl-Qatar’s residents and vis-itors entering the island.

HOME 02 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Emir greets Armenia leaderDOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent yester-day a cable of congratulations to President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on the anniversary of his country’s Inde-pendence Day.

Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also sent cables of congratulations to President of Armenia on the occasion.

Emir’s greetings to Malta PresidentDOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent yester-day a cable of congratulations to President of the Republic of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca on the anniversary of her country’s Inde-pendence Day.

Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also greeted Malta President on the anniversary.

By Mohammed Osman

The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatar and Turkey have huge potential to boost their trade exchange in line with the excellent political relations between the two countries, said Lütfi Elvan, Turkish Minister of Development, at a press conference held at Ritz-Carlton Hotel yesterday.

The press conference was attended by a number of Turkish businessmen and members of various political parties, including opposition, accom-panying the visiting minister.

The minister said that Qatar was among the first countries to strongly condemn the coup attempt on July 15.

“The volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached $1.3bn but we are seeking to increase

this,” the minister said, adding that there are no obstacles preventing the business sectors in the two countries from strengthening their coopera-tion, increase investment and launch joint ventures.

“The ties between Qatar and Turkey have witnessed a significant boost, enhanced by the determi-nation of the leadership of both countries, and businessmen must take advantage of this scenario.”

Following the coup attempt, Qatar opened a tourism office in Ankara and this will enhance ties and give more confidence to the Qatari investors and tourists to take advan-tage of waiver of visa requirements between the two countries, the min-ister pointed out.

Regarding the Turkish military operation in northern Syria - Oper-ation Eurphrates - the minister told The Peninsula that Turkey respected Syria’s territorial unity and supported efforts by the international commu-nity to solve the crisis. He added that Turkey’s aim was to clean the border area from all terrorist groups like ISIS and PKK-PYD and other groups that pose threat to Turkey.

Answering a question, Turk-ish Ambassador to Qatar Ahmad Dimerok said that the number of Turks in Qatar was in tens of

thousands before but the number has reduced due to the big improvement in the living standards in Turkey and better opportunities.

Dimerok emphasized that some Turkish companies investing in Qatar are finding cheaper manpower from other countries though there are no visa or residency permit problems for Turkish citizens in Qatar.

The Turkish Minister of Develop-ment underlined the role of Turkish companies operating in Qatar with investment to the tune of $11.6bn, implementing major projects related to the FIFA World Cup 2022 and infrastructure projects.

Talking about Turkish economy, Alwan said that Turkey’s growth rate was five percent in 2015 and will

range between 4.5 and 5 percent this year, describing Turkish economy as strong and solid.

During the press conference, members of opposition parties and the ruling party hailed the excellent Qatar-Turkey strategic relations. All speakers called for increasing the volume of trade between the two countries.

Huge potential for Qatar-Turkey trade: MinisterQatar was among the first countries to strongly condemn the coup attempt on July 15.

Turkish Minister of Development Lütfi Elvan and members of his delegation at a press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula

The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatar Charity (QC) distributed clothes and gifts to 4,000 orphans in 21 countries during Eid Al Adha. The move aimed to bring smiles on the faces of the most deserving sections of the community.

The clothes and gifts were distributed on the sidelines of enter-tainment programmes organised by QC in the home countries of the

beneficiaries, which were attended by local and diplomatic officials from the embassies of Qatar.

QC supports more than 105,000 orphans through its initiative ‘Rofaqaa’. It provides the orphans comprehensive care in education, health and other aspects of life. “The project was meant for orphans under 12 years and provide them with an opportunity to celebrate Eid Al Adha festival,” said Khalid Abdullah Al Yaf’i, Operations Director at Qatar Charity.

The project focused on countries

facing natural disasters and unrest. Priority was given to children of the displaced and refugees, the most deserving segment of the com-munity. “It is a time of love and family. We wanted to bring smiles to orphans in Syria and other places. We also wanted to make the orphans in Iraq, Yemen, Palestine and Soma-lia happy,” he added. “We thank God for everything the project has achieved and we are happy to see the results of the good deeds of philanthropists.”

QC distributes Eid clothes to 4,000 orphans

Qatar Charity distributing Eid clothes and gifts in Somalia.

HOME 03 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani with the Minister of Development of the Republic of Turkey Lutfi Elvan and his accompanying delegation in Doha yesterday. They reviewed bilateral relations and ways of developing them.

PM meets Turkish minister

By Fazeena Saleem

The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatar University (QU) has advanced its position in Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2016-2017 by securing a place in the 501-600 group.

Times Higher Education’s 13th edition of World University Rankings released yesterday was based on 13 indicators in the areas of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. It feature top 980 universities from 79 different countries and the list represents only five percent of the world’s higher education institutions.

Last year, QU was featured for

the first time in Times Higher Edu-cation World University Rankings in the 601-800 group.

“Qatar University is one of the world’s most international universi-ties – ensuring that it benefits from a powerful network of international research collaborations and a tal-ent pool well beyond the borders of Qatar. This strength is perhaps not surprising, given its location at a tra-ditional crossroads of global trade, commerce and knowledge exchange and it bodes well for its future in the rankings too,” Phil Baty, Editor of the Times Higher Education World Uni-versity Rankings told The Peninsula in reply to an email query.

“The areas in which Qatar Uni-versity has performed well in the past year include citations and the number

of doctorates awarded, compared to bachelor degrees,” he added.

“This year’s expanded list is testa-ment to just how competitive global higher education has become. For starters, our top 980 universities come from 79 different countries. There is also a new number one for the first time in six years; the US loses the top spot for the first time in the 12-year history of the rankings as the UK’s University of Oxford becomes the world’s top university. And, although the notion of Asia as the ‘next higher education superpower’ has become something of a cliché in recent years, the continent’s rise in the rankings is real and growing,” said Baty. In Asia, 290 universities from 24 countries make the ranking and an elite 19 land in the top 200.

QU ahead in Times Higher EducationWorld University Rankings

HOME04 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti yesterday met Burkina Faso’s Minister of Transport, Urban Mobility and Road Safety Souleymane Soulama and his delegation. Talks dealt with means of boosting relations in the fields of transportation and aviation. Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways; and Adama Compaore, Burkina Faso’s Ambassador to Qatar, were present.

Minister reviews ties with Burkina Faso

The Peninsula

DOHA: Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) has announced the names of the 59 students who have excelled in academic studies and achieved the Dean’s List for Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semes-ters.

“Making the Dean’s List at NU-Q is recognition for students who go beyond a conventional effort, but instead demonstrate rigour and commitment to learn-ing,” said Everette E. Dennis, Dean and CEO.

The list comprises 36 com-munication and 23 journalism students, who earned academic distinction in the most recently completed semesters.

Communication majors must have achieved at least a 3.75 grade point average (GPA) out of 4.0 on three graded courses, and jour-nalism majors must have achieved a 3.7 GPA on three graded courses or, if on residency, two graded courses in addition to residency.

The students were invited to attend a celebratory luncheon with Dennis, where they received certificates, socialised with peers and shared thoughts on their experiences at NU-Q.

Fourteen freshmen, 16 sopho-mores, 17 juniors, four seniors and eight graduates earned places on the list.

Communication Programme: Amal Ahmad AlMuftah; Afra Ali Al Kaabi; AlJawhara Hamad Al Thani; Bothayna Talal Al Moham-madi; Noof Abdulaziz Al Subaie; Shaikha Khaled Alderbesti; Asmaa Benkermi; Amina Niksic; Noor Ahmed Own; Shaikha Ali Bahzad; Huda Barakat; Basmah Kamran Azmi; Yara Tarek Taha; Amal Zeyad Fathi Ali; Ammar You-nas; Ibtesaam Mohamed Moosa;

Mohamad Zaki bin Mohamed Hussain; Fatema Jassim Al Theyab; Omaima Es-samaali; Amanda Melhem; Samaia Maher Samara; Noor Hassan Al Thani; Jemina Marcos Legaspi; Urooj Kamran Azmi; Vibhav Gautam; Maha Hassan Al Marzoqi; Shuhan Zhang; Najlaa Saleh Al Khulaifi; Reem Saad Al Kuwari; Lana Majid Mahmoud; Alya Hilal Ahmed Al Harthy; Layan Amin AbdulShkoor; Syed Owais Ali; Shahnawaz Imran Zali; Maha Abdulla Al Jefairi; and Muneera Faleh Al Thani.

Journalism Programme: Aisha

Mohammed Al Qadi; Lolwa Faleh Al Thani; Nawal Faisal Aqeel; Hissa Nasser Al Hitmi; Fatima Hassan; Ifath Arwah; Syeda Shageaa Naqvi; Habibah Abass; Meher Mehtab; Anzish Nissa Mirza; Manar Ahmad Al Jamal; Oma Zuhra Seddiq; Eiman Ali AlMahmoud; Aamer Elsayed Hassan; Noof Khalifa Al Tamimi; Fatima Mohammed Al Sulaiti; Rouda Hamad Al Attiyah; Neha Ara Rashid; Jueun Choi; Xiran Liu; Tamador Mohammed AlSu-laiti; Sara Nasser Al Thani; and Muhammad Shakeeb Asrar.

59 NU-Q students make it to Dean’s List

Everette E. Dennis, Dean and CEO, NU-Q, with the students at the celebratory luncheon.

QNA

NEW YORK: The GCC Foreign Min-isters held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the UN headquarters in New York.

The meeting was chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al Jubeir, who is also Chairman of the current session of the GCC Ministerial Council, and attended by GCC Secretary-Gen-eral Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.

They reviewed cooperation and relations between the GCC and Russia, ways of promoting them in all areas, the latest regional developments, means of ending conflicts to maintain security and

stability and other issues of mutual concern.

Both sides stressed the impor-tance of strengthening relations in all fields and to continue coop-eration and coordination to serve common interests.

The GCC Foreign Ministers also held a separate meeting with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Both sides discussed coop-eration and friendship, ways of strengthening and developing them in various fields and regional and international issues of com-mon concern.

They also stressed the impor-tance of enhancing GCC-British relations in political, economic and security fields to serve the com-mon interests.

The Peninsula

DOHA: Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Serv-ices (RAF) has built 14 new mosques across Kenya at a cost of about QR1m.

More than 100,000 people can offer prayers in these mosques. The project was financed by philanthro-pists from Qatar through donations.

The mosques will not only serve as mosques for worship but also as places for Islamic festivities for thou-sands of Muslims in the country.

The mosques are of different sizes from 80sqm to 130sqm. Some have special places for women worshippers.

The mosques could also be used

for holding classes for teaching chil-dren from the respective localities reading and memorising the Holy Quran, and basic teachings of Islam.

Religious lectures and social pro-grammers could also be organised in these facilities. There are about 30 million Muslims who constitute about 30 percent of the population

in Kenya. There are not enough mosques to accommodate the growing number of worshipers in Muslim-majority villages and towns.

The existing mosques are old and built according to limited resources of the residents. Big mosques are needed in big cities for offering Fri-day sermons.

The Peninsula

DOHA: Ooredoo has announced that customers can now donate to more charitable institutions in Qatar, easily and instantly through select self-service machines (SSMs) on its nation-wide network.

SSM users can donate to the Eid Bin Mohammad Al Thani Charitable Association (Eid Char-ity) and to initiatives supporting human relief, medical projects, Holy Quran services, develop-ment projects, water well drilling, orphan sponsorship and more.

Through SSM, anyone can donate to charities via card or cash 24/7. The network of SSMs has been designed to offer an easy self-service experience for cus-tomers to keep up-to-date with daily services and needs.

Customers can also pay Oore-doo Shahry and Kahramaa bills, purchase Hala SIM cards, top up Hala accounts and purchase Karwa bus cards through SMS.

Amnesty: Department

reverts to old timings

DOHA: The Search and Follow-Up Department has reverted back to old timings from 2pm to 8pm to receive amnesty-seekers on all working days, the Ministry of Interior said yesterday on its Twit-ter account.

Last week the timing was changed from noon to 8pm.

Gulf FMs hold talks with

Lavrov & Johnson in NY

Eid Charity donations via Ooredoo SSMs

The Peninsula

DOHA: The Health Monitoring Section at Al Wakrah Munic-ipality last month caught 57 violations and closed down three food outlets during 282 inspection visits to food outlets. A total of QR192800 was fined.

The section also received 12 complaints related to food and visited seven shops to check commercial permits.

Meanwhile, the Health

Monitoring Section at Doha Municipality detected a food store inside a labour accom-modation at Freej Bin Omran. The store had kept expired food and other foods in unhealthy conditions.

The Services Department Affairs at Al Rayyan Municipal-ity planted flowers and plants at Al Waab Roundabout, while Al Khor-Al Dakhira Municipal-ity set up barriers at Al Dakhira beach to protect visitors from vehicles and added a play-ground for children.

Three food outlets shut

A civic official checking stocks at one of the food outlets.

RAF builds 14 new mosques across Kenya

Worshippers outside one of the mosques built by RAF, in Kenya.

The Peninsula

DOHA: Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Human-itarian Services (RAF) has provided a ‘mobile mosque’ so worshippers can offer prayers at places away from mosques. The mobile mosque is equipped with a loudspeaker and has carpets for 100 worshipers.

It will move across Doha, especially places famous for youth gatherings such as Sealine, beaches, picnic places, Doha Corniche and Aspire Zone Park.The ‘mobile mosque’ provided by RAF.

RAF ‘mobile mosque’ to move across city

The QR1m project was funded through donations by Qatar’s philanthropists.

HOME 05THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatar Foundation’s (QF) eight schools began the 2016-2017 academic year with exciting back-to-school events.

Orientation activities gave parents and teachers oppor-tunity to meet and discuss means of enriching students’ learning and encouraging their academic and personal development.

Abeer Al Khalifa, Director, Academic Affairs, Pre-Univer-sity Education Office (PUE), QF, said: “I wish the QF schools a fruitful academic year in which they achieve the educational and academic success they

are accustomed to, effectuat-ing QF’s vision to lead human development, and supporting QF’s mission to nurture future leaders and promote a culture of excellence and innovation.”

She highlighted support given to QF schools in develop-ing and advancing capabilities of Qatar’s youth on all lev-els, most recently reflected in the launch of Renad Academy, which opens its doors this year to serve children with mild to moderate Autism Spectrum Dis-order (ASD).

A new PUE plan was also recently introduced to increase

coordination and exchange of experiences between QF schools on educational level. Interaction and exchange of experiences will extend to col-laborations between QF schools and the wider Qatari commu-nity represented by the Ministry of Education and Higher Educa-tion. “PUE’s new plan outlines a unified vision and mission for all its divisions to strengthen and maximise their efforts,” Al Khalifa said.

Seven of the eight schools started new academic year on Sunday — five Qatar Academy schools of Doha; Al Wakrah;

Al Khor; Msheireb; and Sidra; Awsaj Academy; and Qatar Leadership Academy. The eighth school, the Academic Bridge Programme, started its fall semester on August 14.

Around 25 families attended Qatar Academy Al Wakrah’s (QAW) orientation on Septem-ber 7. Parents and students were also taken on a guided tour of the school, led by the director, principal and assist-ant principal.

Over 45 families attended preschool orientation on the first day of school on Sunday. Accompanied by parents or guardian, preschoolers were invited to visit their new class-rooms and meet teachers. A total of 1,800 students started their first day at Qatar Academy Doha (QAD). “After what has been a very long summer for our students and staff, we look forward to an exciting and suc-cessful year ahead as we greet the new school year with enthu-siasm and high expectations,” said Don MacIntyre, Direc-tor, QAD. QAD; Qatar Academy Sidra; Qatar Academy Msheireb; and Awsaj Academy also organ-ised back-to-school nights, while Awsaj Academy will host its annual event on October 3 from 5pm to 7pm.

QF holds back-to-school events

Students at Qatar Academy Msheireb were given a warm welcome during the orientation event, which marked the start of the new academic year.

QNA

ROME: H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari, Cultural Adviser at the Emiri Diwan and Qatar’s candidate for the post of the Direc-tor-General of Unesco, yesterday presented his programme for his tenure to the Italian parliament.

In a speech, he highlighted the main points of his programme and said the role of Unesco should gain more prominence, as it should pro-mote a culture of peace in light of conflicts across the globe.

He praised Qatar and Italy for with Unesco and said Italy in particular was important to his campaign due to its keenness to promote culture and enhance security. The Italian gov-ernment plans to invest in culture as a way to counter extremist ideas that lead to the for-mation of terrorist groups, he said.

Dr. Al Kawari also highlighted Qatar’s support to Unesco’s heritage funds and

educational programmes, particularly those for children. MPs asked him about several points in his programme, and said they were pleased with it after hearing Dr. Al Kawari’s response to their questions.

Dr. Al Kawari was accompanied by Qatar’s Ambassador to Italy Abdulaziz Ahmad Al Malki on his visit to Rome.

Earlier, Dr. Al Kawari met Italy’s Minister of Education, Universities and Research Ste-fania Giannini and presented his programme. They also discussed Unesco’s relations with Italy, which one of the important supporters.

Dr. Al Kawari also met Uberto Vanni d’Archirafi, Diplomatic Adviser to Italy’s Min-ister of Cultural Assets and Tourism. Talks dealt with heritage and its importance in international relations and Unesco’s role in maintaining it.

D’Archirafi praised Qatar’s efforts and support in the field of protecting heritage. Qatar’s Ambassador to Italy Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Malki and several Italian officials were present.

Continued from page 1

“Cruise tourism is an important part of our strategy to increase the number of visitor arrivals. That is why we are placing emphasis on stream-lining all processes related to cruise and developing the sector’s capacity to welcome a large number of pas-sengers,” said Al Ibrahim.

“Studies show that once tourists have had a taste of a destination they visited on a cruise, they are likely to return for a longer visit, giving us fur-ther impetus to focus our strategy for the next two years on this important sub-sector of tourism.

“Cruise passengers spend eight hours on average during their stops in Qatar, so it is important to minimise

the time spent on formalities on the day of their visit.

“We are grateful to the MoI for the initiative and support in imple-menting a solution that will ensure our visitors get the most out of their visit without compromising on our nation’s security,” Al Ibrahim added.

Brigadier Abdullah Salim Al Ali, Director-General, General Direc-torate of Nationality, Borders and Expatriates Affairs, said: “The MoI always strives to facilitate govern-ment services while maintaining the utmost vigilance and security for the sake of visitors and residents.

“The revised process for the entry of cruise passengers will enhance visitor experience while giving us more time to process information

thoroughly using the passenger manifest, which will arrive 48 hours before the ship docks.”

The announcement comes as QTA and the MoI step up efforts to facil-itate entry for tourists to increase arrivals. Officials recently signed an agreement with VFS Global that will soon allow for a fast-tracked and transparent tourist visa appli-cation process. QTA continues to work closely with destination man-agement companies and tour guides to ensure cruise passengers receive a warm welcome and enjoy an authen-tic Qatari experience. Tour guides have received intensive training on the management of large tour groups and effective communication about the destination.

Parents and teachers meet to discuss students’ academic and personal development at eight schools of Qatar Foundation.

Continued from page 1

Food samples from school canteens have also been taken for laboratory tests on a regular basis to ensure food served in the canteens are fit for human consumption. The inspections are based on Gulf stand-ards and specifications, said the ministry.

During their routine visits, inspectors prepare notes about the condition of the canteens and the food, in the presence of the school supervisor responsible for the canteen.

These notes are preserved in a special notebook for analysis and reference.

If any error is found, the inspectors will explain necessary procedures to be taken as per the food safety guide and conduct follow-up inspections to ensure corrective measures have been taken by the school

management concerned. The ministry said its inspectors also conduct raids on out-lets serving food to school canteens in the beginning of every academic year.

The inspections focus on key points specified in the food safety guide related to different phases of food distribution from cooking to packaging, storing and transportation.

A senior official of a private school told this daily that the ministry inspectors visit the school at least once in every six months and take food and water samples for lab-oratory tests.

“Since the schools are not permitted to prepare food on their premises, we have made agreement with a supplier outside to supply food to our canteen.

“Soft drinks and other unhealthy foods are banned in school canteens.

“We serve only snacks to students while meals are available to our teachers. The health inspectors check every detail based on the food safety guide and we are strictly following the guidelines,” said the official. The school administration must check all served food on a daily basis.

Special meals should be arranged for students with health con-ditions like diabetes and haemolytic anaemia, with approval by the school nurse. It has been rec-ommended to keep two samples of all meals pre-pared daily, one by the supplier and the other by the school. Samples have to be kept for 72 hours for analysis.

Dr. Al Kawari highlights Unesco

plan at Italian parliament

Efforts stepped up to increase tourist arrivals

H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari, Cultural Adviser at the Emiri Diwan and Qatar’s candidate for the post of the Director-General of Unesco, speaking at the Italian parliament.

Food samples from school canteens regularly tested

Continued from page 1

The publication in the official gazette will be an obligation to the public to all information mentioned in the published material, and will be an evidence against them. The denial of knowl-edge of the published material since the date of its publication will not be accepted in any way.

An official website shall be established for the Official Gazette to post an electronic copy of it at the same date of issue, in accordance with the rules established by a decision of the minister.

The electronic version will have the same authentic and legal implications of assessments as the paper copy. In case of any difference, the paper copy will be invoked. The Cabinet also approved an Emiri draft decision to cancel decision No 38 of 2011 on the establishment of the Qatari national committee for oil and gas.

Official Gazettewebsite planned

QNA

GENEVA: Qatar’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva, in collaboration with the permanent missions of France, Germany, Italy, the UK, the US, Liechtenstein and the ‘No Peace Without Justice’ organisation yesterday held an event on ‘Syria: The UPR process and civil society’s role in promoting justice and accountability’ on the sidelines of the 33th Session of the UN Human Rights Council.

The event focused on the situation of children, young people and women, efforts to document widespread violations committed in the past five years and how to achieve justice and accountabil-ity for the victims of these crimes.

Faisal bin Abdullah Al Henzab, Qatar’s Permanent Represent-ative, said the solution to the crisis must be through empowering the Syrian people for the leadership of political transition based on the Geneva Principles (1) and relevant international resolutions to build a new future for the country in a way that Bashar Al Assad does not have a role in it, while keeping with the state institutions.

Qatar Mission event reviews

civil society’s role in Syria

MIDDLE EAST06 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Reuters

BEIRUT: Syrian rebels and pro-gov-ernment forces battled each other on major frontlines near Aleppo and Hama, and air strikes report-edly killed a dozen people including four medical workers, as a ceasefire appeared to have completely unrav-elled.

The renewed battles demon-strated the thin prospects for reviving a truce that collapsed into fresh fight-ing and bombardments on Monday, including an attack on an aid con-voy which US officials believe was carried out by Russian jets. Moscow denies involvement. The UN Security Council was due to hold a high-level meeting on Syria later.

Despite accusing Moscow of being behind the bombing of the aid convoy, the United States says the ceasefire agreement it sponsored jointly with Russia is “not dead”.

But the deal, probably the final hope of reaching a settlement on Syria before the administration of President Barack Obama leaves office, is following the path of all previous peace efforts in Syria: still being touted by diplomats long after

the warring parties appeared to have abandoned it.

Overnight fighting was focused in areas that control access to Aleppo city, where the rebel-held east has been encircled by government forces, aided by Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, for all but a few weeks since July.

Syrian state media and a TV

station controlled by its Lebanese ally Hezbollah said the army had recaptured a fertiliser factory in the Ramousah area to the southwest of the city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body, confirmed the advance and said gov-ernment forces had pressed forward near an apartment complex nearby.

A rebel fighter in the Aleppo area

said warplanes had been bombing all night in preparation for an attack. But “the regime’s attempts to advance failed,” said the rebel, speaking to Reuters from the Aleppo area via the internet.

A Syrian military source said insurgent groups were mobilis-ing to the south and west of Aleppo, and in the northern Hama area. “We will certainly target all these gath-erings and mobilisations they are conducting.”

The army reported carrying out air strikes on seven areas near Aleppo. The Observatory said an air strike killed four medical work-ers and at least nine rebel fighters in the insurgent-held town of Khan Touman south of Aleppo, saying the rebels were part of the Islamist alli-ance Jaish Al Fatah.

The medical staff killed were working for the Union of Medi-cal Care and Relief Organizations

(UOSSM), it said. UOSSM confirmed in a statement that at least four of its staff had been killed.

Syrian government forces also launched a major advance in Hama province in the West of the country.

“It is a very intense attack, for which Russian jets paved the way, but it was repelled by the broth-ers, praise God,” Abu Al Baraa Al Hamawi, a rebel commander fight-ing as part of the Islamist Jaish Al Fatah alliance, said.

He said rebels had destroyed four tanks and inflicted heavy losses on government troops. Syrian state TV said government forces had killed a number of insurgents and destroyed their vehicles. Rebel sources also reported an attempt by pro-gov-ernment forces to advance in the Handarat area to the north of Aleppo, saying this too had been repelled. Pro-government media made no mention of that attack.

