www.thepeninsulaqatar.

com
BUSINESS | 21
VWs former CEO
under probe over
market manipulation

SPORT | 26
James and Cavs
win thrilling NBA
Finals Game

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016 16 RAMADAN 1437 Volume 21 Number 6834

Call to review
job contracts of
domestic helps
Committee taking
steps to streamline
recruitment.

The Peninsula

DOHA: The high-level committee

responsible for streamlining recruitment of domestic helps has proposed
to review the job contracts to protect
the rights of housemaids and their
employers.
The committee held its first
meeting at the Qatar Chamber
offices yesterday chaired by Eng Ali
bin Abdullatheef Al Misnad, chairman of the services committee of the
business association.
The panel was set up last week
in a meeting attended by representatives of Qatar Chamber, various
ministries and manpower agencies
to find a solution to all the problems
related to recruitment of workers
from abroad, especially domestic
helps.
Yesterdays meeting was
attended by representatives from the
Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs,
Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affair, Ministry of Economy
and Commerce and the recruiting

agencies. The aim of the meeting

was to discuss instructions of the
Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs H E
Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi
regarding simplifying the recruitment process of domestic workers,
reducing recruitment charges to
eliminate the burden on families employing domestic helps and
addressing the issue of delays in the
recruitment process.
Manpower agencies attending
the meeting insisted that the prices
are linked with the fees imposed by
the exporting countries as well as the
recruitment service providing agencies in the source countries.
It is also linked to the strong
competition between the countries in the region in recruitment of
domestic workers, directly influencing the prices.
The participants agreed to discuss the issue in depth to find a
solution to the hike in recruitment charges, without harming
competitiveness.
Regarding delays in handing
over of domestic workers, the agents
pointed out that this is because
of the long process in the source
countries.
They recommended keeping in
touch with the embassies concerned
through the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to ease the procedures and
reduce the delays.

Continued on page 3

thepeninsulaqatar

DOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim

bin Hamad Al Thani sent a cable
of condolences to Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques King Salman
bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi
Arabia on the death of Princess
Hassah bint Saud bin Abdulaziz
Al Saud, reports Qatar News
Agency.

Emir gets written

message from
Uganda President
Displaced Iraqis from the embattled city of Fallujah at a camp yesterday in Amiriyiah Al Fallujah. Aid
workers scrambled to cope with a massive inux of Iraqi civilians eeing the city after government
forces retook much of the city from the IS group.
See also page 6

NHRC signs deal with expat offices

The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatars National Human

Rights Committee (NHRC) has asked
representatives of the offices of expatriate communities functioning at
its premises to investigate the facts
about the complaints being raised
to the Committee so that they could
be forwarded to the authorities concerned accurately.
NHRC yesterday signed a memorandum of cooperation with the
representative offices of expatriate
communities to improve the mechanism for taking up the issues of the
respective communities to the NHRC.

Bloomberg

RAMADAN
TIMING
Todays Iftar
Tomorrows Imsak

6 : 30 pm
3 : 04 am

>PAGE 19

Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron (centre) poses with supporters

after arriving in the Liberal Democrat Vote Remain campaign bus during
a launch event in east London.
Exchequer George Osborne said in
an LBC radio interview. Brexits OK

@peninsula_qatar

Emir condoles
with Saudi King on
death of Princess

Helpless in Fallujah

The memorandum was signed

by Jaber Al Huwail, Director, Legal
Affairs, NHRC and representatives
of four expatriate communities (from
India, Philippines, Nigeria and Nepal)
at a meeting the NHRC headquarters
yesterday.
The agreement seeks to
strengthen cooperation and coordination between the two sides.
NHRC also agreed to appoint
researchers from its legal affairs
department as liaison officers to
coordinate between the department
and the representative offices.
They will also supervise the process of coordination in registration of
cases being submitted for study and

Leave weakens as Brexit vote draws near

LONDON: The campaign for the
UK to quit the European Union was
forced onto the back foot yesterday as
momentum shifted back to Remain
three days before the EU referendum.
The pound jumped the most since
2008 and bookmakers reduced the
chances of a victory for Leave in a
sign that investors were growing more
confident British voters will opt to
stay in the EU on Thursday. Governments and investors around the world
are watching the referendum amid
concern that a so-called Brexit would
spark turmoil across global markets.
Why are people now delaying
buying a home or buying a car if they
are not fearful of the consequences
of a vote to leave? Chancellor of the

@peninsulaqatar

if youre very rich, but for the rest of

the country who will have to live with

the consequences, not just for Friday

morning but for decades to come, they
have nowhere else to go.
Bookmaker figures processed by
the Oddschecker survey found that
the probability of a vote to leave has
fallen to 24.8 percent from almost
40 percent on June 15. Implied probability for a Remain vote rose to
about 80.4 percent. Prime Minister David Camerons efforts to lead
the campaign to stay went mostly
unhampered as lawmakers paused an
often-virulent contest to pay tribute to
murdered colleague Jo Cox. Cameron
and opposition Labour Party leader
Jeremy Corbyn led tributes to the
Labour lawmaker killed on Thursday, after Parliament was recalled
from a pre-referendum recess.
See also page 15

taking necessary actions. They will

also discuss with the coordinators
of the expatriate communities and
legal affairs departments and give
their opinion in this regard.
The memorandum is also meant
to boost the interaction to solve the
problems of the expatriate communities, NHRC said in a statement.
According to the agreement, the
coordinators of expatriate communities will work voluntarily in
cooperation with NHRC in raising
the problems faced by members of
their respective communities on a
priority basis.

Continued on page 3

DOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim

bin Hamad Al Thani received a
written message from Uganda
President Yoweri Museveni, pertaining to bilateral relations and
ways of enhancing them.
The message was handed
over to Assistant Foreign Minister
H E Sultan bin Saad Al Meraikhi
during a meeting with Ugandas
Ambassador to Qatar Dr Rashid
Yahya Ssemuddu, reports Qatar
News Agency.

Emir holds phone

conversation
with Hollande
DOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad Al Thani had a telephone talk with French President
Francois Hollande on bilateral
relations and means to develop
them in addition to regional and
international developments of
mutual interest, reports Qatar
News Agency.

Together against piracy

campaign launched
The Peninsula

DOHA: The Ministry of Economy

and Commerce in collaboration with
beIN Sports has launched a campaign to protect intellectual property
rights under the slogan, Together
against piracy.
The campaign aims to raise
awareness about the harmful
effects of piracy in the society and
the national economy.
The ministry said in a statement
yesterday that the campaign comes
as part of the ministrys efforts to
raise consumers awareness about
intellectual property rights and the
importance of complying with the

provisions of Law No 7 of 2002 on

protection of rights of authors and
related rights. The campaign is part
of a series of initiatives unveiled
by the ministry to mark the holy
month of Ramadan under the theme
#Aqal_Min_Al_Wajeb, the Arabic
for #the_least_we_can _do.
Piracy has different forms such
as viewing coded and paid materials illegally and downloading videos
and audio visual programmes without permission.
The ministry has called on all
citizens and expatriates to keep
away from illegal practices and
violations of the provision the law
governing intellectual property
rights.

65.3 million ed homes last year

AFP

GENEVA: The number of refugees

and others fleeing their homes worldwide has hit a new record, spiking
to 65.3 million people by the end of
2015, the United Nations said yesterday.
Europes high-profile migrant crisis, its worst since World War II, is just
one part of a growing tide of human
misery led by Palestinians, Syrians
and Afghans.
Globally, close to one percent of

humanity has been forced to flee.

This is the first time that the
threshold of 60 million has been
crossed, the UN refugee agency said.
The figures, released on World
Refugee Day, underscore twin pressures fuelling an unprecedented
global displacement crisis.
As conflict and persecution force
growing numbers of people to flee,
anti-migrant political sentiment has
strained the willingness to resettle
refugees, said UNHCR chief Filippo
Grandi. Instead of burden-sharing, we see borders closing. Instead

of political will, there is political

paralysis and humanitarian organisations like mine are left to deal with
the consequences and struggling to
save lives on limited budgets, Grandi
told reporters in Afghanistans capital Kabul.
The number of people displaced
globally rose by 5.8 million through
2015, according to the UN figures.
Counting Earths population at
7.349 billion, the UN said that one
out of every 113 people on the planet
was now either internally displaced
or a refugee.

TODAYS
GROUP
STAGE
MATCHES

Ukraine vs Poland
7pm
N Ireland vs Germany 7pm
Czech Republic vs Turkey 10pm
Croatia vs Spain
10pm

02

HOME

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

WISE hosts panel on education system reform

The key ndings of
this WISE research
are very relevant for
the current education
situation in Spain,
said Jos Antonio
Marina, one of Spains
leading voices on
education reform.

The Peninsula

DOHA: The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) recently

hosted a panel discussion in Madrid
to support global education reform
leaders in finding the most effective
ways to drive innovation in education systems.
The engagement promoted
the recommendations of the WISE
research report, Creative Public Leadership: How School System
Leaders Can Create the Conditions for

System-wide Innovation. The report

presents a roadmap for facilitating
system-level change in education.
Joe Hallgarten, a lead author of
the report, described key findings
about the creative public leadership
needed to inspire, drive and achieve
change at the systems level.Hallgarten, who is Director of Creative
Learning and Development at London-based ideas organisation Royal
Society for the Arts (RSA), explained
how he and his co-authors arrived at
the nine first steps required for reorienting public system innovation.
He said he is quite optimistic about
education in Spain as it represents a
great opportunity.
Jos Antonio Marina, who is
among Spains leading voices on
education reform, shared his views
on fostering education leadership
towards creating positive conditions
for innovation in Spain. He discussed
ways that some of them could be
implemented, saying, the key findings of this WISE research are very
relevant for the current education situation in Spain.
The engagement took place at
El Saln de Embajadores at the prestigious Casa de Amrica in central
Madrid, and was chaired and moderated by Stavros Yiannouka, CEO,

QNA

DOHA: Deputy Emir H H Sheikh

Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani
sent a cable of condolences
to Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques K ing Salman bin
Abdulaziz A l Saud of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on
the death of Princess Hassah bint
Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Prime Minister and Interior
Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin
Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani sent
a similar cable of condolences
to Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Salman bin
Abdulaziz Al Saud.

FROM LEFT: Jos Antonio Marina, Stavros Yiannouka and Joe Hallgarten at the recent panel discussion in
Madrid hosted by WISE.
WISE. An initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and

Garangao treats

Community Development (QF), the

gathering took place in parallel with

Activities during the Garangao festival at Gate Mall yesterday. Pic: Kammutty VP/The Peninsula

Traffic diversion on
part of Al Wakra Road
DOHA: The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) announces a traffic
diversion on part of Al Wakra Road,
stretching from the Air Force Interchange on the F-Ring Road to the Old
Barwa Intersection, as shown in the
attached map. The diversion will start
on Friday/Saturday 24/25 June 2016,
and will be operated in coordination
with the Traffic Police Department.
As part of this diversion, road
users travelling from Al Wakra to
Doha will be able to use two routes
to reach their destination.
Motorists travelling to Hamad
International Airport or the Corniche
can turn right at the Barwa Village

Traffic Signal onto Ras Abu Aboud

Road, while road users travelling to
central Doha can turn left at the same
traffic signal onto the new extension
of Najma Street.
Road users travelling from Doha to
Al Wakra will be able to use the same
routes along Najma Street and Ras Abu
Aboud Road.
The traffic diversion will enable
Ashghal to commence excavation
works on the existing Al Wakra Road
and facilitate the construction works
of the main carriageway as part of
Ashghals East Corridor project.
It is worth mentioning that the
East Corridor Expressway project is
part of Ashghals vital Expressway
Programme, and includes the construction of a new dual carriageway
with a length of approximately 11km

the WISE Learners Voice residential

session, also in Madrid.

Festival at Gate Mall

Organisers of Octobers World Championship of Cycling, taking place in Doha,

provided children of all ages with Garangao treats at booths located at Souq Waqif
and at Freej Aspire. It also spotted some of the more traditionally-clad children and
added them to its Facebook page, giving the world a glimpse into the wonderful
celebration of Garangao.

The Peninsula

Deputy Emir
condoles with
Saudi King

Ministry recalls
2010 model Kia
Cerato model
The Peninsula

DOHA: The Ministry of Economy

and Commerce, in collaboration
with Al-Attiya Motors and Trading
Co., the agent of Kia cars, recalled
2010 Kia Cerato vehicles due to a
possibility of leak in the automatic
transmission tube..
The ministry said in a press
statement released today the
recall comes within the framework
of ongoing coordination and
follow-up by the ministry to
ascertain the extent of car
dealerships commitment to follow
up vehicles defects and repair
them to protect consumers rights.
The ministry also stressed
that it will coordinate with
the dealership to follow up
ma i ntena nce a nd repa i r
operations and will communicate
with customers to ensure
implementation of the procedures
to fix defects.
The Ministry of Economy and
Commerce urged all consumers
to report any irregularities by
communicating the Consumer
Protection Department, which
receives complaints, suggestions
and inquiries through its channels
of communication.

HBKU provost gets award

The Peninsula

and consists of five lanes in each

direction. The road will create a
new strategic link in the south area
of Doha.
Ashghal will install road signs

advising motorists of the diversion.

The authority requests all road users
to abide by the speed limits, and follow the road signs to ensure their
safety.

DOHA: The provost of Hamad bin

Khalifa University (HBKU), Dr Khaled B Letaief (pictured), has received
the prestigious Marconi Prize Paper
Award on Wireless Communications
from the US based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE).
The award recognises exceptional innovation in the field of
electronics and computer engineering. It was presented to the Dr Letaief
at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur
during the IEEE International Conference on Communications, IEEEs
flagship conference on communications technologies.
I am delighted and honored
to receive this prestigious international award, which recognizes

innovation at the cutting edge of

communications technologies and
the best research output in the field
of wireless communications published over the past three years in
IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications the premier journal
to focus on this scientific discipline,
said Dr Letaief said.

Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotion back at Lulu

The Peninsula

DOHA: Lulu outlets have again

launched Buy 2 Get 1 Free Promotion
effective from today and will continue
to rock until 09th of next month. This
promotion will encompass almost all
international brands of menswear,
ladies-wear, churidhars, saris, children-wear, footwear and ladies bags.
Stocks of leading international brands
of Menswear, Ladieswear, Childrenwear and Footwear viz., Lee, Wrangler,
Nike, Crocs, Sketchers, Reboke, Louis
Philippe, Arrow, Van Heusen, Allen
Solly, Peter England, Oxemberg, Zero,
Dash, Hush Puppies, Liberty, Dickies, Joseph Seibel etc. are on display.

According to Lulu Management, this

is one of the mega promotions of their
promotion calendar and conducted regularly every year. It is a much-awaited
promotion by the customers always and
has gained popularity as it adds more
value to the hard-earned money of the
customers.
The above promotion entitles the
customers to get the lowest priced one
free when they buy three of any of
the above items irrespective of the
brands. Lulu was the first hypermarket introduced this innovative
promotion in the market and is regularly conducting the same since long
every year. Latest summer and winter
collections of all international brands
and trendy range of fashion wear and
footwear to suit all age groups are on

display, keeping in view the increased

demands of the customers.
Lulu Group is also set to make
history with another innovative promotion of 10 Mercedes Benz E-200
cars, Model 2016. As per the mechanism envisaged, customers are
entitled to get a coupon on every purchase of items worth QAR.50/- to win
10 Mercedes Benz cars. The promotion has started on 11th May, 2016 and
will continue until 06th August, 2016
and will culminate in 5 mega draws
starting from 07th to 11th August, 2016
at D-Ring Road branch, Al-Gharrafa
branch, Al-Khor branch, Lulu Center
and Barwa City branch respectively.
There are a few vendors who
have launched lucrative promotions
at Lulu outlets in line with Ramadan

and the upcoming summer vacation. On purchase of Delsey Luggage

products worth QAR.300/-, the customers are entitled to get a Lulu Gift
vouchers worth QAR.75/-. This will
continue until 25th of July, 2016.
When you buy any luggage product of American Tourister worth
QAR.200/-, the customers will get
a Lulu Gift Voucher worth QAR.50/and this will continue until 25th July,
2016. Also those who buy any Carlton
Luggage Products worth QAR.250/are entitled to get a Lulu Gift Voucher
worth QAR.50/, which will be valid
until 30th June, 2016. On purchase of
Targus Laptop bags and accessories
worth QAR.100/-, the customers will
be entitled to get a Lulu Gift Voucher
worth QAR.30/-, which will continue

until 25th of July, 2016. Wagon R also

has launched an amazing offer that
when you buy any of their Luggage

product, you will get the next one at

half price. This promotion will continue until 16th of July, 2016.

HOME

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

68% of expats spend more

on charity in Ramadan
74% of expatriates in
GCC countries say they
want to spend more
time with the family
during the holy month,
while 40% stated that
they spend more on
socialising with friends
and family at Iftar and
Suhoor events.

The Peninsula

DOHA: Around 68% of GCC expatriates spend more on charitable

acts during Ramadan, according

to a sur vey conducted on expatriate behaviour and spending
habits during Ramadan by Xpress
Money.
The survey added that 74 percent
of GCC expatriates said they want
to spend more time with the family during the holy month, while 40
percent stated that they spend more
on socialising with friends and family
at Iftar and Suhoor events.
Additionally, remittances to
friends and family back home rise
during the month, with 47% of
respondents sending more money
during Ramadan.
We have regularly seen a
boost in remittances from the
GCC during Ramadan, and our
research now confirms that people
are more inclined to send money
to friends and family during the
month, said Xpress Moneys Vice

Qatar Charity distributes 8,000

food parcels to Fallujah displaced
The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatar Charity (QC) has distributed during the past few days some
3,000 food parcels to the displaced residents of Fallujah in the Iraqi Anbar
province, while preparing to distribute other 5,000 parcels over the next
few days in order to reach distribution of up to 8,000 food parcels during the holy month of Ramadan .
The food aid comes within the framework of the campaign launched
by QC to provide 10,000 food parcels and medical supplies for those
affected in the city. Mohammed Rashed Al Kaabi, Director of Relief Section at QC said that the delivery of food parcels is part of the fraternal
duty and humanitarian relief to the displaced brethren in Fallujah and
the Iraqi people in order to help alleviate their suffering as a result of the
developments there.

President of Global Marketing,

Ashwin Gedam.
The survey, which polled 570
Muslim and non-Muslim expatriates
in the GCC focusing on the UAE,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman - also
showed that 3 out of 4 respondents
want to spend more time with family
during the holy month and are more
likely to travel back home to be with
them during Ramadan.
We are seeing that Ramadan
inspires social bonds, reflection
and acts of charity across the board
amongst expatriates, whether they
observe Ramadan or not. Our survey
results show that Ramadan inspires
people to follow its spirit of generosity, charity, peace and togetherness,
he added.
Xpress Moneys Ramadan survey
is part of the brands constant efforts
to better understand and engage with
its customers across the GCC.

NHRC officials with the representatives of expatriate communities after signing a memorandum of
cooperation and coordination at the headquarters of NHRC

Memorandum species role of NHRC

Continued from page 1
The supervisory committee will
keep coordinating with the coordinators on certain points. The
coordinators will maintain strong
relations with the members and
volunteers of their respective communities. They will be able to talk on
behalf of the communities for their
interests. They should enjoy good
reputation, respect and sympathy.

Review of contracts
proposed
Continued from page 1
They also proposed a review of
the contracts between the employers and manpower agencies and
between employers and the workers with participation of the bodies
concerned and frame suitable contracts in line with the Qatari policy
of protecting the rights of expatriate workers and the employers.
They recommended this review be
done this month.
All recommendations of the
meeting will be forwarded to
the authorities concerned, said a
statement from the Qatar Chamber yesterday.

Although there is no official

work ing hours, t he community representatives should give
around 10 hours weekly for volunteer works.
The representatives should be
keen to support their community
members and could speak and write
Arabic or English. They should not be
affiliated to any organisation abroad
except those accredited by NHRC.
The memorandum has also

specified the role of NHRC that is

focused on cooperating with the
coordinators and holding training
courses about legal system in Qatar.
The courses will be focused on the
issues related to the works, residency,
understanding the problems and
bringing about appropriate solutions.
They will also be taught how to
cooperate with legal affairs department according to the nature of the
cases.

Half a tonne of spoiled

sh destroyed
The Peninsula

DOHA: The Ministry of Municipality and Environment destroyed

half a tonne of fish at Al Wakra fish
market as it was unfit for human
consumption.
Meanwhile, health monitoring
section at Doha Municipality shut
down three food outlets in Umm
Ghuwailina, Um Lakhba and
Industrial Area for preparing food
in unhealthy condition and selling
expired food. These outlets were shut

RAF Iftar gesture

Representatives from Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF)
distributing Iftar meals to the people in front of a mosque at the Central Market. Some 1,400 meal
packets are distributed daily during Ramadan. The meal includes dates, juices, mineral water, some
fruits and biryani. Pic: Salim M/The Peninsula

Honda Qatar smartphone app launched

DOHA: Domasco, the authorised
distributor for Honda cars in Qatar,
has developed a smartphone application for Honda customers to have
the convenience of staying in touch
with their favourite brand even on
their mobile phones and tablets.
Honda Qatar app, available for free
on both Apple App Store and Google
Play, enhances the Honda car owner
experience in many ways and comes
with multiple useful features.
Honda Qatar apps diverse features provide convenient access to
detailed information about Honda
vehicles and other services. The app
has up-to-date information with
pictures of the latest Honda car
models. Users can fill in a contact

for one week The Municipality also

conducted inspection of buildings
and excavation sites last month for
violations and collected QR219,860
in fines.
Inspectors from the Labour
Accommodation Unit have registered
11 violations of the law regulating workers accommodation and
ordered evacuation of five accommodations for workers.
Al Sheehaniya Municipality
also conducted 82 inspection campaigns and caught 11 violations, and
removed 35 abandoned vehicles.
They collected QR4,200 in fines.

03

form for any queries that they may

have about Honda and even book
a test drive for any of the car models from within the app itself. The
app also features a Find Us option
which shows all sales and after
sales locations on the Qatar map
and users can select any location
to be directly opened in any of the
navigation apps on their phones.
Honda Qatar app paves the way
for advanced connectivity and enables a new form of communication
between the customer and Honda.
Direct calling feature of the app connects customers to Hondas toll free
number with just one click. Users also
can book a service appointment by
filling in a form within the app.

Speaking about the new platform, Greig Roffey, Head of Sales

& Marketing for Honda, said
DOMASCO always loves to listen
to its customers and we observed
that many of our customers are
accessing Honda information from
their smartphones and tablets. So
we decided to make it simpler for
our customers to access all the
sales related information through
an integrated application. With this
app any information about a new
Honda is just a touch away.
The app also provides latest
Honda news from across the world
as well as Honda Qatar Facebook and
Twitter feeds enabling users to easily
like or share this content.

Council discusses
draft law on
civilian decorations
DOHA: The Advisory Councils
weekly meeting yesterday discussed a report by the legal and
legislative affairs committee in
relation to a draft law on civilian
decorations, and decided to submit its recommendations thereon
to the Council of Ministers, reports
QNA.
The meeting held under the
chairmanship of the Speaker of the
Advisory Council H E Mohammed
bin Mubarak Al Khulaifi.
The Secretary-General Fahad
bin Mubarak Al Khayareen read
out the agenda.

04

HOME

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

HMC holds second Clinical Imaging Quality Day

The presentations
addressed a wide
variety of important
issues, such as radiation
safety, patient service
improvement and ways
of meeting international
clinical imaging
standards.

The Peninsula

DOHA: Residents from across Hamad

Medical Corporation (HMC) presented
28 quality improvement projects and
research abstracts at the Second Clinical Imaging Quality Day (CIQD).
The presentations addressed a
wide variety of important issues,
such as radiation safety, patient service improvement and ways of meeting

international clinical imaging standards. A Project Evaluation Panel

consisting of seven clinical imaging
experts and chaired by Dr Ahmad
Khairy, Chairman of the Clinical
Imaging Department selected 10 winning projects from the 28 submissions.
More than 300 healthcare professionals from across Qatar recently
gathered at the one-day event organised by HMCs Clinical Imaging
Department.
The event builds on HMCs commitment to improving the services our
patients receive and to deliver the
safest, most effective and most compassionate care to each and every
one of them. This years CIQD was
based on representing our model for
quality improvement, sharing our latest advances in this field, as well as
celebrating the success and the outcomes of our quality improvement
training program, said Dr Nawal Al
Tamimi, Deputy Chairperson of the
Second CIQD and Quality Improvement Training Programme Leader.
The Clinical Imaging Department launched a quality improvement
training programme for clinical

imaging professionals in October

2015. Since then, 40 teams, comprising 70 residents and radiologists, have
been trained on adopting quality
improvement approaches. The initiative is part of HMCs efforts to improve
the performance of its employees and
foster a positive work environment for
them, which, in turn, will reflect in
patient service improvements.
The CIQD programme this year
for the first time included a workshop
on the best ways to implement quality improvement initiatives based on
new quality improvement concepts,
which were approved by the Institute
for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in
Boston. It also included training on different tools and scenarios to implement
quality improvement projects. Special
emphasis was placed on teaching the
teams about the importance of studying and assessing quality improvement
ideas before implementing and integrating them into the health system. The
workshop was a great success as it was
attended by about 80 clinical imaging
professionals from across HMC and
Qatar, said Dr Al Tamimi, who is also
an IHI Quality Improvement Fellow.

Dr Nawal Al Tamimi (fourth left), Deputy Chairperson of the Second CIQD and Quality Improvement Training
Programme Leader, with other officials.

Nojoom members can

donate points to charity

Ashghal project wins MEED award

The Peninsula

The Peninsula

DOHA: Ooredoo has encouraged its Nojoom Members to

donate their Nojoom points to
charities in Qatar during the
Holy Month.
Wit h Nojoom Cha r it y
redemption, members can donate
to some of Qatars best loved
charitable organisations easier
than ever before, by simply using
their points for vouchers starting
at QR25 up to QR2000.
Redemptions can be done to
Nojooms charity partners including; Qatar Charity, the Sheikh Eid
Bin Mohammad Al Thani Charitable Association, also known as

Eid Charity, and Afif.

Nojoom members can log
into their Nojoom account
via the Ooredoo website or
the Ooredoo App to make a
redemption.
Fatima Sultan Al Kuwari,
Director Community & Public Relations, Ooredoo, said:
We aim to encourage the joy
and importance of giving that
comes with the Holy Ramadan
by making donations as easy
as possible. Thanks to Nojoom,
members can now donate to
their choice of charities using
points.
Ooredoo has launched a series
of special offers and several
community and charity events
that will take place across the

country throughout the month

of Ramadan. Customers can
follow Ooredoo Ramadan

campaign via the Ooredoo

Facebook and Twitter page or
the #CloserConnection.

DOHA: A project of the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) the second expansion of the
Doha South Sewage Treatment Works won
the MEED Quality Award 2016, in the energy
and water field.
The project was completed at the beginning
of this year. It is a very important treatment
plant in the country, with a capacity to treat
241 million litres of sewage water per day. The
plant features advanced techniques such as
Ultra Filtration, which produces high quality
treated water that exceeds the standard set
for the quality of water, and which is pumped
through treated water networks to be used for
irrigation and cooling purposes. The plant is
also run by advanced systems and electronic
programmes with minimum technical intervention by engineers and workers.
The plant receives raw sewage from the

various pumping stations in Doha city, where

it enters the primary treatment facilities stage
which removes stones and solid materials. After
primary treatment, secondary biological treatment is conducted, which includes a number of
stages and technologies which are implemented
to purify the water to reach the stage of ultrafiltration using membrane technology, which
produces high-quality treated water.
The second phase of expansion implemented at the plant included the construction of
three electricity substations, six pump houses,
one storm water lagoon and one treated sewage
effluent (TSE) Lagoon. Water treatment operations are run through a network of 15 km plant
piping.
The project contractor, Larson and Tubro
and Galfar Al Misnad Joint Venture were
awarded in a function organized by the Ashghal to celebrate the achievement. Khaled Saif
Al Khayarein, Manager of Drainage Networks
Project Department in Ashghal attended the
awarding ceremony.

QPMC organises special Suhoor

The Peninsula

DOHA: Qatar Primary Materials

Company hosted a special Suhoor in
recognition of its employees on the
occasion of the Holy Month of Ramadan
at its Mesaieed offices. The company
acknowledged ten of its workers with
awards for adopting the highest standards of driving safety regulations, and
for following company regulations and
abiding by Qatar laws in general. During the celebration, three workers also
shared their personal Ramadan experiences and discussed what the Holy
month meant to them.
Ahmed Abdulla Al Suwaidi, Acting

Administration Director at QPMC, said

of the occasion, There is no doubt that
we at QPMC consider our employees as
one of the most important pillars that
the company stands on. On this belief,
we organise such events to show them
our appreciation and constant support
for the very important role they have.
As Ramadan represents the coming
together of all humans, as brothers,
it is the best time of year to demonstrate our gratitude for our employees
hard work and dedication. Caring for
our workers and providing them with a
good life is a top priority at QPMC, and
we try to achieve it both short and long
term.
QPMC has adopted several initiatives dedicated to its workers

wellbeing, from maintaining a good

life at work and in their accommodations. Such actions are testament
to QPMCs dedication to its employees and the importance that they play
in the companys success. All of this
reflects the image of the company in
the Qatari community. QPMC is now
considering many other initiatives
aimed at further enhancing the life of
workers, especially regarding training, sports and entertainment.
Additionally, QPMC received an
award during this years GCC Traffic
Week, an annual event held in all of the
GCC member countries concurrently, in
which traffic officers from each country
exchange knowledge and experience
in the field and discuss related issues.

Qatar Primary Materials Company officials with employees.

Elan Group hosts

Suhoor for staff

Commercial Bank holds

Iftar for the elderly

The Peninsula
The Peninsula

DOHA: Commercial Bank organised an Iftar in honour of the

elderly residents of Empowerment
and Elderly Care Center (IHSAN).
The banks team visited the elderly at IHSAN and shared Iftar with
them in an atmosphere of amity
and geniality.
Commercial Bank CEO Abdulla
Saleh Al Raisi said:
In keeping with our Qatari traditions to break fast with family,
friends, and neighbours, it is our
pleasure to share an Iftar with the
elderly who have made an enormous contribution to our county.
This Iftar is a gesture of appreciation and respect for both the older
generations and for Qatari customs
during Ramadan.
K ha l id Abdu l la Hussei n,
Director of Public Relations and
Media at Empower ment a nd

Elderly Ca re Center (IHSA N),

lauded the Commercial Bank
visit and Iftar with the elderly
community, noting that this gesture brought joy and happiness to
Ihsans mothers and fathers and
deeply affected them.
Seeking to provide a safe,
stable life for the Qatars elderly citizens by offering them
healthcare, social and psychological services, Ihsan provides
home-based care and raises public awareness, especially families,
about embracing the elderly,
offering them guidance to adopt
the best methods in this regard.
Ihsan strives to develop an integrated care system that includes
the home, the hospital and the
nursing home and endeavours to
establish the necessary facilities
and legislations.
As part of a series of community-focused CSR initiatives
during Ramadan in line with of
the National Vision 2030, the

Commercial Bank staff with elderly residents of Empowerment and Elderly Care Center (IHSAN).
Iftar was organised by Commercial Bank to encourage solidarity

in Qatari society by sharing happiness with the elderly during the

special moments that come with

the breaking of the fast.

DOHA: Elan Group has recently hosted its

annual Ramadan Sohour celebration for
its employees at the Sharq Village resort.
The Sohour ceremony was attended by
Elan Group Chief Executive Officer, Jaber
Al Ansari, senior executives from Elan, and
over 120 of its employees.
On this occasion, Al Ansari welcomed
the guests by stating: Ramadan is a month
in which families comes together, and Im
delighted to see Elans family gathered
today in an atmosphere of fraternity typical of Ramadan. May Allah accept your fast
and bless you and your families during this
holy month.
Elan is celebrating its 12th birthday
this year and I would like to congratulate
everyone on this special occasion. The past
12 years have been a great journey full of
achievements across all our business units,
he added. Tariq Al Hammadi, Group Chief
Support Officer, commented, Elans annual
Sohour reflects our commitment to nurturing our talents whom we consider as the
Elan family.

MIDDLE EAST

05

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Turkey arrests scribes & activist on terror charges

AFP

Two scribes and an

activist were charged
after taking part
in a campaign of
solidarity. About 100
people rallied at the
Istanbul courthouse
to support the three.

ISTANBUL: Turkey arrested the

local representative of international
rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on terrorist propaganda
charges yesterday, in the latest crackdown on the media in the country.
Erol Onderoglu as well as journalist Ahmet Nesin and rights activist
and academic Sebnem Korur Fincanci, were charged after taking
part in a campaign of solidarity with

Bahrain strips citizenship

of top Shia cleric

a pro-Kurdish newspaper in May. RSF

swiftly condemned the charging and
detention of the three in a post on
Twitter. Unbelievable low for press
freedom in Turkey. Free Erol! said
the tweet from the Paris-based organisations eastern Europe and central
Asia desk.
About 100 people rallied at the
Istanbul courthouse to support the
three as they were sent to pre-trial
detention, chanting, We will not bow
to pressure. The international community has voiced increasing alarm
about the erosion of press freedoms in

Turkey under President Recep Tayyip

Erdogans rule. The Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe
said it was appalled by the detention
of the three, describing it as a most
severe blow to freedom of expression
and media freedom in Turkey.
The arrests come despite the
European Union pressuring Ankara
to reform its terrorism laws to stop
prosecuting academics and journalists for publishing so-called terror
propaganda. The three had in May
taken symbolic control of pro-Kurd
newspaper Ozgur Gundem, which has

Syria journalists
still at risk in host
countries: RSF

been in the crosshairs of the Turkish

authorities for years, sparking a judicial enquiry against them.
The paper, seen by the authorities as close to outlawed Kurdish rebel
group the Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK), has often been closed down,
according to media reports. Turkey is waging a large-scale military
offensive against the PKK in the Kurdish majority southeast, and clamped
down on those Ankara sees as supporting what it and its Western allies
consider a terrorist group.
Onderoglu has represented RSF

in Turkey since 1996, while Nesin is

a well known writer and journalist,
and Fincanci is an academic who
heads the Human Rights Foundation
of Turkey. Several thousand people
including journalists, politicians and
the occasional celebrity, have faced
prosecution for allegedly insulting
Erdogan, who has shown little tolerance for criticism since becoming
president in 2014 after more than a
decade as prime minister.
RSF ranks Turkey 149th out of
180 countries in its latest World Press
Freedom Index for 2015.

