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Wednesday 24 October 2012

8 Dhul-Hijja 1433 - Volume 17

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GAZA CITY: The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani received a hero’s wel-come during a historic visit to Gaza yesterday, becoming the first head of state to visit the Palestinian territory since the Islamist movement Hamas seized control of the coastal strip five years ago. The landmark visit by the Emir handed the rul-ing Hamas its biggest diplomatic victory since taking power.

The Emir was accompanied by H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani.

On arrival from Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, the Emir was received by Gaza’s Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah who said the visit sent a powerful message. “Gaza is not alone and Palestine occupies the hearts of Arabs,” Haniyah said. “Your visit today officially announces the break of the economic blockade and politi-cal blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip by the forces of injustice.”

Hundreds of Palestinians lined the route, waving Palestinian and Qatari flags. The Emir later walked down the red carpet inspecting an honour guard. He then proceeded to the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG).

Addressing a ceremony at the IUG, the Emir hailed the steadfastness of the people of Gaza against Israeli aggression, stressing that it was a pride for all Arabs. The Emir praised the Gazan people’s courage as they face “the enemy’s aircrafts and internationally-prohibited weapons,” stressing that the

Palestinian cause with its rami-fications and concerns remains a “bleeding wound in the Arab body”.

The Emir said that Israel vio-lates the Palestinian land day after day through practices of settlement and Judaization, par-ticularly in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, because Arabs lack the capability to face it due to their division and dispersed stances, the interna-tional community’s inability to protect international legitimacy through the UN-approved bind-ing decisions, and also because of the double standards policy that “deprives the Palestinians of their right to return and estab-lish their independent state on their national soil”.

The Emir called on Palestinians to end the division between the West Bank and Gaza, noting that it is the source of evil for the Palestinian cause. The Emir demanded a new phase of recon-ciliation and agreement in line with the foundations reached in Doha and Cairo.

The Emir added that Arab sup-port for Gaza is a duty rather than a favour, stressing that Qatar was and will always be in the forefront of supporters of the people of Gaza and Palestine as a “national and humanitarian duty”.

The Board of Trustees of the Islamic University of Gaza granted the Emir and Sheikha Moza the Honorary Doctorate degree in recognition of their support for the Palestinian people and their just cause.

The University President also gave the Emir keys of abandoned

DOHA: The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has announced the tim-ings of its various departments during Eid Al Adha holidays. The General Directorates of Border Passports and Expatriate Affairs, Nationality and Travel Documents Departments, Criminal Evidences and Information Department and MoI Services Centres will work from 8am until 12 noon. The Traffic Investigation section of the Traffic Department at Industrial Area will work round-the-clock. All other sections and branches of the Traffic Department will work from 8 am till 12 noon.

MoI holiday timings

Fish export banDOHA: Qatar has banned the export of two popular varieties of fish — Hamour and Safi — to prevent any possible shortage in supply in the local market. The ban is likely to be expanded to all other varieties, Al Sharq reported yesterday. Hamour and Safi are the two most popu-lar varieties, especially among the Qataris, and their prices recently had gone up to QR70 and QR50 per kg, respectively.

See also page 9

Kuwait curbs on protest

KUWAIT: Kuwait banned gath-erings of more than 20 people and gave police more powers to disperse protests, local media reported yesterday, in an escalat-ing standoff with the opposition ahead of the December 1 election. Also, a Kuwaiti court released on bail three former opposition MPs, on trial for criticising the Emir.

See also page 14

THE PENINSULA/AFP

Emir in historic visit to GazaEmir first head of state to visit the territory in years; slew of agreements signed

homes of the people of Palestine since 1948, the University Shield, a bottle of olive oil from the land of the university and other bottle of soil from Gaza as well as the University Shield.

The University President also gave Sheikha Moza stones from Gaza, a bottle of olive oil from the land of the university and the University Shield.

Haniyah presented the Emir with the Decoration of Palestine and Gaza in recognition of his support of the Palestinian people. Also, Amal Mohammed Haniyah, the wife of Haniyah presented

Sheikha Moza with Decoration of Palestine and Gaza in apprecia-tion of the role of Her Highness and efforts in supporting the Palestinian people. Haniyah also presented the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister with the Decoration of Palestine and Gaza for his efforts in support of the Palestinian people.

Earlier, the Emir and Haniyah witnessed the signing of a number of agreements. These include a project for the estab-lishment of Hamad Residential Town, a project for the con-struction of Hamad Hospital for

Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Limbs, a project to rebuild Salah Al Din Street, a project to re build Rashid Street (the coastal road) and a project for re-building Al-Karama Street

The Emir approved the top-up of the Qatari grants for Gaza rehabilitation projects from $264m to $415m for all projects.

The Emir laid the foundation stone for Hamad Medical City project, Hamad Residential Town and the re-establishment of Salah Al Din Street in the Gaza Strip.

AGENCIES/QNASee also pages 4 & 10

The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah inspecting the guard of honour in Gaza yesterday.

04 HOMEWEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012

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GAZA: The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday laid the foundation stone of Hamad Residential Town in Gaza Strip during a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Dr Ismail Haniyah.

The ceremony was also attended by H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani and members of the Emir’s delegation.

Amal Mohamed Haniyah, wife of Dr Haniyah, a number of ministers and officials in Gaza and members of the Legislative Council also attended.

The ceremony started with a reci-tation from the holy Quran followed by a speech by the Minister of Public Works in the defunct Palestinian govern-ment Dr Youssuf Abul Ghareez in which he welcomed the visit of the Emir and Sheikha Moza.

He also welcomed the Prime Minister and hailed the efforts of Qatar in support of the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza strip, describing the visit as historic.

Afterwards Dr Ismail Haniyah gave a speech in which he welcomed the visit of the Emir and Sheikha Moza, stressing that the visit is an official announcement of the break of the political and economic siege of Gaza strip.

Haniyeh said: “Gaza is receiving today a man of the nation and an Arab and Muslim leader,” pointing out that the visit of the Emir is a visit by the first Arab leader to Palestine and the besieged Gaza, despite all the chal-lenges, difficulties and axes of evil that only want to see Gaza wounded and besieged. “

Dr Haniyah said the visit is communicating a mes-sage to the world that Gaza is not alone, that Palestine is in the axis, and the Arabs, led by the Emir assert that Palestine inhabits the hearts of millions of the world’s free people.”

Addressing the Emir, Haniyah said: “You are a dear guest, beloved to the hearts of millions of Palestinians, and you, through this visit, officially announced the break of the political and economic blockade clamped on the Gaza Strip. We, as a great people, today welcome a great man... today we are breaking the siege.. Thank you, Your Highness the Emir... thanks to Qatar. “

“We today announce the victory over the siege through this blessed historic visit that will go down in history and will be remembered by the Palestinian and Arab nation generations.”

Later the Emir and Dr Haniyah witnessed the sign-ing of a number of agreements between the two sides. A project for the establishment of Hamad Residential Town and a project for the construction Hamad Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Limbs, a project to re-build Salah Al Din Street and a project to re-build Rashid Street (the coastal road) and a project for re-building Al Karama Street were signed

The Emir approved the top-up of the Qatari grants for Gaza rehabilitation projects from the $264m to $415m for all projects.

The Hamad Residential Town project includes 1060 residential units, two schools, a health centre, a com-mercial centre and a mosque in addition to infrastructure facilities, roads and green spaces. QNA

Emir initiates slew of Gaza projects

Qatari fuel flows to Gaza power plant

GAZA: Egyptian authorities yesterday began pumping large quantities of Qatari fuel to the only power plant in the Gaza Strip in conjunction with the visit of the Emir.

Abdel Nasser Muhanna, General Director of the General Directorate of Petroleum, said that about 250,000 litres of Qatari fuel were pumped. Pumping the fuel to the strip was scheduled to resume on Sunday morning but the Egyptian authorities postponed it until yesterday.

Muhanna said he expects the pumping process to continue today and tomorrow, noting that no fuel will be pumped during Eid Al Adha. He added that the same amounts will be pumped after Eid until the whole amount is transferred to Gaza.

Gaza Strip needs around half a million litres of industrial diesel to run the sole power plant in the strip that has been under Israeli blockade for six years.

The Egyptian authorities halted the process of supply-ing Qatari fuel to Gaza since an attack on a security check-point in Sinai killed 16 soldiers on August 5. Qatar donated a shipload of 25,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to the Gaza power plant, which has been operat-ing on partial capacity due to the lack of fuel. QNA

WASHINGTON: The United States reacted cau-tiously yesterday to a visit to Gaza by the Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, calling it a humanitarian mission and denouncing the destabilis-ing role of Hamas in the Palestinian territory.

“We have seen the reports that Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa visited Gaza today on a humanitarian mission,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “We share Qatar’s deep concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people, including those residing in Gaza.”

Personalities like the UN Secretary General or European foreign ministers who have visited Gaza have avoided all contact with Hamas, because of its refusal to recognise Israel and renounce armed struggle.

Nuland indicated that Qatar had not given the United States advance warning of the emir’s visit.

“We of course remain concerned about Hamas’ desta-bilising role in Gaza and the region. And we urge all par-ties in the region to play a constructive role in bringing the Palestinians and the Israelis back to the negotiating table,” she said. AFP

US reacts cautiously to Emir’s Gaza visit

The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani at the luncheon banquet hosted by Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah in the Gaza Strip yesterday.

WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012

www.thepeninsulaqatar.comHOME 05

DOHA: Qtel has stepped up its efforts to block sus-pect international num-bers and is working to increase customer aware-ness to reduce the incon-venience of unwanted “spam” calls and SMS from foreign countries.

Over the past several weeks, customers have reported receiving irritat-ing and disturbing calls from random international numbers.

Qtel is continuing to deploy advanced technol-ogy in an attempt to con-tain this nuisance.

The company said it has noted an increase in suspi-cious calls that appear to come from Sierra Leone (+232), Guinea (+224), Sao Tomé and Principe (+239), Austria (+43) and Latvia (+371) – all coun-tries that have limited call traffic to Doha in normal circumstances.

Deploying the latest scanning technology, Qtel is blocking calls and SMSs from suspicious numbers when they are reported by customers. The company is also warning custom-ers not to answer calls from numbers that they do not recognise, and not to send SMS to shortcodes to organisations that they do not know.

Qtel is using state-of-the-art technology to track and block these “Wangiri numbers,” which named after a phone fraud that started in Japan. There is concern that the fraud-sters are using a compu-ter to dial a large number of mobile phone numbers that are then recorded as missed calls, luring vic-tims to call back. However,

since the spammers keep changing and adding numbers, Qtel is asking customers to remain vigilant and to report nuisance calls.

It is also recommended that cus-tomers avoid giving phone informa-tion to companies unless they want to

receive information from that com-pany. Customers can report numbers to be blocked by calling the call cen-tres at 111 any time of day, sending an email to [email protected], or by eTicket on the Qtel website at www.qtel.qa. THE PENINSULA

Qtel blocks overseas spam calls and text messages

Attiyah meets Korean PresidentTurkish National Day celebrated

The Chairman of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah with the President of the Republic of Korea Lee Myung-bak in Seoul yesterday. The meeting was also attended by Qatar’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Ali bin Hamad Al Marri.

The Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Saad bin Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, cutting the cake with Hakki Emre Yunt, Ambassador of Turkey, during celebrations to mark the Turkish National Day at the W Hotel yesterday. ABDUL BASIT



DOHA: The fourth edition of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF 2012) will mark the largest showcase of Made in Qatar films with a selection of 19 films by Qatari and expatri-ate filmmakers.

To be held from November 17 to 24, DTFF 2012 Made in Qatar segment highlights the significant strides achieved by the country’s emerging film industry with 15 world premieres, as part of the overall festival line-up of more than 87 films being screened from across the globe.

The 19 films to be screened from 70 submissions include three feature films, all of which will make their world premiere at the Festival. The films will also compete for the Made in Qatar development award of $10,000 to be evaluated by an independent jury.

This year, Made in Qatar films will be screened under four pro-grammes: New Hopes – with five films exploring themes around hope and pain; Through Their Eyes – featuring ten short sto-ries of love and friendship as well as introspective documentaries; Angel in June – the story of a young, charitable girl based on real-life events and set in the Filipino community of Doha; and Thriller Night – a collection of three thrilling films by Qataris including a feature that offers a unique meditation on what is beyond life as we know it.

Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, DTFF Vice Chair, said: “One of the founding man-dates of Doha Film Institute and DTFF is to promote a culture of filmmaking in Qatar. Made in Qatar, the largest so far, dem-onstrates the success of the con-certed efforts in creating a robust filmmaking industry locally by

identifying and nurturing tal-ent. The films in the selection will surprise viewers with their thematic intensity and narra-tive style. Most importantly, it offers glimpses of life in Qatar and will resonate with the local community.”

Among the three feature-length films in Made in Qatar are Lyrics Revolt, by Shannon Farhoud, Ashlene Ramadan, Melanie Fridgant and Rana Khaled Al Khatib, a documentary that explores the Arab Spring through hip hop artists of the Middle East; Lockdown, the first zombie thriller directed by Mohammed Al Ibrahim and Ahmed Al Baker and Angel in June,by Jan Xavier Pacle, the story of a young, chari-table girl based on real-life events and set in the Filipino community of Doha.

The screening of Lyrics Revolt will be followed by a hip hop con-cert for the community at the Katara esplanade.

Chadi Zeneddine, Resident Filmmaker and Programmer at DFI said, “The diversity in con-tent and narrative styles dem-onstrates the strong evolution of local filmmaking over the past few years. Talented youngsters as well as experienced professionals are screening their films in the Made in Qatar programme. The com-mon thread in all these movies is the creativity of the filmmakers to push beyond the obvious and create heart felt moments from ordinary situations”.

With an expanded Festival format this year, DTFF 2012 will showcase over 87 films from across the globe under distinct themed categories including Arab Film Competition, Made in Qatar, Contemporary World Cinema and Special Screenings.

THE PENINSULA

‘Made in Qatar’ films to dominate DTFF this year

A scene from ‘Lyrics Revolt’, which explores the Arab Spring through hip hop artists of the Middle East.

DOHA: Faced with a severe shortage of qualified nurses, the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is planning to recruit 1,700 new nurses next year, including 37 Clinical Nurse Specialists.

The new recruits will be appointed across HMC’s eight hospitals and in the Home Healthcare Services.

The plan is part of a major overhaul currently underway at the nursing department, HMC said yesterday.

Dr Nabila Al Meer, execu-tive director of the department has been promoted to the role of Deputy Chief for Community Care and SCH Nursing Affairs.

Al Meer’s previous position will now be held by Dr Ann-Marie Cannaby, who joined HMC recently.

Al Meer has had a long and distinguished career at HMC, spanning almost 40 years. She is the first Qatari nurse to obtain a Master of Science in Administration at University of Texas and PhD in nursing from University of Miami, US.

Cannaby has more than 20 years of experience in a vari-ety of clinical managerial and research posts in large UK teach-ing hospitals.

In her new role, Al Meer will provide leadership to the resi-dential and community work-force and also help to redefine the model of care for long-term patients and home care services.

Hamad has growing home care, residential and nursing homes programmes throughout Qatar.

Over 670 patients are reg-istered in Hamad’s home care programme, which includes community and home healthcare services.

Close to 140 patients are located in residential and nursing homes

that are managed by the corpo-ration. “Experienced and highly qualified nurses who are giving care at the bedside should have direct input into policies, clinical and practice decisions as equal partners in multi-disciplinary care organised around patients’ needs,” said Al Meer.

The new plans include recruit-ment of highly trained specialist nurses, investment in targeted education and research pro-grammes to develop the Qatari nurse leaders of the future, and a commitment to the provision of high-quality, compassionate care to all patients.

The plans will also see a com-plete overhaul of nursing gov-ernance at HMC so that high powered nurse leaders will take their places alongside medical leaders as professional peers, pro-viding multi-disciplinary care and executive leadership.

HMC’s managing director Dr Hanan Al Kuwari, while announc-ing the new appointments yes-terday said that a Director of Nursing Education and Research would also be appointed soon.

“Our vision is for expert nurses to promote good health, deliver excellent care and treat all patients with the utmost dig-nity and respect in our multi-cultural community, across all of our hospitals. We are investing

in training and nurturing Qatari nurse leaders of the future to implement that vision,” said Al Kuwari.

HMC has worked closely with the University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) to deliver accredited Diploma and Bachelor Degree courses in nursing. In previous years, 26 students have gradu-ated from the university and joined HMC full-time. A further 20 graduate nurses are expected to follow later this year.

“We want Qatar’s young gener-ation to seek a career in nursing as it represents a great opportunity for them to exhibit noble values and to become respected pro-fessional leaders who will influ-ence the future development of our healthcare services,” said Dr Badriya Al Lenjawi, who will lead the Professional Development of HMC’s Nursing workforce.

In the past year HMC has appointed 17 new Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs), with another 37 to be recruited in the coming year.

CNSs are licensed nurses who have graduate nursing quali-fications such as a Masters or Doctorate in Nursing. They are experts at diagnosing and treating illnesses and are responsible for providing evidence-based treat-ments and interventions.

THE PENINSULA

HMC plans to recruit 1,700 nurses next yearMajor overhaul under way at nursing department

Dr Nabila Al Meer, Dr Ann-Marie Cannaby and Dr Badriya Al Lenjawi

DOHA: The University of Calgary – Qatar (UCQ) recently hosted an interactive discussion on Qatar’s Academic Health System (AHS).

The AHS, which is a partner-ship among leading academic and research institutions and health-care providers in Qatar, is an internationally recognised model for pioneering research and med-ical discoveries and for making them available to patients.

The student-led event, devel-oped by a cohort of Bachelor of Nursing students from UCQ, was attended by nearly 100 UCQ stu-dents, faculty and staff.

Professor Edward Hillhouse,

Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) assistant chief of Medical, Academic and Research Affairs, and chief policy advisor on Academic Health Systems, delivered the keynote address.

In his remarks, Professor Hillhouse discussed the impor-tance of the AHS in transform-ing healthcare, education and research in Qatar, and high-lighted the key role that nurses will play in the developing system.

“A key principle of the AHS will be the delivery of care through multidisciplinary and inter-professional teams which will include doctors, nurses,

pharmacists and various allied health professionals,” he said.

“Training our future health-care providers, especially nurses, to work collaboratively in inter-professional teams is an integral tenet of the AHS model that will help facilitate improved health-care outcomes for patients.”

The event included an engaging panel discussion, with students and audience members eager to learn more about the develop-ing AHS, how it will transform healthcare in Qatar, and ways in which they can become engaged in its development.

Current AHS partners include Hamad Medical Corporation,

Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar University, University of Calgary - Qatar, Primary Health Care Corporation, College of the North Atlantic - Qatar, and Sidra Medical and Research Center.

AHSs bring together academic and healthcare providers to form a single partnership, working towards a shared vision.

Qatar’s AHS will educate a multi-cultural workforce and future clinical, operational and scientific leaders; it will encour-age the practice of evidence-based healthcare and furthermore sup-port social responsibility.

THE PENINSULA

UCQ hosts meet on academic health system

DOHA: Souq Waqif expects to receive over 220,000 visitors during the six/day Eid Al Adha Festival that begins on October 26.

The director of Souq Waqif, Mohammed Al Salim, said that the festival will last six days because they are expecting 220,000 visitors, with an average of 35,000 every day.

According to the director of Souq Waqif, 20,000 visitors are expected to come from Saudi Arabia and another 10,000 from other GCC countries, Al Raya daily reported yesterday quot-ing him.

Al Salim said that this year the administration is trying to intro-duce new activities to attract vis-itors from different nationalities. The festival will include events for children and elders.

The children’s programme will comprise performances of two young singers, Rana Marrar from Palestine, and Halal Al Turk from Bahrain.

In addition, there will be a spe-cial attraction in the kid’s play area brought from France which will include various games.

There will also be a cirque in the main road of Souq Waqif and a Disney show.

The director of Souq Waqif stated that “children’s games are secure, as the administration considers safety as a top prior-ity.” He added that organisers will avoid crowds and excessive people movement in the market.

All events will be free, except the entrance to Al Rayyan Theatre which tickets are priced at QR50.

The activities will start at 4.30pm and will conclude at 9.30pm. The director warned res-taurants and cafes not to increase prices during this period. Also, the Traffic Department will monitor the roads around the area.

THE PENINSULA

Souq Waqif gears up for Eid holidays



DOHA: Four research papers on different study areas were presented by Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS), a member of Hamad bin Khalifa University, at the Joint Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum and Arab Expatriate Scientists Network Symposium, which concluded yesterday.

The papers took into consid-eration Qatar’s national priorities, and in fact proved to be in har-mony with the renaissance and reform movement of Qatar.

Bahnaz Al Qura Daqi; a sen-ior researcher presented on behalf of the Center for Islamic Economics and Finance while Wijdan Tariqullah Khan, a full time researcher at the same center was another presenter.

The paper titled ‘Risk Management among Islamic and Conventional Banks - A Comparative Study of Qatari Banks registered in Qatar Financial Market’ revealed the risks involved in the bank-ing industry in the past and

present. It also included some financial and statistical analyses of the registered banks in the Qatari Financial Market during 2006-2010.

Wijdan Tariq’s research paper titled the “Importance of Islamic Finance for Qatar’s Infrastructure - A study of GCC’s Islamic Finance Projects” con-centrated on the vital role that Islamic finance can play in devel-oping infrastructure projects. The researcher discussed the current situation of the Islamic finance of infrastructure within the GCC region.

Houssam Khaleel Mohamed, a senior researcher at Al Qaradawi Center for Islamic Moderation and Renewal, presented four research papers, the first titled “Franchise and its Provisions in Islamic Fiqh - A Comparative Study,” dealt with franchise as one of the most important mod-ern contracts that relishes a widespread attention in contem-porary life.

The paper considers the

contract’s crucial role in develop-ing the local and global economy.

The second paper was on ‘The Appeals to Revitalise the Islamic Fiqh - between Acceptance and Rejection’.

This interesting theme tackled a substantial issue at the Fiqh and Intellectual Islamic levels that relates to the persistent need to revitalise the conventional Islamic Fiqh.

The fourth research on Wisdom and Reasoning in Islamic Shariah in between the Objective and Ideological Perspectives attempted to interpret some Shariah rules and decrees in the light of Islamic creed, in a way that projects the Shariah objectives.

However, all these researches lie within Qatar’s General Strategy for Research to support the Qatari society, and to spread moderation and intermediation among the diversified specimens of the Qatari community as well as the Arab Islamic world.

THE PENINSULA

QFIS papers shed light on Qatar’s renaissance Research papers on Islamic studies presented

Some of the QFIS officials at the Annual Research Forum and Arab Expatriate Scientists Network Symposium yesterday.

DOHA: As part of the innovative “Me and My Company” programme, Qtel Chairman Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani and Qtel Group CEO Dr Nasser Marafih recently inspired employees on a visit to a company training session in Abu Dhabi.

Qtel employees and recent Qatari national graduates from different universities spon-sored by Qtel, participated in this phase of Qtel’s pioneering employee engagement and ori-entation programme.

This section of the programme covered the telecommunications industry and included a business simulation and general introduc-tion to the trends shaping com-munications today.

Qtel’s “Me and My Company” programme helps new employ-ees to understand Qtel’s business culture and eases them into new roles in the Qtel Family.

The Qtel HR team created the programme after conducting in-depth research within the com-pany, especially after a survey of Qatari graduates.

In the programme, employees serve as mentors for the new recruits, exchanging information on Qtel’s culture of teamwork and support. Qtel’s HR team works with these new recruits within their first few weeks to keep them fully engaged and well-informed.

This programme helps position Qtel as one of the top employers of choice for Qatari nationals. Qtel also runs a BTEC Technical Training Programme for Qatari national secondary school gradu-ates to give them a head start in engineering and development operations.

Qtel offers its staff a variety of enhanced programmes, includ-ing the HEC-Paris Leadership programme “The Value Leader” under the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), Institute of Leadership and Management Certification programme (ILM) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing certification programme (CIM) through Cambridge Professional Academy UK. Employee engage-ment is one of the cornerstones of Qtel’s business, helping employ-ees learn how they contribute to the company and how they meet their personal goals.

During the visit to the United Arab Emirates, the “Me and My Company” participants also visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, went on a dhow cruise around Abu Dhabi, and visited the Ferrari World amusement park. THE PENINSULA

Qtel holds training for young Qataris in Abu Dhabi

DOHA: Katara, the Cultural Village and Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (BQFP) yesterday signed a memorandum of understand-ing (MoU) which will reaffirm Doha’s stature as a growing intellectual and media hub in the region.

Both organisations will work in partnership to initiate and support cultural activities through the development, pro-duction and distribution of cul-tural publications.

The joint venture aims to encourage the citizens and resi-dents of Qatar to engage in a participatory and creative role in developing the local cultural landscape.

Elaborating on the goals outlined in the agree-ment, President of Katara, Abdulrahman Al Khulaifi, said: “Through this partnership we wish to develop a common cul-tural awareness and therefore emotional intelligence that transcends disciplines and

provides individuals the apti-tude and skill-set to appreciate cultures from across the world. Our joint initiatives will go out to further our vision through all kinds of artistic and cultural activities, ultimately supporting the development of a creative and innovative Qatar.”

The Director of BQFP, Hanouf Al Buainain, said: “We want to bring culture out to the broader consciousness, and at the same time develop a vibrant literary publishing scene and

related skills within Qatar. Our relationship with Katara will also go out to foster a passion of reading and writing across all ages.”

This agreement directly sub-scribes to the Cultural Pillar of the National Development Strategy 2011-2016 and the National Strategy for Family Affairs 2011-2016, which deem culture to be a crucial element of the socio-economic develop-ment of Qatar.

THE PENINSULA

Doha set to become region’s media hub

DOHA: The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has sent 42 of its staffers including officers and non-commissioned officers and civil staffs for Haj as an honour for their excellent services and as a motivation for their col-leagues. The team reached the holy sites on Sunday, Dul-Hijja 5, 1433.

The Director of Human Resources Department at the MoI Brig Hussain Hassan Al

Jaber said that this Haj pilgrim-age was organised to honor those who had rendered an excellent service in their job.

The ministry is providing all facilities to ensure that the team can perform Haj and other rituals. Brig Al Jaber said the Ministry had held two Umrah trips for outstanding performers from its staff in the previous two years and this is the first time that staff members were sent

for Haj as a motivation. The staff members were selected as per the recommendation from each department.

The supervising committee facilitated their journey and all their expense are borne by the Ministry. Apart from other facil-ities, a religious mentor is also sent with the team.

The team performed Umrah on their arrival at the Holy city of Makkah. THE PENINSULA

MoI sends 42 staff on Haj for outstanding performance

Employees of the Ministry of Interior departing to perform Haj.

DOHA: Katara Hospitality will mark another milestone in its foray for international affirmation by participating at the World Travel Market (WTM) to be held in London from November 5 to 8.

“The event in London will mark our first presence at an international exhibition after the successful announcement on the company’s re-brand as Katara Hospitality earlier this

year,” said Hamad Abdulla Al Mulla, the Chief Executive Officer of the company.

With a current portfolio of 26 properties operational or under construction, Katara Hospitality has previously announced that the company aims to own 30 hotels by 2016 and 30 more by 2030.

“With a portfolio of hospi-tality jewels, we will use this year edition of WTM as a

launch pad for our interna-tional expansion strategy,” said Al Mulla.

Located within the Global Village (GV200), the exhibition stand of Katara Hospitality will host its prestigious part-ner hotels in Qatar and abroad.

As the WTM is perceived as an essential generator of business leads, Marc Strenger, Group Director of Business Development, will be present

at the stand to welcome new business opportunities.

Marc Strenger joined Katara Hospitality in September 2012. During his twelve year tenure with KPMG Corporate Finance, Strenger has acquired a large experience as a consultant in the real estate and hospital-ity sector, while enjoying wide international exposure.