Fighting buries hopes for Syria truce Man shot outside Israeli embassy in Ankara ANKARA/JERUSALEM: A man was shot and wounded by Turkish police outside the Israeli Embassy in Ankara after he shouted slo-gans and wielded a knife, but initial inquiries indicated he had no links to an organised group, officials said. The man, a 41-year-old from the central city of Konya, was car-rying a bag and brandishing a 30 cm knife as he approached the embassy, the Ankara governor’s office said in a statement. He was shot in the leg after ignoring a warn-ing from police, it said, adding he did not appear to be linked to a group.

Sudan bans Egyptian

fruits & vegetables

CAIRO: Sudan has temporar-ily suspended imports of fruits, vegetables, and fish from Egypt as of Sept. 20 on safety grounds, the Sudanese trade ministry said, without elaborating. Its move comes less than a week after Rus-sia announced it would suspend fruit and vegetable imports from Egypt.

Iraqi finance

minister sacked

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s parliament removed Finance Minister Hoshi-yar Zebari from office yesterday over corruption allegations, a move that risks further destabil-ising the major Opec producer’s fragile economy as it struggles with a massive budget deficit. Parliament voted 158-77 to with-draw confidence from Zebari, two lawmakers said, after question-ing him last month about alleged corruption and misusing public funds, which he denies.

Kerry calls for no aircraft flying over key Syria aid routesUNITED NATIONS: US Secretary of State John Kerry wants all aircraft over key humanitarian routes in northern Syria grounded in order to give peace a chance. Kerry told the UN Security Council that such a step could restore credibility to efforts to end the five-year civil war and «give a chance for humanitarian assistance to flow unimpeded.»

A US-Russian cease-fire agreement reached on September 9 has all but collapsed. And the UN suspended aid deliveries after a strike on a human-itarian convoy this week that killed a dozen people.

4 medics dead in strike near AleppoBEIRUT: Four medical staff were killed and a nurse critically wounded in an air strike on a village near Syria’s second city Aleppo late on Tues-day, their aid group said. The Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organisations (UOSSM) said the strike hit two of its ambulances in Khan Tuman, a village south of Aleppo city, as workers evacuated victims from a previous strike.

The medical group had said earlier that the raid hit a clinic in Khan Tuman, but later clarified that it struck first responders in their ambulances.

AFP

BENGHAZI: An oil tanker left a key Libyan port early yesterday with the first crude shipment from the ter-minal since fighting halted exports there in 2014, an official said.

Oil is war-ravaged Libya’s key asset, and rival administrations have been vying for control of ter-ritory and oil resources since the 2011 uprising that overthrew dicta-tor Muammar Gaddafi.

“The Maltese-flagged vessel Seadelta has just left Ras Lanuf port with 776,000 barrels of oil, going to Italy. This is the first shipment of oil from Ras Lanuf port since Novem-ber 2014,” said Omran el-Fitouri, oil exports coordinator at the port.

The shipment is the first to leave any of the four ports along Libya’s eastern “oil crescent” since they were seized by military strongman

Khalifa Haftar last week. His forces handed management of the ports to the National Oil Corporation (NOC), which said that crude exports would resume “immediately” from Ras Lanuf and another of the ports, Zuwaytina.

The NOC says it is loyal to Lib-ya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) but also to a rival parliament based in the east.

The parliament supports Haftar’s forces and has refused to give the GNA its vote of confidence.

On Sunday, fighters loyal to the GNA launched an attack aimed at retaking the key eastern oil ports, but were repelled by Haftar’s forces.

The fighting had forced the Mal-tese-flagged Seadelta to turn back out to sea for safety before docking and filling up.

Other ports in the crescent have been operating intermit-tently in recent years, but major exports from Ras Lanuf could pump

desperately-needed revenue into the central bank’s coffers.

Despite the fighting for control of the terminals, the GNA said on Wednesday it supported the NOC’s efforts to boost exports.

“Oil production and returning Libya to its previous levels of pro-duction will support Libya’s currency and its economy,” said Ahmad Meitig, the GNA’s deputy prime minister-designate, after a meeting with NOC chairman Mustafa Sanalla.

That could only have “very pos-itive consequences for the citizens and economy of Libya,” he said in an audio message published on the GNA’s Facebook page.

Fitouri said that a second tanker, Maltese-flagged Syra, was preparing to deliver a further 580,000 bar-rels from Ras Lanuf to Tarragona in Spain. The latest shipment could also help ease a cash crisis for Lib-ya’s strapped banks which are in dire need of hard currency.

First oil in 2 years leaves Libyan port

People gather along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea during a search for victims after a migrant boat capsized, in Al Beheira, Egypt, yesterday.

AP

CAIRO: A boat carrying African migrants headed to Europe cap-sized off the Mediterranean coast near the Egyptian city of Alexandria yesterday, killing at least 29 people, Egyptian authorities said.

Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said that the total number of dead was still unknown. Local official Alaa Osman from Beheira province said the migrants were from several African countries. He said 155 people have been rescued so far but that bodies are still being pulled from the water.

Egypt’s official news agency Mena said the boat was carrying 600 people.

Thousands of illegal migrants have made the dangerous sea voy-age across the Mediterranean in recent years fleeing war and poverty, mostly via lawless Libya. Thousands have drowned.

Migrant boat capsizes off Egypt; 29 dead

The number of migrants try-ing to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt to Europe has increased significantly in the past year, EU bor-der agency Frontex said earlier this month. More than 12,000 migrants arrived in Italy from Egypt between

January and September, compared to 7,000 in the same period last year, it said.

Experts say smugglers in Egypt mostly use old fishing vessels, stuffed way beyond capacity both below and above deck.

A Syrian man carries a baby after removing him from the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported air strike in the northern city of Aleppo, yesterday.

The renewed battles demonstrate the thin prospects for reviving a truce that collapsed into fresh fighting and bombardments, including an attack on an aid convoy which US officials believe was carried out by Russian jets.

ASIA / AFRICA 07THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

THE HAGUE: Congolese former rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda has ended an unprecedented hunger strike in his detention cell in The Netherlands after a two-week standoff with the judges at his war crimes trial.

“He has begun to eat again,” his lawyer Stephane Bourgon said, adding Ntaganda had decided to end his self-imposed fast late Tuesday after the court granted him some concessions.

The rebel leader is on trial at the International Criminal Court where he has denied 18 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Former Congo

warlord ends

hunger strike

Gabon faces ‘torture’ case in France over poll violenceAFP

PARIS: Lawyers yesterday launched a suit in France claiming the govern-ment of Gabon committed “crimes against humanity” during days of violence following the central Afri-can country’s disputed presidential election last month.

The suit claims the Libre-ville government “plotted to carry out arbitrary arrests and deten-tions... torture and barbarous acts, attempted murder and crimes against

humanity,” lawyer William Bourdon said.

The former French colony was plunged into an unprecedented polit-ical crisis after incumbent President Ali Bongo was declared the winner of the August 27 election by just 6,000 votes.

Three people died in post-elec-tion violence, according to the authorities, while the opposition puts the death toll at more than 50.

The French lawyers invoked universal jurisdiction, which allows states to rule on serious crimes regardless of where the wrongdo-ing was committed.

Two French-Gabonese dual nationals are the first individuals to join the action, charging arbitrary arrest and detention, the lawyers said.

One is a resident of France who was arrested upon his arrival in Libreville on August 28 and remains in prison.

The other, who attended the news conference, was arrested overnight on August 31 at the party headquar-ters of opposition leader Jean Ping.

Requesting anonymity, he recounted a night of “horror and car-nage” during which he said dozens

of people were killed or wounded by masked men carrying out a “method-ical” attack at Ping’s headquarters.

Other Franco-Gabonese fami-lies are expected to join the action against Gabon in the coming weeks, Bourdon said.

The plaintiffs are considering taking the case to the International Criminal Court, the lawyers said.

The ICC may accept the charge of crimes against humanity “given the logistics, preparation (and) premed-itation against a civilian population that was totally unarmed,” Bourdon said.

“The general, systematic, organ-ised nature of this massacre, of this torture” was the result of “political decisions backed by the political-mil-itary leadership” in Gabon, he added recently.

Organisers of an opposition hot-line have said they have received 21 reports of deaths and 19 of missing people.

The Gabonese governmentyester-dayy warned Ping that it would hold him responsible for any new violence ahead of Friday, when the Constitu-tional Court is due to rule on Ping’s challenge of the election result.

Rwanda oppn

activist freed

after ‘kidnapping’

KIGALI: The party of a jailed Rwandan opposi-tion leader said yesterday one of its activists had been released after his “kidnapping” three days earlier.

“We learned of the release of Theophile Ntirutwa on Tuesday night around 22:30 when we received a phone call from him,” said Boni-face Twagirimana, vice president of the United Democratic Forces.

Ntirutwa, a party offi-cial in the capital Kigali, was detained by sol-diers on Sunday evening and taken to an unknown location, Twagirimana said.

At least 20 dead in Indonesian flash floodsReuters

GARUT: Indonesian search and rescue teams worked yesterday to find victims of flash floods that killed 20 people and damaged hundreds of homes, authorities said.

The floods hit the Garut area, about 200km southeast of the capital, Jakarta, on Tuesday after torrential rain.

“We’ve reported that we found 20 bodies and we’ve identified 15 of them,” said Endah Trisnawati, a member of a police disaster vic-tims identification unit.

It was not clear how many people were missing but some officials in the area said it could be up to 15.

Some media reported 20 peo-ple were unaccounted for.

Authorities said search and rescue operations would go on.

Military personnel and volun-teers helped evacuate about 1,000 residents of the area.

Reuters

LAGOS: Nigeria’s army said it had launched an offensive to push Boko Haram militants out of a remote northeast town near the border with Niger, as it fought to end a seven-year insurgency destabilising the region.

The military said it had killed several militants in Mallam Fatori near Lake Chad but Boko Haram had called in reinforcements.

“The operation is continuing,” said army spokesman Sani Usman recently.

There was no immediate com-ment from Boko Haram, which does not speak to the media and only releases video statements.

But Islamic State, to whom Boko Haram pledged loyalty last year, said militants had attacked an army convoy in the area on Monday and killed 40 troops, in a statement on its affiliated news agency Amaq,

picked up by SITE which monitors jihadist announcements.

There was no independent ver-ification of either the army or the Islamic State account.

Boko Haram controlled a swathe of land in northeast Nigeria around the size of Belgium at the start of last year, but has been pushed out of most of that terri-tory by the Nigerian army, aided by troops from neighboring Cam-eroon, Niger and Chad.

The militants have neverthe-less continued to carry out suicide bombings in northeast Nigeria and neighboring countries, in their struggle to set up an Islamist state.

The Boko Haram insurgency has killed thousands and dis-placed more than 2 million people in Nigeria.

A United Nations official said on Friday more than 6 million people are “severely food insecure” and 568,000 children acutely mal-nourished in the nations around Lake Chad.

Reuters

KINSHASA: Congo’s government vowed yesterday to hunt down and punish those responsible for riots in which around three dozen peo-ple were killed, as small pockets of protest continued in the capital Kin-shasa.

Anti-government protesters gathered in parts of Kinshasa yes-terday, but normal life resumed in most of the capital after two days of deadly riots, residents and witnesses said. The army was dispatched to parts of the city where tensions persisted.

“We are no longer in a warning stage ... we will punish the infrac-tions committed,” attorney general Flory Kabange Numbi said, adding that migration officials would pre-vent those responsible from leaving the country.

“The Congolese national police are actively seeking out the ... authors of these grave acts of mur-der and plunder,” he added.

The protests on Monday esca-lated into violent clashes between demonstrators and police, leaving at least 37 protesters and six policemen dead, Human Rights Watch said.

Police spokesman Pierre Rom-baut Mwanamputu said yesterday that the official death toll was 32, of whom four were police.

But opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi said on Belgian television that around 100 people had died.

Yesterday morning, angry youths burned tyres in one dis-trict as police fired warning shots, a resident said, and the army sent trucks carrying around 50 troops to a university campus to prevent any further demonstration.

Kabila is ineligible to stand in the next election after serving two elected terms. Last week, the elec-tion commission petitioned the Constitutional Court to postpone the November poll. His supporters deny he is trying to prolong his rule.

World powers have become increasingly exasperated with Kabila’s administration. French President Francois Hollande has said the clashes were caused “by the Congolese state itself,” and urged authorities to respect the constitu-tion and hold elections on schedule.

Tom Perriello, US Special Envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes region, warned the US was “ready to impose additional targeted sanctions on individuals who have been involved in abuses or violence.”

DR Congo warns those behind anti-govt riots

Nigeria army fights to push

Boko Haram out of NE town

An Indonesian search and rescue team along with soldiers use heavy machinery to remove debris from an area hit by a landslide in Sumedang, yesterday.

Civilians walk past a house and vehicles which were burnt during anti-government protests to press President Joseph Kabila to step down in Kinshasa, yesterday.

Lawyers filed a suit in France claiming the govt plotted to carry out arbitrary arrests and detentions, barbarous acts and crimes against humanity.

In his first major United Nations speech eight years ago, US President Barack Obama said he would not

give up on Israeli-Palestinian peace.

In likely his last UN speech, on Tuesday, he spoke little about the conflict beyond voicing the unsurprising sentiment that mat-ters would improve if Israel let go of Palestinian land and if the Pal-estinians rejected incitement and embraced Israel’s legitimacy.

While US officials have said Obama could lay out the rough outlines of a deal - “parameters” in diplomatic parlance - after the November 8 presidential election and before he departs on Jan. 20, many Middle East analysts doubt this will have much effect.

The result, they say, is likely to be a legacy of failure on an issue Obama made a priority when he came into office in 2009 and declared in his first UN General Assembly address: “I will not waver in my pursuit of peace.”

Obama has little to show for his two efforts - one spear-headed by George Mitchell in his first term and another by US Sec-retary of State John Kerry in his second.

“He has not made an impact on this issue, at all, and he wants to,” said Elliott Abrams, a Middle East adviser to former President George W Bush, a Republican. “So I think the question that he is asking is really a legacy question, rather than asking a pragmatic question of what will really help the parties.”

Obama will raise concerns about Israeli settlements when he meets Israeli Prime Minister Ben-jamin Netanyahu in New York, the White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said.

Rhodes said Obama had no plans to pursue a new Israeli-Pal-estinian peace initiative before leaving office, though he could take unspecified steps.

A US official who tracks the

issue said he does not expect the White House to decide whether Obama might make a speech on the issue or seek to pass a new UN Security Council resolution, until after Americans elect his successor.

“They are waiting to see what they can get the boss to do after the election pressure is over,” said the official, who spoke on con-dition of anonymity. “They have been toying with the idea for months.”

The US presidential election pits Democrat Hillary Clinton, Obama’s former secretary of state and his choice for the top job, against Republican businessman Donald Trump. Several analysts believe Obama will consult Clin-ton if she wins.

The acid political climate between Israelis and Palestin-ians makes progress unlikely. Netanyahu and Palestinian Pres-ident Mahmoud Abbas have no plans to meet this week at the annual UN gathering of world leaders.

“We don’t expect much from Abu Mazen,” Israeli Ambassa-dor to the United Nations Danny Danon told reporters on Monday, referring to the Palestinian leader

by his nickname.Palestinians say Israeli set-

tlement expansion in occupied territory is dimming any prospect for the viable state they seek, with a capital in Arab East Jerusalem.

Israel has demanded tighter security measures from the Palestinians and a crackdown on militants responsible for a string of stabbings and shootings against Israelis in recent months. It also says Jerusalem is Israel’s indivisible capital.

With US efforts to broker a deal on a Palestinian state on Israel-occupied land in deep freeze for two years, France has tried to revive interest in the issue, with one senior French dip-lomat arguing that letting matters drift even during a US election year is like “waiting for a pow-der keg to explode.”

In his eighth speech before the UN General Assembly, Obama gave little time to the Israeli-Pal-estinian issue. “Surely, Israelis and Palestinians will be better off if Palestinians reject incitement and recognise the legitimacy of Israel, but Israel recognises that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land,” Obama said in his lone direct reference to the conflict during the 48-minute speech.

The lack of progress has frus-trated Arab and Western officials, some of whom were not shy about voicing their dismay.

“On this issue, you hear eve-rything and nothing from the Americans. One says Obama is ready to do something, another says ‘no way’; one says

a resolution is the way forward, another says ‘in your dreams,’” said a senior Western diplomat.

Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washing-ton said Obama tends to act as a “mandarin” who offers rational solutions rather than as a politi-cian who moves public opinion.

As a result, merely sketching out the contours of a deal would do little to change the political realities on the ground.

“What the United States thinks has never been the miss-ing link,” he said. “The weak link has often been a question of implementation. The White House hasn’t been very good at persuading people to see things their way and act accordingly.”

VIEWS08 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Afghanistan has made a huge advance in its struggle against Taliban. This advance is not on the battlefield by wresting more territory, but by getting more fighters to its side for a united front against the insurgents.

The authorities have decided to sign a peace accord with Hezb-e-Islami of Afghanistan, a party led by one of the country’s most prominent Islamist warlords -- Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Hekmatyar is a veteran of almost 40 years of fighting who has been allied with the Taliban and the Al Qaeda and the government has been in talks with him for months to bring him into the political mainstream. A preliminary deal was reached in May and the long-expected final deal is expected to be signed today.

The agreement is significant as it broadens the front against a resurgent Taliban which has been reluctant to choose the path

of negotiation. It will also help the government persuade more militant groups to choose the political process.

One challenge for President Ashraf Ghani will be to avert divisions within his government over the deal. Ghani’s partner in government, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, is said to be having reservations about reaching an agreement with a Pashtun warlord of huge prominence due to fears, among Abdullah’s mainly Tajik supporters, that it might upset the current balance in the government. But that’s a challenge Ghani can overcome as the options are narrowing before him in his efforts to

wrest territories from the Taliban. There has also been criticism of reaching a deal with a leader

who has been accused of grave human rights violations. Though this criticism is legitimate, the larger objective of defeating Taliban needs to be given priority. The US too has welcomed the agreement and the State Department hopes a final agreement would help to end violence in Afghanistan.

Interestingly, the agreement comes as the United States is set to mark 15 full years of war in Afghanistan. It’s a war that now America is trying to put behind as the country heads for another presidential election. When even the most frivolous issues are being exploited for political gain in the current presidential campaign, both Democrats and Republicans are avoiding any mention of a war even though it is still costing American lives and billions of dollars. This is sends a message to Afghanistan – that it has to take complete charge of its future. The world interest in Afghanistan is dwindling.

As the world gets embroiled in new wars and crises, old wars are forgotten, though affected countries are still reeling from its consequences.

Afghan peace deal

Peace accord with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar will help persuade other militant groups to join the political process.

Quote of the day

The threat to the international community has become increasingly grave and all the more realistic. It demands a new means of addressing it, altogether different from what we applied until yesterday.

Shinzo Abe Japanese Prime Minister

E S TA B L I S H E D I N 1996

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As Obama’s term wanes, so does focus on Israeli-Palestinian issue

By Arshad Mohammed

and John Irish Reuters

Surely, Israelis and Palestinians will be better off if Palestinians reject incitement and recognise the legitimacy of Israel, but Israel recognises that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land.

US President Barack Obama addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York.

OPINION 09THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

All thoughts and views expressed in these columns are those of the writers, not of the newspaper.All correspondence regarding Views and Opinion pages should be mailed to the Editor-in-Chief.

US drone case tests rights to airspaceBy Paola Totaro and Konstantin Kakaes Reuters

When a small town Ameri-can roofer took legal action against a neighbour for shooting down his drone,

the local dispute sparked a case that could help shape the newest frontier of property rights law - who owns the air.

Drone owner David Boggs filed a claim for declaratory judgment and damages in the Federal Court after his neighbour William Merideth from Hillview in the southern state of Ken-tucky blasted his $1,800 drone with a shotgun in July last year.

Boggs argued to the District Court in Kentucky that the action was not jus-tified as the drone was not trespassing nor invading anyone’s privacy, while Merideth - who dubs himself the “drone slayer” - said it was over his garden and his daughter.

After a year of counter argument, a decision on which court jurisdiction should hear the complaint is expected within weeks and this could set new precedents for US law.

Experts are watching the case closely as the burgeoning drone industry, fuelled both by hobbyists and commercial oper-ators, highlights the lack of regulation governing lower altitude air space not just in the United States but globally.

“We are in an interesting time now when technology has surpassed the law,” said Boggs’ lawyer, James Mackler, a former Blackhawk pilot and partner at Frost Brown Todd and one of a handful of attorneys specialising in unmanned aircraft law.

“Operators need to know where they can fly and owners must know when they can reasonably expect privacy and be free of prying eyes,” said Mackler whose work involves advising both corporate and government clients planning com-mercial drone use.

The landmark case comes amid a sharp increase in the global market for drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, with research firm, Markets and Mar-kets estimating an annual growth rate of 32 percent every year to a $5.6bn indus-try by 2020.

The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) forecasts about 2.5 million drones will be buzzing in US skies by the end of 2016 - and that number will more than triple by 2020.

But with the global industry surging,

all parties, including Merideth, and Boggs’ lawyer, Mackler, agree the use of drones in lower air space urgently needs to be clarified and defined.

“To be honest with you, at the time I did what I did I was reacting as most homeowners would, protecting their property, their kids ... I didn’t know who was operating the drone or for what pur-pose,” Merideth told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“In the end, I’m hoping that laws can be put into place to protect not just the home owner but the individual who owns the drone. They have rights too. It is a huge grey area and for now nobody knows what they are allowed to do.”

Mackler estimates about a drone a month is shot down in the United States as residents grapple with the legal confu-sion about what constitutes their property and their rights.

“What happens typically is that law enforcement doesn’t know what to do and civil suits are uncommon as most peo-ple don’t want to get involved due to the costs,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foun-dation in a telephone interview.

Boggs’ complaint states that the drone was flying at about 200 feet (6o m) above ground level for around two minutes over residential Bullitt County when it was blasted out of the sky.

The height at which the drone was flying is disputed as Merideth insists it was much lower - an integral part of the legal case because higher airspace used by commercial planes is clearly defined in law.

For now, there is no real agreement on who owns the air space below that height and there are also no rules that

identify who has the right to say how it can be used.

The court challenge filed by Boggs in January shows

Merideth’s defence for downing the drone hinged on his belief it may have been taking video or still images of his daughter.

When Boggs challenged his neigh-bour, Merideth warned him that not only was he was protecting his family’s rights but he was not to come any further.

Police were called and Merideth was charged with felony, wanton endanger-ment and criminal mischief but Kentucky District Court Judge Rebecca Ward last October dismissed the criminal charges, saying he “had a right to shoot at the aircraft”.

Boggs’ lawyer Mackler said the case is not about payment for the damaged drone but about carving legally clear boundaries between unregulated lower air space and personal property.

If the case is heard in the District Court, he said, it will not be binding in other federal court jurisdictions but will be influential in other courts. However, if it is appealed and sent to a higher court, it could create a precedent for the country.

Despite the lack of legal clarity over air space, the United States moved to free up the use of small drones on August 30 by relaxing rules requiring drone operators to have a manned pilots licence and specific FAA approval.

These have been replaced with a new class of FAA licence which is much less onerous and less expensive, allowing the use of drones weighing less than 25 kgs for routine educational or commercial use such as power line and antenna

inspections.The rules stopped short of allowing

package deliveries, as proposed by Amazon.com Inc, and currently drones can only be used in sight of the operator and not over people.

The FAA expects within a year 600,000 drones will be used commercially - up from 20,000 registered now for commercial use.

Anglo-American property law scholars trace the first principles of law for the air back more than 800 years to the Latin “cujus est solum ejus est usque ad coelom et ad infernos”.

This effectively meant that earthly property ownership was deemed to include everything below land to the centre of the earth and upwards in the sky to heaven.

But with the advent of commercial air travel this principle was laid to rest because property owners could not be considered as owners of the air thousands of feet above their homes if air travel was to prosper.

In the United States, the legal principles that emerged over the 20th century focused on nuisance: flights at great heights came to be permitted without regard to the rights of property owners, while low altitude flights, including take-offs and landings, had to factor in the impact on nearby property.

The most important case to define these principles in the United States involved the health of a farmer’s chickens.

Known as the ‘United States versus Causby,’ the challenge unfolded during World War II when noisy military aircraft started flying from the Greensboro-High Point Airfield and over Thomas Causby

prosperous chicken farm near in North Carolina.

The constant roar of planes sent Causby’s 400 chickens into a frenzy and they stopped laying eggs, ruining his livelihood.

The farmer sued the Federal Government and both the lower courts and the Supreme Court found in his favour, stating that a landowner “owns at least as much of the space above the ground as he can occupy or use in connection with the land”. This has been a guiding principle of US law for more than 70 years.

