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Qatar Metro train

Sheikha Moza meets Prince Charles

A computer-generated image of a metro train passing through the Corniche released by Qatar Rail yesterday as part of the ongoing metro project in the country. The first metro trip is expected to take place in October 2019, according to Eng Saad Al Mohannadi, CEO of Qatar Rail.

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and Britain’s Prince Charles discuss practical ways to build lasting legacies from the Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture at the Qatar Foundation headquarters, yesterday. Welcoming Charles to QF, Sheikha Moza praised his work in promoting interfaith dialogue and charities. The two agreed to work together on a common programme to enhance intercultural dialogue and community development and to meet again to discuss further steps. Full report on page 3 AISHA AL MUSALLAM

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Qatar richest country in the world: IIFPer capita income reaches $106,000DOHA: Qatar retained its ranking as the world’s rich-est country in 2012, with its per capita income soaring to an incredible $106,000, while Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), with assets of $115bn, was ranked 12th among sover-eign wealth funds in the world.

Qatar emerged as the world’s wealthiest country in 2010 with a per capita income of $88, 559, having overtaken Luxembourg, and continued with its top rank-ing the next year (2011).

Washington-based Institute for International Finance (IIF) has reported that Qatar’s per capita GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) was $106,000 (QR387,000) in 2012, helping the country retain its ranking as the world’s wealthiest nation. The IIF said Luxembourg came a distant second with nearly $80,000 and Singapore third with per capita income of about $61,000. Norway, which came in fourth, had a per capita GDP at PPP — $54,000 — that was almost half that of Qatar.

The IIF put Qatar’s GDP at $182bn in 2012 and said it had climbed to an all-time high due

to soaring gas exports and high oil prices. Its population stood at 1.8 million in 2012.

The Governor of Qatar Central Bank, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud Al Thani, said last month that the country’s GDP was $191.78bn last year. Among the GCC coun-tries, the per capita income of the UAE was $45,781, while that of Kuwait was $48,108, the IIF said. Oman was ahead of Saudi Arabia in terms of per capita GDP, which stood at $25,806. Saudi Arabia’s per capita income was $22,377 and that of Bahrain was $20,770.

African countries dominate the bottom of the ranking, occupying all of the last 10 spots, with Congo being the last, having a per cap-ita income of barely $365. As for QIA, the UK-based TheCityUK ranked it 12th among the world’s sovereign wealth funds in terms of asset size in the year 2012. The assets of the QIA totalled $115bn. TheCityUK said in a report titled ‘Sovereign Wealth Funds’ released this month that the pro-file of sovereign wealth funds had risen considerably since 2007.

THE PENINSULAContinued on page 2

LONDON: Qatar has begun talks with the British govern-ment to invest up to £10bn from the state into infrastructure projects.

Officials and ministers from both countries have discussed what schemes the Qataris could invest in and whether a specific fund could be set up. The potential projects include energy plants, road and rail projects and even the Thames “super-sewer” under London.

Qatar has become a prolific investor in British assets in recent years with a portfolio of assets held via several funds encompassing assets from Harrods and the Shard skyscraper to Heathrow airport.

But setting up a dedicated

fund to finance government-backed schemes would take Qatar’s investment in the UK to another level. Among the schemes discussed is the £14bn nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point in Somerset planned by EDF, the French energy group. EDF has been seeking investors in its new-build nuclear programme since Centrica quit its joint venture just months ago.

The government is also keen to shoehorn overseas investment into gas plants and wind farms as it closes down a swath of coal-fired power stations.

Prime Minister David Cameron hosted a delegation at Downing Street in January

with both the Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani as guests of honour. The Prime Minister made clear he would welcome fresh Qatari invest-ment in the economy.

But discussions are still pro-ceeding over how a fund would be structured and what return the investors would receive. Some involved in the negotiations say that the Qataris have asked for an effective “first refusal” over some of Britain’s biggest infrastruc-ture projects when they are on the drawing board. Others point out that having a “first call” over

a government project would be illegal under EU law, according to one Whitehall source.

The figure of £10bn has been cited, although the timescale for this expenditure has not been agreed. Finsbury, which provides public relations to Qatar, refused to comment.

Qatar has made a string of high-profile acquisitions in recent years including stakes in VW-Porsche, LVMH, Credit Suisse, J Sainsbury and Barclays. The state demonstrated its inter-est in infrastructure last year when one of its funds, Qatar Holding, bought 20 percent of Heathrow owner BAA.

FINANCIAL TIMES

MIAMI: A Qatari woman who was given a new liver, pancreas, stomach and small and large intestine at a Miami hospital in 2007 has delivered a healthy baby girl, believed to be the first known case of a five-organ transplant patient giving birth.

Fatema Al Ansari (pictured), 26, said Wednesday she was overjoyed after giving birth by cesarean section on February 26. She held the sleeping child at a gathering with reporters on Wednesday at the same hospital, Jackson Memorial, where she had transplant surgery in 2007.

“It’s a hard feeling to express,” the smiling mother said, gently cradling her daughter Alkadi Alhayal, who had weighed 2.01kg. “It’s the best feeling in the world,” she said in Arabic, her words translated by an interpreter. Snuggled in a white blanket and white cap, the child slept quietly in her mother’s arms while her parents addressed reporters’ questions with her doctors.

The woman, who plans to return home in coming weeks, was 19 when she was diag-nosed with a blood clot in a major vein to the intestine — requiring transplant sur-gery. Just over 600 five-organ transplants have been recorded as of 2011, according to the latest figures available from the Intestinal Transplant Association.

The most recent annual report by the National Transplantation Pregnancy Registry also indicates she is the first reported case of a five-organ transplant patient in the world to give birth.

Dr Shalih Y Yasin, the woman’s obste-trician, said there have been some cases in Europe of births by transplant patients who had two organs “but not five”. “We have searched all medical literature all over the world for any pregnancy that had five multi-transplants and this is the first case to our knowledge,” said the doctor with the University of Miami Health System.

Yasin said an adult with five transplanted organs who is sufficiently healthy to even consider having a child “is a miracle by itself”. Al Ansari was forced to terminate a previous pregnancy early on after her diagnosis, which made her think she would never be able to get pregnant. She said her husband, Khalifa Alhayal, gave her hope to realize her dream and they became parents through in vitro fertilization.

Her recent pregnancy was considered high-risk and she was monitored closely by her team of transplant doctors and gynecologists in Miami. She did not have an infection during her pregnancy, as her doctors had prepared for, but she faced minor complications including the flu, some bleeding and physical discomfort from her growing baby.

“It’s not an easy pregnancy to go through,” Yasin said. “One has to make sure the transplant organ is not rejected, that the medications are safe to the baby.”

Dr Thomas Fishbein, Executive Director at the Georgetown Transplant Institute, who was not part of Al Ansari’s medical team, said he has seen multi-organ patients go through pregnancy, but not five-organ transplants. “This is very good news for the field,” he said. Al Ansari’s doctors said she is in fact healthy enough to try for a second baby. AP

In a first, 5-organ transplant Qatari woman delivers baby

Qatar in talks for £10bn fund in Britain

DOHA: Qatar ranks first in the Arab world and has advanced to the 36th spot globally in human development, according to the Human Development Report 2013. The report was launched in Mexico by Helen Clark, Director of United Nations Development Programme, and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto yesterday.

The report highlights the devel-opment achieved by Qatar in the social as well as economic fields. Average life expectancy at birth had increased from 78.4 years in 2011 to 78.5, while the average annual per capita gross national

income had reached $87,478, up from $ 82,978 in 2011.

Qatar was ranked 37 in the Human Development Report for 2012.

HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor bin Jassim Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Statistics Authority, com-mended the ranking achieved by Qatar in the report, saying it reflected the human development taking place in the country under the current leadership. He also praised efforts by the authorities concerned to provide accurate and comprehensive data on human development in the country.

QNA

Qatar moves one rank up in Human Development Report

Galaxy S4 launchNEW YORK: South Korean giant Samsung is all set to unveil its latest device aimed at chal-lenging Apple in its home market. The Galaxy S4 is to be unveiled at New York’s Radio City Music Hall today. Samsung has released no details about the device, but it is widely expected to be an upgraded, slightly larger version of its Galaxy S3, with some new bells and whistles. According to The New York Times and some other media, the S4 will be able to respond to eye movements with an enhanced interface, and will offer an improved display.

AGENCIES

NEW YORK/DOHA: Qatar Airways and JetBlue Airways announced a one-way codeshare agreement to connect the car-riers’ networks via New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport, subject to government approval.

The two airlines have been inter-line partners since 2011, enabling customers to enjoy the convenience of a single combined ticket for Qatar and JetBlue-operated flights, plus other benefits including one-stop check-in and baggage transfer. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “We are delighted to further expand our partnership with JetBlue, an airline that focuses on quality and service, a key hallmark of Qatar Airways. Through this enhanced agreement, we will extend our reach to more customers and more markets, providing greater convenience for travellers to and from our global network.”

QA and JetBlue in codeshare pact

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PM receives letter from Iranian minister

The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani with Iranian ambassador HE Mohammed Jawad in Doha yesterday. During the meeting the Iranian envoy handed over to the Prime Minister a letter from Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Ali Akbar Salehi pertaining to relations between the two countries.

BY RAYNALD C RIVERA

DOHA: Twenty-three art-ists from 14 countries are in Qatar for the first-ever ‘Al Asmakh International Fine Art Symposium’, which takes place at the Sealine Beach from today until March 21.

Renowned contemporary artists from Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Netherlands, India, Russia, Bangladesh and Morocco arrived yesterday for the week-long art symposium.

Speaking to The Peninsula, Ayman Lotfy, General Manager, Wyndham Grand Regency Doha, organisers of the event, said the symposium is just one of their initiatives to establish the hotel as a hub for artists in the country.

“We want the hotel to be the place for artists in Qatar; this is our aim. The finished artworks of the participants at the sym-posium would be part of the per-manent collection of the hotel,” he said, adding the interiors of the hotel would be art themed.

Under the motto of “Hand in Hand for One Art and One Destiny,” the symposium offers a diverse line-up of events for the artists including a series of lec-tures, workshops and museum visits.

Time will also be given for artists to realise their interpre-tation of the beauty of nature in Qatar through their own artworks based on their back-ground and experience and for this Sealine beach was chosen to be the venue of the workshops.

“It was crucial to depart from usual venues for symposia such as halls and museums so we decided to choose Sealine because it is a unique place where the artists can see the real beauty of Qatar’s natural landscape, its deserts and seas. They were all delighted of the venue since it’s a combination of art and leisure,” explained Lotfy.

The symposium sets an excel-lent stage for stimulating the artists’ imagination to create

inspiring works of art. “All the participants are very good art-ists and respectable names in the field of art, so this is not a competition but more a showcase of their unique creativity,” said Lotfy.

“Thanks to the vision of H H the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to make Qatar the biggest destination for the world in various fields, I’m proud to support this event and wish it all the success as a cultural event

that puts Qatar on the global map for art,” said Hassan Ibrahim Al Asmakh, Vice President, Business Development, Regency Group Holding, who is sponsor-ing the inaugural event.

All paintings will be exhibited at a cocktail reception to be held in Wyndham Grand Regency Doha’s Al Qasr ballroom on March 20 from 7pm until 10pm, to be attended by top VIPs and hotel guests.

THE PENINSULA

Qatar hosts first-ever international fine art symposium

Renowned artists in town

Hassan Al Asmakh (right), Vice President of Regency Group, announces the Al Asmakh International Art Symposium in Doha yesterday. Ayman Lotfy (left), General Manager of Windham Grand Regency Hotel, and Mohammed Atiq, General Coordinator of the symposium are also present. SALIM MATRAMKOT

DOHA: New trends and best practices in assessment and treatment of dyslexia, a con-dition that millions of people around the world live with, were discussed at a confer-ence here organised by Mada (Qatar Assistive Technology Center) about dyslexia and the role of assistive technol-ogy in supporting those who face difficulties in reading and writing.

The one day conference featured presentations from experts in Qatar and through-out the Arabic speaking world.

Dr Gad Al Beheri, Associate Dean at the Australian College of Kuwait, and an expert in the area of dyslexia and the Arabic language, spoke about differ-ent methods for treatment and intervention and stressed the importance of following scien-tific principles and modes of

understanding to support the needs of people with dyslexia and learning disabilities in general.

Mohammed Anwar of the Supreme Education Council (SEC) highlighted the differ-ent policies and practices that are in place in Qatar to support students with dyslexia.

Anwar spoke of the signifi-cant role that teachers in the classroom play in supporting the needs of dyslexic children throughout the country.

Dr Batoul Khalifa, a pro-fessor in Special Education at Qatar University discussed the role that parents are play-ing in supporting the needs of their children, and the need to involve them in the educational process.

Maha Al Mansouri, Deputy CEO of Mada emphasised the commitment that Mada has

made to working with differ-ent groups in the country to develop different ways in which assistive technology can support the needs of dyslexic people in Qatar.

Assistive technology special-ists Sabine Sandros and Noor Al Mazroei discussed some of the assistive technologies and support services that are avail-able at Mada, including a new software named Claroread, that was developed by Mada in the Arabic language.

Mohammed Al Qattami, the President of the Kuwaiti Dyslexia Association spoke about the association's pro-grammes and activities in sup-porting the community, seeing that the Kuwaiti Dyslexia Association is a regional leader in providing programmes and services specifically for dyslexic peoples. THE PENINSULA

Continued from page 1

The world economic down-turn has highlighted the growing role of investment by foreign governments, par-ticularly in market conditions characterised by scarce liquid-ity, said the report.

Assets under management of sovereign wealth funds worldwide rose eight percent in 2012 to around $5.2 trillion, an astronomical sum that is expected to rise to $5.6 trillion this year.

In addition to sovereign wealth fund assets, there was also $7.7 trillion held in other sovereign investment vehicles such as pension reserve funds and development funds, The CityUK said.

THE PENINSULA

Mada conference discusses new treatment for dyslexia

Sovereign wealth funds assets may hit $5,600bn

DOHA: A criminal court has sentenced a Sri Lankan to six months in jail and fined QR10,000 for drug peddling, Al Raya reported yesterday. The man was also ordered to be deported after serving the jail term.

T h e A n t i - D r u g Enforcement Department was informed that an individual had struck a drug deal worth QR1,050 with a source and the delivery would take place at Al Najma. A police team in plain cloths was deployed to accom-pany the source to the site of the delivery. Later the source called the convict who told on the phone that he would be there in 10 minutes.

After a while the man appeared carrying a transpar-ent and medium-sized nylon bag.

The source took the bag and paid QR1,050 and a signal was given to the waiting police team that the deal was done.

A dried herbal material that looked like marijuana was in the bag.

The convict was arrested and the money he received from this drug deal was found in his pocket.

Laboratory test reports confirmed that the seized material was 45g of canna-bis and when it dries up it is known as marijuana.

THE PENINSULA

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PM meets Prince Charles

The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani received Prince Charles, who is on a visit to Qatar, yesterday. The two reviewed relations and issues of common concern.

DOHA: The seventh Al Jazeera Forum that begins at the Doha Sheraton tomorrow will explore the post-Arab Spring transfor-mations in the socio-political and media landscape in the Arab world.

The forum will explore the wider implications these changes will bring in the Arab world and the implication of report-ing these issues. The forum will also provide a platform for politi-cal leaders, journalists, activists, media experts, and intellectuals to engage in a dynamic discourse concerning the on-going changes taking place in the Arab world.

The forum will debate and dis-cuss events of the past two years that have created new political realities in the region. The key-notes and plenary sessions are dedicated to explore the role of emerging democracies, the changing power dynamics and the challenges of engaging with international powers, as well as looking at the transformation of media in emerging democracies.

The forum will be focusing on the security challenges, human rights and transitional justice in post conflict areas as well as look-ing at the struggle for Syria and Palestine.

A session on March 17 titled “rising powers in the region: chal-lenges and international engage-ment” will discuss emerging power centres and their growing regional influence in the trans-formation of the socio-political landscape.

The panellists will focus on the domestic challenges faced by new governments, as well as obstacles faced in bilateral and multilat-eral engagements with regional and global powers examining the legacy of the Oslo Accord on its 20th anniversary.

The speakers will include the Minister of State for

International Affairs H E Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, Minister of Communications and spokesperson of the Moroccan government Mustapha El Khalfi, Iranian historian Seyyed Ataollah Mohajerani, Member of the Turkish Parliament who is also a journalist and author Emrullah Isler, and member of the Ghad Al Thawra Party in Egypt, Ayman Nour.

A session on media will discuss the transformation of media, the changing nature of information and its impact on the future media landscape and governance.

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The challenges and benefits of an electronic health record system for improving Qatar’s healthcare capability were discussed at the second Doha e-Health Dialogue at W Hotel Doha on Wednesday.

The event was organised by international law firm, Pinsent Masons and a leading professional services firm, PwC.

A robust health record system is a cornerstone in the provision of universal health coverage and the meeting was intended to pro-mote dialogue between legislators, implementers and users of the healthcare system.

Experiences from other parts of the world were shared including a presentation from guest speaker Peeter Ross from the Estonian e-Health Foundation who demon-strated how the electronic health record system worked in practice in Estonia and how the Estonian system registers virtually all resi-dents’ health history from birth to death.

Every person has access to their own health record.

The potential value of the data which can be gathered was a topic addressed by Matthew Godfrey-Faussett of Pinsent Masons and Dr Fadi Al Buhairan of PwC.

They explained that raw data must be developed into usable information before it becomes knowledge and that this data is fed into the long term strategic vision for healthcare in Qatar.

The meeting was chaired by Dr Najeeb Al Shorbaji, Director of Knowledge Management of the World Health Organisation.

THE PENINSULA

BY RAYNALD C RIVERA

DOHA: Over 80 aspiring mod-els, mostly from three Philippine schools in Qatar, competed in the finals of the first season of Doha Trendsetters Image Model Search held yesterday at the Regency Halls.

Sporting their best look and outfits, toddlers, kids, teens and adults took the runway to vie for the chance to be the next print models for Doha Trendsetters ready-to-wear Philippine made products.

Over 150 hopefuls registered for the competition launched in December last year and opened for the entire Filipino community here.

“The first season of the image model search has been well-received with various nationali-ties expressing interest to join the search,” Analyn B Esmer, Global Sales and Marketing Director of Doha Trendsetters, said at a press

conference before the main event yesterday.

Esmer said they wanted to reach out to the Filipinos first since their products are from the Philippines. She said it this was why they decided to open the competition to the Filipino com-munity but a more ‘fabulous’ sec-ond season would open to other nationalities as well.

“Filipinos are known to spend money for quality clothes so other nationalities trust our products,” she said, stressing the brand has been successful creating its own niche in the Qatari market since its launch. Nearly QR1m sales of the products have been generated by various sponsors involved in the search, she said, and for this they are mulling on expanding their portfolio to include other brands such as the famous Federico Mahora perfumes among others.

The months-long search involved studio and outdoor shoots as well as mall, store and

FROM LEFT: Global Sales and Marketing Director of Doha Trendsetters Analyn B Esmer, Filipino actor and image model of BNY and Hammerhead Derrick Monasterio, and Aisha of Federico Mahora Group at the press conference yesterday. SALIM MATRAMKOT

DOHA: H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation’s Board of Directors, yesterday met with Charles, the Prince of Wales at her QF office.

Sheikha Moza briefed Prince Charles on the existing partner-ships between the foundation and a number of British universities, research institutes and technol-ogy firms.

She hailed the efforts by Prince Charles to promote dialogue among religions and his charity work that seeks to enhance local social development.

The meeting also discussed cre-ating programmes that promote dialogue and deepen understand-ing between religions and cul-tures. The two sides also agreed to meet again to discuss plans of these programmes, along the lines of the festival: “Qatar-UK 2013: Year of Culture.”

The Prince of Wales also visited a number of R&D

companies at the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), as well as reviewed two key main QSTP initiatives; Qatar Robotics Surgery Center (QRSC) and the Sustainable Management of Fisheries Resources Project in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment.

He was greeted by Dr Fathy Saoud, President of Qatar Foundation, Dr Thomas Zacharia, Executive Vice President of R&D, Qatar Foundation, and Hamad Al Kuwari, Managing Director of QSTP.

Prince Charles met with sev-eral other UK research outfits based out of QSTP including Virgin Health Bank, Rolls Royce, TRL, Vodafone and Qatar Cardiovascular Research Centre where he received a brief over-view of the latest R&D efforts being implemented and how both countries were mutually ben-efiting from these collaborative research initiatives.

The Prince of Wales was pre-sented with a symbolic gift — a gold leaf of the

Sidra tree, which is the trade-mark of Qatar Foundation, rep-resenting unity between Qatar’s remarkable growth and its strong roots to its culture and heritage.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also visited of the cultural vil-lage (Katara) in the presence of H E Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and Katara Director General Dr Khalid Al Sulaiti and a number of artistes.

They toured the various sec-tions including the workshop of School of Prince Charles for Traditional Arts and the Arts and Disability exhibition, organ-ised by the British Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage which opens its doors to the pub-lic today.

THE PENINSULA

Sheikha Moza, Prince Charles review tiesEfforts of the Prince of Wales to promote dialogue hailed

The Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, with Prince Charles and his wife Camilla at Katara yesterday.

DOHA: As part of an initiative by Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), Chairperson of QMA H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, in col-laboration with the Hamad Women’s Hospital, commis-sioned world-renowned pho-tographer Anne Geddes to undertake a photography project in Doha.

H E Sheikha Al Mayassa vis-ited the studio where Geddes along with her team was work-ing on producing a series of 12 images portraying local athletes with newborn babies and young children.

Featuring past and current athletes and children of various ages, this project aims to dem-onstrate that a healthy lifestyle, beginning in childhood by tak-ing part in sports and general exercise, can effectively reduce the incidence of Diabetes 2 within the Qatar population.

The series of photographs

produced by Geddes will be used in future exhibitions, social media, catalogues, and publications.

“We are delighted to be work-ing with the world-renowned photographer Anne Geddes on

this important project that was the initiative of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa,” said Jean Paul Engelen, Director of Public Art at QMA.

“Anne’s photographs are admired by millions around the world. These photographs remind us of the miracle of life and the strong bond between parents and their children and the families bonds. Like the athletes each new born has the chance to become an inspira-tion for the next generation. This project can be followed on the QMA and Anne Geddes Facebook pages."

Born in 1956, Anne Geddes is an Australian-born photog-rapher, clothing designer and businesswoman.

One of the world’s most respected photographers, she creates images that are iconic, award winning, internationally acclaimed, and beloved.

THE PENINSULA

QMA to promote healthy lifestyle through photographer Geddes

One of the iconic photos of world-renowned photographer Anne Geddes.

Al Jazeera forum to discuss post-Arab Spring changes

Asian gets jail term for drug peddling

Filipinos vie for Doha Trendsetters model title

school visits to come up with the official candidates for the final competition last night.

Derrick Monasterio, Filipino teen actor and image model of BNY and Hammerhead-two of the products of Doha Trendsetters,

performed at the event last night attended by hundreds of Filipinos.

“This is my first time in Qatar but I feel very much at home because there are many Filipinos wherever I go,” said Monasterio. THE PENINSULA

Robust record system focus of e-Health Dialogue

04 MIDDLE EASTFRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

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France, UK want to arm Syrian rebelsDAMASCUS: London and Paris are seeking to lift an EU embargo to enable them to arm Syrian rebels, the French Foreign Minister said yester-day, angering Damascus but drawing a guarded welcome from the opposition.

Opposition activists called on the two governments to pro-vide heavy weaponry not just small arms to tilt the balance in the two-year uprising against President Bashar Al Assad’s rule.

Assad’s government, like its key foreign ally Russia, said any such arms shipments would be a “fla-grant violation” of international law. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France Info radio that Britain and France will ask “the Europeans now to lift the embargo so that the resist-ance fighters have the possibility of defending themselves.”

Fabius said Assad’s government was receiving weapons from Iran and Russia which gave it an edge over the opposition.

He said Paris and London would press for quick new EU talks on the Syria arms embargo, which was extended on February 28 for three months by EU foreign ministers, although such sanc-tions are always reviewed in case events change.

Fabius said the two govern-ments were ready to go ahead with arms deliveries even with-out the support of their partners.

At the February talks, minis-ters agreed to ease the embargo to enable any EU state to pro-vide non-lethal aid or train-ing to the insurgents. Britain quickly pledged armoured vehi-cles and protective clothing for the opposition.

When the Syria issue came up again at foreign ministers’ talks

on Monday, there were wide divi-sions, with many EU governments warning that supplying arms to the opposition would lead to an increase in violence.

The EU said yesterday it was possible to hold new talks “with-out further delay.

AFP

London, Paris seek EU talks

Smoke billows from the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad, yesterday.

At least 24 killed in Baghdad attacksBAGHDAD: A string of explo-sions tore through central Baghdad within minutes of each other yesterday, followed by a coordinated assault by gunmen who raided a government build-ing and battled security forces in the streets. The attacks left at least 24 people dead and scores wounded.

The fighting lasted about an hour, ending with security forces storming the building, killing the gunmen and evacuating hun-dreds of people who had hunkered down in their offices, according to police.

The large and complex assault on Justice Ministry offices in the heart of downtown Baghdad came less than a week before the

10-year anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, showing how vul-nerable this country remains to insurgent attacks.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack bore the hallmarks of Al Qaeda’s Iraqi arm. The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, fre-quently uses car bombs and coordinated blasts in an effort to undermine Iraqis’ confidence in the Shia-led government.

The attack erupted shortly after midday in Baghdad’s Allawi area, a largely commercial area home to the Iraqi National Museum and the city’s main bus station.

At least two blasts, includ-ing one car bomb and another

believed to be from a suicide bomber, went off near a build-ing currently housing the Justice Ministry. A police officer who was among the troops sent to clear the area said that approxi-mately six gunmen wearing police uniforms quickly entered the building.

“Everybody panicked (after the first blast) and seconds later we heard a second explo-sion. I looked through the win-dow and I saw some gunmen wearing police uniforms enter-ing the building. We knew that these policemen were fake,” said Asmaa Abbas, a Justice Ministry employee who was working in her third-floor office.

A gun battle broke out between

the intruders and security forces, as other explosions went off near the bus station and the headquar-ters of a VIP protection force that provides bodyguards for lawmak-ers, government ministers and other senior officials.

After about an hour, security forces stormed the building and some of the gunmen detonated explosives they were wearing, the officer on the scene said.

“It was the longest hour in my life,” said Abbas, the employee.

Deputy Justice Minister Busho Ibrahim said there were more than 1,000 people in the four-story building at the time of the attack. He said the minister is abroad and was not inside.

AP

Rebel positions bombardedBEIRUT: Warplanes bom-barded rebel positions across strife-torn Syria yester-day, a watchdog said, while fierce clashes raged near the ancient citadel in the central city of Homs.

Fighter jets rained bombs on targets in the southern province of Daraa, on Homs and Hama in the centre, Raqa in the north and Idlib in the northwest, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Rebels meanwhile assaulted a checkpoint near the army-held citadel in the heart of Homs city, killing eight soldiers, the Britain-based Observatory said.

A number of neighbour-hoods of Homs been devastated by nine months of a suffocating military siege and an escalated week-long campaign to crush the insurgency there.

Also in Homs, fighting raged for the sixth consecutive day over the symbolic district of Baba Amr, which rebels infil-trated at the weekend in a surprise counter-offensive on an area captured a year ago by the army. AFP

Hope to talk to Israel this year, Abbas tells PutinMOSCOW: Palestinian presi-dent Mahmoud Abbas told Russian leader Vladimir Putin yesterday he hoped to estab-lish peace talks with Israel later this year while admitting that the chances for progress were slim.

Abbas said during a visit to Moscow he hoped “that later this year, we will see the start of sub-stantive negotiations with Israel”.

“Although the chances for this may not be great, we still hope to reach a political settlement on the basis of the principle of a two-state solution,” Russian news agencies quoted Abbas as saying.

Israel and the Palestinians have not had direct negotiations since September 2010 — a period that has seen the construction of new and highly controversial Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Abbas’s authority has also slipped in the interim as his Fatah movement fights for influence with the resurgent Gaza-based Hamas.

Moscow and the Palestinians enjoyed close relations in the Soviet era and the USSR in 1988 recognised an independent Palestinian state — a policy con-tinued by post-Soviet Russia.

Putin told Abbas that Russia was ready “to do everything that we are able” to get peace talks back on track. He said ties between Russia and the Palestinians “rest on an historic foundation, which will undoubtedly help us build rela-tions both today an in the future”.

Abbas separately told ITAR-TASS that he intended to send a delegation to Syria in the com-ing days to negotiate the status of Palestinian refugees living in the strife-torn country. AFP

DUBAI: Bahraini police clashed with youths protesting yesterday against the deploy-ment into a third year of a Gulf military force that backed Manama’s bid to crush a Shia-led uprising, witnesses said.

Police fired tear gas and sound bombs to disperse hundreds who took to the streets across several Shia villages.