THE PENINSULA

Katara Hospitality announces participation at WTM

DOHA: The HSE Regulations and Enforcement Directorate of Qatar Petroleum (QP) yesterday announced that it will organise an Eco-Film Competition at the Energy and Industry Pavilion of the Qatar Sustainability Expo, which will be held alongside next month’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP18).

Open to all aspiring filmmakers, the Eco-Film Competition is an environmentally themed project designed to encourage students,

young people and Doha residents to gain a deeper understanding of various eco-friendly initiatives being carried out in Qatar and to positively showcase these initia-tives through films to both local and international audience.

“The Eco-Film Competition reaffirms our commitment to environmental protection. It is also an opportunity for us to engage with members of the public and to raise their levels of aware-ness toward the environment in a creative way,” said Abdulla Al Kuwari, Manager for HSE Technical and Supervision and Special Advisor on Sustainable Development at QP.

Supporting the competition as judges are Professor Timothy Wilkerson of Northwestern University Qatar; Mahdi Ali Ali, Manager, Gulf Development Unit; and Ben Robinson, Education Development Producer from the Doha Film Institute.

Professor Wilkerson of Northwestern University Qatar pointed out that the competi-tion is a platform for the partici-pants not just to express their creativity through film but, more importantly, to direct their focus towards a serious issue.

More information about the competition together with the entry form can be found at:

www.hse-reg-dg.com.THE PENINSULA

QP to hold eco-film contest

QP’s Manager for HSE Technical & Supervision and Special Adviser on Sustainable Development, Abdulla Al Kuwari, with the entry form for the Eco-Film competition.

HOME 09WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Experts for soft treatment of boyDOHA: The family of the schoolboy who spent four days in judicial custody in a juvenile remand home last week accused of slapping a female teacher, should have sought anticipatory bail for their son, says a promi-nent lawyer.

The court could have granted the bail against financial surety or a written undertaking furnished by the family of the accused since the charges weren’t heinous, said Yusuf Al Zaman.

Sometimes the court is sim-ply satisfied with the residential address of an accused and pro-vides anticipatory bail in offences that aren’t very serious, he told this newspaper yesterday.

Al Zaman was highly critical of the prosecution and said the boy shouldn’t have been detained in a juvenile remand home for four days as the charges against him were not heinous.

“There was actually no need for seeking judicial remand for the boy,” he said. Qatar’s criminal pro-cedure code makes it very clear that police or judicial remand is not for punishing an accused.

Remand is sought when those investigating a crime suspect that the accused might tamper with or

destroy evidence or flee the coun-try, said the lawyer.

In the case of the schoolboy, aside from the fact that his alleged delinquency wasn’t seri-ous, he had no evidence to destroy or tamper with and he couldn’t even run away.

The investigators could have instead sought a written under-taking from his family that when-ever they needed the boy he would be presented, said Al Zaman. “Keeping the boy in remand home for four days amounted to punish-ing him.”

Asked what in his view could the punishment be if the boy was found guilty, the lawyer said it was difficult to hazard a guess as it would depend on the court’s assessment of the case.

“In such cases, however, the court normally issues a stern warning and gives some advice,” said Al Zaman.

Replying to a question, he added that a school has its own regulations and the matter should have been amicably resolved tak-ing the teacher and the boy’s par-ents into confidence.

Resorting to legal action should have been the last option of the school administration.

Public opinion builder and newspaper columnist, Faisal Al Marzooki, meanwhile, blasted the school and education sector regulator, the Supreme Education Council (SEC) on the issue, say-ing the move to refer the boy to the prosecution exposes their weakness.

“The school should have resolved the issue internally and if it found it difficult to do that, it would have referred the matter to the SEC. Both the school and the SEC looked for a shortcut,” he told this newspaper.

“I blame the school and the SEC straightaway. Referring the boy to the prosecution can spoil his future. It would have a negative impact on him,” said Al Marzooki.

The boy’s exposure to the police, prosecution and the remand home might wipe out his fear of the law which might turn him into a delinquent. Schools’ disciplinary regulations are weak. They are not effective anymore in disciplin-ing students and that explains why they are referring such mat-ters to the police, he said.

Responding to a question, Al Marzooki said some families don’t respect teachers and that reflects

on their children’s attitude as well. Teachers were feared in Qatar earlier because they could severely punish an erring student.

Prominent psychologist Dr Moza Al Malki was also highly critical of the school and said it shouldn’t have referred the mat-ter to the prosecution.

The school administration could have looked into the issue, she told this newspaper.

Sociologists should study the family circumstances of the boy while psychologists should focus on his behaviour. Such behavior is rooted in family circumstances, Al Malki said.

The responsibility of a child’s behavior primarily lies with his mother, she said.

According to Al Malki, school boys and girls of that age should not be made to sit in the class-room for longer hours as that can make them unhappy. They should rather be allowed breaks for play.

She said she calls on the school to withdraw the complaint against the boy and take disciplinary action internally.

Asked for comment, Al Zaman said Qatar’s laws permit the school to withdraw its complaint if it wishes to. THE PENINSULA

Qatar bans export of Hamour, SafiDOHA: Qatar has banned the export of Hamour and Safi — two popular varieties of fish — to bring their prices down.

The ban is likely to be expanded to all other varieties, Al Sharq reported yesterday, quoting uni-dentified sources.

The authorities have also imposed a temporary ban on the hunting of crab. The move is intended to prevent any further hike in the prices, as supply has already dwindled due to a fall in the catch, this being the migra-tion season, said the daily.

In a similar move, the authori-ties recently imposed a 50kg ceil-ing on vehicles transporting local fish to neighbouring countries for personal use.

The rising fish prices have become a hot topic in the country after a group of citizens launched a campaign on social media calling for immediate government action.

Hamour and Safi are the two most popular varieties, especially among Qataris and their prices recently had gone up to QR70 and QR50 per kg, respectively.

The unusual rise has been attributed to a combination of factors ranging from the growing demand to manipulation of prices by traders and the middlemen in the central market.

According to figures released by the Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA), demand for fish in the country has gone up by 20 per cent over the past five years, but the supply remains static at around 16,000 tonnes per year.

Over the next 20 years, the demand is expected to be double than the supply.

There have been calls to pro-mote fish farming in the country to meet the growing demand and ensure price stability in the mar-ket. THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has held the designers of Dukhan Road accountable for the massive water-logging on the highway during rains that lashed the country on September 20.

Ashghal had appointed a special committee to investi-gate the issue.

The committee has found that the water-logging on the road, in the Shahania area, resulted from faulty designing, as no proper system to dispose of rain water was provided in

the design, Al Sharq reported yesterday.

Ashghal has now asked the designers to correct the defects at their own expense.

Based on the findings, Ashghal has decided to review the designs of all future and ongoing road projects to ensure that they don’t have similar defects.

It will also set up a mecha-nism to closely scrutinise all road designs before they are approved to avoid such mis-takes, said the daily.

THE PENINSULA

‘Student who hit teacher should not have been sent to remand home’

Mawashi to operate 11 abattoirs during Eid

DOHA: To help avoid long queues at slaughterhouses during Eid Al Adha, the Qatar Meat and Livestock Company, Mawashi, will be operating 11 slaugh-terhouses (Five at the Central Market, one each in Al Rayyan, Al Muitheir, Al Shamal, and Al Khor and two big abattoirs at the Central Market for camel).

Mawashi has a stock of 75,000 sheep to meet the demand for the festival. Expecting more demand for sheep this year, the company has imported stocks from Turkey, Georgia, Iran, Jordan, Armenia, Saudi Arabia and Australia. Jamil Imran, Sales and Marketing Manager of Mawashi, said the company has started selling Syrian sheep from yesterday. The price of the Syrian sheep is less com-pared to the other outlets.

THE PENINSULA

QDB to give soft loans for greenhouse farmsDOHA: The Qatar Development Bank (QDB) has announced that it will provide soft loans of QR1m to Qatari agriculturists who are inter-ested in setting up greenhouse vegetable farms in the country.

Addressing farmers at a work-shop here, Hamad Al Kandi, a representative of the QDB, said the bank will not ask for collat-eral from the agriculturists for availing of the loan.

The workshop was titled ‘Investing in Greenhouse Farming’ and was jointly organ-ised by the Agricultural Affairs Department and the QDB. The

event also educated the agricul-turists on taking precautions to protect their produce in bad weather.

Nasser Al Kabi, Head of the Department of Agricultural Guidance and Research, said ‘Greenhouse farming is a more profitable venture compared to traditional farming. This type of farming in 10,000 square meter area could produce about 400,000 kg of produce for example, he said.

The event was attended by farm owners and officials of the Agricultural Affairs Department.

THE PENINSULA

Qatar calls for steps to tackle development issuesNEW YORK: Qatar has called for concerted efforts to accomplish a lot of things on the right track in the future to address development chal-lenges. In a speech deliv-ered before the Economic and Financial Committee of the UN General Assembly at its 67th session of the year 2012 on the International Trade and Development, Minister

of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, who is also President of the 13th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIII), said that the world has witnessed disturbing shifts and the UNCTAD should play an important role to contribute to the global efforts to address the new challenges of the world.

He called on everyone to close ranks and continue the coopera-tion and partnership because this is vital for the United Nations work in the field of development, and perhaps the next four years will provide unique opportunities.

The Minister believed that in 2015 the International Community will determine a post-2015 devel-opment agenda, with all its rich-ness and diversity, adding that in

2014 the UNCTAD will celebrate its 50th anniversary, as well as the developing countries will cel-ebrate the 50th anniversary of establishing the Group of 77, call-ing on to seize the opportunities to bring about change.

Regarding the role of Qatar, the Minister stressed that the coun-try has the honour to preside over UNCTAD XIII.

QNA

Most people happy in Qatar, says survey

DOHA: The Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) released yes-terday the preliminary findings of the Qatar Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) carried out in 2012 in collaboration with the Supreme Council of Health.

According to the survey, overall 94 percent of people aged 15 to 49 years, are somewhat or very happy with their lives. Comparing the findings for men and women, a somewhat higher percentage of women express happiness. Overall satisfaction with family life, friendships, school, current job, health, living environment, treatment by others, and the way they look is very high for men and women. QNA

Ashghal holds contractor responsible for waterlogging

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The other side

10 VIEWS WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Editorial

Power of diplomacy

THE Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani

arrived in Gaza yesterday to a rapturous welcome by Palestinians. When a head of state visits another country, the news is usually

covered by the media in both the countries. But the Emir’s visit to Gaza made headlines all over the world. The reason: it was a historic visit as the Emir was the first head of state to visit Gaza since the Islamist movement Hamas took control of the tiny enclave more than five years ago, and secondly, it effectively broke a blockade in force since Hamas took power in 2007. The Emir entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt at the border crossing of Rafah.

The visit is in line with Qatar’s policy of promoting reconciliation and peace in conflict zones and promoting dialogue. Qatar has stood vigor-ously behind the Palestinian people and has spoken against isolating the people of West Bank, which will in no way help the peace process. With the visit, Qatar is sending the message that engagement rather than estrangement and isolation is the best way to bring all the par-ties to the negotiation table and solve the Palestinian issue. The West and America have pursued a policy of divide and rule in Palestine, by refusing to engage with the Hamas. This is nothing but an example of double standards as the US has been open to the idea of talking even to Taliban in Afghanistan. The Hamas government has been elected

by the people, and while the West hollers about the need to respect democratic verdicts all over the world, they chose to look the other way when Hamas came to power in Gaza Strip.

Qatar believes that shutting off the path of dialogue can only deepen the crisis and prolong the suffering of Palestinians. The visit is also indicative of our leaders’ courage and determination to pursue a foreign policy of their choice, not influenced by extraneous factors, which has justice and fairness as the cornerstone.

The visit has evoked moderate to extreme reactions all over the world. While the Israeli government has been viscerally critical, which is understandable, the media in the region has been appreciative. The US government reacted rather cautiously, calling the visit a humani-tarian mission. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: “We share Qatar’s deep concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people, including those residing in Gaza.”

The biggest beneficiaries of Emir’s visit are the people of Gaza, who are leading miserable lives under the Israeli blockade. This is evident from the hero’s welcome which the Emir received. Also, the $400m investment which Qatar is planning in Gaza will give major fillip to the territory’s economy, in addition to improving the lives of ordinary Palestinians.

The visit will also pave the way for bringing Hamas and the West together.

You can choose the foreign policy that’s reckless and

wrong, or you can choose one that is steady and strong.Quote of

the day

The Emir’s visit to Gaza is a triumph of the independence of Qatar’s foreign policy.

No more excuses for Turkey on human rights and free speech

Barack ObamaUS president

BY HADLEY FREEMAN

BY this point in the US elec-tion, with all the meat hav-ing been chewed well off

the bone at least seven months ago and most voters having made up their minds about two years ago, the next two and a bit weeks consists, for voters and politi-cians alike, of about 80% spin and 20% tea-leaf reading. I’m not a great fan of spin, not because I’m whiter than white but because I have low blood pressure and spinning makes me dizzy so let’s all have a nice cup of tea and read them leaves. Specifically, the debate leaves.

The last of the cumbersome presidential debates lumbered to a close on Monday night and while the cool kids (well, cynical commentators, anyway, and in the cool-starved arena of politi-cal reporters, that comes to the same thing) like to say that debates are more for the media and make no difference to voters,

that isn’t entirely true. It is axio-matic that few Romney support-ers will be persuaded to change sides just because President Obama made a good joke about bayonets (it is also axiomatic that I’ll seize any excuse to use the word “axiomatic”). But as an astonished electorate saw in the first debate – AKA, the debate that Obama didn’t so much as phone in as text in – if a previ-ously down-and-out candidate performs unexpectedly well, his ensuing confidence can energise previously apathetic voters to join in the fun.

But the reductive question of who won the debates (Obama, just) is not the only read-ing one can glean from them. Rather, these debates look, in the sharp glare of hindsight, oddly prophetic for both candi-dates, mirrroring, for one, the trajectory of his campaign and, for the other, the rhythm of his presidency.

Mitt Romney had a tougher

time in the primaries than he should have done considering his rivals seemed at times to have only recently emerged from either the 1950s or the swamp, but he always came across as the inevitable candidate and he, inevitably, triumphed. But in the second stage of the elec-tion when the focus was only on him, he became little more than one awkward stumble, a giant Romneyshambles, and every time he tried to fight against this, he stumbled more. This pattern was echoed in the debates, in that he won the first over a weak oppo-nent and then collapsed in the second, collapsing further with each desperate fightback such as in his last gasp arguments about when Obama described the Benghazi attack an “act of terror”.

Similarly, President Obama arrived in office in 2009 clearly just wanting to get on with his job and underestimating, damagingly for him, the vitriol of the other

side, which was determined to make his job as hard as possible. He eventually came to terms with the idea of getting his cerebral hands dirty but many felt it was too late. So it went in the debates, with a first appearance that was so lacklustre it gave some liberal commentators near coronaries on air and a second appearance that showed a fightback, but one that felt disappointingly belated. So for Obama to squeak ahead in the final debate corroborates the view of Nate Silver, one of America’s most respected stat-isticians and political predictors, that the president will, just about, slip on through to a second term.

And the performances of the candidates in the debates sug-gested why. Romney is a man born to be president – at least, that’s what he’s been telling himself for the past 50 years, especially when he looks in his bathroom mirror and sees a face that is so presidential it could have come from central casting.

So when he feels that things are going his way, he gains confi-dence, reaching for his destiny. But when he senses an unac-ceptable obstacle in his path the bullying teenager that he was rises to the fore, pettily arguing with the moderators about how much time he has been given to answer and making blustering, misguided comments about bind-ers and boats.

These bullying, blundering tendencies seem to be genetic, seeing as Romney’s son Tagg said in an interview that watching the debates made him “want to take a swing” at Obama. Romney also struggled during the debates against two greater opponents than Obama: the Republican party and himself. He struggled, especially in the last debate, to balance the hardline demands of his party with the more centrist tendencies of the general public. As for Romney v Romney, his own words from the past were repeatedly used against him and

these were often more effective than anything Obama said.

Obama came across as he gen-erally always has done: equipped with a plan, generally calm but occasionally testy, and intelli-gent if not especially empathetic. Most of all, he came across as disgusted with the competition on which he is forced to waste his time and while that may be an understandable reaction, it is not an especially helpful one.

How these debates will be remembered is not dependent on the debates themselves but what happens on 6 November. Either they will prove the cool kids right and debates make no difference at all, or they will be seen as the election’s turning point. As Al Gore and Jimmy Carter learned to their misfor-tune, debates can, as it happens, turn an election. Sometimes, as Mr Cool himself, Obama, proved in the first debate, the cool kids can get it wrong.

THE GUARDIAN

FOR a long time, it has been possible to overlook Turkey’s human rights failures. After all, the country was making remarkable progress after starting from a very hard place. Now, however,

ignoring such failures is no longer possible.A 53-page report released Oct. 22 by the US-based Committee to

Protect Journalists is the most detailed on Turkish media freedoms to date. It makes for shocking reading. As of Aug. 1, Turkey was holding at least 76 journalists in jail, the report found, while prosecutors were pursuing thousands of cases against other members of the news media.

Put another way, Turkey now has more imprisoned journalists than any other country, by a factor of just less than two. Iran comes second, with 42 incarcerations; Eritrea third, with 28; and China, a communist dictatorship with a population of 1.35 billion, comes fourth at 27.

It’s a lamentable record and in sharp contrast to the modern and tolerant image that Turkey’s leadership has projected over the past decade. The reason for the new report is especially interesting. The committee had come under fire for reporting lower estimates of the number of jailed journalists than other human rights organizations. Turkey’s government has long maintained that only a handful of the journalists were charged with offenses related to their jobs, and because the CPJ hadn’t read all the indictments, it had erred on the side of caution.

Now it has read the indictments and determined that 61 of the reporters and editors in detention are there because of things they wrote or said in the course of their work. In letters accompanying the report, the Turkish government disputes that characterization and asserts that it is striving to balance the need to prevent “the praising of violence and terrorist propaganda, and the need to expand freedom of speech.”

What’s becoming all too clear during the Justice and Development Party’s third term in office is that despite its claims that the govern-ment is now liberalizing press laws and continuing the country’s march toward a European-style democracy, the opposite is happening.

First, take a look at the much touted legal reforms: Some sentences under statutes used to prosecute journalists were lowered, and judges were given the ability to drop less serious cases. The accused, however, are to be released only on the condition that for three years they don’t repeat the offense — in other words, they must not write or say again the things that irritated the authorities. WP-BLOOMBERG

Can the presidential debates turn the US election?

Cartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate

VIEWS 11WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


BY SAMIA NAKHOUL

The Beirut car bomb that killed a top Lebanese secu-rity official will probably

prove to be the most destabilising attack in Lebanon since the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Al Hariri.

What is less clear - and this is something that instils fear in a society still scarred by its 1975-90 civil war - is whether the attack was a reprisal or the start of a campaign of violence by Damascus and its allies, suspected by many Lebanese of trying to spread Syria’s conflict across its borders.

Lebanon, which has yet to fully overcome its own wartime sec-tarian divisions, is too fragile to withstand being enveloped by a Syrian conflict that is beginning to mirror Lebanon’s own slide into fratricidal bloodletting.

Wissam Al Hassan, the secu-rity official who died with seven others on Friday, was buried with full honours in an emotional state funeral on Sunday at the Rafik Al Hariri mosque, the heart of the former premier’s reconstruction legacy in central Beirut.

The funeral turned into a political rally against Syria and its local allies in Lebanon.

Hassan is thought to have been targeted because in August, after a carefully planned sting opera-tion, his Internal Security Forces intelligence unit arrested a former Lebanese cabinet minister close to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad. The minister, Michel Samaha, is charged with transporting Syrian-assembled bombs to launch attacks on sectarian targets in Lebanon. Two Syrian officers, includ-ing General Ali Mamlouk, were indicted with Samaha in a humili-ating blow to Assad and an unprec-edented move against Lebanon’s dominant neighbour.

Hassan also led the

investigation into Hariri’s mur-der and uncovered evidence that implicated Syria and Hezbollah, although both deny the charge. An international tribunal accused several Hezbollah members of involvement in the murder.

“There is a probability that this will be the start of a new period in which we will see more assas-sinations, bombings and other problems,” said Sarkis Naoum, a columnist and Syria expert.

“Sectarian incitement is on the rise in the country and the kill-ing of Wissam Al Hassan brought things to a head. We may be entering a very dangerous cycle. Anything might happen.”

“It is not possible for the Syria conflict not to have implications on Lebanon. The Lebanese have entered the Syria war - one side is with the Assad regime and another is against it. They are fighting each other by proxy,” Naoum said. Tiny Lebanon, with its combustible sec-tarian mix, is being dragged into the Syria crisis with its rival Shia and Sunni Muslims fighting on opposite sides.

Lebanon’s Shia Hezbollah group backs Assad, a member of the Shia-based Alawite sect, in his fight against the Sunni-led insurgency. Lebanon’s Sunnis

and allied Sunni powers, notably Saudi Arabia and Turkey, support the Sunni rebels. The killing of thousands of Sunnis in Syria has angered Sunnis in Lebanon and across the region.

Hassan’s attacker did more than just kill Lebanon’s most powerful intelligence brain, who collected data on all major play-ers and uncovered several plots in recent years. The killer per-formed a public execution that sent a warning to all those who dared challenge Syria in Lebanon.

INNER CIRCLE

Some analysts said the devas-tating attack against Hassan’s anti-Syria investigative establish-ment bore important similarities to the blast that targeted Assad’s inner circle of security officials in Damascus in July.

“Whoever did this attack wanted to deliver a message that they can reach anybody, that they can hit the highest level of intel-ligence,” said Beirut-based com-mentator Rami Khouri.

“Whoever did it wanted to say ‘we can still strike’.”

Opposition politicians and ordi-nary people at Martyrs’ Square saw Syria’s hand in the bombing.

“Wissam Al Hassan has one

enemy - Bashar Al Assad,” said Beirut MP Nouhad Mashnouq, a leading member of the March 14 opposition bloc led by Saad Al Hariri, son of the slain ex-premier.

Mashnouq said the cases Hassan had brought against Samaha and Mamlouk were actions against Syria unprec-edented in the history of Lebanon. Despite the accusations from Lebanese politicians, both the Assad government and Hezbollah condemned the bombing.

The immediate destabilising effect of Friday’s blast can already be seen on the streets. Angry mourners tried to storm Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s offices in central Beirut after the funeral, breaking through a security bar-rier and scuffling with police who fired in the air in response.

“Mikati leave, get out,” chanted hundreds of protesters. They also chanted slogans against Assad, whom they accused of being behind the killing of Hassan.

The protesters blame Mikati’s pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian-dominated coalition government for failing to provide security or respond effectively to the killing.

Displeasure with Mikati came as spreading unrest raised fears among Lebanese that their

country could slide back into the sectarian strife that haunted them for decades. Mikati, a Sunni Muslim whom many see as unwill-ing to confront Hezbollah, said he had offered to step down, but that President Michel Suleiman asked him “to stay on to avoid letting Lebanon slide into turmoil”.

Syria’s civil war is already being played out on the streets of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, where fight-ing has erupted between Sunni fighters and Alawites.

The Syrian unrest has often spilled into Lebanese border vil-lages with Assad’s forces shelling them, saying they were being used by rebels to smuggle in fighters and arms.

Officials close to Hassan, who had been under threat since he pushed for Samaha’s arrest, said he was using more than one safe house and that only two close associates, including the one who died with him, knew about his movements.

They suspect that Hassan’s movements were followed after his return on Thursday night from a trip abroad.

“There is a contentious history between Wissam Al Hassan and Syria, Iran and their Lebanese allies (Hezbollah),” said one

security source, who declined to give his name. “All the espionage and intelligence services of the world are present in Lebanon and they pay huge sums of money for information and there are many Lebanese guns for hire.”

NOT UNEXPECTED

Khouri, a Middle East affairs specialist, said the Hassan assas-sination was a logical extension of what has been happening in Syria over the past 19 months.

“There has been a steady increase in violence and now we are going to the next step of assassinations, bombings and maybe clashes. It is terrible but it is not unexpected,” he said.

Hassan was killed because he was leading the investigation that led to the prosecution of some important figures, he said. “It cer-tainly reminds people of a string of assassinations that followed Hariri’s killing,” Khouri said.

Some analysts said the perpe-trators of the bombing - which also wounded more than 80 - clearly aimed to push Lebanon into a new round of violence. But although sectarian tensions are high, Lebanese factions have no desire to return to civil war.

Despite persistent calls by Hariri and others for Mikati to resign, many politicians and Western envoys sought com-promise, arguing that high-level resignations and political turmoil in Lebanon were precisely what Hassan’s killers intended.

Lebanon’s sectarian-based poli-tics are further complicated by regional hostility. While the main Lebanese opposition has long been aligned with Washington and Saudi Arabia, Mikati’s governing coalition is endorsed by Iran and Syria. The bombing also height-ened fears among Western powers - which have criticised Assad and called on him to step down - that the Syria war could ignite conflict across the region.

Augustus Richard Norton, a Middle East specialist at Boston University, said it was too early to say who carried out the bombing.

“However, there is no doubt that al Hassan’s death will bring smiles to the face of Bashar Al Assad and his cohorts,” he wrote in a commentary.

Hassan, a Sunni who opposed Syria and Hezbollah, was laid to rest next to Rafik Al Hariri, whose assassination in a similar manner seven years ago sparked widespread protests that ulti-mately forced Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon after 20 years of military and politi-cal dominance. But despite the military pull-out, Assad retained influence through his Lebanese allies in Hezbollah.

REUTERS

Murder raises fears for Lebanon

Lebanese soldiers on their armoured tanks patrol in the Bab Al Tabbaneh neighbourhood in the northern port city of Tripoli, yesterday. Troops were sent to the northern city of Tripoli, where at least four people have been killed in violence between opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.

Lebanon, which has yet to fully overcome its own wartime sectarian divisions, is too fragile to withstand being enveloped by a Syrian conflict that is beginning to mirror Lebanon’s own slide into fratricidal bloodletting.

BY MARK TRAN

For the estimated 800,000 people of “slave descent” in Mali, life is pre-carious at the best of times. In the

most extreme cases, people descended from slaves are treated as objects and their children do not belong to them but to their “masters”.

Even those who live in villages hun-dreds of kilometres away from their mas-ters can expect the occasional visitor who will collect their share of crops or take children away to be household servants.

The plight of slave descendants is even more insecure following a rebellion by Tuareg separatists backed by Al Qaeda-linked extremists. In March, the upris-ing triggered a military coup by troops frustrated at the ineffectual government response. Now, military intervention from Ecowas, the west African regional group, looms. “The slave population is already defenceless; it will become even

more so as the conflict intensifies. We are like the straw that will be trampled underfoot when elephants fight,” said Ibrahim Ag Idbaltanat, an activist who received the Anti-Slavery International award in London last Wednesday.

Slavery was formally abolished in Mali in the 1960s, after the country gained independence from France. However, although slavery is not allowed under the constitution, there is no anti-slavery law and descent-based slavery through the maternal bloodline still exists in northern regions.

People descended from slaves remain the “property” of their “masters”, either living with them and serving them directly, or living separately but remain-ing under their control.

In 2006, Ag Idbaltanat set up the anti-slavery group Temedt, which means “solidarity” in the Tamasheq language of the north. Temedt says slavery is still practised in the far north between Berber-descended Tuareg nomads and darker-skinned Bella or black Tamasheq people.

The descendants of slaves - 200,000 of whom are under direct control of their masters - face threats from all sides because of the current conflict, said Ag Idbaltanat, himself a descend-ant of slaves.