By 1958, Federal regulations evolved to clearly define navigable airspace to include everything that was 500 feet or more above ground level, along with “airspace needed to insure safety in take-off and landing of aircraft”.

The “ad coelum”, or to the sky, doctrine, “had no place in the modern world,” wrote Justice William Douglas in his Causby judgment in 1946, arguing there exists “public highway” in the sky which was part of the “public domain”.

Mackler said the current tensions over drones partly derived from the lack of clarity over the legality of their use.

“People have a visceral reaction to seeing a drone. Unmanned aircraft are something different, something they often don’t expect,” he said.

“But if you know that in advance that a drone is being used by your utility company to inspect the safety of the local power lines, you will be less fearful. Law and technology have always had this tension: it takes time, especially if it has to go through the courts. But it will work its way out.”

Japan’s shrinking population not burden but incentive: AbeBy Linda Sieg and Kiyoshi Takenaka

Reuters

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan’s ageing, shrink-ing population was not a burden, but an incentive to

boost productivity through innova-tions like robots, wireless sensors and Artificial Intelligence.

Abe’s comments yesterday came days after official data showed that Japan has 34.6m people aged 65 and older, or 27.3 percent of the popula-tion - the highest proportion among advanced nations.

“I have absolutely no worries about Japan’s demography,” Abe said in a prepared speech at a Reu-ters Newsmaker event, noting that nominal gross domestic product had grown despite losing 3 million work-ing-age people over the last three years.

“Japan may be ageing. Japan may be losing its population. But these are incentives for us,” he said. “Why? Because we will continue to

be motivated to grow our produc-tivity,” Abe added, citing robots, wireless sensors, and Artificial Intel-ligence as among the tools to do so. “So, Japan’s demography, paradox-ically, is not an onus, but a bonus.”

Abe has said he wants to halt the slide in Japan’s population at 100 million people by 2060, about one-fifth below the current level. The government also aims to raise the fertility rate from 1.4 births per woman to 1.8 - still below the 2.1 needed to prevent a population from shrinking.

Abe has focussed on mobilising women and the elderly to com-pensate for a shrinking workforce rather than tackle head-on the polit-ically touchy topic of immigration, although some changes are being considered on that front.

He outlined plans for labour-market reform, which he said would help boost long-term growth, but steered clear of a move many experts say is vital - making it eas-ier for companies to fire workers.

A divide has emerged between a falling number of salaried work-ers and a rising tide of part-time or

other “irregular” employees, whose lower wages and scant job security depress spending and constrain con-sumer confidence.

Abe vowed that a task force he is convening will fill this gap and ensure equal pay for equal work, as well as find ways to encourage more women and older people to work.

But he declined to directly address a question on whether the government would make it easier to dismiss workers who do not have the needed skills. Instead, Abe referred to a domestic debate about whether to settle dismissals with cash pay-ments rather than in court.

“I have no intention of intro-ducing a system where you can fire people freely with monetary compensation,” he said. Abe, who returned to office in December 2012 for a rare second term pledging to reboot the economy with mix of ultra-easy monetary policy, fiscal spending and reforms, reiterated that the economy remained his top priority.

Critics worry he might switch his attention to trying to revise Japan’s post-war pacifist constitution, as

Abenomics seems to be running out of steam.

Hours before Abe spoke, the Bank of Japan made an abrupt shift to targeting interest rates on gov-ernment bonds to achieve its elusive inflation target, after years of mas-sive money printing failed to jolt the economy out of decades-long stagnation.

Abe welcomed the decision, expressed confidence in his hand-picked central bank chief, Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, and vowed to work with the BOJ. “The govern-ment and the BOJ will work as one in close coordination to accelerate ‘Abenomics’,” he said. “We haven’t escaped from deflation yet. I believe we can make steady progress toward escaping from it.”

The prime minister also said his government would seek quick approval by parliament of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact and urged the United States to do the same.

“Please do ratify the TPP,” Abe said. “We are simply waiting for you to take a leadership role. ‘Come along, America’, should be my own

message to you.”US President Barack Obama’s

administration intends to make a final full-court push to convince Republican leaders in the US Congress to approve the 12-nation trade deal in a “lame duck” session after the November 8 presidential election.

Both Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party candidate, and Republican candidate Donald Trump are opposed to the pact, which is unpopular with US labour unions and environmental groups.

Abe also made a pitch for Japan’s high-tech “maglev” railway, suggesting once again that the technology, which Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tokai) aims to use to link the cities of Tokyo and Nagoya by 2027, would be a good fit for the New York-to-Washington route.

“The distance between Tokyo and Nagoya is almost the same as that between New York and D C.,” Abe said. “And by the way, you could do the same thing here with the maglev technology that is there for you to get.”

The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) forecasts about 2.5 million drones will be buzzing in US skies by the end of 2016 - and that number will more than triple by 2020.

Japan may be ageing. Japan may be losing its population. But these are incentives for us,” he said. “Why? Because we will continue to be motivated to grow our productivity.

A new GoPro Karma foldable drone is seen flying during a press event in Olympic Valley, California, yesterday.

ASIA / PHILIPPINES10 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Martial law decried

US supersonic bomber lands in South KoreaReuters

OSAN, SOUTH KOREA: Two US supersonic bombers flew over South Korea yesterday, with one of them landing at an air base 40km south of the capital, the second such flight since North Korea’s September 9 nuclear test.

US Forces Korea said the flight by a pair of B-1B Lancer strategic bomb-ers based in Guam was a show of force and of US commitment to pre-serve the security of the peninsula and the region.

The United States, which has about 28,500 troops in South Korea, flew two B-1 bombers on September 13 escorted by US and South Korean fighter jets in a show of solidarity with Seoul.

The North condemned the earlier

flight as an armed provocation that mobilized “ill-famed nuclear killing tools”. It did not immediately respond to yesterday’s flight.

The US Air Force said the yes-terday’s flight was the closest ever to North Korea by a B-1 bomber.

“Today marks the first time the airframe has landed on the Korean peninsula in 20 years, as well as con-ducting the closest flight near North Korea ever,” the US Air Force said on its website which also showed a B-1B bomber landing at the base in South Korea. The South’s Yonhap news agency said the aircraft flew over a US live-fire training site in the Pocheon area bordering the North.

North Korea has ignored global condemnation of its fifth nuclear test on September 9, and this week said it had successfully tested a new rocket engine that would be used to launch satellites, again in violation of UN sanctions.

The leaders of the United States and China, which is the North’s main diplomatic ally and economic benefactor, condemned the latest nuclear test and pledged to step up

cooperation at the United Nations and in law enforcement channels.

UN diplomats say the two

countries have begun discussions on a possible UN resolution in response to the latest nuclear test, but China

has not said directly whether it would support tougher steps against North Korea.

SINGAPORE: A Singapore court approved yester-day the extradition of two former defence contractor executives at the heart of a bribery scandal that has rocked the US Navy.

Linda Raja and Neil Peterson used to work at Glenn Defence Marine Asia (GDMA), whose owner Leonard Glenn Francis is awaiting US sen-tencing after admitting his port-services company plied officers with cash to ensure US Navy ships stopped at ports where GDMA operated.

The pair’s extradition to the US now requires the go-ahead from Singa-pore’s law minister.

Singapore allows

extradition in US

Navy bribery case

Drug kingpin

sentenced to

death in VietnamHANOI: A court in Viet-nam sentenced to death a notorious drug king-pin and eight associates yesterday, delivering the maximum punishment in a single verdict over the trafficking of more than half a tonne of heroin.

The case centred on Trang A Tang, a leader of a network that trafficked drugs from the infamous Golden Triangle area of Laos, Myanmar and Thai-land, and distributed in Vietnam. The judge called Tang “extremely danger-ous” and said he “must be permanently removed from society”, state-run radio Voice of Vietnam reported.

Duterte’s crime war ‘a risk for economy’

Reuters

TOKYO: Japan signalled yesterday it would scrap a costly prototype nuclear reactor that has operated for less than a year in more than two decades at a cost of $9.84bn.

Tokyo believes it would be diffi-cult to gain public support to spend several hundreds of billion yen to upgrade the Monju facility, which has been plagued by accidents, mis-steps and falsification of documents.

There is also a strong anti-nuclear sentiment in Japan in reaction to the 2011 Fukushima atomic disaster and calls to decom-mission Monju have been growing in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, with scant results from

using around 20 billion yen of pubic money a year for mainte-nance alone.

Monju was designed to burn plutonium from spent fuel at con-ventional reactors to create more fuel than it consumes. The process is appealing to a country whose limited resources force it to rely on imports for virtually all its oil and gas needs.

Science Minister Hirokazu Mat-suno, Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko and others had decided to shift policy away from developing Monju, a fast-breeder nuclear reactor in the west of the country, the government said.

They had also agreed to keep the nuclear fuel cycle intact and would set up a committee to decide a policy for future fast-breeder development by the end of the year.

Cambodia deports 13

Taiwanese fraud suspects

AFP

MANILA: President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on crime is threatening the Philippines’ econ-omy and endangering its democratic institutions, international credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s warned yesterday.

S&P maintained its stable outlook for the Philippines, but highlighted a range of “weak-nesses” under the new Duterte administration that also included his foreign policy and national security statements.

“The president has a strong focus on improving ‘law and order’, which has allegedly resulted in numerous extrajudicial killings since he came to power,” S&P said.

“This could undermine respect for the rule of law and human rights through the direct challenges it

presents to the legitimacy of the judi-ciary, media and other democratic institutions.”

“When combined with the pres-ident’s policy pronouncements elsewhere on foreign policy and national security, we believe that the stability and predictability of policy-making has diminished somewhat,” it added.

Duterte, 71, has vowed to ignore a wave of international condemnation over the killing spree, with US Pres-ident Barack Obama, the European Parliament and the United Nations among the many critics.

He has typically used abu-sive language in responding to the criticism.

Duterte has also sought to loosen the Philippines’ decades-old alli-ance with the US, such as by saying he wanted to kick out US troops who are in the country for anti-terror-ism efforts, while courting Chinese investment.

Nevertheless, the charismatic 71-year-old remains wildly popu-lar as many Filipinos embrace his promise of a quick solution to the deep-rooted crime problem.

The Philippines enjoyed strong economic growth during the pre-vious administration of Benigno Aquino, who was required by the constitution to stand down after a single six-year term.

S&P, as well as competitors Moody’s and Fitch rating agencies, in 2013 all raised the Philippines to investment-grade level for the first time, indicating a lower risk to investors.

In maintaining the stable out-look, S&P said it believed the Duterte administration would “broadly con-tinue” the Aquino administration’s macro-economic policies.

But it highlighted “rising uncer-tainties surrounding the stability, predictability and accountability” under Duterte’s leadership.

Japan to scrap $9.84bn

N-reactor prototype

Taiwan to Google: Blur images of S China Sea facilities

Reuters

SHANGHAI: Cambodia has deported 13 Taiwanese nation-als suspected of telecoms fraud to China, the Ministry of Public Secu-rity in Beijing has said, ignoring protests from Taiwan asking the Southeast Asian country not to pro-ceed.

The public security ministry said on Tuesday the 50 Chinese nationals were also sent back with the Taiwanese deportees.

They were all arrested in a Cam-bodian police raid in Phnom Penh and suspected of committing inter-net and phone extortion fraud.

Such scams have cost billions of dollars and driven some victims to suicide.

Cambodia, one of China’s clos-est allies, does not have official relations with self-ruled Taiwan. It treats the island as part of “one

China” in line with Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province.

Uk Heisela, a senior official in Cambodia’s immigration depart-ment, confirmed the deportations and said Taiwan had not been in touch with Phnom Penh over the case.

“All victims are in China,” he said.

Cambodia has deported more than 200 people suspected of involvement in the fraud rings to China since November.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said late on Tuesday it had protested strongly against the deportation of Taiwanese nationals to China and said Cambodia had been pressured by China.

The Chinese public security ministry said the suspects were being brought back to help with investigations and because the victims of the gang-related fraud scheme were from the mainland.

Reuters

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s defence ministry said yesterday it is asking Google to blur satellite images showing what experts say appear to be new mili-tary installations on Itu Aba, Taipei’s sole holding in the disputed South China Sea.

The revelation of new military-related construction could raise tensions in the contested waterway, where China’s building of airstrips and other facilities has worried other claimants and the United States.

The images seen on Google Earth show four three-pronged structures sitting in a semi-circle just off the northwestern shoreline of Itu Aba, across from an upgraded airstrip and recently constructed port that can dock 3,000-tonne frigates.

“Under the pre-condition of protecting military secrets and secu-rity, we have requested Google blur images of important military facil-ities,” Taiwan Defence Ministry spokesman Chen Chung-chi said yes-terday, after local media published the images on Itu Aba.

The United States has urged against the militarisation of the

South China Sea, following the rapid land reclamation by China on several disputed reefs through dredging, and building air fields and port facilities.

Taiwan’s defence ministry and coast guard, which directly over-sees Itu Aba, said recently that details about the structures are confiden-tial and have not commented on their nature.

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, did not immediately respond for com-ment on the request.

Defence experts in Taiwan said that based on the imagery of the structures and their semi-circular layout, the structures were likely

related to defence and could be part of an artillery foundation.

“I think definitely it will be for military purposes, but I cannot tell if it is for defending, attacking or mon-itoring,” said Dustin Wang, a scholar and a former government advisor who has regularly visited Itu Aba.

Wang said given the structures› location which faces the main sea-borne traffic, they may relate to surveillance.

China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts or all of the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes.

A US Air Force B-1B Lancer (bottom) deployed to Andersen Air Base, Guam, and two F-15K Slam Eagles assigned to Daegu Air Base, Republic of Korea, fly over skies yesterday.

Activists holding a banner raise clinched fists as they march near the Malacanang Palace, to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, in Manila, yesterday.

US Forces Korea said that the flight by a pair of B-1B Lancer strategic bombers was a US commitment to preserve the security of the peninsula and the region.

HK ‘triads’ arrested over lawmaker death threatsAFP

HONG KONG: Hong Kong police arrested six people yesterday over death threats to a new city law-maker who is advocating more autonomy from China, with reports saying some of the sus-pects have triad links.

Eddie Chu was one of several rebel lawmakers to win seats in landmark legislative elections

earlier this month. He and his family have been under 24-hour protection since the vote on Sep-tember 4 due to threats to their safety.

Police said yesterday that six men had been arrested for “intimidation” linked to the death threats made to Chu, but gave no further detail.

The South China Morning Post reported suspected triad mem-bers were among those arrested in yesterday morning raids.

PAKISTAN 11THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Anatolia

KARACHI: After it was revealed last week that the US government had agreed to pay $1.3m in compensation to the family of an Italian aid worker killed in a drone strike in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region last year, Pakistanis have been asking why hundreds of families are not being offered the same.

The White House said it regretted the deaths of Giovanni Lo Porto, 37, and US aid worker Warren Weinstein, 73, who were “inadvertently” killed

while being held hostage by Al Qaeda, but activists say it has never made such plans for Pakistani families, during the 12 years of drone oper-ations in the tribal belt that borders Pakistan.

While US drone strikes have killed several key militants, including leaders of the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban,

according to the UK-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, up to almost a thousand Pakistan civilians, around 200 of them chil-dren, have also been killed since 2004, though the US claimed the civilian death toll is much lower.

Malak Jalal Khan Dawar, a resi-dent of Dattakhel town in the North Waziristan tribal area, has lost 27 family members and neighbours to drone strikes. He said he does not think the US will ever compensate Pakistanis.

“Compensation will not bring my relatives back but it will at least be an admission from the US that it has killed more civilians than militants,” Jalal, who in July this year attended a session at British Parliament on drones, said.

“This is the biggest lie of the cen-tury, that the drones have targeted militants only. Drones have killed

not more than three dozen Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders but thousands of innocent people, including women and children.”

Karim Khan, another anti-drone activist, whose son and brother were killed in a drone strike in North Waziristan in 2009, also accused the US of “double-standards” by com-pensating the American and Italian families.

“Our lives have no value in her eyes,” he said. “President Obama publicly apologised to the Italian worker’s family earlier in April 2015. My innocent son and brother were killed in 2009 and till today I have

not received a word of condolence from any government.”

“I feel the US’ selective vision and selective justice continues. Presi-dent Obama only recognises you as a civilian if you are national of some western country.

The activists were also critical of their own government, who despite publicly objecting to the drone strikes is accused in local media of provid-ing tacit approval.

“Why would the US bother about Pakistanis when our own govern-ment does not?»

Lawyer Shahzad Akbar, chair-man of the Islamabad-based

Foundation for Fundamental Rights, which represents the families of drone strike victims, said. Akbar said the US has paid compensation to civilians in Afghanistan because, he said, the Afghan government had done more than Pakistan to support its citizens.

“I do not expect anything from the Pakistan government. It has given a license to America to kill the tribes-men,” said Jalal, echoing Akbar›s sentiment.

“I am sorry to say that our own government has failed us. I don’t know where we should go to seek justice.”

Drone victims accuse US authorities of double standards

Reuters

KABUL: Afghan authorities will sign a peace accord today with Hezb-e-Islami of Afghanistan, a party led by one of the country’s most prominent Islamist warlords, the government’s media office said.

The long-expected deal with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a veteran of almost 40 years of fighting in Afghanistan, follows months of negotiations aimed at bringing his group, which has long been allied with the Taliban and al Qaeda, into the political fold.

The accord, which officials say was largely concluded at the week-end after a preliminary deal in May, will be formally signed at a cere-mony at the office of the High Peace Council at 1100 a.m (0630 GMT), the government media office said.

Hekmatyar has been accused of serious human rights abuses, nota-bly during the 1990s civil war, when his forces were blamed for heavy bombardments of Kabul that killed thousands, but he has played lit-tle direct part in the insurgency in recent years.

However, after the repeated failure to start peace talks with the Taliban, the accord offers some hope that the Kabul government can persuade other militant groups to leave the battlefield and join a peaceful political process.

The United States had welcomed signs of an agreement with Hezb-e-Islami and earlier this year, after the preliminary accord was signed, the State Department said it hoped a final agreement would help to end violence in Afghanistan.

According to Afghan media, the agreement will grant Hekmat-yar amnesty for past offences and the release of certain Hezb-i-Islami prisoners. The Kabul government

also agreed to press for the lift-ing of international sanctions on Hekmatyar.

But many, particularly among the supporters of President Ashraf Ghani’s reluctant partner in government, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, have had deep reservations about concluding an agreement with a Pashtun warlord of such prominence.

Abdullah’s mainly Tajik sup-porters have been alarmed by the prospect of a powerful Pashtun bloc upsetting the uneasy equilibrium that has held since the disputed 2014 election was resolved with the crea-tion of a national unity government.

Many activists have also been sharply critical of concluding an agreement with a leader who is accused of serious human rights abuses.

Allied at various times with the anti-Soviet mujahideen, Pakistan, al Qaeda and the Taliban, Hekmat-yar was included on the U.S. State Department’s Specially Designated Global Terrorist list in 2003.

He is believed to command several hundred fighters linked to several attacks on international and Afghan government forces.

Despite the controversy over Hekmatyar, other former war-lords, notably Vice President Rashid Dostum and second Chief Execu-tive Mohammad Mohaqiq, have also faced accusations of rights abuses and have still been included in the government.

The United States had welcomed signs of an agreement with Hezb-e-Islami and earlier this year, after the preliminary accord was signed, the State Department said it hoped a final agreement would help to end violence in Afghanistan. Many activists have also been sharply crit-ical of concluding an agreement with a leader who is accused of seri-ous human rights abuses.

Peace deal with Hekmatyar today

Internews

KARACHI: Wildlife department offi-cials in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province are searching for the yellow turtle which was spotted by villag-ers in Badin and released into a pond on Monday. The turtle was found crawling in a muddy ditch at some distance from a fish pond in Ghu-lam Mohammed Farooqui village in Badin. SiddiqBhurgari, a resident of the same village, said that later the turtle was released in a pond.

Meanwhile, Sindh wildlife department deputy director Ghu-lam SarwarJamali said yesterday that his team was searching for the

turtle in the pond.“We have so far only seen some

photographs of the turtle. So, I can’t give a comment on what type of turtle it is,” Jamali said while acknowledging he has never seen a turtle of this colour in any part of Sindh.

Jamali said after the turtle is found from the pond the wildlife department will engage experts to examine its health. “There is also a possibility that toxic effluent from the sugar mills in Badin might have caused the change in its colour. But we can’t say anything with certainty until we examine it.”

Although the Sindh Wildlife Department is yet to come up with its assessment about the turtle, the

animal resembles Albino yellow bel-lied sliders or some related species.

“There are fish ponds in our village but I bet no villager saw a thing [turtle] of this [yellow] col-our before,” said Ahmed Ali, a local resident.

“Earlier in the day, we informed the wildlife department’s game war-den [about the turtle]. But no one turned up,” Bhurgari added.

The locals put the turtle on the map by uploading its photographs and videos on the social media.

Deputy Director Wildlife, Jamali, told that the team searched three ponds in the village but the turtle could not be found. He added that the search will continue for another day.

A woman looks at beggars sitting on a footpath near a market in Rawalpindi, yesterday.

Waiting for alms

Officials searching for rare yellow turtle

AFP

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lashed out at India over escalating tensions in Kashmir, telling the UN General Assembly yesterday that New Delhi was an obstacle to peace.

Gun battles raged Tuesday on the disputed Kashmir bor-der between the nuclear-armed neighbours, two days after 18 Indian soldiers were killed in an

attack blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

The Sunday assault was the worst of its kind to hit the divided Himalayan region in more than a decade.

“The international commu-nity ignores the danger of rising tensions in South Asia, at its own peril,” Sharif warned the General Assembly.

“Pakistan wants peace with India. I have gone the extra mile to achieve this,” he told the gath-ering in New York. “But India has posed unacceptable preconditions to engage in a dialogue.”

“Let us be clear: talks are no favour to Pakistan. Talks are in the interest of both countries. They are essential to resolve our differences,” the Pakistani premier said.

“We are open to discussing all measures of restraint and respon-sibility with India, in any forum or format and without any conditions,” Sharif said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to pun-ish those responsible for Sunday›s attack in Kashmir and has faced calls from some within India for military action against Pakistan.

India obstacle to peace: Sharif Pakistan wants peace with India. I have gone the extra mile to achieve this. But India has posed unacceptable preconditions to engage in a dialogue: Nawaz Sharif

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressing the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, yesterday.

By-polls show

drop in PTI

votes in Sahiwal ISLAMABAD:Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Rai Murtaza Iqbal, who was defeated in Monday’s by-election to NA-162 Chichawatni, Sahiwal, got over 25,000 votes less than the bal-lots its nominee had secured in the 2013 gen-eral elections.

This time the PTI rep-resentative clinched 63,211 votes while his uncle, Rai Hassan Nawaz sponsored by it in 2013, had bagged 88,974 bal-lots and had emerged as the winner. Thus, there was a drop of 25,763 votes in just three years. This exhibited the declin-ing vote-bank of the PTI due to its policies.

Hassan Nawaz had won the seat with a lead of 13,218 votes while his nephew was routed with a margin of 13,369 ballots. The three generations of powerful Rais had been consecutively successful in all elections in Chich-awatni because of their tremendous personal influence.

In the last local polls, they were able to get most of the union councils of Chichawatni Tehsil, the only area in Punjab where the PTI had shown an impressive performance.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) cardholder, TufailJutt, who won the by-poll, bagged 76,580 votes. In 2013, it had not fielded any candidate for this constituency.

Haji Ayub, who had contested the election as an independent, was the runner-up with 75,756 ballots.

WB support

sought to

implement NFIS

ISLAMABAD: The gov-ernment of Pakistan has initiated a project to gar-ner World Bank support to implement the National Financial Inclusion Strat-egy (NFIS) for achieving its financial inclusion goals and moving towards uni-versal financial access.

According to details of the project prepared by the World Bank, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will provide $80m while the International Develop-ment Association (IDA) will support the project with a soft loan of $50m.

While appraisal of the project will begin next month, the World Bank executive board is expected to approve the $130m project early next year.

Race Course

Road renamed

Lok Kalyan Marg NEW DELHI: The Race Course Road, where the Prime Minister’s official residence is located, was yesterday renamed Lok Kalyan Marg.

The announcement was made at a press con-ference attended by NDMC Chairman Naresh Kumar, Delhi Chief Min-ister Arvind Kejriwal and Meenakshi Lekhi, the BJP MP who represents New Delhi constituency in Parliament.

“We have unanimously decided to change the name of Race Course Road to Lok Kalyan Marg,” Kejriwal said.

“Inspired by public welfare we all have joined politics, be it Arvindji, me or the Prime Minister of India, inspired by pub-lic welfare people have joined politics.

Nothing is greater than Lok Kalyan (public welfare), so it should be named so,” said Lekhi to reporters.