On March 14, 2011, a joint Peninsula Shield Force rolled into Bahrain to help restore order in the strategic state where protest-ers had camped for a month in the capital’s financial centre.

The Gulf troops continue to protect the kingdom’s vital instal-lations but do not intervene to disperse protests.

The demonstrators took to the streets in response to calls for rallies by the clandestine cyber radical group The February 14 Revolution Youth Coalition.

The protesters blocked main roads to their villages using large

tree trunks, garbage containers and burning tyres, and hurled petrol bombs and stones at police, witnesses said.

No casualties were reported.In a statement on Twitter,

Bahrain’s interior ministry said yesterday that an act of “sabo-tage” took place on the main Budaiya road which links several Shia villages.

“The road was blocked and a vehicle was set alight,” said the ministry. Home to the US Fifth Fleet, Bahrain has continued to witness sporadic demonstrations since the Gulf force arrived, now mostly outside the capital.

No breakthrough has yet emerged from talks between the opposition and the govern-ment that began last month continues.

The International Federation for Human Rights says around 80 people have been killed in Bahrain since the violence first broke out on February 14, 2011. AFP

Tunisia’s Prime Minister Ali Larayedh (left) shakes hands with former Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali at the government palace in Tunis, yesterday.

Clashes in Bahrain on Gulf Force anniversary

Larayedh takes over as Tunisia PMTUNIS: Ali Larayedh became Tunisia’s new Islamist premier yesterday, taking over from his predecessor Hamadi Jebali and faced with the task of ending a political and economic crisis gripping the country.

Speaking at the swearing in ceremony at the prime minister’s office, Larayedh said his cabinet would listen to “the concerns of the nation and the people.”

Larayedh took office a day after his coalition received parliament’s backing in a vote of confidence, and just hours after the funeral of a street vendor whose self-immo-lation served as a stark reminder of the problems facing the new

government. The former interior minister has already promised to resolve Tunisia’s institutional crisis this year, by ensuring the adoption of a new constitution and organising elections, while creating the conditions for an economic recovery and restoring security.

Jebali, who failed to win his Ennahda party’s approval for the technocrat administration he had proposed after last month’s assassination of opposition leader Chokri Belaid, endorsed the team of his successor and fellow Islamist.

“Those who are hoping for the failure of the (new) government

are hoping for the failure of the (democratic) experience” in Tunisia, Jebali said.

Earlier, mourners at the funeral of Adel Khazri, a 27-year-old street vendor who died on Wednesday after set-ting himself on fire in central Tunis, shouted slogans denounc-ing Larayedh’s ruling Islamist party.

“Ennahda, get out!” they chanted during the funeral in the impoverished town of Souk Jemaa in northwestern Tunisia, which was attended by several hundred people, according to an AFP journalist.

REUTERS

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clinched deals yesterday for a coalition government set to curb benefits for ultra-Ortho-dox Jews, a hot-button issue that has pushed peacemak-ing with Palestinians to the sidelines.

In control of 68 of parlia-ment’s 120 seats, the new administration — the first in a decade without ultra-Ortho-dox parties — is expected to take office next week, just days before a visit by US President Barack Obama.

“There is a government,” said

Noga Katz, a spokeswoman for Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, citing agreements with the centrist Yesh Atid and far-right Jewish Home parties as well as a smaller faction headed by former foreign minister Tzipi Livni.

Yesh Atid, led by ex-TV news anchor Yair Lapid, and high-tech millionaire Naftali Bennett’s pro-settler Jewish Home rode a wave of anger in a January 22 election over state handouts and military draft exemptions long granted to the ultra-Orthodox minority.

REUTERS

Netanyahu clinches coalition deal

ISLAM 05FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

BY AISHA STACEY

As human beings, we have an innate sense of morality. No matter what religion, race or

colour we are, certain qualities serve as the moral standard.

We admire justice, bravery, honesty and compassion. Also, we abhor those who demonstrate treachery, cruelty or corruption. Moral standards are universal, and one of the most important aspects of Islam is adherence to high moral standards and good manners in society.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught Muslims to have the best manners and dis-tinguished characteristics. The Prophet’s own high standard of morals and manners made him the best example for Muslims to follow. God said in the Quran:

And verily you, O Muhammad, are on an exalted standard of char-acter. (Al Qalam 68: 4)

Generosity was among the countless good qualities of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He was the most generous of people

and he used to be most generous in Ramadan.

One day Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) offered prayer in the mosque and then hurriedly went to his house and returned imme-diately. A companion asked why he left and he replied:

“I left a piece of gold at home which was given for charity and I disliked letting it remain a night in my house, so I brought it to the mosque to distribute.” (Al Bukhari)

Our worldly possessions are bounties from God, who is the Most Generous. Muslims believe that everything originates from God and everything will return to Him. Thus, it is logical to behave as if that which we possess is merely a loan, something we are obligated to preserve, protect and ultimately share.

Whenever Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) met a miserly person, he advised him to be more gen-erous and charitable. Ibn Abbas said that he heard Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) saying: “The believer is not the one who eats when his neighbour beside him is hungry” (Al Bayhaqi).

Another companion heard the Prophet saying: “The believer is simple and generous, but the wicked person is deceitful and ignoble.” (Abu Dawud)

D E F I N I T I O N O F

GENEROSITY

Princeton University wordnet defines generosity as the willing-ness to give freely. Islam encour-ages this concept of generosity so much so that it is embedded in one of the five pillars of Islam, the obligatory charity known as Zakat. In Arabic, the term Zakat literally means purification of the heart however, it is also the pay-ment, from surplus money, of an obligatory charity designed by God to provide for all the needy members of the community. It is a fixed calculable amount.

There is also another form of generosity in Islam called sadaqah (optional charity). Linguistically, sadaqah means truthfulness, and some scholars have described it as the heart being truthful to its Creator. Anything given gener-ously — freely to others — with

the intention of pleasing God is sadaqah. Sadaqah can be as simple as a smile, helping an elderly person with their grocer-ies or removing objects from the road or path.

Generosity can be viewed as a wise investment in the future. Generosity or sadaqah may pave the way to Paradise because with every gen-erous act comes great reward f rom God . However, being generous does not only mean giving freely from what you have in abun-dance. Generosity does not lie in giv-ing away some-thing that is no longer useful but in giving freely from the things we love or need.

Aisha (the wife

of the Prophet) said: “A lady, along with her two daughters came to me asking for some alms, but she found nothing with me except one date which I gave to her and she divided it between her two daughters.”

(Al Bukhari)God tells us in the Quran that

whatever we give away generously, with the intention of pleasing Him, He will replace and multiply. God knows what is in the hearts of men.

Say: Truly, my Lord enlarges the provision for whom He wills of His slaves, and also restricts it for him, and whatsoever you spend of any-thing in God’s Cause, He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers. (Saba’ 34: 39)

THE VALUE OF GENEROSITY

The companions understood the value of being generous. Abdullah ibn Umar was seen in the market buying fodder for his camel on credit. One of the men queried this knowing that Abdullah had received 4,000 dirhams and a blanket the pre-vious day. It was explained that

before nightfall Abdullah had dis-tributed the money amongst the needy. He then took the blanket, threw it over his shoulder and headed home, but by the time he arrived even the blanket was gone, he had given it to a needy person.

After the death of the Prophet (PBUH), the people faced great hardship due to drought. They came to Abu Bakr asking him to provide them with enough to sustain them, but he was unable to help, the treasury was empty. Just at that time, the camel caravan belonging to Uthman arrived from Damascus. It was filled with foodstuffs and other goods. The merchants gathered at Uthman’s house offering him large amounts of money for the goods; however, he turned them down saying he was prepared only to give the goods to the one from whom he would receive the greatest reward. Uthman gave all the goods to the starving people of Madinah and did not charge them. He knew that God would reward him with something far

greater than money.The people came to Prophet

Muhammad and asked: “If some-one has nothing to give, what should he do?” He said: “He should work with his hands and benefit him-self and also give in charity from what he earns.” The people fur-ther asked: “If he cannot find even that?” He replied: “He should help the needy who appeal for help.” Then the people asked: “If he can-not do that?” He replied: “Then he should perform good deeds and keep away from evil deeds and this will be regarded as charitable deeds.”

(Al Bukhari)And God says in the Quran that

He will repay the generosity of a believer. And whatever you spend in good, it will be repaid to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.

(Al Baqarah 2: 272)God is the one who provides

for us and He expects us to share generously. We are encouraged to be benevolent and unselfish with our possessions, with our time and with our exemplary behaviour towards others.

www.onislam.net

Generosity: The power of giving

BY ADIL SALAHI

It is well established that neighbours have a claim to good and kindly treat-ment. This is encouraged by all reli-gions. It is also universally accepted

in all human societies, apart perhaps from some highly materialistic and individualistic ideas. However, it is given more prominence and greater importance under Islam. The Quran makes it clear that neighbours are entitled to such kindness, whether they are related to us or not, God says in the Quran:

Worship God alone and do not associate with Him any partners. Be kind to your par-ents and near of kin, to orphans, the needy, the neighbour who is related to you and the neighbour who is a stranger, the friend by your side, the wayfarer, and those whom your right hands possess. God does not love those who are arrogant and boastful. (Annisaa’ 4: 36)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) urged his companions and all Muslims in all generations to look after their neighbours and be ready with help whenever help is needed, even by a neighbour whose behav-iour is far from neighbourly.

After he became God’s final messenger, he lived in Makkah for 13 years in very hostile surroundings. Some of his neighbours were bent on giving him a hard time, resorting to all sorts of tactics that were bound to offend and harass even the most patient of people.

Yet Prophet Muhammad never replied with anything other than a good turn. The maximum that he did to express his irrita-tion when neighbours repeatedly threw filth at his doorstep, was to ask: What sort of neighbourliness is this?

When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) immigrated to Madinah, he sought to strengthen ties between his followers. His community was steadily growing in power and numbers. He urged his followers to maintain the best of neighbourly relations. He considered kindness to neighbours as a sign of strong faith.

Hence, if a person is aware of his neigh-bour’s poverty and does not give a help-ing hand, he is not a believer. Prophet

Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Archangel Gabriel continued to urge me to be kind to neighbours until I started to think that he would tell me that they have a share of my inheritance.” (Muslim).

He also said: “Whoever believes in God and in the Day of Judgment must not offend his neighbour.” (Al Bukhari)

Needless to say, the closer a neighbour is the higher is his claim to our kindness. Lady Aishah asked Prophet Muhammad: “Messenger of God! I have two neighbours; whom should I favour with my gifts?” He replied: “To the one next door to you.” (Al Bukahri).

Indeed, when next door neighbours are in dire need, they may be given precedence over close relatives. Prophet’s darling daugh-ter, Fatimah, and her husband, Ali, his own cousin, asked him to give them a servant when some slaves were brought to him.

He refused their request because people staying next to the mosque were suffer-ing from hunger. Those poor people were immigrants in Madinah who arrived with nothing and could not easily find work. They stayed close to the mosque, and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) looked after them.

They were known as the people of Al Suffah. Their numbers varied as some of them found work and moved into a home in Madinah, but newcomers joined them as they arrived to join the Muslim com-munity. When Prophet received any gift of food, he would eat some of it and send the rest to them. If such a gift was a charity, he would send it all to them because, as a prophet, charity was not lawful for him or his household to take.

Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH)Companion Abu Hurairah was one of the people of Al Suffah and he relates the fol-lowing story”

“By God, other than whom there is no deity, I might at times be so hungry that I would lie with my abdomen to the floor, or I would tie up a stone on my belly to relieve the pangs of hunger. One day, I sat by the roadside, where people would pass by me. The Prophet passed by and smiled as he saw me. From my looks, he realised what I was

feeling. “He called me and I said: “At your service, Messenger of God!”

“He told me to follow him and went along. I followed him until he went inside his home, and then admitted me. He saw some milk in a cup. He asked where did that milk come from. He was told that it was a gift sent by a certain person.

“He said to me: “Go to the people of Al Suffah and invite them to come.”

“When on this occasion he told me to call the people of Al Suffah, I was displeased. I thought: “How far will such little amount of milk go among the people of Al Suffah? I could have had a proper drink of milk to regain my strength. Now when they come, I will have to serve them. What will remain for me of this small cup of milk?”

“Yet there was nothing for me but to obey God and His messenger. I went to them and called them. They came in, and he admitted them. They sat down in his home.

“The Prophet said to me: “Take this milk and give it to them to drink.”

“I took up the cup and gave it to the next man. He drank his fill and gave it back to me. I would then give it to the next man, and this was repeated time after time until they all had had their fill. I then went up to the Prophet. He took up the cup, put it on his hand, looked at me and smiled.

“He then said to me: “Abu Hurayrah! Only you and I are left.” I said: “That is right, Messenger of God!” He said: “Sit down and drink!” I did so. “He then said: “Drink.” I did.

He continued to tell me to drink until I said: “By Him who sent you with the mes-sage of truth, I can drink no more.”

“He said: “Let me have a look.” I gave him the cup. “He praised God, said, “Bismillah” (which means: “in God’s name”) and drank the remainder.” (Al Bukahri).

This is just one of the many occasions when the Prophet shared out very little food or drink among a large number of people. Muslims believe that because of this over-whelming goodness, God blessed that food and drink for him and it sufficed by God’s will.

www.arabnews.com

Your neighbours, your faith

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When Jorge Mario Bergoglio gave himself the name Francis on Wednesday evening, many

people assumed he was linking his papacy to St Francis of Assisi, the 13th century Italian friar known as the great protector of animals.

But Chris Bain, director of Catholic development agency Cafod, points out that there are two St Francises. One was the founder of the Franciscan order and is the patron saint of the environ-ment; the other was the much lesser-known Xavier, a Jesuit missionary who travelled the world widely, especially in Asia.

Which Pope Francis will the world get? A man strong on progressive ideas and global issues, or a highly conserva-

tive one inter-ested primarily in spreading the Catholic message?

The choice of name was impor-tant but ambigu-ous, says Bain. “He’s not that well-known out-side Argentina. We know he is very strong on social justice; a simple, humble man. It augurs well for global development. We would hope he can also get his message across to the rich world to live simpler lives.”

Cafod, one of 160 NGOs that come under the

wing of the Vatican, collectively rais-ing and distributing billions of dollars annually in poor communities, hopes the mission of the Catholic church will now move towards tackling poverty.

“To have a pope from Argentina, from Latin America, is a momentous deci-sion. It demonstrates we are a universal church, one that is understanding of the

fact that most of the church lives outside Europe and North America. I hope he will put global poverty, climate change and environmental degradation higher up the church agenda,” says Bains.

Francis may be a passionate defender of poor and disenfranchised but he is a relative innocent in global affairs. His handling of the powerful politi-cal forces at work in the faction-riven Vatican is likely to have equal influence on development.

The Holy See has a unique place at the UN as a non-member state and per-manent observer. The only religion to have this privilege, it has traditionally used it to directly influence policy by negotiating and voting on recommenda-tions just like any national government. It has often used its voice to block con-sensus at international population and climate conferences, and mostly sup-ports the US.

But because of its formidable clout and direct reach to 1.2 billion people globally through its priests and mis-sionaries, it is increasingly lobbied by countries and corporations.

“It’s a small state heavily lobbied by the great powers, and seen as an easy listening post. Companies, too, know how influential it is and have been try-ing to influence it for years. To be fair, the Vatican has developed great exper-tise on the humanitarian side but not on the environmental side,” says Sean McDonagh, an Irish Columban mission-ary, author of books on nuclear power and biodiversity, and an adviser to the Vatican.

The influence of corporations and the way they try to manipulate the Catholic agenda is clearest in areas such as GM crops, where the Pontifical academy of sciences, based at the Vatican, takes positions on areas of moral and scien-tific importance, says McDonagh.

In May 2009, after 40 scientists vis-ited the Vatican to advise on transgenic crops and the direction of agriculture in developing countries, the Holy See con-cluded that scientists had both the right and the moral duty to be “stewards of God” by genetically modifying crops.

Though the group’s opinions were not expressions of the Holy See, the biotech industry hailed the result as a break-through, a signal to Catholics that the Pope favoured GM. A Wikileaks cable six months later was interpreted by a crowing US analyst as being “quietly supportive” of the crops.

Whether it is GM crops, abortion, population, poverty, debt, wealth distri-bution or climate change, in a globalised world the Vatican’s voice is massively important in developing countries.

Wikileaks cables showed how the previous pope linked climate change to population. “In the Vatican’s view,” the US ambassador to the Vatican wrote in 2009, “unsustainable lifestyles in developed countries - and not popula-tion growth worldwide - is to blame for global warming.” The ambassador added that the Vatican “will continue to oppose aggressive population control measures to fight hunger or global warming”.

The Vatican’s direct influence on poverty, and its traditional closeness to conservative US politics, was most clearly seen in the 1970s and 80s, when it worked with the US government to stamp out “liberation theology” — a Marxist analysis of the Bible, implying preferential treatment for poor people, that became a powerful revolutionary movement to counter some of Latin America’s most unjust, rightwing mili-tary regimes. Thousands of priests and bishops worked with social justice move-ments, landless peasants and indigenous people. More than 100 priests were mur-dered, including Archbishop Romero of El Salvador, believed to be one of Pope Francis’s most important influences.

Pope Francis’s connections to libera-tion theology are disputed, but Leonardo Boff, the Brazilian intellectual theolo-gian defrocked by the Vatican in the 1980s after publishing a book on libera-tion theology, told the New York Times: “I am encouraged by this choice, viewing it as a pledge for a church of simplicity and of ecological ideals. What is more, Cardinal Bergoglio comes from the developing world, outside the walls of Rome.” THE GUARDIAN

WEDNESDAY’S judicial decision, which again deemed a politician’s former secretaries to be

guilty, is quite grave. The Tokyo High Court upheld a lower court conviction of three former secretaries of Ichiro Ozawa, head of the People’s Life Party, for falsifying political fund reports.

The three former aides were tried on suspicion of violating the Political Funds Control Law over a Tokyo land purchase by Rikuzan-kai, Ozawa’s political funds management body.

The high court ruling said the sec-retaries repeatedly made false record entries and omitted information in an

attempt to conceal 400m yen (about $4m) that Ozawa lent to Rikuzan-kai to finance the purchase.

Pointing out that the false entries and omissions were made for over three years, involving a total amount of 1.8 billion yen, the court also said the actions were “particularly heinous.” The ruling criticized the secretaries’ actions not as mere entry mistakes but as intentional criminal acts.

Political fund reports, which detail the income and expenditures of such funds, are disclosed to the public every year. They are an important way for the general public to check whether political activities of lawmakers are

aboveboard. False entries or omissions are serious crimes. It was natural for the high court to hand down such a ruling.

House of Representatives member Tomohiro Ishikawa, one of the three defendants, ran in the lower house elec-tion in December on a New Party Daichi ticket. He failed in the constituency vote, but was elected from a proportional rep-resentation bloc. Ishikawa has appealed the high court ruling to the Supreme Court. If his guilt is finalized at the top court, he will lose his lower house seat.

Regarding the concealment of 400 million yen, which was the focus of the trial, the high court made a similar judg-ment to the lower court ruling. It said

two of the three secretaries received secret donations from a midsize general contractor regarding a dam construc-tion project in Ozawa’s election base of Iwate Prefecture. One motive for the concealment was to prevent the secret donations from coming to light, the court concluded.

In his own trial, Ozawa was found not guilty. Ozawa has consistently denied that his secretaries received the secret funds. Ozawa issued a statement call-ing the high court ruling “quite regret-table.” How does he explain his corrupt relation with the general contractor, which the two courts recognized?

THE WASHINGTON POST

Will Francis’ appointment as the Pope help poor countries?

We want a good relationship with America, we want friendship, but friendship between two sovereign nations.

Quote ofthe day

Hamid KarzaiAfghanistan President

The other side

Because of its formidable clout and direct reach to 1.2 billion people globally through its priests and missionaries, the Roman Catholic Church is increasingly lobbied by countries and corporations.

T HE National People’s Congress of China yesterday elected Xi Jinping as the president. The 59-year-old bowed twice before the delegates of the Chinese Parliament amid loud applause after his name was

announced as the head of the most populous country which straddles the economic sphere with its giant presence. The election by the National People’s Congress was largely symbolic as Xi was anointed the head of the Chinese Communist Party in a conclave held in November last year. Xi takes over from Hu Jintao at a crucial point for the Chinese nation. China, after emerging from the shadows of Mao Zedong’s controversial rule and later embracing a capitalist economy, is deified and defied. Its policies which have brought about extensive economic growth come with a heavy dose of Communism that is inbuilt in the nation’s political system.

Xi faces largely unprecedented challenges. The manufacturing might of the country propelled by an intensive outsourcing boom all over the world, has recently shown signs of waning. After outsourcing almost all its products to China, the United States seems to be realising its folly. It feels it could have created more jobs by hosting manufacturing facilities. Many other countries have started realising that in letting go of manufacturing facilities they are losing an important element of their national power. The Chinese model

of development may face bumps in the near future and it would be Xi’s administration that will have to contend with this.

Another important concern is corruption. A largely traditional society, China has an inequitable distribution of wealth. The development largesse, reaped by the high and mighty, hasn’t percolated down the social and economic order.

Corruption is rife in a society coming face to face with the glitzy trappings of capitalism. The Bo Xilai case embodied everything that was wrong with China today. The top Communist party official was caught in a murder-deceit-graft scandal that shook the foundations of the Communist party and forced the top leadership to introspect. There was an uproar in the country over the scandal. The demand for administrative reforms and change in the inside workings of the party came out with full force. Recently, outgoing Prime Minister Wen Jiabao was caught in a controversy triggered by a New York Times report that catalogued in great details how Jiabao’s family had benefited after he rose to be the premier. With the help of a family tree, the paper showed the quantum leap in the pecuniary gains reaped by his close and extended family. The Chinese government acted quickly. It blocked the report on Chinese websites, and after some days, the NYT reporter was ordered to leave the country. Xi needs to get his act together from the beginning. Besides, graft he has to deal with a recalcitrant North Korea, rebellions by minority Muslims in the northwest, and island disputes with neighbours in the East China Sea. The new leader should aim at change for which history will judge him favourably •

Change: Made in China

The new Chinese President should signal change by coming down heavily on corruption.

Editorial

06 VIEWS FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Guilty ruling for Ozawa’s ex-aides

VIEWS 07FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

BY RICHARD SCHIFFMAN

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Tokyo carrying banners read-

ing, “No nukes” and, “Save the children”. They were protesting two days before the second anni-versary of the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daichi power plant, which resulted from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

“I am going to fight against those who act as though Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Fukushima never happened,” Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe told the Tokyo crowd. A class action suit involving 800 plaintiffs was filed Monday demanding that the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which operated the Daiichi facility, restore the natural environment and people’s homes to their pre-disaster state.

The Fukushima site remains one of the most radioactive places on earth, and the devilishly diffi-cult cleanup there is expected to take 40-plus years and cost tens of billions of dollars. Some 160,000 evacuees still live in temporary

housing, having lost their liveli-hoods and land to the contamina-tion, which may render some of it unfarmable for centuries to come.

In response to the accident, Japanese authorities shut down the nation’s 54 nuclear power plants, a popular move in a coun-try that lost two of its cities to atomic bombs at the end of the last World War, and where anti-nuclear sentiments run deep. But in the face of power shortages and mounting industry pressure, oil and coal-poor Japan, has begun re-opening its closed nuclear facilities and plans to restart six more reactors by the end of 2013. The pro-nuclear government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in December, has even talked about building new plants.

This gradual return to business as usual has led some to question how much has been learned from Fukushima.

Not much, if one believes a commentary published in Bloomberg View on Sunday which trumpets, “Fukushima Radiation Proves Less Deadly Than Feared”. Professor Robert Peter Gale and author Eric Lax argue that more people die from air pollution

created by oil and coal-fired power plants than from radiation released during nuclear accidents.

Their takeaway from the sec-ond largest nuclear accident in history is that outside of the badly contaminated plant site and the temporary dislocation of the area’s residents, not much harm was done. Public “fears of health risks from radiation,” they con-cluded, “have little basis in fact.”

The Japanese government has also been eager to play down Fukushima’s impact. Critics charge that after the accident the authori-ties were slow to extend the narrow exclusion zone around Fukushima, and withheld critical information about contamination levels, which delayed the evacuation.

The truth is that nobody can say yet what the effect are of the Fukushima accident on pub-lic health in Japan and beyond. Typically, chronic illnesses, like cancer and leukemia which are associated with radiation, take sev-eral years after exposure to appear. But a report released in late January gives early cause for con-cern. The Fukushima Prefecture Health Management Survey revealed that 44.2 percent of 94,975

children tested by ultrasound had small thyroid nodules and cysts, which may in some cases be a pre-cursor of cancer. The number of abnormalities has been increasing over the past two years that the surveys have been conducted.

Scientists at Stanford University estimated that the radiation from the meltdown might result in — at the upper limit — as many as 2,500 addi-tional cancer cases (mostly in Japan) and 1,300 cancer deaths globally. Last year’s study, which used 3D global atmospheric mod-elling, predicted that the impact would have been ten times greater if the prevailing winds had not swept most of the radiation rela-tively harmlessly out to sea.

Should America be depend-ing on luck to protect us from potential future Fukushimas? Not according to Edwin Lyman, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Lyman told me that after Fukushima, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) set up a task force to iden-tify the lessons the US should learn from the accident. The task force recommended, among other things, that nuclear plants should

upgrade their ability to deal with extended power outages, such as occurred at Fukushima, without their reactor cores melting down.

But the nuclear industry balked at the proposed new NRC regula-tions and proposed its own volun-tary programme dubbed “FLEX” (Diverse and Flexible Coping Strategies) instead. Lyman says that FLEX, which involves pur-chasing more reliable equipment, and sprucing up emergency backup systems, is a step in the right direction. But he believes that it is not nearly as stringent as it needs to be to prevent future Fukushimas. The nuclear industry is lobbying the NRC to accept the FLEX programmes “half meas-ures,” according to Lyman, in lieu of the tough new regulations that its own task force devised.

And there is growing pres-sure from Congress to comply. Michigan Republican Fred Upton, chairman of the House Energy Committee, whose biggest cam-paign contributors include sev-eral nuclear and electric industry pacs, is one of the leaders of the move to get regulators to sign off on the industry plan.

Ironically, Upton’s district

includes the Palisades nuclear power plant located on the shores of Lake Michigan, an aging facil-ity that has been notorious for a series of shutdowns, leaks, and equipment failures in recent years. The facility suffered three “near misses” in the past three years.

In a scathing report issued late last year on the NRCs regulatory failures, the UCS says that a cool-ing water leakage at Palisades was allowed to continue for nearly a month in a critical location where regulations require the plant to be shut down within six hours. The report goes on to allege that, “the NRC routinely allows violations of this type to go unpenalised, thus enabling poor decision-making by plant owners.”

With few new nuclear plants being built at present, America’s nuclear infrastructure continues to age and grow increasingly more accident-prone. Spent fuel rods also accumulate and pose unad-dressed safety risks. Many plants are located along rivers or coast-lines, where they face dangers from flooding. Others are in areas prone to earthquakes, like the one that initiated the Fukushima meltdown.

THE GUARDIAN

US hasn’t learned lessons of Fukushima disaster

Some Middle East experts say the US president may be able to take advantage of an opening to build public confidence in Israel.BY MATT SPETALNICK and JEFFREY HELLER

After nearly four years of often testy relations with Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Barack Obama is about to try a differ-ent tack — going over the head of

Israel’s prime minister and appealing directly to the Israeli people.

Obama’s first presidential visit to Israel next week, while certainly including meetings with Netanyahu, will focus heavily on resetting his relationship with the country’s wary public as he seeks to reassure them he is committed to their security and has their interests at heart.

All signs are that Obama hopes the strategy will give him more leverage with the right-wing Netanyahu — politically weakened by January’s election in which centrists made surprising gains — to pursue a peaceful reso-lution with Iran and eventually address the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate.

But it will be no easy task.Obama faces the challenge of overcoming

Israeli suspicions that have lingered since his early days in office when he pressed Netanyahu for a freeze on settlement expan-sion and launched a short-lived outreach to Tehran, Israel’s arch-foe.

On top of that, Obama — known for his cool, detached public persona — rarely comes across with the kind of “I feel your pain” diplomacy that Bill Clinton used to charm Israelis and Palestinians alike during his presidency.

Even so, some Middle East experts say Obama may be able to take advantage of an opening to build public confidence in Israel, the first foreign destination of his second term.

His visit comes at a time when US and Israeli strategic concerns seem more closely aligned than they have been in years, with the West’s nuclear standoff with Iran at a critical stage and Syria’s civil war seen as a threat to regional stability.

Many Israelis will be looking to Obama for firmer reassurance of his resolve to do what is deemed necessary, including the use of military force, to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Iran denies such ambitions.

Obama, who has insisted he is not bluffing about military action against Iran if all else fails, told American Jewish leaders privately last week he saw little value in extra “chest-beating” just to sound tough, participants said.