“We are under suspicion from both the government and the rebels,” he said. “Old scores are being settled and anti-slavery activists who have created a lot of enemies feel the threat of violence. We challenged the state and slave owners so

now we face threats as there are slave masters among the rebel groups.” Ag Idbaltanat said the first cases of punish-ment were imposed on slave descendants, while former masters took advantage of the breakdown of order to recapture slaves they had lost. “They can act with impunity - 18 children of slaves were kid-napped recently by traditional masters of their families,” said Ag Idbaltanat.

“Before the rebellion, we had 17 anti-slavery cases before the courts in the north, but the courts are no longer there.”

He described as dire conditions in his hometown of Menaka, which was

captured by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, a Tuareg rebel group, in January. Public services have been shut down, schools are closed, there is no drinking water as there is no electricity for the filtration system, and people now have to fetch unclean water from natural basins in the desert.

Ag Idbaltanat became involved in the anti-slavery movement in 1979, after he became aware of injustices against Tamasheq families of slave descent, some of which he witnessed personally. In 1976, he saw how a former slave, who had spent years working to amass a herd of cattle,

had his animals taken from him by his master. The master persuaded a court that the cattle belonged to him, even through the community knew this was not the case. The master sold the animals but, in a twist of fate, caught a disease from the cows and died.

In 2004, a slave was shot in both knees by a former master and needed emer-gency amputation. However, the local doctor refused to treat him because he had no money. He only agreed to operate after Ag Idbaltanat paid him, but by then it was too late and the man died.

Temedt has more than 30,000 mem-bers, and has helped to free and support dozens of enslaved people, provided legal advice to victims of slavery, trained mag-istrates on anti-slavery legislation and lobbied for legal reform to criminalise slavery practices.

The organisation is the first to dare to say that slavery - also practised in Niger and Mauritania - persists in Mali. Ag Idbaltanat says the government denies this as it fears official acknowledgment might lead aid donors to withdraw. Moreover, anti-slavery activists have been accused by other Malians of being unpatriotic for airing dirty linen in pub-lic. But Ag Idbaltanat insists that he and fellow activists are the genuine patriots.

“We believe we are the patriots to talk about a central problem in Mali,” he said. “It is something that pervades society, it has an impact on democracy, it excludes people from basic services and it is a fac-tor in the conflict now.

GUARDIAN NEWS

Mali conflict puts freedom of ‘slave descendants’ in peril Anti-slavery

activists are fighting to stop former masters using the crisis to recapture Malians whom they see as their property.

Malian refugees sit outside a humanitarian aid camp, 185km north of Ouagadougou.

14 MIDDLE EASTWEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Egypt ruling allows time for constitutionCAIRO: Complaints filed by crit-ics of the assembly writing Egypt’s new constitution were referred to a higher court yesterday, a move likely to give the body heavily influenced by Islamists enough time to complete its work before the judges can rule

The step appeared to remove legal doubts overshadowing a process that will shape the post-Hosni Mubarak era. But the assembly still faces a struggle to build consensus around a text that is exposing fault lines in Egypt’s new political landscape.

“The case is finished. The challenge will now be a political one, not a legal one. If you don’t have a consensus you will have a big crisis,” said Hassan Nafaa, a professor of political science at the University of Cairo.

The new constitution is a major component of a transition from mili-tary-backed autocracy to a democratic system of government that Egyptians hoped would follow the popular upris-ing that swept Mubarak from power last year.

Yet its drafting has been marred by political bickering, including a tussle between Islamists and secular-minded Egyptians over the role Islam should play in the government of the Arab world’s most populous country.

The judge hearing 43 complaints against the way the assembly was formed sent the case to the Supreme Constitutional Court. The plaintiffs, many of them motivated by alarm at the Islamists’ sway, had argued that the 100-person assembly had been formed illegally.

Legal experts said it could take months — up to six by some estimates — for the constitutional court to exam-ine the case.

Barring an exceptional burst of activity by the judges, that means the assembly will have time to finish the constitution by a December dead-line. The text will then be put to a referendum.

“The (court) decision gives the assembly the chance to finish what it started by completing the draft and putting it to a referendum,” said Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud, a Muslim Brotherhood lawyer, speaking at the

end of a chaotic court session punc-tuated by chants for and against the assembly.

“Once the constitution is approved in the referendum ... the Supreme Constitutional Court has no authority over it.”

The constitution has been the focus of political and legal struggle since the start of the year. The Muslim Brotherhood and the Nour Party — both Islamist groups — secured an influential say over the process by winning a majority in the first parlia-mentary election held after Mubarak’s removal from power.

But the assembly formed shortly afterwards was dissolved by a court ruling in March after plaintiffs fought a successful legal battle over its make-up. Subsequently, parliament itself was dissolved. New legislative elections are scheduled to take place after the con-stitution is passed.

According to an October 14 draft, the new constitution will guard against the one-man rule of the Mubarak era and institutionalise a degree of civilian oversight — not enough say the critics — over the military establishment that had been at the heart of power since a 1952 coup.

The draft has been criticised for failing to provide enough protection for rights such as the freedom to form trade unions, which it links to unspeci-fied future legislation. Experts say the vagueness of some of the articles smacks more of the autocratic past than a democratic future.

“It’s crunch time,” said Zaid Al Ali, a constitutional lawyer who has been monitoring the process.

“They have two months to rebuild trust between each other, iron out the inconsistencies and gaps in the draft text, and convince the country that the coming constitution is the best avail-able solution for the country,” he said.

Ahmed Said, head of the liberal Free Egyptians’ Party, said President Mohammed Mursi must now intervene to appoint a more balanced assembly, indicating that street protests were the only path left for people seeking to change the assembly.

REUTERS

Cases go to constitutional court

Syria rebels fight to seize army baseBEIRUT: Syrian rebels are battling to seize an army base close to the main north-south highway and say its capture would be a big step towards creating a “safe zone” allowing them to focus on Bashar Al Assad’s south-ern strongholds.

For two weeks they have surrounded and attacked Wadi Al Deif, east of the town of Maarat Al Numan. They say the ferocity of counter-attacks by government forces shows how important holding the base is to the president’s military strategy.

Assad is fighting an insur-gency that grew out of protests 19 months ago and has esca-lated into a civil war in which 30,000 people have been killed. His overstretched army has lost swathes of territory and relies on air power to keep rebels at bay. If Wadi Al Daif fell to rebels,

who already control northern border crossings to Turkey, Assad would be dependent on a single land route — from the Mediterranean port of Latakia — to supply his forces fighting to win back Aleppo, Syria’s big-gest city.

“The battle started 11 days ago. At first we sent small groups to liberate (the base) and we were surprised by the resistance the regime forces showed,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Khaled Hmood, a former army officer who defected to fight Assad.

“The regime is fighting fiercely. It seems that it doesn’t care if it loses thousands of troops in order to keep its con-trol over the compound.”

Maarat Al Numan has already fallen to Assad’s oppo-nents, effectively cutting the Aleppo highway. But without control of the nearby military

base, their hold over the road is tenuous. Hmood said he believed around 400 soldiers were defending Wadi Al Deif — a group of barracks barely 500 meters from the Damascus-Aleppo road and backed by air power that Assad has deployed against rebels and Maarat Al Numan residents.

The base may also be an important fuel depot, holding at least five million litres of kerosene in five underground bunkers, according to Hmood.

“The regime is bombarding Maarat Al Numan and the vil-lages to pressure us to end the siege,” he said. “By bombarding our families they want to force us to pull back.”

Anti-Assad activists say 40 civilians were killed in air strikes on the town last Thursday in one of the most intense air offensives of the Syrian conflict.

The army has resorted to supplying Wadi Al Deif by air, dropping bread and other food supplies from helicopters.

But its efforts to send mili-tary reinforcements have been repulsed by the besieging rebels. The last attempt on Sunday ended when four tanks were destroyed and the rem-nants of an army column had to pull back. “We have noticed that the best strategy is to hit its supply line. We have been harming the regime a lot by hitting the reinforcements it is sending.”

Hmood said that if rebels could take the base and secure the highway, they could inten-sify efforts to cut Assad’s second main supply line to the north — the road from Latakia to Aleppo that passes through the town of Jisr Al Shughour.

REUTERS

Tensions high as Tunisia marks a year after pollsTUNIS: Tunisia’s leaders yesterday sought to defuse political tensions as the country marked a year since the election of the National Constituent Assembly, amid divisions and violence that have muted the celebrations.

“We can build nothing on the basis of hate and the chal-lenging of others,” President Moncef Marzouki told a spe-cial session of Tunisia’s interim parliament, calling on the polit-ical parties to stop “demonis-ing” each other.

Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali urged the different politi-cal factions to assume their “historic responsibility” and not “push the situation towards crisis, escalation and violence.”

The anniversary of Tunisia’s historic elections comes at a time of heightened tensions between the coalition govern-ment, led by Jebali’s Islamist party Ennahda, and the opposition.

Critics have attacked the Islamists for failing to improve living standards since the revo-lution that ousted former dicta-tor Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, for a deteriorat-ing security situation and for curbing civil liberties.

Numerous opposition MPs boycotted the parliamentary session in protest at what they say are the authoritarian ten-dencies of the ruling Islamists.

Tunisia’s main trade union, the UGTT, tried last week to organise a “national dialogue,” inviting political parties to

cooperate in thrashing out the details of the delayed new con-stitution, held up by disagree-ment over the future political system.

But Ennahda and Marzouki’s Congress for the Republic boycotted the meeting, which ended with those parties that did attend rejecting a govern-ment proposal to hold elections in June, and no agreement on a timetable for adopting the new constitution.

Hundreds of pro- and anti-government protesters gath-ered outside the assembly yesterday shouting slogans, with activists from different opposition groups calling for

a “new revolution.” The more numerous Ennahda support-ers denounced opposition party leader and former premier Beji Caid Essebsi, who they see as a remnant of the ousted regime.

Essebsi’s Call of Tunisia party has argued that the gov-ernment loses its legitimacy on October 23, a year after the assembly’s election, because it was committed to drafting a new constitution within 12 months. “The voices that speak about the end of the govern-ment’s legitimacy are the voices of chaos,” Ennahda’s veteran leader Rached Ghannouchi said, after attending the par-liamentary session. AFP

Tunisian police stand guard as anti-government demonstrators shout slogans during a protest calling for the government to resign yesterday in Tunis.

Kuwait bans gatherings of over 20 people KUWAIT: Kuwait banned gatherings of more than 20 peo-ple and gave police more powers to disperse protests, local media reported yesterday, in an esca-lating standoff with the opposi-tion ahead of the December 1 election.

Kuwait has been on edge since changes to the election law were ordered in a move condemned by the opposition as an attempt to undermine their chances in the vote. The opposition will boy-cott the poll and has called for protests.

On Sunday, security forces used tear gas, stun grenades and smoke bombs against thou-sands of demonstrators as they began marching in downtown Kuwait City to protest against the changes. At least 29 people were hurt and more than 15, including a former member of parliament, were arrested.

“Citizens are not allowed to hold a gathering of more than 20 individuals on roads or at public locations without obtain-ing a permit from the concerned governor,” the cabinet said in a statement carried by local newspapers.

“Police are entitled to pre-vent or disperse any unlicenced grouping.”

Opec producer Kuwait’s oil wealth and a generous welfare state have helped it avoid the kind of “Arab Spring” protests that toppled leaders elsewhere in the region, but the ruling Al Sabah family is facing an unprecedented challenge to its authority.

REUTERS

Residents are seen near damaged buildings at Marat Al Numan, near the northern province of Idlib, yesterday. Activists say the buildings were damaged after being fired upon by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet.

15INTERNATIONAL WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Thousands rally in Hungary

Tens of thousands of people attend a rally of the opposition association One Million People for The Freedom of The Press, nicknamed Milla, in Budapest, Hungary, yesterday, as they mark the 56th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1956 revolution and war of independence against communist rule and the Soviet Union.

ROME: The head of Italy’s top disaster body quit in protest yes-terday after seven of its mem-bers were sentenced to jail over a deadly earthquake in a shock ruling that the global science community warned dealt a dan-gerous blow to scientific freedom.

Luciano Maiami, the head of the Major Risks Committee, and sev-eral top scientists resigned after seven of the body’s members were found guilty on Monday of man-slaughter for underestimating the devastating L’Aquila quake which killed 309 people in 2009.

Maiami, one of Italy’s top phys-icists and a former head of top particle physics laboratory Cern in Geneva, described the verdict as “a big mistake” and said he had resigned because “there aren’t the conditions to work serenely”.

The verdict has provoked deep anger and concern in the glo-bal science community, with top experts warning of the repercus-sions and saying their colleagues had been used as scapegoats.

The seven defendants are appealing the ruling by the court in the medieval town of L’Aquila in central Italy. Under the Italian justice system, they remain free until they have exhausted two avenues of appeal.

“These are professionals who spoke in good faith and were by no means motivated by personal interests, they had always said that it is not possible to predict an earthquake,” Maiami told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

“It is impossible to produce serious, professional and disin-terested advice under this mad judicial and media pressure. This sort of thing doesn’t happen any-where else in the world,” he said.

“This is the end of scientists giv-ing consultations to the state.” All seven defendants were members of the Major Risks Committee which met in L’Aquila on March 31, 2009 — six days before the 6.3-magnitude quake devastated

the region, killing 309 people and leaving thousands homeless.

One of the seven, Mauro Dolce, resigned as head of the Civil Protection’s seismic risk office yesterday, and the rest of the committee were preparing to follow suit, according to Maiami.

Committee member Roberto Vinci from the National Research Council said he had resigned “to show support for those who, per-haps having reacted with a cer-tain naivety and certainly under great pressure, have been accused of manslaughter”.

Michael Halpern of the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists said that without the right to speak freely, they would be vulnerable to scapegoating and persecution. “Scientists need to be able to share what they know — and admit what they do not know — without the fear of being held criminally responsible should their predictions not hold up,” he said in a blog.

The appeal hearings are due to take place in the final months of 2013, according to Marcello Melandri, lawyer for Enzo Bosci, the head of Italy’s national geo-physics institute (INGV) at the time of the quake. “We will wait to read the grounds for the ver-dict and then the defence lawyers will work on the appeal, hoping for a better outcome,” he said.

“I am still incredulous,” he said of judge Marco Belli’s deci-sion to give the scientists an even harsher sentence than the four years called for by the prosecutor.

The defendants were also ordered to pay more than ¤9m (almost $12m) in damages to survivors. In L’Aquila and the surrounding towns, where rub-ble from crumbled houses and churches still lies in vast piles in off-limit zones, survivors and families of those killed said they were shocked by the reaction.

“There has not been any trial against science,” said Anna

Bonomi, spokeswoman for the 3and32 survivors’ group which has campaigned for justice. “If anything, there has been a trial against a system of power,” she said, referring to the widely-held belief that the government had conjured up a media-friendly reassuring message to calm skit-tish citizens before the quake.

“They may convince Italians (that the trial was unfair) but they will not convince us residents: they played with people’s lives,” she said. Maiami said that rather than blaming the scientists, prosecutors should be going after the architects and builders who put up poorly built apartments. It is “deeply wrong that there is no investiga-tion into who constructed houses in a seismic zone in such an inad-equate fashion,” he said.

Geophysicist Dario Albarello, who heads a project into short-term quake forecasts for the INGV, said “it is not earthquakes that kill, it’s badly built buildings that collapse,” and described the trial as “a witch hunt.”

The government committee met in 2009 after a series of small tremors in the preceding weeks had sown panic among local inhabitants — particularly after a resident began making worrying unofficial earthquake predictions.

Italy’s top seismologists were called in to evaluate and the-then deputy director of the Civil Protection agency Bernardo De Bernardinis gave press inter-views saying the seismic activity in L’Aquila posed “no danger”.

About 120,000 people were affected by the quake, which destroyed the city’s historic cen-tre and medieval churches as well as surrounding villages. In May this year, northeast Italy was hit by two earthquakes which dev-astated churches, buildings and factories, leaving 25 people dead and over 15,000 people homeless.

AFP

Top Italian scientists resign in protestQuake ruling a dangerous blow to scientific freedom

BAIKONUR: A Russian rocket carrying two Russian cosmo-nauts and an American astro-naut blasted off successfully yesterday for the International Space Station.

Russia’s Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin and Nasa’s Kevin Ford blasted off in a Soyuz TMA-06M space craft on schedule at 1051 GMT from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, wit-nesses said.

Russian state television showed live footage of the astronauts strapped into the cramped craft and reading instructions, with their mascot, a toy hippo with a “Russia” logo swinging above them.

“The launch of the piloted ship Soyuz TMA-06M took place at 1451 Moscow time,” the Russian space agency said. “The Soyuz TMA-06M separated from the rocket’s third stage as scheduled and was brought into the correct orbit.”

The Soyuz spacecraft is due to dock with the ISS tomorrow

at 1235 GMT. The crew will join Nasa’s Sunita Williams, Russia’s Yuri Malenchenko and Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide, who arrived in July and are due to leave in mid-November.

The trio had been set to blast off on October 15 but the lift-off was delayed due to the need to replace a piece of the on-board equipment. The astronauts are set to land back on Earth in March 2013.

The Russian cosmonauts are making their first journey into space, while flight engineer Ford flew to the ISS in 2009 on the US shuttle. He will take over com-mand when Williams leaves in November. Their time on the ISS will begin with a busy sched-ule since Russia is preparing to send a Progress supply ship to the ISS on October 31. The next manned mission to the ISS is due to launch in December.

Russia has a f lawless record of delivering astronauts into

space in its Soyuz crafts and since the mothballing of United States’ shuttles it is now the only country ferrying astro-nauts to the ISS.

However one of its unmanned Progress ships taking supplies to the ISS crashed into Siberia in August last year after its launch on a Soyuz. Russia is also strug-gling to overcome a series of tech-nical problems that has dogged its satellite launches, prompting heads to roll in its space indus-try and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to criticise money being “thrown to the wind”.

In August this year, a Proton-M rocket failed to launch two satel-lites into space.

Last year a huge European satellite launched on a Proton-M rocket failed to reach the cor-rect orbit and was lost, causing the temporary grounding of the rockets, while a military satellite was also sent into the wrong orbit.

AFP

Three astronauts blast off to ISS

VATICAN CITY: A Vatican computer technician will go on trial on November 5 on charges of helping the pope’s former but-ler steal secret papers, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said yesterday.

Claudio Sciarpelletti’s trial fol-lows the conviction of ex-butler Paolo Gabriele, who was found guilty of stealing papers which revealed fraud scandals and intrigue at the heart of the Vatican, and sentenced to 18 months in jail.

The 48-year-old technician was arrested on May 25 as the Vatican investigation into the leaks unfolded, but was released the following day.

He was initially due to stand in the dock with Gabriele in early October, but was granted a separate trial. His alleged role in stealing and leaking the memos is considered “rather marginal” by the judiciary, Lombardi said.

His trial is likely to be even shorter than Gabriele’s, the spokesman added. Gabriele spent months under house arrest but his trial in the so-called Vatileaks scandal lasted a week.

An envelope containing sto-len documents and addressed to Gabriele was found in Sciarpelletti’s desk within the walls of the tiny state. He has claimed ignorance, insisting he had forgotten it was there and never opened it.

The technician has also admit-ted, however, that two people gave him envelopes containing docu-ments to pass on to the butler.

Lombardi told a briefing follow-ing the release of the full judge-ment on Gabriele that the former butler could serve his 18 months in a Vatican cell — scotching ear-lier rumours that he would likely be jailed in Italy.

AFP

COTONOU: Benin has charged President Thomas Boni Yayi’s doctor, niece and an ex-minister over an alleged plot to poison him, the public prosecutor said yester-day, in a case that has rocked the small west African nation.

The charges came after the authorities announced the arrests of the three on Monday and described the alleged plot, includ-ing a meeting in a Brussels hotel room and a plan to replace Yayi’s anti-pain medicine with poison.

Police say there were also claims of a plan for two of the sus-pects — Yayi’s niece and his per-sonal doctor — to be assassinated after the plot was carried out in order to conceal what happened.

Prosecutors say the niece Zouberath Kora-Seke and the doctor Ibrahim Mama Cisse were promised 1bn CFA francs ($2m) to carry out the plot, with former commerce minister Moudjaidou Soumanou acting as an inter-mediary. The 60-year-old Yayi is also the current chairman of the African Union.

“They are formally charged with criminal conspiracy and attempted murder,” public prosecutor Justin Gbenameto said, adding they were charged on Monday following their arrests Sunday.

The three are being held in prison in the economic capital Cotonou, Gbenameto said.

A lawyer for the former min-ister and Yayi’s doctor, Joseph Djogbenou, declined to comment when contacted by AFP. A lawyer for Yayi’s niece could not imme-diately be reached for comment.

Gbenameto said the plot did not succeed, and a source in the presi-dency said Yayi appeared in good health. According to Gbenameto, the instigator of the plot was alleged to be Benin businessman Patrice Talon, a former Yayi ally.

AFP

HWANGE: A herd of elephants hobbles past a cluster of acacia trees to a water-hole deep in Zimbabwe’s vast Hwange game reserve, attracted by the drone of generators pumping water round the clock into the pool.

With the elephant population ballooning, wildlife authorities have resorted to using 45 generators, each consuming 200 litres of diesel a week from June to November, to ensure the animals can get water.

The strategy appears to be working. So far this year around 17 elephants have died in the area due to the extreme heat and lack of water, compared to 77 last year.

“The elephants drink close to 90 percent of all the water (pumped) here,” said Edwin Makuwe, an ecologist with the Zimbabwe

National Parks and Wildlife Authority,“I think elephants now know that when

they hear an engine running, chances are that there is water close by.” But the water, while life-preserving, may be run-ning against the flow of nature.

The 14,600-square-kilometre reserve is home to between 35,000 to 40,000 ele-phants, twice its capacity. The increase in the elephant population has led to higher demand for water at the park, home to over 100 different species of animals including the “Big Five”: elephant, lion, leopard, buf-falo and the endangered rhinoceros.

Makuwe said the rise in the elephant population at the game reserve, established in 1949, had also led to the destruction of the environment. “There is so much activity

by the elephants that the vegetation has been affected negatively, the trees are no longer growing as fast as they should.”

“(The trees) are no longer producing as many seeds as they should. In the long term this will have a negative effect on the entire habitat of Hwange.”

He said the quality of the forage had gone down, with elephants stripping tree barks and digging roots for food. “The African savanna is supposed to be a mosaic of trees and grasses. The moment you start to have more grasslands than trees it is not function-ing as African savanna.” Makuwe fears small animals and insects who live in the trees risk extinction. “If you lose the trees and you are left with the grasslands, then definitely some of the species will be lost,” he said.

The authorities are yet to find a solu-tion. “Some people advocate to let nature take its course ... (but) we are yet to find a method which can convince all the people to accept and bring down the (elephant) population,” Makuwe added. With tour-ists, who have shunned the country over the years, slowly returning, there is little incentive to cull the main attraction.

In the meantime, Tom Milliken, of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said ele-phants in Hwange were suffering greatly due to the water shortages. “This is the worst time of the year for elephants and we still have a month before the rains come,” he said. “Elephants have most stress this time of the year when there is no water.”

AFP

Zimbabwe weighs cost of too many elephants

Butler ‘accomplice’ faces Vatileaks trial

Benin charges trio over plot to poison president

The International Space Station (ISS) crew members — US astronaut Kevin Ford (centre) and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy (bottom) and Evgeny Tarelkin wave as they board the Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft at the Baikonur cosmodrome yesterday. RIGHT: The spacecraft blasts off from launch pad 31.

Bolt in mountains

Jamaican Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt takes a picture with Sugar Loaf Mountain in the background, in Rio de Janeiro, yesterday.

16 INTERNATIONALWEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


China rules last presidential debateWASHINGTON: President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney vowed on Monday to get tough on China’s trade policies, but they mostly used the Asian giant as a foil to air competing domestic economic pro-grammes in their final debate before the November 6 election.

In a showdown that was supposed to be limited to foreign policy, both men focused on the economic aspects of the complex US-China relationship, touch-ing only briefly on the security challenge that fast-rising China poses to a US-led alliance system in Asia.

Human rights, China’s support for states that are foes of the United States and intensifying maritime territorial dis-putes that pit China against US allies Japan and the Philippines went unmen-tioned in the 90-minute debate in Boca Raton, Florida.

Also unmentioned was the impending leadership change in the world’s second largest economy, as well as China’s eco-nomic slowdown, which could have pro-found consequences for US exporters.

China is “both an adversary, but also a potential partner in the international community if it’s following the rules,” said Obama, who touted his administra-tion’s efforts to hold China accountable for breaching global trade rules.

The loss of American jobs due to the absence of a level playing field in trade is “why we have brought more cases against China for violating trade rules than ... the previous administration had done in two terms,” said Obama.

“And we’ve won just about every case that we’ve filed, that has been decided,” he said. The Obama administration has prevailed in about eight World Trade Organization cases against China, indus-try sources calculate.

Romney, whose campaign rhetoric toward China has often been harsh, agreed that “we can be a partner with China. We don’t have to be an adversary in any way, shape or form.”

But he and the president soon turned the China question back to domestic affairs.

Romney cited a US valve-maker whose products he said were being counterfeited in China, right down to the serial num-bers and packaging.

“We have an enormous trade imbal-ance with China, and it’s worse this year than last year, and it’s worse last year than the year before. And so we have to understand that we can’t just surren-der and lose jobs year in and year out,” he said.

Obama said investment in education and research was the true way to stay

ahead of China.“Over the long term, in order for us

to compete with China, we’ve also got to make sure, though, that we’re ... taking care of business here at home,” he said.

Obama repeated criticism that Romney had invested in firms that sent jobs to China and added that Romney’s budget would not address US needs in education and research. Romney said government deficits and military cuts under Obama made the United States appear weak in Chinese eyes.

Romney repeated a pledge he first made early this year to press China to stop suppressing the value of its currency to make Chinese exports cheaper than those of US competitors.

On revaluing its currency, China is “making some progress; they need to make more,” said the former Massachusetts governor.

“That’s why on day one, I will label them a currency manipulator, which allows us to apply tariffs where they’re taking jobs,” said Romney.

The US Treasury Department named China a currency manipulator five times from 1992 to 1994, but it has been 17 years since any country has been so designated.

A finding of manipulation requires the Treasury to start negotiations on exchange rates, both bilaterally and through the International Monetary Fund.

John Frisbie, president of the U.S.-China Business Council, a group of busi-nesses that trade with China, said that engagement with China had led to the strengthening of China’s yuan, or ren-minbi, by more than 30 percent since 2005.

“Evidence has shown that the best way to make progress is through comprehen-sive engagement and legal actions - not political rhetoric,” he said in a statement.

Romney shrugged off concerns his approach would trigger a trade war, say-ing there was already a trade war going on that had led to a U.S. trade deficit

“It’s a silent one. And they’re winning,” said Romney.

Scott Paul, executive director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, an advocacy group that champions pressing Beijing over currency and other trade barriers, said Monday’s debate “didn’t really break new ground on China.”

But he said the focus on the trade defi-cit with China and its impact on manu-facturing was long overdue. “The real winner was American manufacturing. It’s clear that both candidates believe it is critically important that China play by the rules,” Paul said. REUTERS

Rivals vow to get tough on Beijing

US President Barack Obama (left) greets the family of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney (right) after the final presidential debate in the Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, USA.

Candidates back in key swing statesDELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA: Barack Obama and Mitt Romney took their head-to-head battle for the US presidency to key swing states yester-day after a feisty but inconclusive final debate.

Post debate polling showed Obama win-ning Monday night’s faceoff but analysts said Romney, who adopted more dovish-sounding foreign policy prescriptions that differed little from the president’s, may have been helped by the encounter.

“The fact that Mr Romney was able to show himself to not be the danger-ous, wild conservative that Obama has been trying to portray him as, that may help him,” said Christopher Arterton, a political science professor at George Washington University.