648MW solar

plant dedicated

to nationCHENNAI: Adani Green Energy (Tamil Nadu) Ltd yesterday dedicated its 648MW solar power project in the state to the nation, the company said.

In a statement issued here, Adani Green Energy said it has dedicated the world’s largest solar power plant at a single location of 648MW set up in Kamuthi, Ramanathu-puram district.

“This is a momentous occasion for the state of Tamil Nadu as well as the entire country.”

“We are extremely happy to dedicate this plant to the nation; a plant of this magnitude reinstates the country’s ambition of becoming one of the leading green energy producers in the world,” Chairman Gautam Adani of Adani Group was quoted as saying in the statement.

AAP legislator

arrested over

harassment caseNEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Amanatullah Khan was yesterday arrested after a physical harassment complaint by his brother-in-law’s wife, police said.

“We arrested Khan today (Wednesday). We had called him for questioning after his brother-in-law’s wife filed a complaint,” a senior police officer said.

After his arrest, Khan, who represents Okhla constituency in south Delhi, took to Twitter and wrote: “Came here at (the) DCP office Sarita Vihar for general discussion. But they arrested me.”

Following the com-plaint by the woman (spouse of his wife’s brother), a FIR was lodged against Khan at the Jamia Nagar police station in south Delhi on Septem-ber 10.

The complainant accused Khan of pres-surising her to establish physical relations. Khan has denied the allegation, saying he had “no con-nection with the woman at all”.

INDIA12 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

IANS

NEW DELHI: In a major finan-cial sector reform, India yesterday decided to do away with a 92-year-old legacy of separate general and railway budgets by unifying them, a tradition that has been continu-ing since British colonial times. The

budget presentation date in all like-lihood is being advanced to February 1 every year, from the last day of Feb-ruary as was the norm.

“From coming year, the rail-way and the general budgets will be amalgamated. There will be only one budget. And secondly, distinction between plan and non-plan expend-iture will be ended from next year. Consequently there will be only one appropriation bill,” Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (pictured) said here after a Cabinet meeting.

Jaitley said over the years the general budget expenditures have gone up than the railways, and added

that ministries like defence have more expenditures than railways but form part of the general budget. The decision to merge the rail and general budgets was mooted by Railway Min-ister Suresh Prabhu and endorsed by NITI Aayog’s member Bibek Debroy, which also proposed the doing away of the distinction between plan and non-plan expenditure.

Both Jaitley and Prabhu clar-ified that the distinct identity of the Indian Railways will be main-tained -- including the freedom to raise resources via extra-budgetary means.

“Functional autonomy of the Railways will be maintained,” Jaitley said. “This is a historic step, match-ing global benchmark and best. This will help raise capital expenditure in Railways which will enhance con-nectivity in the country and boost economic growth,” Prabhu said.

“Distinct identity of Railways will be maintained. Our effort to leverage extra budgetary resources will con-tinue,” he added.

The Railways pay about `10,000 crore as dividend annually.

While clarifying on the new date of the budget, Jaitley said it will be advanced and the government in-principle wants the Finance Bill to be passed before March 31. But the date of the budget will be decided depend-ing on various state elections dates.

The advancement of the date is to ensure the Finance Bill is passed in the first half of the Budget session

than to spill over to the second half after recess.

Non-plan expenditure is what the government spends on the so-called non-productive areas, such as salaries, subsidies, loans and inter-est, while plan expenditure pertains to the money to be set aside for pro-ductive purposes, like the various projects of ministries.

Railway & general budgets to be unified Over the years the general budget expenditures have gone up than the railways. Ministries like defence have more expenditures than railways but form part of the general budget: FM

IANS

NEW DELHI: Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar yesterday summoned Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit here following Sunday’s cross-border terror attack on an army base at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir in which 18 Indian soldiers lost their lives.

According to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry,

Basit was reminded that the Pakistan government “had made a solemn commitment in January 2004 to not allow its soil or territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India”.

“The persistent and growing violation of this undertaking is a matter of very serious concern,” the statement said. “The latest ter-rorist attack in Uri only underlines that the infrastructure of terror-ism in Pakistan remains active. We demand that Pakistan lives up to its

public commitment to refrain from supporting and sponsoring terror-ism against India.”

India has blamed the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist outfit for the early morning attacks.

The statement said that begin-ning with the cross-border terror attack in January this year, there have been continuous attempts by armed terrorists to cross the Line of Control (LoC) and International Boundary in order to carry out attacks in India.

Uri attack: Pakistani envoy summoned

A woman lights candles during a vigil for the soldiers, who were killed in Sunday’s attack at an army base in Kashmir’s Uri, at a school in Jammu, yesterday.

A Chennai Metro Rail train travels along the track between the airport and Little Mount in Chennai, yesterday. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa, has opened the second section of the metro rail system in the southern city on a video-conferencing link from the State Secretariat.

Chennai metro

Congress questions merger move NEW DELHI: The Congress questioned the government’s move to merge the railway budget with the general budget and said that the focus instead should be on bringing about a turnaround in the railways. Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said it was not clear how the merger will help the railways.

“What really needs to be the government’s priority is to ensure there are some firm policies in place where the railways can manage to make a turnaround,” Chaturvedi said.

Chaturvedi said: “The railways has periodically effected fare increase but passenger flow is not increasing. It also added new capacities for coal transportation but that too has not picked up, causing it a loss of over `3,000 crore.” Taking a potshot at the government’s move to advance the presentation of the general budget, the Congress leader said: “Dates do not bring about changes; policies and the initiatives bring changes.”

IANS

NEW DELHI: The Apex Council on river water-sharing between Telan-gana and Andhra Pradesh yesterday decided to install telemetry system and constitute a joint committee to study availability of water.

Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti told reporters after the first meeting of the council in New Delhi that the report of the joint committee will be sent to tribunal to allocate water to the two states.

The first meeting of the coun-cil was attended by Uma Bharti, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his Telan-gana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao.

The irrigation ministers and top officials from both the states and the Centre also attended the meeting, which lasted for over two hours.

The central minister said the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and there was agree-ment on three issues.

“Telemetry system will be installed wherever they want, for water gauging. Both states wanted this so that we know quantity of water in each river and how much is flowing into each state,” Bharti said.

It was also agreed that a joint committee, comprising of engi-neers from the two states and from

the Central Water Commission, will be constituted to study availability of water in the river basin.

“The report of the joint commit-tee will be sent to the tribunal with a request to allocate the water to the states so that they can go ahead with their respective projects,” Bharati added.

The Chief Ministers were not present during her media briefing.

She declined to answer more questions, saying all other issues will be decided by the officials of the two states.

During the meeting, both the Chief Minister presented their cases on projects on the Krishna and Godavari rivers.

The Centre constituted the Apex Council on the direction of the Supreme Court and in line with the provisions made in the AP Reor-ganisation Act, 2014.

The two Telugu states have been sparring over sharing of river waters. Telangana alleged that Andhra was resorting to diversion of huge quantity of water from the Pothireddypadu head. Andhra objected to «illegal projects» like Palamuru-Ranga Reddy and Dindi being taken up by Telangana.

Telangana is also demanding a share in the Krishna water as compensation for Andhra Pradesh diverting Godavari water through the Pattiseema lift irrigation scheme.

AP & Telangana to form

system for water sharing

IANS

NEW DELHI: Baloch nationalist leader Brahumdagh Bugti, who is the president of Baloch Republican Party (BRP) that is seeking inde-pendence for the troubled Pakistani province, has discussed the terms

of asylum in India with Indian dip-lomats in Geneva. “Talks with the Indian diplomats were very fruit-ful and they were very supportive. We discussed the terms of asylum in India,” Brahumdagh Bugti said.

He added that while he cannot disclose certain “sensitive mat-ters” discussed with diplomats, the

situation of the “Baloch people in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan” was part of the conversation.

“This was my first-ever meeting with any Indian diplomat, I never approached the Indian embassy before. “I am very hopeful and pos-itive (for asylum in India),” he said after the meeting.

Baloch leader discusses terms for asylum

AFP

NEW DELHI: An Indian cabinet committee gave its approval yester-day to a long-delayed deal to buy 36 fighter jets from France’s Dassault, as the country looks to bolster its military in the face of China’s grow-ing clout.

A senior defence ministry offi-cial said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet committee on secu-rity had given its green light to the multi-billion dollar Rafale jet pur-chase at a meeting in New Delhi and the defence ministers of both France and India would ink the agreement tomorrow.

“The deal was approved at the meeting in the evening,” the offi-cial said.

“It will now be formally signed by Indian and French defence ministers on September 23 in New Delhi.”

The official said that other details including the exact amount and formalities “will become clear after the signing event” which is expected to see French Defence

Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian fly to the Indian capital. A report by the Press Trust of India put the purchase price at around $8.8bn.

The purchase of the Rafale jets, to replace part of the country’s age-ing air force fleet, was first mooted in 2012 but has faced major delays and obstacles over the last four years.

India entered exclusive negotia-tions on buying 126 Rafale jets four years ago, but the number of planes was scaled back in tortuous nego-tiations over the cost and assembly of the planes in India.

Modi announced on a visit to Paris last year that his government had agreed to buy the jets as India looks to modernise its Soviet-era military.

But the deal continued to be held back by disagreements such as Delhi’s insistence that arms mak-ers invest a percentage of the value of any major deal in India, known as the offset clause.

The increasing assertiveness of its giant neighbour China as well as its simmering rivalry with Paki-stan have increased India’s need to upgrade its military.

Cabinet panel approves

Rafale fighter jet deal

EUROPE 13THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Corbyn is expected to win by a clear margin when the result is announced on Saturday.

The ivy on the Tu Hwnt i’r Bont tea room in Llanrwst, on the banks of the River Conwy in north Wales yesterday shows red colouring. The ivy on the tea room is turning from green to red on the final day of summer. Autumn officially begins on the equinox today.

Herald of autumn

A woman takes a selfie with military cadets as they attend a Peace March to mark the International Day of Peace in Kiev, Ukraine, yesterday.

Selfie with cadets

BOLOGNA: Italian pros-ecutors have dropped a money laundering case against the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, their office said yesterday.

The decision came six weeks after Erdogan complained in a televi-sion interview that his son Bilal was being abused by the Italian justice system.

The allegation that Bilal Erodogan, 35, was involved in money laun-dering while studying in Italy last year was first made by Murat Hakan Uzan, an exiled member of one of Turkey’s richest families and an opponent of the president.

Greece rejects

Turkish soldiers’

asylum requests

ATHENS: Greece has rejected asylum requests from three of a group of eight Turkish soldiers who fled there after the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July, police said yesterday.

Turkey has sought the men’s extradition, call-ing them “traitors” and “terrorist elements”. The soldiers deny involvement in the coup. The three can appeal the asylum decisions, a Greek offi-cial said.

Frankfurt Zoo

introduces a

baby gorilla

FRANKFURT: Frankfurt Zoo is celebrating a new addition at its enclosures - a baby gorilla.

Mother Shira gave birth to young one on September 15. The zoo said staff had yet to iden-tify its gender body parts as the baby remains too closely attached to its mother.

“When a gorilla is born, that’s always a very spe-cial event. We are all very happy,” zoo director Man-fred Niekisch said, adding the newborn “looks pretty big and quite strong”.

Italy drops case

against

Erdogan’s son

Reuters

LONDON: Mazher Mahmood, one of Britain’s best known undercover reporters renowned for his “fake sheikh” sting operations that have even caught out royalty, tampered with evidence in a criminal trial to protect his reputation, prosecutors said yesterday.

Mahmood, who has worked for several of Rupert Murdoch’s papers, is on trial accused of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice over the 2014 prosecution of singer and former judge of the British version of the X Factor TV talent show Tulisa Contostavlos.

She had denied being involved in supplying drugs to Mahmood while

he posed as an influential Indian film producer, and the case against her later collapsed.

Mahmood and his driver Alan Smith are accused of changing a state-ment Smith had given to police ahead of her trial which could have helped her defence, London’s Old Bailey cen-tral criminal court was told.

Prosecutor Sarah Forshaw said Mahmood, who called himself “king of the sting”, had vested interest in Con-tostavlos being found guilty as his own journalistic practices were on trial.

“This is a case about an agree-ment made between these two defendants to tamper with evi-dence in a criminal trial,” she said. “Mr Mahmood may be the master of subterfuge and deception. But on this occasion it is he, together with his employee, who are exposed.”

The journalist, who denies the accusations, has built a formidable reputation for undercover inves-tigations which have led to major exclusive stories and prominent prosecutions.

In his most famous exclusive in 2001, he posed as an Arab sheikh to dupe Sophie, Countess of Wessex, the wife of Queen Elizabeth’s young-est son Prince Edward, into making indiscreet comments about other members of the royal family and senior politicians.

The Contostavlos sting involved the aspiring actress being flown first class to Las Vegas with the promise that she was favourite for a lucrative film role. At a subsequent meeting in London, the pair discussed drugs and a friend of hers later supplied Mah-mood with half an ounce of cocaine.

Agencies

LONDON: Britain’s Labour Party faces deadlock in a power struggle between the party’s centrist law-makers and its leftist leader Jeremy Corbyn, as ballots closed yesterday in a leadership challenge against him.

A bitter contest pits left-wing incumbent Jeremy Corbyn against challenger Owen Smith.

Corbyn is expected to win by a clear margin when the result is announced on Saturday.

In an eight-hour meeting of

party chiefs on Tuesday, Corbyn rejected a plan by his deputy Tom Watson to let the party’s lawmak-ers vote on who should be in the “shadow cabinet”—its leadership team in parliament.

Watson has also proposed giv-ing the party’s MPs and trade unions more power over the choice of future Labour leaders, following criticism of the current process by Corbyn opponents who say that grassroots members and supporters have too much influence.

Corbyn and his backers reject these proposals as attempts to undermine his authority and want Labour members to have more of a say on the running of the party, including being able to vote on the shadow cabinet.

The conflict threatens to overshadow the party’s annual conference in Liverpool, northwest England, where the winner of the leadership contest between Corbyn and Welsh MP Owen Smith will be announced.

In the longer-term, the rift could cause even bigger problems as some political commentators predict that Prime Minister Theresa May could call an early general election next year as she launches negotiations to leave the European Union.

“Stop obsessing about the party issues and devote your considera-ble talent and experience to the one thing that really matters—the fast-approaching catastrophe of Brexit,” pleaded commentator Polly Toyn-bee in the Guardian, a left-leaning newspaper read by many Labour supporters.

Many Labour MPs resigned from the shadow cabinet over the sum-mer in protest at Corbyn’s leadership, arguing he had performed weakly in the failed referendum campaign to keep Britain in the EU.

“Together we are very, very strong,” Corbyn told supporters at his final campaign rally on Tues-day, where he also met volunteers making last-minute calls for party members to cast their postal ballots.

AFP

PARIS: France’s presidential race started in earnest yesterday as seven rightwing candidates including ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy were confirmed to contest a November pri-mary, with the nominee seen as the likely winner of next year’s election.

The stakes are high with polls showing the winner of a duel between two leading candidates from Republi-cans party, Sarkozy and former prime minister Alain Juppe, would be clear favourite to prevail in May.

Following the confirmation of the candidates by election offi-cials, two rounds of voting will be held on November 20 and 27

to select a rightwing nominee.National identity and Islam have

emerged as key themes in their contest.

Sarkozy is a brash rightwinger and a divisive figure in French pol-itics, while the experienced Juppe, the current mayor of Bordeaux, has styled himself as a unifying force.

“The candidates all agree on econ-omy,” said Thomas Guenole, a political scientist and author of a book on Sarkozy’s comeback, referring to their consensus on cutting taxes and relax-ing France’s 35-hour working week.

“The only issues on which they create divisions are the four Is: Islam, identity, immigration, insecurity,” he said. Sarkozy, visiting the northern migrant flashpoint of Calais yesterday, called for beefed-up controls on all of

France’s borders so that the country is not “flooded” with migrants.

President Francois Hollande is yet to confirm if he will stand for re-elec-tion as the Socialist party’s candidate in a run that would defy his histori-cally low approval ratings.

On the far right, the National Front is prepared for battle, with its leader Marine Le Pen widely fore-cast to successfully negotiate the first round of national voting in April and then lose in the second round against a mainstream candidate.

Juppe, 71, has been the favourite to emerge victorious from the start, but Sarkozy has nearly closed the gap with hardline proposals designed to woo voters reeling from a string of jihadist attacks.

Sarkozy, who led France from

2007 to 2012, has vowed a “mer-ciless” fight against the Islamist extremists who have killed 238 peo-ple nationwide since January 2015.

“If you want to become French, you speak French, you live like the French. We will no longer settle for integration that does not work, we will require assimilation,” he told a rally on Monday.

Juppe, a moderate who served two years as premier under presi-dent Jacques Chirac and also was foreign minister under Sarkozy, has taken the opposite approach.

Accusing Sarkozy of “pouring fuel on the fire” with his calls for a state ban on the burkini, Juppe has tried to sell voters on what he sees as a “happy”, secure French identity.

Vowing to knit together a fractured

nation, he has promised to “reach out” to vast majority of Muslims who adhere to France’s secular values.

Juppe has undergone a radi-cal makeover from grey technocrat who spent years in political wilder-ness over a fake jobs scandal at Paris City Hall in the 1990s to benign elder statesman. He has repeatedly made overtures to centrists as well as left-ists, who can vote in primary if they pay two euros and sign a charter declaring they adhere to centrist or conservative values.

For Jerome Fourquet of pollsters Ifop, the choice between “a war chief and someone who is wiser, more reassuring and brings people together” will come down to whether the French believe the country is, as Sarkozy says, “at war”.

German political

parties hit by

cyber attacks

AFP

BERLIN: German political par-ties have fallen victim to a new round of cyber attacks, documents showed yesterday, after Berlin’s domestic spy agency accused Rus-sia of a series of operations aimed at spying and sabotage.

Politicians and employees of several parties received emails purporting to be sent from Nato headquarters, but which instead contained a link that installed spyware on the recipient’s com-puter, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily and regional broadcasters NDR and WDR reported.

Citing unnamed security experts, German media said the attacks on August 15 and 24 appeared to have been carried out by state-backed Russian hackers.

A document circulated by Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) yes-terday, warned lawmakers of the attacks. “Given the background of the American situation, it is impor-tant to me to protect the parties from spying,” Arne Schoenbohm, chief of Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), told the Sueddeutsche .

He was referring to a series of cyber attacks that hit the US Dem-ocrats this year. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has blamed Russia for the intrusion.

As in the US case, the BSI fears that the hackers could leak con-fidential party information in a bid to influence public opinion just before Germany holds gen-eral elections next year.

Germany’s domestic secret service in May accused Rus-sia of a series of international cyber attacks aimed at spying and sabotage.

Ukraine and rebels

agree to pullback

troops in

three areas

AFP

MINSK: Negotiators sent by Kiev and pro-Russian rebels yesterday for the first time agreed to pull back troops from three areas along the battered frontline in east Ukraine.

The sides signed a frame-work agreement for the pullback in eastern Ukraine, said Organisa-tion for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) envoy Mar-tin Sajdik, who is moderating protracted peace talks between Ukraine, the rebels and Russia.

“After three months of insist-ent negotiations... today we finally agreed a framework document on pulling back forces and equip-ment,” Sajdik told journalists after talks finished in Minsk.

The document represents a small step forward in Ukraine’s stalled peace talks and comes several days after German and French foreign ministers made their first ever visit to the eastern conflict zone last week.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier praised it as “new progress” in comments to Suddeutsche Zeitung daily, add-ing that “other (measures) must swiftly follow to obtain separation along the entire line of conflict.”

The document was signed by Ukrainian and Russian negotiators and initialled by representatives of the so-called Donetsk and Lugansk “repub-lics” before being signed by their respective leaders, said Sajdik.

Ukraine and the rebels pledged to withdraw troops and weapons by one kilometre by each side in three “security areas”: Stanytsya Luganska and Zolote in Lugansk region and Petrovske in Donetsk region.

Corbyn camp predicts win in Labour Party elections

Sarkozy and Juppe eye French presidency

UK undercover reporter goes on trial

AMERICAS14 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Several hundred people gathered to protest the shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott, who was an African-American, as was the officer who shot him dead.

Animal rights activists enacting a bull and a bullfighter perform in front of the Legislative Assembly in Mexico City. The activists rallied under the motto Yo Quiero Una Ciudad Sin Maltrato Animal (I Want a City Without Animal Abuse) and demanded abolition of bullfighting.

Call to abolish bullfights

TORONTO: More than 19,000 students on the small Canadian province of Prince Edward Island were evacuated yester-day after police received a threat that bombs were placed at a number of schools. Police said noth-ing suspicious was found after officers searched all of the schools in the prov-ince. Threats were also received elsewhere in Canada.

Pilot dead as U-2

spy plane crashes

WASHINGTON: A US pilot was killed and another injured after they ejected from a U-2 spy plane on a training mission in rural California.

The plane crashed shortly after takeoff in an unpopulated area in Sut-ter, north of state capital Sacramento, the Air Force said.

The service had ini-tially said both pilots ejected safely, but later confirmed one was killed. The plane was assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale Air Force Base.

Beale spokesman Air-man Tristan Viglianco said it was not immediately known if the pilot had died during the dangerous eject procedure or after.

Bomb threat:

Schools in Canada

state evacuated

AFP

CHARLOTTE: Protests and looting rocked a North Carolina city yes-terday, following the fatal police shooting of a black man, with a dozen officers and several demonstrators injured in the violence.

Several hundred people gathered to protest the shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott, who was an African-American, as was the officer who killed him. The shooting was the latest in a string involving black men killed at the hands of police, which

has fueled outrage nationwide.Demonstrations began early

yesterday and grew through near an apartment complex in Charlotte, where the shooting occurred.

As news of the shooting spread, protesters gathered, carrying signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and chanting “No justice, no peace!”

Later, some protesters set fires blocking a major road, and others set trucks ablaze.

A local television station reported that looters attempted to break into a store—some throwing rocks and shattering glass doors—and were held back at the entrance by officers.

News reports said the officer in the latest shooting, Brentley Vinson, has been put on paid leave.

WSOC-TV reported that the Char-lotte shooting occurred as Vinson and other officers were searching for a sus-pect on an outstanding arrest warrant.

Police encountered Scott—who was not the person they were seek-ing—in a car parked at the building.

“At this point, all we know (is) they were in the apartment complex park-ing lot,” Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Chief Kerr Putney told reporters.

“This subject gets out with a weapon. They engage him, and one of the officers felt a lethal threat and

fired his weapon because of that.”Police said Scott had a firearm,

which is legal under local law “open carry” gun laws. His relatives told local media, however, that he was not

carrying a gun, but had a book in his hands when he was gunned down.

Charlotte police donned riot gear and used tear gas as they tried to subdue the angry crowd, which

authorities said attacked and dam-aged several police cars. The police department said on Twitter that “approximately 12 officers injured. One officer hit in face with a rock.”

Defence lawyer

seeking access

to accused New

York bomber

Reuters

NEW YORK: A lawyer for an Afghan-born US citizen charged with bombings last weekend in New York and New Jersey asked to see his client yesterday and suggested the man’s first court appearance could occur in his hospital bed.

Police in New York City also said they had not yet been cleared to speak to Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, who was arrested on Mon-day after a gunfight with police in Linden, New Jersey. He is now receiving treatment for his wounds at a hospital in Newark, New Jersey, where he could for-mally face his charges if he cannot travel to the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

“He has been held and ques-tioned by federal law enforcement agents since his arrest,” David Patton, head of the New York City federal public defenders office, said in a court filing. “The Sixth Amendment (of the U.S. Consti-tution) requires that he be given access to counsel on the federal charges, and that he be presented without delay.”

Patton also asked to meet with Rahami yesterday. “He’s not yet medically cleared so that we can speak to him just yet,” New York Police Commissioner James O’Neill told a news conference. “That may happen in the next 24 hours, pend-ing the doctors’ approval.”

Federal prosecutors said Rahami injured 31 people in Man-hattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood with a homemade bomb that det-onated on Saturday night in a case that law enforcement authorities now regard as terrorism.

Rahami is also charged with planting bombs that went off in Seaside Park, New Jersey, and his hometown of Elizabeth, New Jer-sey, but did not injure anyone. He faces charges from federal pros-ecutors in both states.

AFP

UNITED NATIONS: The landmark Paris agreement on climate change moved closer to reality yesterday after 31 countries joined during the United Nations General Assembly.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced confidence that the accord, through which countries commit to take action to stem the planet’s rising temperatures, would come into force by end of the year.

“The momentum is remarkable,” said the outgoing UN chief, who con-vened a meeting on the Paris accord during the annual UN gathering of leaders.

“When the Paris agreement

enters into force this year, it will be a major step forward on our journey for a more secure, more equitable and more prosperous future,” Ban said.

The accord requires all countries to devise plans to achieve the goal of keeping the rise of temperatures within two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahr-enheit) above pre-industrial levels.