The White House believes Israelis have yet to reach a consensus on how to confront Iran, essentially putting on hold, at least for now, Netanyahu’s threats of an attack on Tehran’s nuclear sites, according to a source familiar with the administration’s thinking.

Obama will stress with Netanyahu the need for patience with sanctions and diplomacy, the source said. But US officials also hope a high-profile recommitment to Israel’s security can increase public pressure on Netanyahu to avoid aggravating the situation while world powers negotiate with Tehran.

Iran has become the main source of fric-tion in the relationship between Obama and Netanyahu, which Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator, called the “most dysfunctional” he has ever seen between an American president and Israeli prime minister.

He believes a thaw is still possible, especially if Obama hits the right notes in Israel. “He needs to say to them, ‘I understand this is a tough neighbourhood and you have a dark history. I’m not trivialising your fears.’ This hasn’t been adequately communicated by this administration,” Miller said.

Obama’s decision to skip Israel in 2009 when he went to Cairo, where he offered a “new beginning” with the Muslim world, remains a sore point with many Israelis and they won-der what took him so long to visit. Obama’s Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, also waited until his second term to go there.

“He (Obama) has to speak to the emo-tions of people because there has been a loss of faith... in our relations with the US,” said Itay Bar, a student at Ben-Gurion University, where tickets for a Jerusalem speech by Obama were distributed. Bar was speaking on Israel’s Army Radio.

Obama’s visit is being choreographed to present him as a good friend of Israel.

Photo opportunities are expected at sites evoking the country’s biblical past, its founding Zionist movement and the Holocaust. Obama could also inspect an Iron Dome missile bat-tery, a US-funded system that protected Israel

from Hamas rockets during a brief Gaza war in November, Israeli media reports.

But the centrepiece will be Obama’s tele-vised speech to university students, reportedly set for Jerusalem’s convention centre, which an aide said would be the president’s chance to “have a conversation with the Israeli people.”

To be sure, Obama has no intention of try-ing to cut Netanyahu out of the picture. With both leaders starting new terms, they may have come to the realisation they are stuck with each other — and this is a chance for a new chapter.

Obama’s decision to hold off on any new Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative will prevent the thorny issue from dominating the agenda at a time when negotiating prospects are dim and Israelis are more focused on what many see as a looming existential threat from Iran.

Some Israelis are still likely to bristle if Obama publicly challenges them to take “hard steps” for peace, as he told the American Jewish leaders he would.

Obama is looking to counter Republican opponents who accused him during the 2012 campaign of “throwing Israel under the bus.”

Netanyahu wants to show Israelis, who like their leaders to be assertive with Washington but not on bad terms with it, that he can still do business with Israel’s superpower ally.

Netanyahu made no secret of his preference for Republican challenger Mitt Romney before last year’s US election, and some Israelis wonder whether Obama may want to settle scores. But Netanyahu was not alone. A poll in October found Israelis preferred Romney by 57 percent to 22 percent.

Nonetheless, many Israelis regard Obama as a solid ally, especially after Washington backed them in the Hamas conflict and staunchly opposed recent Palestinian statehood bids at the UN. REUTERS

Obama tries new tack with Israel, appealing to public

BY MIRWAIS HAROONI and MICHAEL GEORGY

The Afghan policeman manning a checkpoint glances at the snow-cov-ered mountains that are

home to Taliban fighters and pre-dicts what would happen if elite US forces leave Wardak province, seen as the gateway to the capital of Kabul.

“The Taliban will take over in one day,” policeman Mohammad Jamil said. “They are nearby.”

Ever since President Hamid Karzai announced late last month that US forces would be barred from the strategic province because of alleged abuses against civilians, Afghan forces who will be left to provide security without them have grown more anxious by the day.

Wardak, just a 40-minute drive from Kabul, is a prime example of what could happen in other parts of Afghanistan as the US winds down an increasingly unpopular war, now in its 12th year.

US special forces are expected to play a major role after most Nato combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014, and Karzai’s deci-sion could complicate negotiations between the US and Afghanistan over the scope of US operations after the pull-out.

“It’s special forces who go usu-ally on the front lines and fight with Taliban,” said a second Afghan policeman, Mir Hussain. “If we make them leave this prov-ince than there won’t be anybody to fight them. It’s obvious that as soon as they leave our province the Taliban will return to power here.”

Strategically located astride the Western approach to Kabul, Wardak is ideally placed for the insurgents who control nearby mountain villages to use as a stag-ing ground for suicide operations into the city, home to nearly 5 million people and dozens of dip-lomatic missions.

Militants carry out ambushes, shooting attacks and suicide bombings on American and Afghan forces there.

Fears that the departures of US special forces will embolden the insurgents are heightened by the arrival of spring, which traditionally marks the start of Afghanistan’s “fighting season” as the snow melts.

Earlier this week, two US soldiers, reported to be special forces, were killed in an attack in the province. Karzai ordered US special forces to leave after residents complained that they, and Afghans working with them, were torturing and killing civil-ians, an allegation strongly denied by the Americans.

Even after the deadline for US special forces to withdraw passed on Sunday, General Abdul Razaq, a senior police detective, said they were still in Wardak, a collection of mostly apple and apricot farms surrounded by mountains.

US forces have refused to com-ment on their deployment.

Razaq said local officials had urged the Interior Ministry to provide strong support if the American forces leave, including artillery and reinforcements.

Some residents speak with hatred about the elite US forces and believe allegations that they committed atrocities.

“Every day they kill our inno-cent people,” said Abdul Ghafoor, 54, without offering any evidence to back the accusations, as his companions nodded in agreement.

But others seem far more wor-ried about the security vacuum the province may face. Many remember how Wardak was the launching pad for the Taliban when they took over Kabul and much of the country in 1996.

They don’t have to look far. Collapsed buildings, including one that served as a coordination centre for security forces, are a potent reminder of the devasta-tion wreaked by Taliban suicide bombings.

“A small number of people from Wardak province had complained to President Karzai about special forces but now they also know that their decision wasn’t right,” said Hameeda Akbari, a member of parliament from Wardak.

“They want to find a way to solve the problem and keep spe-cial forces for some more time. If special forces leave Wardak, the security situation will get worse.”

Some fear the dangers could reach far beyond the provincial capital of Maidan Shahr, where Afghan policemen speed past a children’s playground called Peace Park in jeeps mounted with machine guns.

“As soon as these forces leave this province not only Wardak, but even some parts of Kabul, will be occupied by Taliban and Kabul security will be in danger,” said Haji Rokai, a tribal elder. “So I hope that the government takes a better decision and keep these forces here for longer period.”

Afghan Army Chief of Staff Sher Mohammad Karimi recently said most of the suicide attacks in Kabul were planned just 25km (15 miles) away in Wardak.

“It is one of our biggest con-cerns,” he said.

Afghan security forces, already at a disadvantage because they lack training and equipment, could become less effective if the Americans leave.

REUTERS

Security vacuum feared along ‘gateway to Kabul’

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man holds a sign reading ‘Welcome’ in Arabic as he takes part in an event organised by the US embassy in Tel Aviv ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit to the region.

Heavy snowfall in Berlin

Cars drive through heavy snowfall in Berlin, yesterday. Temperatures in the German capital were at minus three degrees Celsius.

Cameron shuns tough media law, denies he’s press stoogeLONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron abruptly ended cross-party talks on regulating Britain’s famously aggressive news-papers yesterday and tabled a vote on light-touch rules instead, prompting allegations he is in thrall to the press barons. Victims of scandal-hungry tabloids who have had their phones hacked and life stories misreported have pressed Cameron to implement the findings of a judge-led inquiry that recommended the creation of a tough press regulator backed by legislation. It is a stance that has been broadly backed by the opposition Labour party and the Liberal Democrats, the junior party in Cameron’s two-party coali-tion government, but one which has been fiercely resisted by news-paper owners who argue such statutory legislation would imperil press freedom. Cameron sided with the newspapers yesterday and put himself at odds - not for the first time - with the LibDems, tell-ing a news conference that putting detailed legislation on the stat-ute book was “fundamentally wrong in principle”. “It is wrong to cross that Rubicon by writing key elements of press regulation into the law of the land,” he said. “It is wrong to create a vehicle whereby politicians could in future impose regulations and obligations on the free press.” Under Cameron’s proposals, newspapers could be fined up to 1m pounds ($1.5m), be obliged to print apologies, and face exemplary damages if they did not opt in.

Police kill suspect in NY shooting spreeNEW YORK: Police yesterday shot and killed a 64-year-old man suspected of killing four people and wounding two others in back-to-back shootings in upstate New York. The man, identi-fied as Kurt Myers, had been holed up since Wednesday evening in an abandoned building in the small town of Herkimer, about 360km north-west of New York City. “This morning law enforce-ment officials entered the building and, after being fired upon, shot and killed the suspect,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement, adding that no officers were injured in the alterca-tion. The incident began Wednesday morning, when Myers set fire to his apartment, in the small town of Mohawk, which neigh-bors Herkimer, police said. He then went to a nearby hair salon, where he killed two customers, one aged 68 and the other aged 57, and wounded two more, before driving to Herkimer, where he killed two patrons at a car wash, according to the police. He fled the scene, but ultimately abandoned his car and took refuge in the abandoned building, where he was killed.

Bulgarian protester sets self on fireSOFIA: A 51-year-old Bulgarian was in critical condition yesterday after he set himself on fire, the fourth self-immolation in protests against poverty and corruption that have brought down the gov-ernment. All the other protesters who set themselves on fire over recent weeks have died, in the most graphic expression of the public anger that is now aimed against a day-old caretaker administra-tion. “The cup of people’s anger overflowed. There is nothing to wait for and we will start new protests,” the leader of one protest movement, Yanaki Ganchev, said at a protesters’ encampment near parliament. The latest self-immolation happened outside the presi-dent’s offices on Wednesday as career diplomat Marin Raikov took over as interim Prime Minister, appointed by the head of state to guide Bulgaria into elections in May.

Reeva Steenkamp’s parents face eviction

JOHANNESBURG: The parents of Oscar Pistorius’s slain girl-friend Reeva Steenkamp are being evicted from their home, a month after their daughter’s death, the family said yesterday. “They have been given notice on their home by the owners,” Reeva’s uncle Michael Steenkamp said. “They are going to be vacating that house soon.” Since their daughter was shot dead at Pistorius’s Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day, Steenkamp’s par-ents have retreated to their home in the southern coastal city of Port Elizabeth. AGENCIES

08 INTERNATIONALFRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Shun worldliness, Pope Francis tells ChurchIn a simple homily, cardinals urged to focus on GospelsVATICAN CITY: In his first public Mass, Pope Francis urged the Catholic Church yester-day to stick to its Gospel roots and shun modern temptations, warning that it would become just another charitable group if it forgot its true mission.

In a heartfelt, simple homily, the Argentinian pope laid out a clear moral path for the 1.2-bil-lion-member Church, which is beset by scandals, intrigue and strife. Addressing cardinals in the frescoed Sistine Chapel the day after his election there, Jorge Bergoglio said the Church should be more focused on the Gospels of Jesus Christ.

The first non-European pope in 1,300 years, Bergoglio’s initial steps suggested he would bring a new style to the papacy, favour-ing humility and simplicity over pomp, grandeur and ambition among its top officials.

Whereas his predecessor, Pope Benedict, delivered his first hom-ily in Latin, laying out his broad vision for the Church, Francis adopted the tone of parish priest, focusing on faith.

Earlier, Pope Francis had qui-etly slipped out of the Vatican to pray for guidance at one of Rome’s great basilicas before returning briefly to a Rome hostel, where he had left his bags before entering the secret conclave on Tuesday.

The new pontiff has postponed for a few days a trip to the papal summer retreat south of Rome, to meet Benedict, who last month

became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down, saying that at 85 he was too frail to lead the troubled Church.

Francis is, at 76, older than many other contenders for the papacy and his age was one of several big surprises about the selection of the Argentine cardi-nal. The Vatican said yesterdays that he was “in very good shape” despite having a lung partially removed more than 50 years ago.

Bergoglio is the first Jesuit pope, an order traditionally dedicated to serving the papacy, and the first to take the name Francis in honour of the 12th-century Italian saint from Assisi who spurned wealth to pursue a life of poverty. No Vatican watch-ers had expected the conservative Argentinian to get the nod, and some of the background to the surprise vote began trickling out yesterday.

French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard told reporters: “We were looking for a pope who was spir-itual, a shepherd. I think with Cardinal Bergoglio, we have this kind of person. He is also a man of great intellectual character who I believe is also a man of govern-ance.” Ricard added that what Bergoglio said during cardinals’ meetings before the conclave also impressed the 114 electors.

Despite never having been tipped for success, Austria Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said the Argentinian was clearly popular amongst the so-called princes

of the Church from the start. “Cardinal Bergoglio wouldn’t have become pope in the fifth ballot, if he had not been a really strong contender for the papacy from the beginning,” he said.

Morale among the faithful has been hit by a widespread child sex abuse scandal and in-fighting in the Church government or Curia, which many prelates believe needs radical reform. Francis is seen as a Church leader with the common touch and communications skills, in sharp contrast with Benedict’s aloof intellectual nature.

The new style was immedi-ately on display as he took his first tentative steps as pontiff into the public gaze, addressing cheering crowds gathered in the cobbled esplanade beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. “I ask a favour of you ... pray for me,” he urged the crowds, telling them the 114 other cardinal-electors “went almost to the end of the world” to find a new leader.

Bergoglio’s election answered some fundamental questions about the direction of the Church in the coming years. After more than a millennium of European leadership, the cardinal-elec-tors looked to Latin America, where 42 percent of the world’s Catholics live. The continent is more focused on poverty and the rise of evangelical churches than questions of materialism and sexual abuse, which dominate in the West.

Italian media commentators

said the power of the Italian vot-ing block amongst the cardinals, nearly a quarter of the total, had been undermined by the “Vatileaks” scandal that revealed turmoil and corruption inside the Curia. This reduced the chances of election of one of the front run-ners, Milan Archbishop Angelo Scola.

Bergoglio was born into a fam-ily of seven, his father an Italian immigrant railway worker and his mother a housewife. He became a priest at 32, a decade after los-ing a lung due to respiratory ill-ness and quitting his chemistry studies. He has a reputation as

someone willing to challenge pow-erful interests.

Displaying his conservative orthodoxy, he has spoken out strongly against same-sex mar-riage, denouncing it in 2010 as “an attempt to destroy God’s plan”, and is expected to pursue the uncompromising moral teachings of Benedict and John Paul II, but with a great concern for the poor and social problems. According to New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Francis raised gales of laughter from fellow cardinals at a relaxed dinner after his election, telling them: “May God forgive you.”

REUTERS

WASHINGTON: A US Senate panel yesterday approved a Democratic bill that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity gun magazines, in a party line vote three months to the day after the school massa-cre in Newtown, Connecticut.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-8 for the bill, seen by many as the most problematic element of President Barack Obama’s push to reduce weapons violence by tightening up Americans’ almost unfettered access to firearms.

The assault weapons measure — as well as three other items approved earlier in the package of proposed gun reforms — would result in the most substantial change to US gun legislation in a generation.

But the measures face an uphill battle, meeting with stiff opposition not just from Obama’s Republican foes in Congress, but from many conservative-leaning Democrats as well.

The White House and Congress have zeroed in on potential meas-ures to reduce gun violence in the wake of the Newtown mas-sacre on December 14, when a gunman went into Sandy Hook Elementary School and in a mat-ter of minutes killed 20 young children and six adults before taking his own life.

The semi-automatic Bushmaster XM15 rifle, the weapon used dur-ing the assault by accused gunman Adam Lanza, is the same sort of high-powered, automatic firearm that would be prohibited if the bill were to become law.

AFP

LONDON: Asia’s defence spend-ing overtook Europe’s for the first time last year, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said yesterday, reflecting China’s military rise and shrink-ing European economies.

In its annual report on the world’s militaries, it said China’s defence spending in real terms rose 8.3 percent between 2011 and 2012, while in Asia as a whole, spending rose 4.94 per-cent last year. At the same time, nominal defence spending among European Nato members had shrunk to around 2006 levels due to budget cuts, the IISS said in “The Military Balance 2013”.

“Indeed, the increase in Asian spending has been so rapid, and the defence austerity pursued by European states so severe, that in 2012 nominal Asian spending ($287.4bn) exceeded total official defence spending not just in Nato Europe, but across all of Europe, including spending by non-Nato European states,” it said.

The IISS, however, played down Washington’s planned “pivot” to Asia, saying that it had announced only limited new military deploy-ments there while reducing in its

forces in Europe. “But as far as Asia was concerned there was less to this rebalance than first appeared,” the report said.

It also noted the United States continued to dominate defence spending, accounting for 45.3 percent of the global total. Asian countries have been steadily raising defence spending, using resilient economic growth to fund militaries able to cope with an increasingly complex regional environment.

“China is now clearly the sec-ond-largest defence spender in the world,” it said, adding that if it could sustain economic growth, it could match U.S. levels between 2025 and 2028. North Korea, which conducted a third nuclear test last month, continued to add to its military capabilities.

Among these, the report said, were a plutonium stockpile suf-ficient for four to 12 nuclear weapons, a uranium-enrichment programme that could add enough fissile material for an extra one or two weapons a year and an array of short and medium-range ballis-tic missiles. It also had the world’s third-largest chemical weapons arsenal and possibly biological weapons. REUTERS

NEW YORK: The US war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with an additional $490bn in benefits owed to war veterans, expenses that could grow to more than $6 trillion over the next four dec-ades counting interest, a study released yesterday said.

The war has killed at least 134,000 Iraqi civilians and may have contributed to the deaths of as many as four times that number, according to the Costs of War Project by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University.

When security forces, insur-gents, journalists and humani-tarian workers were included, the war’s death toll rose to an estimated 176,000 to 189,000, the study said. (www.costsofwar.org)

The report, the work of about 30 academics and experts, was published in advance of the 10th anniversary of the US-led inva-sion of Iraq on March 19, 2003.

It was also an update of a 2011 report the Watson Institute pro-duced ahead of the 10th anniver-sary of the September 11 attacks that assessed the cost in dollars and lives from the resulting wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

The 2011 study said the com-bined cost of the wars was at least $3.7 trillion, based on actual expenditures from the US Treasury and future commit-ments, such as the medical and disability claims of US war vet-erans. That estimate climbed to nearly $4 trillion in the update. The estimated death toll from the three wars, previously at 224,000 to 258,000, increased to a range of 272,000 to 329,000 two years later.

Excluded were indirect deaths caused by the mass exodus of doctors and a devastated infra-structure, for example, while the costs left out trillions of dollars in interest the United States could pay over the next 40 years.

The interest on expenses for the Iraq war could amount to about $4 trillion during that period, the report said. The report also exam-ined the burden on US veterans and their families, showing a deep social cost as well as an increase in spending on veterans. The 2011 study found US medical and dis-ability claims for veterans after a decade of war totaled $33bn. Two years later, that number had risen to $134.7bn.

REUTERS

LONDON: Four current and former Mirror Group Newspaper (MGN) journalists were arrested on Thursday by police investigating the hack-ing of mobile phones, London’s Metropolitan Police said.

Police said the inquiry “mainly concerned” the Sunday Mirror tabloid and was into a suspected conspiracy to intercept telephone voicemail messages at MGN between 2003 to 2004. It is the first time journalists from MGN, part of the Trinity Mirror media group, have been arrested over phone hacking in a scandal cen-tred on telephone interception at Rupert Murdoch’s now-closed News of the World tabloid.

MGN comprises three national titles: the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and The People. Police said they were treating the Mirror inquiry as a separate conspiracy to those under investigation from the News of the World.

Officers from the force’s hack-ing inquiry - known as Operation Weeting - arrested three men and one woman at separate addresses in south London on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept telephone communications. REUTERS

Senate panel backs assault weapons ban

Iraq war costs US more than $2 trillion: Study

Asia’s defence spending overtakes Europe: IISS

UK police arrest four Mirror scribes over phone hacking

PHILIPPINES 9FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

MANILA: Malacañang sees no reason for peace negotia-tions with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Milf) to get stalled with Malaysia as facilitator following the Sabah standoff.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda yesterday said the framework agreement has been crafted and agreed upon, with about two issues left to be discussed: Normalisation and power-sharing.

This, he said, was according to Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles.

“Let us not remove the fact that this framework agreement is a result of talks among Filipinos; Malaysia only helped us,” he said in Filipino.

“It’s not as if the two issues remaining can no longer be resolved because of the Sabah standoff.”

Lacierda said the framework agreement with the Milf is bigger than the trouble in Sabah, “We’re close to an agreement and so we have not received any notice.”

“There’s no reason for us to change the facilitator. They have been very helpful in coming up with a framework — agreement for peace, not only for Moro Islamic Liberation Front, but for the entire Muslim Mindanao.

“So, let’s be clear, this is not a peace for Milf. This is a peace for all Muslim Filipinos, and that includes the royal sultanate, that includes the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front), that includes the Milf, that includes all of Muslim Mindanao — and all those who reside in Muslim Mindanao.”

The Milf is a Muslim rebel group located in the southern Philippines.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

MANILA: An independent fact-finding group has recom-mended to the provincial gov-ernment of Palawan the filing of charges against the officials and crew of the United States Navy’s USS Guardian.

The 15-man fact-finding mis-sion led by the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), submit-ted its recommendations on the Tubbataha incident to the Office of Palawan Governor Abraham Mitra. The US Navy minesweeper ran aground in Tubbataha Reef while in transit to its destination on January 17.

The mission proposed that to prevent similar incidents, the

Philippine government should consider the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement and other existing military pacts with the US.

The mission, meanwhile, appealed to the provincial gov-ernment of Palawan to drop the cases against operators ad crew of small commercial fishing vessels charged by the Tubbataha Reef management officials.

It said that the compensation will come in a package including a P4.1m grant for coral restoration and funding for the improvement of the natural park and a joint sci-entific assessment of the reefs for rehabilitation.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

MANILA: Peace talks between the Philippine govern-ment and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) have bogged down, a senior official admitted today.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said there was “no meeting of minds” from both the government and NDF representatives in the February

peace negotiation held in the Netherlands, “that’s why it bogged down.”

He said the NDF, the political wing of the CPP-NPA, brought up many conditions, which were “unacceptable” for the govern-ment during the recent talks.

“The NDF issued a statement, as if it was all the government’s fault, we are not in good faith, but it’s farthest from the truth,” Lacierda said in a briefing

The NDF has accused the gov-ernment of scuttling the February negotiation.

With the latest development, Lacierda said that the Aquino administration is in dialogue now with Norway, the third party facilitator, and “they’re also assessing the situation.”

The CPP-NPA-NDF has been waging war against the govern-ment for over four decades.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

Aquino, leftist rebels’ peace talks collapseInsurgents put forth unacceptable conditions: Officials

Charges recommended against US ship crew

MANILA: The Philippine jus-tice department is preparing appropriate charges against 36 armed members of the Royal Security Force (RSF) of the Sulu Sultanate who were inter-cepted last Wednesday by the Philippine Navy off Tawi-Tawi.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima confirmed in today’s briefing the interception of the two groups of armed men from Sabah on board two watercraft off Omapoy Island and Andulingan Island.

She said that one of them was wounded and Rajah Muda Agbimmudin Kiram, the leader of the some 180 RSF members who invaded Sabah, was not one of them.

“So with that development, the processes are now being under-taken by a composite team with the end view of filing the appro-priate charges against them as

soon as possible,” De Lima said.She said that one of the

charges to be filed is illegal pos-session of firearms since they were found to have in posses-sion various firearms and bladed weapons.

De Lima said that the RSF members are now detained in a naval facility in Panglima Sugala in Tawi-Tawi.

“They will remain there even for purposes of inquest because we realized there are serious security concerns involved here,” she said.

Malaysian authorities have been hunting down the remaining fol-lowers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who landed in Lahad Datu on February 12 to assert their claim over Sabah. Clash erupted between the Malaysian forces and Kiram followers on March 1 result-ing in the death of several people.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

Manila prepares case against Filipinos captured in Sabah

Palace sees no reason for delay in Milf talks

Filipino protesters display hands with red paint, symbolising blood, during a rally outside the Malaysian embassy in Manila, condemning Kuala Lumpur’s military actions, yesterday.

MANILA: The plan of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to question Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari on his alleged links to the Sabah crisis is tantamount to a pro-vocative act by the government, a senior MNLF official said last Wednesday.

MNLF political bureau chief Haji Gapul Hajirul explained this was because the government has a standing peace pact and cease-fire agreement with the Muslim rebel group.

He said that if the NBI really intends to subpoena Misuari, it must course its invitation through the joint government and MNLF peace panels and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in accordance with the established ceasefire ground rules.

“We don’t have it yet,” Hajirul said, referring to an NBI subpoena

for Misuari, a former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), to shed light on his alleged part in the order of the Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III to send armed supporters to Sabah.

Kiram’s followers have been in Sabah since February 12 to revive the sultanate’s claim to the dis-puted territory that is now occu-pied by Malaysia.

Hajirul said the government and the MNLF have a ceasefire agreement that requires both parties to course their complaints or investigation through the joint peace panels for proper action. Furthermore, the OIC, being party to the agreement, should also be informed.

The NBI has been tasked by the Department of Justice to conduct a probe on the supposed conspir-ators that influenced Kiram to order his army led by his brother

Agbimuddin to go to Sabah and reclaim the territory.

Sultan Kiram’s adviser Pastor “Boy” Saycon has already appeared before the NBI and denied involvement in any con-spiracy to start the Sabah crisis.

Malacañang had reportedly implicated Saycon, Misuari, and Norberto Gonzales, former national security adviser of ex-President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in the Sabah crisis.

“We have a ceasefire agreement and its rules. The NBI moves might violate the ceasefire agree-ment and that is a clear provoca-tion,” Hajirul said.

MNLF spokesman and legal counsel Emmanuel Fontanilla described as unfortunate the government’s move to look for a scapegoat after mishandling the Sabah issue.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

Bureau of Investigation plan to quiz Misuari a provocation, says MNLF

Police and investigators at the site of a fire and blast at the Explosives and Ordnance Division of the Rizal Police Provincial Office, Manila. At least seven people were hurt after a faulty cable caused fire that led to the blast.

Police camp explosion

MANILA: Both the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) and the administra-tion Team PNoy coalition urged Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia yesterday to identify the financiers of their surveys.

UNA campaign manager Navotas Representative Tobias Tiangco accused SWS of refus-ing to disclose the funders of its surveys, which he said was a violation of a resolution of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“We have formally written them asking them to disclose their subscribers who are paying for the surveys, but they refused,” Tiangco said.

For his part, Team PNoy spokes-man Marikina Representative Miro Quimbo said the admin-istration coalition is supporting UNA’s call for pollsters to disclose

their subscribers and funders.“But the more important issue

to us is the result of their surveys, not who is subscribing to these opinion polls. We are leading 9-3 in the latest SWS survey and 8-4 in the Pulse Asia poll,” Quimbo said.

Tiangco said they are not ques-tioning the survey results but UNA is taking issue with SWS for its alleged refusal to reveal its survey financiers.

Quimbo said Team PNoy can-didates Bam Aquino and Grace Poe were the biggest gainers in the latest surveys, while two to three UNA candidates were the biggest losers.

He said Poe’s ranking shot up despite United Nationalist Alliance’s decision to drop her as guest candidate, along with sena-tors Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

Pulse Asia, SWS urged to name survey financiers

Pope’s ‘boundless promise’ hailedMANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino yesterday hailed the election of the first Latin American Pope, saying he brings “boundless promise” and the hope of unifying all people around the world. Aquino also welcomed the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the first Jesuit Pope and hoped the 76-year-old Argentine will be able to rebuild con-fidence in the Catholic Church and other institu-tions. “The president, along with the Filipino people, joins all Catholic faithful as they receive their new leader and meet his proclamation with a sense of boundless promise,” said a statement released by Aquino’s office.

Govt to keep its UN forces in GolanMANILA: The Philippines said yesterday it would keep its contingent of United Nations peacekeepers in the Golan Heights, after Syrian rebels held 21 of them hostage for three days last week. “The Philippine contingent to the UNDOF (UN Disengagement Observer Force) would remain stationed in the Golan Heights to perform its obliga-tion in the name of peace,” for-eign department spokesman Raul Hernandez said. “The Philippines, as a founding member of the UN, remains fully committed to the UN mandate of promoting peace and security.” The UNDOF has been in the Golan Heights since 1974, monitoring a ceasefire between Syria and Israel. But senior UN diplo-mats said there were fears there that Syria’s civil war could spark new withdrawals from the peacekeeping force.

Manila eyes mutual trust with BeijingMANILA: The Philippine government yesterday said it will seek opportunities to build a climate of mutual trust and cooperation with China as Xi Jinping sits as its new president. “The Philippines extends its sin-cere congratulations as Mr Xi Jinping assumes the presidency of the People’s Republic of China by means of the 18th National Congress and his election as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said. The Philippines is locked in a territorial dis-pute with China over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), filed last January an arbitration case against China before the United Nations.