“That may continue some of the flight that we have seen towards Romney,

particularly in states he has to win, Florida and Ohio”.

The focus will likely return to the economy as the two campaign in the key battlegrounds expected to decide the election, with the president speaking in Florida and Ohio and his Republican rival heading west to Nevada and Colorado.

Economic woes loom far larger than any foreign threat, and it will take several days to gauge whether Monday’s clash had any impact on tied up polls with two weeks to go before the November 6 elections.

Obama had the best lines of the night and sharply cross-examined Romney on his approach to Syria, Iran and trade rows with China, accusing him of “air-brushing history” by dumping earlier hawkish conservative positions.

“I know you haven’t been in a position

to actually execute foreign policy, but every time you’ve offered an opinion, you’ve been wrong,” Obama said, accus-ing his opponent of being “all over the map” on a wide range of issues.

The Republican, who has spent months attempting to paint the president as a weak appeaser, took a milder tone, actu-ally backing much of the substance of the current administration’s global strategy.

In a clear bid to moderate his image, Romney endorsed Obama’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014, sup-ported the president’s lethal drone war against terror suspects and congratulated him on hunting down Osama bin Laden.

Oddly, neither candidate mentioned the eurozone crisis — widely seen as the country’s biggest external economic threat.

AFP

BBC denies cover-up of abuseLONDON: The head of the BBC denied yester-day helping to cover up abuse by one of its former stars but accepted the broadcaster had been dam-aged by a scandal that has shaken public trust in a national institution.

George Entwistle, who was announced as the 90-year-old media organisation’s new boss in August, told hostile MPs that failures at the BBC had allowed Jimmy Savile, once one of Britain’s top TV present-ers, to prey on young girls for years.

He added he could not rule out suggestions that an abuse ring might have existed at the state-funded BBC during the height of Savile’s fame in the 1970s and 80s.

But Entwistle rejected claims that BBC bosses had tried to hide allegations against Savile, who died last year, or suppressed an inquiry by one of their own news programmes.

“This is a gravely serious matter and one can-not look back at it with anything other than hor-ror,” Entwistle told parliament’s Culture and Media Committee.

“There is no question that ... the culture and prac-tices of the BBC seemed to allow Jimmy Savile to do what he did, (which) will raise questions of trust for us and reputation for us.”

Police are investigating allegations that the eccen-tric, cigar-chomping Savile, who hosted prime-time children’s shows on the BBC, abused girls as young as 12 over six decades, with some of the attacks tak-ing place on BBC premises. Detectives announced a criminal inquiry into the claims on Friday, saying

more than 200 potential victims had come forward.The furore over Savile is the biggest controversy

to hit the BBC since its director general and chair-man resigned in 2004 after a judge-led inquiry ruled it had wrongly reported that former Prime Minister Tony Blair had tweaked intelligence to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

It comes as British newspapers await the recom-mendations of a separate inquiry into journalistic ethics following a phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s now closed News of the World tabloid that could have serious implications for the media.

The BBC, which holds a special place in Britons’ affection and is paid for by a tax on viewers, has been under growing pressure since rival channel ITV exposed Savile’s alleged crimes three weeks ago.

Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday the BBC appeared to have serious questions to answer. The most damaging aspect for Entwistle and senior managers was the accusation that a similar probe by the BBC’s flagship “Newsnight” show was pulled a couple of months after Savile’s death in October 2011 because it would clash with planned Christmas programmes celebrating his life and charity work. Entwistle’s predecessor as the BBC’s Director General, Mark Thompson, who is the New York Times Co’s incoming chief executive, said the Newsnight investigation was mentioned to him by a journalist at a party last year, but he was later told it was not going ahead for journalistic reasons.

REUTERS

LONDON: Britain has delayed a plan to shoot thousands of badgers to stop the spread of tuberculosis in cattle in the face of overwhelming public opposi-tion to the cull.

Critics of the cull, which was supported by farmers, said it would be ineffective, not least because fleeing badgers would simply spread the disease beyond the pilot areas in southwest England where it had been due to begin shortly.

The debate is a sensitive one in Britain, where the mass slaugh-ter of cattle to control disease in livestock has left deep scars in farming communities following outbreaks of other diseases over the past two decades.

Last year, 26,000 affected cattle were slaughtered and the disease cost taxpayers £90m, including compensation to farmers.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said yesterday the delay had been due to surveys showing a higher number of badgers than thought in the afflicted areas. The opposition Labour party branded it a further example of govern-ment ineptitude after several blunders this month.

“The farmers delivering this (culling) have concluded that they cannot be confident that it will be possible to remove enough badgers based on these higher numbers,” Paterson told parliament.

“It would be wrong to go ahead if those on the ground can-not be confident of removing at least 70 percent of the badger populations.” REUTERS

Sept 11 mastermind dyes his beard with breakfast berriesGUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA: Accused September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been tinting his beard red by rubbing it with fruit juice and crushed berries from his breakfast, a Pentagon spokesman said yesterday.

Mohammed first showed up for his April arraignment hearing with his long, scraggly

beard tinted a rusty red, and it remained dyed the same hue when he returned last week to the courtroom at the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base in Cuba.

That sparked a flurry of ques-tions, since the rule book for the detention operation known as Joint Task Force Guantanamo, or JTF-GTMO, specifically prohibits

prisoners from receiving hair dye because it can contain chemicals such as ammonia that could be used as a weapon.

Journalists asked whether someone had been smuggling contraband henna to Mohammed, who is held at a top-security camp whose very location on the Guantanamo base is kept secret. Henna is a plant often used to

make hair dye. A Pentagon spokesman,

Army Lieutenant Colonel Todd Breasseale, revealed the answer yesterday.

“I can confirm that Mr Mohammed did not avail himself of any outside-the-JTF means to dye his beard but did craft his own natural means by which to do it,” Breasseale said, explaining

the inmate used fruit juice and berries from breakfast.

He said he did not know Mohammed’s reasoning.

It is not uncommon for men in the Muslim world to dye their beards with henna, as the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is said to have done. Or it could be a case of simple vanity.

REUTERS

UK postpones plan to shoot dead badgers

ASIA / PHILIPPINES 17WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Taiwan hospital fire kills 12, injures 60TAINAN: A blaze tore through a Taiwan hospital for bed-bound seniors and mentally ill patients yesterday, killing 12 and injur-ing 60, with police reportedly arresting a patient suspected of starting the fire.

The fire erupted before dawn at Beimen nursing facility in south Taiwan’s Tainan city, whose 115 patients included people in their 90s, with several left on their own to escape dense smoke that filled the building.

Local media said police had arrested a person believed to be a hospital patient on suspicion of starting the blaze -- Taiwan’s worst hospital fire in years. Police and prosecutors declined to comment.

Closed-circuit TV footage taken moments after the blaze broke out showed hospital staff scrambling to put out the fire, while elderly patients struggled to escape down the corridor in their wheelchairs.

“My mother saw the fire and smelled the smoke so she got on her wheelchair and pushed herself out. She is very brave and very lucky,” the daughter of 94-year-old survivor Wang Ho-shou said.

Another patient told Central News Agency he was lucky to escape the fire as he was able to walk on his own and was later rescued by firefighters.

“It was pitch black and the heavy smoke was unbearable, it was really horrifying,” he was quoted by the agency as saying.

The United Evening News said four patients lost their lives at the nursing facility, while eight others died after being taken to other hospitals in the area. The deaths were believed to be caused by smoke inhalation.

Television footage showed res-cuers and hospital staff pushing out unconscious patients in their wheelchairs or beds, with many laid out on the lawn in front of the building as they tried to resusci-tate the serious cases with CPR.

One crying woman was shown clutching the hand of an elderly man who lay lifeless in his pyja-mas at the hospital entrance.

Fire officials said the fire possi-bly started in a crammed storage room on the second floor of the five-floor building, a branch of the public Sinying Hospital.

Premier Sean Chen expressed his shock, while President Ma Ying-jeou sent his condolences to the families of the victims, accord-ing to government statements.

“President Ma... has instructed the health department to provide emergency shelter and follow-up treatment,” his office said.

Tainan mayor Lai Ching-te said that the fire was unusually deadly because the hospital was in

a relatively remote area and most of the patients were immobile.

Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta sought to pacify anxious relatives of patients who rushed to the

hospital, saying that authorities were trying to identify the dead and injured as soon as possible, according to TVBS cable news channel.

Chiu also announced that an island-wide check on fire equip-ment in all medical facilities will be conducted this week.

AFP

Local media reports say police arrested a patient suspected of starting the fire

Three dead in fresh Myanmar violenceYANGON: At least three peo-ple have been killed in a fresh outbreak of communal violence between Muslim Rohingya and Buddhists in Myanmar’s west-ern Rakhine state, a local offi-cial said yesterday.

The clashes laid bare festering tensions between the two com-munities after widespread vio-lence in June left dozens dead, tens of thousands displaced and prompted rights groups to warn of a humanitarian crisis.

“We got the information that three people, an ethnic Rakhine man and two Muslim women, were killed at Pandeinkone village during yesterday’s (Monday’s) clashes,” Hla Thein, Rakhine state chief justice said.

“It’s difficult to control the situation,” he said, adding that there was no information on the number of wounded.

Hundreds of homes were also torched in the unrest that affected

two neighbouring villages, he said, while police said an overnight curfew failed to prevent violence continuing for a second day.

“The conflict between the two communities is happening again this morning. About 50 houses were burnt down this morning at a village in Mrauk U town,” a police official said requesting anonymity.

More than 50,000 Muslims and up to 10,000 Buddhists are thought to be displaced across Rakhine state, where people from both communities were forced to flee as mobs torched entire vil-lages in June’s flare-up.

The bloodshed cast a shadow over widely praised reforms by President Thein Sein, including the release of hundreds of politi-cal prisoners and the election of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to parliament.

Myanmar’s government has rejected accusations of abuse by

security forces in Rakhine, after the United Nations raised fears of a crackdown on Muslims.

The stateless Rohingya have long been considered by the UN to be one of the most persecuted minorities on the planet.

Speaking a Bengali dialect similar to one in neighbouring Bangladesh, the Rohingya are viewed as illegal immigrants by the Myanmar government and many Burmese -- who call them “Bengalis”.

They face tight restrictions on their movements and limited access to employment, education and public services. Many have attempted to flee overseas in rick-ety boats.

In Rakhine’s state capital Sittwe, thousands of Rohingya eke out a living in a ghetto behind barbed wire and armed guards, as segregation between the two communities intensifies.

AFP

Japan minister resigns after mob ties scandalTOKYO: Japan’s justice min-ister quit yesterday because of ill health, a cabinet official said, after calls for his res-ignation over past ties to an organised crime syndicate, dealing another blow to unpop-ular Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

Keishu Tanaka, 74, only became justice minister in a cabinet reshuffle on Oct 1, and his res-ignation is the second by a min-ister since Noda took office in September 2011.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a news conference that Tanaka stepped down for health reasons.

The resignation came a day after Tanaka left a Tokyo hospi-tal where he had checked in with chest pains, irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure.

The health problems followed days of calls for his resignation after a magazine report linked him to the Yakuza organised crime syndicate.

The justice minister said he acted as a matchmaker at a mobster’s wedding and attended a party thrown by the head of a crime group about 30 years ago, explaining that he was not aware of the groom’s mob connections or the nature of the event at the time.

Tanaka has also admitted shortly after his appointment that his party branch accepted 420,000 yen ($5,300) in dona-tions from a company run by a foreigner between 2006 and 2009. Accepting funds from for-eign nationals is illegal if done so knowingly.

REUTERS

E Timor to take over policing as UN withdrawsJAKARTA: UN peacekeepers will hand over full responsibil-ity for policing to East Timor next week as they begin with-drawing in earnest from Asia’s youngest nation, a UN official said yesterday.

The final batch of peacekeep-ers will leave in December in line with a timetable to depart by the end of the year, said Finn Reske-Nielsen, head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor (UNMIT).

“We will pull them out over the next two months. By the 15th of December there will be no UN police (peacekeepers) left in the country,” he told reporters in Jakarta.

The current UN mission arrived in 2006 after a political crisis in which dozens were killed and hundreds of thousands dis-placed, with a mandate to restore security.

The only major violence since then was a 2008 failed assassi-nation attempt against former president Jose Ramos-Horta, and the country this year held largely peaceful presidential polls and general elections.

The UN partially handed over responsibility for security to Timorese police in March last year and from November 1 they will be expected to operate on their own.

It would be the “end of any kind of operation of support by the UN police”, Reske-Nielsen said.

“At the moment whenever we are asked to provide support for a police operation, we will do that. But as of November 1 that stops and we will send the police home in very short order,” he said.

AFP

Exam cheats

Bangladesh police parade alleged members of hi-tech exam cheats who use watch-like mobile phones to help examinees pass tests as they wear placards with their names and alleged crimes in Dhaka yesterday.

S Korean MPs trigger Japan protest with island visitSEOUL: A group of South Korean lawmakers yesterday visited an isolated set of islands at the centre of a territorial dispute with Japan -- prompt-ing an immediate protest from Tokyo.

Seventeen members of the parliamentary National Defence Committee flew to the Dokdo islands (known as Takeshima in Japan) on military helicopters for a day-long visit, an aide to com-mittee member Han Ki-Ho said.

The trip -- described as a government inspection session -- was aimed at checking secu-rity measures around the islands which are guarded by the South’s coastguard, the aide said.

A picture released by the com-mittee showed the lawmakers shouting slogans reading “Dokdo is our land. We will defend it”.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura, who on Monday had urged the Seoul MPs to cancel their trip, said it was “extremely regrettable” that his call had gone unheeded.

“We strongly protest it and we are urging South Korea to pre-vent future incidents,” he said.

The islands, which lie between the two countries, are controlled by South Korea but claimed by both nations.

The longstanding row over ownership boiled over in August when South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak made a surprise visit to the islets.

AFP

Philippines lifts deployment ban to Lebanon, JordanMANILA: Filipino workers in Lebanon and Jordan can finally return home and celebrate Christmas with their fami-lies without having to worry about losing their jobs after the Philippine government lifted the deployment ban in the two countries.

Labour Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued a resolution allowing the deploy-ment of Filipino workers to Jordan and Lebanon.

“The POEA governing board has agreed to lift the tempo-rary suspension of deployment of newly hired household service workers (HSWs) for the Kingdom of Jordan,” Baldoz said.

“This means the deployment ban to Jordan is now 100 percent lifted and our workers there can now return home, and we can also send newly hired workers there,” Baldoz said.

Citing data from the POEA, Baldoz said the country deployed close to 6,000 Filipino HSWs to Jordan from 2006 to 2011.

“From over 4,000 HSWs deployed to Jordan in 2006, the number dropped to only one in 2011 because of the ban”.

The Philippine government banned the deployment of HSWs to Jordan due to high incidence of abuse against Filipino workers.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

China reshuffles top military ranks ahead of congress

JAKARTA: Authorities in Indonesia’s only province that uses Islamic Sharia laws said yesterday they had closed some Christian places of worship and Buddhist temples following pressure from hardliners.

The closures in Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, came after complaints from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), and are the latest sign of growing religious intolerance in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal, dep-uty mayor of provincial capital Banda Aceh where the closures took place, said the official reason

was that the nine Christian sites and six Buddhist temples did not have permits.

But she said that they were shut last week after complaints from the FPI and that “there had been some tension before we took a decision.”

“We do not want any security trouble in Banda Aceh because of these illegal activities.”

The FPI presents itself as an enforcer of morals and Islamic laws and sometimes accompa-nies police in some parts of the country on violent raids on bars and brothels.

AFP

Indonesia shuts Christian, Buddhist places of worship

BEIJING: China reshuffled its top military ranks yester-day, weeks before a once-in-a-decade generational leadership change which sources said would see the outgoing air force commander promoted to vice-chairman of the military’s top decision-making body.

General Ma Xiaotian, 63, was named air force commander, replacing General Xu Qiliang, 50, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Ma has been one of the secre-tive military’s most visible faces, speaking at forums overseas and leading talks with US defence

officials aimed at building trust between the world’s two largest economies.

The report did not say what would happen to Xu.

But three independent sources with ties to the top leadership and the People’s Liberation Army said Xu was tipped to be named one of two vice-chairmen of the power-ful Central Military Commission.

The government generally does not comment on elite politics and personnel changes before the offi-cial announcement.

Xu’s air force background means he can be expected to

champion their interests at the centre of power, including the development of China’s first indigenous stealth fighter.

Xu is one of eight members of the military commission, which is headed by President Hu Jintao, also the ruling Communist Party’s top official.

Hu is widely expected to step down as party chief during a congress which opens on Nov 8 and as president during the annual session of parliament next March. Anointed successor Vice President Xi Jinping will almost certainly take over both posts.

But sources and analysts are divided over whether Hu will fol-low in his the footsteps of hi pred-ecessor Jiang Zemin, who hung on to the military chairmanship for two years after stepping down as party chief.

Hu, 69, has not made public his plans for retirement but, unlike in the West where former presi-dents and prime ministers tend to fade from the public eye, Chinese leaders seek to maintain influence to avoid possible adverse political repercussions down the road and preserve their legacy.

REUTERS

This picture taken and released by the Tainan Fire Department yesterday shows firemen tending to rescued patients outside the Sinying Hospital following a fire, near the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan.

18 PAKISTAN / AFGHANISTANWEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Largest human national flag

Eid Al Adha preparations

Pakistani youths make the biggest human national flag at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore. More than 24,000 Pakistanis on Monday formed the world’s largest “human national flag” in the eastern city of Lahore, smashing a five-year-old record set in Hong Kong, officials said.

A general view shows sacrificial animals at a local livestock market ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha, in Herat, Afghanistan, yesterday.

KUNDUZ: A high-level Taliban commander in north-ern Afghanistan, Mullah Abdul Rahman, has been captured in a joint Afghan-Nato operation, police said yesterday.

“Rahman was involved in heightening insecurity in Kunduz, Takhar and Badakhshan prov-inces,” said Kunduz province police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Husseini. “He encouraged insur-gents to plant roadside bombs and stage high-profile attacks on Afghan officials.”

For years after the ouster of the Taliban in 2001, northern

Afghanistan was largely free of insurgent violence but security there, including in the three provinces Husseini mentioned, has been deteriorating over the past couple of years.

Husseini said Rahman, whom Nato has described as a “Taliban financier” in the north, was cap-tured in Kunduz’s Char Darah district last Friday.

A spokesman for Nato’s Afghan force said it could not immedi-ately comment.

German media said Germany’s elite KSK force was involved in the operation to capture Rahman,

whom they said had orchestrated attacks on German soldiers.

Germany is the third-largest troop contributor to Afghanistan’s Nato-led force.

Meanwhile in Herat, ten Afghan security personnel have been killed in a bloody battle with Taliban insurgents in the western province of Herat, officials said yesterday.

Five police officers were among the dead, including the police chief of Obe district, where the battle took place on Monday afternoon, regional police spokesman Noor Khan Nikzad said.

AGENCIES

KABUL: The UK is to dou-ble the number of armed RAF “drone” flying combat and surveillance operations in Afghanistan, and for the first time the aircraft will be con-trolled from terminals and screens in Britain.

In the new squadron of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), five Reaper drones will be sent to Afghanistan, the Guardian can reveal. It is expected they will begin operations within six weeks.

Pilots based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, northern England, will fly the recently bought American-made UAVs at a hi-tech hub built on the site in the past 18 months.

The UK’s existing five Reaper drones, which are used to target suspected insurgents in Helmand, have been operated from Creech Air Force base in Nevada because Britain has not had the capability to fly them from here.

After “standing up” the new XIII squadron in a ceremony this Friday (26OCT), the UK will soon have 10 Reapers in Afghanistan. The government has yet to decide whether the aircraft will remain

there after 2014, when all Nato combat operations are due to end.

“The new squadron will have three control terminals at RAF Waddington, and the five aircraft will be based in Afghanistan,” a spokesman confirmed. “We will continue to operate the other Reapers from Creech, though in time, we will wind down opera-tions there and bring people back to the UK.”

The use of drones has become one of the most controversial features of military strategy in Afghanistan. The UK has been flying them almost non-stop since 2008.

Last month the CIA’s pro-gramme of “targeted” drone kill-ings in Pakistan’s tribal area was condemned by a report by US academics. The attacks are politi-cally counterproductive, kill large numbers of civilians and under-mine respect for international law, according to the study by Stanford and New York univer-sities’ law schools.

The most recent figures from the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) show that by the end of September, the UK’s five Reapers

in Afghanistan have flown 39,628 hours and fired 334 laser-guided Hellfire missiles and bombs at suspected insurgents.

While British troops on the ground have started to take a more back-seat role, the use of UAVs has increased markedly over the past two years despite fears from human rights campaigners that civilians might have been killed or injured in some attacks.

The RAF bought the drones as an urgent operational require-ment (UOR) specifically for Afghanistan, and the MoD con-firmed that their purpose after 2014 was unclear. Under rules imposed by the EU and the Civil Aviation Authority, UAVs can be flown only in certain places in the UK, including around the Aberporth airfield in mid-Wales.

If the air-exclusion zone restric-tions are not lifted by the end of 2014, the UK may have to relocate the drones to the US, or perhaps even to Kenya, sources said.

“No decisions have been made about the longer-term future of Reaper as a core capability, nor have any decisions been made on the basing of Reaper aircraft

once the UOR is complete,” said a spokesman. “The UK has a need for a persistent intelligence-gath-ering capability. Our investment and experiences with Reaper will be considered in developing the programme ... at this stage, the MoD is still developing this strategy.”

The MoD said the relocation of RAF personnel from 39 Squadron at Creech Air Force base would begin in the new year, and that RAF Waddington would eventu-ally be home to two squadrons of drones.

“The intention is to phase the relocation of 39 Squadron to ensure there is no disruption to Reaper support to current opera-tions,” the spokesman added.

In the first three-and-a-half years of using the Reapers in Afghanistan, the aircraft flew 23,400 hours and fired 176 mis-siles. But those figures have almost doubled in the past 15 months as Nato seeks to weaken the Taliban ahead of withdrawal.

The MoD insists only four Afghan civilians have been killed in its strikes since 2008 and says it does everything it can

to minimise civilian casualties, including aborting missions at the last moment.

However, it also says it has no idea how many insurgents have died because of the “immense dif-ficulty and risks” of verifying who has been hit.

The MoD says it relies on Afghans making official com-plaints at military bases if their friends or relatives have been wrongly killed - a system campaigners say is flawed and unreliable.

Heather Barr, a lawyer for Human Rights Watch, has said: “There are many disincentives for people to make reports.

“Some of these areas are incredibly isolated, and people may have to walk for days to find someone to report a com-plaint. For some, there will be a certain sense of futility in doing so anyway. There is no uniform system for making a complaint and no uniform system for giv-ing compensation. This may not encourage them to walk several days to speak to someone who may not do anything about it.” In December 2010, David Cameron

claimed that 124 insurgents had been killed in UK drone strikes. But defence officials said they had no idea where the prime minister got the figure and denied it was from the MoD.

A high court hearing today may shed light on any support the UK is giving to the CIA’s campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan. The case has been brought by Noor Khan, whose father was killed in an attack on a local council meet-ing in 2011. He is asking the for-eign secretary, William Hague, to clarify the government’s position on sharing intelligence for use in CIA strikes, and challenging the lawfulness of such activities.

His lawyer, Rosa Curling, said: “This case is about the legality of the UK government provid-ing ‘locational intelligence’ to the US for use in drone strikes in Pakistan.

“The secretary of state has misunderstood the law on this extremely important issue and a declaration from the court con-firming the correct legal posi-tion is required as a matter of priority.”

THE GUARDIAN

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday con-demned a Nato operation that he said killed four children in the country’s east, a claim the coalition said was possible.

The operation took place in the Baraki Barak district of Logar province on Saturday, a state-ment released by Karzai’s office said, adding: “It resulted in the killing of four innocent children” who were tending to livestock.

Civilian casualties have been a major source of friction between Karzai’s government and the US-led Nato forces in Afghanistan.

“Despite repeated pledges by

Nato to avoid civilian casualties, innocent lives, including children, are still being lost,” Karzai said in the statement.

A spokeswoman for Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it was aware of possible ISAF-related civil-ian casualties from the Oct 20 operation.

Figures it released yester-dayshowed that there had been a 58 percent decrease in the number of ISAF-caused civilian casualties in July-September of this year compared to the same period in 2011.

Separately, a high-level Taliban commander in northern

Afghanistan, Mullah Abdul Rahman, was captured in a joint Afghan-Nato operation, police and the German Armed Forces said.

“Rahman was involved in heightening insecurity in Kunduz, Takhar and Badakhshan prov-inces,” said Kunduz province police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Husseini. “He encouraged insur-gents to plant roadside bombs and stage high-profile attacks on Afghan officials.”

For years after the ouster of the Taliban in 2001, northern Afghanistan was largely free of insurgent violence but security there, including in the three

provinces Husseini mentioned, has been deteriorating over the past couple of years.

Also, in relatively peaceful Herat province, five Afghan sol-diers and five policemen were killed when the Taliban launched an attack on a checkpoint on Monday, local officials said.

Husseini said Rahman, whom Nato has described as a “Taliban financier” in the north, was cap-tured in Kunduz’s Char Darah district last Friday.

The German Armed Forces Operation Command in Berlin said German soldiers were involved in the joint operation, in which a man by the name

of Abdul Rahman was cap-tured, said spokesman Manfred Baumgartner.

German media said Germany’s elite KSK force was involved in the operation to capture Rahman, whom they said had orchestrated attacks on German soldiers.

Germany is the third-largest troop contributor to Afghanistan’s Nato-led force, after Britain and the United States.

With violence intensifying 11 years into the war, there is con-cern over how the 350,000-strong Afghan security forces will man-age once most foreign troops leave by the end of 2014.

REUTERS

Nato forces kill four children in LogarCivilian casualties a cause of major friction between Karzai and the US-led Nato forces

UAE to strengthen bilateral economic ties with PakistanLAHORE: While agree-ing to work on a roadmap for promoting economic coop-eration between the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, the embassy of the UAE has stressed that it will join hands with businessmen in Pakistan to explore new sectors for deep-ening economic relations.

Speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) yesterday, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Essa Abdulla Al Basha Al-Noaimi said a new strategy would specifically focus on exchange of trade delega-tions, participation in each other’s fairs and exhibitions, protection to foreign investment and timely dissemination of trade-related information.

Underscoring the need for pro-motion of people-to-people con-tacts, the ambassador hoped that this would help strengthen coop-eration between the two sides.

Noaimi underlined UAE’s commitment to consolidate the economic ties and said bilateral trade and investments in Pakistan reached $23bn in banking, real estate, energy, infrastructure, tel-ecommunications, ports, housing and aviation.

The two sides are also taking interest in holding international exhibitions and joint investments in both countries for the develop-ment of economy. UAE was the first country, which organised a conference, in Dubai in March 2010, to promote investment in Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar voiced concern over the fast declining UAE investment in Pakistan and sought the ambassador’s help to overcome the phenomenon.

Pakistan has been experienc-ing trouble in attracting foreign investment for the past many years.

In 2006-07, foreign direct investment (FDI) peaked at $8.1bn, but since then it has been falling and has now dropped below $1bn. In 2006-07, FDI from the UAE stood at $661m, but now it has gone below $50m.

INTERNEWS

Taliban commander captured

New drones in Afghanistan to be controlled from UK

ISLAMABAD: Malala Yusafzai’s family members are meeting her regularly at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham as the 15-year-old schoolgirl is making steady progress.

It was learnt that Malala’s father, mother and brother are in Birmingham but they have been provided secure accommodation at a walking distance from the hospital.

Both Pakistani and the UK authorities have agreed not to disclose their location but a reli-able source said that Malala’s mother has been visiting her daughter everyday and providing her much-needed comfort and assurance.