Dazzling dhow

AFP
AP

DUBAI: Bahrains government

yesterday stripped the countrys
leading Shia cleric of his nationality in a move that brought thousands
of protesters into the streets and
threatened to ignite sectarian tensions across the region.
The Bahrain News Agency
quoted the Interior Ministry as saying that Sheikh Isa Qassim had
played a key role in creating an
extremist sectarian atmosphere and
had formed groups that follow foreign religious ideologies and political
entities, an apparent reference to
Shia-majority Iran.
The move was welcomed by
Bahrains Sunni-led allies but condemned by Shias, and could serve
as another flashpoint for tensions
stoked by the rivalry between Saudi
Arabia and Iran.
A fter the decision was
announced, thousands of Qassims
supporters gathered outside of his
house in the mostly Shia village of
Diraz, carrying posters and chanting
religious slogans as well as slogans
against Bahrains king and the Saudi
monarchy. It was the largest protest
in at least two years.
Sayed Al Wadaei, director of
advocacy at the Bahrain Institute
for Rights and Democracy, said in
a statement that the decision will
escalate tensions and may lead to
violence.
The tiny island nation off the
coast of the Arabian Peninsula has
been in turmoil since a 2011 uprising
backed by majority Shiites demanding greater rights from the Sunni-led
monarchy. Bahrain crushed the
protests with the help of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,

Sunni allies suspicious of Iran and

opposed to growing Shia influence
in the region.
Saudi Arabias senior council
of clerics, who follow an ultraconservative Sunni ideology that is at
odds with Irans Shia clerical leadership, welcomed the actions taken
by Bahrain.
Iran condemned the decision. In
a statement on the semi-official ISNA
news agency, Irans Foreign Ministry
urged Bahrains authorities to hold a
serious national dialogue, through
previous efforts have failed.
Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who
heads the elite Quds Force of Irans
powerful Revolutionary Guard,
upped the rhetoric further, saying the
decision against the cleric crosses
a red line.
This arrogance will leave no
choice for the people of Bahrain
other than armed resistance, he was
quoted as saying by the semi-official
Fars news agency. He warned that
the government would be toppled
and Bahrains King Hamad bin Isa
Al Khalifa will pay the cost.
Lebanons Hezbollah, an
Iran-backed Shia militant group,
denounced the decision on its AlManar TV network, which called
on Bahrainis to express their
indignation and said the move
against the cleric would have grave
consequences.
Bahrains Interior Ministry said
Qassim had endorsed the theory of theocracy and had used his
sermons to serve foreign interests,
harming the supreme interests of
his own country. Qassim, who had
served as a member of parliament
in the 1970s, could face deportation,
though dozens of other Bahrainis
stripped of their nationality have
remained in the country without
the benefits of citizenship.

Palestinians bury
Downs syndrome man
shot by Israeli troops
AFP

HEBRON: Palestinians yesterday buried a young man said

to be suffering from Downs syndrome, who was fatally shot
by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank.
Arif Jaradat, 22, was wounded during clashes with the
Israeli armed forces on May 4 in his home village of Sair.
He died of his injuries at a Palestinian hospital in nearby
Hebron on Sunday, staff said.
He was a special case with special needs, his mother
Zakia Jaradat said as she received a stream of condolence
visits in the living room of the family home.
Jaradats father, Sharif, who wore the traditional white
headscarf of the Bedouin, said Arif had heard villagers and
troops were engaged in clashes and had rushed to the scene.
He got about 10 metres (yards) from the soldiers and
put his hands in the air, said Sharif, 68, leaning on a walking stick.
Four of his brothers were there and they called out to
the soldiers in English and Hebrew not to shoot, he said.
There were seven soldiers there; they started to leave
but one came back and fired.
The Israeli army spokespersons office had not
responded yesterday when asked by AFP about the shooting. He was the most loveable (person) in the village, his
father said tearfully, as dozens of relatives and neighbours
walked in a long funeral procession with the body, which
was wrapped in a Palestinian flag.
Violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since
October has killed at least 208 Palestinians, 32 Israelis, two
Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese.
Israeli authorities say most of the Palestinians were
carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks. Others
were killed in clashes with security forces or by Israeli air
strikes in the Gaza Strip.

BEIRUT: Syrian journalists who

have sought refuge in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey remain in danger
despite having fled war and hostility in their homeland, a media
rights watchdog said yesterday.
Both local and foreign journalists are considered legitimate
targets in Syria, where regime
forces, rebels, jihadists and Kurds
are fighting over a country ripped
apart by five years of conflict.
Those who have escaped Syria
face oppression from the authorities in their host countries as well
as other types of predator, said
Reporters Without Borders.
Hundreds of professional and
non-professional journalists have
fled the country because they were
exposed to both targeted persecution and the conflicts extreme
violence, said the watchdog
known by its French acronym RSF.
Many of them face constant
difficulties and continue to fear
for their safety in the countries in
which they seek refuge, it said.
The RSF report was based on
interviews with 24 Syrian journalists living in exile in neighbouring
countries. They found themselves
in different sets of circumstances
than they had experienced at
home, especially in terms of regulations and living and working
conditions, and they faced threats
coming both from inside and outside their host country, it said.
RSF said authorities had
restricted journalists rights to
move freely, choose their place of
residence or leave the country and
return. RSF says at least 51 professional and 144 non-professional
journalists have been killed since
the start of the conflict in 2011.

A restaurant boat adorned for the Holy Month of Ramadan is seen in Dubai, UAE, yesterday.

Ban to meet Saudi deputy crown prince

AFP

UNITED STATES: UN chief Ban Kimoon will meet with Saudi Arabias
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman tomorrow as the world body
and Riyadh lock horns over the conflict in Yemen.
The two are to meet at midday at
UN headquarters in New York, said
Bans deputy spokesperson Farhan
Haq, who gave no details of their
agenda. Tensions flared recently
when the UN briefly blacklisted the
Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, after an
expert report found it responsible for
60 percent of the 785 children killed

in the country last year. The blacklisting infuriated Saudis, and the UN
removed the coalition from the list
pending a fact review.
Ban went on to publicly accuse
Riyadh -- a major UN donor -- and
its allies of financial blackmail, saying they threatened to cut off funds
to certain UN agencies, including a
Palestinian aid program.
Saudi Arabia has rejected both
those charges and the reports
findings. The Riyadh-led military
intervention is supporting the Yemeni government in its fight against
Iran-allied Houthi rebels, primarily through air strikes that began in
March 2015. The Saudi government
has requested that the UN send a

team of experts to the coalition headquarters in Riyadh to jointly review

the report and for the UN to provide
details on its sources and methods.
The UN has not yet responded
to the invitation and has indicated
that any such meetings should take
place in New York. Prince Mohammed holds great sway in the Saudi
hierarchy, and also serves as the
countrys defense minister. He met
Friday with US President Barack
Obama, as well as Secretary of State
John Kerry, Defence Secretary Ashton
Carter, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew
and CIA Director John Brennan. President Obama praised Saudi efforts to
reach a political agreement to end
conflict in Yemen.

06

MIDDLE EAST

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Israel foils move to

smuggle wetsuits
for terrorists

Major terrorist
plot thwarted
in Tehran
A series of bomb
attacks prepared in
various areas deep
inside the country
were foiled. The
terrorists were
arrested and a
number of readymade bombs were
recovered.

AFP

TEHRAN: Irans intelligence ministry said yesterday that it had

thwarted a major jihadist plot to
carry out bomb attacks in the capital
Tehran and other parts of the country, state media reported.
One of the biggest takfiri-Wahhabi terrorist plots was discovered
and foiled, the official IRNA news
agency quoted the ministry as saying, using terms applied by Iran to
Sunni extremist groups.
A series of bomb attacks prepared in various areas deep inside
the country and especially in Tehran
and some other provinces... were
foiled, the terrorists were arrested
and a number of ready-made bombs
were recovered, it said.
No more details were provided.

The ministry said they were interrogating the suspects and more
information would come following
investigations both inside and outside the country.
The secretary of Irans Supreme
National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, told the ISNA news agency
the plot included plans for suicide
attacks in Tehran.
Iran, the predominant Shiite
power, has been helping both the
governments of Iraq and President
Bashar al-Assads regime in Syria to
battle the Sunni extremist Islamic
State group.
Iranian cities have not however
faced any serious threat of jihadist
attack, with the countrys powerful
security forces prioritising the protection of the countrys borders.
In November, Irans army conducted exercises close to its border
with Afghanistan designed to simulate how it would respond if
terrorist groups such as IS mounted
an attack.
Before the drills in the northeastern province of Khorasan, General
Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, the armys
head of ground forces, announced a
40 kilometre (25 mile) limit on the
borders with Iraq and Afghanistan,
which if breached would trigger
action. Before the enemy reaches
borders, its actions will be neutralised, he said. An increased police
presence in Tehran in November and
December -- with armed security
forces guarding subway stations
and other public areas in Tehran -raised concerns that an attack was
possible.

AFP

Syrian rescuers search the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported Syrian government forces
attack at the Tariq Al Bab neighbourhood in the rebel-held area of the northern city of Aleppo, yesterday.

IS seizes Syria villages from forces

AFP

BEIRUT: The Islamic State group

launched a surprise assault yesterday near its besieged stronghold in
northern Syria, killing residents of
two villages it recaptured from USbacked fighters, a monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights said IS had dispatched
a small group of jihadists -- including one driving an explosives-laden
car -- into villages southeast of their
bastion of Manbij. The villages had
been seized in recent weeks by the
US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces

Iraqi security forces walk with their weapons at Fallujah hospital in the centre of Fallujah, yesterday.

Iraqi forces battle IS in

Fallujah days after citys fall
AP

BAGHDAD: Iraqi forces battled

Islamic State militants in pockets
of Fallujah yesterday, days after the
government declared the citys liberation.
Iraqi special forces say they are
closing in on the remaining IS strongholds but that their progress has been
slowed by snipers hiding in residential buildings. Brig. Gen. Haider Al
Obeidi, of the special forces, told The
Associated Press he hopes to clear
IS out of Fallujah completely in the
coming few days.
IS militants still control the
northern Golan neighborhood as
well as other scattered pockets,
where they are largely surrounded. Al
Obeidi says Iraqi fighters who know
the terrain and can blend in with
local residents have largely melted
away, leaving behind foreign fighters

who have little choice but to fight to

the death.
The Iraqis, they know how to
escape, but for the foreigners, they
can only surrender or die, al-Obeidi
said. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi
declared victory in Fallujah on Friday after special forces entered the
city center, capturing government
buildings and the central hospital
following weeks of fighting. Iraqi
commanders said 80 percent of the
city was under their control, though
clashes were still underway.
Fallujah, which is less than an
hours drive from Baghdad, was the
first Iraqi city to fall to IS, in January 2014. At the height of the groups
power it controlled a third of Iraq,
but now the government says it only
holds 14 percent of the countrys territory. That includes Mosul, Iraqs
second largest city, which fell to IS
in the summer of 2014.
Iraqi forces in Fallujah were
aided by the US-led coalition, which

launched 17 airstrikes in and around

the city over the past week. The Pentagon says those strikes destroyed
dozens of IS fighting positions, weapons and vehicles.
The operation inside the city
was carried out by the Iraqi army,
regional and federal police, and
special anti-terrorism units. Shiite militias, known as the Popular
Mobilization Force, remained outside Fallujah and have not taken part
in the recent battles.
More than 14,000 families have
fled Fallujah and surrounding areas
since the operation to retake the city
began in late May, including nearly
10,000 families in just the last four
days, according to the United Nations.
The exodus has overwhelmed
camps for the displaced run by the
government and aid groups. The
Norwegian Refugee Council has
said thousands are without shelter
or proper sanitation and warned of
a potentially catastrophic situation.

in their push for Manbij. IS is trying

to defend Manbij by sending fighters from outside the town to attack
the SDF in these villages, said Rami
Abdel Rahman, the director of the
Britain-based Observatory.
Daesh executed residents, he
added, using an Arabic acronym
for IS. The head of the Observatory,
which relies on a vast network of
sources on the ground for its information, did not have an immediate
toll from the villages.
The US-led coalition backing the SDF carried out a barrage
of air strikes on Monday to defend
the villages, said Abdel Rahman. At
least four SDF fighters were killed

in the clashes and many more were

wounded. The SDF -- a Kurdish-Arab
alliance with air support from the
US-led coalition -- encircled Manbij nearly 10 days ago.
But since then, they have been
slowed by almost daily suicide bombings as IS puts up a fight for the town.
Held by the jihadists since 2014,
Manbij was a key stop along ISs
supply route from the Turkish border southeast through the town of
Tabqa and on to its de facto Syrian
capital of Raqa.
IS is also mounting a fierce
defence of Tabqa, which has been
under attack by Russia-backed
regime forces since early June.

JERUSALEM: Israel said yesterday that officials at a crossing

point into Gaza foiled an attempt
to smuggle in wetsuits for use by
militants of the Islamist movement
Hamas which rules the Palestinian territory.
Inspectors at the Kerem Shalom crossing...foiled an attempt to
smuggle dozens of professional
wetsuits that were suspected of
being destined for terrorist elements in the Gaza Strip, including
Hamass naval commando unit, a
government statement said.
The wetsuits were concealed
in a seemingly innocent shipment of sportswear that had been
imported from abroad, it said,
It was also added to the
reporters that the seizure was
made with the help of the Shin Bet
intelligence service.
Video posted with the statement showed short-sleeved,
knee-length garments.
An investigation has been
opened to locate those involved,
it said, without revealing when the
attempt took place.
Israel imposes strict control on
shipments from its territory into
the Palestinian coastal enclave,
seeking to prevent Hamas from
receiving so-called dual-use
items with the potential for building fortifications or attacking the
Jewish state.
Israel controls two of the three
land crossings into Gaza -- Kerem
Shalom and Erez -- and maintains
an air and sea blockade.
The third land terminal is at
Rafah, on the border with Egypt,
it was informed.
Cairo has largely kept it closed
since 2013 and has destroyed Palestinian tunnels used to smuggle
in commercial goods, cash, people
and, allegedly, weapons.

Tunisia extends
state of
emergency

Israeli minister suggests

offshore seaport for Gaza

AFP

AP

TUNIS: Tunisia yesterday extended

by a month a state of emergency in
place since November following a
series of jihadist attacks, officials
said. The president of the Republic, Beji Caid Essebsi, decided
yesterday to proclaim again the
state of emergency across (Tunisian) territory for a month starting
from June 21, 2016, the presidents
office said.
The North African nation, the
birthplace of the Arab Spring, has
suffered from a wave of jihadist
violence since the 2011 revolution
that ousted longtime dictator Zine
El Abidine Ben Ali.
Following a suicide bombing
in the capital in November which
killed 12 members of the presidential guard and was claimed
by IS, authorities declared a state
of emergency and a curfew in the
capital.

JERUSALEM: Israels transportation minister said yesterday that he

is pushing for the construction of
an artificial island off the coast
of Hamas-ruled Gaza, saying it will
alleviate economic hardship in the
blockaded coastal strip and reconnect it to the rest of the world.
The Palestinians have greeted
the plan with skepticism, however,
concerned that its real aim is to further sever Gaza from the West Bank.
Yisrael Katz said his plan calls
for an eight square kilometer (three
square mile) island linked to Gaza
by a five-kilometer (three-mile)
bridge. He said the island, estimated to cost $5bn, would include
a seaport and perhaps a future airport. Israel would supervise security
but it would otherwise be run by
Palestinians.
Katz, a top deputy of Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said

Israel had no objection to easing the
Gaza blockade as long as its security needs are met. I do not think it
is right to lock up two million people without any connection to the
world, Katz said in a briefing with
foreign reporters. Israel has no
interest to make life harder for the
population there. But because of
security concerns we cant build an
airport or seaport in Gaza.
Israel destroyed Gazas airport
during the second Palestinian uprising. Gaza City has a small seaport
that is not large enough to handle
container ships and is mainly used
by fishermen. Israel and Egypt
imposed a blockade on Gaza after
Hamas seized power in 2007. Israel
says the blockade is needed to prevent arms from reaching the Islamic
militant group, which has fought
three wars against Israel since the
takeover. Critics say the closure
amounts to collective punishment
of Gazas 1.8 million residents.

Cyber Horse

People take photos of the Trojan horse named the Cyber Horse displayed at the entrance to the
annual Cyber Week conference at the Tel Aviv University in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, yesterday.

Ramadan
Thoughts

07

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Islam: Basic Facts 6

The Haj

he Haj (pilgrimage to
Makkah) is the fth of
the fundamental practices and institutions
known as the ve pillars
of Islam. Pilgrimage is not undertaken in Islam to the shrines of
saints, to monasteries for help from
holy men, or to sights where miracles are supposed to have occurred,
even though we may see many Muslims do this. Pilgrimage is made
to the Kaaba, found in the sacred
city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, the
House of God, whose sanctity rests
in that the Prophet Abraham (peace
be upon him) built it for the worship
of one God. God rewarded him by
attributing the House to himself, in
essence honouring it, and by making it the devotional epicentre which
all Muslims face when offering the
prayers (salah).
The rites of pilgrimage are performed today exactly as did by
Abraham, and after him by Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon them).
Pilgrimage serves as a penance - the
ultimate forgiveness for sins, devotion, and intense spirituality. The
pilgrimage to Makkah, the most

sacred city in Islam, is required of

all physically and nancially able
Muslims once in their life. The pilgrimage rite begins a few months
after Ramadan, on the 8th day of
the last month of the Islamic year
of Dhul Hijjah, and ends on the 13th
day.
Makkah is the centre towards
which the Muslims converge once a
year, meet and refresh in themselves
the faith that all Muslims are equal
and deserve the love and sympathy
of others, irrespective of their race
or ethnic origin. Thus the pilgrimage
unites the Muslims of the world into
one international fraternity. More
than two million persons perform
the Haj each year, and the rite serves
as a unifying force in Islam by bringing followers of diverse backgrounds
together in worship.
In some Muslim societies, once
a believer has made the pilgrimage, he is often labelled with the
title Haji; this, however, is a cultural, rather than religious custom.
Finally, the Haj is a manifestation
of the belief in the unity of God all
the pilgrims worship and obey the
commands of the One God. At certain stations on the caravan routes
to Makkah, or when the pilgrim
passes the point nearest to those stations, the pilgrim enters the state of

purity known as ihram. In this state,

the certain normal actions of the
day and night become impermissible
for the pilgrims, such as covering the
head, clipping the ngernails, and
wearing normal clothing in regards
to men. Males remove their clothing and don the garments specic to
this state of ihram, two white seamless sheets that are wrapped around
the body.
All this increases the reverence
and sanctity of the pilgrimage, the
city of Makkah, and month of Dhul
Hijjah. The simple garb signies the
equality of all humanity in Gods
sight, and the removal of all worldly
affections. After entering the state
of ihram, the pilgrim proceeds to
Makkah and awaits the start of the
Haj. On the 7th of DhulHijjah the
pilgrim is reminded of his duties,
and at the commence of the ritual,
which takes place between the 8th
and the 12th days of the month, the
pilgrim visits the holy places outside
Makkah Arafah, Muzdalifah, and
Minaa and sacrices an animal
in commemoration of Abrahams
sacrice. The pilgrim then shortens or shaves their head, and, after
throwing seven stones at specic
pillars at Minaa on three or four
successive days, and heads for the
central mosque where he walks

seven times around the sacred

sanctuary, or Kaaba, in the Great
Mosque, and ambulates, walking
and running, seven times between
the two small hills of Mount Safaa
and Mount Marwah.
Apart from Haj, the minor pilgrimage or Umrah is undertaken
by Muslims during the rest of the

year. Performing the Umrah does

not full the obligation of Haj. It is
similar to the major and obligatory
pilgrimage (Haj), and pilgrims have
the choice of performing the Umrah
separately or in combination with
the Haj. As in the Haj, the pilgrim
begins the Umrah by assuming the
state of ihram. They enter Makkah

and circle the sacred shrine of the

Kaaba seven times. He may then
touch the Black Stone, if he can,
pray behind the Maqam Ibrahim,
drink the holy water of the Zamzam
spring. The ambulation between
the hills of Safa and Marwah seven
times and the shortening or shaving of the head complete the Umrah.

Making of our moral ber in Ramadan

that is, the womb said: (O Allah) at this
place I seek refuge with You from all those
who sever me (i.e. sever the ties of lath and
kin). Allah said: Yes, and will you not be
pleased that I will keep good relations with
the one who will keep good relations with
you, and I will sever the relation with the
one who will sever the relations with you.
The womb said: Yes, O my Lord. Allah said:
Then that is for you.
Maintaining ties with ones family is
one of the most important foundations of
society. As Muslims, we should all make an
effort to reconnect with our family, especially during the month of Ramadan. Set
goals and share them as a family and even
if each member has different goals they
can all help each other. Make time to have
iftar with your family and share your days
experiences together. Ramadan helps us
remember the true meaning of a meal as
sustenance from God, and spending time
with family.
Sometimes its hard to keep the
momentum of your deeds going. Here are
four ways that can help.

BY Mariam Murphy

amadan is here, and as we

move through this blessed
month there are many goals
weve planned to reach. Each
person is unique and will have
individual goals, but here are five aspects
of worship that we ought to work on this
Ramadan.
QURAN: Ramadan is the best time to
reconnect with the Quran. The best advice
I have been given is to remember to stay
consistent with ones recitation and in pondering over the verses of the Quran. Try
to set a minimum amount of Quran that
you would like to read everyday. In this
way, you will
ensure that
every day of
Ramadan
will be filled
with Quran.
A good way
to reach your
goal is by
setting aside
time after
each salah to
read the specific portion
of the Quran
that
yo u
planned to
read for the
day. But we
do not want
to fall into the
habit of reading the Quran
w it hout
understanding
the
beauty within
it. Integrating
the meaning
and the background will help us understand the reasons why the Quran is a Book
of Guidance.

Each person is
unique and will
have individual
goals, but here
are ve aspects
of worship that
we ought to work
on this Ramadan.

SALAH: There are many ways we

can work on improving our Divine connection through salah. The first and
most important is that we strive to pray
all five obligatory prayers on time. By
doing so, you will strengthen your connection with your Creator in the way
He loves. The next way to improve our
concentration in salah is by praying the
Sunnah prayers before and afterward.
The Prophet (PBUH) told us that whoever
prays twelve rakahs of prayer voluntarily

MAKE DUA: Constantly make du a to

Allah to make things easy for you and that
you act out of sincerity. Allah tells us in the
Quran: Make dua to Me. I will respond to
you
in a day and night, Allah will build him
a house in Paradise. Not only do you
receive great reward for these extra
prayers, but it also helps a person prepare for the fard, or obligatory, salah. This
is especially important when it comes to
the Sunnah before Salat Al Fajr, as people
are more likely to miss it out of tiredness
or lateness.
In a hadit narrated by Aisha, May
Allah be pleased with her, and reported
in the compilation of Muslim, the Prophet
(PBUH) said: The two rakahs before the
Dawn (Fajr) prayer are better than this
world and all it contains. After the Sunnah prayers, we can focus on the nawafil
prayers, such as Salat Ad-Duha, which is
two rakahs that can be performed anytime from about a half hour after Fajr until
15 minutes before Duhr salah. Abu Dharr
(May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Prophet (PBUH) said: In the morning,
charity is due on every joint of the body of
everyone of you. Every utterance of Allahs
glorification (i.e., saying SubhanAllah) is an
act of charity, and every utterance of His
Praise (i.e., saying Al hamdulillah) is an act
of charity, and every utterance of declaration of His greatness (i.e., saying Allahu
Akbar, or saying La ilaha illa Allah) is an act

of charity; and enjoining ma ruf (good) is

an act of charity, and forbid-ding munkar
(evil) is an act of charity, and two rakahs
of the Duha salah which one performs in
the forenoon is equal to all this (in reward).
(Muslim)What-ever portion of salah you
would like to improve, all salah is a divinely
ordained connection to Allah, Exalted and
Most High.
DUA: The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe
wa sallam, said: The essence of worship is
dua. Through this hadith we learn that not
only does Allah, subhanahu wa taala, want
us to make dua, but also that there is a
reward for those who do. There is no person who asks Allah, subhanahu wa ta ala,
for anything expect that Allah gives it to
him, or keeps away from him a similar evil,
as long as he does not ask for something
evil or for breaking the ties of kinship. At
this point a man said to the Prophet (PBUH):
In that case, we will ask for plenty! and
the Prophet (PBUH) responded: Allah is
more plentiful. One of the most recommended times to make du a is during the
last third of the night, which in Ramadan
encompassed suhoor time. Another time
that is recommended to make du a is during salah, especially in sujood. If you can,

pray two rakahs before Fajr and make sure

to make dua during sujood. During the
month of Ramadan, one of the best times
that we are reminded of is the dua before
the fasting person breaks his or her fast.
The best ways to remember things that you
wanted to make dua for is by writing them
down as soon as you think of them during
the day. So when it comes to these recommended times for du a, you will be able to
use it effectively.
CHARACTER: This aspect of selfimprovement receives less focus than
most others, but it does not mean that it
holds any less importance. In a hadith narrated by Abu Dawud, the Prophet(PBUH)
guaranteed a house in the upper part of
Paradise for a man who has good character. This relates to us the importance of
upright character in the individual as well
as the society. To inculcate good habits in
the month of Ramadan is to integrate them
into ones personality.
FAMILY: One of the best ways to focus
on improving our character is by interacting with our family. The Prophet (PBUH)
said: Allah created the creations, and when
He finished with His creations, the rahm,

JOURNAL: There may be days during

Ramadan when we feel as though we have
not reached any of our goals. That is why
it is so important to write down and focus
on what you have done during the month
to look back at when you need an extra
boost to keep going.
HELP A FRIEND: Friends, especially in
these times, are among our biggest influences when it comes to how we spend our
time. This is why it is important to always
surround oneself with friends who will help
us reach our goals.
REINFORCEMENT: If you notice
that you are reaching the goals you set,
dont forget to reward yourself. This can
be something simple as going out for ice
cream after iftar and tarawih. By looking
forward to a special treat, whatever wholesome thing it might be, this will help you
get through the day.
In the end, goals are meant to help you
draw nearer to Allah, glorified and exalted.
The best of goals, therefore, are those acts
of belief that can be done consistently and
be continued throughout the year. Whatever good goals you set, may you reach
them with great success.

08

ASIA / PHILIPPINES

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Southeast Asian nations vow to ght terrorism

Reuters

MANILA: Indonesia, Malaysia and the

Philippines yesterday agreed to designate a transit corridor for commercial
vessels crossing a maritime zone hit
by a spate of hijackings by Islamist
militants in the southern Philippines.
Nearly 20 Indonesian and
Malaysian tugboat crew have been
kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf militants this year, with Jakarta airing
fears that the problem could reach
levels seen off the coast of Somalia.
Alarmed at the frequency of
attacks, port authorities in some areas

Philippines, Indonesia
and Malaysia agree to
consider establishing
joint military
command posts and
three-nation sea and
air patrols.
of Indonesia, particularly Kalimantan
on the island of Borneo, have stopped
issuing permits to ships taking coal to

the southern Philippines.

Indonesia is the worlds largest
thermal coal exporter and supplies
70 percent of the Philippines coal
imports.
The ministers have agreed in
principle to explore the following
measures, including a transit corridor
within the maritime areas of common
concern, which will serve as designated sea lanes for mariners, the
defence ministers of the three nations
said in a joint statement after a meeting in Manila.
Analysts say $40-billion worth
of cargo passes through the Sulu and
Celebes seas each year, including

supertankers from the Indian Ocean

that cannot use the crowded Malacca
Strait. The three countries also agreed
to step up air and sea patrols and
escorts for commercial ships in the
common maritime areas to fend off
potential hijacks, kidnaps and robbery. Philippine Defence Secretary
Voltaire Gazmin said the leaders
agreed to share the best practices
evolved by Indonesia and Malaysia during a joint effort to patrol the
busy Malacca Strait waterway against
pirates, as a model for three-way
cooperation with the Philippines.
It was the second meeting of officials of the three countries to tackle

growing regional security challenges,

after their foreign ministers met in
Jakarta last month.
In 2002, Indonesia, Malaysia and
the Philippines, which share maritime borders, signed a pact to stiffen
security against growing cross-border attacks by Abu Sayyaf militants.
But they have not set up coordinated naval patrols, with navies
operating in their own territorial waters.
Kidnappings over the last 15 years
have made the Abu Sayyaf militants
notorious, with extorted ransoms running into millions of dollars.
The seamen kidnapped this year
were freed, with police and military

Bodies pile up as Filipino

police show new leader
theyre tough on drugs

N Korean diplomat
to attend forum
with US envoy
Seoul: A North Korean
diplomat who was part
of six-party talks aimed
at ending the countrys nuclear programme
arrived in China yesterday
where she is expected to
attend a forum in which
the US nuclear envoy will
take part, Kyodo news
agency said.
If the diplomat does
take part, it would be a
rare gathering of experts
from the six countries
weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping said he
would like to see the sixparty talks resume.
North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear
test in January and a
long-range rocket launch
the following month
in defiance of UN resolutions, prompting
the UN Security Council to impose tough new
sanctions.

Suu Kyi reiterates

stance on not
using Rohingya
Yangon: Myanmar leader
Aung San Suu Kyi has told
the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights
that the government
will avoid using the term
Rohingya to describe
a persecuted Muslim
minority in the countrys
northwest, an official said
yesterday.
Members of the 1.1
million group, who identify themselves by the
term Rohingya and live
in apartheid-like conditions, are seen by many
Myanmar Buddhists as
illegal immigrants from
Bangladesh.
The term is a divisive
issue.

Nearly 50 die
in Indonesian
landslides
Jakarta: Indonesian
authorities raced yesterday to rescue victims
of landslides and flash
floods caused by torrential rain at the weekend
that killed nearly 50 people and left many missing
in the main island of Java.
Search and rescue
teams used earth movers
and bulldozers to clear
debris in several locations
in Central Java province
after heavy rainfall da
aged thousands of homes
and forced residents to
evacuate.
Around 200 people
are continuing to search
for victims said Sutopo
Nugroho, spokesman for
the national disaster mitigation agency.

officials saying at the time it was

unclear if a ransom had been paid.
The Philippines rarely publicises
such payments, but few believe captives are released without them.There
was no immediate comment from the
Abu Sayyaf rebels.
Piracy near Somalias coast has
subsided after shipping firms hired
private security details and international warships patrolled the waters.
Southeast Asia has faced multiple terrorist attacks in the recent past,
particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Prime Minister of Singapore,
Lee Hsien Loong, has called Southeast
Asia a key recruitment area for ISIS.

Reuters

MANILA: Philippine police killed

11 suspected drug dealers during
operations at the weekend, police
said yesterday, adding to a surge of
drugs-related killings since Rodrigo
Duterte swept an election last month
on promises to wipe out crime.
Dutertes single-issue campaign
of tackling illegal drugs and other
crime within six months, and his
staunch advocacy of extrajudicial
killings, struck a chord with Filipino voters.
However, rights groups have
rebuked him over concerns that,
as president, he would live up to his
nickname of the punisher.
The more than 40 drug suspects
killed since Dutertes May 9 election
victory compares with the 39 deaths
recorded in the four months before
it, said National Police spokesman
Wilben Mayor.
Duterte takes office on June 30
and has repeatedly reassured police
they would have his full support if
they killed criminals who resisted
with violence. He has also warned
that police found to be involved in
the drug trade would suffer the same
fate.
Speculation has been rife in
Manila that some police involved
in the drugs business were clearing
the decks before Duterte takes office
by eliminating criminals who could
implicate them.

Villagers carrying Chinese national ags protest at Wukan village in China's Guangdong province yesterday.

Residents of South China rebel

village protest for chiefs release
Reuters

WUKAN, CHINA: Residents of a

southern Chinese village that was
once hailed as a beacon of democracy in the Communist-ruled
country marched in protest yesterday, demanding the release of the
village chief who was detained in a
weekend raid.
The fishing village of Wukan
made international headlines in 2011
when it launched an uprising against
corrupt former village leaders and
land grabs that resulted in provincial

authorities sacking the former village

chief and allowing fresh elections
that saw many protest leaders elected
on a landslide.
Villagers gathered near dusk
after listening to a speech from a
public stage, waving red China flags
and calling for the return of seized
land and the release of Lin Zuluan,
a former protest leader who was
directly elected village chief in 2012
and who has since been accused of
abuse of power and accepting bribes.
More than 100 riot and paramilitary police in helmets and shields
watched as the villagers, young and

Cambodian PM denies role in

Asean U-turn on S China Sea
AFP

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Premier Hun Sen lashed out yesterday

at claims his government had bowed
to Chinese pressure to help scupper
a joint statement by Southeast Asian
nations on the South China Sea.
In an angry speech, Hun Sen
also accused an international court
of political bias as it prepares to rule
on a sea dispute between the Philippines and China.
The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration is widely
expected to rule against Beijing
when it delivers its verdict in the
coming weeks.
Last week a meeting of foreign ministers from China and the
10-member Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean) in Kunming ended in chaos and renewed

allegations of regional bullying by

Beijing.
The diplomatic fracas erupted
when Malaysia released a joint statement from Asean members voicing
serious concerns at land reclamation and other activities.
The strongly-worded statement
did not name China but clearly
referred to its extensive island-building. But the statement was suddenly
retracted for reasons that have yet to
be fully explained.
The incident was seen as another
example of Aseans inability to present
a united front to China as it ramps up
its presence in the waterway.
Several news outlets have quoted
Asean diplomatic sources as saying
that Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar
-- historically Chinas strongest
regional allies -- were instrumental in scuppering the consensus
statement.

old, streamed around the village

perimeter in a long procession, some
jeering at the officers as they went
and pumping their fists in the air.
Do not assemble and protest
again, notices posted by the regional
government in the village read.
Do that at your own risk.
The protesters dispersed later in
the evening, with another demonstration planned for Tuesday.
Lins wife said that shes spoken
to her husband by telephone since his
arrest and that he had urged the villagers to keep fighting for the seized
land and justice.

However, incoming national

police chief Ronald dela Rosa said
drug peddlers were killed in legitimate operations.
I would know if these people
were killed in rub-outs, he said in
a radio interview.
Philippine media reported yesterday that drug dealers were killed
when they resisted arrest during operations in Manila, Laguna,
Bulacan, Rizal, Bohol and Cebu at
the weekend.
Police said many of those killed
in those raids and undercover stings
had chosen not to go quietly.
Our undercover agents killed
two known drug peddlers in sting
operations, Adriano Enong, police
chief in Rizal province just to the east
of Manila said.
There was a shootout between
undercover police officers and drug
peddlers when the men sensed they
had sold 500 pesos ($10.80) worth of
drugs to policemen, he said.
Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis
Antonio Tagle gave special prayers
on Sunday urging incoming state
officials to avoid a culture of death
and reprisal. Those prayers will be
read each day before the new government takes office in the deeply
religious, predominantly Catholic
Philippines.
Catholic bishops have been disturbed by statements attributed to
Duterte warning of killings, and by
his plan to seek the return of the
death penalty by hanging.

Refugee rights

People, including asylum seekers and refugees, hold placards as they attend a rally to mark World
Refugee Day 2016 in Hong Kong, yesterday. The number of refugees and others eeing their homes
worldwide has hit a new record, spiking to 65.3 million people by the end of 2015, the UN said.