Filipino-American held over scamMANILA: Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation arrested a Filipino-American wanted in the US for a multi-million dollar investment scam. They nabbed Rodolfo Suacon at his house in Pampanga where he had been holding out for 10 years since he eluded arrest for fraud and money launder-ing case filed against him by 80 individuals in California. Liaison Division Chief Daniel Daganzo said Suacon was a subject of an extradition request by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Hackers target Aquino’s websiteMANILA: Hackers posted a statement on the offi-cial website of President Benigno Aquino III yester-day, slamming his “mishan-dling” of the crisis in Sabah. Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Sonny Coloma said the hack-ing of 1.president.gov.ph was detected at around 1.30am. “An errant sentence criti-cal of the government on the Sabah issue was found inserted in a news items in the website.” AGENCIES

10 ASIAFRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

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China’s Xi appointed PresidentBEIJING: China’s parliament formally elected heir-in-waiting Xi Jinping President yesterday, completing the second orderly political succession since the Communist Party took power in 1949.

The largely rubber-stamp National People’s Congress chose Xi in a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing, putting the final seal of approval on a generational tran-sition of power. Xi was appointed party and military chief — where real power lies — in November.

The 59-year-old was also elected head of the Central Military Commission, a parallel government post to the party’s top military position which he already holds, ensuring that he has full power over the party, state and armed forces.

There was virtually no opposi-tion among the carefully selected legislators to Xi becoming presi-dent. Xi drew just one no vote and three abstentions from the almost 3,000 delegates.

Xi bowed deeply and shook hands with his predecessor Hu Jintao upon the announcement of the result, carried live on state television. Xi and Hu exchanged a few inaudible words. Li Yuanchao was also elected vice president.

There were five other candi-dates for vice-presidential posi-tion, including Wang Yang, the

reformist former party chief of southern Guangdong province, and propaganda tsar Liu Yunshan. Xi had fended off a bid by former president Jiang Zemin to install Liu, a source said.

Vice Premier Li Keqiang is set to succeed Premier Wen Jiabao in a similarly scripted vote today. The 70-year-old Hu relinquished the presidency after serving the maximum two five-year terms.

Hu’s accession to president a decade ago marked Communist China’s first peaceful transition of power. Violent events such as the Cultural Revolution and the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators over-shadowed previous hand-overs.

Since taking up the much more powerful post of party chief last November, Xi has focused on fighting corruption and promoting austere practices such as banning senior military officers from holding alcohol-fuelled banquets.

Many Chinese hopes Xi will bring change in a country that has risen to become the world’s second-biggest economy but is marred by deepening income inequality, corruption and envi-ronmental destruction left over from the administration of Hu and Wen.

For Yan Chengzhong, a delegate to the legislature, the most press-ing task for Xi’s government is to

clean up the environment.“I come from Shanghai, where

there are 6,000 dead pigs floating in the river. It speaks to how frag-ile the ecological environment is,” said Yan, who said he had submit-ted a proposal to the legislature urging government transparency on the environment.

“At this meeting, there’ve been strong voices concerning the condemnation of the bad envi-ronmental situation,” Yan said.

“I think these kinds of voices can be accepted by the new authorities. It’s a favourable opportunity for the new leaders to do something different.”

Gong Funeng, a delegate from the southwestern province of Sichuan, said: “The most challeng-ing problem that the government faces now is on implementing political reform and fighting cor-ruption.” Xi inherits a constitu-ency that is more distrustful of

government and well-versed at using the Internet to criticise their leaders.

Xi will also have to deal with an increasingly provocative North Korea and tension with the US, Japan and Southeast Asia.

Xi talked with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by phone, with both sides pledging to strengthen ties. Putin congratu-lated Xi on his election.

AGENCIES

New administration focuses on fighting corruption and promoting austerity

Former Chinese president Hu Jintao (left) talks to newly-elected President Xi Jinping after election during the 12th National People’s Congress in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, yesterday.

Bangladesh to snoop online in ‘blasphemy’ crackdown DHAKA: Bangladesh announced plans yesterday to monitor social media networks such as Facebook in a bid to identify bloggers who have been accused of insulting Islam and the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

A special panel is being set up, including leaders of the main intelligence agencies and the telecoms regulator, to exchange information and track down the people behind recent posts that have caused outrage among Islamic groups.

“We will try our best to dig out what’s actually happening and find out the people who’re making blas-phemous comments against Islam

and the Prophet,” said Main Uddin Khandaker, a senior home ministry official who will head the panel.

“There might be differences in opinion, but that does not mean anyone in the country has the rights to mock others’ beliefs,” Khandaker said, adding that the panel would submit its report to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Islamic groups and clerics have staged a series of protests against blasphemous bloggers in recent weeks and threatened to march to Dhaka next month if they are not prosecuted. The debate between militant atheists and fundamen-talists has been a popular subject in Bangladesh’s blogs and social media for years. AFP

China envoy denies aid offer to JubaBEIJING: China never prom-ised South Sudan $8 billion in development funds when South Sudanese President Salva Kiir visited Beijing in April, but much more than this could be offered if the country achieves lasting peace, a senior diplomat said yesterday.

South Sudan’s government announced the figure following the trip, and until now Beijing has neither confirmed nor denied it.

China’s special envoy to Africa, Zhong Jianhua, who has helped in mediation efforts between the two Sudans and knows both countries well, said there was no $8 billion development deal.

“If there was any promise, it was that after South Sudan achieves peace with Sudan then

it is a very promising country and can ramp up development, and then China is willing to play a development role in South Sudan and help them. But those plans have to wait for peace before we can talk about this,” Zhong said.

“I don’t believe that this is something both sides acknowl-edged following the visit.

“This was not mentioned in any of the official Chinese reports fol-lowing the visit; there was noth-ing about $8 billion,” he added.

“It’s not impossible — maybe in the future, and maybe not only $8 billion,” Zhong said.

“It needs a development plan, and a big one at that. It faces a lot of challenges. I’ve been to Juba many times. Running water, elec-tricity, road lights, bridges — it

needs a lot.” Relations between the two Sudans soured soon after South Sudan achieved independ-ence in 2011 following a long and bloody civil war, due to arguments over oil revenues and territory.

Landlocked South Sudan shut down its 350,000 barrel-per-day crude output in January last year in a row with Sudan over how much it should pay to send the oil through Sudanese pipelines to the Red Sea.

South Sudan said on Tuesday it would be ready to restart oil production within three weeks after finalising a deal to resolve bitter border and security dis-putes with Sudan. Beijing is one of Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al Bashir’s major supporters.

AGENCIES

Thailand, rebel group to open peace talks

Patient sentenced to death

BANGKOK: Thailand and one of several rebel groups in the country’s Muslim south will open peace negotiations in Malaysia on March 28 in an effort to end a bloody insurgency, a Thai official said yesterday.

Thailand and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) rebel group signed an agreement in Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago, pledging to open talks on end-ing a nine-year insurgency by a number of shadowy groups that has claimed more than 5,500 lives.

Paradorn Pattanatabut, the head of Thailand’s National Security Council, said a prelimi-nary meeting was held on March 5 on the “conditions” for the

talks, but more substantive dia-logue would begin with a one-day exchange on March 28.

“We will fly to Malaysia for the first talks with BRN and possible other representatives on March 28,” Paradorn said. “We aim to focus on what we should do to decrease violence in the south.” Paradorn did not specify who the other representatives could be or give further details on the planned talks hosted by Thailand’s south-ern neighbour. The BRN, whose Malay name means “National Revolutionary Front”, is one of the larger groups blamed for the violence, but it remains to be seen whether other rebel organisations will fall in line. AFP

TAIPEI: A cancer patient who started a fire in a Taiwan hospital — which killed 13 people and injured 60 — because he was upset by his illness has been sentenced to death, a court said yesterday.

“The court decided to impose the death sentence on Lin Chi-hsiung because of the large number of casualties he caused and because he showed no remorse for his crime,” a spokeswoman for the Tainan district court in south Taiwan said.

Lin, 67, a patient at the nursing facility in Tainan city, was found guilty of last year triggering the fire by lighting tissue paper and throw-ing it into a storage room full of clothes.

He was arrested hours after the incident and has claimed he started the blaze because he was upset about suffering from cancer and other chronic illness.

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

Singapore to order F-35 fighter jetsSINGAPORE: Singapore is in the “final stages of evaluat-ing” the F-35 to upgrade its air force, a process US sources say should turn quickly into orders for several dozen of the stealthy warplanes that have been beset by cost overruns and delivery delays.

Singapore, a major business and shipping hub with the best-equipped military in Southeast

Asia, is expected to submit a “let-ter of request” soon for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, said two US government officials who were not authorised to speak publicly on the matter. The city-state could start the process as soon as this week to buy the planes built by Lockheed Martin Corp, one of the officials said. Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, makes the engine for the F-35.

Singapore’s defence minister, Ng Eng Hen, said on Tuesday the air force “has identified the F-35 as a suitable aircraft to further modernise our fighter fleet”.

“Our F-5s are nearing the end of their operational life and our F-16s are at their mid-way mark,” he said in parliament. “We are now in the final stages of evalu-ating the F-35.”

REUTERS

Workers on the moving line and forward fuselage assembly areas for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at Lockheed Martin Corp’s factory in Fort Worth, Texas.

‘Gang of Eight’ escape sanctionsBANGKOK: Eight nations accused of failing to do enough to tackle the ille-gal trade in elephant ivory escaped sanctions at a major wildlife meeting yesterday. The plight of Africa’s ele-phants was one of the top issues at a more than a week of talks bringing together the 178 member nations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Bangkok. The conference identified Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as transit coun-tries Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, and top markets China and Thailand as mak-ing insufficient efforts to curb the trade. But they avoided punishment after six of them submitted draft action plans in response and China and Tanzania committed to doing so by a specific date. Member states can halt trading with offender countries in the 35,000 species covered by the convention.

Nepal chief justiceto oversee pollsKATHMANDU: Nepal’s chief justice was sworn in yesterday as head of an interim government tasked with steering the country towards elections by June after a cross-party deal broke a 10-month politi-cal deadlock. The leaders of four major parties reached agreement late Wednesday to appoint Khilraj Regmi to lead an interim administra-tion to oversee what would be only the second national polls since the end of the coun-try’s civil war in 2006. The election in theory should be held by June 21, but analysts are sceptical the vote will go ahead on schedule.

S. Korea plant blast kills seven, hurts 13SEOUL: Seven workers were killed and 13 injured yesterday when a storage tank exploded at a chemical plant in South Korea, firefighters said. The tank containing inflamma-ble material exploded around 9pm (1200 GMT) at a Daelim Industrial polyethylene plant in the southern coastal city of Yeosu. “It did not start a fire and an investigation is under way,” a firefighter said. The employees had been engaged in welding work when the tank exploded.

Suu Kyi faces flak for backing mine MONYWA, MYANMAR: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was met with rare hostility yesterday by villagers near a contro-versial Chinese-backed mine that was the scene of a vio-lent crackdown last year. The Nobel laureate was heckled by villagers enraged by her rec-ommendation that the copper mine continues to operate, despite concerns over its environmental impact and land grabbing. As she toured villages, Suu Kyi faced flak from residents, some crying, for her perceived failure to back their grassroots opposi-tion to the mine.

Ex-Khmer Rouge minister on trial dies PHNOM PENH: Ieng Sary, the Khmer Rouge co-founder on trial for genocide and war crimes, died yesterday, the UN-backed court said, rob-bing Cambodians of a verdict for his role in the murder-ous regime. The death of the 87-year-old, who as Khmer Rouge foreign minister was one of the regime’s few pub-lic faces, intensified fears the remaining two elderly defendants may also fail to live to see justice at the embattled tribunal. “Ieng Sary died this morning,” tri-bunal spokesman Lars Olsen said, while a court document released later said his death “terminated all criminal and civil cases” against him. Charges against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan will not, however, be affected, Olsen added. AGENCIES

PAKISTAN / AFGHANISTAN 11FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

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Afghan checkpoint

An Afghan policeman searches a body of a passenger at a checkpoint in Maidan, Wardak province, yesterday.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has strongly rejected an accusation from India that militants who killed five paramilitary police in Indian Kashmir came from across the de facto border.

Indian Home Secretary R K Singh said two gunmen killed in the attack in the disputed terri-tory appeared “not local but from across the border”.

Wednesday’s attack was the

deadliest on Indian security forces for nearly five years and comes two months after six sol-diers were killed in exchanges along the de facto border in Kashmir, a region claimed by both countries.

The Pakistani foreign minis-try issued a statement late on Wednesday, rejecting Singh’s remarks and again rejecting accusations that Pakistani troops

beheaded two Indian soldiers on January 8.

“We feel that this trend of making irresponsible statements and knee-jerk reactions by senior Indian government functionaries have the potential of undermining the efforts made by both sides to normalise relations,” it said.

Pakistan “condemns such actions of terrorism in the strong-est possible terms and calls upon

the government of India to carry out a thorough investigation... before levelling such accusations which are counterproductive and serve no purpose.”

Hizbul Mujahideen, a militant group local to Indian Kashmir which is fighting to transfer the region to Pakistan, claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack.

AFP

KABUL: The US com-mander in Afghanistan has warned troops that they face an increased threat of attack after a series of inflammatory anti-US comments by President Hamid Karzai.

Nato’s International Assistance Security Force (ISAF) yesterday confirmed a strongly-worded advisory was sent by US General Joseph Dunford to his senior com-manders on Wednesday.

“Karzai’s remarks could be a catalyst for some to lash out against our forces — he may also issue orders that put our forces at risk,” Dunford said in the advi-sory, The New York Times said.

“The advisory was prudent given increased coalition casu-alties in recent days. General Dunford’s email is an example of this vigilance,” ISAF said.

“We’re at a rough point in the relationship,” Dunford said in his advisory. “(Militants) are also watching and will look for a way to exploit the situation — they have already ramped up for the spring.”

Nato is training Afghan soldiers and police to take over the fight against the Taliban as 100,000 international troops prepare to head home by the end of 2014.

Karzai’s recent outbursts have also triggered criticism from

rival politicians, who say he is deliberately misleading ordinary Afghans and could threaten the future of international aid on which the country relies.

“He says the Taliban and Americans are one, and that Taliban came here for strength-ening the Americans,” Abdullah Abdullah, a former presidential candidate, said.

“Our people are worried about whether Karzai is right — or they ask whether it is another conspiracy. I was not surprised at the remarks, I was saddened.”

As Karzai will stand down after elections in April 2014, he appears to have one ambition — to ensure that his people do not remember him as a puppet of the US. He.

This week he accused the US of colluding with Taliban mili-tants to justify the presence of 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan and banned inter-national troops from university campuses due to unproven claims of harassment of students.

He has also clashed with the US military over repeated delays to the scheduled handover of Afghan detainees.

“I was in Pakistan before-hand, and everyone there from the foreign ministry downwards told me he was a nutter and off his trolley,” said British historian

William Dalrymple, who spent 90 minutes discussing his new book with the president last week.

Dalrymple said Karzai had spoken of the fate of Shah Shuja, the puppet leader whom British colonialists put on the throne in Kabul in 1839 and who was later assassinated. “His view was that the US were doing to him what the British had done to Shuja, which was to treat him as a pup-pet and to use him for their own interests,” Dalrymple said.

“Karzai thinks Shuja didn’t stress his independence enough, and... I do think he is concerned with his legacy.”

Karzai, 55, was a darling of the West when he became leader of Afghanistan after the US-led invasion that ousted the Taliban.

But US-Afghan ties became increasingly strained as the bloody Taliban insurgency gained pace, US casualties mounted and Karzai’s government became a by-word for corruption.

In recent weeks he has ordered US special forces out of the key province of Wardak and stopped Afghan forces from calling in US air strikes.

“These are desperate attempts by President Karzai trying to justify himself before history,” Waheed Mujda, a former Taliban

government official and political analyst said. “His remarks remind me of president Najibullah (leader of the pro-communist govern-ment that fell in 1992) who made similar remarks as the Soviets were preparing to leave and who started holding talks with muja-hideen fighters.”

Like Shuja, Najibullah met an untimely end. When the Taliban seized power in 1996, they hanged him from a traffic light in central Kabul.

Karzai is also motivated by

anger that the Taliban refuse to include him in any peace talks and further delays over the handover of Afghan detainees held by the US — an issue he has made a sym-bol of national sovereignty.

For ordinary Afghans, his attacks on Washington echo their own outrage over civilian deaths caused by coalition opera-tions, night raids and a sense that foreign troops trample on local culture.

“Over the past few years, the trust between Karzai and the

US administration has com-pletely faded,” said Waheed Wafa, Director of the Afghanistan research centre at Kabul University. “What he says now shows his frustration.”

Senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham spoke of his “dis-gust and resentment” at Karzai, and warned that he could sup-port a withdrawal of US funding for his government. “I am per-fectly capable of pulling the plug on Afghanistan,” Graham told Foreign Policy. AGENCIES

QUETTA: Unknown attackers kidnapped two Czech women tourists in western Pakistan, officials of both countries said yesterday.

The Czech Foreign Ministry said the tourists — believed to be in their mid-20s — were kid-napped on Wednesday after their van was intercepted by assailants on their way from the border with Iran. “The group took them out of the van together with their guard, who was later released,” spokes-woman Johana Grohova said.

The identity of the assailants was unknown, she said. No group has claimed responsibility or demanded any ransom.

The incident happened some

100km (60 miles) east of the Iranian border in the province of Baluchistan at around 6.30pm (1315 GMT).

Baluchistan Home Secretary Akbar Durrani said the kid-nappers were driving a brown Land Cruiser. “They drove to an unknown place. The women had planned to go to India via Quetta and Lahore,” he said.

Prague declined to reveal the identity of the hostages and the Pakistani authorities said the women were born in 1988.

Pakistani security forces said they had no clue to the wherea-bouts of the women despite an extensive search.

“The whole administration,

including police and law enforce-ment agencies, have been on high alert since the kidnapping,” Baluchistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani said.

“The hunt is continuing. Police, levies (tribal police) and local tribesmen have searched the whole area up to the Afghan bor-der but we still have no clue about their whereabouts. It would be premature to determine who was involved. They could be typi-cal kidnappers or any militant group.”

Kidnappings plague Baluchistan and northwest Pakistan, where criminals looking for ransom snatch foreigners and locals, sometimes passing hostages on

to Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked groups.

A Swiss couple were held cap-tive by the Pakistani Taliban for more than eight months after being abducted in 2011 in Baluchistan. They were recov-ered safely in March 2012 in cir-cumstances that remain unclear. The following month, British Red Cross worker Khalil Dale, 60, was found dead nearly four months after he was abducted on the out-skirts of Quetta.

Baluchistan is in the grip of a nine-year separatist uprising by nationalists demanding autonomy and a greater share of profits from its natural oil, gas and min-eral resources. AGENCIES

Nato ‘faces increased threat of attack’

TACOMA: A US soldier charged with slaying 16 civilians in Afghanistan will undergo a sanity review set to begin next week to determine his mental state during the killings and his ability to stand trial, a military official said on Wednesday.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, and his defence attorneys have indicated they are preparing a possible mental health defence.

The decorated veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan is accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in cold blood dur-ing two rampages through their family compounds in Kandahar province in March 2012.

Bales will receive a court-ordered sanity board review beginning on Sunday, with the pro-ceedings potentially lasting several days, said Lieutenant Colonel Gary Dangerfield, an Army spokesman at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state where the Bales

case is being heard. Defense attorney Emma

Scanlan said in January that Bales would participate in a review of his mental state, but wanted him to be examined by a neuropsychologist with expertise in traumatic brain injuries.

She also sought for defense attorneys to be present at the examination.

It was unclear if those requests would be honored at the sanity board review.

Dangerfield said Bales would appear before the sanity board at an undisclosed location.

Attorneys for Bales could not be reached for comment late on Wednesday.

Bales’ court martial trial is set to begin on Sept 3.

In January, Bales’ attorneys said they had documentation showing he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury before his last deployment to Afghanistan.

REUTERS

US President Barack Obama (right) looks on as his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai gestures during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House earlier this year.

Two Czech women tourists abducted in Baluchistan

Pakistan denies accusation over Kashmir attack

KARACHI: Gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead a promi-nent woman development worker here, police said.

Parveen Rehman, 56, was known for her work in impov-erished neighbourhoods and her organisation, the Orangi Pilot Project, won a UN-Habitat award in 2001.

“She was on her way home when armed motorcyclists inter-cepted her car and shot her dead,” police said.

Mohammad Saleem, a doctor at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where Rehman’s body was taken, said she was hit with at least four bullets.

She had been receiving death threats for a long time, appar-ently from the mafia involved in grabbing land on the fringes of the city.

The city of 18 million, which is Pakistan’s business hub, last year saw around 2,000 people killed in violence linked to ethnic and political tensions, its deadliest toll in two decades.

AGENCIES

Afghan massacre accusedto undergo sanity review

US commander says Karzai remarks may fuel violence

Pakistan parliament makes history by completing tenureISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s parliament yesterday made history by becoming the first national assembly in the country to complete a full term, dissolving in a low-key session to pave the way for elections. “The session that started on February 18, 2008 has prorogued on com-pletion of business,” Yasmeen Rehman, MP from the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, said, reading out a letter from President Asif Ali Zardari. She stood in for the speaker, who was not present. Very few MPs attended the last session of the 12th assembly, consisting mostly of farewell speeches. Pakistan is due to go to the polls to elect a new parliament in May but a date has yet to be set. Ruling and opposition politicians are negotiating a caretaker administration.

Three names for caretaker PMISLAMABAD: The Pakistani premier has nomi-nated three names for a care-taker prime minister. Raja Pervez Ashraf proposed the names of former finance min-ister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, former director of the State Bank of Pakistan Dr Ishrat Hussain and former chief justice of the Baluchistan High Court, Mir Hazar Khan Khoso for the post of the caretaker premier, the state-run news agency APP said yesterday.

Taliban commander killed in encounterISLAMABAD: A com-mander of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Qari Bilal, was killed in a shootout with forces yester-day in Karachi’s Manghopir area, police said. He was involved in the murder of Parveen Rehman, a social worker who was gunned down in Larachi on Wednesday. An operation led by Rangers took place in Karachi’s Korangi industrial area’s Mehran Town locality, during which 26 suspected militants, including three activists of banned outfits. were held. Rangers sieged Mehran Town at 4am and blocked its entry and exit points. They refused to let people enter the area and imposed restrictions on anyone leaving.

AGENCIES

Famous social worker gunned down in Karachi

Islamabad hunts poachers of national animal

CHITRAL: Police are seeking nine men who illegally killed an endangered markhor goat in a national park.

A case has been registered against them after they killed the markhor in the Chitral Gol National Park in the north, close to the Afghan border, officials said.

The markhor, a large species of wild mountain goat noted for its huge corkscrew horns that can grow up to 1.5 metres (five feet) in length, is Pakistan’s national animal.

The hunters escaped after they were challenged by park rangers, who recovered the animal’s head and hide.

“We’ve some idea who the hunters are... my staff knew them and they will be identified if seen around. They could not be appre-hended at the spot as they carried lethal weapons,” a senior wildlife official said.

Conservation efforts have helped the animal make a come-back in recent years after num-bers dwindled in the 1970s, but it is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature “red list” of threatened species. There are thought to be 200 markhor in Chitral Gol. AGENCIES

Kidney Day

Kidney donors lie on beds in a ward at the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre in Ahmedabad yesterday. The hospital preformed 10 cross-over kidney transplants in a single day as part of World Kidney Day.

12 INDIAFRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court yesterday restrained the Italian envoy from leav-ing the country following Rome’s refusal to send back two marines to face trial for kill-ing two Indian fishermen, even as the government said it was reviewing “all aspects” of its ties with Italy.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said Daniele Mancini could not leave India till March 18 without its permission.

The apex court also issued notice to the Italian govern-ment, its ambassador and the two marines. Mancini had given an assurance to the court on February 22 that the marines would return after voting in elec-tions in Italy.

A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Italy’s refusal to send back the marines was “unacceptable” and Rome will have to face “consequences”, the external affairs ministry said it was reviewing bilateral ties.

“We have initiated a study of our interactions with Italy,” the ministry spokesman told the media here.

“At the end of that internal process, we will take further action that is appropriate, tak-ing into account all aspects of our relationship... Based on that study and as the situation evolves, you will see our response.”

India and Italy are locked in a diplomatic row over marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, accused of killing two Indian fishermen off Kerala, mistaking them to be pirates.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who met Singh at his residence, said everything would be done to ensure that the “dignity and primacy” of India was preserved.

Asked if India would act against Ambassador Mancini, Khurshid said: “We will.”

India’s new envoy to Italy, Basant K Gupta, who was to take charge this month, has not gone to Rome. He was to succeed Debabrata Saha, who retired in December.

The posts of ambassador and of consul general in Milan are cur-rently vacant.

A decision on whether Gupta would be sent to take up the new posting would be taken after the review, the source added.

India also briefed the European Union yesterday about the devel-opments, another source said.

On March 11, the Italian embassy had said that the two marines would not be returning, setting off a diplomatic storm.

According to a source, the Italian government has not communicated with India since March 12, when Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai sum-moned Mancini to South Block.

Mathai had conveyed to him “in the strongest terms” India’s disapproval of the Italian deci-sion and demanded that the two marines return to India.

Italian Foreign Minikster Giulio Terzi said in Israel yester-day that it had “solid reasons to proceed in the direction of inter-national arbitration” for not send-ing back the marines to India.

IANS

Minister hints Pakistan behind Srinagar attackNEW DELHI: The two terror-ists killed in Srinagar seemed to be foreign ‘fidayeen’ (sui-cide attackers), Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said yesterday.

Items recovered from them appeared to be of Pakistani make, Shinde told parliament.

Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed by the two militants before they were gunned down.

According to Shinde, an oint-ment tube recovered from the slain men was found to be manu-factured in Karachi. They also had diaries with telephone numbers.

“The numbers in the diaries appear to be of Pakistani ori-gin,” he said, speaking in the Lok Sabha after opposition leader Sushma Swaraj.

“Their bodies were shaven, which confirms them to be fiday-eens. The killed terrorists are suspected to be of foreign origin,” he said.

The minister said responsibility for the attack had been taken by a caller for Hizb-ul-Mujahideen but the authenticity of the claim was yet to be ascertained.

Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday arrested a Pakistani militant in Srinagar believed to have been part of a ‘fidayeen’ (suicide) attack which killed five troopers the day before.

Acting on specific information, the security forces arrested a Pakistani militant in Chattabal area of Srinagar city, barely two kilometres from the Bemina area where the guerrillas attacked a posse of CRPF on Wednesday.

With the Srinagar attack adding to concerns over cross-border ter-rorism, the government has opted against implementing a proposed group tourist visa facility under the liberalised visa regime with Pakistan from March 15, an offi-cial said yesterday. While lack of preparation was cited as a reason for the visa agreement not being implemented, sources said India was concerned about attempts at infiltration from across the border.

IANS

NEW DELHI: The union cabi-net yesterday cleared a bill for harsher punishments for rap-ists, after agreeing to replace the word “sexual assault” with “rape” and reducing the age of consent from 18 years to 16, sources said.

According to the bill, voyeur-ism, for the first time, would be a bailable offence while stalking would be a non-bailable offence, the sources said.

The sources said the cabinet cleared the bill at a meeting pre-sided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The cabinet had on Tuesday deferred a decision on the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill due to lack of unanimity.

A Group of Ministers (GoM), headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram and set up by the prime minister to resolve dif-ferences, met on Wednesday to

thrash out pending issues, and agreed on replacing the word “sexual assault” with “rape” and reducing the age of consent from 18 years to 16.

The GoM agreed to use the word “rape”, where the victim was a woman and the perpetra-tor a male, since women activ-ists were against use of the term “sexual assault”, which would have made the bill gender neutral.

The bill provides for a mini-mum prison sentence of 20 years for rape, which can be extended to natural life of the convict in jail. The draft law also provides for the death sentence in the event a rape victim dies or is in a “per-sistent vegetative state”.

Under the existing law, a rapist faces a term of seven to 10 years in jail.

Sources said the government will now decide whether to go to

the parliament directly with the bill or take the legislation to an all-party meeting on March 18 called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath to evolve consensus on the issue.

There is a sense of urgency in passing the legislation by March 22 as the bill will replace an ordi-nance promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee on February 3 and it has to be passed within six weeks of that date.

The first half of the budget ses-sion ends on March 22 and the house will reconvene on April 22.

Proposing the death penalty in the rarest of rare cases of rape and for repeat offenders while keeping marital rape out of its ambit, the ordinance was framed as evidence of the government’s intention to treat the issue of crimes against women with urgency.

IANS

NEW DELHI: The Congress party yesterday congratulated Sonia Gandhi, its longest serv-ing president, for completing 15 years in office.

“We felicitate Sonia Gandhi’s continued effort and support in leading the party,” Congress spokesperson P C Chacko told reporters.

The Congress was founded on

December 28, 1885. It completed 127 years last year.