The source said that the pres-ence of Malala’s parents around her has contributed to her recov-ery and have raised hopes that the courageous young girl will be able to recover fully soon.

Both Pakistani government and hospital authorities are refusing to confirm or deny about the

presence of Malala’s parents in the city but a source revealed that had flown in with Malala a week ago but were taken to a secret location from the airport.

The source said that West Midlands police officers are providing security to the family members.

A spokesperson at the hospital refused to speak about the fam-ily’s visit to the hospital.

Malala Yusafzai was flown to the UK a week ago and since then she had received thousands of goodwill messages, vigils had been held for her across the world.

The hospital said yesterday that a week after arriving in Birmingham, Malala was in a sta-ble condition and she remained under the care of a specialist team from both the Queen Elizabeth and Birmingham Children’s hospitals.

Malala will need a significant period of rest and recuperation before she undergoes reconstruc-tive surgery, doctors have said.

INTERNEWS

Malala recovers slowly with her family’s support

19INDIA WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Navratri Festival

Thousands of Hindu devotees hold lit oil lamps as they participate in a Maha Aarti in Gandhinagar, some 30km from Ahmedabad, yesterday. Maha Aarti is a religious ritual on the occasion of the Eighth Night of the ongoing Navratri or Festival of Nine Nights.

Dust storm

Men ride a motorcycle through a heavy dust storm in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi, yesterday.

NEW DELHI: Indian officials yesterday submitted a clemency plea to the president by the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks, opening the final appeal stage against his death sentence.

Pakistan-born Mohammed Kasab, currently in jail in Mumbai, was one of 10 gun-men who laid siege to the city in attacks that lasted nearly three days and killed 166 people.

“Now it is for the president of India to take a final call as he holds the supreme authority in this matter,” a senior home min-istry official said, requesting ano-nymity. Home ministry yesterday recommended the rejection of the mercy petition of Ajmal Kasab, , a government source said.

The mercy petition made to the president by Kasab, after the Supreme Court on August 29 upheld his death sentence, has been rejected and the recommen-dation in this regard forwarded to the president, the source said.

A home ministry spokesman said briefly: “It (mercy petition) has been processed and submitted to the president.”

Following the home ministry’s recommendation, it is now left to President Pranab Mukherjee to take a decision on Kasab’s mercy plea. The Mumbai trial court had on May 6, 2010 awarded death sentence to Kasab which was upheld by the Bombay High Court on February 21, 2011.

He appealed in the Supreme Court claiming he did not receive a fair trial, but his petition was

struck down in August. Prisoners can often languish for years on death row in India, with only one execution having taken place in the last 15 years - that of a former security guard hanged in 2004 for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl.

During the 2008 attacks, the heavily armed gunmen stormed targets in Mumbai including lux-ury hotels, a Jewish centre, a hos-pital and a bustling train station.

India blames the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant organisation for train-ing, equipping and financing the gunmen with support from “ele-ments” in the Pakistan military.

President Pranab Mukherjee, who took office in July, is consid-ering 11 other appeals from death row prisoners.

Reacting to the development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded that the apex court decision awarding death sentence to Kasab should be implemented at the earliest.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: “He (Kasab) had hatched a conspiracy against the country. It (his hanging) will be a lesson to those who consider India a soft target and indulge in terror activities.”

He said it will be a befitting reply to forces in Pakistan who have been giving encourage-ment to terror activities against the country. The apex court had rejected Kasab’s contention that he was a mere tool in the hands of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

AFP/IANS

NEW DELHI: The central government wants Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to head a unified command to take on Maoists in one of their last bas-tions in the state.

The recent attacks on security forces in Gaya reflect a Maoist desperation to foil their elimi-nation from Bihar, government sources with knowledge of the anti-Maoist operations said here.

At a meeting of chief secretar-ies and director generals of police from nine states here this week, Bihar was urged to establish a unified command with Nitish Kumar at its head.

The unified command will have

officers from the security estab-lishment besides officials repre-senting the civil administration. It will carry out carefully planned anti-Maoist drives.

Only four of the nine Maoist-hit states have established a unified command to coordinate the task of security forces with development work in remote areas to blunt Maoist influ-ence on the locals. These are West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chattisgarh. Of these, only Chattisgarh’s unified command is headed by its chief minister, Raman Singh.

The other three unified com-mands are led by chief secretaries.

A senior government offi-cial said that Gaya was the last Maoist stronghold in Bihar.

“If the Maoists are wiped out in Gaya, the whole of Bihar can be free of armed Naxals.

“At the recent review meeting, we requested Bihar to set up a unified command under the chief minister’s chairmanship,” the offi-cial added.

Though the home ministry has been asking Bihar to have a uni-fied command for years, Nitish Kumar has avoided it. One rea-son was because he did not see eye to eye with Home Minister P Chidambaram.

IANS

NEW DELHI: Striking employees of Kingfisher Airlines rejected the management’s compensation offer yet again yesterday and said they may move court and seek interven-tion of Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh.

“At meetings held in Mumbai and New Delhi, the employees reached a broad agreement to reject the management offer. We will write a letter to them on the same,” a senior flight engineer said.

“We have also taken legal advice on the issue, but we are awaiting more clarity on the matter before taking any further step.”

The employees’ meetings took place a day after talks failed in Mumbai to end the deadlock which started on October 1 with the grounding of the airline and suspension of the carrier’s flying license by the aviation regulator.

The engineer said the latest offer by the management did not meet the bare minimum of demands.

“We are seeking payment of four months’ salary from March onwards by October 26,” he said.

The airline’s Chief Executive, Sanjay Aggarwal, on Monday had sent a letter to the staff offering the March salary by October 26 followed by April’s pay by October

31 and May’s compensation before Diwali.

However, the employees have demanded an upfront payment of salaries, citing a lack of trust with the management.

“They have been issuing letters, email and other communications assuring us of payment which has not been made. We cannot go on trusting them forever,” he said.

He added that the employees may also seek the civil aviation minister’s intervention.

“In this particular case the gov-ernment should play a pro-active role like they did in the Satyam scam. Though the situation may vary, but the government has to

save the thousands of jobs as they did in the Satyam’s case.”

Nearly, 6,500 employees of the airline face the possibility of losing their jobs as the airline remains in a state of lockout.

The employees went on a flash strike on October 1 demand-ing payment of their salaries by October 5, which have been pend-ing since March.

They also claimed that non-payment of salaries has affected their morale and built up stress levels that can also affect opera-tional safety.

Key personnel like aircraft maintenance engineers, whose airworthiness clearance is

mandatory for any flight to take off, also struck work.

The airline has a total debt of `70bn from a consortium of banks.

Currently, the airline has only 10 operational aircraft from a strength of around 66 planes a year ago.

It was the country’s second largest airline by passenger traf-fic. But it had the lowest market share in September, which stood at 3.5 percent.

The company’s scrip at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) yesterday closed 4.59 percent down and stood at its circuit limit of ̀ 10.40 from its previous close at `10.90. IANS

NEW DELHI: Fresh allega-tions of alleged wrongdoing hurled at Nitin Gadkari yes-terday led party colleague Ram Jethmalani to demand that he step down as the BJP president.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sources, meanwhile, said that the growing charges against their president can no more be taken lightly even if they were when India Against Corruption (IAC) unleashed the first salvo.

A BJP insider said the party and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) were likely to adopt a “wait and watch” approach till a probe takes place.

Another leader said it was pre-mature to say if Gadkari would get a second term as party presi-dent as announced earlier.

“A lot of things can happen,” the source said. But he quickly added that the BJP would not be swayed by media reports but go only by facts.

Media reports yesterday said an infrastructure company, Ideal

Road Builders (IRB), had made major investments in and given a large loan to a company controlled by Gadkari. I

RB had won contracts between 1995 and 1999 when Gadkari was the PWD minister in Maharashtra.

The reports said the addresses of some of the companies that had invested in Gadkari’s company appeared to be dubious.

Gadkari, who seemingly has the backing of the RSS, did not react to the latest allegations - the way he promptly responded to IAC when it accused him of questionable land deals.

Yesterday, however, BJP MP Jethmalani suggested that Gadkari should not aspire for a second term as party president.

Jethmalani told television channels that there “was sus-picion about his integrity” and his continuation as BJP chief will weaken the party’s fight in upcoming elections.

BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sithrarman yesterday morning

backed Gadkari, saying he had himself said that the charges against him were baseless and he was ready to face any investigation.

But by evening, no one appeared to be defending him publicly.

The Congress plunged into the political quicksand, with party general secretary Digvijay Singh urging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order a probe into allegations of dubious funding in Gadkari’s companies.

Congress spokesperson Raashid Alvi termed the latest revelations a “serious matter” and asked Gadkari to respond.

Gadkari became the BJP presi-dent in December 2009 for three years. The party had amended its constitution last month to give a second consecutive term to an incumbent.

The allegations against Gadkari have come ahead of assembly elec-tions in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

IANS

Police official suspended for hostage dramaHYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh government yesterday suspended a police official for colluding with a head constable to stage a ‘hostage’ drama last month. The home department issued orders suspending E Lakshminarayana, superintend-ent of police, Police Transport Organisation (PTO), for tar-nishing the image of the police department.

According to the orders issued by principal secretary, home, the suspension would continue till conclusion of disciplinary pro-ceedings. The officer allegedly colluded with head constable K N Giri Prasad Sharma to stage a ‘hostage’ drama on the night of September 12 in Hyderabad.

Sharma had “confined” the SP in a shop near Birla Planetarium in the heart of the city to demand that his suspension be revoked.

The head constable “released” the officer after Director General of Police Dinesh Reddy agreed to consider his demands. The police chief last week dismissed Sharma from service. Angry over this, he released a CD in which the SP was seen drinking liquor with him. He also claimed that the kidnap was only a drama.

SP leader arrested for beating up photographer

LUCKNOW: Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and Uttar Pradesh Khadi Gramudyog chairman Natwar Goyal, who had beaten up a photographer of a national Hindi daily, was arrested on orders of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Goyal was also sacked from his post, which gave him rank of a min-ister of state, and expelled from the party. Goyal along with his security guards had beaten up the photographer who had gone to click pictures of an unauthor-ized building being constructed by him and snatched away his camera. IANS

Kasab’s mercy plea goes to president

Kingfisher staff turn down 3-month salary offer

BJP chief battles allegations, Jethmalani wants him out

Centre asks Nitish Kumar to head anti-Maoist command

Home Ministry rejects petition

Police to quiz Fasih Mahmood for 10 days NEW DELHI: Fasih Mahmood, a suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist involved in blasts in Bangalore and Delhi in 2010, was remanded to 10 days police custody by a Delhi court, a law-yer said yesterday.

Mahmood’s counsel Syed Irfan Alam said that a duty magis-trate gave his custody to police for questioning. The accused’s brother Sabih Mahmood and Alam yesterday met him in the office of Delhi Police’s specialised anti-terror unit special cell. Alam said that Mahmood’s mental and physical condition was fine. Sabih said that they interacted with him for around half-an-hour.

Police, however, remained tight-lipped on Mahmood’s cus-tody and appearance before the magistrate the day before. The 35-year-old engineer from Bihar, employed in Saudi Arabia, was arrested around 8am on Monday at Delhi airport when he arrived after his deportation from Saudi Arabia.

He was allegedly involved in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium blast in Bangalore and an explosion in Delhi. The accused was picked up by Saudi authorities from Al Jubail on May 13 and lodged in a Saudi jail since June 26 for sus-pected terror links, police said.

Mahmood hails from Barh Saaila village in Darbhanga dis-trict of Bihar, about 200km from Patna. His father, Firoz Ahmad, is in-charge of the Benipatti pri-mary health centre in Madhubani district. His mother is a school teacher in Darbhanga, police said.

The terror suspect’s wife Nikhat Parveen told reporters in Bihar soon after his arrest in Delhi that he was innocent. “I will approach the court for justice,” she said, claiming that Mahmood’s arrest was unlawful.

Mahmood is the second suspect that Saudi Arabia, home to over two million expatriate Indians, has deported to India. Alleged 26/11 handler Abu Jundal was sent back to India in June. IANS

MORNING BREAK20WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


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News in Numbers CANCER RESEARCH

Incidence of all cancers, excludingnon melanoma skin cancer

Source : Supreme Council of Health/ National Cancer Strategy

CHART: 2

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2010 2015 2030

Male

Female

Both

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80 Breast

Urolo

gical

Gastro

intest

inal

Lung

Leukaem

ia

Lym

phoma

Oral,

Laryn

x and P

haryn

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Thyroid

Liver

Stom

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Gallblad

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Incidence of cancer in Qatar

Business | 23

Barzan project reaches peak of construction

Al Khaliji posts QR378m profit

Wednesday 24 October 20128 Dhul-Hijja 1433

Volume 17Number 5497

Price: QR2

[email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 44557741 | Advertising: 44557837 / 44557780www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Business | 22

Vodafone IndustriesQatar

Nakilat Barwa Gulf Holding Int. IslamicBank

Qatar IslamicBank

Comm. Bankof Qatar

Rayyan Bank

230,113114,995 3,850 371,060 26,215 79,486 16,5839.0024,876 297,076 26.30 76.5015.50150.30 28.90 25.10 73.00 52.00

Qatar’s non-mining sector records 8.5 percent growthBY SATISH KANADY

DOHA: Giving clear signals that Qatar’s strategic plan to diver-sify its economy is bearing fruit, the country’s non-mining sector has grown 8.5 percent in Q2 2012 on year-on-year basis versus a 0.8 percent growth in the mining sector during the same period.

The main contributors of non-mining sector are manufacturing, construction, transport & com-munication and finance, insurance, real estate and business services.

The Gross Value Added (GVA) in non-mining sectors increased in nominal terms by 16.9 percent over the estimates of Q2, 2011, a key doc-ument released yesterday by Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) noted.

QSA’s “Window on Economic Statistics Qatar 2012” noted GDP for Q2 2012 was estimated at

QR173.36bn, showing an increase, in nominal terms, of 11.9 percent over the corresponding quarter in 2011, but a drop of 1.1 percent over the previous quarter.

“Growth in Manufacturing reflects the economic diversifica-tion taking place in the economy. Expansion of the existing capacity and new production plants for the manufacture of downstream hydro-carbon products such as GTL, poly-mers, methanol as well as growth in the manufacture of other product groups-iron, steel and fertilizers- contributed to the growth momen-tum. The share of Manufacturing in GDP during 2006-11 has hovered around 10 percent”, the QSA said.

Manufacturing sector grew by 8.0 percent on year-on-year basis. While the Construction sector grew 10.0 percent, Transport & Communication saw 18.0 percent

growth. Insurance, Real Estate and Business Services sector is up 12.1 percent during the period.

Between 2006 and 2011, gross value added (GVA) of Manufacturing increased three-fold from QR20.617bn in 2006 to QR62.690bn. In nominal terms, GVA increased on average by 24.9 percent annually, and in volume terms, by 13.8 percent annu-ally. The highest growth rate of 22.4 percent, in real terms, was recorded in 2010. The growth rate for 2011 tapered off to 7.9 percent.

The report noted the level of activity in the construction sector, a barometer of the performance of the economy, was subdued for the last three years. The growth rate in 2009 is estimated at 6.9 percent and almost zero growth in 2010, and 4.9 percent in 2011.

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Islamic Insurance Company (QIIC) recorded QR45.3m aggregate net profits for the three quar-ters ending September 30, 2012 against QR41.2m for the cor-responding period in 2011. The net profit constitutes an earn-ings per share of QR3.02 com-pared to QR2.75 in 2011 for the same period.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Thani AI Thani, Chairman of the board, said that the company was successful in achieving the required targets exe-cuting its high efficiency and per-formance during the nine months. He also praised the companies’ abil-ity in participating in all develop-ment projects in the country and also increasing the client base for all types of insurance.

Ali Ibrahim AI Abdulghani, Chief Executive Officer stated that, the company was always reviewing and restudying the

products and services and put into practice the perfect methods of dealing with all stakeholders for having an increased client base and betterment of all services.

Ali added that despite the challenging environment, Islamic Insurance is identifying opportu-nities to grow and deliver strong

results. It’s on the process of amending all reinsurance trea-ties to participate and cover all upcoming infrastructure devel-opments within Qatari market.

QIIC’s overall performance for the remainder of 2012 will be excellent, he added.

THE PENINSULA

QIIC records QR45.3m net profit

Sheikh Abdullah bin Thani AI Thani Ali Ibrahim AI Abdulghani

22 BUSINESSWEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Minister of Energy and Industry H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada with other officials during his visit.

Barzan Project reaches peak construction stageDOHA: A senior delegation headed by H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, recently visited Japan and South Korea. Hamad Rashid Al Mohannadi, RasGas Company Limited’s (RasGas) Managing Director, accompa-nied the Minister and the RasGas team gave Al Sada presentations on a range of business and construction activities being executed by engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies like Chiyoda, Japan Gas Company (JGC) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).

One of the most significant projects reviewed was the Barzan Gas Project. The onshore portion of the Barzan Gas Project, which is being executed by JGC, is currently transitioning into its peak con-struction period which will involve more than 20,000 workers in Ras Laffan, Qatar. The offshore portion of the Barzan Gas Project, which is being executed by HHI, is proceeding on two major fronts with

wellhead platform fabrication in progress in South Korea and pipeline installation in progress in Qatar.

“The Barzan Gas Project is strategically important for the State of Qatar as it will not only fuel major development projects but is also directly contributing to all four pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030 led by the Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. RasGas is committed to the safe completion of this project within budget and on schedule,” said Al Mohannadi.

“Our focus is not only on the construc-tion, development and operation of major ventures like this but we are also very com-mitted to the development of people. The Barzan Gas Project involves a total of 32 Qatari Nationals participating in a long-term professional development programme in Ulsan, South Korea and Yokohama, Japan,” he added.

When completed and fully operational, a major portion of the Barzan Gas will be

used by the power and water generation sectors providing clean, natural gas to sup-port several of Qatar’s new projects that are underway, ranging from the new Doha International Airport to the 2022 World Cup infrastructure projects.

“We are proud that RasGas has been entrusted by shareholders, QP and ExxonMobil, to design, construct and oper-ate one of the largest and technologically advanced gas projects in the region. This demonstrates the trust and confidence that RasGas has gained over the years and the excellent reputation it has maintained with its customers, stakeholders and contractors worldwide. This is the direct result of the hard work, dedication and commitment of RasGas’ staff and the great support received from Al Sada and our shareholders, QP and ExxonMobil. The first phase of the Barzan Project will be completed in 2014,” said Al Mohannadi.

THE PENINSULA

Liquidity prime concern for Mena investorsSurvey finds more dynamism in business DOHA: The latest QFC Authority/FTSE Global Markets Mena Asset Management Survey, shows that access to liquidity is the prime con-cern of the region’s investors.

The quarterly survey, sponsored by the Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA), describes the changing per-ception of political/economic risk within the region and outlines cur-rent thinking about the necessity of deepening the region’s investment infrastructure.

This third survey was conducted between July 25 and September 20 this year. Some 393 firms were approached for information of which 84 responded, either by phone, fax or email. From these returns the survey has extrapolated the analysis of the responses of asset managers, with an acknowledged $74,883m worth of assets under management (AUM).

Although quarter on quarter trends in asset allocation can obscure longer term structural changes in geographic preferences of investment firms, because the Mena region has been subject to socio-political disruption through 2011-2012, the survey found more dynamism among investors in terms of geographic asset allocation.

While there are clear national differences in the way that investors approach investment to the Mena region, there is a clear disposition among survey respondents to invest locally. Over one third of respon-dents have all their assets invested in the Middle East and North Africa. Only a handful claimed to have none invested in Mena.

The survey also found more dyna-mism in asset allocation among those funds with approximately 80 percent of their portfolio in the domestic mar-ket. They exhibit a marked willing-ness to shift capital when necessary. In this regard, the survey is an impor-tant bellwether of the shifts in investor thinking about political/market risk.

Investors remain positive about Saudi Arabia. They have noted the improving fortunes of the UAE states, and have now brought the emirates on par with Qatar in terms of overall investor sentiment .

Qatar alone had been the sec-ond most popular investment des-tination in the first quarter survey. Respondents to this latest survey

also think that future investments in Egypt will be dependent on the country coming to terms with the IMF. Political deadlock in Kuwait has also had a negative effect on inves-tor approaches to the country. As an investor in Saudi Arabia says, “it is all about sentiment and hope.”

The survey also shows a growing desire by the region’s investors to enjoy region-wide consistency in reg-ulation and passportable investment product; a fact that should provide the region’s law-makers with food for thought. Particularly in the GCC, the region’s investors see the potential for market liberalisation, new investment product and harmonised regulation to help deepen both the region’s capi-tal markets and offer end-investors improved and more efficient invest-ment products. “It is heartening to hear investors desirous of the oppor-tunity to offer their clients improved and more cost-effective investment products. The region’s investment market shows the potential that can be achieved by working and investing cross-border and, at the same time, driving and encouraging local market change, which is how it should be,” says Francesca Carnevale, Editor, FTSE Global Markets.

Shashank Srivastava, CEO of the QFC Authority, said: “Despite the global financial crisis, a diversified and increasingly sophisticated asset man-agement industry has emerged in the GCC over the past decade. Qatar is playing a central role in the develop-ment of this industry with asset man-agers recognising the attractions of the compelling Qatar growth story and the unique opportunities Qatar offers. It is the fastest growing economy in a fast-growing region, has a savings rate of approximately twice the global aver-age and one of the highest proportions of High Net Worth Individuals in the world. And Qatar’s world class tax, regulatory, legal and business environ-ment provides clarity and certainty for asset management businesses look-ing to establish themselves within the QFC environment.”

The next quarterly survey will concentrate on the deepening of the region’s investment infrastructure and the findings will be released in January 2013.

THE PENINSULA

Qtel completes Wataniya acquisition; NBK advisesDOHA: Qtel has announced the completion of its mandatory ten-der offer for Wataniya Telecom. “Following approval from the Kuwait Capital Markets Authority and exe-cution by the Kuwait Stock Exchange, Qtel has completed the acquisition of 199,649,694 Wataniya Telecom Kuwait shares representing 39.61 percent of the total shares in issue for a total consideration of KWD 519.1m ($1.8bn) at a price of KWD2.600 per share. As a result Qtel’s shareholding in Wataniya Telecom Kuwait has increased from 52.5 percent to 92.1 percent”, Qatar Exchange stated yesterday.

NBK Capital advised on the successful completion of Wataniya Telecom. The offer was well received by shareholders, bringing Qtel’s ownership to above 92 percent, NBK Capital said in a sepa-rate statement here yesterday. NBK Capital leveraged its in-depth knowledge of the local market, its unparalleled access to investors and its solid track record in executing high profile transactions in the region. The success of this transaction reaffirms NBK Capital’s position at the top of the M&A league tables.

“This is a landmark transaction that involved working with a number of parties, including regulators and investors. The decision by Qtel to appoint NBK Capital to advise on such a high profile transaction demonstrates confidence in NBK Capital’s capability”, said Salah Al Fulaij (pictured), CEO of NBK Capital.

He added: “Since the CMA was established, Kuwait has seen a number of tender offers, which confirms the country’s status as an attractive destination for doing business and a well-regulated and transparent market”. THE PENINSULA

Doha Bank signs MoU with bullion brand PAMPDOHA: After the successful launch of the ‘Bullion Initiative’ by Doha Bank earlier this year, the bank has taken the next step forward to establish a stra-tegic alliance with PAMP, the world’s leading bullion brand.

Doha Bank and PAMP signed a Memorandum of Understanding yesterday at the Doha Bank tower, West Bay, according to a posting on Qatar Exchange.

Doha Bank recently has been very innovative with different variants of gold products. To start with, Doha Bank introduced “Gold Investment Loan” followed by “Go to Gold” selling physical gold bars in sizes from five grams to ten tola bars over the counter and finally “Loan against Gold”. Realising Dubai as the hub for of gold supplies in the region Doha Bank has planned to set up a bul-lion desk in their Dubai office to cater to the local wholesalers/jew-ellers based in Dubai and eventu-ally to become a bullion financer for the local market in Dubai.

PAMP is the world’s leading bullion brand, with dominant

position in kilo bars, TT bars and investment bars. Established in 1977 and the refinery is located in Ticino, Switzerland, PAMP oper-ates a state-of-the-art precious metals refinery. PAMP has led the industry forward by introduc-ing many breakthrough products and services, which have become market practices. PAMP enjoys a dominant 75 percent market share across the globe in the investment bar category with a wide product range from one gram to 100 gram. PAMP is an integral part of the Geneva based MKS group, a lead-ing global precious metals refining and trading group with offices in 12 countries across four continents.

Doha Bank Group CEO Dr R Seetharaman said, “Doha Bank has always realized the importance of the changing market dynamics and has led with innovation to serve a broader base of customers. The strategic alliance with PAMP is a step forward to lead from the front and become a one stop bullion solution provider not only in Qatar but in the region”.

THE PENINSULA

23BUSINESS WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


• Bullion - Mumbai Gold (10 gm) Standard Rs. 30950.00

Silver (1 kg) Rs. 60860.00

• Indian Rupees QR1 = 14.60• Sensex BSE 18793.44

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• LIC (International) launches New Gold Investment Plan ‘GOLD PLUS’ –

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• Short-term investment plan from LIC International upto 6.4 percent return

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• Housing loan from HDFC LTD• Mutual Fund: Buy & Sell: SBI MF, HDFC MF, UTI MF, Birla Sun Life MF,

Tata MF, Reliance MF etc.Contact: Investec, Tel: 44325060/44365060 email: [email protected]

IMPORTANT NOTE: Published by HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, P O Box 57, Doha, Qatar which is licensed and regulated by Qatar Central Bank and Jersey Financial Services Commission. Information quoted is from publicly available sources or proprietary data and subject to change. HSBC accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising out of the use of all or part of this material. This information is general and does not take into account individual circumstances, objectives or needs. The price of bonds can and does fluctuate. The secondary market for bonds may not provide significant liquidity or may trade based on prevailing market conditions. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. You should consider these matters and consult your financial advisor prior to making any investment decisions.

*Periodic Distribution Amount

QATARI MARKETBond Coupon Maturity Currency Mid-Price Yield Moody’s S&P

Qatar Govt 5.15% 4/9/2014 USD 106.31 0.77 % Aa2 AA








Qatari Diar 3.5% 7/21/2015 USD 105.75 1.36 % Aa2 AA

Qatari Diar 5% 7/21/2020 USD 116.63 2.61 % Aa2 AA

Comqat 5% 11/18/2014 USD 107.13 1.49 % A1 A-

Comqat 3.375% 4/11/2017 USD 104.13 2.39 % A1 A-

QIB 3.856% 10/7/2015 USD 105.25 2.02 % NR NR

QNB 3.125% 11/16/2015 USD 104.25 1.70 % Aa3 A+

QNB 3.375% 2/22/2017 USD 105.25 2.10 % Aa3 A+

Doha Bank 3.5% 3/14/2017 USD 103.75 2.59 % A2 A-

Qtel 3.375% 10/14/2016 USD 105.75 1.87 % A2 A

Qtel 7.875% 6/10/2019 USD 130.00 2.87 % A2 A

Qtel 4.75% 2/16/2021 USD 113.00 2.97 % A2 A

Qtel 5% 10/19/2025 USD 114.00 3.64 % A2 A

Rasgas 5.5% 9/30/2014 USD 108.13 1.24 % Aa3 A

Rasgas 5.832% 9/30/2016 USD 110.13 3.08 % Aa3 A

Rasgas 5.298% 9/30/2020 USD 112.75 3.45 % Aa3 A

SOVEREIGNSBond PDA* Maturity Currency Mid-Price Yield Moody’s S&P

Abu Dhabi Govt 5.5% 4/8/2014 USD 107.44 0.35 % Aa2 AA

Abu Dhabi Govt 6.75% 4/8/2019 USD 127.50 2.16 % Aa2 AA

Dubai Govt 6.7% 10/5/2015 USD 110.88 2.83 % NR NR




Qatar Govt 4% 1/20/2015 USD 106.31 1.14 % Aa2 AA

Bahrain Govt 6.273% 11/22/2018 USD 114.25 3.64 % NR BBB

Bahrain Govt 5.5% 3/31/2020 USD 107.63 4.29 % NR BBB

Egypt Govt 5.75% 4/29/2020 USD 103.50 5.18 % B2 B

Morocco Govt 4.5% 10/5/2020 EUR 99.88 4.52 % NR BBB-

Qatar real estate deals jump 231pc44 deals worth QR374m struck last week; biggest deal worth QR80.5mDOHA: Real estate transac-tions in Doha jumped 231 per-cent last week (from October 14 to October 18) compared to the previous week, suggests a weekly report issued by the Ezdan Holding Company.