Scientists say that such a temper-ature rise still poses risks but could save the planet from the worst effects of climate change, including wors-ening flooding, storms and droughts that may cause food shortages, spe-cies extinction and significant human displacement.

The countries that joined the accord yesterday included Latin American powerhouses Argentina, Brazil and Mexico as well as major

fossil fuel powers Brunei and the United Arab Emirates.

To come into force, the Paris agreement needs ratification from 55 countries that account for at least 55 percent of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.

With yesterday’s event, in which leaders ceremonially submitted paperwork to ratify the accord, a total of 60 countries have joined the Paris accord, meeting the threshold.

But they account for just less than 48 percent of emissions, according to UN figures.

Ban’s office said that 14 other countries accounting for 12.58 per-cent of emissions had signaled they would ratify the accord this year, meaning the agreement is virtually

certain to come into force, barring a widespread change of heart.

Notably, the European Parlia-ment is expected to vote to approve the Paris accord next month.

China and the United States, the two largest emitters, gave a major boost to the accord when they signed on during a summit earlier this month between Presidents Xi Jin-ping and Barack Obama.

French Environment Minister Segolene Royal, who heads the body behind the Paris accord, told report-ers earlier in the week that she hoped it would come into force before the next UN climate meeting on Novem-ber 7 in Marrakesh, Morocco.

That conference opens one day before the presidential election in the United States.

AFP

BRASÍLIA: Brazil’s former pres-ident Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (pictured) must stand trial for corruption, a judge ruled after pros-ecutors accused the popular leftist of masterminding the large-scale plundering of state oil company Petrobras.

The crusading judge behind the Petrobras investigation, Sergio Mora, accepted charges filed last week by prosecutors investigating Lula—making him the highest-profile figure to face trial in a case that has taken down some of the country’s most powerful business executives and politicians.

“Given that there is sufficient evidence of (Lula’s) responsibility... I accept the charges,” Moro said in his decision.

The charges allege that Lula, 70, received the equivalent of 3.7m reais ($1.1m) in bribes.

Among the accusations are charges that the former union leader and his wife received a beachside apartment and upgrades to the property from a major con-struction company, OAS, which was one of the players in the Petrobras scheme.

More broadly, prosecutors last week singled out Lula—who was president during much of the time that Petrobras was being fleeced of billions of dollars—as the scheme’s “supreme commander.”

Lula, who presided over an eco-nomic boom from 2003 to 2011, will now go head to head for the first time with Moro.

The crusading judge’s anti-graft investigation, known as Operation Car Wash, has had explosive con-sequences in Brazil.

It may now thwart Lula’s hopes of a political comeback in

the 2018 presidential election.It already played a part in oust-

ing the leftist Workers’ Party, which he co-founded.

The once unstoppable party’s 13 years in power ended last month when Lula’s hand-picked successor, Dilma Rousseff, was convicted of budget irregularities in an impeach-ment trial.

Reacting to the judgement, Lula said “I am sad because I just learned (Judge Sergio) Moro accepted the charge lodged, even though it is all a farce, a huge lie.”

The charges against Rousseff were unconnected to the Petrobras case, but the scandal—combined with Brazil’s worst recession in dec-ades—did much to bring her down.

Rousseff was replaced on August 31 by center-right President Michel Temer, her vice president-turned-nemesis. He has vowed to slash a ballooning budget deficit and lead Latin America’s largest economy back to growth.

But the Petrobras case also looms large over his administra-tion, and several of his close allies are under investigation.

Lula was hailed internationally for combining business-friendly economic policy with social-wel-fare programmes that helped fight centuries of deep-rooted inequal-ity in Brazil.

AFP

WASHINGTON: A Washington Post editorial arguing for the prosecution of intelligence leaker Edward Snow-den has sparked an outcry in the media community—including from some of the newspaper’s own journalists.

The weekend editorial provoked a heated response, with some point-ing out the irony that the newspaper was calling for criminal charges against a source who helped it win a 2014 Pulitzer Prize for public serv-ice reporting.

The editorial board “has no say on news, and just showed why,” said a tweet from Barton Gellman, the Post

reporter who led the team that shared the Pulitzer with The Guardian for the reporting on global surveillance based on Snowden’s leaks of National Secu-rity Agency documents.

Gellman added that Snowden’s “disclosures served the public. WP journalists are proud of our role.”

Jane Kirtley, a professor of media ethics and law at University of Min-nesota, said the Post’s editorial view comes as a shock to the media com-munity even if there is a separation of the opinion and reporting units.

“It does seem to me that any news organisation that is going to rely on a source and potentially imperil that source, really needs to stand by that source,” Kirtley said. “I personally think Snowden should

come back and face charges, but I didn’t take Snowden’s leaks and put them all over my newspaper.”

Kirtley noted that prosecuting sources for leaks should be troubling for the world of journalism.

“It is my belief that going after sources for leaks using the Espionage Act is a prelude to going after the journalists who receive that infor-mation,” she said. “It hasn’t happened yet, but it is possible.”

Washington Post media column-ist Margaret Sullivan also broke with the editorial board, calling for Snow-den to be pardoned.

“Snowden did an important—and brave—service for the American pub-lic,” Sullivan wrote in a column.

“Without his decision to bring

the information to journalists, it is very unlikely that we would know what we do about mass surveillance in the post-9/11 world.” A more blunt response came from Glenn Green-wald, a member of Guardian team that met Snowden and now an edi-tor at online news site The Intercept.

“The Washington Post has achieved an ignominious feat in US media history: the first-ever paper to explicitly editorialise for the criminal prosecution of its own source—one on whose back the paper won and eagerly accepted a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service,” Greenwald wrote.

The debate comes amid increas-ing calls for a pardon for Snowden, who has been living in Moscow out of the reach of US law enforcement.

Violent protests over fatal police shooting

Police officers wearing riot gear block a road during protests after police fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Charlotte, North Carolina, yesterday.

Paris climate accord closer after UN meeting

Lula must stand trial for corruption: Judge

Washington Post takes heat for Snowden prosecution call

By Raynald C Rivera The Peninsula

DOHA: The Philippines is keen on enhancing cultural relations with Qatar exploring possible projects for collabora-tion including bringing here the Bangsamoro exhibition to showcase the richness of Philip-pine Muslim culture.

“The Bangsam-oro exhibit is a very rich exhibit of Filipino art with the Islamic influence by Fili-pino Muslims. This is the first time this big exhibit will travel outside the Philippines,” Felipe M De Leon, Jr., Chairman of National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) of the Philippines told local media.

The NCCA Chairman was in Doha to inaugurate Sentro Rizal-a learning centre for Philippine culture at the Embassy- as well as meet with officials of key Qatari cultural entities including the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Qatar Museums and the Cultural Vil-lage Foundation- Katara.

Philippine Ambassador Wilfredo C San-tos said an agreement in the field of culture between the Philippines and Qatar is being finalised which will provide a framework for cooperation for these projects.

Upon meeting with officials of Qatar Museums, Santos said, “They agree with us on the importance of having an exhibit here showcasing Philippine culture through the Bangsamoro exhibit which is a good way to start.”

“Through the Bangsamoro exhibit, we can showcase our commonality with Qatar

on Islamic heritage providing the Qataris a better understanding and appreciation of our culture and our people.”

He said Invitation will be given to offi-cials of Qatar Museums involved to come to the Philippines and see the exhibit. “Offi-cials from Qatar Museums will have first to see the exhibit to decide whether they want to showcase the entire exhibit or portions of the big exhibit which is on display at the National Museum,” he added.

The idea of having a Qatar Philippines Year of Culture, Santos said, is also possi-ble once the cultural agreement has been signed.

Meanwhile, De Leon yesterday met with Katara General Manager Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti to discuss prospects of hosting cultural events that afford Katara visitors a glimpse of the Filipino culture.

During the meeting Al Sulaiti pointed out that Katara organised numerous Fili-pino events, such as the Asean Festival 2015 where outstanding Filipino folk perform-ances attracted large audiences.

By Raynald C Rivera The Peninsula

DOHA: The recently established European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) cluster in Qatar announced yesterday it will be offering “Crash Courses in 12 European Lan-guages” at the French Institute in Qatar on Monday in celebration of the Euro-pean Day of Languages.

Formally announcing the event at the Cyprus Embassy yesterday, Cyprus Ambassador Charalambos Panayides underscored the importance of the cel-ebration of European Day of Languages proclaimed in 2001 to encourage lan-guage learning across Europe to promote multilingualism and inter-cultural understanding.

“The 26th of September is cele-brated throughout Europe to draw attention to the linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe and at the same time in Qatar to promote and enhance cultural relations between European countries and the Qatari society,” said Panayides, who chairs the local presi-dency of the EU Council in Qatar in the second half of this year.

Free and open to everyone, EUNIC’s inaugural event will allow the partic-ipants to attend introductory classes on European languages of their choice including Bulgarian, Croatian, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish and Swedish.

“The idea is to offer an introductory course on European languages with native speakers as teachers. It will be an opportunity for anyone living in Qatar to get introduced and exposed to the diversity of European languages in Qatar,” Olivier Deseez, EUNIC Qatar cluster president, told The Peninsula.

“The European Day of Languages is an important moment for us. It symbol-izes the unity of European countries in all their diversity. There are more than

200 languages spoken in the European Union and that excludes the languages spoken by citizens from other conti-nents,’ said Deseez.

‘In Qatar, several possibilities exist today to learn European lan-guages such as French at the French Institute, Spanish at Qatar University or Portuguese at the Translation and Interpreting Institute.”

He said the crash course, which is planned to be held annually, is among

the initiatives the newly formed Euro-pean cultural cluster in Qatar, would like to boost and support to teach Euro-pean languages to the general public.

Although the event focuses on European languages, it will also com-prise other cultural elements.

“We would like to introduce not only our language but also our cul-ture. We will also serve some Swedish cookies, chocolates, coffee and fish. Everyone is welcome to come to

the Swedish crash course,” Sweden Ambassador Ewa Polano told this daily.

The event will also feature screen-ings of European short films such as French, Portuguese and Croatian films, said Deseez.

The event is scheduled on Monday from 5pm to 9pm at the French Insti-tute in Qatar.

Those who wish to participate may register at anissa.harfouche@institut-francais-qatar.com

‘Crash courses in 12 European languages’

Ambassadors and other officials representing various European embassies in Qatar at the official announcement of the event at the Cyprus Embassy yesterday. Pic by: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula

The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatar Museums (QM) has welcomed 20 talented artists who have been selected to take part in the second cycle of the innovative Fire Station “Artist in Residence” programme.

Launched in March 2015, the programme is hosted at the Doha Fire Station building and it aims to create a space that offers an indige-nous, local approach to creativity and artistic production. The residency programme, which is open to local Qatari artists and residents of Qatar, runs in nine-month cycles. A group of four jury members convened to agree on the final 20 artists from a highly talented pool of more than 150 applications. The judging panel included HE Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al Thani, Board Member and Managing Director of Qatar Leadership Centre; Wissam Saleh Al Mana, Executive Director at “Al Mana Group”; Faraj Daham, Qatari artist; and Rhys R Himsworth, Head of Painting & Print Making Department

at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. The group of artists, which includes 10

Qataris, consists of artists from a range of dif-ferent disciplines including art, photography, video, design, painting, poetry and drawing. They are Frances Grane, Fahad Al Obaidly, Lulu Al Musfer, Zoe Hawk, Zach Stensen, Amr Elkafrawy, Richard Blackwell, Hana Al Saadi, Maryam Ahmed, Maryam Al Suwaidi, Mariah Dekkenga, Tanzeela Abbasi, Ahmed Al Jufairi, Maryam Al Semaitt , Nawar Al Mutlaq, Abeer Al Kuwari, Nesma Khodier, Juan Martinez, Maryam Al Homaid and Titika Stamouli.

Khalifa Al Obaidli, Director of the Fire Station, said: “It is great pleasure to wel-come the next batch of 20 highly creative, unique and skilled artists from a range of artistic backgrounds to take up residency at our “Artist in Residence” programme at the Fire Station. This initiative is something that I am hugely passionate about and one that is so important for the development of artists in Qatar as it celebrates local talent and gives

young artists a platform to grow, exhibit and collaborate.”

The residency programme will involve mentoring and tutoring from respected local artists and will give the residents the opportu-nity to be in close contact with some of the big international names that Qatar Museums con-tinually attracts to Qatar. This is in addition to access to world class curators, art histori-ans and professors.

The second batch of Artists in Residence during a get-together on Sunday at the Fire Station.

NCCA Chairman Felipe M. De Leon, Jr. receives a memento from Katara General Manager Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti during his visit to Katara yesterday.

20 artists invited for QM programme Bangsamoro exhibition to showcase Philippine culture

The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatar Charity (QC) distributed 500 tonnes of meat of sacri-ficial animals worth more than QR13m during Eid Al-Adha abroad.

About one million poor people, including refugees and those dis-placed within their countries, benefited. QC also distributed 3,000 sacrificial animals at a cost of QR1.4m in Qatar, benefiting more than 14,400 people, including widows, orphans, and low-income families.

“The initiative ‘Your Udhias, Their Eid’ was implemented in 37 countries around the world and brought happiness to many needy families and their children, especially those forced to migrate because of their situation such as Syrians, Iraqis and Yemenis, or people suf-fering due to poverty, blockade, unemployment and facing economic problems such as Palestinians, Somalis and others,” said Faisal Al Fahida from QC.

“The campaign left a good feeling in the hearts of about 1,000,000 beneficiaries and brought happiness to their families.

“Other QC projects implemented during Eid Al-Adha such as ‘Eid Clothing’ distribution made the beneficiaries happy as well.

“The number of sacrificial aniamls exceeded our expectations by 3,000 and that proves the engagement of our donors and their trust in QC,” Al Fahida added.

“Having offices in more than 25 countries contributed signifi-cantly to the success of QC’s project, which ensured quality and speed in implementation and access to those most vulnerable” he added.

A total of 27,044 animals, including 12,249 sheep and 1,112 cows, were scarificed, accounting for more than 480 tonnes of meat.

The project was implemented in countries in Asia, Africa , and Europe; these countries are as follows:

Syria (residents and refugees in near countries), Palestine, Iraq, Somalia, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti, Mali, Togo, Nepal, India, Chad, Mauritania, Yemen, Bangladesh, Benin, Gambia, Sri Lanka, Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Kosovo, Comoros, Albania, Philippines, Ghana, Jordan, and Bosnia. The campaign included other projects such as covering Hajj expenses, providing hospitality for pilgrims, distribu-tion of Eid clothing inside and outside Qatar, at a total cost of QR23m.

QC distributed Eid clothing to orphans and poor families’ children inside Qatar during Eid Al Adha at a cost of QR500,000.

Over a million poor benefit from QC Eid initiative

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$20bn Qatari investments in Turkey until last year

By Mohammad Shoeb

The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatari companies are increasingly investing in Turkey. Qatari investors’ interests in the coun-try include energy, banking and real estate, visiting Turkish Minister of Development Lutfi Elvan said here yesterday.

Addressing a joint meeting with Qatari businessmen and their Turk-ish counterparts, the Minister said the Turkish economy has been witnessing

steady growth over the last several years offering great opportunities of investments. “In 2015, we registered a 5 percent growth in GDP, which is estimated to be around 4.5 to 5 percent this year, despite global eco-nomic slowdown,” the Minister said.

“There is no adverse impact of the failed coup attempt in July on the economy. The business is going on as usual. The Turkish lira remained stable, and the country received over $916m of foreign direct investment (FDI), which is evident about the vibrancy and growth prospects the economy,” the Minister added.

The Minister called for construc-tive cooperation between Qatari businessmen and their counterparts in Turkey to develop and support joint actions between the two countries.

Qatar’s investment to Turkey in 2015 crossed over $20bn (QR72.8bn), the second highest value of invest-ments by any country in Turkey. And over the coming years, Qatar is expected to become number one investor in Turkey, said Muhammed

bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari, Vice-Chairman of Qatar Chamber (QC), while addressing at the meeting.

The meeting was attended by prominent Qatari businessmen and members of the Turkish Minister’s accompanying trade delegation.

On the presence of Turkish com-panies in Qatar, the Minister noted that Turkish companies are handling projects worth about $11.6bn in Qatar, and all are committed to play their contributions to make the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup a grand success.

Al Kuwari also highlighted similar views saying that both the countries are sharing strategic relations in dif-ferent areas of cooperation, which include business, trade, investments, security, culture and humanitarian.

“This meeting is another mile-stone in the historic journey of Qatar-Turkey bilateral economic cooperation. It will further accelerate the growth in trade and investments between the two countries,” he added. “Turkey is one of the most preferred destinations for Qatari investors as

the economy offers a wide range of investment opportunities in several promising sectors, which include energy, transport, tourism, banking, real estate among others.”

Al Kuwari said that Turkish com-panies are playing significant role in Qatar’s infrastructure development, and in 2015 alone, they bagged con-tracts worth $2.5bn.

Qatar and Turkey have witnessed a sharp rise in bilateral trade and investments over the last few years. The bilateral trade volume between the two countries touched QR4.73bn ($1.3bn) in 2015, which has nearly doubled compared to QR2.69bn ( $739m) in 2014.

Qatar’s imports from Tur-key mainly include iron and steel

products, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, home textile products, food and furniture, while Turkey’s invest-ments in Qatar are mostly focused in the consultancy and construction sectors.

Among the products imported by Turkey mostly included liquefied natural gas (LNG), along with plastic products and chemical derivatives.

Turkish companies are handling projects worth about $11.6bn in Qatar.

Turkish Minister of Development Lutfi Elvan and Qatar Chamber Vice-Chairman Muhammed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari with Qatari businessmen and their Turkish counterparts in Doha yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin/The Peninsula

Qatari banks see turnaround in 2017By Satish Kanady

The Peninsula

DOHA: With bulk of the first half earnings sea-son now over and the banks delivering weak numbers, the focus is on 2017. Qatar’s banks will continue to face challenges in the remain-ing year, but is expected to turn more positive next year, according to top market experts.

Looking at third and fourth quarters of 2016, Qatar’s the banking sector is seeing a downside risk, but investors are confident about 2017. Liquidity pressures, mainly as a result of decline in oil prices, have resulted in a reduced flow of funds into the banks. With the decline in liquidity, the cost of funding for banks has also increased. Both local currency and dollar liquidity have been more difficult to access during the year, resulting in banks looking extremely for diversified sources of funding, Omar Mahmood (pictured) , Part-ner, Head of Financial Services for Middle East and South Asia, KPMG Qatar told The Penin-sula in an interview.

“For Qatar, our view is the rest of 2016 is challenging for the banking sector. The head-line numbers seems okay, but it’s not really doing well. So far, it has been challenging in this year. The challenges will persist in the rest of the year. We are over banked, pricing is very

difficult and there is huge pressure on funding. But we expect a turnaround in 2017,” he said.

As the FIFA World Cup draws near, we expect a pickup in government spending on committed projects, which will fuel balance sheet growth for banks in Qatar. Banks will also look externally for higher returns through acquisitions and possible investment opportu-nities given the domestic pressures currently being faced.

“We believe banks will continue to look to access the capital markets for funding through EMTN, sukuk issuances and local capital issu-ances”. Margins are being squeezed, mainly due to the rise in the cost of funding. Banks have been forced to look at alternatives/costlier

sources of funding as a result of the decline in government and related entity deposits as a result of the fall in oil prices.”

On the banking stocks’ performance, Omar said shares in banks have seen a gradual decline in the second quarter on year-on-year, but performed better compared to overall Qatar Stock Exchange Index. Of typically, there is a correlation, how fundamentals are per-forming and the stock prices. Qatari stocks, like any other GCC markets, are more driven by sentiments.

On the impact of a possible Fed rate hike on local market, Omar said: “Both technically and fundamentally it will have an impact on the stock prices of banks and companies, but the point is you don’t know whether it will really weigh on Qatari stocks. Because the sen-timent around is too bullish and too volatile.”

Ratings agency S&P said yesterday the cost of funding for banks in the region has been increased with the decline in liquidity. In the same vein, the drop in economic growth has exposed the most vulnerable borrowers, pri-marily subcontractors and small and midsize enterprises, leading to higher default rates and provisioning needs. “Overall, we think that not only will banks’ loan growth decline, but profitability will also drop, prompting some banks to take a closer look at their efficiency and potentially triggering mergers or acqui-sitions.”, S&P analysts said.

Qatar’s gas consumption jumps 40% in five years

By Sachin Kumar

The Peninsula

DOHA: Consumption of nat-ural gas in Qatar has seen a rapid rise the past few years. The country, the largest exporter of natural gas in the world, has witnessed a steep rise of 40 percent over the last five years.

According to BP Statisti-cal Review of World Energy 2016 report, gas consumption in Qatar stood at 32.1 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2010 which jumped to 45.2 bcm in 2015. Compared to previous year, the consumption rose by 13.8 percent, the highest rise in the GCC region. Qatar con-sumed 39.7 bcm natural gas in 2014.

Increasing population and rapid expan-sion of infrastructure in country’s is the main driver behind surge in consumption as gas is used for power generation and water desal-ination. Electricity and water desalinisation sectors account for most of the natural gas consumption in Qatar.

Qatar is a major player in global natural gas market and has witnessed a rapid expan-sion of LNG activities. Qatar ranks third in the world in terms of natural gas reserves. Other countries in the region also consumed more natural gas. Consumption of gas in Kuwait grew 4.2 percent to 19.4 bcm in 2015 from 18.6 percent in 2014. Saudi Arabia’s gas con-sumption went up from 102.4 bcm in 2014 to 106.4 bcm in 2015, showing a growth of 4 percent while United Arab Emirates saw its gas consumption going up from 66.3 bcm to 69.1 in the same duration, registering a growth of 4.3 percent.

Middle East’s consumption grew from 461.4 bcm in 2014 to 490.2 bcm in 2015.

Natural gas consumption is expected to increase further in coming years, according to the US Energy Information Administra-tion. Consumption of natural gas worldwide is projected to increase from 120 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) in 2012 to 203 Tcf in 2040 as per the International Energy Outlook 2016 report.

Natural gas remains a key fuel in the electric power sector and in the industrial sector. In the power sector, natural gas is an attractive choice for new generating plants because of its fuel efficiency. Natural gas also burns cleaner than coal or petroleum products, and as more governments begin implementing national or regional plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, they may encourage the use of natural gas to displace more carbon-intensive coal and liquid fuels.

By energy source, natural gas accounts for the largest increase in world primary energy consumption. Abundant natural gas resources and robust production contribute to the strong competitive position of natural gas among other resources.

The Peninsula/QNA

DOHA: Ooredoo confirmed yesterday that it has no intention of selling its interests in Ooredoo’s Indonesian subsidiary, Indosat

Ooredoo. Ooredoo was responding to recent media speculation regarding Indosat Oore-doo. “Further to recent media speculation regarding Ooredoo’s Indonesian subsidi-ary, Indosat Ooredoo, Ooredoo wishes to confirm it has no intention of selling its

interests in the business,” said company in a statement.

Ooredoo has presence in global markets including Kuwait, Oman, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Palestine, the Maldives, Myanmar and Indonesia.

No plans to sell interests in Indonesian subsidiary: Ooredoo

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BUSINESS18 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Bloomberg

SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp.’s board authorised the buyback of an addi-tional $40bn of stock on top of an existing $40bn repurchase pro-gramme it will finish by year’s end, keeping up a strategy of returning money to shareholders as its cash pile grows.

The Redmond, Washington-based software maker also raised its quarterly dividend by 8.3 percent to 39 cents a share, according to a statement. The company’s stock has jumped 31 percent in the past year,

giving Microsoft a market capitalisa-tion of $442.7bn — the third-largest in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella (pictured) has been work-ing to jump-start revenue growth —which analysts project will be 2 percent this fiscal year after a decline of 2 percent the previous year — amid continued restructuring efforts related to the failed acquisi-tion of Nokia Oyj’s phone business. Since Nadella took the helm in 2014, the company’s cloud and internet-based Office software businesses have fueled growth and boosted investor optimism. The stock this year has been hovering close to a

1999 record high. “This reflects a con-tinuation of the company’s pledge of returning value to shareholders via dividends and buybacks,” said Sid Parakh, a fund manager at Becker Capital Management, which owns Microsoft stock. “This implies contin-ued confidence in current and future business trends.” Given Microsoft’s “debatable history with acquisitions,” this kind of capital-return program signals to investors that the company is being disciplined in how it spends money, Parakh said.

Microsoft shares rose about 1 percent in extended trading after the announcement. They slipped less than 1 percent to $56.81 at the

close in New York. The company had $113.2bn in cash and short-term investments as of June 30. Microsoft is spending about $26bn to acquire LinkedIn Corp, a deal that will be largely funded by debt sales.