Several Congress leaders, includ-ing Communications Minister Kapil Sibal, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla called on Gandhi at her residence.

Though some had planned to celebrate the occasion in a big

way, Gandhi reportedly asked them to refrain from doing so keeping in mind the drought in some parts of the country.

Gandhi, who took office as Congress chief in 1998, led the party to victory in the 2004 Lok Sabha election, ending six years of rule by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

IANS

NEW DELHI: The government is drawing up a major new welfare reform which would hand small plots of land to millions of homeless poor in the coun-tryside, reports said yesterday.

The proposed entitlement pro-gramme, which comes as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s administration is struggling to rein in the public spending deficit, is seen as a potential vote-winner in rural areas ahead of elections next year.

The draft National Right to Homestead

Bill, which must be approved by cabinet and then passed by parliament, would pro-vide for a minimum of 400 square metres to be given to each homeless family, The Indian Express said.

An estimated eight million rural families are believed to be homeless and landless.

“The idea is to provide statutory back-ing... to the provision of homestead land for those without land and shelter,” Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who won a 46 percent increase in funding

in the new budget, told the Mail Today newspaper. “The government is commit-ted to giving rights to the landless poor in the country.”

The ruling Congress party is looking to rejuvenate itself ahead of elections due in the first half of 2014 after a second term in power marked by corruption scandals and a sharp slowdown in economic growth.

A separate $1.9bn welfare programme guaranteeing food for the poor is set to be introduced soon in parliament.

The Homestead Bill is set to be tabled in parliament in the monsoon session, which normally begins around August, the Mail Today said.

Last October tens of thousands of poor began a 350-kilometre march to New Delhi to protest the plight of marginal-ised rural communities excluded from the country’s economic development. Under a deal reached in Agra to stop the protests, the government pledged land reforms.

AFP

Sri Lanka told to release 53 fishermenNEW DELHI/COLOMBO: India yesterday told Sri Lanka to treat the 53 Indian fishermen arrested by its navy humanely and release them at the earliest.

The external affairs ministry said Sri Lankan authorities arrested 19 fishermen on Wednesday and another 34 yesterday for allegedly fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

He said the first lot of 19 had been taken to Talaimannar in Sri Lanka’s northwest and the Indian consul in Jaffna would be gaining access to them.

60 sick in Kolkata after inhaling gasKOLKATA: At least 60 people fell sick after inhaling toxic chlo-rine gas in north Kolkata’s Chitpore area Thursday, police said.

The gas had leaked out of a cylinder in a godown around 4 p.m. cre-ating panic as people developed breathing problems and eye irritation.

The victims were admitted to the state-run R.G. Kar Hospital and Medical College.

Several fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The frie fighters later sealed the leaking cylinder.

Woman commits suicide in Tihar JailNEW DELHI: Three days after a Delhi gang-rape accused was found hanging inside Tihar Jail here, a 30-year-old female prisoner allegedly committed suicide last afternoon inside the prison.

“Reshma, who was undergoing trial in a kidnapping case was found hanging on Thursday afternoon inside jail number 6. A matron spotted her body,” said a jail official.

She used a “dupatta” (stole) to hang herself with the ventilator’s grill inside her cell of the jail, the official claimed.

CBI arrests suspect in UP cop’s murder LUCKNOW: An accused in the murder of a Uttar Pradesh deputy superintendent of police (DSP) was yesterday arrested by the CBI after raids at several places in Allahabad.

Babloo was arrested from the Salori area. He is the son of Nanhe Yadav, the village head of Bilapur, whose killing triggered the fatal attack on DSP Zia-ul-Haq. Nanhe Yadav’s brother was also killed on March 2. Babloo was arrested as he tried to prevent Haq from taking away the body of his father, Central Bureau of Investigation sources said.

IANS

Telecom firms banned from providing live cricket updatesNEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has prohibited telecom operators and mobile value added service (VAS) provid-ers from giving live updates of cricket matches and said the Star India TV channel has the “exclusive media rights” over cricket matches organised by the Indian cricket board till 2018.

The court asked telecoms oper-ators and mobile VAS providers to either disseminate score updates that were deferred by 15 minutes or pay a fair share of revenue gen-erated through broadcast of live scores to Star India by procuring a licence.

It allowed the plea of Star India Pvt Ltd seeking a restraining order against the telecoms opera-tors and others.

Justice M L Mehta, in an interim order, said: “A limited interim injunction is ordered restraining the defendants(telecom operators and others) from disseminating contemporaneous match informa-tion in the form of ball-by-ball or minute-by-minute score updates/match alerts for a premium, with-out obtaining a license from the plaintiff.”

Star India has the exclusive media rights to cricket matches organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) till 2018.

The channel on August 10, 2012 spent Rs35.81bn and won the bid for the media rights agree-ment with the BCCI, which had assigned exclusive media rights to the Star channel over the cricket matches, organised by it, till 2018.

The court said that the tel-ecoms operators and others can report “noteworthy information” or “news” after a “time gap of 15 minutes” after the telecast of the match.

IANS

Italian envoy barred from leaving India

Govt to hand over plots of land to rural poor: Reports

Cabinet clears anti-rape bill

Tribute in sand

Sand artist Sudersan Pattnaik works on a sand sculpture of Pope Francis in Puri, some 65km from the eastern city of Bhubaneswar, yesterday. With around 17 million practising Catholics, India is home to the Church’s second largest community in Asia after the Philippines.

Sonia Gandhi completes 15 years as Congress chief

Action to be taken against Mancini

13FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.comBUSINESS

Milaha reports QR835m net profit in 2012 DOHA: Qatar Navigation Company (Milaha) recorded a net profit of QR835m for the full year 2012, up 17 percent com-pared to the previous year. The compa-ny’s Earnings per share (EPS) amounted to QR7.31 for 2012 compared to QR6.21 in 2011.

The Board of Directors approved to recommend to the General Assembly to approve distribution of cash dividend total-ing 37.5 percent of the capital to the share-holders, equivalent to QR3.75 per share.

Milaha s Maritime & Logistics segment net profit strongly improved over 2011, driven largely by port services and con-tainer feeder transport activities.

A one-time income related to an increased stake in 2 LNG carriers boosted the net profit of the Gas & Petrochem segment relative to 2011 by 5 percent. Net profit for Milaha’s offshore segment declined by 26 percent compared to 2011, largely due to unforeseen operation al issues in the first quarter of 2012.

Milaha Capital s profit rose 43 percent, mainly on the back of investment sales and increased gains from the Company s portfolio.

“2012 was another exciting and challenging year for Milaha, one in which we delivered strongly improved financial performance while continuing to make progress towards our long term strategic goals”, said Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani, Chairman and Managing Director of Milaha.

“The combination of a dynamic Qatari economy and our own significant internal efforts to optimize productivity within Milaha contributed to a strong year overall”.

Beginning Q1 2012, Milaha began reporting segment financials under its new structure, following the re-alignment of the company into a corporate entity and strategic business pillars.

Established in 1957, Qatar Navigation Company was the first public shareholding company registered in Qatar and holds commercial regis-tration No. 1.

It’s current activities include marine transportation in gas, petroleum products, containers and bulk; offshore support services; port management and operations; logistics services; shipyard; trading agencies; real estate investments; and asset management. THE PENINSULA

Doha Insurance defers EGM to Wednesday DOHA: Doha Insurance has postponed its Extra-Ordinary General Meeting to March 20 due to lack of quorum for the meeting held here on Wednesday.

At its Annual General Meeting, the company’s shareholders approved its board of directors recommendation of distributing 10 percent cash dividends from the share’s par value of QR10 as well as bonus share at the rate of one share for each ten held shares.

The AGM also approved the company’s financial results, auditors’ report for the year ended December 31, 2012 as well as the Shariah supervisory Board report on the company’s Islamic branch Doha Takaful.

Established in 1999 and listed on Qatar Exchange, Doha Insurance share was Thursday down by 5.9 percent to QR26.30 after two trading transactions at 10.3am from its Wednesday afternoon closing at QR27.95.

QNA

BERLIN: German top-of-the-range carmaker BMW said yes-terday that 2012 had been the best year in the company’s his-tory and forecast further sales growth this year.

Group profit last year increased by 4.4 percent compared to 2011, to ¤5.1bn ($6.6bn), on 11.7 percent higher revenues to ¤76.8bn, the company, which also produces the Mini and Rolls-Royce, said.

“The past year has been the most successful year in BMW group’s corporate history with new high levels achieved for

sales volume, revenues and group earnings,” chairman Norbert Reithofer said in a writ-ten statement.

“We have achieved or surpassed all of our targets for 2012 in the face of very challenging market conditions,” he added.

The company had announced in January that it achieved a new sales record in 2012 and in its annual results statement yester-day confirmed it sold 1.84 million vehicles last year, an increase of 10.6 percent over 2011.

“We are again targeting further

sales volume growth worldwide in 2013 and hence a new record level for deliveries,” Reithofer said.

“However economic conditions are likely to remain challenging in many markets,” he warned.

On the back of its results, BMW group said it would propose increasing the dividend to ¤2.50 per share from ¤2.30 for 2011.

However investors seemed unimpressed, with BMW shares on the Frankfurt stock exchange down by 1.12 percent to 70.47 euros at 1058 GMT.

AFP

The headquarters and the main factory of German carmaker BMW in the southern German city of Munich.

BMW achieves record year in 2012, eyes sales growth

NEW YORK: Locked in a fierce battle in the smartphone market, South Korean giant Samsung is to launch its lat-est device aimed at challenging Apple in its home market.

The Galaxy S4 set to be unveiled at New York’s Radio City Music Hall early today has been generating buzz worthy of the iPhone, as the two firms fight for leadership in smartphones in the US and global markets.

Samsung has released no details about the device, but it is widely expected to be an upgraded, slightly larger version of its Galaxy S3, with some new bells and whistles.

According to The New York Times and some other media, the S4 will be able to respond to eye movements with an enhanced interface, and will offer an improved display.

Samsung has released a series of videos on the Internet and has hired dancers to promote yester-day’s event with street perform-ances in Times Square, complete with a sign that reads, “Be Ready 4 The Next Galaxy.”

Samsung has become the top smartphone maker worldwide with a 29 percent market share, according to IDC, while in the US market Apple remains the king and sells more than one of every three mobile phones.

The Galaxy S3 has sold more than 40 million worldwide since its launch last May and has some analysts debating which of the two firms is ahead in innovation.

Apple, which is known for keep-ing its plans private, is believed to be working on its own upgrades, including a new version of the iconic iPhone. But Apple shares have slumped some 40 percent from highs hit last year.

Analysts at CIMB, an Asian financial firm, see sales of the Galaxy S4 likely to reach at least 70 million and “even over 100 mil-lion is possible.” Morgan Stanley said the new device should deliver “solid” results for Samsung.

“Samsung could be the new Apple,” said a research note from analysts at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch.

“Apple’s recent products, the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini simply can’t stand next to the innovation and buzz Samsung has brought to the market.”

AFP

Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani, Chairman and Managing Director of Milaha

DOHA: Qatar Exchange index gained 77.56 points or 0.91 per-cent to close at 8,583.78 points this week. Trading value increased by 45.32 percent to reach QR1.51bn compared to QR1.03bn.

The volume increased by 77.67 percent to cross 35.65m shares, as against more than 20.06m shares during the previous week. The number of transactions rose by 35.49 percent to reach 16,108 transactions as compared to the last week’s 11,889 transactions.

Market capitalisation rose by 0.63 percent to reach QR469.331bn compared to QR466.379bn at the end of the previous week.

A total of 19 companies of the 42 listed companies ended this week higher, while 22 fell and one company remain unchanged. Qatar General Insurance & Reinsurance, Qatar Gas and Transport (Nakilat), Qatar Investors Group, Qatar Electricity and Water Company; and Islamic Holding Group were the top gainers of the week.

The Industries Qatar (IQ) led trading value during the week, accounting for 30.45 percent of the total value, followed by Barwa Real Estate, which accounted for 15.38 percent. The Qatar Gas Transport ranked third, account-ing for 7.74 percent.

The Industrial sector led trading value during this week accounting for 36.95 percent of the total trading value, followed by Banks and Financial Services sector, which accounted for 24.68 percent. The Real Estate sector ranked third, accounting for 17.48 percent.

The real estate sector led

trading volume, accounting for 32.15 percent of the total volume, followed by Banks and Financial Services sector, which accounted for 23.17 percent. The transpor-tation sector accounted for 20.67 percent. It was followed by the Industrials sector.

The Banks and Financial Services sector led trading number of transactions during the week. The sector accounted for 30.49 percent of the total number of transactions. It was followed by the Real Estate sec-tor, which did 20.52 percent. The Industrials sector ranked third accounting for 18.16 percent. The transportation sector accounted for 15.24 percent of the total number of transactions in the week.

On Thursday, the bourse added 50.46 points or 0.59 percent to advance to 8,583.78 points from 8,533.32 on Wednesday. The vol-ume of the shares traded rose to over 6 million. But the value of shares decreased to over QR200bn from Wednesday’s QR278.6bn.

Among the top gainers were Industries Qatar which was up 0.75 percent to QR175.10, International Islamic Bank rose 1.16 percent to QR52.50, Qatar Electricity and Water Company gained 3.35 percent to QR139.00 and Al khalij Commercial Bank up by 2.23 percent to QR16.50. The Banking and Financial sec-tor index lost 0.04 points while Consumer Goods and Services sector index added 0.24 points. The industrial sector gained 0.97 points while insurance sector rose 0.26 points.

THE PENINSULA

Qatar Exchange gains 77.56 points; IQ lifts trading value

Qatar’s insurable assets set to go up DOHA: With Qatar planning a series of mega projects in the run up to the 2022 Fifa World Cup event, the number of insur-able assets in the country is set to increase at high rate, Lussail Real Estate Development Company chief executive Essa Mohammed Ali Kaldari said.

Addressing a session at the Multaqa 2013 conference, Kaldari said that Lusail City, where more than $45bn worth of investments has been announced, opens up immense opportunities for insurers.

Kaldari said :“We partner with the best project and man-agement consultants. Our idea is to focus on a model that inte-grates contractors, risk manage-ment and insurance. Previously, insurance was taken by contrac-tors. We are seeing the benefits of taking direct control over insurance.”

The Lusail City mixed-use development project is under construction and will be a “self-contained, holistic, all-inclusive” city that will accommodate 200,000 residents, 170,000 work-ers, and 80,000 visitors, Kaldari said. It will also feature a rail transport system that connects to Doha.

The futuristic project is one of the most ambitious and ground breaking concepts of Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, which aspires to become the most internationally renowned com-pany in real estate investment.

THE PENINSULA

Samsung to launch new smartphone today

KIEV: Ukraine imposed emergency tariffs of 6.5 to 13 percent on auto imports yesterday, a move that is likely to irritate its trade partners in the European Union and Japan. It said it was acting because domestic production had dropped sharply.

The government’s commission on international trade said the duties would affect passenger cars with engine capacities of 1,000 to 2,200 cubic centimetres. The new tariffs — imposed on top of regular 10 percent import duties — will take effect in 30 days and remain in place for three years, it said in the notice published in the gov-ernment’s official gazette.

The move seemed certain to worsen Ukraine’s growing reputation as the new ‘bad boy’ of the World Trade Organization, which it joined in 2008. Ukraine raised eyebrows when it challenged Australian tobacco packaging rules despite hav-ing no interest in the Australian market and hit universal opposition with its lone veto against Yemen joining the global trading body.

More than 100 countries have also decried Kiev’s plans to renegotiate 371 tariff ceilings.

Its safeguards on car imports, by contrast, are likely to be fought by a small number of car-exporting countries. “Due to an increase in the volume of (car) imports and the conditions on which imports are made, local producers have been pushed out of the domestic market,” the government notice said. The commission said Ukraine’s car output had fallen by 79 percent between 2008 and 2010 and there had been

complaints from three local producers. Ukraine’s ZAZ produces, among others, local versions of the Chevrolet Aveo and China’s Chery A13, while other firms assemble Russian-designed Ladas, Korean Hyundais and Volkswagen Skodas.

Japan, the European Union, South Korea and Turkey have all previously voiced concerns about the WTO at the likelihood of Ukraine hiking car tar-iffs. Under WTO rules, countries are allowed to use emergency import restrictions, known as “safeguard measures”, to prevent a particular industry being damaged by a sudden wave of imports. However, Japan said last May that Ukraine’s total car imports had actually fallen between 2008 and 2010.

According to car industry group Ukravtoprom, Ukrainians bought 237,602 new cars last year, of which 204,957, worth $3.247bn, were imported. The three leading exporters to Ukraine were Russia, Germany and Japan.

Car import duties are among those that Ukraine is trying to renegotiate with WTO part-ners, seeking to curb its growing trade deficit.

Some WTO members are worried that the use of ‘safeguard measures’ has become a stealthy route to protectionism, exploited by countries that have never used them in the past.

A US official told a WTO meeting last October that differences over the use of the system had thus far been resolved without triggering trade disputes, but “it should not be assumed that this would continue”, according to confidential min-utes. REUTERS

Ukraine imposes new tariffs on car importsStruggling home industry has to be protected: Govt

A woman passes by cars on sale outside an automobile dealership in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, yesterday.

14 BUSINESSFRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Batelco in talks to buy stake in Reliance Communications unit DUBAI: Bahrain Telecommunications Co (Batelco) is in talks with Reliance Communications to buy a stake in the Indian operator’s enter-prise business unit, the former monopoly said yesterday.

Batelco wants to expand abroad to offset declining domestic income and is keen to return to India, despite its former affiliate S Tel being one of eight mobile operators to lose their telecom licences last year as part of a corrup-tion probe.

“We are in discussions with Reliance Group with respect to Reliance Globalcom,” Batelco chief executive Sheikh Mohamed bin Isa Al Khalifa said in a statement.

Peter Kaliaropoulos, Batelco Group Chief Executive Officer for Strategic Assignments, said the talks were about buying a stake in Reliance Globalcom.

Reliance Communications, India’s No.3 mobile phone carrier by customers, had net debt of about $6.9bn as of December, or more than five times its annu-alised operating profit, making it the most-leveraged Indian phone carrier. Earlier yesterday, the Times of India reported that Batelco and Reliance were in negotiations, saying the Bahraini operator had valued Reliance Globalcom at $1.3bn. The report also said Reliance would retain a minority stake should the deal be completed.

“At this point, there can be no certainty this will lead to a transaction,” Sheikh Mohamed added. Reliance Globalcom provides communications serv-ices to more than 2,100 businesses, 200 carriers and 2.5 million retail custom-ers in 163 countries, according to the company’s website.

It also owns what it says is the largest private undersea cable system, spanning 65,000km.

If successful, this would be Batelco’s second major deal in a matter of months. In December, it agreed to buy Cable & Wireless Communications’ Monaco and Islands division, which owns stakes in telecom operators in 12 markets including the Maldives, Channel Islands and the Seychelles. That deal was worth up to $1bn.

Batelco owns Jordanian telecoms firm Umniah, 27 percent of Yemeni mobile operator Sabafon and minority stakes in internet providers in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and is also active in Egypt, but 59 percent of its 2012 revenue came from its home market, which is deteriorating. Domestic profit fell 32 percent in 2012, outpacing a 12 percent drop in revenue.

Pertamina seeks part of Exxon’s Iraq stake BAGHDAD: Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina is in talks to buy 10-20 percent of Exxon Mobil’s stake in Iraq’s West Qurna-1 oilfield, Indonesia’s Chief Economic Minister said yesterday.

The development of the $50bn West Qurna-1 project has been in ques-tion since last year, when Exxon offered to sell its stake after contracts it signed with the autonomous Kurdistan region riled Baghdad, which rejects them as illegal. Indonesian minister Hatta Rajasa confirmed that Pertamina is interested in buying into the project. It has begun negotiations for a possible 10 to 20 percent stake, he said at a news conference in Baghdad.

Sources have said Exxon is considering selling part of its 60 percent stake in West Qurna-1 to PetroChina, the listed arm of China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC). Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has offered Exxon sweeter contract terms to keep it operating in the south, on condition that the US oil giant gives up its Kurdish deals, industry sources say.

AGENCIES

Oil rebounds towards $110 NEW YORK: Brent crude oil rose towards $110 a barrel yes-terday, rebounding after four days of losses, after the latest indication of a labour market recovery in the United States, the world’s top oil consumer.

US data which showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week also lifted US stocks as the Dow Jones industrial aver-age extended its recent winning streak to 10 days in a row.

A subdued outlook for oil demand growth and easing sup-ply concerns, however, limited the gains.

Brent crude for April rose 86 cents to $109.38 by 12:46pm. EDT (1646 GMT), after trad-ing as high as $109.98. The May Brent contract, which becomes the front-month contract on Friday, was up 44 cents. Brent has fallen for the last four sessions.

US oil rose 25 cents to $92.77. Brent’s premium to US crude widened to about $16.70 after falling on Wednesday below $16, the narrowest since Jan. 23.

“The US jobs data is helping, but it looks like a last trad-ing day short-covering move for April Brent,” said Tony Machacek, an oil futures broker at Jefferies Bache in London.

Oil slipped earlier in the ses-sion as investors focused on a subdued outlook for demand growth in top consumers the United States and China, eas-ing supply concerns.

“It could be related to some buying ahead of the contract expiry,” said Carsten Fritsch at Commerzbank of April Brent’s gain. “News that South Sudan plans to resume oil production in three weeks’ time is weighing on the price of Brent.”

Two of the three most closely watched oil forecasters - the International Energy Agency and U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration - lowered global oil demand growth forecasts this week. The

third, OPEC, flagged downside risks to the outlook. Comments by China’s central bank on sta-bilizing inflation expectations reinforced concern it may drop its pro-growth policy before economic expansion gathers full momentum. The remarks pressured most markets in Asia.

South Sudan said on Tuesday it would be ready to restart oil production - shut down for more than a year - within three weeks and on Wednesday a US

government report said crude stockpiles rose last week.

Opec production is expected to trend higher as Saudi Arabia adds to supplies in coming months. Saudi Arabia expects to raise its oil output in the sec-ond quarter, oil industry sources said last month.

Saudi cut back its output in the last two months of 2012 because of factors including weaker Asian demand and a lower domestic need for crude

in power plants. The US dollar gave up earlier strength to trade lower against a basket of curren-cies. A weaker dollar can make oil cheaper for other currency hold-ers, and support oil prices.

Britain’s top shares rose to a new five-year closing high on Thursday, led by financials, helped by further signs of strength in the US economy.

The FTSE 100 ended up 47.91 points, or 0.7 percent, at 6,529.41, its highest close since late 2007, after better than expected US weekly jobless claims data.

Some bet on more gains from the index, up almost 11 percent this year and around 6 percent shy of an all-time closing high of 6,930.20 set in December 1999, months before the dot-com bub-ble burst.

“Overall the trend from a technical point of view looks healthy and upwards ... I don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility that the FTSE could hit an all-time high some time this year,” said Angus Campbell, head of market analysis at Capital Spreads.

Financials led the risers, with good gains seen from Prudential, up 2.7 percent, as yield-hungry investors continued to snap up shares in the insurer which ramped up its dividend by a bigger-than-expected 16 percent on Wednesday.

Retailers were also in favour. Britain’s fourth-biggest grocer Wm Morrison added 1.7 percent after raising its dividend by 10 percent and announcing talks with online grocer Ocado over an online food operation.

Ocado, which has been the talk of bid rumours involving Morrisons and is one of the most shorted stocks on the FTSE indexes, also reported a strong rise in recent sales and jumped 23.7 percent, the stan-dout midcap gainer.

Britain’s biggest household goods retailer Home Retail rose 12 percent after it hiked its profit forecast for the second time in 2013. AGENCIES

SWISS to buy six Boeing 777 for $1.6bn GENEVA: Switzerland’s lead-ing airline SWISS said yester-day that it would buy Boeing planes for the first time, order-ing six long-range 777 jetliners to replace its Airbus A340s.

SWISS said it would pay 1.5bn Swiss francs ($1.6bn, ¤1.2 bn) for the aircraft. “SWISS will begin replacing its present long-haul aircraft fleet from 2016 onwards. To this end, orders have been placed for six Boeing B777-300ER aircraft,” said the airline, which belongs to German Lufthansa and which has never flown Boeings before.

The announcement was part of a larger Lufthansa order for 108 new Airbus and Boeing planes for a total of ¤9.0bn.

The twin-engine Boeing jets will be used on SWISS’s routes to destinations like San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Bangkok, Beijing and Johannesburg, it said in a state-ment, adding that the planes, with 330 seats, were so fuel efficient they would cost it 23 percent less in fuel and CO2 taxes than its four-engine A340s.

“The Boeing B777-300ER has the ideal size and range to meet our Swiss market needs,” SWISS chief executive Harry Hohmeister said in the statement, pointing

out that the airline needed to keep up with its competitors who were already running planes with more the 300 seats on the

routes in question. The decision was “crucial to retaining our competitive edge,” he said, while pointing out that the 777 was

already in service elsewhere in the Lufthansa Group, including at Austrian Airlines.

AFP

Marcel Klaus (right), Chief Financial Officer, speaks next to Harry Hohmeister, Chief Executive Officer, and Rainer Hiltebrand, Chief Operation Officer, at a press conference of the SWISS international airlines, in Kloten, Switzerland, yesterday.

Britain’s FTSE hits new five-year closing high

A board displaying Germany’s share index DAX at the stock exchange in Frankfurt in western Germany, yesterday.

COPENHAGEN: Denmark is poised to raise the capital requirement for six banks iden-tified as being too big to fail in a government committee report released yesterday.

Danske Bank, Nykredit, Nordea Bank Danmark, Jyske Bank, BRFkredit and Sydbank were listed as being the country’s so called Systemically Important Financial Institutions (SIFIs), in a report handed over to Minister for Business and Growth Annette

Vilhelmsen. “Danish SIFIs should become subject to an additional capital requirement of common equity Tier 1 capital of one to 3.5 percent of the risk-weighted assets,” committee chairman Michael Moeller, wrote in a let-ter to the minister. Tier 1 capital is a core measure of a bank’s abil-ity to withstand sudden financial shocks.

The committee suggested rais-ing the trigger for crisis man-agement of a bank to around 10

percent of total capital, com-pared with the current eight percent threshold. “The gov-ernment generally supports the recommendations from the committee,” Vilhelmsen said in a statement.

“These institutions are so large that it can affect the entire finan-cial system and the economy as a whole if they get into trouble,” she added. Financial observers said the committee’s proposals would result in higher costs for

consumers. “Bank customers will pay a higher price so banks can make more money and raise the capital that’s required of them,” John Norden, founder of finan-cial website Mybanker told daily Politiken.