UN presses for access to migrants after Indonesia boat standoff

Reuters

JAKARTA: The United Nations refugee agency yesterday called for access
to a group of migrants believed to be
from Sri Lanka, following a week-long
standoff that saw their boat stranded
off the coast of Indonesia.
The boat carrying the 44
migrants, including women and

children, was reportedly en route to

Australia and had drifted into Indonesian waters near northern Aceh
province on June 11 after encountering engine trouble.
Local officials had initially
stopped the migrants from disembarking and said it must sail on, but
then allowed them ashore over the
weekend amid criticism from refugee advocacy groups.

However, UNHCR in Indonesia

said that since the incident, it had not
been granted access to the group to
determine their status.
We havent been given access,
and I am hoping that we will. We have
indicated to the government that we
are standing by and we are ready to
assist, said UNHCRs Indonesia representative Thomas Vargas.
When there are people that have

been on a boat like this and have now

landed on the shores of a country, we
very much hope that the country will
allow us access, he told reporters
after an event held to commemorate
World Refugee Day.
Vargas said UNHCR has been
given no reason for the lack of access,
but he declined to comment when
asked if it signalled Indonesia might
start pushing back asylum-seekers

boats, like neighbouring Australia.

Indonesia is not a signatory to the
UNs refugee convention, but it has in
the past allowed migrants ashore on
humanitarian grounds.
It has been the practice of the government to allow these people on such
boats to disembark and for UNHCR to
have access. My sincere hope that this
tradition, which so far has been very
strong, will continue, Vargas added.

ASIA / AFRICA

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Militants attack
convoy in Kenya;
ve cops dead
Insurgents vow to
continue attacks until
Kenya withdraws
troops from African
Union.
Reuters

NAIROBI: Somalias Al Shabaab militants killed five police officers in a

border region in northeastern Kenya
yesterday, the latest deadly incursion
aimed at punishing Kenya for sending troops to Somalia.
Al Shabaab said it was behind
the attack. The groups military
operations spokesman Sheikh
Abdiasis Abu Musab said four officers were also wounded and a vehicle

in their convoy was burned in the

ambush by its fighters.
The group has previously said it
would continue attacks until Kenya
withdraws troops from an African
Union force fighting the militants in
Somalia.
We condemn the attack by al
Shabaab at Dimu this morning, five
police officers killed, Mandera
County Governor Ali Roba said on
his Twitter account.
Diplomats say Kenyas northeastern border with Somalia is a
security weak spot, given the challenge of policing a long frontier, poor
coordination between security services and a culture of corruption that
allows those prepared to pay a bribe
to pass unchallenged.
Al Shabaab has targeted the
Mandera region in the past. AlShabaabs troop strength was
estimated at 7,000 to 9,000 militants in 2014.

09

Africa summit tackles violence against Albinos

AFP

DAR ES SALAAM: A Miss and Mister Albino contest, heavy sentences

for ritual murder and concrete graves
to ward off tomb raiders were all discussed at a UN summit on Albinism
concluding in Tanzania yesterday.
During the four-day meeting people with albinism and advocates for
their rights discussed ways to safeguard and improve the lives of those
who suffer discrimination, health
problems and even murder as a result
of the condition that leaves their skin
without pigment.
Of all the regions in the world,
Africa is the most hostile for people
with albinism, said Ikponwosa Ero,
an independent expert on albinism.
Some 150 civil society and government representatives from 29
African countries, many of them
albino themselves, gathered in Dar
Es Salaam to swap experiences and
ideas on improving security and
integration.
In Africa, the scorching sun
makes people with albinism particularly susceptible to skin cancer
while discrimination and prejudice
sees them attacked or shunned in several countries.
Albino graves have been looted
and people killed to supply a grisly

Albino girls sit as they wait at a clinic run by the Standing Voice NGO, on
Ukerewe Island in Victoria lake during International Albinism Awareness
day on June 13, 2016.
black market trade in albino body
parts thought by some to bring good
luck or wealth.
Under The Same Sun, a Canadian
charity, has documented 457 attacks
on albinos -- including 178 murders -in 26 African countries mostly over the
last decade, although the precise extent
of the phenomenon is hard to define
because of the secrecy surrounding the
illegal trade in albino body parts.
The idea is to build a roadmap of simple, effective and cheap
measures, said Ero, including basic

protections such as ensuring people with albinism are surrounded by

trusted neighbours and have a lockable door to their homes.
It was also suggested that albino
graves should be protected from
body-snatchers by using cement to
cover the graves so that the bodies
cant be exhumed.
Alex Michila, vice president of
the Albino Association of Malawi,
where Amnesty International recently
described an unprecedented wave
of attacks, said it was important

that albino children be encouraged

to interact with people who do not
have albinism to foster integration.
Possi Abdallah, Tanzanias deputy
minister for disability and himself an
albino, argued for the importance of
exemplary and dissuasive sentences
for those convicted of killing people
with albinism.
Ero said the roadmap should be
drafted by late 2017 and will then be
submitted to the African Union.
Having a pan-African voice is crucially important, because we need to
put pressure on governments in Africa,
said Jon Beale, director of the non-government organisation Standing Voice.
Together we have more weight.
Kenya is seen as setting a good
example in the region, by providing government-funded cancer
treatment, sunscreen distribution
programmes and setting up an emergency hotline for reporting attacks on
people with albinism.
The presence of albinos in Kenyas public sphere -- such as the MP
Isaac Mwaura and high court judge
Grace Ngugi -- was also hailed as a
positive sign, as was the plan to hold
a Miss and Mr Albino contest in Nairobi on September 9.
When you have Miss and Mr
Albinism, we redefine ourselves as
beautiful and handsome people, we
are not ghosts, said Mwaura.

Vietnam drought
leaves a million in
urgent need of aid

Burundi school kids deface portraits to defy president

Reuters

NAIROBI: A quiet protest movement

is spreading in Burundis schools
where hundreds of students have
been suspended in recent weeks for
defacing pictures of President Pierre
Nkurunziza in textbooks.
Scribbling on the presidential
portraits contained in governmentissue study guides is seen as an act
of silent resistance against a regime
that clings to power despite more

BANGKOK: An El Nio-induced
drought in Vietnam has left 1 million
people in urgent need of food assistance and 2 million people lacking
access to drinking water, Europes
humanitarian aid agency said.
The countrys worst drought
in 90 years coupled with seawater intrusion into the Mekong River
delta have destroyed fruit, rice and
sugar crops in the worlds thirdlargest rice exporter after India
and Thailand.
The disruption in precipitation patterns has affected the
livelihoods, food security and
access to safe water of the people
of Vietnam, Christos Stylianides,
EU commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management,
said in a statement. The EUs
humanitarian arm ECHO said it
would provide 2m ($2.3m) in
funding for emergency relief.
This EU contribution will
help provide life-saving assistance to affected families at this
critical time, ensuring that their
basic needs are met, Stylianides
said.
Saltwater has encroached up
the Mekong Delta up to 25 kilometres (15 miles) further than average
years, the ECHO statement said.
Although the government had
taken preparedness measures and
launched some initiatives in anticipation, the scale of the current
disaster has become much worse
than initially foreseen,surpassing
the local capacity to respond, the
statement said.

AFP

than a year of deadly protests. Entire

classes have been suspended for the
defiant doodles, 11 have been charged
with insulting the head of state and at
least four were this week arrested and
taken into police custody.
And yet the movement is growing
as the government has struggled since
early May to stem the acts of incivility that security ministry spokesman
Pierre Nkurikiye blames on political
manipulation.
The phenomenon has spread from
the classroom to social media where

users compete to lampoon Nkurunziza, mocking up images of him as a

pirate, monarch or devil, or changing his name -- which means good
news in Kirundi -- to Nkurumbi or
bad news.
The ridicule infuriates Nkurunzizas supporters, some of whom say
the teasing amounts to treason. But
for parents of the suspended school
kids the arrests are an overreaction.
Schools in Burundi commonly
have fewer than 30 textbooks shared
by as many as 200 pupils, making it

AFP

People practise yoga at a glass sightseeing platform ahead of the International Day of Yoga, on the
outskirts of Beijing, China, yesterday.

Reuters

Health Minister Felix Kabange

Kinshasa is the main concern for
global healthcare officials, because it
has a densely packed population of
more than 12 million and poor health
infrastructure.
Yellow fever is transmitted by
the same mosquitoes that spread the
Zika and dengue viruses, although it
is a much more serious disease. The
yellow in the name refers to the
jaundice that affects some patients.
The global stockpile of yellow
fever vaccines has already been

depleted twice this year to immunise people in Angola, Uganda and

Congo. It currently stands at 6 million doses but this may not be enough
if there are simultaneous outbreaks
in multiple highly populated areas.
Almost 18 million doses have been
distributed for emergency vaccination
campaigns so far in the three African countries.
The current method for making
vaccines, using chicken eggs, takes
a year.
World Health Organisation advisers have recommended using a fifth of
the standard dose of yellow fever vaccine in the event of a global shortage
-- enough to immunise temporarily
but not to give lifelong immunity.
Manufacturers of the vaccine
include the Institut Pasteur, government factories in Brazil and Russia
and French drugmaker Sanofi.
Congos outbreak, since January,

Alice Hakizimana, a well-known

television host who now lives in exile,
wrote on her Facebook page that
blind repression has turned something that began with a handful of
schoolchildren into a national protest movement.
Even some inside the regime
believe the classroom scribblers are
being badly handled.
The way this crisis is being managed is the real national disaster, said
one member of the ruling party who
did not want to be named.

Cambodia to deport
13 Taiwanese fraud
suspects to Beijing

Yoga in Middle Kingdom

DR Congo declares yellow fever epidemic

KINSHASA: Democratic Republic
of Congo declared a yellow fever epidemic in three provinces including
the capital Kinshasa yesterday after
confirming 67 cases of the disease,
with another 1,000 suspected cases
being monitored.
Health Minister Felix Kabange
said seven of the proven cases
were autochthonous, while 58 were
imported from Angola, where the
outbreak began. A further two cases
came from remote forested areas not
linked to the current outbreak. Five
people in total have died, Kabange
added.
I declare today a localised
epidemic of yellow fever in the provinces of Kinshasa, Kongo Central
and Kwango, Kabange told a news
conference.

difficult to identify the classroom

political artists.
Nobody has their own book, said
the parent of one suspended student.
Emmanuel Niyungeko, the
Nkurunziza loyalist who governs
Muramvya where the 11 students were
charged on June 3, justified the harsh
punishment by saying the king is second only to God.
The king of Burundi today is
President Nkurunziza, he said.
Some argue the crackdown has
encouraged the defiance.

comes at a time when political

tensions linked to an upcoming presidential election and an economic
crisis caused by a commodity slump
are already putting a huge strain on
the countrys stability.
President Joseph Kabila is facing
opposition, which has sometimes
turned violent, amid concerns that
he will try to cling to power beyond
the expiry of his mandate at the end
of this year.
Yellow fever is an acute viral
disease. In most cases, symptoms
include fever, chills, loss of appetite,
nausea, muscle pains particularly in
the back, and headaches. Symptoms
typically improve within five days.
In some people, within a day of
improving, the fever comes back,
abdominal pain occurs, and liver
damage begins causing yellow skin.
If this occurs, the risk of bleeding and
kidney problems is also increased.

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia said yesterday it would deport 13 Taiwanese

nationals arrested on fraud charges
to mainland China, as Taipei said its
emissaries had been prevented from
meeting with the suspects.
The imminent deportations
come at a time of increased tensions between Taiwan and mainland
China, with Taipei accusing Beijing of abducting citizens from
countries that do not recognise the
islands government.
A group of 13 Taiwanese and 14
mainland Chinese were arrested
by Cambodian police last week for
internet fraud, immigration officials said.
We have decided to deport them
to China because they all are Chinese. The Chinese side has asked us
to wait while they work out whether
to send a plane or buy tickets for
them, Major General Uk Heisela,
director of inspection and procedure at the General Department of
Immigration said yesterday.
He said Cambodia refused to
draw a distinction between Chinese and Taiwanese as the country
adheres to a One-China Policy.
Cambodia is historically one of
Beijings closest allies in southeast
Asia.
In April, both Malaysia and
Kenya deported Taiwanese nationals
to mainland China sparking uproar
in Taipei.
Observers see the cases as China
putting pressure on Taiwans new
government -- which took office
in May -- as Beijing does not trust
the traditionally pro-independence ruling Democratic Progressive
Party (DPP). Taiwans foreign ministry confirmed the Cambodia arrests
and accused Beijing of pressuring
Phnom Penh.
China requested Cambodia to

send all the suspects to the mainland

as most of the victims in this case are
in China, and they obstructed our
personnel from visiting the Taiwanese suspects, the ministry said.
The island has sent its representative in Vietnam to negotiate with
Phnom Penh, seeking to have the
group repatriated to Taiwan instead.
The foreign ministry added that
another four Taiwanese had been
arrested at the Phnom Penh airport
Saturday, but it is unclear whether
it is related to the same fraud case.
Taiwan is self-ruling after splitting with China in 1949, following a
civil war, but Beijing still sees it as
a part of its territory waiting to be
reunified. The island has never formally declared independence.
While Taiwans new president
Tsai Ing-wen has repeatedly pledged
to maintain the status quo, she also
has not bowed down to pressure to
accept Beijings definition of crossstrait relations.
The One-China Policy refers to
the policy or view that there is only
one state called China, despite the
existence of two governments that
claim to be China.
As a policy, this means that
countries seeking diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic
of China (PRC) must break official
relations with the Republic of China
(ROC) and vice versa. Hence, all
the countries recognising the ROC
recognise it as the sole legitimate
representative of all of China and not
just the island of Taiwan and other
islands which it controls.
Similarly, all states that recognize the PRC either recognise the
PRC as the legitimate representative of Taiwan or acknowledge the
PRCs views on the matter.
The One China policy is also
different from the One China principle which is the principle that insists
both Taiwan and mainland China are
inalienable parts of a single China.

10

VIEWS

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

E S TA B L I S H E D I N 1 9 9 6

CHAIRMAN
SHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
DR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFI
editorinchief@pen.com.qa
ACTING MANAGING EDITOR
MOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED
msalim@pen.com.qa
DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR
HUSSAIN AHMAD
hussain@pen.com.qa

EDITORIAL

Rescuing Rohingyas

he stark warning from the United Nations that

continuing violations against Myanmars Muslim
Rohingyas could amount to crimes against humanity is
the severest criticism yet of the government in Myanmar.
Rohingyas have been the victims of human rights
violations for years committed by the majority Buddhist community
with the silent support of their government. They have been the
victims of riots orchestrated by Buddhists, the deadliest of which
happened in 2012, and are now living in squalid camps without any
rights. International calls for doing justice to Rohingyas, including
from US, have fallen on deaf ears as the government in Myanmar
is afraid to do anything for this persecuted minority for fear of
inviting the wrath of the majority Buddhists. At the same time, the
international community, including the UN, has failed miserably
to make the Myanmar government see reason. The reason for the
cold and arrogant response from Myanmar is the immunity which
governments enjoy, while governments
in other countries caught committing
similar injustices are punished with
The
sanctions and other actions.
In a report on the human rights
government
situation for minorities in Myanmar, the
in Myanmar
UN human rights office said it had found
must be held
a pattern of gross violations against the
accountable
Rohingya... (which) suggest a widespread
or systematic attack... in turn giving rise
for the
persecution of to the possible commission of crimes
against humanity if established in a court
Rohingyas in
of law. The report also criticises the new
the country.
government steered by Nobel laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi and her pro-democracy
party. There were huge expectations that
Suu Kyi, after assuming power, will work to improve the plight of
Rohingyas, but she has refused to act. The report lists a number
of violations committed against the minorities, which include
summary executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests
and detention, torture and ill-treatment. The report says the new
government has inherited a situation where laws and policies
are in place that are designed to deny fundamental rights to
minorities, and where impunity for serious violations against such
communities has encouraged further violence against them.
The UN report must serve as a warning to UN itself and
the international community to stop ignoring the condition of
Rohingyas. The UN must consider imposing sanctions on Myanmar
and the case must be brought before the International Criminal
Court (ICC).
Suu Kyi, who is respected internationally for her fight for peace
and freedom, must also face criticism for her refusal to intervene
to stop the abuses against Muslims. She even refuses to use the
term Rohingyas to describe the persecuted Muslims saying its an
inflammatory word that will only makes things worse.

GCC-Russia relations: Lots of

rhetoric but little substance

By Abdulaziz Sager

he meeting in Moscow
between Russia and the
GCC foreign ministers on
May 26, 2016 proved to be
another opportunity to exchange
views and bridge the gaps between
Russian and GCC priorities when it
comes to regional developments,
in particular with regard to Syria.
While the meeting produced what
some commentators referred to as
candid discussion,, it failed to
narrow the differences that currently affect the relationship. It is
unlikely that this will change any
time soon.
The GCC states are aware that
the international environment is
changing and that the Cold War
era, when there was a clear choice
between one side and the other,
is over. While relations with the
United States remain important,
they are no longer the only game in
town. Instead, the new philosophy
in arapidly changing, globalised
world is one of promoting and
securing ones national interest

disregarding past alliances and previous arrangements. The need to

diversify international relationships
as well as become more self-reliant
and independent in foreign policy
choices is recognised. It is in this
context that Russia-GCC relations
must be understood.
The GCC is fully aware that Russia cannot be ignored in the region.
Russias long-standing ties to Iran
along with its decision to intervene
militarily in Syria are indicators
that Russian policy prerogatives
when it comes to the Middle East
must be acknowledged and understood. While US hesitancy has been
noticed, it is also clear that Russian involvement in Middle Eastern
affairs will remain. This realisation was at the heart of the fourth
round of strategic cooperation talks
that were held in Moscow at the
end of the May.
Yet, the fact that Russia is
aligned with the GCCs main
adversaries in the region points
to the clear limitations in the further development of bilateral ties.
While there are several areas with a
potential for deeper relations, such
as greater economic investment in
Russia, military sales, cooperation
on oil matters, and nuclear energy,
progress is constrained by the fact
that the political umbrella covering
overall relations remains missing.
As far as Russia is concerned, it is
trying to balance its Middle East
policy between four pillars Iran,
Israel, Turkey, and the Arab states.
This is an extremely tricky balance to achieve due to the many

The GCC states

are aware that
the international
environment is
changing and that
the Cold War era,
when there was
a clear choice
between one side
and the other,
is over. While
relations with
the United States
remain important,
they are no longer
the only game in
town.

contradictions involved. It reminds

one of Turkeys zero problem policy
vis--vis its neighbors which, due
to inherent contradictions, exacerbated rather than resolved tensions
with those same neighbors. From
the GCC perspective, Russian policy could likely meet a similar fate
and ultimately fall short on its stated
objectives. The view in the GCC
capitals is that Moscows shortterm tactics are being applied at
the expense of a long-term coherent strategy.

What the GCC needs to understand is that, for the moment,

Russia is not ready for a more comprehensive partnership with the
Arab Gulf region. Moscow is hoping that the GCC countries will be
pushed in Russias direction due
to their disappointment with US
policy and because issues such as
Syria cannot be solved without Russias involvement. That Russia does
not prioritise its ties to the GCC is
clear from the fact that Russian
President Vladimir Putin has so far
visited the GCC states only once,
way back in 2007. Since then, all
meetings and exchanges with Putin
have taken place in Russia. Visits
to the Gulf States in the meantime
are conducted by Putins ministerial colleagues.
In the absence of along-term
strategy, there are no clear indicators as to the direction in which
GCC-Russian relations will evolve
in the nearterm. There are clear
limits to what the GCC can offer
Russia to persuade it to modify its
approach to the region, as economic
incentives are clearly insufficient
to alter Russian policy. At the same
time, there are also limits to what
the GCC should expect of Russia.
Without a doubt, there is a need to
keep channels of communication
open and maintain a dialogue with
Russia. Yet, one should have no illusions that such talks will form the
basis of a broader strategic relationship in the near future.
The writer is Chairman of the Gulf
Research Center, Jeddah.

Quote of the day

A new era is beginning
with us. Well work to
bring back legality and
transparency to the citys
institutions.

Virginia Raggi
Romes newly elected Mayor
Foreign Minister H E Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (third right) with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, other GCC foreign
ministers and GCC Secretary-General Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani during a meeting in Moscow recently.

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ADVERTISING TEL: 44557837 / 780 FAX: 44557870 CLASSIFIED: 44557857 E-MAIL: adv@pen.com.qa
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OPINION

11

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Good riddance to Great Britain

By Thomas von der Dunk

The Washington Post

erhaps in no country in Europe is

the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union
feared so much by so many as the
Netherlands, where I am from. The Dutch
sympathy for Britain is genuine and widespread; it has old roots, as both countries,
from time immemorial, have been mercantile nations, with an aversion toward
protectionism. Which is to say that Dutch
feelings are not representative of European feelings more broadly - nor should
they be considered flattering for Britain.
It was the Dutch who, in the 1960s, were
already pleading for British membership
in the Union, although the attempts of the
Dutch Foreign Minister Joseph Luns at the
time were blocked by French President
Charles de Gaulle. This is because in Britain, the Dutch see a like-minded partner:
a partner who believes in free trade, and
as a result, can serve as a counterweight
to France and Germany, who traditionally
advocate for more state-guided industrial
policies. In Paris and Berlin, older notions
about a socially responsible state still hold
sway; in London, they were driven out thirty
years ago, replaced by an ideology of privatization. For France and Germany, the
concept of Europe as a set of ideals and
values remains strong; not so in Britain,
where Prime Minister David Cameron, in
calling for next weeks referendum in the
first place, has shown himself all too ready
to risk a four decade-long partnership for
the sake of political expediency.
For British governments, and for the
Conservative Party in charge of the current iteration especially, the EU was never
intended to be more than a distribution outlet for British exports - nowadays, mostly
financial products. This vision of Europe as
mainly a trade market is also shared by a lot
of contemporary Dutch politicians. Older,
idealistic notions of a political union as a
means to uphold internal European peace

A Brexit would deprive the Dutch

of an important ally in their desire
to reduce the European Union to
a simple business venture. But
this extremely narrow conception
of the purpose of pan-European
cooperation is exactly why the EU
might, contrary to most popular
opinion, benet from a Brexit.

have been mostly replaced by materialistic ones. Uri Rosenthal, the Dutch foreign
minister from 2010 to 2012 and an ideological godfather to the current prime
minister, once bluntly declared - to the
astonishment of most of his own civil servants - that the main reason the Netherlands
became an EU member state was to augment our rather modest domestic market
- that is, to ensure more consumers for our
cheese and tomatoes. His view is shared by
many of our compatriots. In accordance
with this worldview, Prime Minister Mark
Rutte himself recently used his speech at
the United Nations General Assembly in
part to promote Heineken drink.
A Brexit would deprive the Dutch of
an important ally in their desire to reduce
the European Union to a simple business
venture. But this extremely narrow conception of the purpose of pan-European
cooperation is exactly why the EU might,
contrary to most popular opinion, benefit
from a Brexit. The United Kingdom didnt
join and stay inside the EU to make something of it, but rather, to prevent others
from making something of it.
Over the course of its 40 years as an
EU member, London has consistently supported efforts to further enlarge the Union,
for states ranging from Turkey to Ukraine.
The result has been, in effect, a subtle form
of sabotage: The bigger the EU, the looser
it, by necessity, has had to become. As territorial expansion makes the Union more
diverse, it makes substantive deepening the famous ever closer union - increasingly
impossible, until we are left with a sort of
hollowed-out shell of what the European

Union was intended to be.

If the British vote on June 23 for staying in the Union, they are expected to do
so with such a small majority that, even
afterwards, the discussion will not be over.
On the contrary, as soon it becomes clear
to voters, who, at the moment, may be convinced by Camerons arguments, that the
concessions the prime minister managed
to secure from Brussels ahead of the vote
arent as huge as he pretended they were
(as they couldnt be, without endangering
the concept of a union as such-- as soon
as it turns out that Londons proud gains
amount to little more than the renewed
assurance that the British in the future will
still be allowed to drive on the left and to
have their judges wear wigs - the clamor
for an exit will begin anew. Should London be asked to make some kind of new
sacrifice for the common European cause,
like contributing extra to the EU budget
for helping Greece or having a proportional share in the reception of refugees,
we might expect it to begin even sooner.
But Europe cant afford to be taken hostage any longer by British politicians fears
of their own electorate.
The main political problem in Europe
- the one that looms over all its other problems, has made handling them so difficult
for the European political elite, and has
led to the rise of Euroskeptic populist parties in nearly all of the Unions member
states - is the loss of support for the very
idea of European cooperation. Europe, in
the eyes of a large proportion of its inhabitants, has come to be regarded not as a
shelter, but as a threat.

This is due in part to the work of Britain, which insists on dragging Europe in
a free market direction that runs contrary
to the instincts of most of its citizens. Most
European citizens cherish the nationally
organized welfare state. The European
Union gradually has become the incarnation
of the reverse - of flexibility, privatization, and deregulation, which together
have resulted in the demolition of social
security arrangements deemed essential
by the lower and middle classes. Competing taxation policies have resulted in the
reduction of state budgets for education,
housing, health care, and other collective
efforts; large gaps in both the wage levels
and the welfare policies of EU member states
have, thanks to open borders, resulted in
large-scale migrations that have put the
wages of richer countries in northern and
western Europe under pressure.
To give just one example, in 2005,
during the French referendum on the European constitution, the management of a
car factory in Mulhouse decided to outsource most of its manufacturing jobs to
Romania, a soon-to-be EU member state.
The workers? They would be allowed to
continue their jobs - as seasonal workers
in Romania - if they would accept Romanian wage levels. There would be no such
arrangement for the managers, of course,
who managed to convince shareholders
to in fact, pay them more as a result of
the savings they generated. It would be
no wonder if most of those workers voted
against Europe in the subsequent EU constitutional referendum. A common market
with open borders but no social protections

in practice means that a companys director, referring to the American rivals vying
for his services, can augment his own salary, while at the same time saying to his
workers, that, because of the Albanian
rivals vying for their jobs, that they must
be content in the future with less.
When Brussels has suggested potential
measures to provide more economic protection to normal Europeans, it has been
mainly - although not only - Britain, that,
in the past, has stood in the way, the better to protect the financial interests of big
business. In the long run, this was destined to prove disastrous for the European
Unions public approval, and thus, its political survival, but the British government
was undeterred. Consider the many proposals for rules that might discipline the
financial markets that Britain has readily
slapped down, as London regards the City
as the core of its national revenue model.
Westminster wants unlimited access
to the common market, but declines any
fiscal or social obligations. It engages in
unfair fiscal and social competition that
results in tax paradises for the rich and low
wages for the poor in Britain, and forces
more civilized countries to follow it in this
race to the bottom, leading them to dismantle, against the will of their own citizens, a
welfare state model that has long assured
security for all. As long as Britain remains
within the European Union, this clash will
continue to dominate internal European
politics, and thus, will continue to feed EU
citizens growing aversion toward Brussels
and the enormous growth of anti-European right-wing parties.

US Muslims are terrorisms collateral victims

By Albert Hunt
Bloomberg

he attack has sparked concern

about a culture of terror sweeping
the nation, prompting demands
for actions against Islam and its followers. A year ago, Dylann Roof, a
neo-Nazi, slaughtered nine black congregants, including the pastor and a
state senator, at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Hes referred to as

a lone wolf white supremacist.

The calls for banning Muslims,
greater surveillance of mosques and
even creating a new House Committee
for UnAmerican Activities focusing
on jihadists give rise to two questions: Do Muslim Americans present
a grave threat and could much more
be done to prevent such attacks? The
answer to both is no; most Americans
wouldnt agree.
The shootings in San Bernardino,
California, last year, and in Orlando
on June 12 were horrific, says Richard Clarke, the counterterrorism
czar under Presidents Bill Clinton
and George W. Bush. But such events
are rare, Clarke says. In the entire
Obama administration, there have
been six incidents involving eight
people.
Before Orlando, more Americans had been killed since Sept. 11
by white-nationalist terrorists in the
US than by Muslims.
Robert McKenzie, an expert on

US relations with the Islamic world

at the Brookings Institution, says the
US has resettled about 800,000 refugees over the past 15 years; five have
been arrested on terrorism charges.
Critics assert that Muslims dont
assimilate. Thats not true in most
places. Surveys by the Institute for
Social Policy and Understanding
and the Pew Research Center suggest
that the attitudes of US Muslims about
country and community are similar to
those of adherents of other religions. A
Pew poll several years ago found that
Muslims, more than 3-to-1, preferred
to adopt American customs rather
than retain their distinct identities.
They watch sports on television and
play video games at the same rate as
other Americans.
McKenzie complains that the
news media rarely captures the civil
engagement of Muslims. When the
water supply in Flint, Michigan, was
found to be toxic, the states Muslims worked with members of other

religions to aid distressed citizens

while state and local officials failed.
They were very helpful, says Lee
Anne Walters, a Flint woman who
blew the whistle on the contamination. It was great seeing everyone
come together.
There are controversies. A handful of communities with large Muslim
populations have sought to adopt
Sharia law, a fundamentalist doctrine
that would offend most Americans,
including many Muslims. There are a
small number of radical imams and
vulnerable young men and women
who are susceptible to propaganda
from the Islamic State. The barbaric
group had demonstrated a sophisticated grasp of social media, putting
out more than 90,000 messages
daily in multiple languages, including
Hebrew (though thats not intended to
attract Jewish converts but to convey
a (false) impression of omnipotence).
Clarke says the US needs to institute a much more thorough program

to counter that propaganda. He also

says that preventing suspected terrorists from having easy access to lethal
weapons should be a no-brainer. But
he warns that there are no panaceas:
When a guy one minute suggests he
may be sympathetic to ISIS and the
next minute decides to kill people,
catching that minute is really, really
hard.
Longer term, Islamic radicalism
needs to be addressed at the source,
the Middle East. No one, other than a
few vote-seeking politicians, argues
that can be done easily or quickly.
There will be more terror strikes in
the US and elsewhere.
So its worth remembering that
the vast majority of US Muslims go
to school, work hard, pay their taxes,
participate in their communities and
serve in the military. Thats why they
resent being told they are on the front
lines in the fight against radical terrorists, McKenzie says: They dont
know who those people are.

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

Its worth
remembering that
the vast majority
of US Muslims go to
school, work hard,
pay their taxes,
participate in their
communities and
serve in the military.

12

PAKISTAN

TUESDAY 21 June 2016

Pakistani arrested
for selling shoes
with sacred
Hindu symbol

Bomb attacks
claim 22 lives
in Afghanistan
Taliban and Islamic
State lay claim to
sucide attack that
killed 14 Nepalis.

Reuters

KABUL: More than 20 people were

killed in separate bomb attacks in
Afghanistan yesterday, including
at least 14 when a suicide bomber
struck a minibus carrying Nepali
security contractors in the capital
Kabul, officials said.
A Reuters witness saw several
apparently dead victims and at least
two wounded being carried out of
the remains of a yellow bus after the
suicide bomber struck the vehicle in
the capital.
Hours later, a bomb planted in
a motorbike killed at least eight
civilians and wounded another 18
in a crowded market in the northern province of Badakhshan, said
provincial government spokesman
Naveed Frotan. The casualty count
could rise, he said. The attacks are

Afghan MPs
conrm new
defence minister
and spy chief

the latest in a surge of violence that

highlights the challenges faced by
the government in Kabul and its
Western backers as Washington
considers whether to delay plans
to cut the number of its troops in
Afghanistan.
Interior Ministry spokesman
Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter that
14 people had been killed and eight
wounded in the attack in Kabul.
Police were working to identify the
victims, he said.
The casualties appeared to
include Afghan civilians and Nepali
security contractors, Kabul police
chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said,
after police and emergency vehicles
surrounded the scene in the Banae
district in the east of the city.
He said the suicide bomber had
waited near a compound housing
the security contractors and struck
as the vehicle moved through early
morning traffic.
Besides the bus passengers,
several people in an adjacent market were also wounded in the
attack during the Holy Month of
Ramadan.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack in a
statement from the Islamist groups
main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, on Twitter. However, it denied

Afghan men injured after a motorcycle bomb exploded in a crowded market receive treatment at a hospital
in Takhar province yesterday.

responsibility for the attack in Badakhshan. Islamic State, which is bitterly

opposed by the Taliban, said it carried
out the Kabul attack but Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed the claim as
rubbish.
By organising this attack, we
wanted to show Americans and NATO
military officials that we can conduct
attacks wherever, and whenever, we
want, the Taliban spokesman said.
The Nepal government was still
working through its embassy in Pakistan, which also oversees Afghanistan,
to verify reports that its citizens
were involved in the attack, Foreign

Ministry spokesman Bharat Paudel

said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his condolences to his
two South Asian neighbours after the
attack.
We strongly condemn the horrible
tragedy in Kabul. Our deep condolences to people and governments of
Afghanistan and Nepal on loss of innocent lives, Modi said on Twitter.
Another explosion in Kabul later
yesterday morning wounded a provincial council member and at least
three of his bodyguards, Kabul police
spokesman Basir Mujahid said. It was
thought a bomb had been attached to

the lawmakers car, he said.

The attacks underlined how
serious the security threat facing
Afghanistan remains since former
Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US drone strike
last month and was replaced by Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
The blasts follow a deadly suicide
attack on a bus carrying justice ministry staff near Kabul last month and a
separate attack on a court in the central city of Ghazni on June 1.
The Taliban claimed both those
attacks in revenge for the execution
of six Taliban prisoners.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police

arrested a man under the majorityMuslim countrys strict blasphemy
laws yesterday for selling shoes
with a sacred Hindu symbol, police
and Hindu leaders said.
The shopkeeper, Jahanzaib
Khaskhili, was arrested in the
southern town of Tando Adam
and the shoes, which carried the
Om symbol, were confiscated,
said Farrukh Ali, the district police
chief. Hindu community leaders
called for the shopkeeper to be
punished.
The state must play a proactive role in punishing the culprits
under the blasphemy laws,
Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the
patron of the Pakistani Hindu
Council, said in a statement.
Tando Adam, about 200km
northeast of Karachi, is in Sindh
province, where the vast majority
of Pakistans approximately three
million Hindus live.
The blasphemy laws make it
a crime to insult any religion and
have specific sections for defiling
the Holy Koran or insulting the
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that
carry a life sentence and mandatory death sentence, respectively.
If convicted, the shopkeeper
faces a maximum of 10 years in
prison, in addition to a possible fine. Ali, the police chief, said
Khaskhili had cooperated with
authorities.