On a percentage basis, Micro-soft’s dividend increase this year was smaller than the 16 percent increase the previous year. Prior to today’s announced change, Micro-soft’s 2.53 percent dividend yield ranked No. 19 of the 30 members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, according to a data. Tech companies in the index that offer a larger divi-dend yield include Intel Corp, Verizon Communications Inc, International

Business Machines Corp and Cisco Systems Inc. The new buyback pro-gramme succeeds one of the same size that was implemented in 2013, which itself replaced yet another $40bn buyback. The company has been using some of its capital for shareholder returns for the past dec-ade in a program that began when its share price was ailing and investors were clamoring for a return of some of its growing cash pile. While cash on the balance sheet has remained impressive, the company faces the challenge of having the vast majority of it domiciled overseas and subject to US taxes if brought back to use for dividends and buybacks.

‘Brexit’ move tips scale in GCC’s favourThe Peninsula

DOHA: The UK’s impending his-toric withdrawal from the European Union (EU) is opening new opportu-nities for advancing the position of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as an economic powerhouse, casting the spotlight on the strong bilateral trade ties between the GCC region and the European island nation, according to a new report titled ‘UK’s EU Referendum: Why ‘Brexit’ Mat-ters to the GCC.’

The report, published by Ori-ent Planet Research, an Orient Planet Group venture, aims to shed light on the economic impact of the British exit (‘Brexit’) on GCC countries, as well as guide inves-tors in their business decisions and

properly strategise in light of the UK’s impending separation from the regional bloc.

Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director, Orient Planet Research, said: “The implications of the result of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union is very significant to the GCC. Although many experts have brushed aside that it will not affect the region economically, it is absolutely important for busi-nesses, especially those engaged in the region to fully understand the various facets of this unique and his-torical decision. This report aims to further shed light on the ramifica-tions of the ‘leave’ vote as far as the GCC countries are concerned.”

The study noted that UK’s trad-ing relations with the Gulf countries as well as other nations are seen to become even more robust as the

world’s fifth biggest economy drums up effort to win more deals outside the EU to compensate for losses in the internal market.

However, trade and investment relations between the UK and the GCC will depend on the strength of their individual relations with Brit-ain, the report said.

The EU has not been successful in reaching a free trade agreement (FTA) with the six GCC member nations comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the report noted, highlighting the potentials of stronger bilateral trade.

The study recognises the reality of major adjustments and renegoti-ations of these countries in existing trade relations as an aftermath of Brexit. However, it concurs with many industry findings that Brexit’s

impact on the GCC markets will be minimal in the mid- and long-term, while financial markets and curren-cies will face major challenges in the short-term at most.

The report emphasised the pos-itive impact of the ‘leave’ vote in strengthening the bilateral relations between the UK and the respec-tive GCC countries. Some economic experts have warned that a weak pound could significantly hit the tourism flow into the region, as well as investments in the aviation indus-try where Qatar and Abu Dhabi have significant stakes in the UK. Qatar is the UK’s third largest export market in Mena region, with trade exchange reaching $4bn in 2015.

However, it also presents an opportunity for Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund to acquire more assets in the UK, the report explained.

Microsoft plans another $40bn stock buyback; boosts dividend

Prospects remain robust for Islamic finance: Moody’s

The Peninsula

DOHA: New sukuk issuance contin-ues to remain subdued in 2016, but growth prospects for the Islamic finance sector are still strong, says Moody’s Investors Service in a report published yesterday.

“Growth in the Islamic banking sector continues to broadly outpace

that of conventional banks in most systems in which Islamic banks have been established,” said Khalid How-ladar, Global Head of Islamic Finance at Moody’s. “This is driven by strong retail demand and proactive govern-ment legislation for the industry.”

The sector also has potential for further growth, especially in coun-tries in which the penetration of Islamic banking assets remains rel-atively low, at between 5 percent and 10 percent of Islamic financing assets.

Over the last three years, Oman’s Islamic banking sector, for example, has gone from zero to an aggregate of around 10 percent of banking system financing assets as of June 2016, com-pared to Indonesia and Turkey which have both taken over two decades to reach around 5 percent of banking

system financing assets. However, the government of both these coun-tries have recently taken initiatives to boost the growth in the sector over the next ten years.

While new sukuk issuance vol-umes in 2016 are expected to remain flat, at around $70bn, the rating agency says that the longer-term outlook remains promising. “Sub-dued issuance volumes in 2016 were mostly driven by reduced short-term borrowing by the Malaysian gov-ernment, one of the largest sukuk issuers globally, as well as the drive of the GCC governments to tap con-ventional sources of liquidity, which

has reduced the attractiveness of the sukuk format,” explains Nitish Bho-jnagarwala, Assistant Vice-President - Analyst at Moody’s. “However, we expect increased sukuk issuance into 2017 from sovereigns, banks and corporates in the Gulf, as regional financing needs increase amid lower oil prices,” he adds.

Growth in the Islamic insurance (Takaful) sector is also slowing, but the rating agency expects it to remain at double digit levels into 2017 and for gross contributions to reach $20bn by 2017. “Complex regulation, as well as compliance and operational challenges have slowed growth in the

Takaful industry,” said Mohammed Ali Londe, Assistant Vice-President - Analyst at Moody’s Insurance team. “Growth has broadly slowed to below 15 percent in 2015 in most key mar-kets. Globally, year-on-year growth stayed just below 20 percent in the past couple of years due to large pre-mium increases in the Saudi market in 2015 of around 19 percent.”

Overall, the persistent efforts by government agencies and central banks, combined with retail cus-tomer demand, is driving growth in all these markets and we expect this trend to continue well into the next decade.

New sukuk issuance continues to remain subdued in 2016.

VW’s scandal: Investors seek €8.2bn in compensation

AFP

FRANKFURT: Volkswagen inves-tors have filed 1,400 lawsuits seeking €8.2bn in compensation from the car giant over its emis-sions cheating scandal, a German court said yesterday, adding to a long list of legal woes for the embattled firm.

Investors say the automaker failed to disclose details of the case in a timely way, leading them to lose money as the group’s share price plunged by 40 percent in two days after the crisis erupted last September. The $9.1bn in claims is mostly made up of “bun-dled” actions containing lawsuits from multiple plaintiffs, many of them private investors, according to the court in Brunswick, close to VW’s Lower Saxony headquarters.

The US government and sev-eral German state governments are also among the claimants.

Two of the claims lodged with the Brunswick court, from groups of institutional investors includ-ing Blackrock, the world’s largest fund manager, account for a total of €2bn alone. A spokesman for Volkswagen reiterated the car-maker’s position that it “continues to believe that we comprehen-sively fulfilled our obligations under capital markets law and that the claims are unjustified.”

There was little reaction on the Frankfurt stock market to the news, with Volkswagen shares gaining around 1.3 percent by 1030 GMT. Volkswagen’s troubles began after it admitted in Septem-ber 2015 to installing so-called “defeat devices” in 11 million die-sel-powered vehicles worldwide, which increase exhaust treatment when the car detects it is undergo-ing regulatory tests. The software deactivates the emissions system when the car is on the road, lead-ing to levels of harmful nitrogen oxides in the exhaust many times higher than allowed.

Inditex profits rise

as quick-trend

model pays off

AFP

MADRID: Zara-owner Inditex posted a rise in first-half prof-its thanks to what analysts said was a well-honed business model allowing the Spanish group to beat rivals in whisking new trends to the shopfloor. The world’s largest fashion retailer by turn-over, owned by the publicity-shy Amancio Ortega who has become the world’s second richest man, said higher clothes sales drove the eight-percent jump.

Profits rose to €1.3bn ($1.4bn) in the six months from February 1, the company said. “All of the group’s brands increased their international presence during the period, with 83 new stores in 38 countries,” Inditex said in a state-ment, adding that it ventured into three new markets — Aruba, Par-aguay and Nicaragua.

Sales in the first half rose 11 percent to €10.5bn.

The results of the company, which operates eight store brands including Zara, upmarket label Massimo Dutti and teen chain Bershka, beat analyst expecta-tions, but only slightly.

All brands posted a rise in sales. Zara and home decora-tion brand Zara Home were the clear winners, with a 13-per-cent and 17-percent rise in sales respectively.

Analysts said Inditex is reap-ing the rewards of its now famous business model which allows it to get clothes to stores much faster than its rivals and avoid excess inventory. While its competitors prioritise low production costs and outsource manufacturing to China, Inditex makes more than half of its clothes in factories in Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Turkey — relatively close to its main markets. This allows Zara, for instance, to take clothes from the design stage to the store floor in a mere two weeks.

OECD sees growth flounder as globalisation stallsReuters

PARIS: Global economic growth will flounder this year and next at rates not seen since the financial crisis as the march of globalisation grinds to a halt, the OECD warned yesterday.

Long a motor for the global econ-omy, trade growth is set to lag growth in the broader world economy this year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said in an update of its main economic forecasts. “This is well below past norms and implies that globalisa-tion as measured by trade intensity may have stalled,” the Paris-based organisation said.

As a result, the OECD estimated the global economy would muster growth of only 2.9 percent this year, down from a forecast of 3.0 percent in its last estimates in June and the lowest rate since the global financial crisis of 2008-2009.

The OECD said many global

supply chains that add economic value at each stage and are often rooted in China and other east Asian countries were unravelling as China sought to wean its economy off of exports for growth and some firms brought back production to their home countries.

“If we could get back on track with the kind of trade growth that we had in the 1990s and 2000s, we would be able to return to productiv-ity growth rates prior to the financial crisis,” OECD Chief Economist Cath-erine Mann said.

“Productivity has basically fallen by half since the financial crisis and that is a recipe for breaking prom-ises to all of our citizens,” she said.

A backlash against trade has surged onto the political agenda of several countries facing elections in the coming months. With global growth seen picking up to only 3.2 percent next year — trimmed from 3.3 percent in June, Mann warned that would be too little to generate the jobs that youths expected and to

respect pension promises to the eld-erly. “This is not a pretty picture for global growth,” Mann said. “Across the board a three percent growth rate is insufficient to keep promises

to citizens.”The OECD said that growth in the

United States was in particular look-ing weaker than only a few months ago, forecasting growth in the world’s

biggest economy at 1.4 percent this year, down from a forecast of 1.8 per-cent in June.

Although that would be the weakest growth since the financial crisis in 2009 and weaker than the eurozone’s 1.5 percent, the OECD said that the US Federal Reserve should go ahead with an interest rate hike of a quarter percentage point. That would help keep asset prices from galloping ahead of growth in the real economy, potentially creating bub-bles, Mann said.

Next year, the OECD sees US growth picking up to 2.1 percent, down from 2.2 percent in its last forecasts from June. The OECD esti-mated the British economy would suffer less than initially feared as a result of a the vote in June to leave the European Union. It forecast Brit-ish growth of 1.8 percent, up from 1.7 percent in June. However, it cut the outlook for 2017 by half to only 1.0 percent as uncertainty about Britain’s trading relationship with the Euro-pean Union lingered.

OECD Chief Economist Catherine Mann at the OECD headquarters in Paris yesterday.

BUSINESS 19THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

QSE and Iridium launch IR Excellence plan

The Peninsula

DOHA: To encourage listed compa-nies to adhere to the international best practices in disclosure, trans-parency and investor relations (IR), Qatar Stock exchange (QSE), in coop-

eration with Iridium, will launch the IR Excellence Program for the sec-ond year.

The QSE will launch a new online tool to help listed companies to understand the assessment mecha-nism used in IR Excellence Award in order to help them understand how to further improve their IR Excellence score. The IR Excellence Program will also feature a new “most improved company” investor relations award for the first time this year, the exchange announced yesterday.

Under the rating and assessment system used in the IR Excellence Pro-gram, all Qatari listed companies are automatically entered into the assessment programme. A public voting system and a detailed web-site ranking of all companies will be conducted in the third quarter 2016. All members of the investment

community will be eligible to vote for the best companies. Iridium, on behalf of Qatar Stock Exchange, will manage the distribution of emails and questionnaires to a database of over 2,000 regional and international investor and broker contacts which are active in the Qatari market.

The online IR Tool enables com-panies to see how their website ranking last year was broken down into technology, content and serv-ice, and what they can do in order to improve their score. All companies received access to this tool, creating an equal opportunity for everyone to achieve a higher result. This will allow the listed companies to high-light areas for improvement and what they can do to increase their IR Excellence score when their web-site is ranked again later this year.

The programme was designed

to recognise listed companies and individuals who display best prac-tice in investor relations. The winners of last year were QNB ( best Qatari company overall for excellence in

Investor Relations), QNB (Best large company) Doha Bank(Best mid cap company) Mazaya Real Estate (Best small cap company)

Razmi Mari of QNB was the best Chief Financial Officer and Andreas Goldau of Ooredoo was Best Inves-tor Relations Officer. The websites of Ooredoo, Al Khaliji Commercial Bank and Vodafone Qatar have beend adjudged as Best investor Relations websites.

Rashid bin Ali Al Mansoori (pic-tured), CEO of Qatar Stock Exchange, has expressed satisfaction of the advanced IR level achieved by Qatari listed companies and said: “Our IR Excellence Program is returning better and stronger this year, with a new category and a new soft-ware tool. These new features will help encourage Qatar’s listed com-panies to further improve their

investor relations programmes, sup-porting our mandate to continually strengthen Qatar’s position among global emerging markets.”

Oliver Schutzmann, CEO of Irid-ium, said: “This year’s innovations are all about assisting companies to improve their investor relations, and rewarding them for doing so. High quality investor relations are at the heart of market accessibility and support the ongoing development of successful capital markets, and Qatar Stock Exchange’s initiatives are leading the region in working towards this ambition.”

Abdul Aziz Al Emadi, Director of Listing Department in QSE, said: “The new features of the program will encourage companies to improve on last year’s scores by improving the technology, content and service pro-vided by their IR websites.”

QSE will unveil a new online tool to help listed companies to help them understand how to further improve their IR Excellence score.

BoJ overhauls policy focus; sets target for govt bond yieldsReuters

TOKYO: The Bank of Japan (BoJ)made an abrupt shift yesterday to targeting interest rates on govern-ment bonds to achieve its elusive inflation target, after years of mas-sive money printing failed to jolt the economy out of decades-long stag-nation.

While the BoJ reassured markets it would continue to buy large amounts of bonds and risk-ier assets, the policy reboot appeared to open the door for an eventual wind-ing down of its huge asset purchases, and tried to repair some of the damage caused by its shock move to negative rates early this year.

“The impression is that the BoJ is starting to pull back some of its troops from the battlefront,” said Katsutoshi Inadome, senior fixed-income strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.

The BoJ’s increasingly radical stimulus efforts are being closed watched by other global central

banks which are also struggling to revive growth, such as the European Central Bank. Many investors fear central banks have nearly exhausted the limits of what monetary policy can do, putting pressure back on gov-ernments to step up spending.

In setting rate targets for finan-cial institutions’ excess cash deposits

and 10-year govern-ment bonds, the BoJ looked set to exert u n p r e c e d e n t e d control over bond market rates to try to spark life into the world’s third-larg-est economy.

J a p a n e s e stocks rose nearly 2 percent after the move, which could ease profit pres-sure on banks and insurers from ultra-low interest rates, though analysts

doubted the impact would trickle down much into the broader economy.

In a bid to reassure nervous markets, the BoJ maintained its 0.1 percent negative rate and said it would continue buying government bonds at the current pace for the time being. But it dropped its explicit tar-get of increasing base money, the amount of money it prints, by an

annual 80 trillion yen ($788bn), in what some analysts said was a tacit admission its aggressive asset-buying was becoming unsustainable.

Under its new framework, the BoJ will buy long-term government bonds as necessary to keep 10-year bond yields at current levels of around zero percent. If it succeeds, economists believe that would open the door to scaling back its bond pur-chases, but still leave it the option to buy more bonds or cut rates deeper into negative territory if economic conditions deteriorate.

The BoJ says that by directly tar-geting short- and long-term rates, it can more efficiently reduce borrow-ing costs while allowing for a rise in super-long yields, which would help

firms like insurers give pensioners better investment returns.

“Central banks have already been taking steps to directly influence long-term rates (via bond pur-chases). The BoJ has done so too and clearly has been successful,” Gover-nor Haruhiko Kuroda (pictured) told a news conference.

“The yield curve is, if you like, a ‘thermometer’ indicating the health or otherwise of the economy,” Lim Say Boon, chief investment officer at DBS Bank in Singapore, said in com-ments posted to LinkedIn.

“So instead of fixing the patient, Kuroda-san has ‘fixed’ the thermom-eter so it no longer registers a fever.”

Other Japan watchers agreed.“If monetary policy has

effectively reached its limits, which appears to be the case, greater emphasis will now have to be placed on fiscal policy and structural reform to raise inflation and trend growth,” ANZ Bank economists Tom Kenny and Brian Martin said in a note.

The BoJ also left open the pos-sibility that it will maintain its ultra-loose policy longer than expected, saying it would allow infla-tion to overshoot its 2 percent target before tapering asset purchases.

But that seemed at odds with both the overhaul of policy focus and the fact that the core consumer prices fell an annual 0.5 percent in July, the weakest reading since before the BoJ launched its stimulus pro-gram in 2013.

Workers assemble LCD 4K televisions on an assembly line at the Utsunomiya Plant of Panasonic as Japan’s economy contracted in the last three months of 2015, before bouncing back in January-March with a 0.5 percent rise on-quarter and then a 0.2 percent expansion in April-June.

AFP

HONG KONG: Postal Sav-ings Bank of China (PSBC) is set to raise $7.4bn in its Hong Kong initial public offering, which is expected to be the world’s biggest flotation this year, reports said yesterday.

The listing is also poised to be the biggest since Chinese internet giant Alibaba floated in New York in 2014, rais-ing $25bn. But the $7.4bn valuation misses the company’s previously hoped-for $8.1bn mark as analysts say demand for the stock is tepid.

PSBC will sell 12.1 bil-lion shares at HK$4.76 ($0.61) each when it floats on the Hong Kong exchange on September 28.

That comes in at the lower end of the bank’s original price range, which valued the shares between HK$4.68 and HK$5.18.

“In the last year or so, most of these big finan-cial firms on their debut at best went up five per-cent, and a lot of them are still trading underwater,” financial analyst Jackson Wong said.

PSBC to raise

$7.4bn in

Hong Kong IPO

GAC Group announces

management changesThe Peninsula

DOHA: Global provider of inte-grated shipping, logistics and marine services, the GAC Group, has announced a swathe of man-agement changes and transfers.

At the group level, changes come with Erland Ebbersten, for-merly Group Vice-President for the Africa, Russia and Central Asia region, assuming responsibility as Group Vice-President, Marine head-ing the newly established Marine region covering Abu Dhabi, Turk-menistan and Kazakhstan. He will be based in Abu Dhabi.

Thomas Okbo, previously Company Manager of GAC Hong Kong, takes over as Group Vice-President for Africa region (AFR). Russia, which previously fell under the Africa, Russia and Central Asia region now forms part of GAC’s Europe region.

Lars Bergström, formerly Group Vice-President of the Mid-dle East region, takes over as Group Vice-President for the Asia Pacific Region, Indian subcontinent region, including Pakistan. He is replaced

as Group Vice-President, Middle East by Fredrik Nyström, previ-ously Group Vice-President of the Asia Pacific region.

Thomas Okbo is replaced as GAC Hong Kong’s Company Manager by former Finance Manager Maria Lam. Mikko Wieru, who previously headed GAC Qatar will assume the helm as Company Manager of GAC Marine Abu Dhabi. He will be replaced as GAC Qatar Company Manager by Daniel Nordberg who served in the same role in Oman. Johan Fulke takes the reigns at GAC Oman, after his time as Company Manager of GAC Marine Abu Dhabi. In the Philippines, Joel Domingo has been appointed Company Manager for GAC Philippines. He replaces Jake Cuerva who served as Man-aging Director for many successful years with the GAC Group, and who remains as GAC’s partner and Chair-man of the GAC Philippines Board.

Lukas Jönsson, formerly Busi-ness Development Manager with GAC Sweden, has taken over from Mats Boberg as Company Manager. Boberg remains with the company until his retirement at the end of 2016, focusing on project related matters.

ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller wins PR Agency of the Year awardThe Peninsula

DOHA: ASDA’A Burson-Marstel-ler won Public Relations Agency of the Year in the Middle East and Africa for the 6th year running at this year’s International Business Awards, while the 8th Annual Arab Youth Survey 2016 won three gold medals, as the PR Campaign of the Year in the categories of Reputation / Brand Management, Public Service and Global Issues.

In the agency’s best perform-ance ever at the IBAs – known as “the Stevies” – ASDA’A Burson-Mars-teller dominated the PR categories, winning 23 trophies in total, includ-ing four golds, seven silvers and 12 bronzes, resulting in being awarded a coveted Best of the IBAs Award for the first time.

The ‘Grand Stevie’ ranked the Agency in third-place in terms of total awards, tied globally with the tech heavyweight Cisco Systems.

Sunil John, Founder and CEO of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, said: “This is a tremendous result for us, and it is wonderful to see our ground-breaking work on behalf of

our clients recognised on the inter-national stage. This unprecedented win is a testament to the hard work and creative energy of our teams across all of our practices.”

The International Business Awards are the world’s premier business awards programme. The 2016 International Business Awards received 3,800 entries from more than 60 nations and territories. The award ceremony will take place in Rome, Italy on October 21.

The campaign for the Global Education & Skills Forum and Glo-bal Teacher Prize 2016 won Silver in three categories: Public Services, Global Issues, and Events & Occur-rences; while Warriors in Pink for

Ford took two Silvers, in Commu-nity Relations and Public Service, and a Bronze for Social Media. Ford & Lincoln own the 2015 Dubai Inter-national Motor Show took a Silver in Events & Observances, and two bronzes, one for Media Relations and one for Consumer Product marketing.

The Agency’s campaign for the Federal National Council Elections 2015 won a silver in Public Affairs, as well as a Bronze in community relations, while the campaign for Emaar’s Launch of Dubai’s New Icon at Dubai Creek Harbour, won three bronzes, in Events & Occurrences, New Product Launch and Reputa-tion/Brand Management.

The Islamic Banking Index for Emirates Islamic won two Bronzes, in Marketing - Business-to-Business and Investor Relations, and ‘Minds + Machines’ – GE’s Digital Industrial Transformation in MENAT, also took two Bronzes, for Marketing: Busi-ness-to-Business and Reputation/Brand Management. Finally, the campaign for the Initial Public Offer-ing of L’azurde – the largest gold and jewellery designer, manufacturer and distributor in the Middle East – took a Bronze for Investor Relations.

India wants to add

UAE & Saudi oil for

strategic reserve

Reuters

MUMBAI: India is talking to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia to fill half of the 1.5 million tonnes (MT) of the Manga-lore strategic storage, along with Iranian crude, Oil Minister Dhar-mendra Pradhan said yesterday that India is exploring two to three other models for sourcing oil to fill the remainder of the storage.

During Saudi Arabia Energy Minister Kahlid A Al-Falih’s visit to New Delhi in October, India plans to discuss the filling of the Mangalore strategic storage, and investments in refinery and pet-rochemical projects.

Globally, most of the biggest crude oil consuming countries have a strategic storage capacity of at least 50 days, but India cur-rently stands less than 10 days.

In 2005, the Oil Ministry had set up Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd. The company has built a total of 5.33 MT of stor-age capacity in three locations — Vizag (1.33 MT), Mangalore (1.5 MT) and Padur (2.5 MT). Only Vizag is currently operational.

Reuters

BRUSSELS: The European Commission proposed yester-day scrapping time limits on charge-free mobile phone roam-ing included in next year’s plan to abolish such tariffs after critics said its initial proposal was con-sumer unfriendly.

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (pictured) abruptly ordered the previous proposal to be redrafted two weeks ago to make good on a pledge to end roaming charges. The EU executive is seeking to shore up public support after Britain’s vote to leave the bloc

and the rise of anti-establish-ment parties.

Europeans, millions of whom frequently cross often nearby borders, have been irritated by charges for making calls or using data abroad that seem far greater than any additional costs required to provide that service.

The Commission’s initial pro-posal on the “fair use” of roaming was to allow consumers to roam for up to 90 days per year and for a maximum of 30 consecu-tive days, while paying only their domestic prices.

Andrus Ansip, European Commission Vice-President for the digital single market, told a news conference that there would no longer be a formal limit on

surcharge-free roaming when new rules enter force in June 2017.

“We will not put any limit in terms of days... but we decided to put clear safeguards in terms of

residency,” he said.Operators like Vodafone and

Deutsche Telekom will be able to check consumers’ usage patterns to ensure they do not abuse the system by buying a cheap SIM card in one EU country and using it permanently elsewhere.

“We want to protect both sides,” Ansip said.

The burden of proof will fall on companies, who will have to demonstrate that a customer is abusing free roaming by com-paring their usage abroad to that at home without falling foul of data protection rules limiting the tracking of online habits.