Denmark has been dipping in and out of recession since the financial meltdown of 2008, as its banks buckled under a more than 20-percent fall in property prices and toxic loans to debt-laden farmers. AFP

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

*Periodic Distribution Amount

QATARI MARKETBond Coupon Maturity Currency Mid Price Yield Moodys S&P

Qatar Govt 5.15% 09/04/2014 USD 104.69 0.74 % Aa2 AA

Qatar Govt 3.125% 20/01/2017 USD 105.94 1.53 % Aa2 AA

Qatar Govt 6.55% 09/04/2019 USD 124.25 2.25 % Aa2 AA

Qatar Govt 5.25% 20/01/2020 USD 117.25 2.49 % Aa2 AA

Qatar Govt 4.5% 20/01/2022 USD 112.25 2.92 % Aa2 AA

Qatar Govt 9.75% 15/06/2030 USD 170.75 4.02 % Aa2 AA

Qatar Govt 6.4% 20/01/2040 USD 130.50 4.44 % Aa2 AA

Qatar Govt 5.75% 20/01/2042 USD 120.38 4.48 % Aa2 AA

Qatari Diar 3.5% 21/07/2015 USD 105.25 1.23 % Aa2 AA

Qatari Diar 5% 21/07/2020 USD 114.25 2.84 % Aa2 AA

Comqat 5% 18/11/2014 USD 105.63 1.58 % A1 A-

Comqat 3.375% 11/04/2017 USD 104.75 2.15 % A1 A-

QIB 3.856% 07/10/2015 USD 104.50 2.05 % NR NR

QNB 3.125% 16/11/2015 USD 103.88 1.63 % Aa3 A+

QNB 3.375% 22/02/2017 USD 104.63 2.14 % Aa3 A+

Doha Bank 3.5% 14/03/2017 USD 104.50 2.32 % A2 A-

Qtel 3.375% 14/10/2016 USD 105.75 1.71 % A2 A

Qtel 7.875% 10/06/2019 USD 130.75 2.52 % A2 A

Qtel 4.75% 16/02/2021 USD 111.75 3.07 % A2 A

Qtel 5% 19/10/2025 USD 110.50 3.93 % A2 A

Rasgas 5.5% 30/09/2014 USD 106.75 1.08 % Aa3 A

Rasgas 5.832% 30/09/2016 USD 108.13 3.38 % Aa3 A

Rasgas 5.298% 30/09/2020 USD 111.38 3.56 % Aa3 A

SOVEREIGNSBond PDA* Maturity Currency Mid Price Yield Moodys S&P

Abu Dhabi Govt 5.5% 08/04/2014 USD 105.00 0.78 % Aa2 AA

Abu Dhabi Govt 6.75% 08/04/2019 USD 126.00 2.15 % Aa2 AA

Dubai Govt 6.7% 05/10/2015 USD 110.63 2.39 % NR NR

Dubai Govt 4.9% 02/05/2017 USD 107.50 2.96 % NR NR

Dubai Govt 7.75% 05/10/2020 USD 125.13 3.88 % NR NR

Dubai Govt 6.45% 02/05/2022 USD 117.75 4.10 % NR NR

Qatar Govt 4% 20/01/2015 USD 105.75 0.86 % Aa2 AA

Bahrain Govt 6.273% 22/11/2018 USD 115.63 3.24 % NR BBB

Bahrain Govt 5.5% 31/03/2020 USD 110.13 3.84 % NR BBB

Egypt Govt 5.75% 29/04/2020 USD 92.25 7.16 % B2 B-

Morocco Govt 4.5% 05/10/2020 EUR 106.13 3.57 % NR BBB-

BRENT

$109.98

DUBAI

$108.22

QATAR EXCHANGE | DAILY TRADING REPORT | 14-03-2013

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS A List of Shares from the worldCOMPANY CLOSE NET VOLUME NAME CHG TRADED

COMPANY CLOSE NET VOLUME NAME CHG TRADED

COMPANY CLOSE NET VOLUME NAME CHG TRADED

COMPANY CLOSE NET VOLUME NAME CHG TRADED

COMPANY CLOSE NET VOLUME NAME CHG TRADED

COMPANY CLOSE NET VOLUME NAME CHG TRADED

A C C-A/D 1259.15 7.15 31268

Aarti Drugs-B/D 191.65 1.3 1760

Aban Offs-B/D 282.45 -0.9 46319

Aegis Logis-B/D 149.05 -1.35 13100

Ahmed.Forg-B/D 120 -1.3 3490

Alembic-B/D 17.4 0.05 15224

Alok Indus-B/D 8.39 -0.19 655108

Andhra Paper-B/D 191.5 1.45 18683

Apollo Tyre-A/D 87.8 2.1 126956

Asahi I Glass-/D 53.15 0.05 69294

Ashok Leyland-/D 22.75 0.05 460193

Bajaj Hold-A/D 908.75 -5.2 1929

Ballarpur In-B/D 18.55 -0.05 20871

Bata India-A/D 751 -4.95 34637

Beml Ltd-B/D 192.95 -5.2 31712

Bharatgears-B/D 41.1 -0.35 8108

Bhel-A/D 198.8 1.75 376387

Bom.Burmah-B/D 117.9 1.35 17154

Bombay Dyeing-/D 97.9 -0.15 72590

Cable Corp.-B/D 18.75 0.7 2761

Canfin Homes-B/D 160.15 0.1 8662

Caprihans-B/D 46.5 0.55 1563

Castrol Ind-A/D 328.65 -0.65 11707

Century Text-A/D 319.85 0.85 160925

Chambal Fert-B/D 55.1 -0.25 138201

Chola Invest-B/D 286.95 0.7 2056

Chowgule St-B/D 12.98 0.34 1745

Cipla-A/D 385.35 1.85 158335

City Union Bk-/D 55.5 -0.15 38306

Cmc Ltd-B/D 1319.8 -1.2 1769

Colgate-A/D 1317.6 7.75 9941

Dai-Bichi Kar-/D 42.9 0.4 10779

Dcm Financia-B/D 1.4 -0.02 8813

Dhampur Sugar-/D 49.2 -1.9 13777

Dr. Reddy-A/D 1817.6 12.4 5769

E I H-B/D 62.4 0.15 4849

E.I.D Parry-B/D 164.65 1.3 25649

Electrosteel-B/D 19.4 0.05 28172

Emco-B/D 22.4 -0.25 5540

Escorts-B/D 58.8 0.35 107533

Essar Oil-A/D 85.85 0.05 887579

Eveready Indu-/D 18 0.35 84924

F D C-B/D 92.95 0.75 26058

Federal Bank-A/D 491.75 7.1 19855

Ferro Alloys-B/D 5.89 -0.1 34696

Finolex-B/D 96.5 -3.65 197850

Forbes-B/D 630.7 -0.55 1832

Gail-A/D 332.75 -7.1 82145

Gammon India-B/D 27 0.2 48699

Garden P -B/D 53.15 0.15 2713

Goodricke-B/D 134.75 0.85 4997

Goodyear I -B/D 282.05 2 5845

Hcl Infosys-B/D 40 0.05 140709

Him.Fut.Comm-B/D 8.86 0.04 350305

Himat Seide-B/D 34.8 -0.05 81651

Hind Motors-B/D 9.66 0.02 80017

Hind Org Chem-/D 13.05 0.03 26970

Hind Unilever-/D 455.8 9.1 633922

Hind.Petrol-A/D 305.5 4.75 99922

Hindalco-A/D 96.05 0.2 1761137

Hous Dev Fin-A/D 813.6 4.85 328064

I F C I-A/D 28.8 1.1 3683321

Idbi-A/D 90.05 1.4 600837

Ifb Ind.Ltd.-B/D 88.65 -0.5 10920

India Cement-B/D 85.15 0.5 35834

India Glycol-B/D 138.95 -5.25 11293

Indian Hotel-A/D 58.7 0.75 68041

Indo-Bcount-B/D 12.06 -0.19 3405

Indusind-A/D 430.7 7.55 102187

J.B.Chemical-B/D 81.85 0.35 21073

Jagatjit Ind-B/D 55 1.15 6500

Jamnaauto-B/D 77.35 2.35 121397

Jbf Indu-B/D 105.8 0.15 2014

Jct Elect P -B/D 0.4 -0.03 22152

Jct Ltd-B/D 1.13 0.02 24180

Jenson&Nich.-B/D 3.24 0.05 9623

Jik Indust-B/D 1.25 -0.03 26170

Jktyre&Ind-B/D 104.25 -0.9 5773

Kajaria Cer-B/D 186.85 -8.25 4892

Kalpat Power-B/D 79.55 -0.85 18788

Kalyani Stel-B/D 42.6 -0.6 19469

Kg Denim-B/D 14.97 -0.04 4952

Kilburnengg-B/D 12.02 -0.37 19076

Kin.Motor-B/D 8.7 -0.04 5421

Kinetic Eng-T/D 78.45 1.5 5417

Kopran-B/D 15.84 0.11 29858

Lloyd Steel-B/D 11.85 0.06 27904

Lok.Hous&Con-B/D 19 -0.3 26675

Lumax Ind-B/D 341.65 -0.9 5937

Lupin-A/D 599.7 -1 27448

Lyka Labs-B/D 9.85 -0.07 6202

Mafatlal Ind-B/D 104.5 -3.05 9117

Mangalam Cem-B/D 138.05 -0.7 4231

Maral Overs-B/D 11.2 0.1 4723

Mastek-B/D 133.1 3.55 16525

Max India L-A/D 228.8 4.25 15666

Mrpl-A/D 52.5 -1.1 111179

Nahar Spg.-B/D 78.6 -1 7136

Nation Alum -A/D 44.25 -2.05 429384

Navneet Pub.-B/D 61 -0.15 66521

Nepc India-B/D 2 0 6815

Neuland Lab-B/D 90.75 -3.35 11186

O N G C-A/D 320.05 3.35 432940

Ocl India-B/D 150.05 0.05 19198

Oil Country-B/D 40.75 -0.4 2515

Onward Tech-T/D 43 0 1776

Orchid Chem-B/D 84.85 -0.8 684199

Orient.Carb.-B/D 99.6 1.75 2600

Orient.Carb.-B/D 99.6 1.75 2600

Patspin India-/D 5.35 -0.3 104891

Radico Khait-B/D 134.55 -1.7 12069

Rallis India-B/D 126.95 2.6 93958

Rallis India-B/D 126.95 2.6 93958

Reliance Indus/D 365 6.15 64074

Ruchi Soya-B/D 59.9 -0.45 7343

S Bk Bikaner-B/D 437.05 4 6510

Tanfac Indust-/D 13.52 -1.03 9577

Tanfac Indust-/D 13.52 -1.03 9577

Thirumalai-B/D 104.8 1.75 17887

Til Ltd.-B/D 168.65 2.2 48465

Timexgroup-B/D 16.5 -0.55 34999

Tinplate-B/D 42.3 -0.15 3262

Ub Engineer-B/D 24.95 0.2 15947

Ub Engineer-B/D 24.95 0.2 15947

Ucal Fuel-B/D 56.35 -0.25 3493

Ucal Fuel-B/D 56.35 -0.25 3493

Ultramarine-B/D 57.4 2.05 6733

Unitech P -A/D 29.6 1.7 5514912

Univcable-B/D 33.05 0.05 3193

3I Group/D 324.5822 5 910777

Assoc.Br.Foods/D 1889 0 206247

B Sky B/D 870.5 6 2694885

Barclays/D 317.75 3.05 15817701

Bg Group/D 1178.5 -3.5 991533

Bp/D 448.54 -2.3 5055770

Brit Am Tobacc/D 3482.5 -8.5 916203

British Airway/D 276.4574 0 0

Bt Group/D 270.4 4.6 8286453

Centrica/D 355.8 0.3 2083511

Gkn/D 274.3 -3.5 967932

Hsbc Holdings/D 737.7 11.1 5613345

Imperial Tobac/D 2388 -5 500141

Kingfisher/D 288.5 -1.5 2382691

Land Secs Grou/D 819.5 1.5 578042

Legal & Genera/D 172.8 3.8 3199885

Lloyds Bnk Grp/D 50.5345 -0.83 42402345

Marks & Sp./D 362.5 3.5 1307697

Next/D 4132 22 126583

Pearson/D 1202 3 572880

Prudential/D 1165.5656 41 4018372

Rank Group/D 163.7 -0.6 29428

Rentokil Initi/D 90.5 0.95 533588

Rolls Royce Pl/D 1075.02 13 1230236

Rsa Insrance G/D 119.0744 0.7 3130455

Sainsbury(J)/D 358.8 0.8 1848905

Schroders/D 2145 11 203118

Severn Trent/D 1632 -14 138313

Smith&Nephew/D 744 3.5 429159

Smiths Group/D 1314 3 89044

Standrd Chart /D 1764.5 43.5 1543806

Tate & Lyle/D 831.5 2.5 224074

Tesco/D 380.2 4.6 15086161

Unilever/D 2734 -7 584495

United Util Gr/D 709.35 -5.5 613879

Vodafone Group/D 183.7 1.45 21531638

Whitbread/D 2628 31 120039

LONDON

EXCHANGE RATE

GOLD & SILVERWORLD STOCK INDICES

CRUDE OIL

Buying Selling

QE Market Summary Comparison Today Previous day

14-03-2013 13-03-2013

Index 8,583.78 8,533.32

Change 50.46 21.14

% 2.69 0.25

YTD% 2.09 2.09

Volume 6,031,362 5,953,127

Value (QAR) 200,051,670.85 278,695,929.48

Trades 2,763 2,612

Up 22 | Down 12 | Unchanged 02

INDEX Day’s Close Pt Chg % Chg Year High Year Low

GOLDQR185.6172

SILVERQR 3.3707

US$ ..........................QR 3.6305 QR 3.6500

UK ...........................QR 5.4061 QR 5.4826

Euro .........................QR 4.6774 QR 4.7427

CA$ ..........................QR 3.5161 QR 3.5846

Swiss Fr ..................QR 3.7910 QR 3.8441

Yen ..........................QR 0.0377 QR 0.0384

Aus$ ........................QR 3.7356 QR 3.8088

Ind Re ......................QR 0.0663 QR 0.0677

Pak Re .....................QR 0.0369 QR 0.0376

Peso ........................QR 0.0887 QR 0.0905

SL Re .......................QR 0.0286 QR 0.0292

Taka .........................QR 0.0459 QR 0.0468

Nep Re ....................QR 0.0417 QR 0.0426

SA Rand ..................QR 0.3912 QR 0.3990

All Ordinaries 5043.772 -60.632 -1.19 5174.4 4664.6

Cac 40 Index/D 3859.24 23.2 0.6 3855.07 3600.81

Dj Indu Average 14455.28 5.22 0.04 14413.2 12035.1

Egypt Cma Gn Idx 1026.29 32.57 3.28 999.95 312.38

Hang Seng Inde/D 22619.18 62.53 0.28 23944.74 22445.34

Iseq Overall/D 3887.87 29.24 0.76 3885.68 3396.67

Karachi 100 In/D 17740.69 -19.75 -0.11 18312.65 16036.31

Nikkei 225 Index 12381.19 141.53 1.16 12461.97 10398.61

S&P 500 Index/D 0 0 0 1552.48 1266.74

Straits Times/D 3279.5 -9.02 -0.27 3319.19 3160.83

Straits Times/D 2989.31 24.69 0.83 3035.78 2657.77

QE Indices SummaryQE Index 8,583.78 0.59 %

QE Total Return Index 11,988.74 0.59 %

QE Al Rayan Islamic Index 2,570.79 0.59 %

QE All Share Index 2,134.24 0.44 %

QE All Share Banks & Financial Services

2,038.56 0.04 %

QE All Share Consumer Goods & Services

4,985.62 0.24 %

QE All Share Industrials 2,883.61 0.97 %

QE All Share Insurance 1,960.99 0.26 %

QE All Share Real Estate 1,541.44 0.67 %

QE All Share Telecoms 1,157.11 0.82 %

QE All Share Transportation 1,458.08 0.93 %

MARKET 15FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

CLASSIFIEDS 17FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

SERVICES

PARAGON SHIPPING & LOGISTIC W.L.L.For International/Local Relocation. Doha - Qatar. Mobile: 55803404 Tel: 44299555

E2E GLOBAL PACKERS & MOVERS W.L.L.Professional’s in Int’l & Domestic Relocations & RemovalsOffice Shifting & Industrial Packing. E: info@e2eqatar.com Tel: 4451 6688, Mobile: 5599 0644, Fax: 4468 8631

COMPUTER TRAINING CENTRE

FAMILY COMPUTER CENTREAl Rayyan Complex, Rayyan Road.Tel: 44435361/44370779 Fax: 44449130

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

AL MUTWASSIT CLEANING & PEST CONTROLKharaba Street, Behind White Mosque, Tel: 44367555 Fax: 44367999 GSM: 55875920/55860432

PRESTIGE GENERAL SERVICESGeneral Cleaning for Villas, Flats, Sofa, Carpets, Floor Tiles, Marble Polish. Daily, Weekly, Monthly & Yearly Contracts. GSM: 66752291 Tel: 44323040 Fax: 44131012 E-mail: prestigepartner@yahoo.com - www.prestigegeneralservices.com

CAPITAL CLEANING COMPANY W.L.L.Complete General Cleaning Services for Old and New VillasTel: 44582257/44582546 Fax: 44582529 Mobile: 33189899/ 55565328 E-mail: capitalcleaningwll@gmail.com

FIDELITY SERVICES COMPANYPart-Time Maid Service. Reliable maids for cleaning and generalhousekeeping duties. Flexible packages at low ratesFor booking : 66144629, 44186738

AL SADEQ TRAD. & MAINTENANCE CO.General Cleaning for Villa, Flat, Building, Carpet Shampooing, Sofa Sets, Marble Polish, Manpower Supply & Pest Control - Daily, Weekly, Monthly & Yearly Contracts (24 Hours Service). GSM: 33020107/33020108 Tel: 4436068 Fax: 44353336 E-mail: alsadeq-2000@hotmail.com -niyasahd@yahoo.com

NATIONAL COMPUTER CENTERDesktops, Laptops, Printers, Scanners, UPS, Softwares, ERP, Accessories, Networking & CablingTel: 44351200 Fax: 44315058 - natcomp@qatar.net.qa

COMPUTERS & NETWORKING

FLORIST

QATAR INTERNATIONAL NURSERYGarden Services, Irrigation Systems, Soft & Hard Landscaping, Indoor & Outdoor Plants, Water Fountains, Fresh Cut Flowers & Garden Maintenance. Tel: 44212630Fax: 44213619 www.qinagriqatar.com E-mail: qinqatar@hotmail.com

APOLLO FURNITURE Salwa Road. Tel: 44689522 (3 Lines) www.apollofurnitureonline.com

FURNITURE

ARTIFACTS OF ARABIASolid Wood Furniture, Antiques, Art & Decor. Call David: 55614573 www.artifactsofarabia.com

APOLLO ENTERPRISES Crystal Bond Glass Coating Against The Sun’s Harmful Rays, Heat Resistance. Salwa Road. Tel: 44426664 GSM: 55830870/33599574 E-mail: mlibor@belzona.org

GLASS COATING

DENTAL

AL MASA DENTAL COMPLEXDR. Saeed Mohammed Abdelkhalek, MS, Prosthodontics. Opposite Villagio. Tel: 44513289 Fax: 44693086

AL MASA DENTAL COMPLEXDR. Sami Khalil Elmorsi Elsharoud, MS, Restorative Dentisty & Endodontics. Opposite Villagio. Tel: 44513289 Fax: 44693086

AL MASA DENTAL COMPLEXDR. Mohammed Naveed Yawar GB, General Scope Dentist (Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences). Opposite Villagio. Tel: 44513289 Fax: 44693086

INTN’L TRDG. & TECHNICAL SVCS. CO. (INTER-TECH)Planning, Design, Engineering, Supply, Installation, Testing, Commissioning, Multi System Integration, Maintenance in Telecommunication, Electronics, Power, Security & Cabling.Tel: 44416556 Fax: 44416410 - intertek@qatar.net.qa

ENTERPRISE TELEPHONY AND SECURITY SOLUTIONS

AL HAWAL GROUPJob Card, Job Order, Job Bill, Project Costing, Sales, Inventory, Purchase, Sales, Payroll & Accounts, Only QR.2,500. Tel: 44311705 GSM: 55231633

ERP SOFTWARE

JEWELLERY

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INVEST IN QATAR

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HELPLINE GROUP OF COMPANIESWe provide A to Z support for the Company Formation, Commercial Registration, PRO Services & Real Estate Services. Call Now: 77711129/44351974/44919213 - www.helplinegroups.com

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Software Lab QatarP.O. Box : 31400, Doha, QatarTel: +974 44622703, 44622705 GSM: 66836037

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• Document Management System • Inventory Management System • Plant Management System

Expertise and capability to develop any kind of Software to suit your specific business needs!!!

INTN’L TRDG. & TECHNICAL SVCS. CO. (INTER-TECH)Hardware, Software, Networking, ERP, Cabling, Servers, UPS, Network Operation, Maintenance, etc.Tel: 44416556 Fax: 44416410 - intertek@qatar.net.qa

ARTIFACTS OF ARABIAArabian Style Gifts and Souvenirs See. Also Corporate Contracts and Tenders. www.artifactsofarabia.com GSM: 55614573 - David

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IMPORT FROM CHINA/INDIABuilding Materials/Industrial Items/Steel/Aluminium Sections/ Panels, etc. 18 year old Indian Company having China Office.GSM: 33391248, mail@baysideqatar.com

‘WE GET THE JOB DONE’Specialised in Governmental work, Work Visa, Family Visa, Resident Permits and many more. Email: info@deltaqatar.com Tel: 44675502, Fax: 4467-5503 Website: deltaqatar.com

LIVE, WORK & STUDY IN CANADA/AUSTRALIAWork Permit Visas for: Hotel Staff, Administrators, Sales Associates, Male & Female Cooks, Light & Heavy Drivers + Mechanics and more..E-mail: info@dubaimcs.com - www.dubaimcs.com

MISSION SERVICESSpecialised in govermental services processess: establishing new companies, immigration services, traffic and labor departments and other authorities. Our mission is to get your job done. Tel: 44131358 Fax: 44131359 E-mail: info@mission-qatar.com

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AL SHARK EXHIBITIONBin Mehmoud - Tel./Fax: 44422906

AL JAWHAR CURTAINS & FURNITURESalwa Road, Qatar Decoration Roundabout. Tel: 44689897

KASHMIR HANDICRAFT EMPORIUMHandmade Cartpets, Handicrafts & Furniture. Al Mirgab Street, Al Naser. Tel: 44432761 GSM: 55553407

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APOLLO ENTERPRISESBelzona Polymerics - Tel: 44426664 GSM: 55871914/55524897 E-mail: apollo@qatar.net.qainquiry@apollo-chemicals.com

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MUSIC HOUSECourses Offered: Guitar, Drums, Keyboard, Violin, Voice, Piano, Piano Tuning + Rentals, Band Rehearsal Studio. Call: 44550203/ 77469047/66022769 - E-mail: musichouse.qa@live.com

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THAI LADY MASSAGE & BEAUTY SALONFor Ladies. Thai Massage, Oil Massage, Steam Bath Home Visit. Villa No.4, Al Kinana St., Al Sadd Road.Tel: 44350143

KOTTAKKAL AYURVEDIC MASSAGE CENTREOil Massage, Hotel & Home Visit. Opposite Hamad Hospital. Al Rayyan Street. Tel.: 44360061 GSM: 33453697

INTERNATIONAL MASSAGE CENTER (AYURVEDIC)Rejuvanation, Back & Joints Pain, Paralysis, Rheumatic Diseases. Home Services. Opposite: Al Jazeera TV, Bin Omran. Tel.: 44218166 GSM: 77702421

iRest Massage ChairBuy Online www.qbuy.qa 2nd Floor, Quality Hyper MarketGSM: 55684777

MEDIHERBSeparate Section for Gents & Ladies. Back, Neck & Joint Care, Indian Ayurvedic Massage, Holistic Rejuvenating Massage. Fareej Al Nasar, Near Midmac R/A.Tel.: 44690363 GSM: 66167700 www.mediherbqatar.com

MANPOWER SUPPLY

HOMEPAC INTERNATIONAL REMOVALSLocal & International Relocation. Professional Packing. 24 Hrs Service. Qatar - Tel: 44181800/30082345, Dubai - 042399883, Bahrain - 17710250, Dammam- 038330044 E-mail- qatar@homepac.com

GOLDEN-WING & LOGISTIC W.L.L.For International/Local Relocation of Domestic and Office Shifting & Industrial Packing. Doha - Qatar.GSM: 33319683/77699128

MOVERS

AL ALLAM CLEANING CO. W.L.L.For all kinds of Cleaning & Pest Control Services. Part-time Maid Service, Reliable maid’s for cleaning and general housekeeping duties. Flexible packages. For Bookings: 44120441 Fax: 44120029 GSM: 30050955

GLOBAL NETWORK TELECOM CENTERData & Telephone Calling, PABX, Telephones, Firewall, Antivirus and Software Solutions, Sales & Services.Contact: 66244007/66153219/44863622

AGAPE INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS WLLInternational & Local Relocation, Packing & Removals, Customs Clearance, Storage, Air, Sea and Land SVS. Tel: 44581554/55883468, E-mail: info@agapegroups.com

ACCOUNTING SOFTWARES

ARTECHSage Accounting, Peachtree, QuickBooks, Dynacom, DacEasy, Tally, POS, Bar Code, Fixed Assets Software’s.Tel: +974 44375654 E-mail: artech@ar-technology.net

GEM ADVERTISING & PUBLICATIONS(Overseas Newspaper Advertisements) Tel: 44442001 GSM: 55783303

ADVERTISING OVERSEAS NEWSPAPER

QATAR INTERNATIONAL ADVENTURESTel: 44553954, 44677406 GSM: 55527225E-mail: info@qia-qatar.com - Website: www.qia-qatar.com

ADVENTURE IN QATAR

BLINDS

AL JAWHAR CURTAINS & FURNITUREVertical-Venitian Blinds. Salwa Road, Qatar Decoration R/A. Tel: 44689897

AL SHARK EXHIBITIONVertical-Venitian Blinds. Bin Mehmoud. Tel./Fax: 44422906

BLASTING AND PAINTING

M. PALLONJI QATARP.O. BOX: 23933. E-mail: mpallonji@qatar.net.qaTel: 44606822 Fax: 44606977 GSM:55879234

SKATE SHACKAl Ain # 3, Salwa Road, For Direction call: Tel: 446-92532 GSM: 552-47885/779-36152 - www.skate-shack.com

BICYCLES & WATER SPORTS

A/C MAINTENANCE & SERVICES

BURHA TRADINGAll kinds of A/C Maintenance & Services A/C Tech. from Philippines. Waranty after maintenance Something different at moderate prices. Tel: 33202138 / 77619899

FIDELITY SERVICES COMPANYA/C. Maintenance, Cleaning, Relocation, Repair for all types of AC’s 7/7 - Office: 44186738, GSM: 66144629

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HELPLINE GROUP OF COMPANIESCertificate attestation from India, UK, USA, Australia, Gulf Countries and Canada. We have 15 years experience & approved Agency. GSM: 77711129 Tel: 44351974/44919213 - www.helplinegroups.com

NEW INDIA ATTESTATIONToll Free: 8001516, Express Attestation in days, Document Insured. Affordable Rate. Payment after delivery. Free collection & delivery. Track your document. From India/UK/USA/GCC. We arrange Pancard. T: 44430824 M: 66166884/30092444 Powered by Ametek www.newindiaattestation.com

AL BAHIYA DOCUMENT CLEARINGCertificate Attestation in 4 Working Days from India/UK/USA/Canada and GCC. Tracking Facility. Free Pick-Up & Delivery.GSM: 55540420/66602980 www.attestation.qa

BUYING & SELLING

BUYING HOUSEHOLD ITEMSWe buy all kinds of used household items & electronics. We do local mooving household items. Please contact: 55878123

BUYING SECONDHAND ITEMSA/Cs, Bedroom Sets, Scrap A/Cs, Refrigerators. Bedroom Fixing and House Shifting. Please contact: Samim - 33281360/70615159

INDEX GROUPCertificate attestation from India, UK, USA, Australia & GCC Countries. Translation and Pan Card Service. Free Collection & Delivery.Contact: 66660729/44319651 www.indexgroups.com

CLASSIFIEDS18FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

APOLLO REAL ESTATEDoha’s leading Real Estate Agency can offer you a wide selection of available

properties. Apartment to compounds and office space. Give us your requirements and let us find you a place that fits. With over 30 years experience in Doha, we know the market.