Pakistan and Afghanistan

fail to reach border deal
Reuters

AFP

KABUL: Afghan lawmakers yesterday approved President Ashraf

Ghanis nominees for defence minister and intelligence director, two
crucial posts that sat vacant for
months as the country struggles
to rein in an ascendant insurgency.
The confirmations came as
attacks left at least 23 people dead
across Afghanistan yesterday and
wounded dozens more, as the Talibans resurgence continues to raise
serious questions about the ability of Afghan forces to hold their
own without the support of US-led
Nato troops.
MPs voted for Abdullah Habibi,
formerly a senior official in the
defence ministry who holds the
rank of army general, to become
its new minister.
Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, a former top official in the
government body overseeing the
countrys peace process who has
worked to bring the Taliban to the
negotiating table, was named head
of Afghanistans National Directorate of Security (NDS) intelligence
agency.
We congratulate them and
wish them success, parliament
chairman Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi
announced after the vote, which
was welcomed by Ghani.
Now that we have all security ministers in place, it will
have a very positive impact on the
ground, analyst Zalmay Wardak,
a former military official, told AFP.
In the past, as acting ministers, none of them would feel
responsible, but now they can
be taken accountable. This also
gives a new energy to our security forces, he said.
Ghani had originally named
Stanekzai to head the defence
ministry last year, but parliament
rejected him, leaving the post
vacant until yesterdays confirmation of Habibi.
In December, the countrys
former intelligence chief resigned
over disagreements with Ghani for
his diplomatic outreach to Pakistan aimed at reviving peace talks
with the resurgent Taliban.
US forces have been in an
advisory role in Afghanistan since
the start of 2015.

Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan failed to reach an agreement on

border management in talks yesterday, officials said, after days of clashes
at the border last week left four dead
and thousands stranded.
Fighting broke out when Pakistan
started building a barrier at the crossing to stop Islamist militants crossing
over from Afghanistan.
That plan angered Afghanistan,
which rejects the colonial-era Durand
Line border drawn up in 1893 and
objects to Pakistan building checkpoints along the disputed boundary.
The two countries agreed on a
ceasefire on Thursday, and it was
decided that an Afghan delegation
led by deputy foreign minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai would visit Pakistan
for talks yesterday.
Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed

Chaudhry yesterday informed the

Afghan delegation that Pakistan
planned to build four gates at different points on the crossing, a Pakistani
foreign office official said.
There was no final agreement
but we have informed them (Afghanistan) of our position, the official said,
requesting anonymity as he was not
authorised to speak to the media.
These gates are important for the
safety and security of both Pakistan
and Afghanistan.
A second Pakistani official said
the foreign policy chiefs would hold
further discussions at the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation summit in
Tashkent later this week.
A statement from the Afghan Foreign Ministry said the talks were held
in an amicable and friendly atmosphere but said Karzai had raised what
it called various violations by Pakistan, including setting up checkpoints
in Afghan territory.
Moreover, he strongly protested

Road to nowhere?

against Pakistans ongoing unprovoked

artillery shelling of Afghan villages, it
said. Thousands of vehicles normally
pass through the crossing every week,
making it a vital trade link between
the countries.
Yesterday, dozens of Pakistani
traders protested outside the provincial parliament in Peshawar,
demanding that Afghan refugees be
deported. Pakistan hosts some 2.5 million Afghans who have fled fighting in
their home country.
A protest leader said the free
movement of Afghans into Pakistan
had destroyed peace in the country
and needed to be checked.
Relations between the neighbours
have been strained in recent months.
Kabul accuses Pakistan of harbouring
militants seeking to topple the Afghan
government and not doing enough to
bring Afghan Taliban leaders, over
which Pakistan holds some sway, to
the negotiating table. Pakistan denies
supporting militants.

Pakistani traders protest recent clashes on the border with

Afghanistan, in Peshawar, Pakistan, yesterday.

Talks with Hezb-i-Islami wobble

AP

Young Afghan refugee boys ride on a donkey cart in Islamabad on World

Refugee Day yesterday. Hundreds of thousands of people ed Afghanistan
during the last three decades of war, with a majority of them taking refuge
in neighbouring Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: An Afghan militant

group has issued new impossibleto-meet demands to sign a peace
agreement, effectively scuttling
the first such deal to be signed by
the Afghan government, officials
negotiating the deal said yesterday.
An official negotiating the
deal between the armed wing
of the Hezb-i-Islami group, led
by former warlord Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar, and the Afghan government said the three conditions
include cancelling security pacts
with the United States, a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign
troops and that it be signed by the
Afghan state and not the current
Unity Government.
Ata-ul Rahman Saleem, deputy head of Afghanistans High
Peace Council, said the two sides
had reached a draft agreement
several weeks ago and all that
remained to finalising the agreement was Hekmatyars signature.
Hekmatyar is on the US terrorist list and participated, along with
many former warlords in positions

of power today in Afghanistan, in

the killing of thousands of people
in Kabul during the 1992-1996
civil war.
Instead Hekmatyar tweaked
the agreement, adding the three
additional demands, a member
of the Hezb-i-Islami negotiating
team told The Associated Press.
Tasked with carrying his fresh
demands to Kabul was Hekmatyars leading peace emissary,
Amin Karim, as well as his son
Habib-ur Rahman.
The demands were made in a
letter to Afghan President Ashraf
Ghani, said a member of the Hezbi-Islami negotiating team who
could not be named because he
was not authorised to speak to
the media.
Saleem, who said he did not
see the letter, said the two left the
Afghan capital Kabul last week
empty handed.
All three demands would
be difficult to meet, and the last
nearly impossible. After a controversial 2014 presidential race, the
United States brokered an agreement between the two presidential
candidates that gave power to

both, naming Ashraf Ghani as

president and Abdullah Abdullah as chief executive officer. The
newly formed government was
labelled the Unity Government.
The Hezb-i-Islami official said
the negotiations are deadlocked,
while Saleem was firm that the
Peace Council would not accept
new demands.
Last month the Afghan government heralded the draft
agreement as a major breakthrough and a success for
President Ghani and his High
Peace Council. It would be the first
such peace deal since the insurgency began following the US-led
invasion in 2001.
Hekmatyars group pales militarily compared to the Taliban
with its strength restricted to parts
of the countrys east and northeast.
Still Hekmatyar, an ethnic Pashtun
like most Taliban, does have support among the countrys minority
ethnic groups.
The mainstream Hezb-i-Islami
party which he founded also has
several former adherents serving
in prominent government positions in Kabul.

INDIA

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

13

100% FDI in most sectors including defence

IANS

The govt has radically

liberalised the FDI
regime with the
objective of providing
major impetus to
employment and
job creation. India
is now the most
open economy in
the world for foreign
investment.

NEW DELHI: Putting its economic

liberalisation agenda on the fast
track, India yesterday relaxed its foreign equity norms further, notably in
defence, aviation, pharmaceuticals
and retailing, with automatic approval
rather than a case-based route as the
preferred model.
In aviation, extant policy allowed
up to 49 percent foreign equity in
scheduled airlines under the automatic route. Now, while the cap has
been raised to 100 percent, up to 49
percent would be under automatic
and beyond that will be under the

government approval routes, officials

said. Then in pharmaceuticals, both
greenfield and brownfield projects
could get 100 percent foreign capital, but with an automatic route for
the former and government route for
the latter. Now, brownfield projects,
too, will come under automatic route
for up to 74 percent.
In defence manufacturing, the
49 percent norm under automatic
approval will continue. But while
looking at the proposals that call for
investment beyond 49 percent, a condition that they will bring with them
access to state-of-the-art technology has been done away with.
The Union Government has radically liberalized the foreign direct

investment regime today, with the

objective of providing major impetus to employment and job creation,
an official statement said.
The decision was taken at a
high-level meeting chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. This is
the second major reform after the
last radical changes announced in
November 2015. Now most of the
sectors would be under automatic
approval route, except a small negative list, it said.
With these changes, India is now
the most open economy in the world
for foreign investment. Commerce
and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters later that the
steps taken on Monday were in line

with the idea of making India a preferred destination for industry with a
focus on employment. She said investments shall be encouraged so that
more jobs can be created.
Weve made sure foreign equity
inflows are given a clear direction
with the objective of Make in India.
Our focus clearly is on creating jobs
and ensuring that India becomes a
manufacturing hub, the minister
added. Foreign equity of 100 percent under government approval for
trading in processed foods, including
via e-commerce, in respect of products manufactured in India. Foreign
equity of 100 percent under automatic
route in broadcast service industry,
including direct-to-home, mobile TV,

Rain brings respite

from heat in Delhi

Sheena Bora murder:

Accused pardoned
and turns approver
IANS

MUMBAI: In what could be a significant turning point in the Sheena

Bora murder case, a special CBI
court here yesterday pardoned
driver Shyamvar Rai - one of the
prime accused in the case - and permitted him to become an approver.
Special Judge H.S. Mahajan,
while granting the pardon,
instructed Rai to speak the truth
about the entire episode.
You will have to tell the truth,
what you know, what happened,
what you and others did. Is it okay?
he asked, to which Rai replied in the
affirmative. With this development,
Rai - the former driver of one of the
prime accused and ex-media baroness Indrani Mukerjea - who was
arrested in August 2015 is no longer
an accused and has become a prosecution witness. In early May, Rai had
given a two-page letter to the court
seeking pardon and permission to
become an approver by revealing the
entire truth in the sensational murder case. Daughter of Indrani from
an earlier liaison, Sheena Bora was
allegedly strangulated on April 24,
2012, and her body was burnt and
disposed off in the forests near
Gagode village of adjoining Raigad
district early the next morning.
Besides Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna, her present
husband and former media tycoon
Peter Mukerjea and Rai were

arrested last year. The case came to

light after Rai was nabbed for possessing a weapon illegally last year
by the Khar police. It was later taken
over by the Central Bureau of Investigation. He spilled the beans on the
murder case and after 10 months,
sought a pardon in return for turning an approver. Earlier this month,
the CBI in its reply to the application,
said it had no objections to make Rai
an approver. Soon after his arrest,
Rai had told the Khar police and
later the CBI what had transpired on
April 24-25, 2012, how Sheena was
murdered, burnt and her body disposed off in a suitcase around 100
km south of Mumbai.
He also described how a day
before the murder, Indrani had
allegedly conducted a recce of the
spot and booked a room for Khanna
in Hotel Hilltop in Worli as part of
the conspiracy. Rai later led the CBI
team to the exact site where Sheenas body was dumped.
While Indrani is currently lodged
in Byculla Womens Jail, Peter Mukerjea and Khanna are in Arthur Road
Central Jail.
Initially, the case was handled by then Police Commissioner
Rakesh Maria, Joint Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and other senior
officers before Maria was abruptly
promoted and in September 2015
the case was transferred over to
CBI. Police teams were dispatched
to Kolkata, Guwahati and Dehradun, but the real motives behind
the crime eluded the investigators.

head-end in the sky and cable networks. Equity cap on private security
agencies tweaked to permit up to 49
percent under automatic route, as
opposed to government nod, and up
to 74 percent under government route,
which was not permitted at all earlier.
The requirement of local sourcing relaxed for three years and some
sops in this regard for five years for
foreign equity in single-brand retailing, for products having state-of-art
and cutting edge technologies.
The decision on single brand
retailing should particularly help
US-based Apple which has its own
stores globally but sells through other
retail chains in India due to sourcing
restrictions.

IANS

A delivery boy shelters under an umbrella as he carries an order of tea during a downpour
in Mumbai, yesterday.

NEW DELHI: Heavy pre-monsoon showers and gusts of

wind brought respite from scorching heat and humidity
in the capital yesterday but disrupted traffic in several places.
Light to moderate rain was reported in almost every
area of Delhi and the National Capital Region. The temperature dropped from 38.4 degrees Celsius at 11.30
am to 26 degrees after the rains, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said. According to the
weather office, 9.2 mm rain was measured between
11.30 am and 2.30 pm at Safdarjung and 3.2 mm rain
in Lodhi Road region in south Delhi.
Delhi witnessed the maximum 31 mm rain at Aya
Nagar in south Delhi while Palam region closer to the
airport recorded just 2.8 mm rain.
Light to moderate rain is expected in Delhi and
NCR in next few hours, the Met office said.
The rains brought respite to people from the dragging warm weather. Many people came out of their
homes to enjoy the showers. It was a much needed
rain as the weather was becoming unbearable, said
Yogesh Gupta, a resident of Karol Bagh in the heart of
Delhi. Though the pre-monsoon showers made the
weather pleasant, it derailed traffic movement across
several stretches in the city.
Officials in Karnatakas Kalaburagi and Bijapur districts said no flash floods occurred in the areas which
received heavy rainfall, yesterday. He said there was no
loss of life but the authorities are assessing if there was
any loss to property which however could be only confirmed by Tuesday. Similarly, Bijapur Additional Deputy
Commissioner H. D. Budappa confirmed no loss of life
and property in Vijaypura, except for water entering into
seven to eight houses. The Meteorological Department
in Bengaluru said only 2.6 mm rainfall was recorded in
Bijapur district on Sunday but 58.7 mm on Saturday and
forecast heavy rainfall in both the districts.
Coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and
Uttara Kannada are expected to receive moderate to
heavy rainfall today while the northern districts have
been forecast to get fairly widespread rainfall. The Met
department predicted fairly widespread light to moderate rain in the next two days in southern parts of the
state as well.

Modi condemns Kabul suicide attack Bihar toppers scam: Former

board chief and wife held
IANS

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi condemned yesterdays suicide attack in Kabul
in which at least 13 persons,
mostly Nepalese, were killed. We

strongly condemn the horrible

tragedy in Kabul, Modi tweeted.
Our deep condolences to people and governments of Afghanistan
and Nepal on the loss of innocent
lives, he added.
At least 13 persons were
killed and 25 injured when a suicide bomber struck a bus carrying

security personnel in Kabul. Most

victims were foreign security guards,
mostly from Nepal, a security official said.
Modi said steps were being taken
to provide all relevant assistance to
the Nepal government in this hour
of tragedy. The Taliban has claimed
responsibility for the attack.

Dragon act

A youth blows re from his kerosene-lled mouth as he participates in a Jal Yatra procession from
the Lord Jagannat Mandir to the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad, yesterday.

IANS

PATNA: Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) former chairman

Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh and his
wife Usha Sinha were arrested yesterday in connection with the state
Class 12 examination toppers scam,
police said.
Lalkeshwar Prasad and Usha
Sinha were arrested from Varanasi
in Uttar Pradesh, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj,
who heads the Special Investigation
Team (SIT) probing the Class 12 toppers scam, said.
He said the couple will be brought
here on Monday and interrogated by
a separate team of the SIT.
Meanwhile, Bihar Police recovered a country-made pistol and five
live cartridges from the office of Amit
Kumar alias Bachcha Rai, the alleged
kingpin in the toppers scam.
He was arrested on June 11 after
he surrendered to the police. Said to
be a supporter of the ruling Rashtriya
Janata Dal (RJD), Bachha Rai is the
principal of the V.R. College in Bihars
Vaishali district.
He is alleged to have been manipulating, in collusion with the BSEB,
the merit list of Class 12 examinees

in favour of students who paid him

bribes.
Police have lodged a case
against Bachcha Rai under the Arms
Act after recovery of the pistol and
five live rounds. We will now again
seek his custody, Maharaj said.
After facing flak from the opposition over the toppers scam, leaders
of Bihars ruling Grand Alliance of
Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Rashtriya
Janata Dal JD and Congress said the
guilty will not be spared.
Whoever has committed crime
and corruption cannot escape the
long hands of rule of law. The guilty
will be punished, state JD-U President Vashisht Narain Singh said,
reacting to the arrest of the couple.
RJD leader and Bihars Deputy
Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav said he
has full faith in Bihar Police who have
already arrested Lalkeshwar Prasad
Singh and his wife Usha Sinha.
Bihar state Congress President
and Bihars Education Minister Ashok
Choudhary said the accused will face
justice.
Opposition leader Jitan Ram
Manjhi, however, demanded that the
toppers scam should be probed by the
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Manjhi is former Bihar Chief Minister and belongs to the Hindustani
Awam Morcha party.

Last week, a Patna civil court

issued an arrest warrant against
Lalkeshwar Prasad, who until
recently headed the BSEB which
conducts the Class 10 and 12 examinations in Bihar. Lalkeshwar Prasad
went underground after resigning
from the board.
His wife Usha Sinha, who is
former Janata Dal-United (JD-U)
legislator of Bihar, was also missing
since the time her name surfaced in
the scam.
So far, 10 persons have been
arrested in the case, the police said.
The scam surfaced after Aaj Tak TV
channel showed a sting in which two
Class 12 toppers could not answer
even elementary questions about
the subjects they topped in.
The sting showed Rubi Rai, who
topped the Class 12 exam in the Arts,
saying: Prodikal (read political) science is about cooking.
It also showed Saurabh Shreshtha, a Science topper, saying: Most
reactive element in the periodic
table is aluminium. Both Rubi Rai
and Saurabh Shreshtha belonged to
Bachha Rais V.R. College.
The sting suggested that education in Bihar continues to be a very
dubious affair with the possibility
that cheating and fraud continue on
a large scale.

14

INDIA

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

China throws
cold water on
NSG hopes
The inclusion of nonNPT members has
never been a topic
on the agenda of NPT
meetings. In Seoul
this year there is no
such topic: Hua

IANS

BEIJING: In a blow to Indias NSG

hopes, China said yesterday that
the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
was still divided over admitting the
country and that New Delhis application for membership was not on
the agenda of the plenary of the
48-member bloc in Seoul later this
week.Beijings statement comes a
day after Indias External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj exuded confidence in getting Chinas support for
membership at the NSG - the global
nuclear trade regulatory body.
The Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG) is still divided about non-NPT
(Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty)
countries entry into the NSG and
under the current circumstances
we hope that NSG will make thorough discussions to make a decision

based on consultation, Hua Chunying, spokesperson for Chinas Foreign

Ministry, told the media here.
The inclusion of non-NPT members has never been a topic on the
agenda of NPT meetings. In Seoul
this year there is no such topic, Hua
said. The NSG, which controls global
nuclear trade, is to hold an important
plenary June 23-24 in Seoul when
the membership application of India,
along with Pakistan, were scheduled
to be taken up.
On Sunday, Swaraj said China is
not opposed to Indias entry into the
NSG but was only talking about the
criteria procedures to New Delhis
entry to the nuclear grouping.
China has been opposed to
Indias membership to the bloc on
the grounds that it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT). Beijing has also said
if New Delhi is admitted, then so
should Islamabad, its all-weather
ally, be given admission to the elite
bloc. India, which finds the NPT
discriminatory in nature, has been
backed by the US, Switzerland,
Mexico, Italy, Russia and Britain.
However, some member countries like New Zealand, and South
Africa have been opposing Indias
entry. Consensus among all member countries is essential to allow a
new entrant.
Sushma also said India will not
oppose entry of any other country.
What we want is all the applications
are decided on their own merits.

Chopper scam:
Raids in three
major cities

Stamp paper
scam kingpin
Telgi is alive

Healthy shot

IANS

An Indian medical volunteer administers a dose of injectable polio vaccine (IPV) to a child during a
vaccination drive in Hyderabad, yesterday.

82-year-old fails 47th time

to pass Class 10 exam
IANS

JAIPUR: Shiv Charan, 82, who

appeared in the Rajasthan boards
Class 10 exam for the 47th time a few
months back, has failed once again.
The results of the Rajasthan
Board of Secondary Examination
announced on Sunday evening have
again shattered his hopes of getting
married. Also known as Sheojiram
and Pappu, the resident of Kohari

village of Behror town, over 140 km

from here, has been taking the test
for the last 47 years.
In the early years of his life, he
vowed to marry only after getting
through the examinations.
Till the time I am alive I will go
on giving the exam, Shiv Charan said
yesterday. Shiv Charan, who now
lives in a temple, is fully dependant
on old age pension given by the state
government.
It is not just passing the exam.
It will also give me an opportunity

to get married, he said. Because of

his age, he has problems with his eye
sight, hearing and in walking but his
passion to pass the exam remains
intact.
In 1995 I passed in almost all
subjects except mathematics, he
said. However, this time he was not
able to pass in any subject. In some
subjects he secured zero marks.
Shiv Charan took his first board
exams in 1969. Since then, passing
them has become the main aim of
his life.

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau

of Investigation (CBI) yesterday told
the Supreme Court that kingpin of
the multi-crore counterfeit stamp
paper scam Abdul Kareem Telgi
was very much alive and was in
incarceration in a Bengaluru jail.
Abdul Kareem Telgi is very
much alive and is in Bengaluru
jail, Additional Solicitor General
Atmaram Nadkarni told the vacation bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar
Goel and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar.
He told the court that earlier
there were reports that Telgi was
suffering from multiple ailments
including AIDS and few years
back, there was a report that he
had passed away and the same
was reported by media.
The information came during
the hearing of an appeal by the
CBI challenging the Karnataka
High Court order acquitting Telgi
in one of the several cases relating
to counterfeit stamp paper racket.
The counterfeit stamp paper
scam which was estimated to be
around Rs 20,000 crores saw
registration of 12 cases in Maharashtra between 1992 and 2002 and
another 15 cases in other parts of
the country.
In the last hearing of the matter when top court was informed
that Telgi was dead, the bench had
observed that you cant convict a
dead person.
However, on Monday when
Nadkarni addressed the court
on CBIs appeal against acquittal of Telgi in oneof the cases, the
bench observed: If he is alive, then
there is no hurry and adjourned
the hearing.

Theft of batteries halts

Mumbai suburban trains

Martial meditation

IANS

IANS

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement

Directorate yesterday conducted
raids at 10 places in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad in connection
with its ongoing money laundering
probe in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
ED conducted searches at 10
premises located in Delhi, Mumbai
and Hyderabad in AgustaWestland
case, an ED official said.
The official said the agency
also issued freezing orders under
Prevention of Money Laundering
Act (PMLA) against shares worth Rs
86.07 crore owned by companies
in Dubai, Mauritius and Singapore.
ED is probing the case in which
Rs 360 crore were allegedly paid
as kickbacks by Finmeccanica, the
parent firm of AgustaWestland, to
execute the deal for 12 helicopters in its favour in the guise of
transactions for performing multiple work contracts in the country.
The agency had lodged a case
in July, 2014 against former Indian
Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi, businessman Gautam Khaitan, his wife
Ritu, three Italian middlemen Christian Michel James,

MUMBAI: Millions of peak-hour

commuters were left stranded for
around an hour when a power glitch
paralysed the suburban train services of the Western Railway here,
yesterday. The commuters were left
stranded across the network from
around 11.15am as a major power
failure stopped all trains.
The glitch occurred due to the
theft of 18 electric batteries of 12
AH capacity from the Mahim electrical sub-station at Mahim, leading
to disruption of the suburban traffic on the two fast and two slow

Army personnel participate in a yoga workshop at the Army Cantonment grounds in Ahmedabad,
yesterday, on the eve of World Yoga Day.

corridors between Churchgate and

Virar as also the fifth corridor used
mainly for long-distance trains. The
Government Railway Police is investigating the theft. Due to the theft,
there was no back-up supply to OHE
circuit near Dadar, leading to disruption in the services.
Officials said the battery boxes
are used for back-up and charging
purposes in case of minor tripping
or fluctuation in overhead electric
(OHE) power supply and also protect
electric circuits. The Western Railway technical teams managed to
rectify the problem on a war-footing
and restore overhead traction power
supply by around 12.10pm.

External probe will not have any bearing on Narada PILs: HC

IANS

KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court

yesterday said the probe ordered by
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee into the Narada sting controversy will not have any bearing on
the multiple public interest litigations

(PIL) pending before it on the matter.

Claiming the Banerjee ordered
probe tantamount to interference
with the judicial process, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, one of the counsel
in the PILs, drew it to the attention
of the division bench of Chief Justice
Manjula Chellur which is hearing
the petitions. The probe is an

interference with the judicial process as well as contempt of court so I

drew the courts attention to it. The
Chief Justice said the matter is subjudice and what one is saying about it
outside is immaterial. The court alone
will decide the matter, said Bhattacharya. The court also directed the
government pleader to furnish details

of the probe by June 24. Carried out

by a portal - Narada News - the sting
caught on camera over a dozen Trinamool Congress leaders including
former union ministers, state cabinet heavyweights and MPs accepting
money as bribes in return for allegedly doling out favours to a fictitious
company. Following Banerjees June 17

direction of the probe, the city police

initiated case under several offences
including defamation against Narada
News CEO Mathew Samuel.
The court on April 29 had ordered
forensic examinations of the tapes
as well as recording devices by the
Central Forensic Science Laboratory
Hyderabad.

Demands high to have separate time zones in isolated northeast

AFP

GUWAHATI: By the time the working day begins in northeast India on

the longest day of the year, the sun is
already high in the sky and the heat
is nearing its peak -- because clocks
across the vast country are set to the
same hour.
India has just one time zone for its
1.2 billion people, spread from points
further east than Bangladesh to the
western Arabian Sea. The entire countrys time is aligned to that of a town
in Uttar Pradesh, which sits near the
longitude line closest to centre of the
country.

The policy was introduced when

the nation gained its independence
from Britain, but in the northeast government ministers now say
Indian Standard Time (IST) makes
little sense. Their region is closer to
Dhaka, which is 30 minutes ahead,
than Delhi. It shares borders with
China, Myanmar and Bhutan as well
as Bangladesh. Around the summer
solstice, the sun rises at 4:15am in the
far northeast -- a good 90 minutes
before dawn breaks on Indias west
coast -- and sets at just 6:15pm.
Campaigners say that has held
back the development of the region,
home to some of Indias poorest states,
hitting productivity and adding billions to the cost of lighting homes

and offices. Definitely there is a loss

of energy, a loss of workable hours,
says Arup Kumar Datta, a writer in the
northeastern state of Assam who has
campaigned on the issue.
A person is fresher (in the morning), but by the time you go at office at
10 oclock you have lost that energy.
Worse, campaigner Jahnu Barua
believes a policy that was intended
to unite a newly-independent India
has actually exacerbated the sense of
alienation in the northeast, a tribaldominated region battling myriad
separatist insurgencies.
People are not fools, said
Bahrua, a northeasterner who has
campaigned for decades for a separate time zone for the region.

Slowly they are becoming aware

of the rest of the world, and when
they realise they have literally been
kept in the dark, of course they feel
alienated.
Bahrua grew up on a tea plantation in Assam state, where work
started at 6:00am to make the most
of the daylight.
Some of Assams plantations still
operate on their own time -- known
locally as tea garden time and a
hangover from the days of British rule.
But Bahrua says most have
switched to IST, meaning the backbreaking work of picking tea begins
when the sun is nearing its hottest.
Akhil Ranjan Dutta, a politics
professor at Guwahati University in

Assam, says he only became aware

of the problem when he moved from
the countryside to the state capital for
his studies.
In the village we used to go to
bed at seven in the evening and rise at
two or three in the morning, he said.
Then I came to college and I
couldnt change my habits. My friends
would all laugh at me... You cant
have a same time zone for a country like India which is so vast. This
has to change. The mainland United
States, excluding Pacific territories
and Alaska, observes four different
time zones; mainland Australia has
three and Russia has nine -- although
China uses just one.
But previous proposals to set up

separate time zones in India have

fallen on deaf ears.
In 2006 Indias planning commission said having two time zones would
lead to substantial energy savings in a
country that frequently suffers power
outages, but the central government
rejected the plan.
When scientists from the National
Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore studied the problem in 2007
they concluded separate time zones
would cause chaos, advocating
instead a 30-minute advancement
of IST. But one glimmer of hope is
offered by the new state government
of Assam, which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP).

EUROPE

15

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Heartfelt tributes for Cox at House of Commons

Lawmakers lined the
benches and stood
in the aisles of the
House for a special
session in Coxs
memory.

AP

LONDON: The raucous business of

Britains House of Commons was
replaced by somber silence and
heartfelt tributes yesterday for slain
lawmaker Jo Cox, while the man
charged with her slaying made a
brief appearance in court by video
link from prison.
Lawmakers lined the benches and
stood in the aisles of the House for a
special session in Coxs memory. Some
wiped away tears, and each wore a
white rose, symbol of Coxs home
county of Yorkshire.
Parliament was in recess for
campaigning in the European Union
referendum when Cox was shot and

stabbed to death outside a library in

her northern England constituency on
Thursday. The suspect, Thomas Mair,
gave his name during a court appearance as death to traitors, freedom for
Britain.
The killing the first of a sitting British legislator in more than a
quarter of a century prompted an
outpouring of shock and grief, and
brought a three-day halt to campaigning for this weeks referendum.
An attack like this strikes not
only at an individual but at our freedom, said Speaker John Bercow,
who recalled the House from recess
to allow lawmakers to honour their
colleague.
That is why we assemble here,
both to honour Jo and to redouble our
dedication to democracy.
Cox was a former aid worker and
Labour legislator who had championed the plight of Syrian refugees
and strongly backed a remain vote
in Thursdays EU poll.
Her death brought promises to tone
down the heated political rhetoric that
has marked the referendum campaign.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said
that in the wake of Coxs death, we
need a kinder and gentler politics.
We all have a responsibility, in
this House and beyond, not to whip up

hatred and sow division, Corbyn said.

The House is generally recalled
only at times of crisis or high significance. The last time it happened
was in September 2014, so lawmakers could vote on whether to launch
airstrikes against the Islamic State
group in Iraq.
Coxs friends and colleagues
remembered her warmth, energy and
principles, as her husband and children watched from the public gallery.
Jo Cox was a voice of compassion
whose irrepressible spirit and boundless energy lit up the lives of all who
knew her, and saved the lives of many
she never, ever met, said Prime Minister David Cameron.
Mair, who was arrested shortly
after the attack, appeared at Londons
Central Criminal Court yesterday by
video link from high-security Belmarsh Prison. He is charged with
murder, grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm and possession
of an offensive weapon.
He did not repeat the death to
traitors outburst he made during a
hearing on Saturday. Asked if he was
Thomas Mair, he replied, Yes, I am.
His lawyer did not seek bail during
the brief hearing. Mair was ordered
detained until his next hearing on
Thursday.

Britains Prime Minister David Cameron (second right) walks from Parliament to St Margarets Church with
Jeremy Corbyn (right) the leader of the opposition Labour Party for a service of rememberance for Labour
MP Jo Cox, in Westminster, London, yesterday.

Brexit pits London, Scotland against middle England

AFP

LONDON: Britains vote on European

Union membership on Thursday is set
to split regions against regions, with
Scotland and the main cities expected
to back remaining while the English
countryside votes out.
Provincial England versus London and the Celts is how one pollster,
YouGovs former president Peter Kellner, has described it.
London: With 8.6 million inhabitants, London is a world city and polls
indicate it will vote approximately 60
percent in favour of Britain remaining an EU member.
The capitals City of London, one
of the worlds major financial centres,
is mostly pro-EU. London is also a cosmopolitan metropolis where 37 percent
of the population is foreign born.
Ron Johnston of the University of
Bristols School of Geographical Sciences said the places most likely to
vote in favour of the EU are the more
cosmopolitan places... people who
have greater experience of Europe,
dealing with the EU, better educated.
Other cities are similar to London, according to YouGov research.
Many of the europhile areas are
university towns with lower median
agesLiverpool, Manchester, York and
Bristol, the polling company has said.

Six detained in
Belgium for
foiled train attack
last year

Campaigners hold placards for Britain Stronger in Europe, the

official Remain campaign group seeking to avoid Brexit, ahead of
the forthcoming EU referendum, in London, yesterday.
Scotland: Of the four constituent
nations of the United Kingdom, Scotland is by far the most in favour of
the European Union. A recent Ipsos
MORI poll showed support for the EU
at 64 percent.
Scotland is different in part
because it traditionally had closer
links with Europe, especially with
France, said Johnston.
Scotland has always been
slightly more cosmopolitan.

Woman who left baby to drown

on beach blames witchcraft
AFP

AP

BRUSSELS: Belgian authorities

have detained six people in connection with last years foiled
attack on a Thalys express train
to France, they said yesterday.
The Federal Prosecutors Office
said six houses in the greater Brussels area were searched in the
operation. An investigating judge
would decide whether the people
taken in for questioning should
remain in custody, it said.
No arms or explosives were
found and the prosecutors office
said no further information would
be made public about the six people detained or the items seized in
the police searches.
In August 2015, a man on a
Thalys train that had just crossed
into France from Belgium tried
to open fire with an assault rifle
but was overpowered by three
Americans, two of them off-duty
members of the US armed forces.
French police termed it an Islamic
extremist attack, but the gunman,
Ayoub El Khazzani, maintained he
wanted to commit robbery.

London, Scotland and Northern

Ireland are likely to be the regions
most opposed to Brexit, while the
highest levels of support for Brexit
look likely to come from the English
heartlands, said Charles Pattie of the
University of Sheffields Department
of Geography.
Wales looks intriguingnot as
pro-Brexit as much of England, but
more pro-Brexit than Scotland or
Northern Ireland, he added.

Provincial England: The heartland of support for a so-called Brexit

is the English countryside. These are
the areas that feel most threatened by
immigration and pressure on public
services. A rising population threatens
the so-called Green Belts of countryside that surround large cities in Britain,
the pro-Brexit campaign has warned.
Mass immigration will see cherished Green Belt land replaced with
roads and housing developments in
order to cope with the huge influx of
people, said Chris Grayling, a Conservative lawmaker and an advocate
of leaving the EU.
The highest levels of support for
Brexit look likely to come from English heartlandsespecially from a
swathe of districts down the English
east and south coasts and through the
Midlands and some of the older industrial towns of the north, Pattie said.
These places are most convinced
by the anti-EU argument that immigration from the rest of the bloc
depresses wages, pushes house
prices up, and overwhelms schools
and health services, Johnston said.
They are the ones who are
scared by the threat of immigration,
the professor said.
Seaside towns: The declining
towns on Britains coasts are eurosceptic strongholds, and a primary
source of support for the anti-immigration UK Independence Party.

SAINT-OMER, FRANCE: A French

woman who left her baby daughter to
drown on a beach said yesterday she
had no other explanation but witchcraft. Fabienne Kabou, 39, went on
trial for the murder of 15-month-old
Adelaide which shocked the country
in November 2013.
The French woman of Senegalese
origin described her well-off childhood in Dakar before she moved to
Paris to study philosophy and architecture and fell in love with a sculptor
30 years her senior, Michel Lafon.
In 2011 I fell pregnant with
Adelaide, she was born in August and
I ended up killing her, 15 months after
her birth, she told the court in the
northeastern town of Saint-Omer.
Kabou travelled with her daughter from their home in Paris to
northern resort town of Berck-surMer where she enquired about local
tides before heading to the beach.
She said goodbye to her sleeping
daughter and placed her near the
water on a wintry night.
The babys lifeless body was discovered early next morning by prawn
fishermen.