The overall real estate trans-actions in the country soared 82 percent from QR425.3m to QR773.4m last week, according to the weekly report posted on the website of the Ministry of Justice.

An average transaction per day increased from QR85.1m to QR154.4m last week compared to the previous one.

Doha Municipality ranked first where 48.4 percent of the total deals were signed.

Some 44 deals worth QR374m

were made last week. However, only 24 deals worth QR113 could be signed previous week.

The biggest deal in Doha Municipality was a residential complex worth QR80.5m at New Salata, covering an area of 6,234 square metres at the rate of QR12,900 per square metre.

Al Rayyan Municipality ranked second accounting for 14.8 per-cent of the total real estate trans-actions in the country. At least 33 deals worth QR114.5m were signed there. Transactions in Al Rayyan declined 5.5 percent last week compared to the previous one.

The biggest deal struck in Al Rayyan was for a plot of land worth QR34.5m covering an

area of 6,549 square metres. The land has been sold at the rate of QR5,267 per square metre.

Al Wakra Municipality ranked third and shared 12.9 percent of the total transactions, a 94 per-cent increase last week compared to the previous week. At least 35 deals worth QR99.9m were struck there.

The biggest deal was a plot of land worth QR23m in Al Wakair covering an area of 13,350 square metres at the rate of QR1,722 per meter.

Umm Salal Municipality ranked fourth where 8.8 per-cent of total transactions worth QR68m were made, an increase of 29 percent. Some 30 deals were signed there. The biggest

transaction at Umm Salal was a plot of land worth QR6.4m cover-ing in an area of 3,859 at the rate of QR1,658 per square metre.

Al Zain Municipality ranked fifth and shared 8.8 percent of total real estate tractions, an increase of 153 percent last week compared to the previous one. At least 22 deals worth QR67.9m made there.

Al Khor Municipality ranked sixth, where real estate transac-tions declined 30 percent. Some 37 deals worth QR41.3m made there.

The lowest transactions were recorded at Al Shamal Municipality where only five deals worth QR7.8m were made.

THE PENINSULA

HSBC Qatar to host top economistsDOHA: HSBC Qatar will be hosting Stephen King, David Bloom and Simon Williams in Qatar on November 5.

Stephen King, Chief Economist at HSBC, is a widely respected economist who has an insightful view on the global economy. Simon Williams, Chief Economist for the Mena region, well-known for his distinguishing interpretations of the region’s economic trends and David Bloom, HSBC’s Global Head of FX Research, with his discerning expla-nations about FX trends, will also be on stage to share their views.

This will be the 7th consecu-tive year that the economists will be visiting Qatar as part of their annual Mena Roadshow. The pre-sentations are thought provoking and interesting and offer corporate

customers an opportunity to bet-ter understand economic activities over the past 12 months. They are also given a chance to hear some

predictions about what is to be expected for the year to come.

The three economists will be in Doha for one day only and an

exclusive number of corporate customers will have the opportu-nity to attend the presentations.

THE PENINSULA

David Bloom, Stephen King and Simon Williams will be giving presentations on global economic scenario.

Qatari bourse index loses 25.53 pointsDOHA: Qatar Exchange was down 25.53 points or 0.30 per-cent yesterday to 8,511.97 points from the previous closing of 8,537.50.

The volume of shares traded fell to 2,540,716 from 5,954,890 on Monday, and the value of shares decreased to QR118,565,354.44 from QR218,890,830.48 on Monday.

Among the top losers were Industries Qatar whose share dropped 0.67 percent to QR149.30, Commercial Bank of Qatar lost 1.03 to QR57.40, Barwa Real Estate fell 1.90 percent to QR28.35 and Qatar Navigation down 1.28 percent to QR61.50.

The banking and financial sector lost 3.65 points while the insurance sector added 29.22 points. The industrial sector down 8.33 points and the Services sec-tor fell 8.62 points.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s main stock index rose from yesterday’s 10-week low as bargain-hunters stepped in following two days of declines spurred by political unrest, while Gulf markets were mixed in thin trade as Eid holi-days approached.

The Kuwaiti index climbed 0.5 percent yesterday. It had suffered its largest drop in more than

three years on Sunday, falling 3.1 percent, and extended those losses on the following day in the wake of political protests.

Police used tear gas, stun gre-nades and baton charges on Sunday night to disperse thousands of demonstrators protesting against changes to the electoral law, which the opposition has called a consti-tutional coup by the government.

“The market’s stability shows the panic has been absorbed by the market,” said Fouad Abdulrahman Alhadlaq, deputy general manager at Al Dar Asset Management.

However, traders noted there was no clear sign of any resolution to the political tensions. The government banned gatherings of more than 20 people and gave police more pow-ers to disperse protests, local media reported yesterday.

In Saudi Arabia, large-caps dragged down the bourse for a third straight session and trading volumes plunged to a 13-month low. Saudi Basic Industries Corp and National Industrialisation shed 1.1 and 2.9 percent respectively.

The kingdom’s index slipped 0.2 percent to its lowest level since October 15. The market traded 119 million shares, the lowest daily amount since September 2011.

AGENCIES

Al Khaliji posts QR378m profitDOHA: Al Khalij Commercial Bank (al khaliji) has recorded a net profit after tax of QR378m for the first nine months of 2012.

The bank’s net operating income reached QR662m during the period. Revenues grew in both local and international segments: Qatar’s conventional banking activities contributed 81 percent of the net operating income while Al Khaliji France SA, the wholly owned subsidiary headquartered in Paris, with branches in the UAE, contributed 19 percent.

Al Khaliji France’s net profit reached QR49m, up 17 percent compared to September 2011.

Commenting on the financial results Sheikh Hamad bin Faisal bin Thani Al Thani, Chairman and Managing Director, al khaliji said: “We are pleased with the Bank’s 9 months results, achieved against a backdrop of declining interna-tional economic activity and a chal-lenging political environment. We will continue to seek and pursue responsible strategies relevant to the uncertainties of the day. As always we support and remain aligned to the vision and objectives of the State of Qatar.

The profit for the three-month period ended September 30, 2012 reached QR117m.

Net interest income, at QR399mn, is 12 percent lower than the QR452m achieved in the same period in 2011, largely due to shrinking margins, record low asset yields and the

low level of interest rates.Earnings per share (EPS)

increased to QR1.05 compared to QR1.00 in Q3 2011.

The bank’s capital adequacy ratio is still at a healthy 22.1 per-cent on September 30, 2012, well above Qatar Central Bank and Basel III requirements, confirm-ing the Group’s ability to sustain its growth objectives.

Al khaliji’s total assets reached QR32bn on September 30, 2012, up by 19 percent since the begin-ning of the year, with overseas operations representing 11 per-cent of the Group’s total assets.

Robin McCall, Group CEO of al khaliji, said: We foresee increased momentum developing with regards to the planned Qatar

infrastructures spend. Al khaliji remains well positioned to partic-ipate in this build out and we will continue to support this credit growth with our preferred cus-tomers. Our liquidity and fund-ing position is a key focus area where we intend to remain strong against a backdrop of uncertain global market conditions. We intend to make a bond issuance in 2013 to further strengthen our long term funding arrangements”

On September 30, 2012, non-performing loans and advances (NPLs) amounted to QR57m, down from QR 62m on December 31 2011. The NPL ratio is at 0.44 percent, down from 0.55 percent in December 2011.

THE PENINSULA

Robin McCallSheikh Hamad bin Faisal bin Thani Al Thani

NBAD Q3 profit up 9 percent on investment gainsABU DHABI: National Bank of Abu Dhabi , the largest lender by market value in the United Arab Emirates, beat analyst estimates by reporting a 9.1 rise in third-quarter net profit, boosted by investment gains.

NBAD, majority-owned by the Abu Dhabi government, made a net profit of Dh1.12bn ($307m) in the third quarter compared with Dh1.03bn a year ago, a statement from the bank said yesterday.

Profit for the first nine months of this year totalled Dh3.21bn dirhams, up 7.6 percent from a year earlier. Non-interest income jumped 28.1 percent in the third quarter as the lender booked Dh190.7m of net gains on investments versus a loss of Dh27.8m a year ago.

Analysts had forecast an aver-age quarterly profit of Dh1.076bn in a Reuters poll earlier this month. “We experienced continued growth in the third quarter and are on track to meet our expectations for the full year,” chief executive Michael Tomalin said in a statement.

The bank booked net loan impairment charges of 366.8 mil-lion dirhams in the third quarter compared to Dh320.6m a year ago. Total impairments stood at Dh971m in the first nine months of this year, versus Dh1.017bn dirhams in the same period last year.

REUTERS

Mashreq introduces loan for small business DOHA: Mashreq Qatar, a lead-ing financial institution in the region, has expanded its bou-quet of financial solutions to facilitate small business owners and self-employed individuals. With the launch of the ‘Small Business Owner Loan’, self-employed small business own-ers can apply for loans to cover their personal expenses.

Niranjan Mendonca, Head of Retail Banking, Mashreq-Qatar said, “Mashreq understands the

needs of many small business owners who need to occasion-ally invest in personal events without compromising their business cash-f low. Running a small business can be challeng-ing and by offering the personal loan option we are providing f lexibility and peace of mind for successful business owners to balance their personal and professional expenses in one simple step.”

“Our Business Banking

solutions specifically tailor-made for SME’s are designed to reach a larger pool of small businesses in need of flexible funding. These businesses and SME’s form the backbone of Qatar’s economy, and we believe that providing accessible credit-facilities will enable these companies to grow, open new markets and deliver higher returns,” adds Mendonca.

Mashreq Business banking aims to develop the community of small businesses by offering

a full suite of financial solutions that include a business current account, trade working capital facilities, built-in pre-approved credit lines and Small Business Loans.

Business owners can transact with Mashreq’s award winning Online Business Banking plat-form and can also avail of wealth management and insurance solu-tions through certified financial professionals.

THE PENINSULA

24 BUSINESS VIEWSWEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Prices drive soy farming into Brazil cattle countryBY CAROLINE STAUFFER AND REESE EWING

Farmers like Endrigo Dalcin are so keen to plant Brazil’s biggest-ever soybean crop that

they are tearing down the fences around once-sacred territory: pastures that feed the world’s largest commercial cattle herd.

After the worst drought in 56 years roasted US crops and drove soy prices to an all-time high of almost $18 a bushel, sowing soy-beans promises landowners such as Dalcin three times the returns that grazing cattle on grass can.

On an eight-hour drive across Mato Grosso - a Venezuela-sized state in the heart of Brazil’s grain belt - he points out the potential in every hectare of unsown land.

“All those termite mounds mean the soil is too acidic to support cattle or crops,” said the 38-year-old agricultural econo-mist, who talks with a convert’s passion about transforming more of the tropical grasslands into row crops.

“But if you invest 1,200 reais ($600) a hectare in lime and

fertiliser, it could be a productive field.”

After three decades of farm-ing in the area, Dalcin this year for the first time leased a neigh-bour’s pastureland on a scale he had never attempted before - 700 hectares (1,730 acres) - to plant soy in a bet that the current boom will last longer than past cycles. He has already watched his father go bust twice.

He is also advising hundreds of cattle producers on how to free more land by consolidating their herds as Brazil prepares to shoulder a bigger burden of sup-plying the world’s food at a level few countries have the potential to match.

Other ranchers are pushing more steers into feedlots where they can be fattened more quickly, a trend that is helping drive the biggest expansion in soybean area in a decade but may also quietly add to domestic grain demand.

For the moment, the clearest victim of the drive for agricul-tural efficiency is the romantic image of gauchos on horseback and steers roaming seemingly endless jungle savannah, rather

than Brazil’s status as the world’s top beef exporter.

“The idea of ‘The West’ is over,” said Rui Carlos Prado, president of Mato Grosso state’s powerful farming and ranching federation Famato. “The time of settlement of the centre-west has passed for Brazil as it did for the US.”

The gaucho is the latest casu-alty of three decades of breakneck economic expansion in Brazil. Pastureland has shrunk more than 11 percent since a 1985 peak of 179.3m hectares, an area almost as big as Mexico.

Most of the loss was caused by environmental restrictions requiring some land to be refor-ested, while degraded pastures were abandoned.

For families like Dalcin’s, who moved to Nova Xavantina - in eastern Mato Grosso - to plant soy in 1982, the years of plowing into virgin cropland are ending as land prices skyrocket and new laws slow encroachment onto for-ests, encouraging soy growers to seek more-accessible pastures.

One of those heeding Dalcin’s advice is Elyson Ricardo Ricci, a 32-year-old trained accountant

and computer systems technician who came to Nova Xavantina in 2004 from the metropolis of Sao Paulo.

Convinced he’ll never go back, Ricci looks over a map of the Fazenda Felicidade ranch that he manages outside of town for the Brazilian industrial group Facchini, explaining how he plans to plant soybeans for the first time, with the help of Dalcin. Soil enriched by soy planting will eventually allow him to produce three to four times the number of cattle currently on the ranch.

“I never imagined I’d be plant-ing 1,200 hectares of soybeans and spending millions of reais on farm equipment,” Ricci said, adding that he is not giving up on ranch-ing, a profession that increasingly overlaps with farming.

By planting soy in a field, Ricci and other ranchers following the same strategy are improving the soil, which will then be able to produce enough grass to sup-port far more head of cattle per hectare than otherwise possible, while still opening land for soy-bean production.

Today, Mato Grosso has nearly

8m hectares of soy area and 27m hectares of pasture. Nearly half of the pasture is degraded and unable to support cattle - but with lime and tilling, it can yield soybeans.

Rotating soy onto pasture every five to 10 years helps pastureland recover nutrients. Selling soy-beans pays the cost of recuper-ating the land and then some, leaving farmers the option to go back to grazing cattle.

“Cattle aren’t going to cover that tab,” Ricci said, referring to the cost of recovering land.

Staying off the soybean band-wagon makes no financial sense at today’s prices. Chicago futures have come off 16 percent from the record $17.94 a bushel set in September, but are still up 38 percent from a year ago. Choice cut-out beef prices are nearly unchanged from the beginning of the year at $196.68 per 100 pounds.

For global consumers once again anxious over rising grain prices and scarce supplies, the trend is good news.

Brazil has not increased plant-ing by so much since 2003, with

expectations of a record 82-mil-lion-metric ton crop that would put the country ahead of the United States as the top soybean grower for the first time.

The farm economics institute Imea of Mato Grosso, which will lead Brazil’s expansion in area, estimates the state’s soy output will nearly double by 2022 to 39 million metric tons on a 51 per-cent increase in area from con-verted pasture.

Jerry O’Callaghan, who likes to escape the urban gridlock of Sao Paulo to his cattle ranch in the centre-west state of Goias, is lit-erally losing sleep over the rapid transformation as his neighbours lease pastureland to soy farmers.

“I was woken up by the trac-tor on the neighbour’s land - they were still preparing for soybean plantation at 1 o’clock in the morning Saturday to Sunday. They are working almost 24 hours a day,” O’Callaghan said at Sao Paulo’s Barbacoa restaurant, one of traditional barbecue joints in a country that loves beef so much it eats 80 percent of its output and still leads global exports.

REUTERS

BY WILLIAM COHAN

Is it time to put the Great Recession behind us?

Not in terms of the economy — which remains bogged down with high employment, low growth and other aftershocks — but rather when it comes to demanding a rigorous effort to

hold Wall Street bankers, traders and executives accountable for their role in causing the financial crisis.

Should we just chalk it up to such simplified explanations as “animal spirits ran amok” and “these things happen occasionally”? Or should we continue to expend scarce political and law-enforce-ment resources trying to get to the bottom of what happened, and why, with a goal of holding the right people legally and financially accountable?

It’s a conundrum, especially since many Americans have lost enthusiasm for the fight. But the path we ultimately take will reveal to us and the world much about who we are as a people and what ethics, values and morality we stand for. It will also have serious lasting implications if we hope to avoid a rerun of what happened over the last five years.

At the moment, the message we are broadcasting far and wide is: There will be no justice; there will be no accountability; let’s return to the status quo as quickly as possible.

There are, not surprisingly, powerful and articulate voices in favour of moving on. In his book “Unintended Consequences,” Edward Conard, a former Bain Capital partner of Mitt Romney (who is willing to say the things Romney wouldn’t dare and has given $1m to a political action committee that supports the Romney campaign), argues forcefully that occasional market collapses such as 1929 and 2008 are a small price to pay for a system of capital allocation that has produced vast sums of wealth, extraordinary technical and financial innovation, and an incentive system that rewards people handsomely for taking risks.

For better or for worse, Conard writes, this is the country that produced Apple, Google and Facebook, among the most admired corporations in the world. Conard believes the sooner we get back to untethering Wall Street’s animal instincts the better. That means modest regulation, at best, and an end to any efforts at meting out justice for those personally responsible for the financial crisis because, hey, stuff happens.

Likewise, in a recent speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, Jamie Dimon, the chairman and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase, returned to many of his favourite themes. One was how little he cares for much of what is in the Dodd-Frank law and the proposed Volcker Rule which limits banks’ ability to trade for their own account. He reiterated his belief that the right kind of financial regulation is necessary, in the vein of laws preventing drunk driving. But, like Conard, Dimon said the new regulatory environment is holding back economic growth.

He said he had discussed the topic with business owners and executives around the country: “They all say it’s terrible. So it’s not just banks. We’ve done it to ourselves, folks. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot and we’re doing it every day. Get rid of that wet blanket and this thing will take off.”

Even Lloyd Blankfein, the chairman and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs, has started to make noise again after a few years of laying low. As part of what the press has nicknamed his No Apologies Tour, which has taken Blankfein to forums and media outlets across the country, he has also called for jettisoning the wet blanket. “Getting rid of some regulations and rules that are impairing people from investing vast pools of liquidity that are on the sideline, that are not owned by the government, that are theirs to invest but are just sitting on the sideline” will help get the economy humming again, he told CNBC.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that while the rest of us have moved on when it comes to the nitty-gritty details of what, say, the Volcker Rule will end up looking like when it is finally written, lawyers and lobbyists for Wall Street firms are working the regulators over with renewed intensity. JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have spent, respectively, $12.7m and $8.3m since the passage of the Dodd-Frank law in July 2010 on lobbying the regulators who are still drafting the final regulations. Goldman asked last week for an exemption for certain invest-ments from a Volcker rule proposal that would limit a bank’s total investment in hedge and private-equity funds to 3 percent of Tier I capital. Why? Goldman makes a boatload of money investing this way.

On the other side of the debate are people like Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic US Senate candidate from Massachusetts, who still believes that accountability for the bad behavior that occurred years ago on Wall Street is essential. “People feel like the system is rigged against them,” she said at the Democratic National Convention in September. WP-BLOOMBERG

How to crash an economy and escape the scene

Let’s put America’s foreign bankers out of business nowBY WILLIAM PESEK

America may soon be changing bankers, shifting its business from China back to Japan.

Japan had long been the US’s main creditor. That is, until

September 2008, when China became the biggest foreign owner of Treasuries. This worried many in Washington who would rather be indebted to a friendly democracy than an ambitious communist power. One of Mitt Romney’s big talking points, in fact, is that the United States is too beholden to China.

The presidential candidate’s I-won’t-be-borrowing-money- from-China pledge may soon be moot. Japan now holds $1.12trn of US Treasuries to China’s $1.15trn. Japanese purchases are steadily rising, while China’s holdings have declined more than 10 percent since mid-2011.

Yet all this obsessing about who holds America’s debt is a distraction. The real issue is whether it makes sense for any major economy such as the US to export more than 50 percent of its IOUs. Shouldn’t countries redouble efforts to build bigger domestic customer bases for their debt? Shouldn’t they be more, well, Japanese?

“People reflexively bash Japan — they hold it up as an example of what not to do in every case,” says Ed Rogers, chief executive officer at Tokyo-based Rogers Investment Advisors. “To them I would say not so fast. Debt is but one example.”

This notion is anathema to the free-mar-ket fundamentalists out there. Nor would it be easy to achieve. As Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International

Monetary Fund, sees it, reversing financial globalisation “would be akin to persuad-ing a billion people not to use Facebook.” Yet it is worth exploring whether the US might profit from a more Japan- style debt arrangement.

In his book “The New Depression,” pub-lished earlier this year, economist Richard Duncan builds a sobering case for another Franklin D Roosevelt-like New Deal to restore growth, strengthen competitive-ness and achieve energy independence. Financing it means tapping the vast amounts of private-sector cash sitting on corporate balance sheets. If US companies believed they were investing in their future profit potential, they might not mind buying more Treasuries.

Few words strike greater fear in the hearts of economists than “Japanisation.” The prospect of chronic malaise, deflation and dwindling global relevance has central bankers such as Ben Bernanke in the US and Mario Draghi in Europe pumping out a deluge of liquidity to avert a lost-decade scenario.

Among its most prominent features is the revolving door of prime ministers and finance chiefs, making it impossible to address Japan’s well-known systemic problems.

This political incoherence is coupled with a reliance on a weak yen to undergird an export-driven economy. Japan’s iconic com-panies are so dependent on the currency crutch that when it disappears the damage can be stunning. Sharp, Sony and Panasonic had combined losses of more than $20bn last year, in part because the yen’s strength hurt overseas sales. For decades, these names

played a pivotal role in Japan’s prosper-ity, much as Detroit’s automakers did for America’s. Now, their plight is accelerating the hollowing out of Japanese industry.

Little attention is paid, though, to how many western economies would be lucky to become Japan and what it got right. True, Japan’s two-decade-long bout with negligi-ble growth and deflation wiped out trillions of dollars of wealth and left many banks as insolvent zombies. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average is a quarter of what it was in 1989, when it achieved an all-time high of 38,957.

In all that time, the nation never even came close to unravelling. Crime didn’t sky-rocket; homelessness never exploded; and huge numbers of job weren’t lost as they so often are in US recessions. There were adjustments for workers who found them-selves with part-time employment, women who saw fewer career opportunities and students facing a dismal job market.

And let’s not forget the incredible calm that accompanied last year’s devastating earthquake. Japan never suffered the riots and looting that flared up in the US in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Supply-chain disruptions that affected top corporations such as Apple were addressed in short order. Power blackouts were few and far between as all of the nation’s nuclear reactors went offline. How many nations could do that?

The glue holding Japan together is the huge ratio of government debt owned domestically. Keeping more than 90 per-cent of its debt at home allows Japan to have the world’s largest public debt and 10-year yields of just 0.78 percent.

WP-BLOOMBERG

BRENT

$ 109.47

DUBAI

$ 107.24

QATAR EXCHANGE | DAILY TRADING REPORT | 23-10-2012

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS A List of Shares from the worldCOMPANY CLOSE NET VOLUME NAME CHG TRADED

COMPANY CLOSE NET VOLUME NAME CHG TRADED





A B G Infra-B/D 125 -1.15 4378

A C C-A/D 1404.25 -14.2 24899

Aarti Drugs-B/D 177.15 1.75 14551

Aban Offs-B/D 462.1 0.45 80798

Ador Welding-B/D 143.1 3.7 6472

Aegis Logis-B/D 175.35 -3.6 20379

Alembic-B/D 15.65 -0.1 8888

Alok Indus-B/D 11.69 0.01 760175

Andhra Paper-B/D 314.45 -11.75 40661

Apollo Tyre-A/D 86.6 0.55 545592

Asahi I Glass-/D 66.6 -1.2 17265

Ashok Leyland-/D 23.35 -0.15 290416

Ballarpur In-B/D 22.9 0.1 637333

Bata India-A/D 913.7 -8.75 23769

Bayer Crop-A/D 1107.15 34.65 7320

Beml Ltd-B/D 308.7 4.7 12059

Bharat Bijle-B/D 587.35 -34.5 5354

Bhartiya Int-B/D 100.65 8.35 129704

Bhel-A/D 239.7 -2.5 306331

Bombay Dyeing-/D 546.95 6.4 62916

Cable Corp.-B/D 24.55 -1.7 20634

Canfin Homes-B/D 127.4 0.55 69165

Castrol Ind-A/D 323.2 -2.5 95788

Century Enka-B/D 135.15 3 95138

Century Text-A/D 395.45 -3.85 118408

Chambal Fert-B/D 67.65 -0.25 71693

Cipla-A/D 365.05 0.65 68085

City Union Bk-/D 57.8 -0.2 140823

Colgate-A/D 1247.4 -8.85 7130

Dcm Financia-B/D 1.41 -0.02 4675

Dhampur Sugar-/D 68.15 -1.55 13449

Dr. Reddy-A/D 1731.2 2.25 12436

E I H-B/D 77.3 -0.1 12296

E.I.D Parry-B/D 223.8 -6.55 33126

Eicher Motor-A/D 2334.3 56.95 5174

Electrosteel-B/D 23.5 0.5 239234

Emco-B/D 30.05 0.85 744800

Escorts-B/D 67.2 -0.3 160175

Essar Oil-A/D 63.75 -1 545611

Eveready Indu-/D 23.95 -1.6 804892

F D C-B/D 86.85 -0.95 15250

Federal Bank-A/D 488.05 1.45 25568

Ferro Alloys-B/D 8 -0.26 22988

Finolex-B/D 64.55 -0.1 15030

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LONDON

EXCHANGE RATE

GOLD & SILVERWORLD STOCK INDICES

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Buying Selling

QE Market Summary Comparison Today Previous day

23-10-2012 22-10-2012

Index 8,511.97 8,537.50

Change 25.53 0.71

% 0.30 0.01

YTD% 3.04 2.75

Volume 2,540,716 5,954,890

Value (QAR) 118,565,354.44 218,890,830.48

Trades 2,079 3,495

Up 12 | Down 21 | Unchanged 04

INDEX Day’s Close Pt Chg % Chg Year High Year Low

25MARKET WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


GOLDQR200.8380

SILVERQR 3.7310

US$ ..........................QR 3.6305 QR 3.6500

UK ...........................QR 5.7869 QR 5.8687

Euro .........................QR 4.7074 QR 4.7728

CA$ ..........................QR 3.6230 QR 3.7078

Swiss Fr ..................QR 3.8912 QR 3.9454

Yen ..........................QR 0.0452 QR 0.0461

Aus$ ........................QR 3.7078 QR 3.7816

Ind Re ......................QR 0.0672 QR 0.0685

Pak Re .....................QR 0.0378 QR 0.0386

Peso ........................QR 0.0873 QR 0.0891

SL Re .......................QR 0.0278 QR 0.0284

Taka .........................QR 0.0444 QR 0.0453

Nep Re ....................QR 0.0426 QR 0.0434

SA Rand ..................QR 0.4128 QR 0.4211

All Ordinaries 4567.96 3.365 0.07 4602.5 4033.4

Cac 40 Index/D 3443.2 -40.05 -1.15 3600.48 2922.26

Dj Indu Average 0 0 0 13661.87 11231.56

Egypt Cma Gn Idx 1026.29 32.57 3.28 999.95 312.38

Hang Seng Inde/D 21697.55 145.79 0.68 21760.34 18056.4

Iseq Overall/D 3221.35 -15.6 -0.48 3369.33 2882.71

Karachi 100 In/D 15853.84 5.21 0.03 15981.35 10771.13

Nikkei 225 Index 9014.25 3.54 0.04 10255.15 8238.96

S&P 500 Index/D 0 0 0 1474.51 1158.66

Straits Times/D 3050.93 5.26 0.17 3110.86 2657.77

Straits Times/D 2989.31 24.69 0.83 3035.78 2657.77

QE Indices SummaryQE Index 8,511.97 25.53

QE Total Return Index 11,519.77 34.56

QE All Share Index 2,054.38 3.74

QE All Share Banks & Financial Services 2,018.72 3.65

QE All Share Industrials 2,610.71 8.33

QE All Share Transportation 1,337.5 6.73

QE All Share Real Estate 1,656.61 20.52

QE All Share Insurance 1,977.23 29.22

QE All Share Telecoms 1,092.27 7.96

QE All Share Consumer Goods & Services

4,854.28 8.62

SPORT28WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Banned cyclist Armstrong facing financial meltdown CHIACGO: Chicago’s swarm-

ing, suffocating defence squeezed the life out of the Detroit Lions in a 13-7 victory yesterday that kept the Bears at the top of the NFC North.