Qatar’s first Real Estate Company under British ManagementCall: Office: 44689522, Maureen 55864352

Abubakar 55850815, Peter 55506803, Dexter 55872145www.apollopropertiesonline.com

For advertisements, call: 44557857

FOR RENT FOR SALESERVICES

SERVICES

WATER TANK CLEANING

AL MUTWASSIT CLEANING & PEST CONTROLKharaba st, Behind white Mosque. Fax: 443679 99 GSM. 55875920/55860432

CAPITAL CLEANING COMPANYCleaning Water Tanks & Pest Control. Fax: 44582529GSM: 55565328/33189899 Tel: 44582257/44582546E-mail: capitalcleaning@gmail.com/capitalcleaningwll@gmail.com

WEBSITE

AL HAWAL GROUPWebsite Designing, Statics & Dynamic, Web Portal, Online Store Online Booking, Online Appointment, Starting only QR.1,000. Tel: 44311705 GSM: 55231633

TRANPORTATION

YALLA TRANSPORTATIONComprehensive transport services affording rental of busses and vans with drivers. Tel: 777.92552 Web: www.yallatransportation.com

TRANSLATION SERVICES

QATAR INTERNATIONAL TOURS Tel: 44551141/44552242 GSM: 55010137/55864568Fax: 44653461 E-mail: info@qittour.comWebsite: www.qittour.com

TOURS IN QATAR

SCAFFOLDING

APOLLO ENTERPRISES SCAFFOLDING DIVISIONContract/Hire/Sale - Salwa Road. Tel: 44693334 Fax: 44416274 GSM: 55521089/55560246/55536285 www.apollo-qatar.net - E-mail: apolloscaff@qatar.net.qa

COSMOS TOOLS & INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES CO. W.L.LScaffolding & Ladders. Tel: 44151824 (3 Lines), 44315500 Fax: 44151825/ 44214809 GSM: 55898593 E-mail: sales@cosmoscotools.comMain Showroom: Beside Doha Stadium, near to Clock R/A. Branch: Barwa Village, Bldg. No.2, Shop 8 & 10

STATIONERY & OFFICE SUPPLIES

TRIOS - OFFICE & PROJECT SUPPLIESStationary, Computer Supplies, Gift Items, Cad Plotting & Digital Printing. Tel: 44919114-15 Fax: 44919116 E-mail: sales@triosqatar.com - www.triosqatar.com

SAFETY TRAINING

RENT A CAR

AL DAR CAR RENTAL24 Hours. Bin Omran, Ahmed Bin Ali St., PO Box 24816 Tel: 44877789 GSM: 55599972/55732070, Fax: 44866637 aldar-car-rental@hotmail.com

COUNTRY RENT A CAR - BARWA AL WAKRAA car has a choice of vehicles to suit your needs. Special cost provide nice service to our customer. What’s more? Comprehensive, Maintenances & Replacement Vehicle. Come to you at affordable rates, etc. Tel.: 44154467 GSM: 55440424 E-mail: countryrentacar.qa@hotmail.com

GO RENT A CARCompetitive Rates for Car Rental & Leasing. Tel: 44325500 Fax: 44375753 GSM: 33697075/66983107 E-mail: info@gorac.com.qa

REGENCY FLEETS (A Regency Group Co.)Special Corporate leasing and Rental rates. Price includes Comprehensive Insurance, Maintenance, Replacement Vehicle etc. Driven by Values. E-mail: info@regencyfleets.com Tel: 44433822/44554046 Fax: 44554047 Branches: Airport - Tel.: 44153086 Beverly Hills - Tel.: 44122131 Movenpick Tower & Suites: Tel.: 44966107/30122300

JABRCO RENT A CARWe have many vehicles like 2009, 2010 & 2011 models for rent with a comfortable price on daily/weekly and monthly. Main office: 44663933 GSM: 33131241 - Branch Barwa Village: 44152020 GSM: 33640652 E-mail: jabrco.companies@hotmail.com

E2E FLEETS15/26/30/55/60/65 Seated Buses with or without DriverExcellent Service & Competitive rates - Tel: 4460 5291Email: fleets@e2eqatar.com - Mobile: 3307 4056

PEST CONTROL & CLEANING

DOHA PEST CONTROL & CLEANING CO. W.L.L. For Pest Control & Cleaning Services - Fax: 44360838.Email: dohapest@qatar.net.qa GSM: 55513862/55814832/ 55514709 Tel:44360901/902 Web: www.dohapest.com

QATAR PEST CONTROL COMPANY W.L.L.Email: qatarpest@qatar.net.qa web: www.qatarpest.com GSM: 55517254/66590617 Tel: 44222888 Fax: 44368727

PARTY KINGDOMNear Jaidah Flyover, Nasrallah Centre. Tel: 44353501/ 44366431E-mail: partykingdom10doha@yahoo.com

PARTY ITEMS & BALLOON DECORATION

TRADE CHEM LTD.P O Box: 21748Tel: +974 44278006 Fax: +974 44278007E-mail: sales@tradechem.org

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BEAM CONSTRUCTIONNear Al Saliya Sports Stadium. Tel: 44901760 Fax: 44901566 GSM: 33138018 E-mail: pcs@beam-ig.com

AL SULAIMAN RENT A CARMain Office D’ Ring Road. Tel: 44911711/44911710 Fax: 44911699. E-mail: info@alsulaimancar.com Musherib: 44355477/44440702/44315616 Fax: 44355466. Al Wakra: 44646775/44649153 Fax: 44646773 Al Khor: 44796677/44725378 Fax: 44796633

RENT A CAR

AVIS RENT A CARMain Office at Daihatsu Showroom Complex on ‘C’ Ring Road. Tel: 44667744 / 44622180 Fax: 44657626

BUDGET RENT A CARThe Best Car Rental Service in Qatar. Head Office - 44310411 Airport Arrival - 44153048 Airport Departure - 44622678/55808638 (24 Hrs)

AL MUFTAH RENT A CAR WLLHO, D’ Ring Road -Tel: 44328100, 44634444 - Branches: Airport 44634433, C’ Ring Road -Tel: 44442003, Grand Hamad Avenue - 44326840, Ras Lafffan: Tel.: 44748840 E Mail: rac@qatar.net.qa Website: www.rentacardoha.com

EUROPCARYou rent A lot more than a car. Airport: 44621188 - Tel: 44660677 Fax: 44662677

THE OWNERS RENT A CAR + LIMOUSINE SERVICE24 Hrs Service! Tel: 44515515 GSM: 55149555 Fax: 44515155 Contact Mr. Anjum Malik E-mail: anjum@ownersqtr.com

BASE RENT A CARCars that fits your Needs & Budget.We Deliver & Pickup. Call for a quote 24 Hours @ 55206569

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OASiS RENT A CAR AND TRANSPORTATIONYOU RENT MORE THAN A CAR WITH OASiS. Fax: 44130033 Tel: 44130011/44130022 GSM: 55157587 (Rental)/ 55129615 (Transportation) Rental@OasisCars.Com - OasisCars.com

ADAM REAL ESTATE COMPANYAl Kuwari Blgd., 8th Floor, Al Sadd, Near Sebstain Rest. Tel: 44366932 Fax: 44366931 GSM: 55500789 / 55803731

APOLLO REAL ESTATESalwa Road. GSM: 55864352/55506803/ 55872145 Tel: 44689522 www.apollopropertiesonline.com E-mail: apolloprop@qatar.net.qa

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AL MUFTAH SERVICES & RENT A CAR WLLC Ring Road Main Office Tel: 44328100/44442003, Fax: 44414339 - Musherib Branch Office: Tel: 44326840/ 44426649, Fax: 44312899 E Mail: rac@qatar.net.qa Website: www.racqatar.com

COREORent, Buy & Sell Real Estate. Property Photos, Prices, and more can be found online.Tel: 446.99950 Web: www.mycoreo.com

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MODERN GULF OPTICSPlease visit for all types of Eye Glasses, Sun Glasses, Contact Lenses, Eye Test for Driving License and Industrial Safety Glasses. Near Crazy Signal. Tel: 44310768

THE LITTLE HANDS NURSERYAge group 2 months to 4 years. Separate classes for babies, toddlers & students with spacious play area. British Management & Camera Protection. Location: New Salata, 137 Al Maahed Street, (at the back of Birla Public School) GSM: 55312803

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Model 2011. Grey colour. Automatic. 6 Cylinders. Under company warranty.

Done 48,000 kms.

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CALL: 55553736

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SITUATION WANTED

YOUNG INDIAN IT ENGINEERWith 10 years experience, now in Qatar, excellent knowledge in Java Programming, Designing and Developing Complex,

Object-Oriented Analysis and Design at UML, with very good Database skill, is looking for a suitable position.

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with 5 years experience as an Accountant, Computer literate, including Accounting Softwares (Tally, Peachtree, Quickbooks), on transferable business visa, is

looking for a suitable placement.Please contact: 70116965

E-mail: rayhan_316@yahoo.com

Call: 55505773

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We buy all kinds of used household items. Office Furniture, Electric and

electronics items.. Fridge, A/Cs, Freezer, TV & Computers.

TOYOTA YARIS.Model 2006.

Black colour. Done 100,000 kms.Fully automatic. In good condition.

Please contact: 55209781

SPORT 19FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Faisal, Boota shine in Al Feroz win DOHA: Faisal and Mohammed Boota blasted centuries to fire Al Feroz Youngsters to a crush-ing 174 runs win over Rawal County in a Division A match of the Qatar Airways Cricket Tournament.

Qatar Airways, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, is the sponsor of the cricket tour-nament, which is being organised by the Qatar Cricket Association at the West Bay Grounds.

Batting first, Al Feroz got a huge boost from sparkling batting from Faisal, who smashed 152, and Boota, who cracked 114. They went on to pile up 332 for five in 48 overs. Bilal and Ijaz picked two wickets each.

Rawal County were tormented more by Faisal, who followed up his hundred with two wickets. With Nadeem grabbing three and Irti getting two, Rawal floun-dered at 158 in 36 overs, losing the match by a big margin. Only Rizwan (44) and Naeem (28) lasted the longest to take the score past 150-mark.

Gyan Buddika bowled a fiery spell to capture nine wickets and set up an eight-wicket win for Lions RFC against Doha Club in another match. Buddika’s splen-did bowling helped Lions RFC to dismiss Doha Club for 90 runs in 21 overs. Lions scored the required runs in 18 overs.

Fokrul and Zahid turned in a superb individual performances to boost Bangladesh Club to a com-fortable 47-run victory against Qatar Under-19 Eleven.

Fokrul slammed 91 and Alamgir collected a fine 57 to guide Bangladesh Club to a strong 278 in 49 overs.

Zahid picked five wickets and Shahabuddin removed three play-ers but Qatar under-19 team still managed to reach an impressive 231 for five in 49 overs. Mirza led them with 72 and Mujtaba missed a half-century by two runs.

THE PENINSULA

England batsmen dominate first dayCompton, Trott hit centuries in WellingtonWELLINGTON: England seized control of the second Test against New Zealand yesterday as centuries by Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott put the tourists on course for a mam-moth first innings total.

The pair racked up a 210-run partnership as England reached 267 for two at stumps at Wellington’s Basin Reserve, with Trott unbeaten on 121 and Kevin Pietersen 18 not out after Compton notched back-to-back Test centuries.

England punished New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum for sending them in to bat after win-ning the toss on a wicket that defied expectations and proved flat and true as cloud cover gave way to blue sky.

It provided perfect conditions for the tourists, who contented themselves with steady progress, determined not to repeat the mistakes of the drawn first Test, when they were bowled out for 167 in the first innings.

Alastair Cook’s dismissal in the first hour was the only blemish, with the England captain mis-judging an inswinging delivery

from Neil Wagner and scooping the ball to Peter Fulton at mid-on to depart for 17.

But his dismissal merely cleared the way for Compton and Trott to take charge, batting together for 63 overs to demor-alise New Zealand’s bowlers, who toiled relentlessly for scant reward on the docile pitch.

The consistent Trott batted through most of the day to bring up his ninth Test century in the final session with a pull shot to

the boundary, his 14th four of the innings.

Compton followed with his own ton soon after, dispatching Wagner to the ropes with a classic cover drive for his second century in successive innings.

He was out for 100 two overs later when an attempt to drive Bruce Martin caught an edge and carried to Ross Taylor in the slips.

But the assured innings is likely to consolidate the 29-year-old’s spot at the top of the order, which had been under pressure from Joe Root.

There were flashes of aggres-sion when Compton and Trott resumed after lunch with England at 75-1. They clubbed 40 in a six-over spell before spinner Martin was brought on to stem the flow of runs.

The next 40 runs took more than 20 overs, with England happy to blunt the New Zealand attack and build towards a big total. Pietersen curbed his big-hitting instincts when he replaced Compton, making his way to 18 off 48 balls after disappointing returns of 0 and 12 in the first Test. AFP

England’s Nick Compton celebrates reaching his century during the first day of the second Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, yesterday.

Defending champion Vettel tips even tighter finish to F1 season MELBOURNE: Sebastian Vettel is predicting an even closer battle for the Formula One world drivers championship when the new season gets under way in Australia on Sunday.

The German ace piloted his Red Bull to a third consecutive world title in the final race of last season in Brazil, pipping Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso by just three points. It was the second time in the past three seasons that the Spaniard had been denied by the young German for the world championship in the last race.

Vettel, 25, is bidding to become the youngest driver to win four world titles in a row, a feat only achieved by Formula One legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher.

Vettel is again the hunted favourite after three years in the fastest car produced by Red Bull.

“The secret is not to think about what happened in the last three years. I think the first title was very special,” he said.

“After that you don’t have that pressure any more. You’ve proved to yourself more than anyone else that you can do so. “After that

I had two fantastic years again, very different to each other but we don’t think about what hap-pened last year or the last three years.”

Vettel said that past glories meant little as the drivers embark on the new 19-race season.

“We are here, we have zero points at the moment, the same as everyone else. Everyone has the same opportunities, the cars haven’t really changed,” he said.

“Last year we saw it was very close, so I don’t expect it to be any different than last year, if any-thing even a bit tighter, so it will crucial to make the most out of every single race.”

The German has a deep respect for Alonso, who did wonders with his Ferrari last season to take the fight to the Red Bulls.

“I think Fernando is one of the most respected and most accepted drivers in the world,” he said.

“In most circumstances he has the ability to be on the limit. I think he is a very intelligent driver and that’s the reason why he is always fighting for the championship until the end for many years in his career. AFP

West Indies beat Zimbabwe by nine wicketsBRIDGETOWN, Barbados: West Indies defeated Zimbabwe by nine wickets to win the first Test inside three days at the Kensington Oval yesterday.

After dismissing Zimbabwe for just 107 in their second innings, the home side were left need-ing just 12 for victory and they achieved their target shortly after lunch for the loss of just Kieran Powell.

Spinner Shane Shillingford claimed a six-wicket haul to set up the easy win. His second innings figures were six for 49.

West Indies have now won five consecutive Tests, their best run since 1988. AFP

Rain washes out opening day of India-England TestMOHALI: The first day of the third cricket Test between India and Australia was washed out without a ball being bowled due to heavy rains here yesterday.

Rainfall accompanied by strong winds, after fresh snow-fall occurred in parts of Himachal Pradesh, delayed the start of the match at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium here in the morning.

After a wait of more than three hours, there was no sign of rains abating, prompting the umpires to call off the day’s play. The skies were overcast with thick, dark clouds.

The rain, which started late Wednesday night, continued in the morning, and the ground staff covered the pitch and the main square. The match was to begin at 9.30 am.

Play will start at 9 am on all the remaining days and toss will take place at 8.30 am Friday morning.

Both teams had been practicing here till Wednesday with bright and sunny conditions prevailing over the region.

Meanwhile, Australia skipper Michael Clarke will bat at No.3 while Brad Haddin will be keep-ing wickets against India in the third Test.

Haddin, who was flown in as replacement for the injured Matthew Wade, will be playing his first Test in more than a year. Haddin was part of the series in the West Indies in January last year but left the tour mid-way due to personal reasons.

The inclusion of Haddin, who will be the most experienced player in the side after Clarle, is one of a host of changes Australia

will be making to its playing eleven after four key players were ruled ineligible for selection by Cricket Australia (CA) for disci-plinary breaches.

Clarke will also reshuffle the batting order. He will be promot-ing himself from No.5 to No.3 and will be followed by Phil Hughes and Steve Smith, who has not played a Test since the Ashes in Sydney two years ago. IANS

German Formula One World Champion driver Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing poses for photographers during the season opener photo session at the pad-dock of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday. The 2013 Formula One Grand Prix of Australia will take place on March 17.

Vodafone to end McLaren sponsorship dealMELBOURNE: British mobile phone operator Vodafone will end its seven-year title sponsor-ship of McLaren at the end of the 2013 season, the company and Formula One team said yesterday.

Vodafone said the sponsorship, which started in 2007 and was worth up to $75m a year, was being ended following a review of marketing strategy.

“We’re immensely proud that, having been set a number of ambitious challenges by Vodafone back in 2007, together we’ve met or exceeded each and every one,” McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said in a statement released at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

“Our focus is on continuing to drive results for all our partners throughout the 2013 season and

we look forward to making a major title partnership announce-ment towards the end of the year.”

British-based McLaren are one of Formula One’s most successful teams, winning 182 grands prix, 12 drivers’ championships and eight constructors’ champion-ships in the 50 years since they were founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren.

McLaren Group are 50 percent owned by Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat.

The team won the world title through Lewis Hamilton in 2008, the second year of the Vodafone deal, and have had another British world champion, Jenson Button, driving for them since 2010.

Hamilton, one of the most mar-ketable drivers in Formula One, left McLaren at the end of last year to join the Mercedes team

and is expected to be joined there by McLaren’s former technical director Paddy Lowe.

Lowe, a key figure who has been with McLaren for 19 years, is leaving at the end of the year in what has been seen as a blow for the Woking-based team.

Vodafone said it had decided to end the deal because it believed its brand no longer needed the reach and level of exposure that it gained through sponsoring McLaren. In 2008 the company pulled the plug on its sponsorship of the English cricket team.

“We have been very happy with our engagement with McLaren,” Vodafone Chief Commercial Officer Morten Lundal said in a statement.

“Our relationship has been a key ingredient in bringing the Vodafone brand to where it is

today. However, our brand is evolving, and we’ve concluded we will have less of a need for this kind of exposure in future.”

Hamilton has been replaced at McLaren by Mexican Sergio Perez, who has been sponsored through his motor racing career by the fixed-line phone giant Telmex owned by the world’s rich-est man Carlos Slim.

There was speculation in the media when 23-year-old Perez was signed from Sauber that his arrival could be a precursor to a sponsorship deal with Telmex or other Mexican companies.

Apart from a change of title sponsorship, with McLaren promising “an exciting announce-ment” on Dec. 2, there is uncer-tainty about the team’s future engine partner.

McLaren have said they will

continue with Mercedes next sea-son, when the current V8 engines are swept away and replaced with a turbocharged, 1.6-litre V6, but have dodged questions about a possible return of Honda in the years after that.

“We have a contract that cov-ers the next three seasons at the moment and we will certainly go into next year with Mercedes-Benz,” Whitmarsh told reporters this week.

“We have read the stories about Porsche, Hyundai and Honda and I think they are to be encour-aged,” he added. “The sport needs new automotive manufacturers to come in and if we can help that in any way, we will do so.

“But at the moment we are very focused on our partnership, which has been a very good partnership.”

REUTERS

Lewis Hamilton (top left) of Mercedes,

Mark Webber (top right)

of Red Bull Racing, Kimi Raikkonen

(left) of Lotus and Sebastian Vettel of Red

Bull Racing are at the Albert Park Circuit, yesterday.

Zimbabwe (I Innings) ....................... 211

West Indies (I Innings) .................... 307

Zimbabwe (II Innings)

T Mawoyo c Sammy b Gabriel ..................9

V Sibanda c & b Shillingford ...................15

H Masakadza c Sammy b Shillingford .......1

R Price b Roach .......................................7

B Taylor c Powell b Shillingford .................6

C Ervine (not out) ...................................23

M Waller c Powell b Shillingford ...............5

R Chakabva b Shillingford ........................6

G Cremer c Ramdin b Shillingford ..........14

K Jarvis c Ramdin b Gabriel .....................9

T Chatara b Gabriel .................................0

Extras (B8, LB2, W1, NB1) ....................12

Total (all out; 41.4 overs) ................ 107

Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-26, 3-39

Bowling: Roach 10-7-12-1, Best 8-2-26-0

(1w), Gabriel 7.4-3-10-3 (1nb), Shillingford

16-4-49-6

West Indies (II Innings)

C Gayle (not out) .....................................4

K Powell c Cremer b Chatara ...................6

DM Bravo (not out) ...................................1

Extras (B1) .............................................1

Total (1 wicket; 5 overs) ....................12

Did not bat: M Samuels, S Chanderpaul, D

Ramdin, D Sammy, S Gabriel, K Roach, T Best,

S Shillingford

Fall of wickets: 1-8

Bowling: Jarvis 3-1-10-0, Chatara 2-1-1-1

Result: West Indies won by nine wickets

Scoreboard

England (I Innings)

A Cook c Fulton b Wagner...................... 17

N Compton c Taylor b Martin ............... 100

J Trott (batting) .................................... 121

K Pietersen (batting) ...............................18

Extras (W5, LB3, NB3) ...........................11

Total (2 wkts, 90 overs) .................. 267

Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-236

Bowling: Southee 19-4-44-0, Boult 20-4-

78-0, Wagner 22-5-70-1, Martin 27-9-58-1,

Williamson 2-0-14-0

New Zealand: P Fulton, H Rutherford, K Wil-

liamson, R Taylor, D Brownlie, B McCullum, BJ

Watling, T Southee, B Martin, N Wagner, T Boult

Scoreboard

SPORT20FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Malaga reach quarter-finalsChampions League: Arsenal bow out despite brave show in Munich

Arsenal’s and Munich’s

players joul with Bayern Munich’s

goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (centre) after the second goal for Arsenal during the UEFA Champions

League round of 16 second leg football match in Munich,

southern Germany, on Wednesday

night. Bayern lost 0-2 but qualified for the quarter-finals.

PARIS: England will have no sides in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 1996 after Arsenal exited Wednesday despite beating last season’s finalists Bayern Munich 2-0 away in their last 16, second leg.

Goals by French duo Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny were not sufficient to repair the damage done in London last month as they went out on the away goals rule, with the tie fin-ishing 3-3 on aggregate.

Bayern Munich join Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund in the last eight draw today while Arsenal must fight to finish in the top four of the Premier League, or otherwise yet another trophyless season will not even have the con-solation of a Champions League place for next term.

The other match saw Spain’s representation in the quarter-finals by contrast rise to three as Malaga’s dream debut in the competition was prolonged with a 2-0 win over 2004 champions Porto that saw them prevail 2-1 on aggregate.

Arsenal could at least take sat-isfaction from a much-improved performance on their spineless

display in the first leg as they inflicted Bayern’s first defeat in 24 games in all competitions.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger acknowledged that the first leg had cost his side dearly but added he was proud of the way the players had battled in a match that few had given them a chance of winning.

And the Frenchman -- who has come under ever more pres-sure this term as the trophyless run dating back to 2005 has been extended for yet another season -- said he was confident his side could snatch fourth place in the Premier League.

“I am confident that we will give absolutely everything to be back in this competition next season,” said Wenger, whose team trail fourth-placed Chelsea by five points with each having 10 games to play.

“The young players showed tonight they are doing very well, so let us finish this season.”

Wenger said that the fact there were no more English clubs remaining in the competi-tion should transmit a powerful message to the Premier League.

“It’s a massive disappointment for English football, a massive

wake up call,” said Wenger. “The rest of Europe has caught back. We have to take that into con-sideration when we consider the future of the Premier League.”

His Bayern counterpart Jupp Heynckes, who will be replaced by Pep Guardiola next season, said that his side had been fortunate to escape after delivering a listless performance.

“We hadn’t reckoned on con-ceding an early goal and we allowed them to get into the game,” said Heynckes, who would

dearly love to leave having won the Champions League after los-ing on penalties to Chelsea last season. “We didn’t control the game and weren’t calm. They gave us a bit of a black eye tonight.”

Malaga had Isco, with a ter-rific strike, and a header from veteran Roque Santa Cruz to thank for their place in the last eight, although Porto’s cause was not helped by the sending off of Belgian Steven Defour early in the second-half.

“It really has been a strange

year for us,” said Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini, with the Spanish club having made just as many headlines for their off-field financial problems as for their European success.

“What characterises the play-ers is their desire to stay focused on their sporting ambitions.

“I always said that Malaga were not in the Champions League just to make up the numbers,” added the Chilean, who took Villarreal to the semi-finals in 2006.

REUTERS

Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel team is ready for battleQatar Al-Anabi Racing silver

Top Fuel driver Shawn

Langdon celebrates his victory February

17, 2013 at the season’s first race in Pomona,

California.PIC: GARY NASTASE

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA: The Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel team, the two-time World Championship team owned by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, enters this weekend’s Amalie Oil NHRA Nationals with its drivers in second and fourth place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings.

That is quite an improvement from this time last season when the teams were fifth and 11th respectively.

The 44th annual Amalie Oil NHRA Nationals in the third of 24 races making up the United States’ 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

Shawn Langdon, driver of the silver Al-Anabi Top Fuel drag-ster, enters the race in second place in the season standings 79 points behind points leader Tony Schumacher.

Langdon defeated Schumacher in the final round at season’s first race.

At the second race, Langdon

lost in the first round while Schumacher won the race. Despite the Phoenix disappoint-ment, Langdon knows the Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel team is poised for continued excellence.

“I feel really good with what the Al-Anabi team has accom-plished so far this year, and I am feeling very confident in the car,” Langdon said.

“We had a really good race day setup in Pomona and won the race, but when we went to Phoenix, the track was a little bit tricky. We were trying to be aggressive, and the Phoenix track didn’t like it. We figured some things out after that weekend and have tweaked our tune-up. We still have a little bit of homework to do, but with the way the car ran on race day in Pomona, we know the Al-Anabi car is really good.

“We just have to manage it and make it consistent. Every race team wants to win races and championships, but we have a unique opportunity; we are proud

to represent Sheikh Khalid and Qatar, and that makes all of us want to win even more.”

Dubai native Khalid alBalooshi enters the season’s third race in fourth place in the point stand-ings after a semi-final finish in California to open the season and a quarterfinal showing the follow-ing weekend in Phoenix.

AlBalooshi’s gold Al-Anabi dragster seems in fine form early in the season, yet the second-year Top Fuel driver knows there is much more work to be done.

“I am happy with the way our season has started, but we need to do better,” alBalooshi said.

“I know that everybody on our Al-Anabi race team is working his hardest. We qualified sixth at both races so far, and I know we can do better. Getting to the semi-finals in Pomona was a good start, but then we lost in the quarterfinals at Phoenix.

“We need to be consistent, and I am sure that is what Jason (crew chief Jason McCulloch)

and everybody on our team is trying to do. I am excited to race in Gainesville this weekend, and I hope we can have a very good race. I am looking forward to the time when we can lift another race trophy for Sheikh Khalid!”

Al-Anabi Racing operates out

of multiple locations in both the US and Qatar.

In the US, the Brownsburg, Ind.-based operation is a two-car NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series team that is managed by Alan Johnson Racing.

Sheikh Khalid’s initiative has

created increased international awareness of Qatar while high-lighting the nation’s international sports outreach. Alan Johnson is a 14-time NHRA champion in various capacities including crew chief, team owner and team man-ager. THE PENINSULA

Malaga’s most famous fan Banderas slams UEFA over ban MADRID: Malaga’s most famous fan, Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas, has criti-cised governing body UEFA for banning the Spanish club from future competition for delay in payments to creditors.

Malaga native Banderas was a delighted spectator at the Rosaleda on Wednesday as the Qatar-owned Champions League debutants overturned a 1-0 def-icit to 2004 winners Porto to advance to the quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate.

Speaking to Spanish television broadcaster Canal Plus after the game, Banderas said he hoped Malaga’s appeal against the ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) would be granted.

“We are still waiting for the CAS decision and we sin-cerely hope that justice is done,” Banderas said.

“It was an excessively harsh decision and has a negative effect on the Spanish league,” he added.

“If this decision is ratified it will take away the motivation for a team that has to play against teams fighting to avoid relegation or to get into Europe.

“I think the decision is very misguided. It should have been taken at the end of the season giv-ing the club time to settle these debts.

“I really hope CAS analyses the situation with a cool head and gives its backing to Malaga.”

REUTERS

Gunners leave Wenger proud despite early exit MUNICH: Arsene Wenger admitted his Arsenal team had made him proud even as they bowed out of the Champions League on away goals despite a dramatic 2-0 win at Bayern Munich in the last 16, second leg.

Having lost the first leg 3-1 in north London three weeks ago, Wenger’s side left themselves with too much to do at Bayern’s Allianz Arena, but only the third elusive goal denied the Gunners a historic win on Wednesday.

“We went close, I am very proud of the performance of the team,” said Wenger. “I am disappointed for everyone who supports Arsenal that we couldn’t get that third goal.”

Wenger’s side became the last English club to exit the Champions League after it finished 3-3 on aggregate while Bayern sneak into Friday’s quarter-final draw.

Arsenal took the fight to their German hosts with striker Olivier Giroud giving the Gunners a third-minute lead before centre-back Laurent Koscielny netted with 86 minutes gone to set up a frantic finish.

“We can be proud of ourselves, we bow out with our heads high and we leave through the front door,” said goal-scorer Giroud.

Wenger admitted his team had left themselves with too much to do from the first leg and said the third goal they conceded three weeks ago in London -- by Bayern’s Mario Mandzukic -- had made all the difference.

“Qualifying is over 180 minutes and we weren’t at our best in the first 90 minutes,” said Wenger. “We have shown we have the quality to be here, we left it too late for the third goal tonight, but we had our chances. The weight of the third goal we conceded (in the first leg) was massive. We were under pressure, a bad performance could have been terrible for the team.

“The regret I have is that there is potential in the team, yet we are out of the competition.”

Much had been made in the build-up of Arsenal’s “Mission Impossible in Munich” with the Gunners needing three goals at Bayern’s fortress-like Allianz Arena, but the guests quickly dismissed any notion this tie was already decided. Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said his team had been “given a bit of a black eye” as they reached the last eight by the narrowest of margins.

“We hadn’t reckoned on conceding an early goal and we allowed them to get into the game,” admitted the 67-year-old with his side missing suspended pair Bastian Schweinsteiger and Jerome Boateng, with France’s Franck Ribery injured.

“We didn’t control the game and weren’t calm. They gave us a bit of a black eye. REUTERS

Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben screams after being fouled by Arsenal’s Tomas Rosicky (R) during their Champions League round of 16 second leg match in Munich

Tevez charged over driving offences LONDON: Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has been charged with driving while dis-qualified and driving without insurance, British police said yesterday.

The 29-year-old Argentina international was arrested on Thursday last week near his home in the north-west English county of Cheshire.

“Cheshire Constabulary has charged a 29-year-old man from Alderley Edge with offences of driving while disqualified and driving without insurance,”

read a statement from police. “The man was arrested on the A538 in Macclesfield at 5.13pm (1713GMT) on Thursday, March 7, and later released on police bail.

“He answered bail today (Wednesday) at Middlewich Custody Suite and was formally charged.”

Tevez has been bailed to appear before magistrates on April 3.