Witchcraft. That is my default

explanation because I have no other,
she told the court.
Kabou said she had spent some
40,000 ($45,000) consulting various witchdoctors and healers
before carrying out the murder.
Nothing makes sense in this
story. What interest could I have in
tormenting myself, lying, killing my
daughter? I spoke of sorcery and I
am not joking. Even a stupid person
would not do what I did.
Kabous lawyer Fabienne RoyNansion pushed her to explain why
she thought evil forces were at work.
For many years I struggled to
wake up in the morning, my feet were
paralysed. I had hallucinations, like
the walls which didnt stop trembling, said Kabou, who is charged
with premeditated murder and faces
life in prison.
From the start she has made little
effort to hide or deny her crime, and
video surveillance allowed police to
track her down 10 days afterwards
to her homea renovated art studio
where she lived with Adelaides father.
Roy-Nansion describes Kabou as
from a well-to-do Catholic background
and of remarkable intelligence.
A court-appointed psychiatrist found that her psychological

status is largely influenced by cultural references and an individual

history linked to Senegalese witchcraft that radically altered her view
of the world.
However a lawyer for a childrens group that is a civil party to
the case, Jean-Christophe Boyer,
accused Kabou of using witchcraft
as a defence strategy.
You are faced with a very intelligent woman who knows she must
not say she is mad, but give enough
to the experts to appear mad, so you
have sorcery and it is part of her culture, he said.
Another court psychiatrist, Paul
Bensussan, said her act was possibly triggered by a deep depression
related to the birth of her child.
Her lawyer has said the child was
born in the couples home and was
never registered. No one close to the
couple, not even Kabous mother,
knew of her existence.
The pregnancy was a happy surprise for her, not necessarily for the
father. I think she felt deeply alone,
Roy-Nansion said before the trial.
The father, Michel Lafon, a sculptor,
did not take an interest in or recognise
the child, according to court documents. A DNA test was carried out after
Kabous arrest to prove his paternity.

Tusk urges Britons

to stay in the EU
Reuters

LISBON: European Council President Donald Tusk (pictured) issued a

direct appeal to British voters yesterday, urging them to stay in the EU at
a referendum on Thursday and saying Brexit would weaken not just
Europe but the Western world.
I would like to appeal to the
British citizens, on behalf, I know
that for a fact, of almost all Europeans and European leaders: Stay with
us, the former Polish premier who
chairs EU summits said on a visit to
Portugal.
Without you, not only Europe,
but the whole Western community
will become weaker. Together, we
will be able to cope with increasingly
difficult challenges of the future.
EU leaders have refrained from
engaging very directly in the campaign in Britain for fear that would
be counterproductive. But they have
long insisted they want Britain to
remain in the bloc and, as opinion
polls have remained tight, several
have spoken out in recent days to
warn of the dangers of leaving.
Tusk will chair the next summit of European Union leaders next
Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels, when they will discuss how
to respond to whether Britons have
voted to stay or go.
In no way are we downplaying the economic costs that would
accompany Brexit, he said. I have
no doubt, however, that we are
already prepared for the day after

the referendum.
If Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a formal notice of
Britains intent to leave the EU, the
other 27 leaders will have to set up
a negotiating system to settle terms
for divorce. If Britons vote to stay,
then next weeks summit will discuss pushing through a special deal
agreed with Cameron in February.
Tusk has urged leaders to consider why voters, not just in Britain
but across the bloc, are disillusioned
with the European Union and has
cautioned against those who advocate pressing on with closer political
integration without public support.
Whatever (the referendum)
result is going to be, we must take a
long, hard look on the future of the
Union, Tusk said.
We would be foolish if we
ignored such a warning signal as the
UK referendum. There are more signals of dissatisfaction with the Union
coming from all of Europe, not only
from the UK.

Chilling performance

Italian composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi performing a

specially composed Elegy for the Arctic on a oating platform in
the Arctic Ocean in front of the Wahlenbergbreen glacier in the
archipelago Svalbard, near Ny-Alesund, Norway.

16

EUROPE

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Raggi becomes rst female mayor of Rome

The 5-Star Movement
made breakthrough
winning elections in
Rome and Turin.

AP

ROME: An anti-establishment party

founded by a comic has triumphed
in Italian mayoral runoff elections,
trouncing Premier Matteo Renzis
candidates in Rome and another key
city and turning its sights yesterday
toward its next goal national power.
The 5-Star Movement candidate
in Rome, Virginia Raggi, a lawyer with a three-year stint as a city
councilwoman, took 67.2 percent of
the vote in a two-person runoff Sunday, becoming the corruption-stained
capital citys first female mayor and,
at 37, also its youngest.
Raggi promised to work to bring
legality and transparency to Romes
City Hall, where prosecutors probing widespread corruption have
found many municipal contracts
were awarded without taking bids to
political cronies and even a Mafialike clique.
Another 5-Star candidate, Chiara
Appendino, also a woman and even
younger at 32, scored in Turin what
could be the bigger embarrassment
for Renzi, who also serves as Democratic Party leader. With 54.6 percent
of the vote, Appendino defeated Mayor
Piero Fassino, a veteran Democrat.
The Democratic Party has been

weakened by defections and the

Rome scandals, which tainted local
Democrats as well as conservative
politicians. Many Democrats chafe
at what they see as Renzis brash
management style bordering on
arrogance.
Renzi didnt immediately comment. But while campaigning for
Democrats in the weeks before the
runoffs, the premier sought to brush
off any reading that the outcome
would be a judgment of his two years
at the helm of a centre-left coalition
that has been marred by infighting.
National elections are due in early
2018, although Renzi has promised to
resign if a referendum this fall fails to
confirm reforms aimed at streamlining Parliament and the lawmaking
progress.
The premiers only big consolation prize came in Milan, where his
candidate Giuseppe Sala, who successfully managed that citys recent
Expo, took 51.7 percent of the vote to
defeat another respected manager,
Stefano Parisi, who was backed by
center-right forces. In much smaller
Bologna, a centre-left incumbent
mayor backed by the Democrats
defeated a center-right rival.
The defeat of Raggis opponent in
Rome, Democrat Roberto Giachetti,
was widely expected, given deep
anger over years of City Hall corruption. Investigations have led to arrests
of dozens of politicians and their cronies, including Democrats as well as
right-wing proponents, whose candidate failed to make into the runoff.
Deteriorating public services like
mass transit and garbage collection
also fueled voter determination to toss
out the old guard.
The 5-Star Movements leap in

Divisions in EU over next

move on Russia sanctions
Reuters

LUXEMBOURG: The European

Union was divided yesterday over
how to end a stand-off with Moscow
over the crisis in Ukraine, as Britain
called for governments to maintain
their tough stance and Slovakia said
the current sanctions policy was
untenable.
France reiterated the Wests
position that there could be no
change to the punitive sanctions on
Russias defence, energy and financial sectors until Moscow dropped its
support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, although Paris wants
EU leaders to also seek a rapprochement with the Kremlin.
Incoming EU presidency chair
Slovakia said EU governments could
not ignore the political pressure in
some EU countries for a shift in
sanctions policy with Russia, the
blocs biggest energy supplier.
Slovakias Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, whose country will help
shape European policy from July to
December, said it was necessary to
hold talks because there was a growing demand for a political discussion
about sanctions levied on Russia.
Diplomats said such talk was
code for potentially softening the
measures implemented by the West
in July 2014 after Moscows annexation of Ukraines Crimea in February
of that year. Italy, Bulgaria and
Greece are keen to see some sanctions lifted.
I am not calling for abolishing
the sanctions. But what I dont want
to see is that we formally maintain
the sanctions and behind the sanctions, everyone is signing big deals
with Russia, visiting, meeting people who are blacklisted, Lajcak said.

This is the reality today, so I

think it is fair to discuss, he told
reporters in the margins of the
EU foreign ministers meeting in
Luxembourg.
EU envoys in Brussels are set to
extend the sanctions on Russia today
until the end of the year. The United
States and other Western nations
have imposed similar sanctions.
The West accuses Russia of
directly supporting the rebels,
which Moscow denies. Western governments say any relaxation of the
sanctions are linked to progress on
a peace deal signed in Minsk last
year to end the conflict in eastern
Ukraine.
The war has killed more than
9,000 people since April 2014 and
Nato warned last week the internationally-monitored ceasefire
in eastern Ukraine was barely
holding..
That view was restated in Berlin
on Monday by German Chancellor
Angela Merkel, who helped negotiate
the Minsk accord, following comments by her foreign minister saying
he was in favour of lifting sanctions
gradually if the Russian government
took some steps linked to Minsk.
Britains foreign minister said
there could be no middle ground
and that the Minsk peace deal,
which includes a complete ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, needed to
be implemented in full.
If you want the sanctions
relaxed, deliver your commitments
at Minsk, not some of them, or moving towards, or talking about, but
delivering, Foreign Secretary Philip
Hammond said. The Russians are
playing a game, frankly a game of
divide and rule, targeting those who
are temperamentally inclined to talk
about relaxation, pressuring them. It
is a big mistake.

Renzi party says

defeat was a
painful blow
AFP

Romes newly elected mayor Virginia Raggi, of 5-Star Movement, speaks to journalists in Rome, yesterday.
popularity is remarkable, considering its short life. Comic Beppe Grillo,
using his widely popular sarcastic
blog chastising traditional politicians as a springboard, converted the
momentum into a party less than a
decade ago.
The first significant mayoral victory came in 2012, in the affluent
northern town of Parma.
In his blog analysis of Sundays
victories, Grillo predicted that from
today, everything changes, now its

our turn to convert what had been

considered essentially an anti-establishment opposition force into one
wielding power.
Luigi Di Maio, a 5-Star lawmaker
who is vice-president of the lower
Chamber of Deputies, was blunter.
He contended the runoff victories
showed his party is the only credible
force that can defeat Renzis Democrats nationally.
How the 5-Star Movement
can convert its reputation as an

anti-establishment, protest force

into significant power-holding will
be closely observed.
The new 5-Star mayors will have
to find alliances at the local level and
finally leave the ambiguity that has
characterized their proposed policies at a national level, economist
Lorenzo Codogno, an analyst and
visiting professor at the European
Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science, wrote in
an emailed comment.

ROME: Prime Minister Matteo

Renzis party yesterday said the
outcome of municipal elections
was a painful blow after Italys
populist movement notched up
spectacular gains.
Its definitely a defeat for
us. Losing Rome and Turin is a
blow, its painful, Matteo Orfini,
president of the Democratic Party
(PD), said in an interview with La
Stampa daily.
The city elections have been
a closely-watched barometer of
Italian politics.
Renzis political strength
has weakened in recent months.
Rome in particular is seen by
some analysts as a springboard
for general elections due in 2018.
Sundays polls saw the
populist Five Star Movement (M5S)
sweep to power in the capital and
in the northern industrial city of
Turin.
Virginia Raggi, 37, was elected
as Romes first female mayor,
trouncing the PD candidate,
Roberto Giachetti, in a 67-to-33
percent share of the vote.
The PD had some satisfaction
by winning in Milan, Italys
principal economic hub, against
a centre-right opponent.
Orfini said the results from
various cities bore out M5Ss
tactics, of forging local alliances
with rightwing or far-right
candidates to gain the votes of
their supporters for the second
round of voting.

Croatia dissolves parliament for early vote

AFP

ZAGREB: Croatian deputies voted to

dissolve parliament yesterday, paving the way for an early election by
mid-September, after Prime Minister
Tihomir Oreskovic lost a vote of confidence last week.
The dissolution of parliament
will become effective on July 15,
speaker Zeljko Reiner said, after
which a new election must be held
within 60 days.
The dissolution was backed by
137 deputies in the 151-seat assembly.

No Russian threat
to Baltics: Nato
commander

The right-wing government led by

Oreskovic, a former pharmaceutical
executive with no party affiliation,
fell after only five months in power,
inflicting a serious blow to the main
party in the coalition, HDZ.
Cobbled together after indecisive
November polls, the fragile coalition was beset by internal disputes
between HDZ and its junior partner,
Most, amid concerns over Croatias
shift to the right.
The political crisis escalated
last month with a conflict of interest
affair involving Tomislav Karamarko,
the powerful HDZ head and deputy
premier.

A national ethnics watchdog ruled

last week that Karamarko had a conflict of interest due to a business deal
between his wife and a lobbyist for
Hungarys oil group MOL.
MOL is currently in arbitration with Croatia over its national
oil group INA, in which it is a major
shareholder.
As the coalition descended into
chaos and its partners traded calls
for resignations, HDZ filed a no-confidence motion against Oreskovic.
They accused the premier of trying to boost his own political power,
instead of dealing with the economy
as he had pledgedaccusations he

has firmly rejected.

Snap elections will delay muchneeded reforms in the European
Unions newest member, whose
economy remains one of the worst
performers in the bloc.
Croatia, which relies heavily
on tourism along its Adriatic coast,
emerged last year from a six-year
recession. Unemployment is above
15 percent, while public debt has
reached 87 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Political risk consultancy Eurasia
Group earlier said that a snap election
was unlikely to offer a clear majority
for a single party.

Boatablock in Amsterdam

Reuters

PRAGUE: Nato is not contemplating a troop build-up in the Baltics

beyond exisiting plans as there is
no immiment threat from Russia,
the alliances military chief said.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia see themselves in frontline of
any potential conflict with Russia
and are putting their armies on
a war footing. Nato is planning a
new Nato force in Poland and the
three Baltic nations.
The four battalions, of up to
1,000 troops each, are part of a
wider deterrent to be approved
at a summit in Warsaw that Nato
hopes will discourage Russia from
orchestrating the kind of campaign
it used to annex Ukraines Crimea
peninsula in February 2014.

Sightseeing boats and canal boats demonstrate by blocking the canals of Amsterdam, yesterday,
against the new policy of the municipality to ensure that all 135 boats over 14 metres will be banned
from the canals.

French govt asks unions to scrap plans for protest march

Reuters

PARIS: French authorities yesterday asked unions to scrap plans for a

protest march in Paris and limit their
demonstrations to a single, static rally
in hope that the violence which marred
previous days of action can be avoided.

Unions have been organising protest marches for months against a draft
law that will overhaul labour rules. They
said a ban on marching would be unacceptable and that they would maintain
plans to walk through the streets of the
French capital on Thursday.
The government has the right to
ban the protest rally if unions do not
comply with its demands.

Tension between the government

and unions that oppose the reform,
including the hardline CGT, rose
sharply after an escalation in violence during a street march in Paris
last week.
Hundreds of rioters ransacked
shop fronts, clashed with police,
tore up street paving and smashed
the windows of a childrens hospital

during running battles on Tuesday.

The police responded with teargas
and water cannon and dozens were
hurt on both sides.
In this context of tension and
recent clashes ... having another
march like that on June 23 is not conceivable, Interior Minister Bernard
Cazenove said in a letter to CDT chief
Philippe Martinez.

A Paris police chief had made a

similar comment earlier yesterday,
but two top union officials said they
would stick to their plans.
Unions say the violent acts are
committed by people not connected
with their movement.
I dont see what could push us to
give up our constitutional right to protest, Pascal Joly, the head of the CGT

in the Paris region, told reporters.

Rallying in one square instead of
doing a protest march is not acceptable, said Gabriel Gaudy, a top official
for smaller union FO.
French police are already
stretched as France hosts the Euro
2016 soccer tournament under a state
of emergency in place since IS attackers killed 130 people last November.

AMERICAS

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

17

At least 8 dead & over 100 injured in Mexico protests

The violence erupted
as police red tear
gas at protesters
to end a week-long
barricade of a road in
Asuncion Nochixtlan.
AFP

OAXACA, MEXICO: At least eight people were killed, including a journalist,

and more than 100 injured in southern Mexico when unknown gunmen
opened fire during clashes between
police and teachers, authorities said.
The violence erupted as police
fired tear gas at protesters to end a
week-long barricade of a road in
Asuncion Nochixtlan, a town in Oaxaca state, where some vehicles were
set on fire.
The National Education Workers
Coordinator (CNTE) union has been
leading protests in Oaxaca for days
against an education reform and the
arrest of two of its leaders.
T he
Na t ion a l
S e c u r it y

Commission initially denied that

officers were armed, charging that
news pictures showing them with
guns were false.
But federal police chief Enrique
Galindo later said that an armed unit
was deployed after unidentified people fired weapons on police and the
population.
The teachers were not even
involved in these things, Galindo
said at a news conference.
There are reports of the presence
of various violent groups that have
headed the blockades of roads and
strategic installations for days, the
federal and state governments said
in a joint statement, urging the CNTE
to distance itself from these unidentified groups.
The six fatalities were all civilians,
said Oaxaca state public security secretary Jorge Alberto Ruiz Martinez.
Paramedics said that three of the
dead had bullet wounds. One was a
minor and the other two were 23 and
28. The paramedics spoke on condition of anonymity because they were
not authorized to speak publicly.
It was not immediately clear how
the other three were killed.
However the mayor of the Oaxaca
town of Juchitan de Zaragoz, where
similar clashes occurred, reported
that a journalist covering the violence

plus one other person had been shot

dead. Authorities did not specify
whether the death toll of six included
these two individuals.
Another 55 federal and state officers were injured, including eight by
gunshots, Ruiz Martinez said. At least
53 civilians were injured.
At least 21 people were arrested.
The CNTE, considered a radical
wing of a national union, denounced
in a statement the repressive action
of the federal and state governments.
Many of the injured were taken
to the Asuncion Nochixtlans church
before being transferred to hospitals.
Several are in critical condition, the
government said. A municipal police
officer, who requested anonymity,
said a firebomb was thrown on the
towns municipal building.
Governor Gabino Cue said the
police intervention was needed to
restore food and fuel supplies on
state roads.
Protesters, some wearing masks,
also gathered in the tourist city of
Oaxaca, the state capital, where
they prepared Molotov cocktails and
burned material on the street to form
barricades near the central plaza in
anticipation of the arrival of police.
Shops closed and the streets were
deserted.
The resistance is peaceful but

Mexican federal police clash with teachers during a protest against an education reform and the arrest of
two of its leaders, in Oaxaca State.
we are preparing barricades for the
evacuation and excessive repression by the government of President
Enrique Pena Nieto, said a spokesman for the CNTEs Section 22 who
declined to give his name for fear of
reprisals.

They didnt want to have dialogue. They said there was no going
back on the education reform, he
said. The CNTE has staunchly opposed
Pena Nietos education reform, which
requires teachers to undergo performance evaluations.

The union has also been protesting last weekends arrest of the leader
of its Section 22 in Oaxaca, Ruben
Nunez, and his deputy, Francisco
Villalobos. Nunez faces money laundering charges, while Villalobos has
been accused of stealing textbooks.

Record heat sparks

warnings and boosts
res in western
United States

Texas affluenza moms curfew eased: Lawyer

Reuters

FORT WORTH, TEXAS: The mother

of the Texas affluenza teenager had
her curfew eased, her attorney said
yesterday, in her first court appearance since being charged by a grand
jury last month with helping her son
flee to Mexico.
Tonya Couch, 49, was indicted
by a Tarrant County grand jury on
charges of hindering apprehension

LOS ANGELES: Wildfire warnings were posted across parts of

three Western US states as a heat
wave baked the region in record,
triple-digit temperatures, stoking flames in California from the
coastal foothills outside Santa
Barbara to desert brush near the
Mexican border.
Excessive heat advisories and
red flag warnings for extreme
fire conditions were in effect
across southern portions of California, Nevada and Arizona, the
National Weather Service reported
on the eve of the first official day of
summer. In the Los Angeles suburb
of Burbank, the mercury topped
out at 42.8 Celsius, shattering prior
record high for the date.
In Phoenix, Arizona, the temperature climbed to 118 degrees,
3 degrees above the previous
high mark for the date reached
in 1968. With rising demand for
air conditioning expected to test
the regions generating capacity,
California Independent System
Operator, which runs the states
power grid, urged consumers to
conserve daytime electricity.
Forecasters said record-breaking heat would persist today,
especially in the Desert Southwest, where temperatures could
reach as high as 120 degrees.
These extreme temperatures can be life-threatening, the
Weather Service said.
Fire officials said the heat
was a major factor in worsening a
wind-driven blaze roaring through
dry brush and chaparral about 50
miles east of San Diego, north of
the Mexico border, forcing evacuations of dozens of homes in the
desert community of Potrero.
The blaze, which erupted Sunday morning, had blackened about
1,500 acres and was still burning
unchecked over steep terrain and
drought-parched vegetation by
evening, San Diego County Fire
Captain Kendal Brotisser said.
About 200 miles to the north,
excessive heat also continued to
plague crews battling the so-called
Sherpa Fire, burning for a fifth day
in the canyons and foothills near
Santa Barbara.
That blaze, which has charred
nearly 7,900 acres and forced hundreds of people from their homes,
was 51 percent contained as firefighters took advantage of abating
sundowner winds that had initially propelled the flames.
A much smaller brush fire
flared briefly beneath a freeway
interchange near downtown Los
Angeles, destroying three storage
sheds, damaging two homes and
snarling traffic in the vicinity as firefighters rushed to douse the blaze.

Reuters

and money laundering for aiding her

son Ethan Couch in violating a probation deal that kept him out for jail
for killing four people while driving
drunk in 2013.
The curfew easing came at a
hearing that lasted a few minutes
before a district court judge. Her
lawyer said after the session that the
change will make it easier for her to
find a job. He did not provide other
details on the curfew.
Couch, and her son, Ethan, 19,
drew international attention last

winter after fleeing the United States.

He had apparently violated the probation deal that he stay drug- and
alcohol-free after the deadly wreck.
At his trial in juvenile court in
2013, a psychologist testified in Ethan
Couchs defense that the then 16-yearold was a victim of affluenza and
unable to tell right from wrong as a
result of being spoiled by his familys wealth.
The probation deal sparked outrage
from critics who ridiculed the affluenza
defense and said his familys wealth had

helped keep him out of jail.

Tonya Couch was initially charged
with aiding her sons flight, a felony
that is punishable by up to 10 years
in prison. The grand jury last month
reaffirmed the original charge and
added a second charge of money
laundering of $30,000 to $150,000,
a felony punishable by up to 10 years
in prison. Couch and her son left Texas
after a video surfaced on social media
in early December showing Ethan at
an alcohol-fueled party, in likely violation of his probation deal.

Mother and son drove in a pickup

truck to Puerto Vallarta, where they
were caught by Mexican authorities
in December after a manhunt of more
than two weeks.
She was deported to Texas in
January and posted bond after being
remanded to Texas authorities.
Ethan Couch is currently serving
a nearly two-year jail sentence as a
condition of his new probation terms
as an adult. His case was transferred
from the juvenile to adult supervisory
system on his 19th birthday in April.

Tropical storm forms in

the Gulf of Mexico

Proud moment

Reuters

Citizenship candidates listen to the national anthem during a naturalisation ceremony on World
Refugee Day in recognition of those who have come to the US with refugee or asylum seeker status,
at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Washington, DC, yesterday.

MEXICO CITY: A tropical depression

over the Gulf of Mexico was expected
to strengthen to a tropical storm
before coming ashore in southeastern Mexico and bringing torrential
rains that could cause life-threatening mudslides and flash floods.
The US National Hurricane
Center said that at 8 p.m. EDT, (0000
GMT), Tropical Depression Four was
285 km east-southeast of Tuxpan,
Mexico, with maximum sustained
winds of 55 kph. The storm system
will be named Danielle if it reaches
sustained tropical storm-force winds
of 63 kph.
It was moving at 13 kph and

was due to reach the Mexican shore

north of Veracruz, a city of more than
400,000 people. The NHC said the
storm would produce total rainfall
in the area of 15 cm to 25 cm, with
isolated maximum amounts of 38 cm
possible in higher terrain over the
Mexican states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Queretaro,
Hidalgo, and northern Puebla.
These rains could cause lifethreatening flash floods and mud
slides, the Miami-based centre said.
The Atlantic hurricane season
runs from June 1 to November 30, but
this year the seasons first hurricane,
Alex, formed in January. The period
between end of May and beginning
of June saw formation of Tropical
Storms Bonnie and Colin, which did
not become hurricanes.

Solar Impulse 2 begins Atlantic crossing

AFP

NEW YORK: The Solar Impulse 2

aircraft was soaring yesterday over
the western Atlantic, one of the most
difficult legs of its record-breaking
bid to fly across the globe using only
solar energy.
The plane, which took off from
New Yorks JFK airport at around 2:30
am (0630 GMT), is piloted by Swiss
adventurer Bertrand Piccard, who is
expected to spend approximately 90
hoursduring which he will take only
short napscrossing the Atlantic.
Its my first time taking off from
JFK, Piccard said over a live feed
from the aircraft as he headed off
into the night sky en route to Spains
Seville Airport.
Several hours later, he posted on
Twitter that despite a previous full
moon there is now a pink sky in front
of me, the day is waking up.

The voyage marks the first solo

transatlantic crossing in a solar-powered airplane and is expected to last
four consecutive days and nights,
depending on weather.
The plane, which is no heavier
than a car but has the wingspan of
a Boeing 747, is being flown on its
35,000km trip in stages with two
pilots Piccard and Swiss entrepreneur Andre Borschberg taking turns
at the controls.
The pair have flown alternating
legs of the journey, with Borschberg
piloting the flights final Pacific stage,
6,437km flight between Japan and
Hawaii. The 118-hour leg smashed the
previous record for the longest uninterrupted journey in aviation history.
The plane, now on the 15th leg of
its east-west trip, set out on March
9, 2015 in Abu Dhabi, and has flown
across Asia and the Pacific to the
United States with the sun as its only
source of power.
Smooth takeoff and all #Si2

systems have been checked here

at the Mission Control Center for
the #Atlantic Crossing, Borschberg
posted on Twitter soon after Solar
Impulse 2 was off the ground.
A few hours into the flight, which
could be tracked via internet on the
solarimpulse.com website, the flight
team wrote that the flight was blessed
with a beautiful day without a single cloud.
In another post about seven hours
into the flight, Piccard described
spotting a cluster of whales in the
ocean waters. What a beautiful
sight of jumping whales. Just like
the whales below me, #Si2 depends
only on nature, he wrote, as a live
video feed on the website captured
his every movement at the controls
of the aircraft.
Prince Albert of Monaco, a patron
of the project, gave the flight the goahead from its mission control center
in Monaco, telling Piccard you are
released to proceed.

Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland pilots the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft as

it takes off from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York
early yesterday.
Approximately a third of the journey still remains for the plane, which
will fly through Europe and on to Abu
Dhabi after crossing the Atlantic.

The single-seat aircraft is clad

in 17,000 solar cells. During nighttime flights it runs on battery-stored
power.

18

AMERICAS

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

911 transcripts: Orlando gunman pledged allegiance to IS

The FBI released full
transcripts of the
phone conversation
between the shooter
and 911 police
operators.
Agencies

ORLANDO, FLORIDA: Orlando gunman Omar Mateen identified himself

as an Islamic State (IS) soldier in calls
with authorities during his rampage
and demanded to a crisis negotiator that the US stop bombing Syria

and Iraq, according to transcripts

released by the FBI yesterday.
The FBI yesterday released what
they said was the complete transcript
of the phone conversation between
the Orlando, Florida, shooter and 911
police operators as he threatened to
strap explosives to his hostages.
The release of the full transcripts
came a few hours after the FBI had
issued an edited transcript of the calls.
In the full transcript, the gunman,
Omar Mateen, is quoted pledging allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The FBI and Justice Department
said they had released a redacted
transcript of the conversations
because of sensitivity to the interests
of survivors and victims families, and
the integrity of the investigation.
Those communications, along
with Facebook posts Mateen made

before and after the shooting, add to

the public understanding of the final
hours of Mateens life.
Mateens conversations with a dispatcher and crisis negotiators were
made public as police sought to fend
off criticism that they may have acted
too slowly to end a three-hour standoff at the Pulse club in Orlando.
The first call came more than a half
hour after shots rang out, when Mateen
told a 911 operator, Praise be to God,
and prayers as well as peace be upon
the prophet of God, he told the dispatcher, referring to God in Arabic.
I let you know, Im in Orlando and
I did the shootings.
During the 50-second call with a
dispatcher, Mateen made murderous statements in a chilling, calm
and deliberate manner, Ronald
Hopper, FBI assistant special agent
in charge in Orlando, said during a

news conference.
However, there is no evidence
Mateen was directed by a foreign terrorist group, and he was radicalized
on his own, Hopper said.
Mateens name and the groups and
people to whom he pledged allegiance
were omitted from the excerpt. But
the FBI has previously said he pledged
allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,
the leader of IS.
Shortly after the call, Mateen had
three conversations with crisis negotiators in which he identified himself
as an Islamic soldier and told a negotiator to tell America to stop bombing
Syria and Iraq. He said that was why
he was out here right now, according to the excerpt.
Hopper earlier said officials were
not going to propagate violent rhetoric by giving full transcripts with
no redactions. However, they were

later released. The media requested

the 911 tapes and related data, a common practice after such major events.
The recordings could offer insight into
how law enforcement responded.
Meanwhile, hospital officials said
four people remained in critical condition yesterday morning, more than
a week after they were wounded in
the attack.
Orlando Regional Medical Centre said 18 victims from the shooting
were still at the hospital and three
more surgeries were scheduled. The
other 14 patients are listed in stable
condition, it said.
Armed with a semi-automatic
weapon, Mateen went on a bloody
rampage at the Pulse club on June
12. He died in a hail of gunfire after
police stormed the venue.
US Attorney General Loretta
Lynch will travel to Orlando today to

Biden warns Trump

against return of
anti-Americanism

Trump drops top aide

in campaign overhaul
AFP

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump,

looking to revitalise a White House
bid that has stumbled in recent days
as he looks to a November showdown with Hillary Clinton, yesterday
dumped his controversial campaign
manager.
Trump, 70, has recently taken a
hit in the national polls and sparked
outrage with comments about Muslims in the wake of the Orlando club
massacre. With less than a month to
go before the Republican convention,
changes were inevitable.
After weeks of rumours about
dissent within his camp over how
best to take on Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, the
hammer came down yesterday when
campaign manager Corey Lewandowski left Team Trump.
Corey Lewandowski will no
longer be working with the campaign, spokeswoman Hope Hicks
said in a statement. The campaign
is grateful to Corey for his hard work
and dedication and we wish him the
best in the future.
Trumps team did not specify the
terms of Lewandowskis departure.
Lewandowski was credited with
Trumps initial breakthrough in the
primaries, but he has recently been

sidelined, with more experienced

political operatives like Paul Manafort, who will now lead the campaign,
being given more influence.
Lewandowski courted controversy earlier this year over a March
run-in with a reporter at a Trump
rally. She accused him of roughly
grabbing her, leaving bruises, but he
denied that account. Florida prosecutors opted to drop all charges.
According to New York magazine, Trumps adult childrenDonald
Jr, Eric and Ivankapushed for
Lewandowskis ouster, saying he
was not up to the job in the run-up
to November 8.
I have no regrets, Lewandowski told CNN. Im so thankful for
this chance and I know that what I
will do moving forward is share my
advice... with Mr Trump and the team
if they want it.
The Trump campaign is deeply
troubled, said political analyst Larry
Sabato, head of the Center for Politics
at the University of Virginia.
This is a campaign that is
underfunded, that isnt properly
organized. The convention itself is
questionable in terms of what its
going to produce.
Last week, Clintonwho has far
better funding thanks to supporters
and big donorslaunched a media
blitz of ads attacking Trump in eight
key statesColorado, Florida, Iowa,
Nevada, New Hampshire, North

Court rejects challenge to

state assault weapon bans
Reuters

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme

Court yesterday left in place gun
control laws in New York and Connecticut that ban assault weapons
like the one used in last weeks
massacre at an Orlando nightclub,
rejecting a challenge brought by gun
rights advocates.
The courts action underlined
its reluctance to insert itself into the
simmering national debate on gun
control. The justices have not made
a major gun rights ruling since 2010.
The justices declined to hear
an appeal of an October ruling by
the New York-based 2nd US Circuit
Court of Appeals that upheld laws
prohibiting semiautomatic weapons
and large capacity magazines in the
two northeastern states.
The laws in New York and
Connecticut were enacted after
a gunman with a semiautomatic
rifle killed 20 young children and
six educators in 2012 at Sandy Hook
Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The challengers had asserted
that the laws violated the US Constitutions protection of right to bear arms.
The court denied the appeal with no
comment or recorded vote.
The gunman in the June 12 attack
at an Orlando club that killed 49
people, used a semiautomatic rifle
that would have been banned in New
York and Connecticut.
In total, seven states and the District of Columbia ban semi-automatic

rifles. A national law barring assault

weapons expired in 2004, and congressional Republicans and some
Democrats, backed by the influential
National Rifle Association gun rights
lobby, beat back efforts to restore it.
The United States has among the
most permissive gun policies in the
world. Because the US Congress has
been a graveyard for gun control legislation, some states and localities
have enacted their own measures.
The US Constitutions Second
Amendment guarantees the right to
bear arms, but there is a longstanding legal debate over its scope.
The Supreme Court issued
important rulings in gun cases in
2008 and 2010 but has not taken
up a major firearms case since.
In December, the court declined
to hear a challenge to a Illinois
towns assault weapons ban. But the
justices in March threw out a Massachusetts court ruling that stun
guns are not covered by the Second
Amendment and sent the case back
to the states top court for further
proceedings.
In the 2008 District of Columbia
v. Heller case, the court held for the
first time that the Second Amendment guaranteed an individuals
right to bear arms, but the ruling
applied only to firearms kept in the
home for self-defence. That ruling did not involve a state law and
applied only to federal regulations.
Two years later, in the case McDonald v. City of Chicago, the court held
that the Heller ruling covered individual gun rights in states.

meet with investigators. She said that

a key goal of the investigation was to
determine why Mateen targetted the
people.
Around Orlando, people left balloons, flowers, pictures and posters
at a makeshift memorial in front of
the citys new performing arts centre and at Orlando Regional Medical
Centre where 49 white crosses were
emblazoned with red hearts and the
names of the victims.
Dr Khurshid Ahmed was part
of a group of Muslim-Americans at
a Sunday vigil attended by tens of
thousands who held signs reading,
Muslims Condemn Extremism. A
letter from the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee,
Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said Mateen wrote on Facebook
that real Muslims will never accept
the filthy ways of the West.

AFP

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to a crowd of supporters during a campaign rally
in Phoenix, Arizona.
Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.
The ads will run for six weeks,
until the party conventionsthe
Republicans meet from July 18-21 in
Cleveland, and the Democrats convene in Philadelphia from July 25-28.
Campaign volunteers for the
68-year-old former secretary of
state, who is seeking to be Americas
first female president, will go door-todoor next weekend to get out the vote.
Such ground work takes time
to organize, but Trumps campaign
is planning to outsource it to the
Republican partya task it normally does not perform.
After sewing up the Republican

presidential nomination in early May,

Trump had closed the gap with Clinton in the polls.
But since then, Clinton has dispatched rival Bernie Sanders and
found her rhythm on the trail in blasting
Trump. Resultshe now has a nearly sixpoint lead over the billionaire, according
to an average of opinion polls by specialist website Real Clear Politics.
Clinton, relying on her deep
experience in foreign policy, has
repeatedly drilled home the idea that
Trump is temperamentally unfit
and unqualified to lead.
Trump has repeatedly promised
to tone down his rhetoric and lead a

more understated campaign, but has

not done so, much to the chagrin of
worried Republican leaders.
His attacks on a federal judge of
Mexican descent who is presiding over
cases involving Trumps defunct online
university, alleging bias because of his
heritage, have shocked some Republicans, and revived slim hopes of some
anti-Trump Republicans that someone
else could be the nominee.
Trumps decision to head to Scotland this week to open up a new golf
course, instead of remaining on the
campaign trail, has also turned heads
and heightened fears about his ability to focus on the White House race.

WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe

Biden yesterday slammed Republican
presidential hopeful Donald Trumps
foreign policy proposals, saying they
could spark anti-Americanism abroad,
especially in Latin America.
The next US government can continue strengthening the security and
prosperity of people throughout the
Americas, Biden said in a speech to
the Center for a New American Security, according to excerpts released by
his office.
But if we build walls and disrespect our closest neighbours, we
will quickly see all this progress
disappearreplaced by a return of
anti-Americanism and a corrosive rift
throughout our hemisphere, he said.
Biden was referring to the real
estate moguls controversial proposal
to build a wall on the US-Mexican border to crack down on illegal
immigration.
The vice presidents speech comes
as the White House and presumptive
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton mount a concerted effort
to highlight the dangers of an eventual Trump presidency.
Yesterday, Biden said: Choices
that make our region less democratic, less prosperous, and less secure
also actively undermine American
interests.

Venezuelans ngerprinted in bid to drive out Maduro

AFP

CARACAS: Venezuelans queued to

give their fingerprints yesterday in a
crucial phase of efforts to force President Nicolas Maduro from power,
after food shortages sparked deadly
protests and looting.
Crowds of Maduros opponents
lined up to submit their fingerprints
so electoral authorities can authenticate signatures on a petition calling
for a referendum on his rule.
This weeks electoral procedures
could make or break the bid to hold a
recall vote on Maduro. The opposition
says he must be removed to rescue
the South American country from
economic disaster. Crowds of citizens holding identity cards queued
up to have their prints taken at the
National Electoral Council in Caracas and around the country.
A total of 128 collection points
were set up, equipped with biometric scanners. Opposition leaders
arranged for buses to take supporters
to the processing points, and urged
neighbours to give each other car
rides to the buses. The authentication
process is scheduled to run until Friday.
Of 1.3 million signatures recorded
by the electoral board in the initial
petition, at least 200,000 must be
authenticated to pass to the next
phase.
The next step will require the
collection of four million more signatures to call a full referendum.
Venezuela is suffering an economic crisis sparked by the plunge
in prices for its crucial oil exports.
Citizens are suffering shortages

Venezuelans line up to authenticate their signatures for a recall referendum outside the National Electoral
Council in Caracas, yesterday.
of basic foods and goods as well as
electricity blackouts.
The opposition says Maduros
economic management is also to
blame. They denounce the jailing of
his political opponents.
Maduro is resisting efforts for a
referendum. He has alleged irregularities in the signature process.
His government said the signatures collected included those of
prisoners ineligible to vote.
The countrys food crisis erupted
into deadly looting last week. Authorities said at least five people were
killed and more than 400 arrested.

The president has warned he may

decree emergency measures if confronted with more violence.
Such measures could prevent the
recall referendum from taking place.
The opposition is rushing to complete the recall process by January
10, the cutoff date to trigger new
elections.
After that date, a successful recall
vote would simply pass power to
Maduros hand-picked vice president.
Opposition lawmaker Delsa
Solorzano said that the referendum would have to take place by
early November to have a chance of

succeeding against Maduro.

Maduro has challenged the referendum drive in the Supreme Court.
His opponents say he controls the
court and the electoral authorities
through his allies.
Jorge Rodriguez, head of a panel
appointed by the president to oversee
the recall push, called the proceedings a farce by the opposition
trying to create a climate where violence would erupt.
Head of electoral council Tibisay
Lucena warned that any violence
during this weeks proceedings could
cause the process to be suspended.

PRAYER TIMINGS
FAJR
03.14 am
SHOROOK 04.44 am

WEATHER

ZUHR 11.36 am
ASR 02.58 pm

MAGHRIB
ISHA

06.30 pm
08.00 pm

Minimum: 33o

Maximum:

41o C

HIGH TIDE 04:15 - 18:15 Strong wind daytime and expected poor visibilLOW TIDE 00:45 - 10:30 ity at places due to blowing dust. Hot daytime
blowing dust to dusty at times.

20

MORNING BREAK

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

ONLINE CHART BUST

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

MOST READ

Palestinians classic
car replica turns
heads in Gaza
Reuters

1
2
3

Hezbollah, Syrian regime

forces clash in Aleppo
Turkish army destroys Islamic
State targets in Syrias north
Qatar slams mention of its
name in Egypt court verdict

TWEET OF THE DAY

GAZA: Repairing cars in the Gulf, a Palestinian

mechanic from the Gaza Strip once spotted a vehicle
that took his breath away. It was a classic: A Mercedes
Gazelle. Munir Shindi knew that he had to have one.
So, after returning home to Gaza, he set about building
a replica of the 1927 model of the two-door, open-top
roadster from scratch.
Cannibalising parts from used vehicles and importing a few items such as locks, hub caps and hinges
from the United States, Shindi, 36, spent nearly two
years shaping his masterpiece. Its now on display in
his mechanics shop. I wanted to prove to myself that I
can make it and that nothing was impossible, he said.
Off-white with burgundy seats, the replica is built
on a Mitsubishi chassis and powered by a 1,600 cc Mitsubishi engine. It drew admiring glances and cheers
from motorists and pedestrians as Shindi, accompanied by two of his sons, took a rare drive down a main
Gaza street on Sunday.

Munir Shindi, 36, drives a replica of a 1927 Mercedes Gazelle that he built from scratch, in Gaza City.
I am still waiting for the authorities to allow me
to license it so I can drive it properly, he said.
Designed by Ferdinand Porsche, the lightweight
Gazelle series helped Mercedes dominate motorsport
in the late 1920s and early 1930s. According to classic car websites, about 300 Gazelles were produced,

and one unrestored model sold for $7.4m in 2004.

Palestinians in Gaza, territory controlled by the
Hamas Islamist group, import cars from around the
world via neighbouring Israel. There are about 70,000
registered cars in the small, densely populated enclave
of 1.95 million people.

Slip of the tongue: Chameleons sticky secret revealed

AFP

INSTAGRAM OF THE DAY

Children wearing
colourful dresses to
celebrate Garangao
in Doha yesterday.
Photo by @
Matramkot

PARIS: A stunningly efficient hunter,

the chameleon relies on an impressive
biological arsenal that includes colour-changing camouflage, panoramic
vision, and lots of patience.
And then theres that lightning-fast
tongue. The reptiles tongue-lashing prowess has been extensively
researched over the years, but one
ability has remained a mystery: how
does the chameleons fleshy projectile
hold on to prey while snapping it back
towards its mouth at such high speed?
Several mechanisms have been

Hitlers trousers sold at auction

Reuters

BERLIN: Trousers with leather pockets worn by Adolf Hitler and a brass
container that held the cyanide used
by a top deputy to commit suicide
were among a trove of Nazi memorabilia sold for hundreds of thousands
of euros at an auction in Germany.
The sale of items from a collection of an American medical officer
who attended to the needs of defendants at the Nuremberg War Crimes
Trials was condemned by Germanys
Jewish community as scandalous
and disgusting.
German media said one

Argentine bidder spent over

600,000 ($681,060) alone at Hermann Historicas weekend auction in
Munich, snapping up Hitlers trousers
and military jacket, and an aviator
watch that belonged to Hermann
Goering, the beefy Nazi air force
commander, among other things.
The trousers sold for 62,000,
the jacket made from finelywoven field-grey cloth went for
275,000, the watch for 42,000
and some silk underwear owned by
Goering for 3,000, according to
mass-circulation daily Bild.
Other items under the hammer
included the brass container for the
hydrogen cyanide phial that Goering swallowed while awaiting trial

in Nuremberg in 1946, which fetched

26,000, and Hitlers medical X-rays
after a failed assassination attempt
in July 1944, Hermann Historica said
on its website. It said the pockets of
Hitlers black trousers were leather
lined so he could carry a gun unobtrusively with him.
The Central Council of Jews
denounced the auction in the run-up
to the sale and had called on Hermann Historica to cancel the event.
Bild said 169 items had been sold
from the collection of medical officer
John K. Lattimer, who died in 2007.
The bidder from Argentina told Bild
he was purchasing the objects for
a museum whose name he did not
disclose.

Running for dear life

An emu runs to escape an approaching wildre as it burns near Potero, California, yesterday.

proposed: suction, stickiness, or a velcro-like bond between a rough surface

on the chameleons tongue and that of
its meal, which can weigh a third as
much as the predator itself.
Yesterday, scientists in Belgium
and France said the answer was sticky
mucus on the tongue tip. We were surprised to find that the liquid is very
viscous, about 1,000 times more so than
(human) saliva, said Pascal Damman
of the University of Mons in Belgium,
who co-authored a study published in
the journal Nature Physics.
The viscosity, or thickness, of chameleon spit had never before been
measured, he said. The team then used
mathematics to calculate the adhesive

Worlds fastest
supercomputer
entirely made in
China: Survey

properties, or stickiness, that such viscosity would convey. Contrary to what

many thought, the viscous adhesion is
more than sufficient to allow the chameleon to haul in such big prey, said
Damman. Sometimes, he added, the
simplest explanation (is) the best one.
The chameleon is known as a sitand-wait predator unlike other
reptiles that scramble after their lunch,
it stays hidden, motionless, until its
prey comes within striking distance.
It changes colour to become one with
the background. Independently-rotating eyes with a near-360-degree field
of vision means the animal doesnt have
to move its head while lying in ambush.
When a meal makes its appearance,

Hollywood mourns Star

Trek actor Anton Yelchin
AFP

AFP

BEIJING: China has built the

worlds fastest supercomputer
using locally made microchips, a
survey said yesterday, the first time
the country has taken the top spot
without using US technology.
The Sunway TaihuLight
machine is twice as fast as the
previous number one, which was
built in China with chips from US
firm Intel, the Top500 survey of
supercomputers said on its website www.top500.org.
China also has more topranked supercomputers than
the US for the first time since
the survey began, with 167 compared to 165. Located at Chinas
national supercomputer centre in
the eastern city of Wuxi, the Sunway TaihuLight will be used for
climate modelling and life science
research. Its performance ends
speculation that China would
have to rely on Western technology to compete effectively in the
upper echelons of supercomputing, the surveys website said.
The supercomputers on the
Top500 list, which is produced
twice a year, are rated based on
speed in a benchmark test by
experts from Germany and the US.
Of the top ten fastest computers, two are in China, with four in
the US, the ranking said. Others
are in Japan, Germany, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. China plans
to open the worlds largest radio
telescope in southeastern China
this year, state-media reported.

the lizard takes aim and shootsextending its deadly tongue up to double its body
length. But a question remains: How does
the creature loosen the catch from its
sticky tongue for swallowing? We can
only hypothesise, said Damman.
It may use a normal, non-sticky
saliva from elsewhere in the mouth to
break the bond. Or it may simply wait
for the adhesion to wear off naturally.
In viscous adhesion, the stronger
and faster the pull of the tongue on the
insect, the stronger the bond will be,
explained the researcher.
As the tongue relaxes, the adhesion
will similarly loosen and ultimately
disappear, allowing the chameleon to
chow downwithout biting its tongue.

LOS ANGELES: Co-stars, friends

and fans added their voices yesterday to a chorus of tributes from
Hollywood for Star Trek actor
Anton Yelchin (pictured), after he
was killed in a freak accident.
The rising star, best known for
playing Chekov in the new Star
Trek films, was killed by
his own car as it rolled
backwards in his driveway in the early hours
of Sunday, police and his
publicist said.
Susan Sarandon, who
starred alongside Yelchin
in the 2008 coming-ofage comedy Middle of
Nowhere, described the
Russian-born American
actor, who was just 27, as
an original. One of the
most curious, funny, sweet people
Ive ever known, she wrote on her
Facebook page. He was a searcher,
an incredible talent and a loyal and
loving son. Any time would be too
soon for his departure from this
plane, but this is an unforgivable
and unbearable loss.
Yelchin was preparing to meet
friends for a rehearsal and momentarily got out of his car at his San
Fernando Valley home, according to
police. It rolled backwards down his
steep driveway, pinning him against
a brick mailbox pillar and security
fence. Friends found him dead by
the car.
It emerged yesterday that the
2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Yelchin

was driving had been under recall

for the possibility that it could roll
off without warning. The US National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated hundreds of reports
that the model would continue to
move freely when drivers thought
they had locked it in park.
Yelchin moved to the US when he
was six months old with his parents,
star figure skaters with the Leningrad Ice Ballet, and made his film
debut at age nine in A Man
Is Mostly Water.
His breakout performance came in the
2006 crime thriller Alpha
Dog, and his movie credits include J.J Abramss
Star Trek, Star Trek into
Darkness and Star Trek
Beyond, which is set for
release next month. You
were funny as hell and
supremely talented. And
you werent here nearly
long enough, Abrams tweeted.
Star Trek co-star Zachary
Quinto described him in a tribute on
photo-sharing platform Instagram
as one of the most open and intellectually curious people I have ever
had the pleasure to know.
So enormously talented and
generous of heart. Wise beyond his
years, and gone before his time. All
love and strength to his family at this
impossible time of grief, he said.
Justin Lin, who directed Star
Trek Beyond, paid tribute to
Yelchins passion and enthusiasm
while Mark Hamill, who plays Luke
Skywalker in the Star Wars films,
lamented that Yelchin had his whole
career ahead of him.

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com
PAGE | 22
Qatar second
largest exporter of
fertilizer to Brazil

QE

9,825.25 +19.64 PTS

PAGE | 23

DOW

17,863.42 +188.26 PTS

FTSE100

6,204.00 +182.91 PTS

BRENT

$49.30

Stocks and pound rally

as Britain leans towards
EU remain vote

+$1.32

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016 16 RAMADAN 1437

thepeninsulaqatar

Reuters

LONDON: Oil rose for a second day

yesterday, buoyed by greater investor appetite for riskier assets such
as commodities and equities, after
polls showed a lower chance that
Britain may vote to leave the European Union this week.
August Brent crude futures were
up 23 cents at $49.40 a barrel by 1357
GMT, on track for a 6-percent rise
in two trading days. NYMEX crude
for July delivery, which expires on
Tuesday, was up 42 cents at $48.40
a barrel.
Campaigning for Britains vote on
EU membership resumed on Sunday
after a three-day hiatus prompted
by the killing of a pro-EU lawmaker.
Three opinion polls ahead of
Thursdays vote showed the Remain
camp recovering some momentum,
although the overall picture remained
one of an evenly split electorate.
Investment safe havens such as
gold, the US dollar, German bonds
and the Swiss franc came under
pressure, while oil looked set for its
largest two-day rise in a month and
the likes of copper and equities rallied. For oil as a risky asset, what
weve seen are intraday gyrations

Saudis Bank Al
Bilad plans up to
SR2bn sukuk

that are coming from the spillover

effects of risk-on/risk-off moves
that follow the poll numbers, BNP
Paribas global head of commodity
strategy Harry Tchilinguirian said.
The pound climbed 1.6 percent to
$1.4589, extending a recovery from
last Thursdays more than twomonth trough of $1.4013.
With Brexit dominating the
market headlines, it might be moves
in the US dollar that drive the oil
market at least until we get that out
of the way, said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC
Markets in Sydney. Its likely to be a
nervous and skittish weeks trading.
Oil prices continued to recover
despite data showing US energy
firms adding oil rigs for a third week
in a row, suggesting higher production to come.
Aside from Brexit concerns, the
market is likely to be caught in a
range as any gains would likely be
limited by the return of more shale
drillers in the United States, CMCs
McCarthy said.
Capping market gains at the
moment is the potential for those
very agile US producers to jump back
into production should we see any
further substantial rises, he said.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabias crude
oil exports in April fell despite high
production levels, while more
crude was used domestically for
power generation and to feed rising
demand from local refineries.
Crude exports in April fell to
7.444 million barrels per day from
7.541 million bpd in March, official
data showed yesterday.
Saudi produced 10.262 million
b/d in April, compared with 10.224
million b/d a month earlier, the data
showed.

Reuters

Emblems of VW Golf VII car are pictured in a production line at the plant of German carmaker Volkswagen
in Wolfsburg.

Volkswagens former CEO under

probe over market manipulation
Reuters

BERLIN: German prosecutors have

launched a probe against former
Volkswagen Chief Executive Martin
Winterkorn (pictured) and another
senior executive who are suspected of
possible market manipulation related
to the carmakers emissions scandal.
The prosecutors office in Braunschweig said in a statement yesterday
the new probe centered on sufficient
real signs that Volkswagens (VW)
duty to disclose the possible financial damage of its manipulations may
have arisen prior to Sept. 22, 2015
when the carmaker publicly admitted to its wrongdoings.
Braunschweig prosecutors have
been investigating 17 former employees
at VW, including lower-level managers,

for suspicion of fraud related to the

scandal. The new probe will add to
VWs growing legal headaches and
be grist to the mill of investors seeking
to challenge the carmakers top management at the annual shareholder
meeting on Wednesday.
Current VW Chairman Hans

Dieter Poetsch, the carmakers

finance chief at the time, is not being
probed, the prosecutors office said,
without disclosing the name of the
second top executive under investigation prompted by charges filed by
Germanys BaFin financial regulator.
Whether the stated initial suspicion will grow stronger or weaker
depends on the findings of the necessary further investigations, the
prosecutors office in Braunschweig
near VWs Wolfsburg headquarters
said. VW will study the prosecutors
statement before commenting further, a company spokesman said.
VW acknowledged in its annual
report on April 28 that it had not
grasped the potential impact of its diesel emissions scandal until last summer
when it realised that software defeat
devices in its cars may have violated
US environmental law.

NEW YORK: Wal-Mart will transfer its online Yihaodian operations

in China to JD.com in exchange for
a stake in the Chinese e-commerce
giant in an alliance announced
yesterday.
Under the deal, JD.com will
take ownership from Wal-Mart
Stores of the Yihaodian brand,
website and app. Wal-Mart will
continue to run the Yihaodian
direct sales business.
In exchange, will grant WalMart nearly 145 million new
JD.com shares, equivalent to
about five percent of the Chinese
company, Chinas second-largest
online retailer after Alibaba.
Yihaodian has a strong
presence in eastern and southern China and offers food and
beverages, home goods and electronics. It had more than 100
million registered customers in
July 2015, according to a WalMart factsheet.
The deal is expected to benefit
Wal-Mart by offering it exposure
to other parts of China where
Yihaodian is less known. JD.com
will be able to offer more imported
goods to the worlds second biggest
economy from Wal-Mart global
distribution chain.
Wal-Marts Sams Club China
also plans to open a flagship store
on JD.com.
We are very happy to
announce this landmark agreement between two leading
retailers, which we are confident
will help bring e-commerce in
China to the next level and benefit millions of consumers, said
JD.com chief executive Richard
Liu.
Yihaodian will continue
offering the outstanding user
experience its customers have
come to expect, which we will
further augment by leveraging
our unparallelled logistics capabilities and breadth of product
categories.

Qatar Steel organises Career Open Day to attract new talent

The Peninsula

Reuters

DUBAI: Saudi Arabias Bank Al

Bilad has received regulatory
approval to issue a capital-boosting sukuk worth as much as SR2bn
($533.3m), it said in a bourse statement yesterday.
The issue will enhance its Tier
2, or supplementary, capital and
last for 10 years, although the bank
has the option to redeem the sukuk
after the fifth year, according to
the filing.
Sources said last month that
Bank Al Bilad, one of the smaller
lenders in Saudi Arabia, had chosen HSBCs local unit to arrange
the Islamic bond offering.
Many banks in the region are
boosting capital.

@peninsula_qatar

Walmart and
JD.com announce
alliance in China

Ebbing Brexit
fears give oil
prices a boost
Investment safe
havens such as gold,
the US dollar, German
bonds and the Swiss
franc came under
pressure.

@peninsulaqatar

DOHA: With a view to attract and recruit

national students, Qatar Steel recently organised
a Career Open Day, at the Marriott Hotel - Doha.
Qatar Steel aims at familiarising national students in general and the graduates in particular
with the job opportunities available and the academic disciplines required, as well as to brief them
about the training and development courses and
internships programs the company provides.
Ali bin Hassan Al Muraikhi, Managing
Director and General Manager, declared that
this initiative comes in terms of supporting our
Qatarization Strategy, which is considered as
one of the important policies adopted by the
companys management, in compliance with
Qatars National Vision 2030 that focuses on
national human resources and the need to provide them with all support required. We hope
that through this event we can encourage Qatari
students to join the steel industry, which is one

of vital industrial sectors in Qatar.

The career open day helps students to interact face to face with the employers, and enquire
about the jobs required and to check about the
career path suitable for them. Mohamed Saleh
Al Mahdi, Administration. Division Manager said.
Al Mahdi pointed out that job opportunities
are available at Qatar Steel in different technical
and administrative areas and disciplines, and
that the company, as a rule, qualifies the newly
appointed employees through providing proper
training courses in order to boost their practical skills and develop their career potentials.
The career open day has attracted a great
number of Qatari students who are seeking suitable job opportunities that meet their ambition
and aspirations.
It is worth saying that Qatar Steel is keen to
provide promising job opportunities to national
youth, and it spares no effort to take any initiatives
that attract the talented graduates and encourage
them to join the company, and occupy the jobs, as
per their qualifications and work requirements.

Qatar Steel officials and national students at the Career Open Day.

22

BUSINESS

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Qatar second largest exporter of fertilizer to Brazil

Brazil and fertilizerproducing Arab
countries continue
to enjoy strong trade
relations, particularly
in agriculture and
minerals.
By Mohammad Shoeb
The Peninsula

DOHA: The Arab region has witnessed an unprecedented rise in

fertilizer exports to Brazil for the
first quarter of this year with a total

of 1.14 million tonnes, and Qatars

share alone accounted for over
305,000 tonnes, or more than onefourth of the total, emerging as the
second largest exporter of fertilizer
to the South American country from
the Arab world.
Among the Arab nations, Qatar
and Saudi Arabia led the market,
with share growth soaring up to 26.8
percent and 55.9 per cent, respectively. Overall, Brazil posted 21.82
per cent import growth from 2015,
ABCC noted.
The exports of fertilizers from
the Arab region registered a doubledigit growth of 69 percent compared
to 675,000 tonnes imported during
the same quarter (January to April)
in 2015.
Brazil and fertilizer-producing Arab countries continue to enjoy
strong trade relations, particularly in

agriculture and minerals, according to

the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).
In April alone, fertilizer imports
soared by 70 per cent, from 215,500
tonnes traded in April 2015 to 364,400
tonnes last month.
Brazil has produced a total of
2.7 million tonnes of fertilizers from
January this year and has imported
a total of 5.65 million tonnes up by
3.5 percent from 5.46 million, compared to its imports during the same
quarter last year.
Dr Michel Alaby (pictured), Secretary General and CEO, Arab-Brazilian
Chamber of Commerce, said: Fertilizers enjoy the second largest import
from the Arab World to Brazil, next
to minerals and oil. The regions fertilizer producers have continued to
play a vital role in Brazils agriculture
growth, and the food commodities

worldwide. The first quarter results

only signify profitable growth for
this year, with the fertilizer market
making a significant contribution to
strengthen the economic ties between
Brazil and the Arab World.
Brazils economy is largely driven
by its agriculture sector, heavily
exporting cattle meat, corn, soy beans,
coffee, sugar and palm oil, among others. Industry experts have predicted
the countrys fertilizer market will
continue to grow, with demand reaching up to 31 million tonnes.
The ever-increasing trade growth
between Brazil and the Arab World
continues to enjoy a commercial support system which provides consistent
exchange of market data and information. With food security as one
of the regions priority, our industry
specialists have remained at the forefront of analyzing and identifying new

Japan returns to trade decit in May

AFP

TOKYO: Japan fell into a trade deficit in May, the first since January,
the finance ministry said Monday,
as renewed yen strength pressured
exports.
Japanese exports fell for all major
regions, including the nations biggest
trading partner China, as concerns
linger over a slowdown in the largest Asian economy as well as other
emerging markets.

The government of Prime

Minister Shinzo Abe has actively
attempted to talk down the yens
strength, with ministers repeatedly suggesting that Tokyo could
step into the market to weaken the
currency, as they rush to safeguard
the fragile economy ahead of a July
parliamentary election.
A rising yen dents Japanese
exports by making the countrys
products more expensive in overseas
markets and thus less competitive.
The currency, often seen as a safe

haven, has broadly gained in recent

months, partially on fears over the
state of the global economy and more
recently on concerns over a possible
British exit from the European Union
in a referendum this week.
Abe was also preparing to launch
further stimulus, as his controversial
big-spending and easy money policy blitz, known as Abenomics, has
failed to pull Japan out of its prolonged economic malaise more than
three years after the programmes
began.

A man watches as a container is unloaded from an international freighter at a port in Tokyo yesterday.

Russian bank trio to roll out

Islamic nance products

The stronger yen lowered export

revenues and rising energy prices
lifted import values, said Marcel
Thieliant, senior Japan economist at
Capital Economics.
Expected recovery of oil prices
should pull Japan into further deficit in the future, he said.
For May, Japan logged a deficit
of 40.72bn yen ($389m), compared
with a trade surplus of 823.18bn yen
in April, as exports of steel and semiconductors declined, the ministry
said.
However, it was smaller than the
deficit of 215.35bn yen seen in May
2015.
Exports fell 11.3 percent, marking
the eighth straight monthly decline,
with the rising yen blamed as the
main reason, Thieliant said.
The value of steel shipments
dropped 24.1 percent, while electronic parts such as semiconductors
shrank 20.0 percent, the ministry
said.
China-bound exports fell 14.9
percent, led by a dip in optical equipment exports such as lenses, while
imports fell 9.7 percent, leaving a
trade deficit of 401.1bn yen, according to the ministry.
Major Japanese brokerage SMBC
Nikko Securities said the trend
of moderate recovery in exports
remained intact, despite Mays
decline, thanks largely to a solid US
economy.
IT product inventories in the US
market have started to fall, leading
to inventory adjustment in Taiwan
and elsewhere in Asia, said Junichi
Makino, chief economist at the
brokerage.
The silicon cycle is expected to
bottom out soon, which should lift
Japans electronics exports, he said.

Iran boosts
Kharg Islands
oil export
capacity: Shana
Reuters

Reuters

MOSCOW/ SYDNE Y: Three

state-linked Russian banks aim
to introduce a number of Islamic
financial products this year that
could increase pressure for Russian
authorities to create a legal framework facilitating the industry.
Russian banks balance sheets
have been strained by an economic
crisis and Western-imposed sanctions, encouraging efforts to develop
sharia-compliant finance to attract
investors from the Gulf and southeast Asia.
But Russia does not have a
large Muslim population to provide a ready-made customer base;
only about 20 million of its roughly
145 million people are Muslims. So
progress rests on a handful of pilot
projects and the willingness of regulators to pass legislation that would
make Islamic finance cost-effective.
Those efforts received a boost
last month when Russian lenders
Vnesheconombank, Sberbank and
Tatfondbank signed agreements with
the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)

to support their initiatives.

Russias central bank has signed
a similar agreement with the Saudibased IDB, a multilateral lender
which is one of the worlds largest
issuers of Islamic bonds.
There is now political will for
Islamic finance to develop in Russia. The ice has broken and people
now understand that Islamic banking products can be in demand,
said Maxim Osintsev, an executive
director at Sberbanks corporate and
investment banking division.
Sberbank, the countrys largest lender by assets, aims to help to
raise between $200m and $300m for
a client this year via Islamic finance,
which complies with religious principles such as a ban on interest
payments, Osintsev said.
The IDB is backing those efforts,
assigning teams to support each
institution with legal and regulatory
advice, said Ahmed Fayed Al Gebali,
director of the IDBs Islamic financial
services department.
Taxation issues are often an
obstacle to Islamic finance deals,
which can attract double or triple
tax duties since they require multiple transfers of underlying assets.

Legislation is a major issue -there is still no definition of Islamic

finance in the Russian legal system,
Linar Yakupov, head of the Association of Regional Investment Agencies
of the Russian Federation, said.
These new efforts will create
new impetus. Its a step forward but
there is still more to do.
State development ba nk
Vnesheconombank could be first to
reach the market as it is governed
under a different federal law than
other local banks, allowing it to avoid
tax hurdles. Vnesheconombank has
identified structures it can use to support export-import deals and project
financing with a pilot transaction
of around $100m planned for the
autumn, the bank said in response
to Reuters questions.
There is also a desire to raise
funds from Russias Muslim population and from countries in the
Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) which have large Muslim populations.
In March, Tatfondbank opened a
participation banking centre in the
Tatarstan capital of Kazan which it
aims to develop further with support
from the IDB, the bank said.

DUBAI: Iran has increased its

crude exports capacity at its
main terminal on Kharg Island to
allow eight tankers to load simultaneously, the oil ministrys news
agency Shana reported yesterday.
Following upgrades to infrastructure over the past two years
eight tankers can berth at the terminals eastern harbor, with one
more vessel able to load shipto-ship cargo at the same time,
Iranian Oil Terminals Company
(IOTC) Managing Director Saeid
Pirouz Mousavi said.
There is a storage capacity for
30m barrels of oil on Kharg Island,
which lies near the Strait of Hormuz,
Shana reported. Iran has prepared
its oil terminals for 6 million barrels per day of exports following the
removal of international sanctions
in January, Shana said.
Tehrans oil sales have nearly
doubled since December, and the
country is regaining market share
at a faster pace than analysts had
projected, helped by securing more
tankers through a temporary shipping insurance fix.

market opportunities for both regions.

We are confident that this unique and
stable relationship between the Arab

World and Brazil will bear an even

more lucrative business in the near
future, Alaby said.

Doha Bank launches

Ramadan promotion
The Peninsula

DOHA: Doha Bank has unveiled a

new promotion that offers generous cash back rewards to customers
when they perform Western Union
money transfer transactions on Doha
Banks online and mobile banking
service.
Under the joint promotion, Doha
Bank customers will get 5 percent cash
back on every Western Union money
transfer sent through Doha Banks
online and mobile banking service.
The promotion runs from 15 June 2016
to 31 July 2016 during which the accumulated 5 percent on the principal
amount transferred through Western Union will be credited into the
customers account once every week.
In teaming up with Western
Union for this exclusive promotion,
Doha Bank offers its customers a
rewarding way to send money to
family and friends this Ramadan,
said Dr R Seetharaman, CEO of Doha
Bank. The promotion further offers
an opportunity for customers to discover the hassle-free convenience

of performing their financial transactions through Doha Banks online

and mobile banking channel.
Doha Banks secured online and
revamped mobile banking service brings the convenience of 24/7
banking to the customers, letting
them enjoy a wide range of features
designed to manage their banking
needs.
As part of its efforts to offer
customers the utmost convenience
and security in the digital banking
space, Doha Bank recently launched
an enhanced version of its mobile
banking app featuring a number of
new functionalities including biometric login, which offers users the
option of using their fingerprints to
authenticate their identities to sign
into mobile banking, making Doha
Bank the first bank in Qatar to provide its customers with biometric
access to banking services.
The DBank Mobile app also
offers several other innovative features such as Apple Watch Banking,
Local Fund Transfer, D-Cardless
Withdrawal, Western Union Money
Transfer, Click Card Reload, and
Remittances through Credit Card.

Starwood closes sale of St Regis

Florence and Westin Excelsior
The Peninsula

DOHA: Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Worldwide, Inc yesterday announced
that it has closed on the sale of The
St. Regis Florence and The Westin
Excelsior Florence to Nozul Hotels
& Resorts, the owner of The Gritti
Palace, Venice and W Doha Hotel,
and a wholly owned subsidiary of
Jaidah Holdings for 190m ($213
m). Starwood will continue to operate the hotels under the St. Regis and
Westin brand flags under new longterm management agreements.
Thomas Mangas, Chief Executive
Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Worldwide, Inc. said, As we work to
prepare for the close of our merger
with Marriott International, we continue to vigorously compete in the
market, grow our brands, and execute against our strategy to create
value for Starwoods shareholders.

Asset dispositions remain a key

part of that strategy and, following a year where we exceeded our
target, we have already disposed of
nearly $500 million of assets this
year, including this sale, the sale of
Hotel Imperial, and the transfer of
five properties as part of Vistana Signature Experiences separation from
Starwood.
Simon Turner, President of Global Development for Starwood said
The sale of The St. Regis Florence
and The Westin Excelsior Florence
hotels following our recent sale
of The Gritti Palace in Venice to
Jaidah Holdings highlights our ongoing commitment to dispose of our
owned assets to the right long-term
partners to create both immediate
and long-term shareholder value. We
see strong interest in our remaining
assets from a diverse array of investors worldwide with other potential
transaction discussions ongoing.

Starwood officials at the sale ceremony.