The Bears stifled the visit-ing Lions’ offense for the entire game until Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Broyles with just 36 seconds remaining.

The Lions then tried an onside kick to get the ball back but the Bears (5-1) recovered it, sealing their fourth straight win and maintaining their slender division lead over the Minnesota Vikings (5-2).

“We were close to getting (a shutout), when we let them in it was kind of a disappointment,” Chicago defensive lineman Julius Peppers told reporters.

“We’re coached really well. We knock you down, we help you up, then we knock you down again.”

Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler threw a first-quarter touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall and kicker Robbie Gould added field goals in either half to give the home team a 13-0 lead.

Detroit (2-4), losers of four of their last five games, squan-dered several scoring chances and yesterday’s defeat leaves them anchored at the foot of the division.

Lions running backs Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell lost fumbles deep in Chicago terri-tory, with Bell’s third-quarter giveaway coming at the Bears’ one-yard line, and Stafford threw an interception three yards from goal with under three minutes remaining.

The Lions, who also fumbled a punt in the third quarter, com-mitted four turnovers in the game while Chicago padded their league-leading takeaway total to 21.

Stafford finished with 261 pass-ing yards, many of them in the closing minutes, but Pro Bowl receiver Calvin Johnson was lim-ited to just three catches for 34 yards.

Cutler showed his tough-ness for the Bears when he was hit hard on a sack by Detroit’s Ndamukong Suh in the second quarter and sustained bruised ribs. Cutler was briefly replaced by Jason Campbell at quarterback but returned to lead his team.

“It was a rough hit, those things happen,” added Cutler, who threw for 150 yards without turning the ball over. “I couldn’t really follow through the ball (after that) and it had an impact on play-calling but our defense played so well.”

Receiver Marshall finished with six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown while running back Matt Forte had 96 yards rushing.

REUTERS

The 41-year-old American may have to repay prize money PARIS: World cycling’s deci-sion to strip Lance Armstrong of his record seven Tour de France wins could cost the shamed US rider millions, amid calls for tougher action to restore the sport’s shattered image.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) on Monday gave its backing to a damning US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) dossier that placed the Texan at the heart of the biggest doping programme in sport, erasing his record back to August 1, 1998.

But as the 41-year-old’s major triumphs were scrubbed from the history books and officials vowed to up the fight against banned substances, moves began to recoup his prize money, bonuses and other pay-outs.

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme on Monday said they would seek the repay-ment of nearly 2.95m euros ($3.8m) from Armstrong’s suc-cesses in cycling’s most gruelling and celebrated race between 1999 and 2005.

During Armstrong’s dominant period, Tailwind Sports, the par-ent company of his US Postal Service team, took out a policy with sports insurance firm SCA Promotions, paying a premium to cover bonuses paid for his Tour victories.

SCA withheld a $5m bonus due after Armstrong’s sixth Tour win in 2004 because of doping allega-tions in Europe. The rider took the Dallas, Texas, firm to court and was awarded the cash, plus $2.5m in legal fees and interest.

The firm’s lawyer, Jeffrey Dorough, said: “Mr Armstrong is no longer the official winner of any Tour de France races and as

a result it is inappropriate and improper for him to retain any bonus payments made by SCA.”

The Velonation cycling news website reported that SCA paid out a total of $12m in bonuses to Armstrong over the years. Dorough said he could only con-firm the lower figure but added: “Any sum that was paid by SCA would be in play.”

Elsewhere, Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper has said it is considering legal action against Armstrong to recover money spent defending a defamation case over doping allegations, which was settled in 2004.

The settlement was not dis-closed but reports have suggested the case cost the weekly news-paper one million pounds ($1.6m, 1.2m euros).

Armstrong, who reportedly has an estimated net worth of $125m, has already taken a financial hit, as high-profile sponsors includ-ing sportswear firm Nike have dropped him from marketing campaigns.

Business magazine Forbes said on its website on Monday that Armstrong could lose $15m a year in endorsements and speak-ing fees.

On the legal front, he could yet fact court action for perjury after swearing on oath that he never doped. If any charge is pursued, the maximum penalty is up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.5m.

The Armstrong case has cast a dark cloud over world cycling, with its most recognisable star fallen from grace and the USADA dossier outlining the extent and scope of the use of banned sub-stances in the sport in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

A file picture showing US Lance Armstrong riding during the 21st stage of the 92nd Tour de France cycling race between Corbeil-Essonnes and the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Current and former cyclists have spoken of how they have felt deceived by Armstrong, who battled back from life-threatening cancer to stage what was billed at the time as the greatest comeback in sport.

That Armstrong deceived eve-ryone for so long has also hit the credibility of the UCI, who have been accused of, but strongly deny, turning a blind eye to his activi-ties and even accepting donations to cover up positive tests.

Meanwhile, Spanish champion

cyclist Miguel Indurain said he believed Armstrong was inno-cent of the doping scandal that has seen the US rider stripped of seven Tour de France titles.

“Even now I believe in his inno-cence. He has always respected all the regulations... He has won all the cases he’s had,” said Indurain, who won the Tour de France five times consecutively in 1991-1995.

His record back to August 1, 1998, made Indurain once again the joint record-holder in the world’s top cycling race.

“I am a bit surprised. It is a bit strange that this has only been based on testimonies,” Indurain said on Radio Marca.

“The rules said one thing and now it seems they have changed,” he added.

Indurain added that Armstrong “has always been a fighter. What surprises me is that he doesn’t keep fighting... I think he will come back and appeal and try to show that he played fair for all those years,” the Spanish cyclist added yesterday. AGENCIES

PARIS: Tour de France organisers today will unveil the route for the historic 100th edition of cycling’s most famous race, with celebrations overshadowed by a damaging doping scandal involving former rider Lance Armstrong.

Defending champion Bradley Wiggins -- Britain’s first ever winner of the race is set to attend the glitzy presentation in the French capital, alongside former champi-ons including Alberto Contador of Spain.

The unveiling of the Tour route is a much-anticipated annual event, partic-ularly for 2013, 110 years after France’s Maurice Garin won the first edition, which ended with a mammoth 471km sixth and final stage from the western city of Nantes to Paris.

Since then, and barring breaks for World War I and World War II, the battle for the coveted yellow jersey has become cycling’s biggest event and seen it grow to include stages across Europe.

Next year’s race begins on June 29 at

Porto-Vecchio on the Mediterranean island of Corsica and finishes on the Champs Elysees in central Paris on July 21.

Details of the stage routes and events to celebrate the 100th edition milestone, however, are likely to take second place to questions about how the Tour moves on from the Armstrong affair and its revela-tions of widespread doping among riders.

Armstrong, who won the race an unprecedented seven times in succes-sion from 1999 to 2005, was on Monday stripped of those victories and his career record wiped back to August 1, 1998, fol-lowing a damning US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) investigation.

The president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) called the scandal “the biggest crisis ever” in the sport, amid claims of cover-ups and corruption that have damaged the credibility of profes-sional racing.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme has said that organisers would prefer not

to re-attribute Armstrong’s wins to other riders, with finding a podium finisher not implicated in doping affairs in those years a difficult task.

The UCI is set to meet on Friday to dis-cuss the formal withdrawal of Armstrong’s Tour victories, amid calls to strengthen procedures against dope cheats and improve testing.

Prudhomme, meanwhile, is seeking repayment of nearly 2.95m euros ($3.8m) paid to Armstrong for his seven Tour vic-tories, as part of wider efforts to recoup the Texan’s career prize money, bonuses and other pay-outs.

The scandal comes not only as cycling seeks to move on from its tarnished past but also after Wiggins and his Team Sky riders did much to increase the popularity of the Tour outside continental Europe.

His victory and Olympic road time-trial gold medal in London weeks later -- did much to boost interest in cycling in Britain.

The 32-year-old, whose breakthrough win was also cemented in a time-trial, faces a major threat from Contador, who won in 2007 and 2009.

The 29-year-old -- one of just five rid-ers to have won the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Tour of Spain -- is set to return to the race after serving a doping ban and had a strong end to his curtailed season this year.

Other riders tipped as potential con-tenders include Wiggins’ team-mate Chris Froome, who many observers believed might have won the race outright had he not been riding for his team leader.

Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, who was awarded the 2010 yellow jersey after Contador’s disqualification, is also back in full training after four months on the sidelines with a fractured pelvis on the eve of the 2012 Tour.

Philippe Gilbert of Belgium will wear the world champion’s rainbow jersey and is a strong contender for stage wins. AFP

Tour De France to unveil 100th race route

Norwegian cyclist Steffen

Kjaergaard attends a news

conference yesterday.

Kjaergaard, who competed

with the disgraced

Lance Armstrong on the US Postal Service team

in the Tour de France in

2000 and 2001, admitted to

doping.

Kjaergaard admits doping OSLO: Another former US Postal team-mate of disgraced Lance Armstrong, Steffen Kjaergaard, yesterday admitted to using banned blood booster EPO when racing the Tour de France alongside the American.

Kjaergaard said he started doping on his own initiative in 1998 when with the Danish Chicky World team, going on to meet with Belgian doctor George Mouton for “advice” to “avoid the risk of being caught”.

The Norwegian then joined the US Postal team and raced along-side Armstrong in the 2000 and 2001 Tours. He said doping at the time was endemic and the team arranged all.

“Everything was organised by the team,” Kjaergaard told a press conference.

I can personally say that there were a certain number of oth-ers involved in doping,” he added yesterday, after Armstrong was stripped of his titles. AFP

Hamilton hits out at UCI boss McQuaid PARIS: Tyler Hamilton, whose testimony helped bring down Lance Armstrong, blasted International Cycling Union (UCI) President Pat McQuaid yesterday, saying the Irishman has “no place” in the sport.

McQuaid had described Hamilton and Floyd Landis, who also testified against Armstrong, as “scumbags” on Monday after the UCI ratified the US Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to strip Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles.

Hamilton and Landis were among the 11 former Armstrong team mates to testify against him.

“Pat McQuaid’s comments expose the hypocrisy of his lead-ership and demonstrate why he is incapable of any meaningful change,” Hamilton wrote in a statement yesterday.

“Instead of seizing an oppor-tunity to instil hope for the next

generation of cyclists, he contin-ues to point fingers, shift blame and attack those who speak out, tactics that are no longer effec-tive. Pat McQuaid has no place in cycling.”

McQuaid had started to thank those who had testified before the USADA but then directed his anger at Hamilton and Landis, the first Armstrong team mates to break the code of silence.

“Landis started it, he was in a bottomless hole and he said the only way out of it was to bring the sport down,” McQuaid said on Monday after his hour-long media conference in Geneva.

“Another thing that annoys me is that Landis and Hamilton are being made out to be heroes. They are as far from heroes as night and day. They are not heroes, they are scumbags. All they have done is damage the sport,” he added in the press conference. REUTERS

NFL: Dominant Bears beat Lions 13-7

LOS ANGELES: San Diego Chargers coach Norv Turner has rejected suggestions any of his players used an illegal sub-stance to help them hold on to the ball in a National Football League game last week.

The NFL said on its official website (NFL.com) that it was “gathering facts” concerning an alleged incident in the October 15 game in San Diego, which the Chargers lost 35-24.

Turner denied his team had ever used the substance ‘Stickum’ and that the NFL investigation related to a type of towel used by the Chargers.

“Nobody from the San Diego Chargers used Stickum in the game on Monday night against the Denver Broncos,” Turner told reporters yesterday. “Nobody in this organisation has used Stickum in any game.”

Stickum, an adhesive used to help improve grip, is widely avail-able in powder, paste and aerosol forms. Its use in the NFL was banned in 1981 under the Lester Hayes rule after the Raiders player known for using it.

The Chargers said they were cooperating with the NFL.

REUTERS

No sticky substance used by Chargers, says Turner

29SPORT WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Giants reach World Series PARIS: France captain Thierry Dusautoir has been ruled out of the November internation-als with a knee injury, the team announced yesterday.

Dusautoir’s place in the ini-tial 33-man squad will be taken by Toulouse team-mate Yannick Nyanga, who won the last of his 25 caps in the third-place play-off against Argentina in the 2007 World Cup.

Dusautoir, twisted his knee in a tackle in Toulouse’s 33-21 vic-tory over Treviso in the European Cup.

France coach Philippe Saint-Andre confirmed Dusautoir would be out for four to six weeks, the same prognosis offered on Sunday by Toulouse coach Guy Noves, who described the injury as a “twisted internal lateral ligament with a slight tear”.

“We’re really disappointed at Thierry’s withdrawal, he’s one of the senior players we left at home to rest up during the summer tour to Argentina and we were hoping to find him fresh and raring to go for the November series,” said Saint-Andre.

“As captain, it’s good that he keeps contact with the France squad. It’s why we invited him to the training camp” between November 2 to 4. AFP

San Francisco eliminate defending champions, to face Detroit Tigers SAN FRANCISCO: Returning from the brink of elimina-tion, the San Francisco Giants reached the World Series by beating St Louis 9-0 yesterday, ousting the reigning champions from the Major League Baseball play-offs.

The Giants captured the best-of-seven National League Championship Series 4-3 after having trailed the Cardinals 3-1. For the second play-off series in a row, San Francisco advanced by winning the last three games.

San Francisco will face the Detroit Tigers, who swept the New York Yankees in the American League final, when the best-of-seven World Series cham-pionship series starts today in the Giants’ ballpark.

They became the seventh team to win a best-of-seven League Championship Series after trail-ing 3-1, and also joined the 1985 Kansas City Royals as the only teams to win six elimination games during one post-season.

“We played with more heart and more determination than any club I’ve seen,” Giants man-ager Bruce Bochy said as the team was presented with the National League trophy. “They didn’t want to go home.”

The Giants seek their second

World Series crown in three sea-sons while the Tigers, who lost to St. Louis in 2006 in their most recent World Series, have not won the championship since 1984.

Matt Cain pitched 5 2/3 score-less innings for the Giants, strik-ing out four Cardinals while surrendering five hits and a walk, and aided his own cause by knock-ing in a run in the second inning.

San Francisco opened the scor-ing in the first when Angel Pagan singled, took third base on a Marco Scutaro single and crossed home plate on Pablo Sandoval’s ground out to the pitcher.

The Giants took a 2-0 lead when Gregor Blanco singled, advanced on Brandon Crawford’s ground out to first base and scored on a Cain single up the middle.

San Francisco pounded in five runs in the third inning to seize command.

Hunter Pence blasted a bases-loaded double to centerfield to drive in two runs and a field-ing error on the play by Jon Jay allowed a third run to score.

Pence advanced to third on Brandon Belt’s single and scored when Crawford hit into a bases-loaded fielder’s choice. Belt scored from third when Pagan hit into a fielder’s choice and the Giants took a 7-0 edge.

Blanco scored from third base in the seventh inning when Aubrey Huff grounded into a dou-ble play and Belt blasted a solo home run in the eighth for the Giants’ final runs.

St Louis threatened in the eighth with runners at sec-ond and third and one out, but David Freese grounded out to the pitcher and Giants relief pitcher Javier Lopez struck out pinch-hit-ter Tony Cruz to end the inning.

The Cardinals put runners on second and third again in the ninth inning with two outs but Matt Holliday flew out to second baseman Scutaro to end the game in heavy rain.

The Cardinals had won seven straight playoff games when fac-ing elimination, including a game seven victory over the Texas Rangers to win their 11th World Series title last year and a game five thriller over the Washington Nationals earlier this month after they trailed by six runs.

Yesterday, however, they couldn’t climb out of the hole.

“It wasn’t how we scripted to finish, but it was certainly a great run,” said first-year Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, whose club was outscored 20-1 in the final three games. “They got hot, and we didn’t.” AFP

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Sergio Romo (54) jumps on the final out against the St Louis Cardinals during Game 7 in their MLB NLCS play-off baseball series in San Francisco, yesterday.

DOHA: Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) has released the 19th edition of its offi-cial magazine Qatar Sport Magazine. The newly-released edition is packed with multiple and significant topics including major sport, academic and his-torical events held in the coun-try recently.

The edition contains a brief report highlighting the participa-tion of Qatar’s sport delegation at the London 2012 Olympic Games, beside the sweet memories of the Olympic team who changed the dream into the reality through two Olympian champions.

The report in the magazine shows the festive moments of Qatar after Qatari shooter Nasser Al Attiyah won the bronze medal in the men’s skeet competition during a shoot-off and his coun-tryman, Mutaz Issa Barsham earned bronze medal in the men’s high jump.

There is also a special report about Qatar House (Bayt Qatar) which was inaugurated by Qatar Olympic Committee during the London 2012. The building hosted a series of exhibitions, programmes and events that explored and celebrated Qatari sports and culture.

There is also a feature of ‘Doha Goals’ a new initiative announced during the Games that aims to use the sport as a strong motive for social and economic change.

Additionally, a productive report about the sixth edition of the Schools Olympic Program (SOP) under the theme Sports and Investment is included in the edition.

The new edition also include pages of the Qatar Stars League, outlining the growing progress in the QSL in 2012-2013 season.

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Filipino basketball teams will be seen in action in between the games of the Qatar League of Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) starting on November 16 after an agree-ment was reached between QBF and Pinoy Basketball of Qatar (PIBAQ).

This was formally announced by Bombet Vitor, PIBAQ league manager, during the opening of Subaru Cup 2012 of PIBAQ over the weekend at the Al Gharrafa Training Gym where QBF offi-cials graced the colourful event.

Vitor said QBF decided to include the PIBAQ games in between the Qatar League matches, which is composed of different popular local clubs to let Filipino fans witness the excit-ing action at the hard court of Al Gharrafa Stadium.

The five professional Division A teams of Subaru Cup league will play their games in between the two Qatar League games every Friday afternoon.

Vitor said this would be the best opportune time to level up the kind of play of Filipino bas-ketball stars as the QBF, as the governing basketball body in Qatar, would closely watch them in the games.

Meanwhile, thousands of fans have trooped to the opening event to show their all-out support to the teams and players they

idolised. The parade of different teams, five from Division A and another 23 from Division B, have added glitter and colour to the opening programme.

Other special guests from Qatar Basketball Federation Ahmad Ali Al Mawlawi, Secretary General and Khamis Al Sheraim, Board member and the spon-sors including Firoz Myladan, Assistant General Manager for sales and marketing of McDonald’s Qatar and Allan Paul Paredes of Mannai Trading WLL, the official distributor Subaru cars attended the event.

McDonald’s Qatar distributed thousands of free breakfast meal tickets to the delight of the fans who came to witness the opening programme.

At the games, the defending champions survived a scary last minutes comeback of newcomer Jewel Advertising to win the game 82-77.

It was a revenge victory for their sorry loss to Power Horse Energy Drink in the opening match on October 12.

A newcomer Flamin’Go how-ever pulled a big surprise to beat IMCO Engineering, 64-49, in the game at the Division B.

Flamin’Go started to pull away in the first quarter of the match and never looked back until the final whistle was blown.

THE PENINSULA

Basketball: QBF reach agreement with PIBAQ

QOC releases 19th edition of Qatar Sport magazine

Ahmad Ali Al Mawlawi (centre), Secretary General and Khamis Al Sheraim, Board member of Qatar Basketball Federation, opens the first match of the Subaru Cup 2012.

Golf: McIlroy plays down $250m Nike deal rumour SHANGHAI: World number one Rory McIlroy yesterday attempted to brush aside grow-ing speculation that he is about to sign a multi-million deal to join Tiger Woods in the Nike stable.

McIlroy, in Shanghai for the $7m BMW Masters which begins on Thursday, was responding to stories in Irish newspapers which claimed the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland was about to sign a Nike contract which could see him earn up to a staggering $250m over 10 years.

McIlroy’s current deal with golf giant Titleist expires at the end of 2012, making the double major winner and leader on the money list on both sides of the Atlantic the most prized free agent on the equipment market.

“These rumours have been going around for years and it seems to always come up at this time of the year,” McIlroy said at Lake Malaren Golf Club.

“I leave it up to Conor (Ridge, McIlroy’s manager) to sort out as it leaves me to concentrate on my golf.

“That’s all I can do and besides I have enough to think about try-ing to get the ball in the hole.

“Also I’ve got a very important end to my season coming up and I need to concentrate myself fully on that goal.”

It is no secret that Woods, the world number two, and McIlroy have become good friends as well as on-course rivals. Indeed, the two will go head-to-head in “The Duel at Jinsha Lake” in Zhengzhou, China, next Monday. “That should be really exciting

World number one golfer Rory Mcllroy (left) of Northern Ireland, Luke Donald (centre) of England and Martin Kaymer (right) of Germany attend an event for the media for the BMW Shanghai Masters golf tournament at the Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai yesterday. The Masters will be held from October 25 to 28.

and I’m really looking forward to heading back to Lake Jinsha,” said McIlroy of the 18-hole medal match.

“I’ve spoken to Tiger about it and we are both really excited as it will be the first time we will ever do something like this together, and hopefully the first of a few occasions we can do this.

“We both enjoy each other’s company, and besides there are not many guys I would do some-thing like this with and I know he feels the same. So it should work well.”

And with more than a hint of further commercial hook-ups

between the two biggest draws in the game in the future McIlroy added, tellingly: “I see it also as a good marketing exercise for Tiger and myself.”

Nike regard the clean-cut, immensely likeable and youth-ful McIlroy as a dream signing after sticking with Tiger Woods through his well-documented marital indiscretions and fall from golfing grace.

If the rumours turn out to be true then that burgeoning rela-tionship between McIlroy and Woods could mean Nike capture the two biggest names in golf for the next decade or more. AFP

Europe’s Ryder Cup heroes reunite at BMW Masters SHANGHAI: Jose Maria Olazabal was reu-nited with his Ryder Cup heroes on a fun-filled yesterday before the serious action begins at the $7m inaugural BMW Masters at Lake Malaren tomorrow.

Olazabal and 11 of the 12 members of Team Europe came together for the first time since the dramatic defeat of the United States in Chicago.

Inspirational captain Olazabal was joined by Nicolas Colsaerts, Luke Donald, Peter Hanson, Martin Kaymer, Paul Lawrie, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Francesco Molinari, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood, who will all be competing in China this week.

The team, with only Sergio Garcia absent, shared stories of their historic comeback in the Singles at

Medinah Country Club to defeat the United States 14 1/2-13 1/2 and retain the Ryder Cup.

Englishman Poulter, Europe’s talisman who won four points out of four admitted that he still was pumped up by events at Medinah.

“It was very special,” he said yesterday. “I think everybody as a team bonded very well.

That Sunday will go down in history. So to get us all back together again, all but one, it’s great.

“It’s great to see everybody again and to get back into some normality.”

It wasn’t a normal day for German Kaymer and world number one Rory McIlroy who tried their hand at China’s unofficial national sport table ten-nis, alongside the 18th green at Lake Malaren in September. REUTERS

Rugby: France captain Dusautoir to miss Tests

SPORT30WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


Storming start for Serena, Radwanska in Istanbul

Daredevils to meet Lions in Champions League semisCENTURION, South Africa: There was more Champions League Twenty20 disappoint-ment for recalled England bats-man Kevin Pietersen yesterday when the final group game was adandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled.

The wash-out between local team Titans and Delhi Daredevils means the Indian Premier League (IPL) side top Group A and travel to Durban for a Thursday semi-final against another South African side, Highveld Lions.

Rain has forced two of Daredevils’ four pool matches to be abandoned without any play and Pietersen managed just 14 and nine runs respectively against fellow IPL outfit Kolkata Knight Riders and Perth Scorchers.

The controversial South Africa-born 32-year-old batsman was hoping for a lot more time in the middle before joining the England squad for a tour of India next month.

Pietersen was given the boot by England two months ago after he sent text messages to South African opponents during a three-Test series in which he criticised teammates, including then skipper Andrew Strauss.

He missed the World Twenty20 championship in Sri Lanka, where England surrendered the title, working as a commentator for a United States-based net-work instead.

England and Pietersen mended relations before the 10-franchise group stage of the Champions Trophy began and the batsman would have hoped for much more than 23 runs off 27 deliveries by the end of the mini-league phase.

The other semi-final features Sydney Sixers and Titans at SuperSport Park in Centurion Friday with the final slated for the Wanderers in Johannesburg two days later.

Among the teams eliminated after the first round were IPL franchises Kolkata, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, with Auckland, Perth and Yorkshire also falling by the wayside. AFP

Rossi slams MotoGP, says it is ‘boring’LONDON: Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi yes-terday slammed MotoGP as “boring” and called for a change to the sport.

“Now is the worst moment in MotoGP since I joined in 2000,” Rossi told BBC Sport.

“It is the most boring moment. Races are quite bad and it is very difficult to stay awake.”

Spaniards Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa have dominated this year’s championship, win-ning 12 out of the 16 races so far between them.

Defending champion Casey Stoner, who is retiring at the age of 27 next month, is the only other rider to win this season and seven-time MotoGP cham-pion Rossi believes the sport needs to change.

He said: “You look at Moto3, the races are very exciting, Moto2 is fantastic and then MotoGP is boring. So they have to change the product.”

Rossi, 33, hopes he can get back to winning ways next season with Yamaha.

He won four world champion-ships with Yamaha before leaving for Ducati at the end of 2010, but has not won in the last 37 races.

“This is not the time in my career to be struggling every weekend like this,” said Rossi, who has managed just three podium finishes in his two sea-sons for Ducati with his last win

in Malaysia in 2010. “It will be difficult but I think that I have the potential to win some races next year. It is a great pity for me at Ducati.

“It was a dream, it was a great and important bet to try and win for Ducati but unfortunately we have no way. It has been two very difficult seasons.

“We try lots of things but we were never able to fix the prob-lems. We had some good races and a few good results but not what everyone expects. We lose the bet.”

Rossi will be second rider in his Yamaha team next season, as he partners Lorenzo, who is on course to win his second cham-pionship this season.

“I am at a certain age and I don’t know how many years I will continue in MotoGP, so I have to race with the best bike that I can,” said Rossi.

“Fortunately during my career I have won more or less every-thing so I need to enjoy it to have the right motivation.

“I need to arrive at the circuit every weekend with the chance to fight for the victory. It will be difficult but that is why I change teams.”

Rossi won the 125cc cham-pionship in 1997 and the 250cc championship in 1999 before moving up to MotoGP where he was world champion seven times between 2001 and 2009. AFP

MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi takes a picture with members of his fan club at the Losail International Circuit in this file photo of April 7, 2012.

Pakistan T20 league hits scheduling concernsKARACHI: Pakistan’s plans for a domestic Twenty20 competi-tion along the lines of the Indian Premier League hit a snag yes-terday as South Africa refused to reschedule their series to accommodate the tournament.