“It is an interesting pro-consumer measure against the backdrop of rising anti-EU

sentiment in many member states,” said Rob Bratby, telecoms partner at law firm Olswang.

“However, it feels a little like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic if it is supposed to recon-nect EU citizens with Europe.”

For example, if a person uses their phone a lot more abroad than at home, or if a SIM card is largely inactive at home, opera-tors will be able to apply roaming surcharges.

Similarly, if a customer uses multiple SIM cards when travel-ling then operators would be able to charge for roaming. Operators, though, would have to inform users they were facing surcharges and consumers would be allowed to challenge them.

BUSINESS20 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

QE Index 10,252.90 0.04 %QE Total Return Index 16,588.51 0.04 %QE Al Rayan Islamic Index 3,868.33 0.01 %QE All Share Index 2,837.84 0.09 %QE All Share Banks & Financial Services 2,832.33 0.32 %QE All Share Industrials 3,063.91 0.12 %QE All Share Transportation 2,447.48 1.45 %QE All Share Real Estate 2,437.73 0.93 %QE All Share Insurance 4,508.08 0.82 %QE All Share Telecoms 1,192.73 2.02 %QE All Share Consumer Goods & Services 6,321.03 0.51 %

QE INDICES SUMMARY QATAR STOCK EXCHANGE

QE MARKET SUMMARY COMPARISON

GOLD AND SILVER

WORLD STOCK INDICES

21-09-2016 Today 20-09-2016 Previous dayIndex 10,252.90 10,256.52

Change 3.62 103.75

% 0.04 1.02

YTD% 1.69 1.66

Volume 3,681,116 8,489,649

Value (QAR) 195,586,850.55 371,623,627.73

Trades 2,969 5,248

Up 24 | Down 13 | Unchanged 01

GOLD QR155.3198 per grammeSILVER QR2.2874 per gramme

Index Day’s Close Pt Chg % Chg Year High Year LowALL ORDINARIES 5429.414 32.09 0.59 5691.8 4762.1CAC 40 INDEX/d 4440.47 51.87 1.18 4607.69 3892.46DJ INDU AVERAGE 18129.96 9.79 0.05 18668.4 15450.6HANG SENG INDE/d 23669.9 139.04 0.59 24364 18278.8ISEQ OVERALL/d 6110.53 33.64 0.55 6791.68 5286.65KARACHI 100 IN/d 39771.42 -569.04 -1.41 40542.64 29785NIKKEI 225 INDEX 16807.62 315.47 1.91 18951.12 14864.01S&P 500 INDEX/d 0 0 0 2193.81 1810.1

EXCHANGE RATECurrency Buying Selling

US$ QR 3.6305 QR 3.6500UK QR 4.7024 QR 4.7684Euro QR 4.0359 QR 4.0928CA$ QR 2.7442 QR 2.7985Swiss Fr QR 3.7102 QR 3.7626Yen QR 0.0357 QR 0.0364Aus$ QR 2.7425 QR 2.7961Ind Re QR 0.0539 QR 0.0550Pak Re QR 0.0345 QR 0.0352Peso QR 0.0755 QR 0.0770SL Re QR 0.0246 QR 0.0252Taka QR 0.0460 QR 0.0470Nep Re QR 0.0337 QR 0.0343SA Rand QR 0.2632 QR 0.2686

Bloomberg

DALLAS: FedEx Corp., owner of the world’s largest cargo airline, raised its full-year profit forecast as con-tinued growth in e-commerce deliveries helped push earnings for the fiscal first quarter ahead of analysts’ estimates.

Higher yields on air and ground shipments and ris-ing package volumes bolstered quarterly results, the courier said in a statement. FedEx continued to ben-efit from a multiyear cost-cutting effort at its FedEx Express unit and from ongoing expansion of its ground delivery business, which according to the company is on track to gain market share for the 18th straight year.

“I think initial guidance is a positive as it shows an improved outlook for the core business,” Logan Purk, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co, said. “The quarter was solid. Good volume and overall demand across the business.”

Adjusted earnings for fiscal 2017 will be $11.85 to $12.35 a share, excluding pension accounting adjust-ments and TNT Express, FedEx said. Its earlier forecast was $11.75 to $12.25.

FedEx also provided the first specifics on the impact of this year’s $4.9bn acquisition of Dutch shipper TNT Express. Integrating the new property will take four years and produce $750m in annual benefits, FedEx Chief Financial Officer Alan Graf said on a confer-ence call. TNT’s extensive ground-delivery network in Europe makes FedEx a stronger competitor to mar-ket leaders United Parcel Service Inc and Deutsche Post AG’s DHL.

TNT Express contributed $1.8bn in sales in the quar-ter and operating income of $34m excluding integration and restructuring costs.

Integration of the company with FedEx is already ahead of schedule, Graf said. FedEx expects $700m to $800m in total integration costs.

“We don’t see any surprises or disappointments at this point,” he said. “I’m very upbeat with where we are in this process.”

FedEx said it would add more than 50,000 tempo-rary workers for what it expects to be a record holiday season, fuelled by expansion of e-commerce.

FedEx boosts 2017 outlook after better first quarter

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS - A LIST OF SHARES FROM THE WORLD

A C C-A/D 1630.95 -4.45 8330

Aarti Drugs-B/D 538.1 3 2237

Aban Offs-A/D 207.45 0.9 190236

Ador Welding-B/D 284 -1.6 1207

Aegis Logis-B/D 169.45 3.75 307805

Alembic-B/D 38.1 -0.4 26000

Alkyl Amines-B/D 331.75 -3.15 4874

Alok Indus-A/D 3.62 0.12 1867065

Apollo Tyre-A/D 215 -2.5 225602

Asahi I Glass-/D 187.7 -1.05 8904

Ashok Leyland-/D 83 -1 824787

Bajaj Hold-A/D 1845.85 5.9 2401

Ballarpur In-B/D 13.92 0.12 311017

Banaras Bead-B/D 41.5 0.35 2732

Bata India-A/D 511.25 -10.15 40090

Beml Ltd-A/D 899.55 -4.85 37300

Bh Electronic-/D 1247.25 8.5 42159

Bhansali Eng-T/D 20.55 0.1 50686

Bharat Bijle-B/D 806.95 14.4 3586

Bharatgears-B/D 96 4.75 15745

Bhel-A/D 144.3 -1.45 932301

Bom.Burmah-B/D 577.1 15.95 89405

Bombay Dyeing-/D 54.2 -0.4 598003

Canfin Homes-B/D 1640.1 9.95 4799

Caprihans-Xc/D 94.4 0.5 1702

Castrol India-/D 457.6 -2 428145

Century Enka-B/D 281.15 20.45 286027

Century Text-A/D 881.3 3.35 331277

Chambal Fert-B/D 60.1 0.15 111601

Chola Invest-A/D 1074 -7.45 10859

Chowgule St-T/D 13.95 0.4 12977

Cimmco-B/D 76.15 1.1 15363

Cipla-A/D 600.2 -1.7 138473

City Union Bk-/D 131.6 1.05 17442

Colgate-A/D 969.2 7.15 20047

Container Cor-/D 1324.45 14.45 5993

Dai-Tichi Kar-/D 580 9.45 2114

Dcm Financia-T/D 1.05 -0.01 5000

Dcm Shram Ind-/D 204 -1.8 2295

Dhampur Sugar-/D 120.1 -3.8 108232

Dr. Reddy-A/D 3160.1 1.4 11402

E I H-B/D 109 0.45 4550

E.I.D Parry-A/D 252.5 3.65 37561

Eicher Motor-A/D 24118.75 774.95 5145

Electrosteel-B/D 22 -0.2 290755

Emco-B/D 34 1.3 195018

Escorts Fin-B/D 12.52 0 187956

Escorts-A/D 369.3 2.65 591843

Eveready Indu-/D 267 -3.55 42455

F D C-B/D 225.35 1.85 31987

Federal Bank-A/D 71 -0.85 518079

Ferro Alloys-B/D 4.77 -0.03 60981

Finolex-A/D 476 5.05 10202

Forbes-B/D 1698 -38.1 1148

Gail-A/D 386.9 1.5 142547

Gammon India-T/D 17.25 -0.3 209862

Gangotri Tex-B/D 0.94 -0.04 1000

Garden P -B/D 31.9 1.15 125092

Godfrey Phil-B/D 1317 -6.2 10548

Goodricke-B/D 195.35 4.95 28610

Goodyear I -B/D 629.35 3.05 11199

Hcl Infosys-B/D 41.9 -0.25 269352

Him.Fut.Comm-T/D 16.65 0.4 2571942

Himat Seide-B/D 267.85 1.4 38271

Hind Motors-T/D 6.36 0.05 152875

Hind Org Chem-/D 16.95 -0.35 68073

Hind Unilever-/D 912.2 9.05 64922

Hind.Petrol-A/D 403.9 2.45 210989

Hindalco-A/D 149.1 3.75 1026099

Hous Dev Fin-A/D 1396.95 3.4 252642

I F C I-A/D 29.45 -0.15 1622089

Idbi-A/D 72.8 -1.2 315926

Ifb Agro-B/D 381 -0.7 1178

Ifb Ind.Ltd.-B/D 439.25 0.7 2451

India Cement-A/D 149.1 -0.8 236157

India Glycol-B/D 125.25 -4.2 215539

Indian Hotel-A/D 126.55 0.1 84225

Indo-Tcount-T/D 781 36.45 27936

Indusind-A/D 1184.2 -0.15 30476

J.B.Chemical-B/D 376.9 4.7 44996

Jagson Phar-B/D 36.8 -0.25 6524

Jamnaauto-B/D 221.45 -2 45853

Jbf Indu-B/D 225.5 -5.65 23043

Jct Ltd-B/D 5.93 0.42 2732293

Jenson&Nich.-B/D 8.2 0 23089

Jik Indust-B/D 0.72 -0.03 46533

Jindal Drill-B/D 170.85 -0.15 5828

Jktyre&Ind-A/D 147.7 1.6 537190

Jmc Projects-T/D 247.95 2.15 3233

Kabra Extr-B/D 116.25 -1.3 1696

Kajaria Cer-A/D 1325.05 17.8 3370

Kakatiya Cem-B/D 389.75 0.4 27125

Kalpat Power-B/D 264.55 -4.85 8014

Kalyani Stel-T/D 337.5 -4.05 58408

Kanoria Chem-B/D 67.5 0.15 18060

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LONDON

EU scraps telecom roaming time limit

21THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Spieth prizes Ryder Cup glory over Tour Championship win

Reuters

LONDON: As much as Jordan Spieth would love to complete a successful title defence at the Tour Champion-ship this week, team victory at the Ryder Cup next week is an even big-ger goal for the American.

If forced to choose between the two, Spieth told reporters at East Lake in Atlanta on Tuesday that he would opt for Cup glory.

“That’s kind of rude,” the twice major champion said in response to the question, before answer-ing it directly when he could have diplomatically brushed it off as a hypothetical.

“I don’t have a Ryder Cup (win). I think I will have a Ryder Cup at some point. You want what you don’t have. I’ve watched the other side of that (Ryder Cup defeat in 2014) and it hurt.

“It was tough in that closing cer-emony. When we boarded the plane back home, it was an empty feeling and we don’t want that again,” said Spieth, 23, who made his Ryder Cup debut in 2014.

“We remember that. We want that celebration.

“I’m pretty confident how we’re going to go about our business. I think we’ve got a fantastic team

this year.” Spieth spent Sunday and Monday at Hazeltine National in Min-nesota, site of next week’s biennial showdown between the United States and Europe, seeking to squirrel away course knowledge.

The former world number one says he will have no trouble this week eliminating the Ryder Cup from his mind as he chases the tournament crown and also the $10m bonus handed out to the winner of the sea-son-long FedExCup points race.

But the Ryder Cup will be very much on the mind of others at East Lake in the elite 30-man field who are vying for the 12th and last spot

on the American team. Their battle to impress captain Davis Love, who will name his final wild card selec-tion on Sunday night, will provide an intriguing subplot to the event, with Bubba Watson, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger among those on the short list.

Spieth played with all three at Hazeltine on Monday.

“You could see how badly each of them wanted to be there,” he said. “I think being on the property excited them even more. We want whoev-er’s playing the best to be the last pick and I think there are five or six options.” Spieth has particular

sympathy for twice Masters cham-pion Watson, the world number seven.

“I couldn’t imagine being in his position,” said Spieth.

“I don’t know if anybody’s been passed up at that spot (but) he didn’t seem upset about anything, like he was entitled to anything.

“I think he really feels like he needs to do his job this week.”

Spieth said he did not mind if Love chose a veteran or a rookie for the final spot.

“Doesn’t make much difference, whoever’s playing the best golf,” he said.

This file photo taken on April 10, 2016 shows US golfer Jordan Spieth hitting out of a bunker on the 10th green during Round 4 of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

I’m pretty confident how we’re going to go about our business. I think we’ve got a fantastic team this year, says the US golfer

Woods greatest player

to ever play: FinchemAFP

MIAMI: PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem (pictured) believes Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer ever to play the sport, ranking his achieve-ments ahead of Jack Nicklaus despite winning fewer majors than “The Golden Bear.”

Finchem, who is preparing to head into retirement, said former world number one Woods had played a transformative role in the history of the sport similar to the effect Michael Jordan had in the NBA.

“He’s the only living player to win 79 times, and only one player has ever won more,” Finchem said of Woods.

“He’s the only active player to have won 14 majors, and only one player has won more,” he added.

“I love Jack Nicklaus beyond belief, but I have to put Tiger down as prob-ably the greatest player to ever play, and the way he did it and his domi-nation at a time when you’re bringing more and more good players along, is incredible.

“It lifted all boats. I always refer to it as kind of like Michael Jordan in the NBA. He just lifted boats and brought in so many new fans to the game and changed it.”

Woods is preparing to make his comeback in California next month after missing the past year with a nig-gling back injury.

The 40-year-old trails Nick-laus’s haul of 18 majors by four and is widely seen as a longshot to surpass the 76-year-old’s tally.

Meanwhile, Finchem, who is step-ping down at the end of the year after 22 years as PGA Tour Commissioner, said he is optimistic about the global health of his sport.

“It’s a really, really exciting time for the sport. There’s so much poten-tial out there, more than ever. The global nature of the sport that we just saw manifested in the Olympics is out there in front of us to take advantage of,” said Finchem, speaking ahead of this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta.

“The quality of the young players coming up today is so much different than 20 years ago in terms of, not just their capability of playing, but their unbelievable focus on reaching fans, communicating. They handle them-selves so well. The next 25 years are going to be awesome.”

Finchem said he believed golf’s return to the Olympics -- which was marred by withdrawals of several top male players -- could also help grow the game.

“You have about 85 countries where the governments invest money in sports but only in sports that are on the Olympic program,” Finchem said.

“Those are 85 countries that haven’t had government funding before, and now they’re getting it. How are we leveraging that to help grow the game globally?”

Finchem suggested he believed

some of the players who withdrew from the Olympics citing fears over the Zika virus later rued their decision.

“Based on the reaction of some of those players after, having not gone, and learning about the differ-ence between negative commentary ahead of an Olympics and reality,” Finchem said,

“Just ask the players who did go. It was a game-changer in their minds.”

Meanwhile, Fan favorite Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston will gain more welcome exposure to American gal-leries next season after he earned his PGA Tour card.

Johnston shot a final-round

three-under-par 68 at the Web.com Tour Boise Open to finish in fourth place and earn his card for the tour.

“Very happy to come over and get what I was trying to do,” said Johnston. “It’s big. I tried my best and that’s what I did.”

The 27-year-old Johnston won his first European Tour event at the Spanish Open in April and has rocketed from 220th in the world rankings at the end of last year to 80th prior to this week.

Johnston, with his bushy beard and ever present smile, won admir-ers around the world for the way he gleefully interacted with the gal-leries while finishing eighth in the British Open at Royal Troon in July.

Tiger Woods

Rome’s new mayor set

to pull plug on 2024 bid Reuters

ROME: Rome’s new mayor, Virginia Raggi (pictured), has decided to oppose its bid to host the Olympics, a city hall official said yesterday, a new blow to the 2024 Games after the withdrawal of Boston and Ham-burg. The decision, to be announced later on Wednesday, follows com-ments from Raggi and others within her anti-establishment 5-Star Move-ment that the heavily indebted city could ill afford to fund the Games and that it would be a magnet for corruption.

Raggi was elected in June, after Rome had already formed a bid committee with the support of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Its withdrawal would leave only Paris, Los Angeles and Budapest in the bidding, with the US city firm-ing as frontrunner.

Boston pulled out over financial concerns and the residents of Ham-burg voted against that city’s bid in a referendum.

The 5-Star Movement had always voiced doubts about stag-ing the sporting spectacular, but the Rome bid team and Italy’s Olympic committee had held out hopes of changing Raggi’s mind.

Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malago has said the bid would fail without the city council’s backing.

During the mayoral election campaign, Raggi said the city had other priorities but did not defin-itively back away from the bid. In one election debate, she said she would call a popular referendum on whether to continue with it.

Revelations of systematic cor-ruption involving Roman politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen in late 2014 prompted doubts about whether the city could handle work associated with the Olympics in a transparent way.

Rome had also bid to host the

2020 Games, but then-prime min-ister Mario Monti withdrew due to concerns over Italy’s finances.

Raggi, who has been beset by resignations, infighting and scan-dals in her first few months as mayor, is due to give a news con-ference about the Olympics bid at 1330 GMT. She is expected to explain the decision to withdraw by citing major cost overruns that have left past host cities in debt, the city hall official said.

One of 5-Star Movement’s lead-ers, Luigi Di Maio, came out strongly against the bid this month, saying: “People who want to get rich by spreading cement over our coun-try can go to hell.”

The Olympics movement is con-cerned the Games is losing its luster, with a pattern of cities pulling out of bidding for both summer and win-ter Games after baulking at the huge investments required. Brazil spent about $12 billion on the Rio Games last month, which proved a sporting success but were marred by empty seats and street crime.

The International Olympic Com-mittee took steps in December 2014 to cut the cost of the Games and make bidding more attractive to potential hosts, but the so-called Agenda 2020 has failed to stop cit-ies withdrawing their candidacies, scared off by the size, cost and com-plexity of the event.

The International Olympic Com-mittee is due to select the 2024 host city in September 2017.

MLB: Cardinals down Rockies as Cubs win Agencies

NEW YORK: Adam Wainwright, who turned 35 three weeks ago, has shown his age this season and was not at his best, but more than made up for any mound shortcom-ings with his bat.

His career-high four RBI helped the Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 10-5, which tied them with the New York Mets for the top wild-card spot in the National League.

Wainwright doubled home two runs in the third off Jorge De La Rosa and singled home two runs in the fifth off Eddie Butler.

Wainwright (12-9) worked 5-1/3 innings, the third time in four starts he failed to reach the sixth.

Cubs 6, Reds 1Jon Lester claimed his National

League-leading 18th victory as Chi-cago beat Cincinnati.

Lester (18-4) allowed one run on six hits while striking out five and walking none in a seven-inning outing.

His 18 wins are the most since going 19-9 with the Red Sox in 2009.

Anthony Rizzo was 2-for-5 with three RBIs, Kris Bryant added three hits and Dexter Fowler reached base four times.

Red Sox 5, Orioles 2David Ortiz got his 36th home

run, a three-run shot in the sev-enth inning, as the Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to six games.

Boston increased their lead over Baltimore to five games in the American League East.

Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7) picked up his first win since July 16. He was charged with two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts over 6-1/3 innings.

Mookie Betts went 3-for-5 with two runs, while Jackie Bradley Jr. got

his 26th homer.Phillies 7, White Sox 6Odubel Herrera went 3-for-4

with a home run, two runs scored, two stolen bases and three RBIs to power Philadelphia over the White Sox.

Over his last seven games, Her-rera is now 15-for-28 (.535) with two home runs, four doubles and six RBIs.

White Sox starter James Shields lasted 5-1/3 innings before getting pulled after giving up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits.

Braves 5, Mets 4Julio Teheran allowed one run

over seven strong innings as the Braves continued to play spoiler with a 5-4 win over the New York Mets.

The Braves (60-91) have won the first two games of the three-game series against the National League wild card-leading Mets (80-71), who entered Tuesday with a one-game lead over the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.

BASEBALL RESULTSBoston 5 Baltimore 2

Philadelphia 7 C White Sox 6

Atlanta 5 NY Mets 4

Cleveland 2 Kansas City 1

NY Yankees 5 Tampa Bay 3

Miami 1 Washington 0

Chicago Cubs 6 Cincinnati 1

Texas 5 LA Angels 4

Detroit 8 Minnesota 1

Pittsburgh 6 Milwaukee 3

St Louis 10 Colorado 5

Houston 2 Oakland 1

San Francisco 2 LA Dodgers 0

Toronto 10 Seattle 2

SPORT22 THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Proud captain Misbah wants Pakistan isolation to end soon Reuters

LAHORE: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq hopes international cricket will soon return to the country as he cele-brated the team’s climb to the top of the Test rankings by being awarded the ceremonial mace to mark the achieve-ment yesterday.

It was a poignant occasion for the 42-year-old Misbah as he accepted the silver and gold-plated trophy at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, a venue where Pakistan played their last Test on home soil.

An attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in the city in 2009 led to Pakistan’s exclusion from hosting major interna-tional tours with the side forced to play ‘home’ games in the United Arab Emir-ates ever since.

“There can’t be a better location to receive the ICC Test Championship mace than this ground,” Misbah said

after receiving the trophy from Inter-national Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson.

“It is ironic for both the players as well as the fans that the journey to the number one position has been (made) outside Pakistan.

“The players have missed on the crowd support, while the spectators have been unable to watch live some magnificent team and individual per-formances. But I am confident that things will change and international cricket will soon return to Pakistan.”

The Lahore incident saw the Sri Lankan touring party set upon by at least 10 gunmen, who wounded six players and a British coach, and killed eight Pakistanis in the attack. Undaunted by the isolation, Misbah’s men have recently beaten Australia and

England in the UAE, drawn with New Zealand, and earned impressive away series wins in Sri Lanka and Bang-ladesh before this year’s 2-2 draw in England.

Pakistan were then elevated to number one in the rankings without bowling a ball after table-topping India were denied the 3-0 series win they needed to retain top spot against West Indies last month when the final test ended in a damp draw.

“The next target we have set for ourselves is to finish as the number one ranked test side at the April 1 cut-off date,” said Misbah, referring to the prize money on offer to the ranking leaders on that day.

“It is not going to be easy as we have series against formidable sides like the West Indies, New Zealand and Australia.

“But instead of getting overawed by our opponents, we need to trust in our abilities, focus on our strengths and try to be as consistent as possible.”

Pakistan cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq (right) receives a ICC Test Championship mace from ICC Chief Executive David Richardson in Lahore, yesterday.

PAKISTAN CELEBRATE TOP TEST RANKING

New Zealand aim to turn tables on spin kings India

Reuters

KANPUR: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson believes his slow-bowling trio can prove a handful for India in their own spin-friendly back yard in the three-Test series starting today.

Rolling out raging turners and unleashing the spinners has been the tried-and-Tested formula behind India’s formidable home form, and the cracks on the track in Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium sug-gest the trend will continue against the Kiwis.

India have won each of their last three home series, against Australia, West Indies and South Africa, without losing a Test.

But New Zealand seem to have done their homework and have included a trio of specialist spin-ners – Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Mark Craig – in their squad with a reasonable chance of all three playing in the series opener in Kanpur.

“They’ve got very good spin-ners, naturally very experienced in these conditions. But we have got some exciting young talent. We have shown that in the (World)

Twenty20,” Williamson said, refer-ring to the impressive display by leg-spinner Sodhi and left-armer Santner in the tournament in India earlier this year.

“Yes, the formats are different but we are hoping they can build on from those experiences,” Wil-liamson said.

“There were a lot of learning experiences to be had, certainly this being one of them, being exposed in these conditions which will certainly suit spin bowling.

“We are certainly hoping they can play a big part in the series.”

Williamson had a good look at the wicket in Kanpur and the 26-year-old spotted a silver lin-ing in the dry track, in the form of reverse-swing potential.

“Coming into it, and certainly watching the previous series here, without much grass on the block, obviously the ball deteriorates quite quickly and reverse swing and spin naturally become big factors,” he said. “How our spin bowlers bowl will be important, but at the same time we are hoping for better reverse swing. We will have to see how things unfold.”

Williamson conceded spin might make or break fortunes in the series but did not agree fully with team mate Ross Taylor’s sug-gestion of employing the sweep shot frequently to negate the Indian spinners.

“I think it’s certainly up to indi-viduals. Some guys sweep more than others,” Williamson said.

“I suppose sweeping is a big part of an Indian player’s game. They’ve got great footwork, they get forward, they get back and come down the wicket.”