BUSINESS

23

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

QATAR STOCK EXCHANGE

QE INDICES SUMMARY
QE Index
9,825.25
QE Total Return Index
15,896.61
QE Al Rayan Islamic Index
3,815.69
QE All Share Index
2,740.65
QE All Share Banks & Financial Services
2,655.09
QE All Share Industrials
3,052.57
QE All Share Transportation
2,463.01
QE All Share Real Estate
2,454.9
QE All Share Insurance
3,989.17
QE All Share Telecoms
1,106.8
QE All Share Consumer Goods & Services 6,385.33

0.20 %
0.20 %
0.23 %
0.24 %
0.29 %
0.55 %
0.26 %
0.37 %
0.17 %
0.70 %
0.14 %

QE MARKET SUMMARY COMPARISON

20-06-2016 Today
Index
9,825.25
Change
19.64
%
0.20
YTD%
5.79
Volume
2,902,788
Value (QAR)
119,554,643.87
Trades
2,053
Up 25 | Down 13| Unchanged 03

19-06-2016 Previous day

9,805.61
13.96
0.14
5.98
2,422,195
91,579,593.90
1,557

WORLD STOCK INDICES

Index
All Ordinaries
Cac 40 Index/D
Dj Indu Average
Hang Seng Inde/D
Iseq Overall/D
Karachi 100 In/D
Nikkei 225 Index
S&P 500 Index/D

Days Close
5335.572
4339.19
17675.16
20510.2
6245.56
38469.82
15965.3
0

Pt Chg % Chg Year High Year Low

87.289 1.66
5489.8
4762.1
145.36 3.47 4607.69 3892.46
-57.94 -0.33 18188.8
15370.3
340.22 1.69 21794.84
18278.8
254.05 4.24 6791.68
5611.89
-307.12 -0.79 39039.67
29785
365.64 2.34 18951.12 14865.77
0
0 2132.82
1810.1

EXCHANGE RATE
Currency

Buying

Selling

US$

QR 3.6305

QR 3.6500

UK

QR 5.3044

QR 5.3788

Euro

QR 4.1065

QR 4.1647

CA$

QR 2.8183

QR 2.8739

Swiss Fr

QR 3.7724

QR 3.8261

Yen

QR 0.0345

QR 0.0352

Aus$

QR 2.6945

QR 2.7486

Ind Re

QR 0.0536

QR 0.0546

Pak Re

QR 0.0345

QR 0.0351

Peso

QR 0.0780

QR 0.0795

SL Re

QR 0.0246

QR 0.0253

Taka

QR 0.0459

QR 0.0470

Nep Re

QR 0.0336

QR 0.0343

SA Rand

QR 0.2433

QR 0.2483

GOLD AND SILVER

GOLD QR150.6218 per gramme
SILVER QR2.0427 per gramme

Abu Dhabis M&A

rally ends; monetary
policy hits Egypt
Reuters

DUBAI: Stock markets in the Middle East were mixed

yesterday as Abu Dhabis bank-led rally ended and Egypt
continued its descent, dragged down by tightening monetary policy.
On Sunday Abu Dhabis index had surged 4.7 percent as merger talks between National Bank of Abu
Dhabi and First Gulf Bank ignited speculation about
consolidation in the sector, boosting bank shares. But
yesterday the speculation cooled and the index pulled
back 1.0 percent.
Shares in FGB retreated 3.4 percent, after an 11.5 percent gain on Sunday. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank dropped
4.4 percent after rising 4.6 percent on the previous day.
But NBADs shares continued to climb and added 4.4
percent, taking their gains over two days to 20 percent.
Many investors have been assuming that any share
swap in a merger would favour NBAD holders. Arqaam
Capital suggested a ratio of 1.15 NBAD for 1 FGB share,
though SICO Bahrain estimated 1.4-1.5 shares of NBAD
to 1 share of FGB.
We believe that merger through share-swap agreement between NBAD and FGB is the most realistic option.
Without the due-diligence report and other details currently, we have limited information to be conclusive,
said SICO.
Meanwhile, Dubais index climbed 0.3 percent in low
volumes with builder Arabtec, the most traded stock,
adding 1.5 percent. Saudi Arabias index also gained 0.3
percent in modest trading volume. Builder Abdullah Al
Khodari advanced 1.2 percent on hopes the construction sector is due for a surge in demand because of the
2.5 percent tax on undeveloped urban commercial and
residential land approved by the cabinet late last week.
The tax may push more land out into the market
where it can be developed. But companies with large
land banks could lose;
NCB Capital said in a note that the tax would have a
negative impact on Dar Al Arkan, as annual fees on its
current land bank would be between 137 million and
160 million riyals ($36.5 million and $42.7 million). The
stock fell 0.8 percent.
Egypts main index came off early lows but closed
down 1.8 percent at 7,204 points, breaking technical
support on the April and May lows of 7,276-7,327 points.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS - A LIST OF SHARES FROM THE WORLD

COMPANY
NAME

CLOSE

NET
CHG

VOLUME
TRADED

COMPANY
NAME

CLOSE

NET
CHG

VOLUME
TRADED

COMPANY
NAME

CLOSE

NET
CHG

VOLUME
TRADED

A C C-A/D
1570
Aarti Drugs-B/D 459.85
Aban Offs-A/D
211.6
Aegis Logis-B/D 120.75
Alembic-B/D
37.3
Alok Indus-A/D
4.25
Apollo Tyre-A/D 150.05
Asahi I Glass-/D
155
Ashok Leyland-/D 99.75
Ballarpur In-B/D
15.9
Bannari Aman-B/D2028.5
Bata India-A/D 537.25
Beml Ltd-A/D
868.65
Bh Electronic-/D 1285.15
Bhansali Eng-T/D 20.5
Bharat Bijle-B/D 910.95
Bhartiya Int-B/D
519
Bhel-A/D
123.95
Bom.Burmah-B/D 404.25
Bombay Dyeing-/D 44.55
Camph.& All-B/D 517.05
Canfin Homes-B/D1155.05
Caprihans-Xc/D 79.95
Castrol India-/D
373.7
Century Enka-B/D 223.85
Century Text-A/D 622.4
Chambal Fert-B/D 69.4
Chola Invest-A/D 941.65
Chowgule St-T/D
15.5
Cimmco-B/D
75.25
Cipla-A/D
486.65
City Union Bk-/D 109.9
Colgate-A/D
866.9
Container Cor-/D 1337.1
Dcm Shram Ind-/D 159.4
Dhampur Sugar-/D 109.5
Dr. Reddy-A/D 3057.9
E I H-B/D
113.45
E.I.D Parry-A/D 232.35
Eicher Motor-A/D18654.95
Electrosteel-B/D
18.8
Emco-B/D
26.7
Escorts Fin-B/D
4.3
Escorts-A/D
183.2
Eveready Indu-/D 258.9

18.25
4.55
2.1
0.95
-0.1
0.36
1.15
1.95
1.1
0
117.3
8
33.05
25.5
0.05
1.3
-9
1.65
-1.95
-0.15
-2.75
-5.9
-1.3
0
4.05
8.4
1.7
25.7
-0.25
3.9
1.1
1.05
9.8
10.65
-0.95
2.45
52.5
1.1
-0.35
-89.9
-0.05
-0.4
-0.05
6.7
-1.65

16004
1780
277576
63626
60274
2777394
114350
5656
1379935
411844
1728
21910
70829
61711
17838
3557
5342
591214
5826
97467
1893
2022
15469
84881
36641
57691
255110
2504
2599
45034
129088
46472
12298
5332
5585
188046
14806
15272
72330
2465
51966
7879
1010
223611
21814

F D C-B/D
179.85
Federal Bank-A/D 57.05
Ferro Alloys-B/D
4.8
Finolex-A/D
417.95
Gail-A/D
385.1
Galada Power-B/D 15.99
Gammon India-T/D 14.89
Garden P -B/D
32.4
Godfrey Phil-B/D 861.2
Goodricke-B/D
158
Goodyear I -B/D 515.7
Hcl Infosys-B/D 40.55
Him.Fut.Comm-T/D 18.25
Himat Seide-B/D 227.3
Hind Motors-T/D
4.82
Hind Org Chem-/D
17
Hind Unilever-/D 877.95
Hind.Petrol-A/D
925
Hindalco-A/D
121.1
Hous Dev Fin-A/D 1227.6
I F C I-A/D
25.9
Idbi-A/D
71.4
India Cement-A/D 104.9
India Glycol-B/D
89.1
Indian Card-B/D 244.15
Indian Hotel-A/D 133.15
Indo-Tcount-T/D
935
Indusind-A/D
1102.7
J.B.Chemical-B/D
242
Jagatjit Ind-X/D
80
Jagson Phar-B/D 40.15
Jamnaauto-B/D 173.3
Jbf Indu-B/D
203.3
Jct Ltd-B/D
4.49
Jenson&Nich.-B/D 7.93
Jik Indust-B/D
0.68
Jindal Drill-B/D
182.2
Jktyre&Ind-A/D
88.6
Jmc Projects-T/D 247.7
Kabra Extr-B/D
103
Kajaria Cer-A/D 1188.25
Kakatiya Cem-B/D 406.3
Kalpat Power-B/D 254.95
Kalyani Stel-T/D 194.85
Kanoria Chem-B/D 68.95

0.4
-0.65
0.05
-6.5
-1.35
0.99
2.48
-0.65
-4
-0.3
-10.2
1.75
0.2
-0.4
-0.03
0.3
-3
3.75
2.6
-0.2
0.2
-0.05
0.55
0.6
17.65
-0.75
25.9
3.65
-0.55
-0.35
-0.05
1.85
0.35
0
-0.07
0.03
1.6
0.6
1.85
0.15
-3.65
-0.3
-2.55
0.85
-0.95

1412
384161
15189
6658
98705
1912
780749
40422
6474
15316
6208
1102393
696547
19830
58191
17563
74070
46787
828040
74185
771320
662964
240876
10397
11954
456202
26701
45557
16476
2940
10366
118152
14161
337050
4185
45124
15781
158498
1940
6022
2603
62625
6896
48215
48385

Kg Denim-B/D
81
Kilburnengg-Xd/D 58.4
Kopran-B/D
52.35
Lakshmi Elec-B/D 386.1
Laxmi Prcisn-B/D 37.5
Lloyd Metal-B/D
27
Lok.Hous&Con-T/D 4.85
Lumax Ind-B/D
726.4
Lupin-A/D
1460.95
Lyka Labs-T/D
68.85
Mafatlal Ind-B/D 305.2
Mah.Seamless-B/D 233
Mangalam Cem-B/D 288.8
Maral Overs-B/D
28
Mastek-B/D
144.15
Max Financial-/D 500.4
Mrpl-A/D
64.95
Nagreeka Ex-B/D 26.8
Nagreeka Ex-B/D 26.8
Nahar Spg.-B/D
112.3
Nation Alum -A/D 41.55
Navneet Edu-B/D 93.9
Nepc India-T/D
1.45
Neuland Lab-B/D 804.2
Nrb Bearings-B/D 113.6
O N G C-A/D
213.8
Ocl India-B/D
618.1
Oil Country-B/D
29.6
Onward Tech-B/D 71.1
Orchid Pharm-B/D 38.75
Orient Hotel-T/D
26.7
Orient.Carb.-T/D
508
Orient.Carb.-T/D
508
Oudh Sugar-B/D 120.3
Punjab Chem.-B/D 203.5
Radico Khait-B/D
87.1
Rallis India-A/D 213.75
Rallis India-A/D 213.75
Reliance Indus/D
442
Ruchi Soya-B/D 22.05
S Bk Bikaner-B/D 657.25
Salora Inter-B/D
44.2
Saur.Cem-B/D
68.4
Thirumalai-B/D
281.3
Til Ltd.-T/D
258.05

-1.75
1.1
0.1
-4.35
-1.9
-0.4
-0.02
37.85
-3.5
0.25
-2.1
-5.65
1.55
2
-0.65
27.6
0.05
0.3
0.3
2.1
0.3
0.4
0
17.4
2.2
3.2
12.45
-0.3
1.65
0.2
-0.3
5.55
5.55
-5.3
4.25
-1.45
4.4
4.4
-6.6
0.8
-37
-0.6
0.95
1.15
-4.75

37936
10033
49505
1427
5950
3526
26841
62914
51402
5731
2079
8229
11783
28607
16902
920754
107231
1358
1358
13600
80537
25859
1100
2134
1373
235280
4190
5348
6158
142576
4002
8575
8575
246878
9120
24098
35228
35228
216110
76138
261410
4500
43185
7736
2870

COMPANY
NAME

CLOSE

Timexgroup-T/D
37.15
Tinplate-B/D
83
Ucal Fuel-B/D
114.45
Ucal Fuel-B/D
114.45
Ultramarine-B/D 134.4
Unitech P -A/D
6.04
Uppergsugar-T/D 379.05

NET
CHG

VOLUME
TRADED

2 322502
-0.85
112330
0.35
17152
0.35
17152
-2
8733
0.38 30043061
11.1
261081

LONDON
3I Group/D
549
Assoc.Br.Foods/D 2899
Barclays/D
176.25
Bp/D
381.45
Brit Am Tobacc/D 4247
Bt Group/D
428.85
Centrica/D
211.5
Gkn/D
286.5
Hsbc Holdings/D 440.45
Kingfisher/D
365
Land Secs Grou/D 1160
Legal & Genera/D 225
Lloyds Bnk Grp/D 69.23
Marks & Sp./D
365.2
Next/D
5475
Pearson/D
855.5
Prudential/D
1277
Rank Group/D
237.5
Rentokil Initi/D
187.9
Rolls Royce Pl/D 634.5
Rsa Insrance G/D
466
Sainsbury(J)/D
242.7
Schroders/D
2560
Severn Trent/D
2202
Smith&Nephew/D 1153
Smiths Group/D 1127.248
Standrd Chart /D 550.8
Tate & Lyle/D
625.5
Tesco/D
162.05
Unilever/D
3124.5
United Util Gr/D
954
Vodafone Group/D 217.85
Whitbread/D 4097.5839

29
124
10.5
8.3
130.5
21.7
7.9
11.5
9.25
10.9
61
9.6
4.18
13.6
200
32.5
52
2.3
4.5
19.5
15
11.1
115
71
38
40
24.6
10.5
7.7
55.5
35
6.65
185

926500
275335
30230806
13996859
1219086
11757798
8398916
1766540
19986785
1663633
1494835
6916527
117677384
3080519
365141
1105776
2028901
38164
950551
1683830
893388
4028776
210429
206860
635449
240557
6562575
469863
9997773
874204
553038
26323946
181499

Stocks and pound rally as Britain leans towards EU remain vote

The British pound also
rose sharply higher
against the euro and
dollar as the Brexit
battle enters its nal
days, with latest polls
showing the Remain
camp gaining ground.
AFP

LONDON: World stock markets

surged yesterday, led by rallying banking shares, on growing
expectations that Britain will vote

to remain part of the European

Union in a hard fought referendum this week.
The British pound also rose
sharply higher against the euro
and dollar as the Brexit battle
enters its final days, with latest
polls showing the Remain camp
gaining ground.
The Brexit referendum is
the only thing which counts on
the markets and that should be
the case until Fridays result,
said Frederic Rozier (pictured),
of Meeschaert Private Banking.
Traders on Wall Street also
appeared to welcome the prospect
of a status quo, with stocks 1.2
percent higher at around midday.
Europes main bourses all
shot up, closing at least 3.0 percent higher, with Paris CAC 40

leading its Frankfurt and London counterparts.

Stock markets in Britains
European peers have their own
reasons for warily awaiting the
outcome of Thursdays vote, Russ
Mould, investment director at brokerage AJ Bell, said.

Markets in the UK and

Europe seem to prefer the relative
certainty offered by a Remain
vote, he told.
Were the UK to vote Leave
then the EU would face some
potentially serious existential
questions, as other countries may
see eurosceptic parties pressing
for their own votes on whether to
stay or go.
Business as usual? On foreign
exchange, the pound strengthened
against the euro, to 76.99 pence
to the euro, having earlier hit a
near three-week strong point of
76.95 pence.
Against the dollar, the pound
rose to $1.4691, striking a threeweek high earlier of $1.4708 to
the pound.
If sterling is anything to go

by, markets well and truly think

voters have swung in favour of
Remain, said Joe Rundle, head
of trading at ETX Capital.
Safe haven assets, the yen and
gold, meanwhile retreated Monday after strong gains last week.
Despite the change in sentiment, the average of the last six
British European Union referendum polls put the Remain and
Leave camps neck-and-neck at
50-50, excluding undecided voters, according to the What UK
Thinks website.
We know markets abhor
uncertainty, so the Brexit vote
appearing settled this morning
has already gone a long way to
reduce the wall of worry, Mark
Vickery, of Zacks Investment
Research, said in a note to clients.

24

Human traders strike

back at stock markets
robot dominance
By John Detrixhe
Bloomberg

achines may be taking

over the world, but in at
least one corner of the
markets humans are
beating back the robots.
Sales traders like Citigroup
Inc.s Samantha Huggins are in
demand because they are proving more adept than computer
programs at trading big chunks of
stock, dubbed block trades. While
finding a buyer or seller and completing a transaction by phone is
more expensive up front, Huggins
says her 18 years spent navigating
the markets gives her an edge in
avoiding the pitfalls of letting some
software slice the trade into tiny
tranches over hours or an entire
day.
Ultimately sales trading
reduces their trading costs, Huggins, a managing director at the
bank, said in a conference room on
Citigroups Canary Wharf trading
floor. If it didnt reduce investors
trading costs, wed be a bunch of
dinosaurs.
So far, their niche is resurging
amid an onslaught of technological
evolution. In Europe, sales-trader
execution of single stocks rose to
about 51 percentthe first increase
this decade, according to Greenwich Associates. In the US, the
number is 55 percent. And their
ranks are swelling. Banks have
been ramping up hiring of high
touch sales traders in the last six to
eight months, says recruitment firm
Armstrong International. Thats
especially notable when banks
in the US and across Europe have
slashed tens of thousands of jobs
in the last few years alone.
The bespoke service isnt for
everyone. At banks like Citigroup,
the biggest clients are the ones pining for the human touch. Thats
because theyre only getting bigger
and so hold ever larger positions.
For example, assets under management at global investment firms
have been rising since the depths of
the crisis, and gained 8 percent to a
record $74 trillion in 2014, according to data from Boston Consulting
Group.
Handling a mammoth trade
presents hazards. Algorithmic trading programs try to avoid detection
by drizzling out trades little by little,
but traders have become adept at
sniffing out those patterns and will
drive prices the other way. Another

BUSINESS VIEWS

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

risk is that news could break, whipsawing the value of the stock before
the transaction is completed. Those
risks are why big investors would
prefer to avoid expensive mistakes
and are willing to pay higher fees
to make a trade in one big swoop.
So called high touch sales
traders like Huggins specialize
in those transactions, and theyre
expected to know all about their
customers, including whats in their
portfolios, how they like to transact
and what kind of news is important to them.
Top-tier brokers also know
where to find counterparties. Global concerns such as Brexit have
spooked portfolio managers into
withdrawing from the market
at levels not seen in more than
14 years. An algorithm cant find
them, but an astute trader might
be able to.
A sales trader can do some very
creative things, said Rob Boardman, chief executive officer for
Europe of Investment Technology
Group Inc., an electronic broker
and dark-pool operator. The firm
employs sales traders and also
develops buying and selling algorithmsdubbed algos. An algo is
not going to make a phone call to
the top five holders of a stock. Its
not going to call the CIO of a large
institutional investor and say, Do
you fancy getting out of this?
Small-batch, lightning-fast
trading isnt necessarily attractive to big institutional firms, says
Simon Steward, head of European
equity trading for Los Angelesbased Capital Group Cos., which
oversees about $1.4 trillion. It uses
humans for more than two-thirds
of its European stock trades.
Another concern is the boom
in passive funds, which traders say
dry up trade opportunities. Some
index funds primarily transact in
closing auctions, which can make
it more difficult to trade during the
rest of the day. About 20 percent
of the days volume happens at the
close in Europe, compared with 14
percent in 2009, according to data
compiled by Citigroup.
Theres a place for algos, but
its not the only solution, said Nick
Wills, Citigroups Europe, Middle
East and Africa head of equity platform sales. Were most interested
in where this equilibrium goes.
Deutsche Asset Management,
which oversees $842 billion, takes
pride in its electronic operation, but
says about 65 percent of the firms
trades by value still go through
humans.

Tracing the global market thread

that could be unravelled by Brexit

A rates board is seen outside of a Forex outlet in central London, Britain.

By Jamie McGeever
Reuters

f Britons vote to take their country out

of the European Union on June 23, no
corner of the global financial market
complex will emerge unscathed.
The invisible thread that links
assets as diverse as gold, bank stocks, the
Japanese yen and government bonds would
be yanked sharply by Brexit, an event the
Bank of England said on Thursday risks
adverse spill-overs to the global economy.
With global interest rates and bond
yields the lowest on record, central banks
running low on crisis-fighting tools and the
post-2008 economic recovery flagging, that
thread could quickly unravel, with serious
consequences for all markets.
So why will the will of one countrys people in one referendum
have such a profound
impact on global markets? The answer is partly
how interconnected global markets are, and partly
timing the world economic cycle is already very
long in the tooth and cenThe invisible thread
tral banks have far fewer
that links assets as
options open to them
after nearly a decade of
diverse as gold, bank
extraordinary policy
stocks, the Japanese
support.
yen and government
Global interest rates
are their lowest for
bonds would be
5,000 years, according
yanked sharply by
to Bank of America, but
central banks could still
Brexit.
cut them further. That

could mean the US Federal Reserve reversing its slow-starting tightening cycle, and
European Central Bank and Bank of Japan
rates going deeper into negative territory.
Lower rates would also depress bond
yields even further, tightening the screw on
central and commercial banks.
Over $8 trillion worth of sovereign
bonds already carry a negative yield,
according to JPMorgan. This means holders of Japanese, German and Swiss debt are
paying these governments for the privilege
of lending to them, in some cases out to 20
years. They are willing to accept they will
not get all their money back. Even deeper
negative yields would increase these losses,
raising further doubt that these are truly
safe haven assets.
But the immediate economic and political uncertainty after a Brexit vote would
likely be so great that demand for these
bonds would rise anyway, pulling yields
even lower. Yield curves, the difference
between short- and longer-dated bond borrowing costs, would flatten further.
They are already their flattest for years
around the developed world, meaning
the premium investors expect for holding
longer-dated bonds is shrinking. This is
often an ominous signal of low inflation or
deflation, and slowing economic growth or
possibly recession.
If core bond yields would likely fall,
yields on lower-rated and riskier bonds
would likely rise, widening the spread
between the two. This would increase the
financing pressure on a wide range of companies around the world and governments in
euro zone periphery countries like Greece,
Italy and Spain.
Flat yield curves are bad news for
banks, who make money from borrowing

short-term at low rates and lending longerterm at higher rates. Financial stocks have
been hit hard this year as the curve flattening has accelerated. Euro zone banks
are down 30 percent this year, Japanese
banks 35 percent, UK banks 20 percent ,
and US banks 10 percent. Banks are also
being squeezed by negative deposit rates.
The ECB, Bank of Japan and Swiss National
Bank all charge banks for depositing cash.
It may even become cheaper for banks
to put billions of yen, euros or francs of their
customers cash in vaultsa possibility German lender Commerzbank is examining.
As for central banks, any move deeper
into the uncharted world of negative interest rates would be taken reluctantly.
In the case of the ECB, declining yields
would further cut the amount of bonds eligible for purchase as part of its quantitative
easing stimulus programme. That would
make its inflation target of just under 2 percent much harder to achieve, in turn putting
its credibility under even greater scrutiny.
Just as the 2007-08 financial crisis was
caused by unprecedented stress in the banking system, analysts fear Brexit fallout could
again threaten to block the global financial
systems plumbing.
Banks have recovered from 200708 but stresses are already appearing in
more obscure pockets of dollar-based FX
and rates markets that are hitting levels
more associated with periods of crisis. The
premium for dollars over yen in the cross
currency basis market is its highest in years.
Spreads between Libor rates and overnight index swap (OIS) rates, broadly a
measure of investors perception of credit
risk in the banking system, are also widening. In normal conditions, Libor/OIS spreads
should be virtually zero.

Rajan exit notice before Brexit poses stress test for India
By Kartik Goyal
Bloomberg

A
The rupee retreated 0.3
percent, the most in a
week, to 67.3125 a dollar
in Mumbai. It dropped to
67.66 earlier, the weakest
level since May 24. The
currency is down 1.7
percent in 2016, the worst
performance in Asia, and
is just 2.2 percent shy of
its record low of 68.845
seen in August 2013.

s if Brexit wasnt enough to worry

about, India investors now need to cope
with central bank Governor Raghuram
Rajans impending departure.
The rupee, Asias worst performing currency this year, slumped to its lowest level in
four weeks yesterday, following Rajans weekend announcement that he plans to return to
academia when his term ends in September.
Volatility in the currency also climbed after
surging the most since August last week.
Clearly investors will not like this and you
will see this in markets, said Sean Yokota,
the head of Asia strategy at Skandinaviska
Enskilda Banken in Singapore. Monday will
be a tough day for India amidst Brexit.
Since taking office in 2013, the former
International Monetary Fund chief economist
helped strengthen the rupee, cut its swings by
more than half and propelled the nations foreign-exchange reserves to an all-time high.
Those moves, along with the implementation of an inflation-targeting regime, built

Indias credibility with investors and helped it

overtake a slowing China as the worlds fastest-growing major economy.
The rupee retreated 0.3 percent, the most
in a week, to 67.3125 a dollar in Mumbai. It
dropped to 67.66 earlier, the weakest level
since May 24. The currency is down 1.7 percent in 2016, the worst performance in Asia,
and is just 2.2 percent shy of its record low of
68.845 seen in August 2013. It pared losses
Monday as the central bank was seen selling
dollars, two Mumbai-based traders said, asking not to be identified because they arent
authorized to speak on the matter publicly.
Rajan on Saturday expressed confidence
that the policies he helped implement would
protect Asias third-biggest economy from the
sort of sudden capital flight that occurred in the
months before he took office, when the Federal
Reserve first signaled it would taper its bond
purchases. In 2013, Morgan Stanley included the
rupee among the Fragile Five currencies along
with South Africas rand, Indonesias rupiah,
Turkeys lira and Brazils real.
We have worked with the government
over the last three years to create a platform
of macroeconomic and institutional stability, Rajan said while announcing his plans to

leave office. I am sure the work we have done

will enable us to ride out imminent sources
of market volatility like the threat of Brexit.
Rajan plans to remain at the central bank
until his term ends on Sept. 4. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government would
announce his successor shortly. RBI spokeswoman Alpana Killawala didnt immediately
respond to a phone call seeking comment.
Five candidates are in the running to
replace Rajan, according to a government
official who asked not to be identified, citing
rules for speaking with the media.
Investors will likely remove capital
from India and stay on the sidelines in the
short term, according to Nikhil Johri, chief
investment officer at Trivantage Capital Management India Pvt. in Mumbai. The S&P BSE
Sensex has been one of the best performers
in Asia over the past month. It jumped 0.9
percent on Monday while the yield on Indias
benchmark 10-year sovereign bonds fell one
basis point to 7.49 percent.
Dr. Rajans decision will make international investors quite nervous about Indian
markets, said Johri, a former classmate of
the RBI governor in the 1980s. They will now
wait for the announcement of his successor

and will evaluate the next steps thereafter.

Uncertainty about the UKs June 23 referendum has cast a pall over the global outlook,
spurring risk aversion across emerging markets.
While the pound rallied yesterday after polls
showed a swing toward the Remain campaign,
a gauge of the rupees one-month implied volatility jumped 37 basis points to 7.05 percent.
Global funds reduced their holdings of
local-currency government and corporate
debt this year by 102.5 billion rupees ($1.5
billion). That compares with inflows of 505
billion rupees in 2015 and 1.7 trillion rupees
in 2014. The campaign to keep the UK in the
European Union led in the first opinion poll
fully conducted since Thursdays slaying of
lawmaker Jo Cox. Polls had shown mounting support for withdrawal from the EU in
the week before her death.
Rajan lured inflows of about $34 billion
through discounted foreign-currency swaps.
He also sought to build a war chest to help
defend the rupee from global shocks, with
about a fourth of Indias foreign-exchange
stockpile being added during his term. In
December, Rajan set banks a March 2017 deadline to clean up their balance sheets in a bid
to reduce bad loans that are at a 15-year high.

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com
PAGE | 27
Johnson ends years
of misery at
US Open

PAGE | 28
Germany to pack
bigger punch in
nal group game

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016 16 RAMADAN 1437

thepeninsulaqatar

@peninsulaqatar

@peninsula_qatar

England sail into last 16 after draw

Euro 2016: Three Lions
nish second behind Wales
in Group B after goalless
stalemate against Slovakia
AFP

SAINT-ETIENNE, France: Roy Hodgsons

England secured their place in the last 16 of
Euro 2016, but lost their status as Group B winners, after being held to a goalless draw by
Slovakia yesterday.
Wales 3-0 win over Russia in Toulouse
meant the Three Lions finish second in Group
B. Slovakia must now wait to see if they qualify as one of four best third-place best teams
after their goalkeeper Matus Kozacik pulled
off a string of saves some more luck than
judgement.
England will now play their last 16 game
in Nice next Monday against the side who finishes second in Group F, most likely against
Hungary or Portugal.
This was another frustrating night for England fans in Saint-Etienne.
It was at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard
where David Beckham was sent off as England lost to Argentina on penalties in the last
16 of the 1998 World Cup.
Prince William, who turns 34 today, was
in Saint-Etienne, sat next to FA chairman
Greg Dyke who has said Hodgson will remain
England manager provided they reach the
semi-finals.
Hodgsons contract expires after Euro
2016.

Englands forward Jamie

Vardy (centre) is tackled by
Slovakias midelder Juraj
Kucka (left) during their
Euro 2016 group B match
at the Geoffroy-Guichard
Stadium in Saint-Etienne,
yesterday.

The England boss boldly made six changes

to team, starting strikers Jamie Vardy and
Daniel Sturridge, who both scored off the
bench in the 2-1 win over Wales.
Hodgson left skipper Wayne Rooney

among the replacements with centre-back

Gary Cahill taking over the captains armband.
Slovakia coach Jan Kozak kept faith with
the starting side which beat Russia 2-1 last
Wednesday.

Vardy worked hard throughout, but squandered two clear chances of Englands nine
first-half attempts on goal to Slovakias single effort. He fired over early on, then had
his shot blocked by Kozacik in a one-on-one

In-form Wales nish on top of

group B after crushing Russia
AFP

TOULOUSE: Gareth Bale struck

his third goal in as many Euro 2016
games as brilliant Wales cruised into
the last 16 as winners of Group B with
a clinical 3-0 dismantling of Russia
yesterday.
First-half strikes by Aaron
Ramsey and Neil Taylor sent Chris
Colemans men well on their way to
a comprehensive win in Toulouse
against an overwhelmed Russian
side, who were eliminated.
But Bale was a constant threat all
night and grabbed his third goal of the
tournament when he cleverly dinked
the ball past Igor Akinfeev with the
outside of his right boot midway
through the second half.
The last players to score in all
three group games at a European
Championship were Milan Baros for
the Czech Republic and Ruud van Nistelrooy for the Netherlands, both in
2004.
The win coupled with a 0-0 draw
between England and Slovakia in
Saint-Etienne allowed Wales to top
the group and set up a last-165 tie in
Paris this weekend.
In a match labelled high risk
following violent clashes between
Russian and England supporters in
Marseille last week, it was Wales who
provided all the drama on a balmy
night in Toulouse.

Wales midelder
Aaron Ramsey
(top) who scored
the rst goal
celebrates with his
team-mate Neil
Taylor who scored
the teams second
goal during the
Euro 2016 group
B match against
Russia at the
Stadium Municipal
in Toulouse,
yesterday.

Russia had to win to stand a

chance of going through after a 1-1
draw with England and a 2-1 defeat to
Slovakia left them bottom of Group B.
Ramsey ran on to Joe Allens
superb pass that split the Russian
defence and dinked the ball over the
onrushing Akinfeev and in.
Ramseys maiden goal at a Euros
sent the huge Welsh support behind
the goal wild, and took the wind
out of Russias sails. Slutskys men

quickly lost composure in the key

area of midfield, and Wales made
them pay.
When Allens smart ball found
Bale in acres of space and as he powered up the middle, the Russians left
the left flank wide open for Taylor.
Bales attempted pass took a
deflection, but Taylor latched on to
beat Akinfeev at the second attempt
after the rebound fell nicely to double Wales lead on 20 minutes. It was

full-back Taylors first goal for anyone in more than six years.
Wales kept on knocking at the
door and got their third goal midway through the second half.
Ramsey ran across the edge of
the area to draw the Russian defence
and slipped a pass through for Bale,
who found himself one-on-one with
Akinfeev before coolly dinking the
ball past the veteran keeper to seal
a famous Welsh win.

after winning a sprint against Slovakia captain Martin Skrtel.

And only a fine tackle from right-back
Peter Pekarik denied Sturridge at the near
post in the opening 10 minutes.
Lallana was then denied by Kozaciks
reflex save with half an hour gone.
Englands frustration continued after the
break. A mix-up between centre-back Chris
Smalling and goalkeeper Joe Hart allowed Slovakia winger Robert Mak a half-chance.
At the other end, only the slightest of
deflections off Kozaciks shoulder kept out
Nathaniel Clynes shot.
There was a big cheer from travelling
England supporters the loudest of the night
when Wayne Rooney came on for Jack
Wilshere with 56 minutes gone.
Dele Alli, on for Lallana, then saw his
shot cleared by Skrtel after finding himself
unmarked when he arrived in the area at pace.
Only England fans could be heard as the
second half wore on, nosily urging the Three
Lions on in search of the crucial goal which
never came.
Rooney was a constant menace after coming on, firing wide as the game entered the
final 10 minutes while Harry Kane, on for
Sturridge, had a couple of late chances all
to no avail.
Meanwhile, England and Slovakia soccer fans revelled peacefully in the French
city of Saint-Etienne yesterday, easing fears
of more violence as they sang their national
anthems and played soccer together before
the Euro 2016 match between their teams in
the evening.
Local authorities restricted alcohol sales,
banned glasses and locked away outdoor cafe
chairs to try to prevent a repeat of the brawls
between rival groups of fans and police at Englands opening game in Marseille on June 11.

Turkey hope to seize last

chance against Czechs
Reuters

LILLE: Turkey have left it late to bid

for a place in the knockout stage
of Euro 2016 but defender Gokhan
Gonul (pictured) believes they still
have a chance, if they can beat a
buoyant Czech side in their final
Group D game today.
There is a thing the Turkish
national team always does, which
is chasing the game until the last
minute, the 31-year-old defender
said.
Again we have left it until the
last game, maybe we dont have
much of a chance this time, but we
will still do our very best and hopefully, with the help of some luck, we
can defeat the Czech Republic and
go through. The Czechs, though, are
full of confidence after fighting back
from two goals down to draw with
Croatia on Friday.
Turkey, by contrast, were lacking
in bite when they lost 1-0 to Croatia
in their opening game before being
given a footballing lesson in a 3-0
drubbing by reigning European
champions Spain.
Aside from scoring their first
goal of the tournament in Lens, Turkey would need other results to go
their way even if they do win, while
victory for the Czechs would put
them on four points and in a good
position to make the last 16.
Spain, who have already qualified for the knockout stages with two
wins in their first two games, face a
Croatia side looking for the win that
would guarantee their progression in

the tournament. The Czech Republic

and Turkey claimed away victories
against one another in a topsy-turvy
qualifying group that the Czechs
won, with Iceland coming second
and the Turks qualifying directly as
the best third-placed team, while
a much-fancied Netherlands side
missed out altogether.
Turkey are a very strong side,
they have a lot of good players who
play for top teams, said Czech forward Tomas Necid.
As a team, they have good linkup play and plenty of flair.
The Czechs will be missing their
flair player, Tomas Rosicky, who has
been ruled out of the tournament
with a thigh injury sustained in their
remarkable comeback from two
goals down to draw 2-2 with Croatia.
The Czechs have two players,
Tomas Sivok and David Limbersky, who risk suspension for the
knockout stages if they get another
yellow card, while the Turks have
five -- Burak Yilmaz, Cenk Tosun,
Hakan Balta, Ozan Tufan and Volkan Sen -- who will need to stay on
the right side of Scottish referee William Collum.