After the huge success of the IPL and similar leagues around the world, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to launch their own version, partly as an effort to lure overseas cricketers back to the troubled country.

International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan over secu-rity worries since deadly militant attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus during the second Test in Lahore in March 2009.

The PCB wanted to stage the Pakistan Premier League (PPL) in March next year but the plan was set back after South Africa refused to rearrange the Pakistan national team’s tour.

Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests, five one-day inter-nationals and two T20s between February 1 and March 24 and wanted the tour to be pushed forward to accommodate the PPL.

“We requested Cricket South Africa to change the itinerary so that we could expand the window for our Premier league, but they said that the tickets for the series are already sold out and it’s not possible now,” PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said.

“We understand their position and are comfortable with that,” said the spokesman.

The dates of the South African tour leave only a tiny window before the lucrative IPL, which attracts most of the game’s big-gest stars, begins on April 3.

AFP

US Open winner survives injury scare in opener; Kvitova suffers defeatISTANBUL: Serena Williams survived an injury scare here yesterday to make a winning start in her bid to cap a brilliant comeback season by regaining the WTA Championship title in the tour’s season-end event.

The Wimbledon, US Open and Olympic champion appeared to pull a gluteal muscle in the first set while attempting a vigorous retrieve, but played through the discomfort to overcome Angelique Kerber, a debutant in this top eight event.

Williams’ tenacious efforts eventually earned her a 6-4, 6-1 revenge over the improving German left-hander, who upset the American tennis legend in their last meeting, at Cincinnati two months ago, and who had her moments early on this time too.

Kerber was surprisingly aggressive while coming back from 0-3 to 3-3 in the first set, and also played some good rallies while earning three chances to reach 5-5.

But she could not convert any of them, and once Williams broke for 3-1 in the second set with a trademark ferocious drive volley, the match quickly slid away from the woman from Kiel.

There had nevertheless been a few moments in the fifth and sixth games when a different outcome seemed possible, with Williams labouring to reach the ball and apparently anxious about her restricted movement.

Once she held her lower back after failing to reach a ball wide on the forehand side and she dropped serve in that game after

unaccountably hitting wide with a backhand drive from well inside the baseline.

As Kerber began to dictate some of the rallies in the following game, Williams again appeared to hold her gluteal region. But her rhythmic service action helped get her through the next few minutes and after she held serve again for 5-4 Williams pumped up her adrenaline with fearsome fist pumping and yelling.

Her standard immediately improved, but Kerber might still have reached 5-5 had she not double faulted on an advantage point. That failing was punished immediately by two solid Williams attacks which snatched her the set.

At the end Williams’ celebra-tions seemed subdued, and it was an hour before she appeared for a press conference. She has little time in which to recover from any after-effects for on Wednesday she is scheduled first on against Li Na, the former French Open champion from China.

Williams denied that she had suffered physical problems, say-ing: “I feel like I am moving well, getting a lot of balls back,.”

She suggested instead that she

had taken a while to get into her rhythm, not having competed since winning the US Open more than six weeks ago.

“I felt like I was ready to play,” she claimed. “I felt I had practised too much, and if I hit another practice ball I would go nuts.”

Kerber must now create a sur-prise if she is to retain any hopes of reaching the semi-finals, as her next group match is against the world number one, Victoria Azarenka, also tomorrow.

Earlier the chances of the title changing hands increased sign-ficantly when Petra Kvitova, the defending champion, produced a downbeat and error-prone performance to lose 6-3, 6-2 to Agnieszka Radwanska, the Wimbledon finalist.

It was the first time in four meetings that the Czech had lost to the Pole.

Kvitova had been below par while losing in the first round in Tokyo at the end of last month, and now again looked far from her fittest, spraying a shower of 41 unforced errors compared with a mere five from Radwanska.

Only briefly did the champion appear capable of gaining control, while she was recovering from the early loss of a service game and a 0-3 deficit to level at 3-3.

Thereafter she seemed to lack belief as well as consistency.

Later Kvitova appeared tearful and upset both by her perform-ance and the result, admitting that her sadness and anger had increased after returning to the locker room. AFP

Serena Williams of the US serves the ball to Angelique Kerber of Germany at the round-robin stage of the WTA Championships tennis tournament at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul. Serena won 6-4, 6-1.

Federer rules out end of season title flourishBASEL, Switzerland: Roger Federer has played down rat-tling off wins in the season’s closing three events as he did last year after reaching the sec-ond round of his home Swiss Indoors.

The five-time and top seed opened at the St Jakobshalle with a straight-sets win over German Benjamin Becker on Monday night and was yesterday await-ing an opponent from Japan’s Go Soeda and Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci.

The world number one

concluded last season in a victory sprint, winning Basel, the Paris Masters and the year-end World Tour Finals in London on the trot.

But past results are no predic-tor of future success.

For one thing, the rest week between the end of Paris Bercy and the start of the eight-man season-wrap up has been elimi-nated as the ATP compressed the calendar to gain two weeks of off-season.

That means that Federer will make a late decision on his Paris participation after his Basel run

is over. “It all depends on how tough and how much you play, how the scheduling is, who are the opponents, and then maybe get a chance to get on a run,” said the holder of 76 career titles who leads the ATP on six in 2012.

“It should not be my goal now to try and win all three again. The first goal is to see how I play here and take it from there.

“I have to think day by day. It’s simple, it’s pretty routine, but it’s my only way to handle these next couple of crazy weeks.”

AFP

WTA Championships Results in the $4.9m WTA Championships at the Sinan Erdem Dome yesterday (x denotes seeding):

White group

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x4) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x6) 6-3, 6-2

Red group

Serena Williams (USA x3) bt Angelique Kerber (GER x5) 6-4, 6-1

ATP Swiss Indoors Results on the second day of the ATP Swiss Indoors tournament yesterday (x denotes seeding):

1st round

Brian Baker (USA) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3

Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x6) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS) 6-0, 6-2

Matthew Ebden (AUS) bt Victor Hanescu (ROM) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)

ATP Valencia Open Results from the second day of the Valencia

Open yesterday (x denotes seeding):

1st round

Xavier Malisse (BEL) bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x2) retired

Nicolas Almagro (ESP x6) bt Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) 7-5, 6-3

David Ferrer (ESP x1) bt Olivier Rochus (BEL) 7-5, 7-5

Jurgen Melzer (AUT) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-3, 6-3

Sam Querrey (USA) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)

Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. (UKR) bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)

31SPORT WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012


City seek first win at Ajax Ittihad gain advantage over Ahli JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Naif Hazazi scored the only goal as Al Ittihad earned a 1-0 first leg advantage over cross-Jeddah rivals Al Ahli in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League on Monday night.

The 23-year-old Saudi Arabia international striker claimed his eighth goal of the tournament so far this season in the 67th minute when he scrambled a right foot shot past Abdullah Al Maiouf to give his side a slender lead ahead of the second leg.

Hazazi’s participation had been in doubt before the game due to a knee injury but the forward, who scored twice in the previ-ous round as Al Ittihad saw off Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande, was the difference between the sides.

Despite the victory Ittihad’s Spanish coach Raul Caneda was less than satisfied with his side’s performance. “Towards the end of the game we controlled the pro-ceedings and we should have scored another goal which could have made things easier for us,” he said.

“We didn’t put in a great per-formance and we should play bet-ter in the next match.”

Appearing in a record fifth AFC Champions League semi-final in nine seasons, Al Ittihad always looked the more likely to take an advantage into the second leg. The two teams will meet again on October 31, with the winners meet-ing either Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor or Ulsan Hyundai from South Korea in the final on November 10.

AFP

Dortmund out to halt Real Madrid; Malaga seek third successive winPARIS: Manchester City will be out to show they have learned from last season’s mis-takes when the English Premier League titleholders travel to face Ajax today with their Champions League ambitions hanging in the balance.

As tournament debutants a year ago, City had the misfortune to be drawn in the same group as experienced campaigners and eventual finalists Bayern Munich as well as a gifted if volatile Napoli of Italy.

Although Roberto Mancini’s men garnered ten points - nor-mally enough to progress from the groups - defeats on the road to both rivals ensured an early exit.

This time around, lightning has struck again in that Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund pose arguably even bigger obstacles in a Group C exclusively containing champions of four top leagues.

City are off to a poor start again, following up a last-gasp loss which was minutes away from being a momentous opening win in the Bernabeu with a fortuitous home draw with Dortmund.

A win in Amsterdam is vital to City’s hopes as they look to chase down what is already a five-point deficit to Real and three to Dortmund while they will also be praying Real claim a win in Germany that would as good as stake their claim to ultimate top spot.

Sadly for Mancini and com-pany, history is not on their side regarding the second part of the equation as Real have lost 16 and won only one of 23 of their previous away matches against German sides.

The solitary success came at Bayer Leverkusen, the side Real would defeat in the final a year later for the last of their record nine wins in club football’s most

Arsenal’s German striker Lukas Podolski (centre) attends a training session on the eve of their Champions League Group B match against FC Schalke 04 at Arsenal’s training ground, London Colney, North London, England, yesterday.

lucrative event. City must shrug off their own bouts of European travel sickness and not succumb to the late killer goal as they did in Madrid, administered by former Manchester United favourite Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Blues hope Spanish star David Silva may recover to play a part following hamstring trou-ble, assistant manager Brian Kidd said.

Kidd said medical staff were “looking at him thinking he might be in with a chance of playing on Wednesday against Ajax. With a couple of days for it to settle down, we will get a better picture.”

With six points in their pock-ets already after getting out of jail

against City, Real will be feeling they have the group by the throat.

Coach Jose Mourinho is keen to end the side’s decade-long Champions League drought, not least as that achievement would make him the first man to coach three different teams to glory.

German midfielder Sami Khedira is hoping at least for a place on the bench following a hamstring pull which forced him out of the weekend win over celta Vigo and Germany’s 4-4 thriller with Sweden last week.

Mourinho said that Dortmund would provide the stiffest opposi-tion for them.

“I’m not sure (if Manchester City are our biggest opponents),

Borussia Dortmund have been champions of Germany twice in a row.

“They are well organised and very experienced, with many international-calibre players from Germany, and the top two from Poland. Their stadium and fans are impressive too.”

Elsewhere today, Arsenal and Spanish debutants Malaga will be out to make it three wins out of three and, in so doing, take a signficant step to making the last 16. Arsenal, having over-come Olympiakos and out of sorts French champions Montpellier, should overcome their hangover from a weekend loss at Norwich with three points at home to a

Schalke side who have four points but who have never won in five visits to England.

Having qualified for the first time for the Champions League, Malaga have put aside talk of financial difficulties by winning their opening two matches.

The Andalusians now host an AC Milan side which despite its pedigree is struggling in Serie A after losing key play-ers like Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer.

Nonetheless, the Italians have four points under their belts and, even if the Spaniards can keep their momentum going, the Italians will be favoured to qualify alongside them. AFP

European Champions League fixtures

European Champions League fixtures on Wednesday (kick-offs 1845GMT unless stated):

Group A

At Oporto, Portugal

Porto (POR) vs Dynamo Kiev (UKR)

At Zagreb

Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) vs Paris Saint Germain (FRA)

Group B

At London

Arsenal (ENG) vs Schalke 04 (GER)

At Montpellier, France

Montpellier (FRA) vs Olympiakos (GRE)

Group C

At Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Ajax (NED) vs Manchester City (ENG)

At Dortmund, Germany

Borussia Dortmund (GER) vs Real Madrid (ESP)

Group D

At St Petersburg, Russia (1600)

Zenit St Petersburg (RUS) vs Anderlecht (BEL)

At Malaga, Spain

Malaga (ESP) vs AC Milan (ITA)

Asian Champions League result

Result from AFC Champions League semi-final first leg match played here on Monday:

Al Ittihad (KSA) 1 Al Ahli (KSA) 0

2nd leg - October 31

Playing Wednesday

At Tashkent (1300GMT kick-off)

Bunyodkor (UZB) vs Ulsan Hyundai (KOR)

Goal-line technology passes another hurdleZURICH: Goal-line technology providers GoalRef and Hawk-Eye have been authorised to install their systems worldwide after signing licence agreements with FIFA, football’s world gov-erning body said yesterday.

The announcement came a year after FIFA began an exhaustive search for systems which could reliably detect whether or not a ball had crossed a goal-line.

“Between October 2011 and June 2012, both companies passed a series of extensive laboratory and field tests, tests in simulated match situations, as well as tests in live matches,” said FIFA in a statement.

“This milestone in the goal-line technology process, which began in 2011, means that the two com-panies now have official authori-sation to install their respective goal-line technology systems worldwide.”

Football’s rule-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), approved the use of the technology in July follow-ing a series of incidents in which referees failed to see that the ball had crossed the goal-line.

The most infamous “phantom goals” were Frank Lampard’s effort for England in the World Cup second round match against Germany in 2010 and Sulley Muntari’s ‘goal’ for AC Milan in a top-of-the-table Serie A clash against Juventus last season.

The latter incident had a deci-sive impact on the outcome of the championship as Milan, winning the match 1-0 at the time, were eventually pegged back to 1-1 after conceding a late equaliser. Juventus went on to win the title.

FIFA said both systems still had to pass tests in stadiums where they had been installed before they could be used for offi-cial matches.

“Once a system has been installed in a stadium, the sys-tem undergoes a final inspection to check its functionality.

“This is carried out by an independent test institute and the results of this so-called ‘final installation test’ must be successful.

“Only a positive final installa-tion test qualifies a system to be used in official matches.”

REUTERS

UEFA President Michel Platini (right) and UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino hold a press conference after attending the first meeting of the UEFA 2016 Steering Committee, in Paris, France, yesterday.

UEFA will come down hard if racism proved, says PlatiniPARIS: UEFA President Michel Platini hinted yesterday that European football’s govern-ing body would come down hard on Serbia if claims that several England under-21 players were subjected to racist abuse there are proven.

“We’ll collate all the reports, we have the television pictures, the disciplinary committee is already on it,” Platini said on the sidelines of a Euro 2016 organising com-mittee meeting here.

“But we have already dished out a yellow card to Serbia (for previous instances of trouble).

“Racism is a problem that affects us massively. We’re fight-ing it, and that’s what I replied to the British prime minister, who wrote to me.”

England Under-21s’ 1-0 victory over Serbia in Krusevac last week, which saw them qualify for next

year’s European Championship in Israel, was overshadowed by apparent racism from the stands towards England full-back Danny Rose.

The Serbian federation (FSS) issued a statement “absolutely” denying there was any racism at all and branding the England players’ behaviour “vulgar”.

UEFA charged both the English and Serbian associations for the improper conduct of their players, and the Serbs for “alleged racist chanting” by fans.

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron was said to have been “appalled” at the scenes from the match in Krusevac.

Cameron wanted “tough sanc-tions” against Serbian football if racism is proven, according to a spokesman.

The UEFA disciplinary com-mittee will meet on November 22

to decide what, if any, punishment needs to be meted out.

Meanwhile, Platini insisted all stadiums selected to host matches in the 2016 European Championships will be ready in time.

“The federation will deliver them,” Platini said alongside fel-low steering committee mem-bers, organising committee head Jacques Lambert, French foot-ball federation head Noel Le Graet, French Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron, and Maurice Vincent, the mayor of St Etienne acting as representative of the host cities.

“Euro-2012 is finished, long live Euro-2016,” Platini said, adding: “But pay attention, people bad-mouthed Ukraine and Poland but in the end it was a success beyond all expectations. They set the bar very high.” AGENCIES

Uproar among French over headbutt statue of Zidane PARIS: A row is simmering over a giant bronze sculpture depicting French footballer Zinedine Zidane’s infamous headbutt on Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final, which has been placed outside the Pompidou Arts Centre in Paris.

The five-metre tall statue is the work of French, Algerian-born artist Adel Abdessemed, who is being honoured by the Pompidou with a retrospective on his work from October to January.

But its prominent display outside the popular centre has angered the national association of local French football officials who claim that it is not the image of Zidane, who retired after the 2006 World Cup final, that should be promoted.

“By choosing this provocative image, the artist has deliberately opted to ignore all your talents and all the postitive emotions that you were able to share with the people of our country,” the offi-cials wrote in an open letter to Zidane.

They called on him to use the full powers of his influence to have the statue removed immediately, adding that it would have been better to have highlighted his two headed goals in France’s 3-0 win over Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final.

Zidane’s headbutt on Materazzi, who he claimed had provoked him, came during extra time in the 2006 final in Berlin with the sides tied at 1-1. He was red carded and thus missed the pen-alty shoot-out which Italy won.

Zidane will take his first steps towards becoming a fully-fledged football coach when he sits the preliminary coaching exams this year. In an interview with L’Equipe newspaper, Zidane said: “I’ll pass my coaching diplomas... we’ll see later on for the profes-sional coaching licence.

“You have to start with some-thing and I’ll start this year.”

AGENCIES

Glazers staying at United LONDON: Manchester United’s American owners, the Glazer family, have no inter-est in selling the club and intend to stay put for “many, many years”, vice-chairman Ed Woodward said yesterday.

The Glazers have long been the target of protests from United fans for saddling the club with debt since their 2005 take-over, and in August they ceded 10 percent of their shares in an IPO sale on the New York Stock Exchange.

However, Woodward said that the six siblings in the fam-ily remained committed to the club on a long-term basis.

“There is always interest in this business,” he said.

“It is a phenomenal brand

and club, but they are not will-ing sellers at all. They won’t even engage, they are long-term inves-tors. “It’s a very popular business that people have interest in. The answer is: ‘Not for sale’.

“I talk to them (the Glazers) every day and the excitement they have in this club is undi-minished and I don’t see them selling completely for many, many years.”

United are preparing to open an office on the United States’ east coast in a bid to exploit the growing interest in football in the country.

Woodward also revealed that India and Australia are among the countries United are con-sidering as destinations for next season’s summer tour. AFP

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Sport | 28 Sport | 31

Armstrong facing financial meltdown

Manchester City seek first win at Ajax

SYDNEY: World Anti-Doping Agency chief John Fahey (pic-tured) said yesterday that “eve-rybody doped” in cycling during the Lance Armstrong era and the sport’s administrators at the time should take some responsbility.

The US rider’s epic fall con-cluded Monday with the loss of seven Tour de France titles, leav-ing the sport grasping for a way to move past a drug-tainted past.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) supported the findings of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which branded Armstrong the central figure in a sophisticated, systematic doping scheme.

Fahey said those in charge at the time must bear some responsibility.

“There was a period of time in

which the culture of cycling was that everybody doped. There is no doubt about that. The administra-tors have to take some responsi-bility for that,” the Australian told ABC radio.

“Is that period gone? That’s something which I think the jury is out on and I think UCI are meeting this Friday to consider a number of aspects, including what their response must be, going forward.”

Pressed on whether he meant everyone -- literally -- in that era used drugs, Fahey replied: “The evidence that was given by those riders who are teammates of Lance Armstrong, one after the other, they said the same thing -- that you could not compete unless you were doping.”

In all, 26 people -- including 11 former teammates -- told USADA

that Armstrong and his team used and trafficked in banned drugs and also used blood trans-fusions, and that Armstrong pres-sured others to do so.

In a separate interview with Australia’s Fox Sports, Fahey said cycling would only regain cred-ibility when the senior officials on watch during the “debacle” were removed.

“Looking back, clearly the dop-ing was widespread,” he said.

“If that doping was widespread, then the question is legitimately put: ‘Who was stopping it? Who was working against it? Why wasn’t it stopped?’

“I think it’s relevant to ask those questions.”

Fahey added that anyone involved during the Armstrong years could not justify their place in the sport’s hierarchy at the

UCI. “It’s not a question of sim-ply saying we’ll rule off the line and go on,” he said. “They clearly have to take the blinkers off, look at the past, examine the people who are there, ask themselves the questions: ‘Are those same people still in the sport and can they proceed forward with those people remaining?’

“I don’t think there’s any cred-ibility if they don’t do that and I think they need to get confidence back into the sport, so that its millions of supporters around the world will watch and support the sport going forward.”

UCI president Pat McQuaid, , on Monday warned against blam-ing the sport’s authorities for the doping scandal.

His predecessor Hein Verbruggen was at the helm dur-ing Armstrong’s reign. AFP

‘Everybody doped’ in Armstrong era: WADA chief

Hosts Barca strike late to shatter Celtic; Chelsea loseHernandez scores brace as Manchester United come back to win 3-2

LONDON: FIFA has extended the provisional ban on former presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam for another 45 days, the Qatari’s lawyers have said.

Bin Hammam had a lifetime ban overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July but was suspended again one week later, this time for a provisional period of 90 days, as FIFA announced a fresh probe by its ethics investigator Michael Garcia.

Now the former Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president and FIFA executive committee member, who challenged Sepp Blatter for the presi-dency last year, has received a further ban.

“It is astounding that FIFA is able to keep extending its ban on the football activities of Mr Bin Hammam, as it sees fit. FIFA’s latest extension order fails to give any reasons to justify its action,” said Bin Hammam’s lawyer Eugene Gulland in a statement.

“The basic tenet of law is that a person is inno-cent until proven guilty after a trial conducted according to due process.

“The situation that Mr Bin Hammam is facing is even more bizarre - a man who has prevailed in a trial by an independent legal body continues to be punished in an arbitrary manner.”

Bin Hammam was accused of trying to buy the presidential votes of Caribbean officials by handing them $40,000 each in brown envelopes at a meeting in Port of Spain.

He withdrew his candidacy for the FIFA elec-tions and Blatter was re-elected unopposed for a fourth term as FIFA president.

Bin Hammam was then banned for life after being found guilty of breaking seven articles of FIFA’s ethics code, including one on bribery.

Proceedings against former CONCACAF pres-ident Jack Warner, also present at the meeting in Trinidad and Tobago, were dropped after he resigned from his post.

CAS overturned Bin Hammam’s ban and last week he appealed to CAS again over the provisional suspension.

“The judgment of CAS found not only that FIFA failed to establish adequate evidence that Mr Bin Hammam was the source of the funds, but FIFA had also failed to establish any intent to influence votes. In short, FIFA failed to establish both evi-dence and motive,” his lawyer continued.

“Yet here we are some four months later with FIFA continuing to extend its ban while it, in conjunction with the AFC, conjures up further jumped-up charges.” REUTERS

Bin Hammam’s suspension extended by FIFA, says lawyer

VALENCIA, Spain: Juan Carlos Ferrero’s singles career drew to an emotional end when he lost 7-5, 6-3 to fel-low Spaniard and close friend Nicolas Almagro in the Valencia Open first round yesterday.

A former world number one who won the French Open in 2003 but was hampered by injuries throughout his career, Ferrero announced last month he would retire after playing his home event.

Sixth seed Almagro, 27, Ferrero’s junior by five years, had too much power and speed for his mentor in an entertaining match in which the pair exchanged smiles and jokes.

The younger man seemed to be suffering from a right shoulder problem late in the second set but shrugged off the injury and sealed victory on his first match point when the unseeded Ferrero net-ted a return.

The pair embraced at the net and the 32-year-old was given a rousing ovation by the crowd as he fought back tears before fling-ing his racket, shirt and various other personal items into the stands.

“It’s been a long time since I enjoyed myself so much on a tennis court,” said Ferrero who will join up with singles top seed David Ferrer in the doubles today.

“It was an honour to finish my career playing you, I think you are a great champion,” he told Almagro whose coaching staff he will join on a part-time basis next year.

“I simply want to thank every-one for all their support, not just this year but throughout all the years I have played here,” Ferrero told reporters. “It’s always been a very special tournament for me and this year even more so.”

Almagro paid tribute to his friend.

“Maybe it was the most bitter win of my career as a great tennis player is leaving us,” he said.

“I hope he’ll be with me a few weeks (on the tour) next year and I think we’ll have some fun. I still have a lot to learn from him.”

World number five Ferrer, who has already qualified for next month’s season-ending ATP Tour finals in London, battled past Belgian qualifier Olivier Rochus 7-5 7-5.

Ferrero turned professional in 1998 and won 16 titles includ-ing the Masters events in Monte Carlo and Rome. REUTERS

Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero reacts as he says farewell during the Open 500 Valencia at the Agora Stadium in Valencia, yesterday.

Ferrero’s singles career ends with defeat

Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez celebrates his second goal against Braga during their Champions League Group H match at Old Trafford in Manchester, northern England, yesterday.

European Champions League results

Yesterday's European Champions League results

Group E

Nordsjaelland (DEN) 1 Juventus (ITA 1

Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 2 Chelsea (ENG) 1

Group F

BATE Borisov (BLR) 0 Valencia (ESP) 3

Lille (FRA) 0 Bayern Munich (GER) 1

Group G

Spartak Moscow (RUS) 2 Benfica (POR) 1

Barcelona (ESP) 2 Celtic (SCO) 1

Group H

Galatasaray (TUR) 1 Cluj (ROM) 1

Manchester United (ENG) 3 Braga (POR) 2

BARCELONA: Jordi Alba scored with almost the last kick of the match as Barcelona snatched a stirring 2-1 come-back win at home to a battling Celtic in Champions League Group G yesterday.

The Scottish champions, who had never won in Spain in 12 previous attempts, took a shock 18th-minute lead at the Nou Camp through Giorgos Samaras when the Greek striker’s header spun into the net off Javier Mascherano.

Barca dominated possession but were struggling to penetrate the massed Celtic ranks until Andres Iniesta combined with Xavi and squeezed a shot just inside Fraser Forster’s post in the 45th minute.

The favourites pressed as Celtic tired in the second half and after Forster twice denied Lionel Messi and David Villa hit the frame of the goal, fullback Alba popped up at the far post in the 94th to deflect Adriano’s cross over the line.

Elsewhere, Manchester United staged a dramatic fightback from two goals down as Javier Hernandez’s double inspired a 3-2 win over Braga in the Champions League.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were in danger of an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Portuguese minnows after two early goals from Braga captain Alan shocked Old Trafford.

But Hernandez sparked United’s revival with his first goal before half-time and the Mexico striker bagged the winner with 15 minutes remaining after Jonny Evans equalised just after the hour.

Hernandez’s heroics ensured United maintained their 100 per-cent record after three Group H matches and one more victory should be enough to guarantee their place in the last 16.

Ferguson opted to rest Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, but he talked in his programme notes about the perils of underestimat-ing the supposedly weaker teams in the competition and paid Braga due respect by fielding a strong line-up that featured Hernandez, Wayne Rooney and Robin van

Persie in attack. It seemed like Ferguson’s players weren’t lis-tening to his warnings as sloppy defending allowed Braga to take the lead after just 90 seconds.

Former Newcastle midfielder Hugo Viana was given time to swing over a cross from the left and Alan got in front of Alexander Buttner to plant a fine header past United goalkeeper David de Gea.

For the eighth time in 12 matches, Ferguson’s men would have to come from behind after conceding the opening goal.

Reflecting the growing belief that United have something of a soft centre these days, Braga manager Jose Peseiro had prom-ised to go on the attack and his team were proving as good as his word.

Even so, it was still remarkable how easily Braga carved through the United defence to double their lead in the 20th minute.

Michael Carrick, once again playing as a makeshift centre-back, was lured out of position to the left wing by Eder, who beat his marker with a sublime flick before whipping over a cross that Alan, given too much space by Buttner and Evans, dispatched with a clinical low strike.

That stunning development finally seemed to shake Ferguson’s team out of their lethargy and Hernandez reduced the deficit just five minutes later.

Shinji Kagawa was allowed to play on after a foul on van Persie and the Japan midfielder lofted a cross towards Hernandez, whose diving header was too powerful for Braga goalkeeper Beto to keep out.

United had never lost at home to Portuguese opposition and Evans ensured that record would remain intact when the centre-back scuffed home the equaliser at the second attempt after Braga failed to deal with van Persie’s 62nd minute corner.

In the 75th minute of the match, England midfielder Tom Cleverley curled over a teasing cross and Hernandez, timing his run perfectly, found space to bury a bullet header past Beto. AGENCIES

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