New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson (right) talks with coach Mike Hesson as he arrives for batting in the nets during a training session in Kanpur, yesterday, on the eve of the first Test against India at Green Park Stadium.

Kiwi skipper banks on spinners and young talent as three-match Test series starts in Kanpur today

India can be the best after

bumper season, says Kohli

Reuters

KANPUR: India have the resources to become the best team in Test cricket and the bumper home sea-son would be a perfect opportunity to sow the seed of their ascendancy, captain Virat Kohli said yesterday ahead of the first game against New Zealand.

Kohli’s men embark on an important 13-Test season today when they take on New Zealand in the first match of the three-Test series at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium.

“We believe we certainly have what it takes to be the best team in the world,” the 27-year-old told reporters on the eve of what would be India’s 500th Test.

“One area we have tapped into is belief. It’s something that a lot of young players can lack coming into international cricket.

“It’s all about getting rid of that feeling... That’s the only way you can go out there, be confident and express yourself. Express how good you are, and that’s what this team has done.

“More often than not if you’re fearless, the results will fall your way because you’re willing to take that extra risk in the course of the game. I certainly feel that this team has what it takes to be the best.”

India’s poor record as tourists have been a home truth but under Kohli, the team have won series in Sri Lanka and West Indies to briefly occupy the top Test rankings before arch-rivals Pakistan snatched it.

Kohli saw a gilt-edged oppor-tunity to reclaim the tag in the big ‘career-defining’ home season which will also include Tests against England, Australia and Bangladesh.

“This season is a phase where we can lay the foundation where the Test team will go,” Kohli said.

“The challenge in last one year or so has been to show composure and get the victories which we require and we have been able to get that. The important thing is to continue the same.

“This season will be career-defining for all the people in the squad, because hardly we have played 17 Test matches regularly.

“That’s something we are happy about, that we can plan our Test cricket, and back ourselves and get those victories whenever the chance comes. Very exciting times ahead.”

Dwelling on the Test against New Zealand, Kohli praised the touring side’s fearless brand of cricket, which he attributed to former Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum.

“Their mentality was cricket was not the end of the world for them, they just enjoyed the game,” Kohli said. “I think they have been able to detach themselves from those pressures and that’s why they have got successful in last couple of years.” Indian paceman Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of the Test with mosquito-borne viral dis-ease Chikungunya.

Indian captain Virat Kohli

Former Australia batsman Dean Jones plays a shot during an exhibition match at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

Jones tips Pakistan for T20 resurgence AFP

RAWALPINDI: Dashing ex-Aus-tralia batsman Dean Jones has tipped Pakistan’s resurgence in Twenty20 cricket following the success of its new domestic league, saying fierce hitter Shar-jeel Khan (pictured) can revive the country’s fortunes.

Jones, who coached Islam-abad United to victory in the inaugural Pakistan Super League this year, was speaking after a mixed-gender exhibition match in Rawalpindi. The 55-year-old featured alongside his players, team director and bowling leg-end Wasim Akram, as well as four members of the national women’s team.

Despite rising to the top of Test rankings for the first time,

Pakistan have wilted in shorter formats of the game, dropping to ninth in one-dayers and seventh in Twenty20 rankings.

Jones said the success of the PSL, a five-team franchise-based event staged in the United Arab Emirates that attracted top glo-bal talent and turned a healthy $2.6 million profit despite low expectations, would help Paki-stan’s players adapt their skills.

He said: “Let’s not forget why India is good at T20 cricket: they have already had eight or nine IPLs, (which) goes for two months ... and their guys have learnt through other coaches and influence from other players,” referring to the Indian Premier League, the format’s marquee tournament.

“We just have (had) one real Pakistan Super League and already now they are starting

to get the idea about what’s expected at this level. “This game, T20 cricket is morphing and changing into a different beast, a different animal.

“It’s about power, it’s about fitness, it’s about guys who can bowl proper death bowling and proper defensive lines and

lengths... so it’s a huge learn-ing curve for some of them, but they will get better within three or four years time ... they will become a top two team in world T20 cricket.”

Power hitting has become an issue for Pakistan’s limited-overs sides recently, with the team struggling to pile up big totals.

But Jones, who in 1986 famously struck 210 in the blis-tering heat of Chennai in cricket’s second-ever tied Test, picked out 27-year-old Islamabad batsman Sharjeel Khan as the man who could turn Pakistan’s fortunes around.

“Sharjeel Khan is your next guy for the next ten years (in T20). He’ll hurt most bowlers in the world,” said Jones.

Jones rolled back the years during the exhibition match to strike a rapid fire 26 off 10

deliveries, including several lusty boundaries in his team’s 106-4 off 12 overs.

The match was also nota-ble because of the presence of four women stars, with Anam Amin claiming the wicket of Zohaib Ahmed and batter Bis-mah Maroof hoicking several deliveries off spinner Imran Khalid into the outfield before he bowled her out.

Jones also hailed Paki-stan’s rise to number one in the Test rankings as “phenomenal” given the side has been starved of matches at home since 2009 terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team.

He said: “See apart from Mis-bah (ul-Haq) and Younis Khan maybe, not many boys have played for Pakistan on home turf, and that is sad, that is really sad for some of the boys.”

SPORT 23THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016

Fabregas gives Chelsea a win as Norwich overcome Everton

AFP

LONDON: Cesc Fabregas made an emphatic point to Chelsea manager Antonio Conte as his double sealed a 4-2 win at Leicester, while Ever-ton and Bournemouth suffered shock third-round exits from the English Football League Cup on Tuesday.

Fabregas has been limited to three substitute appearances in the Premier League since Conte took charge over the summer, but the Spain midfielder proved he can still be a game-changer with an influen-tial display capped by the decisive two goals in extra-time.

“I was happy to play from the start! Hopefully this will shut up a few journalists talking rubbish all the time,” said Fabregas, who has been linked with a move away from the ‘Blues’.

At the King Power Stadium, Shinji Okazaki put Premier League cham-pions Leicester ahead in the 17th

minute when the Japan striker pun-ished terrible Chelsea defending to head home from close range.

Okazaki followed his first goal since March with a second in the 34th minute.

Gary Cahill reduced the defi-cit on the stroke of half-time, the defender heading home after being left unmarked at the far post from a Fabregas corner. The Blues equal-ised four minutes after the interval

through Cesar Azpilicueta’s blister-ing long-range effort.

Leicester had to play extra-time with 10 men after Marcin Wasilews-ki’s 89th minute dismissal for elbowing Diego Costa and Fabregas made them pay, finishing a flowing move in the 92nd minute and drilling home again two minutes later.

Everton are second in the Pre-mier League but Koeman made six changes and his stand-ins were

brushed aside by promotion-chasing Norwich. The Canaries went ahead when former Everton striker Steven Naismith slipped as he went to shoot and inadvertently lobbed the ball into the net. Josh Murphy’s superb strike from the edge of the area in the 74th minute completed the upset.

At Dean Court, Makienok, who hadn’t scored in his previous 19 appearances, gave Preston the lead in the 10th minute before Bournemouth

equalised through Lewis Grabban’s 53rd minute penalty.

Dan Gosling put the hosts ahead from close range in the 76th minute, only for Makienok to force extra-time in the 85th minute and then win it for Simon Grayson’s men in the 111th minute. Lucas Perez’s first goals for Arsenal inspired a 4-0 rout of sec-ond-tier Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who has never won the League Cup, made 11 changes from the team that thrashed Hull on Sat-urday and the understudies went ahead in the 23rd minute through a long-range effort from Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka.

Spanish striker Perez, who arrived from Deportivo La Coruna on transfer-deadline day, opened his Arsenal account in his third appear-ance with a 60th-minute penalty after a foul on Chuba Akpom. Perez got his second in the 71st minute and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got Arse-nal’s fourth in stoppage time.

Liverpool, last year’s beaten finalists, remain on course for a return to Wembley after a 3-0 win against Championship side Derby at the iPro Stadium.

Elsewhere, Newcastle defeated Championship rivals Wolves 2-0, Leeds beat fellow second-tier side Blackburn 1-0, while Reading won 2-1 in another all-Championship clash at Brighton.

London perfect choice for Euro 2020: CeferinReuters

LONDON: New UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin believes Lon-don is the ‘perfect’ choice to stage the climax to Euro 2020 after 12 other cities across the continent host earlier matches, he said yes-terday.

Under the controversial format being used for the tournament’s 60th anniversary, those cities will stage four games each with the semi-finals and final in the Eng-lish capital.

Before being elected last week, Ceferin had said the plan was a risk and would be difficult for travelling fans.

In his first official engage-ment since the election, however, the Slovenian lawyer spoke pos-itively about the format at the launch of the London logo in a cer-emony that will be replicated in the other host cities over the next few weeks.

They are Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, Munich, Rome and St Petersburg.

“I’m delighted to be in Eng-land, the country that gave football to the world,” Ceferin told an audience including delegates from all 13 hosting football associ-ations and England manager Sam Allardyce.

“The tournament will be unique and memorable in a vari-ety of ways.

“What better way could there be than to take the final tourna-ment to all four corners of our continent?

“London is a wonderful, vibrant multicultural city and an intense hotbed of football.”

Clinical PSG thrash Dijon 3-0 AFP

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain shrugged off their indifferent start to the season to usurp Monaco at the top of Ligue 1 with a routine 3-0 vic-tory over toothless Dijon on Tuesday.

A 3-1 early season loss at Monaco had seen new boss Unai Emery’s honeymoon period cut short as PSG then conceded a late equaliser at home to Saint Etienne in their next match. But they smashed Caen 6-0 away last week and similarly made light work of struggling Dijon -- without ever hitting top gear or creating many chances -- thanks to an own goal, an Edinson Cavani

penalty and a Lucas header. PSG go top for the first time this season on goal difference, but their stay will be a short one with Monaco and Nice -- both unbeaten.

For the third time in a row Emery left marquee summer signing Hatem Ben Arfa out of his squad for what the coach had called a “purely sporting decision”, but the fleet-footed playmaker was not missed in a comfortable evening’s work at the Parc des Princes for the reigning champions. The Parisians took the game to the visitors and surged into

a deserved lead on the quarter-hour when Brazilian Maxwell crossed and the ball took a big deflection off defender Adam Lang and looped into the net.

PSG went 2-0 up on 27 minutes through an emphatic Cavani pen-alty after Adrien Rabiot had his legs swept from under him in the box.

All hope of a Dijon comeback was extinguished midway through the second half when Maxwell was again heavily invovled, his pin-point cross finding the head of unmarked fellow Brazilian Lucas.

In Tuesday’s other Ligue 1 fixture, Swede Ola Toivonen scored twice as Toulouse won 2-1 at Lille to continue their fine start to the season, mov-ing above Nice into third.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Javier Pastore (right) vies for the ball with Dijon’s Jordan Loties (left) during their Ligue 1 match at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris, France on Tuesday

Valencia

sack coach

Ayestaran

Reuters

VALENCIA: Valencia have sacked coach Pako Ayestaran less than six months after handing him the job following a dire start to the sea-son with the club propping up the La Liga table.

They have yet to earn a point after four defeats and were beaten 2-1 by Athletic Bilbao on Sunday after taking the lead.

“After today’s board meet-ing, Valencia Football Club have taken the decision to relieve coach Pako Ayestaran of his duties,” the club said in a statement on Tues-day. Former Valencia defender Voro Gonzalez has been named as interim coach.

A former assistant man-ager to Rafa Benitez at Valencia, Ayestaran rejoined the club in February as assistant to Gary Neville and was named as his immediate successor in March when the former England inter-national was sacked.

Neville had posted the worst record of any coach in the club’s history but Ayestaran has now got that unwanted honour, taking 10 points in 12 games, winning three, drawing one and losing eight. Neville picked up 14 points in 16.

Although Ayestaran lost the first game after succeeding Neville, things began to look up after three successive victories, including a 2-1 win at eventual champions Barcelona. Despite his team losing the final three games of the season, Ayestaran was handed a new contract until 2018.

The club offloaded 18 play-ers in the close season, including influential Germany centre-back Shkodran Mustafi, Portugal mid-fielder Andre Gomes and strikers Paco Alcacer and Alvaro Negredo for a total of over 100m euros ($111m). They brought in only seven new players with the most high profile being former Man-chester United winger Nani and defender Eliaquim Mangala, who was signed on loan from Man-chester City. Ayestaran is the club’s eighth coach since 2012, and the third to lose his job in the last year.

His sacking, coming so soon after Neville’s departure, is the latest blow to billionaire Peter Lim.

English League Cup: Leicester crash out after ‘Blues’ bounce back for 4-2 victory

Antalyaspor

drop Eto’o in

racism row AFP

ISTANBUL: Turkish top flight club Antalyaspor said yes-terday that their star striker Samuel Eto’o would be left out of the squad until further notice in a bitter row over com-ments on social media.

Eto’o had written on his Instagram account in Turkish: “Reminder -- perhaps some people do not feel respect for me because I am black.”

“But I am not going to come down from the level I have reached. I have been in this game for 18 years,” he added, posting a screenshot from Wikipedia of all his trophies.

Eto’o did not specify to whom he was targeting his criticism but later posted another message insisting it was not directed at Antal-yaspor chairman Ali Safak Ozturk who criticised his performance.

Turkey is the latest stop in Eto’o’s eclectic career which has taken him to high-pro-file and lesser known football hotspots around the world.

Sevilla jump to second spot after Betis win AFP

MADRID: Argentina’s Gabriel Mer-cado bundled home the winner as Sevilla moved up to second in La Liga with a 1-0 win over fierce local rivals Real Betis on Tuesday.

Mercado’s first goal for the club from on-loan Manchester City mid-fielder Samir Nasri’s free-kick continued the Europa League hold-ers’ four-year unbeaten run in the

Seville derby in La Liga. Betis were right to feel aggrieved just moments after Mercado’s 51st minute winner, though, when Alex Alegria had an equaliser wrongly ruled out for off-side against Ruben Castro.

Sevilla leapfrog Barcelona and Atletico Madrid into second ahead of their meeting to move just a point behind leaders Real Madrid.

Jorge Sampaoli’s men merited their third straight home win for their greater attacking intent in a

typically intense and bad-tempered affair that saw nine players booked.

Nasri had the clearest opening before the break, but fired straight at Antonio Adan after a mix-up between the Betis ‘keeper and his defence allowed the Frenchman a free effort on goal inside the area.

Adan was also to blame for the only goal when he failed to keep out Mercado’s weak effort that came off the Argentine’s back as he stretched to meet Nasri’s delivery. Conced-ing immediately forced Betis onto the front foot for the first time in the game and a lovely move should have been rewarded with an equaliser just three minutes later. Alegria slotted home at the back post from Castro’s cross, but the latter had already been wrongly flagged for offside.

UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin speaks at an event to launch the logo for the 2020 UEFA European Championship football tournament in London, yesterday.

LIGUE 1

LA LIGA

Doha to host

7-a-side tourney

The Peninsula

DOHA: Friends Circle Qatar (FCQ) in Association with Qbiz and supported by Qatar Football Association is organising their VI Indian Invitational 7-a-side foot-ball tournament on October 28 in Doha.

The tournament will be played on a knock out basis.

Winners and runners-up trophies will be given besides individuals prizes. Teams inter-ested to participate in the tournament are requested to con-tact 30853820 or 55440284.

Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas (right) scores their fourth goal against Leicester City during their English League Cup third round match at the King Power Stadium in Liecester, England on Tuesday.

New Zealand aim to turn tables on spin kings India

PAGE | 21 PAGE | 22

THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2016 • 20 DHUL HIJJA 1437

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

@peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatarthepeninsulaqatar

Qatar finish on a high at Paralympic Games

The Peninsula

DOHA: The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games have ended on a high note for Team Qatar after winning two silver medals thanks to the incred-ible performances of Abdelrahman Abdelqader and Sara Masoud.

The Rio 2016 Paralympics were held in South America for the first time in history. The city hosted over 4000 athletes from 176 countries from all over the world, who com-peted in 23 different sports from 7th to 18th of September 2016.

Abdelqader took home Qatar’s first ever Paralympic medal after an incredibly difficult F34 shot put final on September 11 in the Olympic Sta-dium in Rio de Janeiro.

Abdelqader, who is ranked third worldwide in shot put, battled tough competitors Azeddine Nouiri from Morocco, who took gold, and Mauri-cio Valencia from Colombia who won bronze, to secure his silver medal – the first ever Paralympic medal for Team Qatar since their Paralympic debut in the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The 27 year-old shot putter stood his ground against the other seasoned athletes and secured his spot on the podium early on with an astounding

11.15 m. Speaking after the compe-tition Abdelqader said: “When I first came here I wasn’t expecting a medal – I placed 6th in the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Of course it was my ambition to win a medal in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and thankfully I made it happen. Winning silver was an indescribable feeling – it is the first Paralympic medal in Qatar’s history which is something I am incredibly proud of.”

Abdelqader adds his first ever Paralympic medal to an already growing and impressive repertoire which includes a gold medal in shot put and bronze in javelin during the 2014 Asian Para Games, as well as a gold medal in shot put during the 7th Fazaa International Champion-ship 2015.

The Qatari athlete also competed in the Doha 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships where he narrowly missed out on a world medal in shot put and took 4th place – an experi-ence he undoubtedly built on ahead of Rio 2016.

Meanwhile Masoud also went down in the history books as Qatar’s first ever female Paralympic med-allist after winning silver in the F33 shot put event September 16.

The 30-year-old gave it her all in the Olympic Stadium that night and won the silver medal after an especially close final where Alge-rian Asmahan Boudjadar and Sara Al-Senaani from the UAE challenged her with every attempt.

The Qatari Paralympian secured her medal with an impressive 5.09 m throw, with which she entered the history books.

Masoud is developing her talent year after year; after winning a gold medal in discus throw for F33 and

F34, and shot put F32 and F33 in the 2014 Asian Para Games, she went on to win a silver medal in the discus throw and shot put in the Beijing 2015

IPC Grand Prix.Commenting on the success of

Team Qatar in the Rio 2016 Par-alympics, President of the Qatar

Olympic Committee H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani said: “We are extremely proud of our Paralympi-ans and the historic accomplishments

they’ve made in the Rio 2016 Games. Abdelqader and Masoud exemplify what can be done when you com-bine talent, hard work and limitless potential. Both of them have made history by winning their silver medals and both have competed in the Doha 2015 IPC Athletics World Champion-ships – which undoubtedly played a role in developing their skills ahead of Rio. This is the kind of legacy we hope to achieve – one which inspires audiences and creates new sporting heroes.”

Mohammed Al Kubaisi was the third and final member of Team Qatar, and competed in the 100m T34 wheelchair race.

Al Kubaisi went head to head with the fastest athletes in the world and managed to secure a spot in the final. Rio 2016 marks Al Kubaisi’s Paralym-pic debut although has already had great success on the regional level at only 23 years old including win-ning gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters events during the Beijing 2015 IPC Grand Prix, and snagging a gold medal in 100 meters from the 2014 Asian Para Games.

Commenting on Team Qatar’s performance in Rio 2016, Ameer Al-Mulla, Executive Director of the Qatar Paralympic Committee said:

“We are beyond happy with our Team’s performance in Rio 2016. They competed against the strong-est athletes in the world and walked away with silver medals – for the first time in Qatar’s history. Our athletes have been training extremely hard for Rio 2016 and we are pleased to say that all of their hard work and preparation has paid off. The future of these athletes is as bright as ever and we cannot wait to see what else is in store in their sporting journey.”

Abdelrahman Abdelqader and Sara Masoud bring home historic medal haul from Rio 2016

Qatar’s Abdelrahman Abdelqader winner of Qatar’s first ever Paralympic medal on the Rio podium. Abdelqader won the F34 shot put final on September 11 in the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. RIGHT: Qatar’s Sara Masoud celebrates her win in the F33 shot put event on September 16. Sara became Qatar’s first ever female Paralympic medallist after winning silver in the F33 shot put.

El Jaish eye Al Arabi scalp ahead of ACL semisBy Armstrong Vas

The Peninsula

DOHA: Al Arabi and El Jaish will be keen to maintain their winning streak in Round 2 of the Qatar Stars League action.

Both teams, which got off to a winning start in their opening games clash at the Al Arabi Stadium here todayin the match of the week.

Reds’ coach Gerardo Pelusso, is confident his team’s preparation is on track ahead of the game.

“The preparations were very good this week and all the players are ready,” said the Uruguayan on the eve of the match.

“El Jaish is one of the best teams in the league and they have very good stability. We also have great his-tory and some good player such as Ezekiel, Moustafa Sall and Paulinho amongst others who will give their best to add to this history,” added the tactician.

Speaking about his foreign and local players Pelusso said: “We have a team of stars because we want to bring the local and foreign players in the same level. As a coach I think all the players are important.”

El Jaish have tough schedule ahead as they are in the semi-finals of the AFC champions league against UAE’s Al Ain. The soldiers won their opening encounter against Al Wak-rah and will be keen to continue their rich vein of form.

“Our second game is against an

important club in Qatar. They have a good coach and good players they won their first game as well. We are ready to play this game and get the maximum points,” said Sabri Lam-ouchi, coach of El Jaish.

“It will be difficult to manage both AFC Champions League and QSL. I trust in my players as they have good focus. And the best way to train

El Jaish will be boosted with Sen-egalese defender Moustapha Sall and Nigerian attacker Imoh Ezekiel, who are set for their league debuts.

As for the visitors, El Jaish squeezed past Al Wakrah with an opening day 2-1 victory.

Lamouchi’s side where made to sweat out the final fifteen minutes

after conceding a late goal. Jaish will be hoping summer signing Sediou Keita will be able to dictate play in the centre of the park, just like the former Malian international did in his two previous games for the side.

Al Arabi won their first game against Al Sailiya even though they were missing key players. However, they will be stronger as their foreign professionals will be able to play the match against El Jaish.

An early kick off will see Al Khor take on Al Sailiya at Al Khor stadium. Both sides lost their opening tie of the QSL season, and will be looking to get their first three points.

Khor will be looking to push home advantage, especially after

narrowly losing 2-1 to Umm Salal in the opening game of the season. As for the visitors Al Sailiya, they nar-rowly lost 1-0 to Al Arabi in their opening fixture of the season. Sami Trabelsi’s side will consider them-selves unlucky not to have at least grabbed a point from the tie, and will be eager to make amends against Khor.

Jean Fernandez, the head coach of Al Khor wants his team to have a positive reaction to their last defeat, “We lost the first game and we want to come back. We are preparing for Sailiya they are a good team with good qualifications. If we want a good game against Sailiya we need to concentrate.

“Our plan for the upcoming period is to focus on the Sailiya game. After a week the league will be paused and in this period we have to correct our mistakes with good prep-aration,” added the Frenchman.

Al Sailiya like their opponents also lost their league opener. They lost by a slim margin against Al Arabi and will be looking to cor-rect their mistakes in the upcoming game against Al Khor. Sami Trabelsi, head coach of Al Sailiya believes that there is a long way to go in the league. “We will try to show our charac-ter in the next game. Our character is the fighting spirit and team work. We don’t need to make a big deal of losses in the beginning of the season

because there is a long way to go.”“Al Khor didn’t deserve to lose

their last game. They are well organ-ised side and they have very fast players. A team like that can face problems like any team,” added the Tunisian tactician.

Speaking about the last game, Trabelsi added, “It was one of the worst games of the last three years for us because we lost our identity and our fighting spirit. I hope we can show our true selves in the upcom-ing matches.”

At the same time at Al Arabi sta-dium, the two promoted sides Al Shahaniya and Muaither will play each other. Both sides had heavy defeats against QSL title contenders Al Rayyan and Lekhwiya respectively.

Shahaniya fell to a 3-0 opening day defeat to reigning QSL champi-ons Al Rayyan. Muaither went down to Lekhwiya with a comprehensive 4-0 score line.

QATAR STARS LEAGUE WEEK 2 FIXTURES

TodayAl Khor vs Al Sailiya at Al Khor Stadium,

5.50pm

Al Shahaniya vs Al Muaither SC at Al

Arabi Stadium, 5.50pm

Al Arabi vs El Jaish at Al Arabi Stadium,

8.00pm

TomorrowAl Rayyan vs Umm Salal at Al Sadd

Stadium,5.50pm

Al Sadd vs Al Ahli at Al Sadd Club Sta-

dium, 8.00pm

SaturdayAl Wakrah vs Al Kharaitiyat at Al Wak-

rah Stadium, 5.50pm

Al Gharafa vs Lekhwiya at Al Gharafa

Club Stadium, 8.00pm

Al Arabi coach Gerardo Pelusso (left) and player Mustafa Sal during a press conference at Al Sadd Stadium yesterday. RIGHT: El Jaish SC head coach Sabri Lamouchi (right) and player Mourad Naji during a press conference. Photos by Kammutty VP/The Peninsula

Spieth prizes Ryder Cup glory over Tour Championship win