26

SPORT

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

James and Cavaliers win

thrilling NBA Finals Game

PAST 10 NBA
CHAMPIONS
OAKLAND: Past 10 winners of
the NBA Finals:
2016: Cleveland Cavaliers
2015: Golden State Warriors
2014: San Antonio Spurs
2013: Miami Heat
2012: Miami Heat
2011: Dallas Mavericks
2010: Los Angeles Lakers
2009: Los Angeles Lakers

NBA superstar
LeBron James caps
dream run by leading
Cleveland Cavaliers
to historic title win
against Golden State
Warriors

2008: Boston Celtics

2007: San Antonio Spurs

PAST 10 MVPS
2016: LeBron James, Cleveland
Cavaliers
2015: Andre Iguodala, Golden State
Warriors
2014: Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

AP

2013: LeBron James, Miami Heat

2012: LeBron James, Miami Heat

OAKLAND: LeBron James cradled

the shiny gold trophy and struggled
to sum up what might be his sweetest championship yet, the one he is so
proudly bringing home to his native
northeast Ohio just as he promised to
do when he returned to the Cavaliers
two summers ago.
Later, flanked by his three children on Fathers Day, a cigar between
his lips and winning net as a necklace
with the lingering stench of champagne, James began to understand the
magnitude of his accomplishment for
Cleveland after a half-century wait.
Im coming home with what I
said I was going to do, he said, adding, I cant wait to get off that plane,
hold that trophy up and see all our
fans at the terminal.
James and his relentless, nevercount-them-out Cavs pulled off an
improbable NBA Finals comeback
and Cleveland is title town again at
long last.
James delivered on a vow to his
home state and brought the Cavs back
from the brink as they became the
first team to rally from a 3-1 finals
deficit, beating the defending champion Golden State Warriors 93-89
on Sunday night to end a 52-year
major sports championship drought
in Cleveland.
Ive never seen a man in my life
tell an entire state: Get on my back, I
got you. Get on my back and Im going
to carry you. I dont care if we fail,
Im going to wake up the next morning and Im going to start working out
and prepare for the next year, Richard Jefferson said. ... He was like, Im
going to come back home because I
promised them that I would do something. And he carried us the whole
way.
In a testy series of blowouts and

Cavaliers
go to great
pains to win
a title

2011: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

2010: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles
Lakers
2009: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles
Lakers
2008: Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
2007: Tony Parker, San Antonio
Spurs
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James hoists
the Larry OBrien and the Finals MVP trophies
after defeating the Golden State Warriors to win
the NBA Finals in Oakland, California.

a few blowups the winner-takeall Game 7 provided the thrilling

finale with James as the finals MVP
disarming two-time reigning MVP
Stephen Curry and his record-setting Warriors.
The native of Akron rattled off
moments from the lengthy list of
Cleveland sports heartbreak and
said what it meant for him to personally bring the Cavaliers their first
championship.
Playing his sixth straight finals,
James almost single-handedly carried
the Cavs back into this series and finished with 27 points, 11 assists and 11
rebounds as the Cavs gave their city
its first major sports winner since the
Browns won the NFL title in 1964.
He also had three blocked shots
and two steals, overcoming five
turnovers.
An emotional James fell to the
floor when this one ended with a second win in a week on Golden States
imposing home floor, surrounded by
his team-mates. Only moments earlier, he went down in pain with 10.6
seconds left after being fouled by
Draymond Green while going for a

dunk, then came back out to make

the second of two free throws. After
four successful seasons in Miami and
two titles with the Heat, James came
back to the Cavs in hopes of winning
the title this franchise and championship-starved city so coveted. It took a
second try against Golden State after
Cleveland lost to the Warriors in six
games last year.
I was calm. I was focused. I was
locked in, James said.
Cleveland did it after a coaching
change, with Tyronn Lue taking over
in January for the fired David Blatt.
We made history tonight, Lue
said. Cleveland, Ohio, were coming
back, baby!
Kyrie Irving scored 26 points to
cap his brilliant finals, including a
3-pointer over Curry with 53 seconds left.
Curry sat briefly on the bench to
take in the scene after the Warriors
made their last basket with 4:39 left.
It hurts, man, Curry said. Just
proud of every single guy that stepped
foot on the floor for our team this
year. ... Hopefully well have many
more opportunities to fight for

championships and be on this stage

because this is what its all about.
Green had 32 points, 15 rebounds and
nine assists, but the Warriors recordsetting season ended without the
only prize this close-knit Strength
In Numbers crew cared about from
way back in the beginning through
the record 24-0 start as Coach of the
Year Steve Kerr was out, Currys second consecutive MVP campaign, and
the 73 regular-season wins to break
the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls mark.
As Cleveland celebrated in the
trophy ceremony, Green returned to
the floor to congratulate the Cavs.
He stopped by the winning locker
room, too, and Warriors general manager Bob Myers brought in the freshly
cut nets.
Golden State might always be
remembered as one of the best teams
ever that couldnt close it out, and
Green is taking at least a good share
of the blame after he sat out Game 5
on Monday night suspended for flagrant fouls.
The Cavs staved off elimination
twice to force Game 7 back at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors went

up 2-0 with a pair of lopsided wins

to start this series. Cleveland became
just the fourth team to win an NBA
Finals Game 7 on the road.
Curry who said beforehand he
needed the best game of his career
scored 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting,
while Splash Brother Klay Thompson
added 14 points while making 6 of 17
shots.
I didnt do enough to help my
team win, Curry said. It will haunt
me for a while.
President Barack Obama, an avid
basketball fan, returned to Washington aboard Air Force One late Sunday
as the game entered its final, tense
minutes.
He watched until the end and
did not come down the stairs until
moments after the Cavs won.
This time, it will be Cleveland
hosting the victory parade tomorrow.
A year ago at home, the Cavs had
to watch Golden State win its first title
in 40 years.
Now we have our own parade,
Irving said, and well celebrate it the
way its supposed to be celebrated in
Cleveland.

Cavs and so on, and all other sports

teams. They continue to support us.
And for us to be able to end this, end
this drought, our fans deserve it. They
deserve it. And it was for them.
Winning a championship in
Cleveland is equivalent to winning
at least three most anywhere else,
and thats probably a conservative
comparison. Lets put this in perspective: On Sunday, James and his
longtime veteran team-mate James
Jones became the 69th and 70th players to win three NBA titles. Of those
70, only three - three! - players did not
collect some of their rings playing for
the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordans Chicago Bulls

or Tim Duncans San Antonio Spurs:

James, Dwyane Wade and Jones.
Basically, there have been four
dynastic movements in NBA history, and if you werent fortunate to
board those trains, good luck hogging
championships. Its safe to say now
that James represents a fifth movement. To do it in Cleveland, to do it
by beating the all-time great Warriors, to do it in a league in which so
few franchises win championships,
James has rewritten the first paragraph of his legacy.
And hes still 31 years old and
hasnt sustained a major injury in his
NBA career.
In the defining game of his career,
James posted a triple-double Sunday:
27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
He was a menace on defense, protecting the rim as if his family lived in the
basket. Kyrie Irving, who was brilliant
in the Finals, scored 26 points and hit
the biggest shot of the game, a threepointer with 53 seconds remaining
to give the Cavaliers a 92-89 lead.
In a losing effort, Golden State forward Draymond Green had the most
impressive stat line of the night, finishing with 32 points, 15 rebounds
and nine assists. But this was Jamess
game. This was the series in which he
cemented his legacy.
James won two titles in Miami
after leaving Cleveland in 2010 to
team up with Wade and Chris Bosh.
But he returned to Cleveland two
years ago to come home and complete a mission. That mission has been
accomplished in the most dramatic
manner possible.
We just witnessed one of the
greatest games in NBA history, NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver said as the
Cavaliers stood on a makeshift stage
on the Oracle Arena court.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward

LeBron James (23) passes
the ball against Golden State
Warriors forward Draymond
Green (23), guard Stephen Curry
(30) and guard Klay Thompson
(11) in the rst half in game
seven of the NBA Finals.

Reuters

OAKLAND: The pain is over, Cleveland. Fifty-two cursed years have

succumbed to the legend of LeBron
James. The native son who arrived in
fame and left in shame has returned
to deliver a championship that Northeast Ohio fans went through sporting
hell to receive.
For more than five decades, no
other city had experienced so much
consistent misery. The heartache was
so familiar that people could condense each new, agonizing moment
into a two-word label. The Drive.
The Shot. The Fumble. The Decision.
Cleveland knows those pains and so
much more. But in place of the citys
pro title drought is now its greatest
achievement: A spirited, unprecedented rally after trailing the NBA
Finals three games to one to an opponent that won more games than any
team in league history.
If you aim to soothe a half-century of soul-wrenching aches, this is
the way to do it. With a 93-89 victory
in Game 7 at Oracle Arena, the Cavaliers became the first team to win the
Finals after trailing 3-1. Its the most
unlikely comeback the NBA has ever

seen, orchestrated by a 31-year-old

superstar who has earned an immovable place among the games most
revered legends. He did it for Cleveland. Every powerful dunk, every pass
seemingly guided by a GPS device,
every swooping block to erase a sure
Golden State basket - James was motivated to fulfill his mission to free
Cleveland from its woeful sports history. It took a homegrown prodigy to
shatter the curse. It took a flawed hero
to fail the first time, then leave and
embarrass and anger the city and
come back, older, wiser and a better
winner. The James who fell short as
a young adult would not be denied as
a hardened man. He had to succeed.

And Cleveland was going to shed its

loser label in the process.
Just knowing what our city has
been through, Northeast Ohio has
been through, as far as our sports
and everything for the last 50-plus
years, James said. You could look
back to the Earnest Byner fumble,
[John] Elway going 99 yards, to Jose
Mesa not being able to close out in the
bottom of the ninth to the Cavs went
to The Finals - I was on that team in 2007, getting swept, and then last
year us losing, 4-2. And so many more
stories.
And our fans, they ride or die,
no matter whats been going on, no
matter the Browns, the Indians, the

LeBron delivers
on vow to end
Cleveland pain
AFP

OAKLAND: LeBron James wept

while Cleveland cheered.
The prodigal son who left for
Miami in 2010 to win two NBA
titles, then returned home in 2014
vowing to end a major sport title
drought that had haunted Cleveland since 1964, delivered on his
promise Sunday when the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Golden State
93-89 in the decisive seventh game
of the NBA Finals.
Its the greatest feeling in the
world, James said. I dreamed
about it, envisioned it and to see it
come true is just plain beautiful.
James dropped to his knees
and cried on the court, wept as he
kissed the trophy and again as he
spoke about years of Cleveland
sport frustration since Jim Brown
led the Cleveland Browns to a 27-0
victory over the Baltimore Colts for
the 1964 NFL crown.
Those emotions came out of
me, just understanding what our
city has been through over the last
50-plus years since Jim Brown,
James said. Then also people just
counting me out. Throughout my
13-year career, Ive done nothing
but be true to the game, put my
heart, my blood, sweat, tears into
the game, and people still want to
doubt what Im capable of doing.
So that was a little icing on
the cake for myself to just let me
know that everything Ive done, it
results in this. Hard work pays off
and thats what happened tonight.
Thousands gathered on the
streets of Cleveland to watch the
game on big screens and a roaring
celebration began when the final
buzzer sounded, ending 52 years
of sporting frustration.
I came back for a reason. I
came back to bring a championship to our city, James said. Right
now its just excitement. Its not
even relief. To continue to be an
inspiration to our city, it means
everything.
Im ready to get back to Cleveland. I cant wait to get off that
plane and hold that trophy up and
see all our fans at the terminal. So I
cant wait to give the emotion back
to them.
There has been pain in the
past 18,802 days for Cleveland.
James led the Cavs to the finals in
2007 and 2015 only to lose. Major
League Baseballs Cleveland Indians have not won a World Series
since 1948, losing in 1995 and 1997.
Just knowing what our city
has been through and our fans,
they ride or die, no matter what
has been going on they continue
to support us, James said. And for
us to be able to end this, end this
drought, our fans deserve it. And
it was for them.

SPORT

Johnson comes good to end

years of misery at US Open
The 31-year-old
American golfer
overcomes huge
fright on the nal
day to bag his
maiden major win

after an astonishing back-nine collapse cost him the title at the Masters
in April, never fully fired at Oakmont
and he limped off at nine-over after
a closing 75.

Dustin Johnson of
the United States
poses with the
winners trophy.

DUSTIN JOHNSON
FACTFILE

AFP

OAKMONT: Dustin Johnson ended

years of misery at the majors with
a come-from-behind win in the US
Open at Oakmont on Sunday, but he
was given a huge fright late on over
a potential rules violation.
The 31-year-old American closed
with a 69 for a four-under total of 276,
three strokes clear of Scott Piercy (69),
Jim Furyk (66) and Shane Lowry (76).
They were the only players to finish under par. Sergio Garcia (70) and
Branden Grace (71) both ended level.
The victory was sweet for a player
who bore the scar tissue of multiple
near misses at the majors, most notably at last years US Open when he
three-putted the final green to hand
the win to Jordan Spieth.
Johnson was the third straight
first-time winner of a major tournament after Jason Day won the PGA
Championship last year and Danny
Willett took the Masters in April.
But it was a perplexing final few
holes for him after officials informed
him at the 12th that he could be
penalised for a potential rules violation back on the fifth green when
his ball moved slightly as he prepared
to putt.
As it turned out, the last few
holes went his way. He finished with
a birdie at the last and his margin
was such that the victory could not be
overturned even if he were penalised.
The United States Golf Association then announced that the penalty
stroke would be applied.
Feels good. Feels really good.
Feels well deserved. Ive had a lot of
opportunities that I didnt quite get
it done. So this ones definitely really
sweet, Johnson said.
It means the world. Its Fathers
Day. My birthdays in a couple days.
Couldnt have came at a better time.
Johnson started the last 18 holes
tied for second, but he was four

27

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

strokes behind Irelands Lowry.

But with his driving back to its
best after a rocky third round, Johnson reached the turn in three-under
33. That was enough to haul him
level with Lowry, who minutes later
promptly dropped another bogey at
the ninth.
Johnson was back in the lead, as
he had been at the halfway stage of
the tournament, and from then on he
looked to be in the clear before the
upsetting news that he could be hit
with a penalty stroke muddied the
waters.
For Lowry it was a humbling
experience on what was the first
time the player from County Offaly in
central Ireland had led a major tournament after 54 holes.
He never looked comfortable
from the moment his approach to the
second hole spun back off the green.
Three holes later he dropped
another one after finding a bunker off
the tee and suddenly all the pressure
of a major tournament was weighing
heavily on his burly shoulders.
The dropped shot at nine saw him
surrender the lead, and although he
briefly managed to draw back level
with Johnson, his normally reliable
putting stroke let him down over the
last few holes.

In 115 previous editions of the

US Open only two players had lost a
54-hole lead of four or more strokes.
Piercy, who got within one shot of
Johnsons lead before taking a bogey
at the par three 16th, paid tribute to
Johnson.
Hes a great player, hes won 10, 11
times, whatever. Hes one of the best
drivers of the golf ball out here, he
said.
Pittsburgh favorite Furyk produced a late charge which fired up
the local crowd, getting to two-under
with a hole to play, but a wayward
tee-shot at the last undid him.
The one regret, I wish Id have
got that ball on the fairway at 18. It
would have been a little more exciting, said Furyk, who tied for second
the last time the US Open was held at
Oakmont in 2007.
World number one Jason Day
never really put himself in contention after a bogey start and he came
in with a 71 to finish at two over.
I played some good golf out there
the last three rounds, and very happy
with how I played. Not so happy with
the finish. Obviously, Im here to win
a tournament and, unfortunately, I
didnt win, he said. Defending champion Jordan Spieth, hoping to bounce
back at the second major of the year

OAKMONT: Factfile on Dustin

Johnson after his victory in the
116th US Open Golf Championship
on Sunday:
DUSTIN Johnson (USA)
Born - June 22, 1984
Age - 31
Birthplace - Columbia, South
Carolina
Home - Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina
Height - 6ft 4in (1.9m)
Turned pro - 2007
Joined PGA Tour - 2008
PGA Tour victories 10
WGC Wins - 2 (2014 HSBC Champions, 2015 Cadillac Championship)
Major championship wins - 1 (2016
US Open)
Ryder Cup: 2010-L, 2012-L
Presidents Cup: 2011-W, 2015-W

LIST OF LAST 15 US
OPEN WINNERS
OAKMONT: List of the last 15
winners of the US Open Golf Championship after Dustin Johnsons
victory on Sunday at Oakmont:
2016 - Dustin Johnson (at Oakmont)
2015 - Jordan Spieth (at Chambers
Bay)
2014 - Martin Kaymer (Pinehurst)
2013 - Justin Rose (Merion)
2012 - Webb Simpson (Olympic
Club)
2011 - Rory McIlroy (Congressional)
2010 - Graeme McDowell (Pebble
Beach)
2009 - Lucas Glover (Bethpage
Black)
2008 - Tiger Woods (Torrey Pines)
2007 - Angel Cabrera (Oakmont)
2006 - Geoff Ogilvy (Winged Foot)
2005 - Michael Campbell
(Pinehurst)
2004 - Retief Goosen (Shinnecock
Hills)
2003 - Jim Furyk (Olympia Fields)
2002 - Tiger Woods (Bethpage
Black)

WADA to demand serious action

if report shows widespread doping
Reuters

LONDON: World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

chiefs said yesterday that they would call for serious action against Russia before the Rio Olympics
in August if a new investigation next month shows
evidence of widespread state-sponsored doping.
The Russian team has already been suspended
from the athletics events in Rio because of doping
allegations in track and field.
But WADA has set up another investigation
under Canadian law professor Richard McLaren
to probe allegations of state-backed doping at the
2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
WADA President Craig Reedie said the McLaren
investigation would make its findings public before
July 15 at the latest.
If it shows evidence of widespread state-run
cheating across many sports, the British official
said it would be a moment for a precedent-setting opportunity.
Reedie would not confirm that WADA would
definitely call for a total ban on the country but
he said: If it comes back like that, we have to say
something serious.
In the coming weeks, we will learn the outcomes of our independent McClaren investigation.
If his report indicates transgressions of any kind,
then there will be a precedent-setting opportunity to demonstrate our collective commitment
to cleaning up sport. The world will be watching.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is
due to discuss Russians athletics suspension, which
has been imposed by the sports governing body

athletics ban, the first time Russia, which finished second behind
the United States in the track and
field medals table at the 2012 London Games, will be absent since
the 1984 Los Angeles Games when
Eastern bloc countries boycotted.
WADA officials attending
a special symposium at Lords
cricket ground in central London
on drugs in sport said there was a
real need to restore trust in sport in
Rio on behalf of the athletes.
It is clear that, in order to curb
state-wide doping, wherever it
maybe in the world, countries must
commit to a cultural change and
that change can only come about
by the decision-makers using their
powers to full effect, Reedie said.
His views on a tough line are
Sir Craig Reedie, President of World Anti-Doping Agency clearly held across WADA. Asked
(WADA) speaks at a media symposium at Lords cricket ground if a call for an overall ban on
in London yesterday. Reedie indicated he would be prepared Russia for Rio was inevitable if
to back precedent-setting action against Russia following the McLaren report is damning,
suggestions the countrys entire team could be banned from incoming WADA Director General
Augusts Olympic Games in Rio.
Olivier Niggli said: We will have to
be very firm if there is evidence.
WADA confirmed that it was
(IAAF), at a special summit in Switzerland today.
already working with swimmings world governing
Olympic chiefs are also expected to look at
body FINA on an investigation into doping allegareports that the country put in place a complex systions made against Russia and China.
tem to beat drug-testing at its own Winter Games
The organisation has recently appointed its
first in-house investigator to follow up allegations
in Sochi two years ago.
of cheating.
The IOC has indicated that it will support the

Mathews
shocked by
Eranga scare
AFP

NOTTINGHAM: Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has spoken of

the shock he felt when Shaminda
Eranga suffered a heart scare in
Ireland.
Saturday saw Eranga come out
to face the final ball of Sri Lankas
innings in the second one-day
international against Ireland in
Malahide, but he did not bowl after
feeling unwell in the interval and
being taken to a Dublin hospital
with what was later confirmed as
an elevated heartbeat.
Sri Lanka won the fixture by
136 runs for a 2-0 series win over
the Irish that set them up nicely
for a five-match ODI series against
England starting at Nottinghams
Trent Bridge ground today.
But a miserable weekend for
Eranga was compounded when
the International Cricket Council announced on Sunday that he
would miss the England series in
any event after being found to have
an illegal bowling action.
The nature of Erangas illness
is similar to that which forced
the early retirement of England
batsman James Taylor in April,
although there is no suggestion
that Erangas heart problem could
end his career.
For Mathews, Erangas illness
was a bolt from the blue.
He was warming up -- and
just before we went on the field, he
said something happened to me,
can you touch my heart because
it is beating fast?, Mathews told
reporters at Trent Bridge yesterday.
I felt something unusual, so
I quickly called the physio (who)
went for the doctor with him. It
was a shocking incident.
Hes (still) undergoing those
tests (for) an elevated heartbeat.
Last years World Cup saw Sri
Lanka thrash England by nine
wickets in Wellington.
But Eoin Morgans (pictured
below) men have improved greatly
as a white-ball side since the World
Cup and earlier this year made it
to the final of the World Twenty20
in India, where they were beaten
in a last-over thriller by the West
Indies.
I dont know if its a springboard, but its certainly a huge
confidence-booster, said England limited-overs captain Morgan.
Hopes are growing that Morgans team will be able to put up
an improved showing in front of
their own supporters at the 2019
World Cup in England.
Theres a bit more expectation
on us as a side, and its important
to relish that expectation, the
Irishman added. Were still at the
beginning of building for what we
hope will be a successful campaign
in the 2019 World Cup.

Australia, South
Africa ODI
washed out
Reuters

BARBADOS: South Africas match

against Australia in the triangular
one-day international series was
abandoned after just one over in
Barbados due to rain on Sunday.
After being sent in to bat in
Bridgetown, South Africa were
eight for no wicket when rain
swept across Kensington Oval and
forced the players off.
Umpires called the game off as
wet conditions continued and the
teams shared the points.
Hosts West Indies play Australia today and South Africa on
Thursday before the top two teams
advance to the final of the threenation series.

SCOREBOARD
ZIMBABWE
C Chibhabha c Rayudu b Sran
10
H Masakadza b Sran
10
P Moor c Patel b Bumrah
31
Sikandar Raza c Rahul b Sran
1
T Mutombodzi lbw Sran
0
M Waller c Patel b Chahal
14
E Chigumbura b Bumrah
8
G Cremer c Rayudu b Kulkarni
4
N Madziva b Bumrah
1
D Tiripano (not out)
11
T Muzarabani (not out)
0
Extras (LB-4, W-4, NB-1)
9
Total (for 9 wkts in 20 overs) 99
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-26, 3-28, 4-28,
5-57, 6-75, 7-81, 8-83, 9-91.
Bowling: Sran 4-0-10-4; Kulkarni 4-032-1; Patel 4-0-23-0; Chahal 4-1-19-1;
Bumrah 4-0-11-3.
INDIA
K L Rahul (not out)
47
Mandeep Singh (not out)
52
Extras (W-3, NB-1)
4
Total (for no loss in 13.1 overs)103
Bowling: Tiripano 3-0-11-0; Madziva 2.10-19-0; Muzarabani 2-0-17-0; Cremer
3-0-24-0; Chibhabha 2-0-23-0; Sikandar
Raza 1-0-9-0.

India level T20

with 10-wicket
Zimbabwe win
AFP

HARARE: India bounced back

from their chastening defeat to
Zimbabwe over the weekend to
thump the hosts by 10 wickets in
the second Twenty20 international
at Harare Sports Club yesterday
and level the three-match series
at 1-1.
Zimbabwes unexpected tworun victory in Saturdays opener
had suggested they might have
turned a corner after a hopeless
performance in the one-day series,
in which they were whitewashed
3-0.
But yesterday they reverted to
type with another feeble batting
performance, scoring 99 for nine
as India seamers Barinder Sran
and Jasprit Bumrah shared seven
wickets.
In reply, Indias openers KL
Rahul and Mandeep Singh took
advantage of a couple of dropped
catches to knock off the target in
just 13.1 overs.
Obviously (Saturday) defeat
was hurting, but we discussed a
few points of what we needed to
do, and I think we implemented
them really well today, said Singh.
Zimbabwes batsmen had led
the way in victory, but yesterday
they never got going as Sran picked
up four wickets in seven deliveries
to reduce the hosts to 28 for four.
Bumrah did the damage at
the back of the innings, as he dismissed top scorer Peter Moor for
31 and danger man Elton Chigumbura for eight to record figures of
3 for 11.
Sran finished with 4 for 10
from his four overs - the second best figures by a bowler on
Twenty20 international debut.
The shot selection is something that myself and Lance
Klusener are forever trying to
correct, said Zimbabwe interim
coach Makhaya Ntini, who confirmed he was interested in taking
the job on a full-time basis.
We need to give them the
understanding that you dont win a
game or score a hundred from one
shot. If someone gets out before
you, you need to be the one who
takes charge of the game and correct the mistake that the other one
has made.
Faced with such a meagre target Indias openers had time to play
themselves in, but it did not take
long for the boundaries to start
flowing.
Singh was dropped twice in
his innings, and went on to finish
unbeaten on 52 while Rahul was
47 not out.
The wicket wasnt easy for
shot-making because the ball was
keeping low a little, said Singh. At
the start I was trying to hit hard,
because I generally play aggressively, but I watched Rahul and
he asked me to calm down a little and try to time the ball. Slowly
I controlled the nerves and then I
was fine.
The series decider takes place
at the same venue tomorrow.

28

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Croatia gets
suspended ticket
ban, ne for
crowd trouble
Reuters

PARIS: Croatias soccer federation has been handed a suspended

ban from selling tickets to hooligans and given a 100,000 euros
($113,190.00) fine after their teams
supporters caused crowd trouble
at Euro 2016, UEFA said in a statement yesterday.
The Croatian federation (HNS)
was charged with crowd disturbances, use of fireworks, throwing
of missiles and racist behaviour,
European soccers ruling body said
in a statement.
UEFA said the ticket restriction, under which supporters
identified by the HNS and Croatian
authorities as hooligans would be
banned from buying tickets, will
be applied if any more incidents
occur.
This sanction is deferred
under a probationary period until
the end of the tournament, said
the UEFA statement.
The crowd trouble occurred
during their Group D match on Friday against the Czech Republic in
St Etienne, which was held up for
several minutes after Croatian fans
threw flares onto the pitch and
began fighting among themselves.
A dozen flares plus other
objects landed on the pitch near to
riot police, who had been deployed
in front of the section housing
Croatias supporters.
The trouble broke out in the
dying minutes of a game that
Croatia were leading 2-1.
The tough match ended in a
2-2 draw.
The Croatian FA, sanctioned
three times in the qualifying
competition, was already facing
a disciplinary hearing today after
fans threw flares and ran onto the
pitch during the teams opening
match at the finals against Turkey in Paris.

Germany to pack bigger

punch in nal group game
A win or draw against
condent Northern
Ireland will take
Loews men into last
16 at Euro 2016
Reuters

EVIAN: Germany have promised

that their attack will pack a bigger
punch when they face Northern Ireland today after struggling up front
in their first two Euro 2016 matches.
The Germans will definitely go
through to the tournaments last 16
with a win or a draw in their final
Group C game but they will need to be
more clinical in front of goal, having
scored just twice in their two matches
so far.
In attack we have not had the
goal success we want, said attacking midfielder Thomas Mueller, who
is fresh from his most prolific scoring season at Bayern Munich with 20
league goals.
From forwards that is what is
expected and we are measured by
our goalscoring abilities.
Neither goal in the 2-0 opening
win over Ukraine came from a forward with central defender Shkodran
Mustafi and holding midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger on target.
They followed that up with a goalless draw against Poland.
Coach Joachim Loew must
decide whether to stick with misfiring attacking midfielder Mario Goetze
up front or use his only out-and-out
striker Mario Gomez, top scorer in
the Turkish league last season, or
even deploy winger Andre Schuerrle

Germanys midelder Thomas Mueller (centre) warms up during a training session at the stadium Parc des
Princes in Paris , France yesterday, on the eve of their Euro 2016 match against Nothern Ireland.
through the middle.
Of course we want to have more
punch in attack. Both in training and
in the analysis we are looking for
some solutions but we are in a good
position, Goetze said. Germany are
expected to advance comfortably
from their group but Mueller warned
fans they were unlikely to see a highscoring affair against the Northern
Irish. I dont expect it to be any goal
bonanza, he said.
We have to be realistic. Northern
Ireland will be thinking about defending until the final minute.
They will be with many players

around the box so it does not matter

what skills you have with the ball. It
just will not be a walk in the park.
The Northern Irish are brimming
with confidence after beating Ukraine
2-0 to notch their first win in a major
tournament in 34 years, following a
defeat by Poland in their opener.
They may not be able to match
their upcoming opponents for class
but they have so far demonstrated
their credentials for concealing
weaknesses and maximising their
strengths.
Goals from Gareth McAuley and
Niall McGinn against Ukraine ended

BORDEAUX: When Croatia meet

Spain in their final Euro 2016 group
match today there will be as much
scrutiny of developments in the stands
as on the pitch.
The wilder element of the Croatian
supporters have caused trouble at
both of the countrys games so far
and Croatias soccer federation has
been handed a suspended ban from
selling tickets to hooligans and given
a 100,000 euros ($113,190.00) fine after
their teams supporters caused crowd
trouble at Euro 2016, UEFA
UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings after Croatia fans threw
flares and ran on to the pitch during
their opening Group D game.
Then Fridays 2-2 draw with the
Czech Republic was halted with four
minutes to play when supporters
again threw flares and fought among
themselves.
After the teams returned to the
pitch, Croatias players felt their concentration had been disturbed, which
contributed to the Czechs scoring a late
equaliser with a penalty.
That means instead of already having qualified for the last 16 along with
Spain, Croatia still require a point from
todays game, adding to the tension of
the occasion.
The Spaniards, however, have

not been blameless in a tournament

which has seen several incidents of bad
behaviour from fans.
Three of Spains followers were
arrested in Nice for carrying neo-Nazi
banners, and another three for trying
to bring flares into the stadium ahead
of the match against Turkey.
The Croatian FAs security officer
said on Saturday they had told UEFA
and the police there would be a
planned demonstration near the end of
the Czech game and they have further
information about Tuesdays match,
which they will pass to the authorities.
We lost our pace when play was
suspended because of our supporters,
midfielder Ivan Rakitic told reporters.
On Sunday he preferred to talk
about the pleasure and apprehension of facing friends and team-mates
from Barcelona in the Spain team, like
Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.
Ive spoken to them a bit, he told a
news conference. We know its going
to be tough because we are aware of
their individual and team quality.
But we have to show that we can
hold our own against them. We have
to impose ourselves and make them
worry about us.
That will be more difficult if
Croatias influential playmaker Luka
Modric is unfit, as expected, placing
even greater importance on Rakitics role. Although Spain have already
qualified, they want to win the group
and meet a third-placed team in the

Reuters

PARIS: Adidas has agreed to

extend its sponsorship deal with
world soccer champions Germany until 2022, paying 50m
euros ($56.7m) per year to overtake France as the most lucrative
national team sportswear contract.
A battle between Adidas and
Nike for dominance of the global
soccer gear market has driven a
steep rise in payments to elite clubs
and top national sides.
Chief Executive Herbert Hainer
confirmed that Adidas will pay
50m euros a year, double the value
of its previous contract and surpassing the 43m euros Nike pays
a year to France, currently hosting the European championship.
Well prolong a more than
60-year partnership. We are
together with the current world
champions and one of the best
teams in the world, Hainer said
after a news conference in Paris.
The German sportswear company has long been the worlds top
soccer brand, but it was overtaken
by US rival Nike in the market for
boots in 2014, prompting Adidas to
lift its marketing spending.
Nike had also bid for the German contract, but Adidas managed
to persuade the countrys football federation to extend the long
partnership by offering to pay
more and by promising to shift
production of team shirts back to
Germany.
Adidas said last week it expects
to sell 1.3 million Germany jerseys
this year, helped by the European
championship. That is more than
the 1 million it sold in 2012 when
the last Euro tournament took
place, but down from the 3 million shirts it shifted in 2014, when
Germany won the World Cup.
Adidas is kitting out nine of
the 24 teams playing ongoing
Euro 2016, including reigning
champions Spain as well as world
champions Germany.

Poland wary of Ukraine as

they target last 16 stage

Eyes on troublesome
fans as Croatia take
on Spaniards
Reuters

their long wait for a tournament victory that stretched back to the 1982
World Cup, when Gerry Armstrongs
low finish famously downed hosts
Spain.
We know what Germany are all
about, and they have some of the best
players in the world, said Northern
Ireland midfielder Jamie Ward.
We respect them, but do not fear
them.
Our game is all about working
hard and not giving people time on
the ball. That might be different to
what Germany have experienced
before.

Adidas agrees
record new deal
with German team

Reuters

Spains player Andres Iniesta (front) attends training session along

with his team-mates in Bordeaux, France yesterday.

last 16. Losing to Croatia would mean

coming second and facing Italy, the
winners of Group E.
Meanwhile, Spain coach Vicente
del Bosque believes Croatia are one
of the best teams in Euro 2016 and
remain strong enough to pose the
European champions problems even
without their talisman Luka Modric.

Modric is a great player, Del

Bosque said in a news conference
on Monday.
A lot of good plays go through
him. He has had a great season and
he is proving his quality with the
national team. But Croatia are not
just Modric. Croatia are one of the
best teams in the competition.

MARSEILLE: Poland, bidding to

reach the European Championship
knockout stages for the first time,
will take nothing for granted when
they face neighbours Ukraine in
their final Euro 2016 Group C match
today.
Ukraine lost their first two
games and cannot progress but
Poland, second in the standings after
beating Northern Ireland 1-0 in their
opening match, will reach the last
16 if they overcome their co-hosts
of Euro 2012.
Third matches tend to be different from the first two, Poland
assistant coach Hubert Malowiejski told reporters.
I dont agree Ukraine play for
nothing. They play for honour what
is important for them. We are prepared for very dangerous opponent
full of Shakhtar, Dynamo Kiev and
Sevilla players.
Poland have not beaten Ukraine
in their last five meetings, including two defeats in 2014 World Cup
qualifying, and they may be without first-choice goalkeeper Wojciech
Szczesny again who is out due to a
thigh injury.
We dont know yet whether he
will be fit for Ukraine or not. Our
specialists work with him but nothing can be declared at the moment,
Malowiejski said.
Lukasz Fabianski, who deputised for Szczesny in Polands 0-0

draw against Germany, will replace

him again if he fails to recover, and
he is confident about his teams
organisation.
Why are we playing better in
defence than before? One of the
reasons is the fact that we have
lot of information about the opponents from our information bank
and thanks to that, we know better
how to neutralise them, Fabianski
commented.
Ukraine lost 2-0 to both Germany and Northern Ireland, the
latter defeat coming as a bitter disappointment against a team ranked
six places below them.
We understand the fans and we
are very sorry, defender Olexandr
Kucher said.
Now we have to win their
respect back in the game against
Poland. Of course, this match has
no tournament meaning for us but
we have to finally show some positive football and get a result. This is
most important so far. We will fight
for our prestige.
Ukraine midfielder Ruslan Rotan
was at a loss to explain the poor performance against Northern Ireland.
It is difficult to say now because
we are full of emotions at the
moment.
The fact that we failed to
progress to the round of 16 is definitely a bad result for us, as we
wanted more. But we have to look
forward, he said.
We have to play the next game
for our honour, for the honour of the
whole country, he added.