His energy and goal scoring rate has since made him an indis-pensable player for the club in the eyes of fellow players and media alike. REUTERS

Football fixtures(All times in GMT)

EPL

Tomorrow

Everton v Manchester City (1245)

Aston Villa v Queens Park Rangers (1500)

Southampton v Liverpool (1500)

Stoke City v West Bromwich Albion (1500)

Swansea City v Arsenal (1500)

Manchester United v Reading (1730)

Sunday, March 17

Sunderland v Norwich City (1330)

Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham (1500)

Chelsea v West Ham United (1600)

Wigan Athletic v Newcastle United (1600)

La Liga

Today

Deportivo Coruna v Celta Vigo (2045)

Tomorrow

Real Sociedad v Real Valladolid (1500)

Getafe v Athletic Bilbao (1700)

Real Madrid v Real Mallorca (1900)

Valencia v Real Betis (2100)

Sunday, March 17

Malaga v Espanyol (1100)

Sevilla v Real Zaragoza (1600)

Osasuna v Atletico Madrid (1800)

Barcelona v Rayo Vallecano (2000)

Granada CF v Levante (2000)\

Ligue 1

Today

Olympique Marseille v Ajaccio (1930)

Tomorrow

Bastia v Olympique Lyon (1600)

FC Lorient v Stade Brest (1900)

Sochaux v Valenciennes (1900)

Lille v Evian Thonon Gaillard FC (1900)

Montpellier HSC v ES Troyes AC (1900)

Stade de Reims v Stade Rennes (1900)

Sunday, March 17

AS Nancy v Nice (1300)

Toulouse v Girondins Bordeaux (1600)

St Etienne v Paris St Germain (2000)

Bundesliga

Today

VfL Wolfsburg v Fortuna Duesseldorf (1930)

Tomorrow

Nuremberg v Schalke 04 (1430)

Borussia Dortmund v Freiburg (1430)

Hamburg SV v FC Augsburg (1430)

Hoffenheim v Mainz (1430)

Werder Bremen v Greuther Fuerth (1430)

Bayer Leverkusen v Bayern Munich (1730)

Sunday, March 17

Eintracht Frankfurt v VfB Stuttgart (1430)

Borussia Moenchengladbach v Hanover 96 (1630)

SPORT 21FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Al Rayyan win Volleyball League Qatar finish second at GCC Women Sport Games

The players and officials of Al Rayyan Sports Club, winners of the Qatar Volleyball League, celebrate their win over Eljaish at the Indoor Hall of Al Arabi Sports Club on Wednesday night. Al Rayyan won three sets to two (25-17, 25-22, 29-31, 21-25, 15-15). Al Ahli finished in second place ahead of Al Arabi which clinched the third place. Khalid Al Mawlawi, President of the Qatar Volleyball Association crowned the winning teams.

Qatari shooting team of Al Danah Saad, Hanadi Mubarak and Nasrah Mohammad, gold medal winners in the 25m pistol event at the 3rd GCC Women Sport Games, pose for a picture in Manama, Bahrain. In the individual 25m pistol event, Qatar’s Nasrah and Al Danah clinched the first and second place, while Sumaya Saleh of UAE came third.

The Qatar women’s team which took part in the 3rd GCC Women Sport Games in Manama, Bahrain is seen along with Qatar Women’s Sport Committee President Ahlam Al Mana. Qatar finished in second place with 9 gold, 7 silver and 7 bronze medals, in the Games which ended on Wednesday. Bahrain topped, while Oman settled for the third place. Qatar competed in seven games namely: basketball, volleyball, table tennis, taek-wondo, shooting, athletics and athletics for the disabled. The 3rd GCC Women Sport Games brought together 839 individuals including 370 athletes, 160 administrators representing five GCC nations.

Chinnarat leads in New Delhi after birdie blitz GREATER NOIDA, India: Thailand’s Chinnarat Phadungsil carded an aston-ishing 28 on the back nine as he shot a flawless 11-under-par to take a five-stroke lead after the first round of the Avantha Masters yesterday.

Eight of Chinnarat’s 11 birdies on the Greg Norman-designed par-72 Jaypee Greens course outside New Delhi came on the inward half -- his 61 leaving him well ahead of the chasing pack in the $2.3m tournament.

“This has to be the best round of golf I have ever played,” the 24-year-old winner of three Asian Tour titles said.

“It was just so smooth for me out there.

“My previous best was nine-under, but this round has also put

a bit of pressure on me to do well over the next three days. I hope I can be relaxed.”

Chinnarat’s sublime putting -- including a 50-foot putt on the 14th -- left him five clear of compatriots Chawalit Plaphol and Chapchai Nirat, China’s Liang Wenchong, Swede Magnus Carlsson and local player Abhijit Singh Chadha.

Eight players were tied in third place at five-under while 15 oth-ers were one shot back in a low-scoring start to India’s richest golf event co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours.

However, it was a miserable opening round for Ryder Cup great Colin Montgomerie who shot a four-over par 76, leaving him with a tough battle to make the cut. AFP

Federer, Nadal to clash in quarters; Djokovic winsKirilenko reaches first Indian Wells semis; Sharapova advancesINDIAN WELLS, California: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both battled through three-set thrillers yesterday to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final at Indian Wells.

Defending champion Federer defeated fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, laboring two hours and 20 min-utes to subdue his old friend.

Nadal, playing his fourth tour-nament since returning from a seven-month injury absence, outlasted the in-form Latvian Ernests Gulbis 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

The other two of the “big four” of men’s tennis also reached the quarter-finals of combined ATP Masters and WTA event.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated American Sam Querrey 6-0, 7-6 (8/6) in a match that started after midnight and fin-ished around 2am on Thursday.

World No. 3 Andy Murray beat unseeded Argentinian Carlos Berlocq 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.

Djokovic’s late night was the result of some long matches yes-terday on stadium court.

Federer had a golden oppor-tunity to make his day much shorter, but serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set he was broken to love.

Unable to convert two break points in the following game he surrendered the set on a tie-breaker when he double-faulted on set point.

Wawrinka then gained the upper hand with a break in the

third set, but Federer, winner of 17 Grand Slam titles, broke back and earned the decisive break in the final game.

“I think I was a little little lucky to come through it in the end,” said Federer, who contin-ued to say a sore back would not hinder his pursuit of a first title of 2013.

Nadal is playing his first hard court tournament since left-knee tendinitis forced him out of the Miami Masters last March.

Damage in the same knee later sidelined him for seven months -- from a second-round defeat at Wimbledon until a comeback swing of three clay-court tour-naments in Latin America in February that yielded two titles and a runner-up finish.

Nadal had admitted he did not know how his knee would hold up on hard courts, and in quali-fier Gulbis he came up against a red-hot player who had won the Delray Beach title as a qualifier the week before Indian Wells and toppled two seeds en route to his meeting with the Spaniard.

Nadal saved the only break point he faced in the third set, and converted his only opportu-nity to break in the 11th game.

When he finally blasted a fore-hand winner on his third match point, Nadal gave a little leap of joy

The last time he played Federer was in the semi-finals at Indian Wells last year when he lost 6-3, 6-4.

A packed schedule on stadium court saw Nadal’s match, the last of the day session, finish at at 9:47pm.

Then came Maria Sharapova’s 7-6 (8/6), 6-2 victory over Italy’s Sara Errani in a rematch of the French Open final won by the Russian superstar last year.

Sharapova booked a semi-final

clash with Maria Kirilenko, who upset fifth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach her first Indian Wells semi-finals.

Djokovic took the court at 12:23 against Querrey, but there was no upset for the American this time as the world’s top player set aside the frustration of his long wait to win in one hour and 27 minutes.

Djokovic, a two-time winner here in 2008 and 2011, next faces France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 winner over Canadian Milos Raonic.

Murray will take on another Argentinian, seventh-seeded Juan Martin del Potro. Del Potro cruised past German veteran Tommy Haas 6-1, 6-2. AFP

Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts to breaking Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in the third set during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, yesterday. RIGHT: Roger Federer of Switzerland hits a backhand return against compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka in California, yesterday.

Oda heads leaderboard in ThailandTOKYO: Japan’s Koumei Oda nudged ahead of a six-man chasing pack by one stroke to lead OneAsia’s season-open-ing Thailand Open in Bangkok yesterday.

Oda hit 11 birdies, offset by a bogey and a double bogey, to card an eight-under-par 64 at Thana City Golf & Sports Club in the $1-million event.

South Korean duo Hwang Jung-gon and Cho Min-gyu, Brazil’s Lucas Lee, John Kim of the United States and Australians David McKenzie and Matthew Griffin were a shot behind on 65.

“I have had 10 birdies before, but not 11,” said the 34-year-old Oda, a five-time winner on the Japan Tour. REUTERS

Indian Wells ATP Masters and WTA

results INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA: Results yesterday from the eighth day of the ATP Masters and WTA BNP Paribas Open (x denotes seeded player):

Men 4th round

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x8) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x17) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4

Kevin Anderson (RSA) bt Gilles Simon (FRA x13) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4

Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA x10) 6-1, 7-5

Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x18) 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-5

Andy Murray (GBR x3) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4

Juan Martin del Potro (ARG x7) bt Tommy Haas (GER x19) 6-1, 6-2

Rafael Nadal (ESP x5) bt Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Sam Querrey (USA x23) 6-0, 7-6 (8/6)

Women Quarter-finals

Maria Kirilenko (RUS x13) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x5) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

Maria Sharapova (RUS x2) bt Sara Errani (ITA x6) 7-6 (8/6), 6-2

NBA resultsMiami 98 Philadelphia 94

Washington 106 Milwaukee 93

Indiana 107 Minnesota 91

Boston 112 Toronto 88

Atlanta 96 La Lakers 92

Houston 111 Phoenix 81

Oklahoma City 110 Utah 87

Sacramento 121 Chicago 79

Denver 117 NY Knicks 94

Memphis 96 LA Clippers 85

Golden State 105 Detroit 97

NHL ResultsMontreal 4 Ottawa 3

New Jersey 5 Philadelphia 2

Calgary 5 Detroit 2

SPORT22FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Al Rayyan, Eljaish ready for finalEljaish have played hard in this event. They haven’t lost: Al Rayyan coach Rowsom BY RIZWAN REHMAT

DOHA: Feisty Eljaish are con-fident of extending their win-ning streak in the 2013 Heir Apparent Cup when they take on basketball giants Al Rayyan in the title clash today.

Coached by Milan Minic, Eljaish are unbeaten in six games so far and forward Baker Ahmed says his team can pull it off in the final at Al Gharafa Stadium.

“If we play well, we are going to win the Cup. We are ready to do it,” Ahmed said yesterday.

“Now we know what we want. We know what we have to do,” he said. “We have just one more match to go.

“My team has performed very good right throughout the tourna-ment. If you see, we have played six games and won all those encounters. We are unbeaten,” the 27-year-old forward added.

Mousa said the results obtained

by Eljaish in the Heir Apparent Cup ‘have not come as a surprise’.

“We didn’t lose any games and I am not surprised (with the clean slate of wins). We have worked extremely hard,” he said.

“The team has been trying to do a lot of things together and to be better is one of those things. My team gets better every day. So I think we are going to be ready for the final,” he said.

Mousa, who also plays for the Qatar national team, said his team was ‘pretty desperate’ to win.

“We are 1000 percent desperate to win this final,” he said with a disarming smile on his face.

“Like I said no comments (smiles). That’s my prediction. We just want to come and play and try to win.

“We are up against a very good team. We respect them. That’s why we are focused,” he said.

“We were struggling in the league. But we finished third and that lifted our confidence.”

Al Rayyan coach Brian Rowsom was quick to acknowledge the fact that Eljaish are unbeaten in the tournament.

“Eljaish have played hard in this event. They haven’t lost,” Rowsom said.

But the American, a former NBA player, was equally quick to issue a warning to his rivals.

“But we play as a team. It will

Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrehman Al Thani (standing, second right),

President of the Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF), is seen with (from left) Saadoun Al

Kuwari, Executive Director of QBF,

Mohammed Ali Al Hobash, General Secretary, QBF,

Rashid Al Khalifa, manager of Al

Rayyan team and Mohammed Al Obaidly (right),

manager of Eljaish team. Eljaish

forward Baker Ahmed (right) and

Yaseen Mousa of Al Rayyan are

also seen besides the Emir Cup and the Heir Apparent

Cup trophies. PICTURES:

SHAIVAL DALAL

be a very good match-day (for fans). I think it will be a very good game for the teams and the fans,” he said. To a question, Rowsom said: “We can’t be tired. We’ve got one match to go in this event.

This is the most important match of the tournament. We can’t be thinking about tiredness.”

Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrehman Al Thani, President of the Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF), said

he expected a ‘good final’. “I think it will be a keenly con-

tested final. Two good sides are the final. One is unbeaten and the other are former champions,” Sheikh Saoud said. “It could be a

close game,” he added. Al Rayyan have not won the

Heir Apparent Cup since 2009 whereas Eljaish bagged the title three seasons ago.

THE PENINSULA

The Heir Apparent Cup title clash today: The surprise finalists keen to go all the way

New trophies unveiled at glittering QBF event DOHA: The Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) yesterday unveiled two new trophies which will be presented to the winners of the Emir Cup and the Heir Apparent Cup this season.

The first trophy will be presented to the winner of the Heir Apparent Cup final to be played between Al Rayyan and Eljaish today at Al Gharafa Indoor Hall.

The trophies have been designed by Iraqi sculptor Ahmed Al Bahrani and unveiled by Sheikh Saoud bn Abdulrehman Al Thani, President of QBF, at a glittering ceremony at St Regis Hotel.

“We have gone traditional with the falcon-look of the trophy. Falcon is known for high-altitude flying. The falcon flies high and seeks out its target,” Sheikh Saoud said while giving details of the new trophies.

“That’s the symbolism in these new trophies. Even the sport of basketball is pretty similar. The players fly in the air and score points. The players try to dominate their rivals,” Sheikh Saoud said.

“We have tried to bring the idea together of fal-cons with that of basketball players. The leap and the jump is similar for both,” he explained.

“The trophy was conceptualized by Ahmed Al Bahrani. He is the one who designed the trophy which was presented when Qatar staged the Gulf Cup (in 2005),” Sheikh Saoud said

“You may have seen the Olympic rings at Aspire Zone (outside the Khalifa Stadium). He’s a well known figure when it comes to designing trophies, especially in the Arab world,” the QBF president said. “He’s a great artist. He imagined this and brought to reality by bringing out this amazing piece of trophy. The new trophies would be attractive to the clubs,” Sheikh Saoud said. THE PENINSULA

ENDS

Trophies designed by Iraqi sculptor Ahmed Al Bahrani are seen at a Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) gathering at St Regis Hotel in Doha yesterday.

Eljaish forward Baker

Ahmed (right) and

Yaseen Mousa of Al Rayyan

pose with Emir Cup and the Heir

Apparent Cup

trophies at St Regis Hotel

in Doha yesterday. Al Rayyan

take on Eljaish in the final

of the Heir Apparent Cup at Al Gharafa Indoor

Hall today.

Stage set for QSL Qatar Nations Cup semis DOHA: The Qatar Stars League (QSL) will stage the QSL Qatar Nations Cup semi-finals this week.

The tournament has been a huge hit, with hundreds of players all over Qatar competing in the event launched in partnership with rec-reation and events experts QSports Leagues.

Four teams are just 90 minutes away from finding out who will play in the final – meaning this weekend’s action will be more exciting than usual.

Tunisia take on France in the first semi-final, while Spain will face Sudan to fight for a place in the final.

Tunisian striker Bassam Maccouch has been one of the stars of the tournament with four goals to his name. Now he hopes the scoring can continue as his side competed to overcome the final hurdle.

He said: “The tournament has been very good so far. I think everyone has enjoyed it. We have played well as a team and I believe we have a very good chance of getting to the final. We are here to win, that is why we play football.”

French captain Emmanuel Lopez believes the flair of the French will be enough to negotiate a path to the glamour final on March 30.

He said: “I believe we have a very good chance of making the final, why not? We have a good team with very good players although I think everyone accepts that it will be difficult to beat Tunisia.”

The winner of Tunisia vs France will go on to face whoever comes out on top in the match between Spain and Sudan.

THE PENINSULA

Qatar Olympic Committee celebrates 34th anniversary

The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) yesterday celebrated its 34th anniversary. The celebrations were led by Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrehman Al Thani, Secretary General of QOC, which was founded on March 14, 1979. The QOC joined the International Olympic Committee in 1980, the Olympic Council of Asia in 1981 and the Arab Union for Sports Games in 1982.

Past Heir Apparent Cup records

Al Rayyan: 2002, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’08, ’09. Runners-up in 2000 and ’03.

Eljaish: 2010. Runners-up in ’12.

Today’s finalAl Rayyan vs Eljaish at Al Gharafa

Stadium at 6.00pm

Sherman’s Lagoon by Jim Toomey

C O O DSR S RW

Yesterday’s answer

Yesterday’s answer

How to play Hyper Sudoku:A Hyper Sudoku Puzzle is solved by filling the numbers from 1 to 9 into the blank cells. A Hyper Sudoku has unlike Sudoku 13 regions (four regions overlap with the nine standard regions). In all regions the numbers from 1 to 9 can appear only once. Otherwise, a Hyper Sudoku is solved like a normal Sudoku.

How to play Kakuro:

The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any

size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells

like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword,

some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some

cells will contain two numbers.

However, in a crossword the numbers reference

clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get!

They denote the total of the digits in the row or

column referenced by the number.

Within each

collection of cells

- called a run - any

of the numbers 1

to 9 may be used

but, like sudoku,

each number may

only be used once.

HYPER

ACROSS

1 Home of “Hardball”6 “Love is blind,” e.g.11 Moolah16 Even17 Doltish21 Odd Fellows’ meeting place22 Kind of acid23 1922 Max Schreck film24 Words of empathy25 Heavyweight26 High-water mark27 “Enough, Jorge!”28 Super ___ (old game console)30 It might come after you31 ___ Balls (Hostess snack food)32 As written33 Tijuana table36 Parking spot38 Actor McGregor40 “Beetle Bailey” dog44 Lover of Isolde46 Oodles50 Cozy place?52 Wagnerian opera setting54 Crime scene matter55 Saturnalia participants56 1995 Eddie Murphy film59 Tech whiz61 Athenian porch62 Some gravesite decorations63 Arctic herder66 Composer Ned68 1931 Bela Lugosi film72 Fix, as laces73 Coolers, for short74 System of beliefs

77 “The Rights of Man” writer78 Mauna ___80 Argentine article81 Furry adoptee82 Water brand84 [See instructions]85 Cobb of “12 Angry Men”86 A bit of cheer?87 Like some fondue pots89 Halloween cry 90 Compel92 When Italian ghouls come out?93 Poodle’s greeting95 Bygone flightless bird96 ___ Bator97 1979 George Hamilton film105 “Fine”108 Stage direction that means “alone”109 Ring figures113 1987 Adrian Pasdar film116 ___ Tin Tin117 2008 Robert Pattinson film 119 Bones also called cubiti120 “Piece of cake!”123 Pianist/composer Schumann124 Tandem twosome125 1986 Brad Davis film126 George who wrote “The Spanish

Gypsy”127 Walk the earth128 “___ Ben Adhem”129 Belonging to you and me130 Many visitors to Legoland

DOWN1 Coconut filler2 Acreage fig. ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

I T S T R I P O D S E A WORLD

N E O R E N O I R C L U BC A N D Y A P P L E R I G A

I S L A P I P E S I NF I R S T WORLD W A R A W E E KL A O N R O T CO M A H A S R O O T C R O PA S M A L L WORLD A F T E R A L LT O S S D O W N O N T I M E

R E I G N T A UM A T R I D E O D O R A N TU N H I N G E M E R EM E I N A W H O L E N E W WORLD

B E R G G E A R T O G A LO L D WORLD A B B E S S O X Y

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24

25 26 27

28 29 30 31 32

33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43

44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

52 53 54 55

56 57 58

59 60 61 62 63 64 65

66 67 68 69 70 71 72

73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86

87 88 89 90 91

92 93 94 95 96

97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104

105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112

113 114 115 116 117 118

119 120 121 122 123

124 125 126

127 128 129 130

3 When French ghouls come out?

4 Fruit-based fountain treat5 Make a copy of6 Sucks up7 Crusoe’s creator8 Breezed through9 Grade school door sign10 Noted New York eatery11 Russian pancakes12 What Chippendale

furniture was made in13 Cheese ball?14 “Slumdog Millionaire” locale15 Subpar grades17 Gershwin’s “Concerto ___”18 Canine cousin19 “Do ___!” (“Stop

procrastinating!”)20 Maestro’s sign29 Skull caps?32 Sly sorts33 “Jersey Shore” airer34 All alternative35 Medal of valor37 Like the inside of a coffin39 Used, as a dinner tray41 Bernard Malamud’s first novel42 Rocky pinnacle43 Saturn’s wife45 Souvenir from Scotland47 Early fifth-century year48 “Slander” author Coulter49 Bit of Vaseline51 Communication syst.53 Longtime Yankee

nickname55 Roman squares57 O.K. Corral figure58 Exclude, with “out”59 Bunch at a grocery store60 Epoch in which mammals

arose64 One getting hit on at a

party?

65 Female fowl67 Selfish person’s cry before

and after “all”69 Common rhyme scheme70 “Later!”71 Biblical preposition72 N.F.L. defensive lineman

B. J. ___75 ___ soda76 “… And I’m the queen of

England!”78 Serving on a stick79 Sushi bar order83 Sarah McLachlan hit85 It may be hidden at a

hideout 88 Shopping center regulars91 Kind of warfare94 Units of cream: Abbr.95 Slush pile contents: Abbr.98 Least typical99 Cold war broadcasting

inits.100 Gift giver’s words101 Epic translated by

Alexander Pope102 Reaches altogether103 “Vous êtes ___”104 Sprinkled with baby

powder105 Like a locked lavatory106 Old-style fax107 Hawaiian veranda110 Question shouted in

exasperation111 Spasm112 Some of the fine print on

sports pages114 1988 #1 country album 115 Newsman Marvin117 Layer118 Jazz saxophonist/flutist

Frank121 Ontario’s ___ Canals122 “A ___ tardi” (“See you

later,” in Italy)

TV LISTINGS

12:00 Atp Tennis Magazine

Show

12:30 The Serie A Show

13:00 Uefa Champions

League And Europa

League Draw

16:00 Basketball Nba New

York 2 Portlans

18:00 English Sports News

18:15 The Football League

Show

18:45 Atp Tennis Magazine

Show

19:15 Europa League

Newcastle V Anji

21:00 Total Italian Football

21:30 Uefa Champions

League Magazine

22:00 The Global Game

23:00 Football Asia

23:30 Atp Tennis Magazine

Show

08:00 News

09:00 Al Jazeera World

10:00 News

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11:00 News

11:30 The Stream

12:00 News

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13:00 NEWSHOUR

14:00 News

14:30 Inside Story

15:00 Revolution Through

Arab Eyes

16:00 NEWSHOUR

17:00 News

17:30 The Stream

18:00 NEWSHOUR

19:00 News

19:30 Football Rebels

20:00 News

20:30 Inside Story

21:00 NEWSHOUR

22:00 News

22:30 South2North

23:00 The Cafe

23BREAK TIME FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

13:40 Surviving The

Cut

14:35 Border Security

15:05 Auction Kings

15:30 Auction

Hunters

16:00 Mythbusters

17:50 Mythbusters

18:45 Sons Of Guns

19:40 How Do They

Do It?

20:05 How It’s Made

20:35 Auction Kings

21:00 Auction

Hunters

21:30 Fast N’ Loud

22:25 World’s Top 5

23:20 American

Chopper

13:15 Ray Mears’

Wild Britain

15:05 Animal Precinct

16:00 The Really Wild

Show

17:25 Pandamonium

18:20 Bad Dog

19:15 Monkey Life

19:40 Bondi Vet

20:10 Rescue Vet

20:35 Escape To

Chimp Eden

21:05 Wildest Islands

22:00 Air Jaws 2

22:55 Whale Wars:

Viking Shores

23:50 Animal Cops

Houston

13:20 Austin And Ally

13:45 Art Attack

15:00 My Babysitter’s

A Vampire

15:25 Shake It Up

17:00 Let It Shine

19:10 A.N.T Farm

20:00 Jessie

20:30 That’s So Raven

20:50 Cory In House

21:15 Phil Of Future

21:40 Hannah Montana

22:05 Good Luck

Charlie

22:30 Good Luck

Charlie

13:00 Monster Fish

14:00 Untamed

Americas

15:00 Wild Russia

16:00 Bite Me With Dr.

Mike Leahy

17:00 Man v. Monster

18:00 Monster Fish

19:00 Like A Sea

Serpent

20:00 Untamed

Americas

21:00 Wild Russia

22:00 Hunter Hunted

23:00 Man v. Monster

12:00 It Could Happen

To You

14:00 Big Mommas:

Like Father, Like

Son

16:00 Naked Gun 2

1/2: The Smell Of

Fear

18:00 Summer School-

PG

20:00 Loser

22:00 Old School

13:00 Marco Macaco

14:30 Puss In Boots

16:00 The Adventures

Of Scooter The

Penguin

18:00 Winx

20:00 Marley & Me:

The Puppy Years

22:00 Marco Macaco

23:30 The Adventures

Of Scooter The

Penguin

CINEMA LISTINGSTEL: 444933989 444517001

SHOWING AT VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

MALL CINEMA

1

Rio (Animation) – 3.00 & 5.00pm

Kung Fu Panda 2 (Comedy) – 7.00pm

Take This Waltz (Comedy) – 9.00 & 11.00pm

2

Jack, The Giant Slayer (3D/Drama) – 2.30pm

Hunt To Kill (2D/Action) – 4.45pm

3G - A Killer Connection (2D/Hindi) – 6.45pm

Celluloid (2D/Malayalam) – 9.00 & 11.15pm

3

Al Hafla (2D/Arabic) – 2.30pm

The Dream of A Butterfly (2D/Drama) – 4.15pm

Oz: The Great & Powerful (3D/Action) – 6.45pm

Jack, The Giant Slayer (3D/Drama) – 9.15pm

Cottage Country (2D/Comedy) – 11.30pm

ROYAL PLAZA

1

Cottage Country (2D/Comedy) – 2.30pm

The Dream of A Butterfly (2D/Drama) – 4.30pm

Beasts of The Southern Wild (2D/Drama) – 7.00pm

Jack, The Giant Slayer (3D/Drama) – 9.00 & 11.15pm

2

Despicable Me (Comedy) – 3.00 & 5.00pm

The Hobbit: An Expected Journey (Adventure)

– 7.00 & 10.30pm

3

Megamind (Animation) – 2.30 & 4.30pm

Jack Reacher (Action) – 6.30 & 9.00pm

The Bangbang Club (Drama) – 11.30pm

LANDMARK

1

Al Hafla (2D/Arabic) – 2.30pm

The Dream of A Butterfly (2D/Drama) – 4.30 & 9.00pm

Hitchcock (2D/Drama) – 7.00pmCottage Country (2D/Comedy)

– 11.30pm

2

Hunt To Kill (2D/Action) – 2.30pm

Jack, The Giant Slayer (3D/Drama) – 4.15 & 11.30pmOz: The Great & Powerful (3D/Action) – 6.30 & 9.00pm

3

Mere Dad Ki Maruti (2D/Hindi) – 3.00 & 9.15pm

Beasts of The Southern Wild (2D/Drama) – 5.00pm

Paradesi (Tamil) – 7.00 & 11.15pm

MORNING BREAK24FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

UAE equestrian festival

Riders take part in the Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan International Equestrian festival in the Boudthib Endurance Village near Abu Dhabi, yesterday.

MOSCOW: A man in southern Russia took four people hostage for several hours yesterday in a bizarre abduction where his first demand was a takeaway pizza and a fizzy drink, police said.

Armed with a fake pistol and explosives, the 25-year-old burst into a college in the city of Astrakhan located 1,500

kilometres southeast of Moscow, and took four people hostage.

After several hours he released the two female students, a teacher and a security guard unharmed.

“His only demand was a pizza and Sprite,” police spokesman Pyotr Rusanov said, adding that the hostage-taker had locked himself and his hostages in a classroom.

Police cordoned off the building and met the man’s demands by delivering the requested food and drink, he added.

After the negotiations that lasted several hours, all the hos-tages were released unharmed, police said, adding the hostage taker himself was detained.

Regional investigators later said the man identified as Alexander

Kuptsov also demanded an SUV and 50,000 rubles ($1,625) after he released the first hostage, add-ing he planned to put forward additional demands later.

Police then broke into the classroom releasing the rest of the hostages. A spokesman for the regional investigators said the man apparently wanted to leave Astrakhan. AFP

Russian takes four hostages, demands pizza

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis returned to the Church-run residence yesterday where he was staying before becoming pontiff, and insisted on paying the bill, despite now effectively being in charge of the business, the Vatican said.

The morning after his elec-tion, Francis asked a driver to take him to the clerics’ hotel, the Domus Internationalis Paulus VI, where he had stayed during the run-up to this week’s secret elec-toral conclave.

“He wanted to get his luggage and the bags. He had left every-thing there,” a Vatican spokesman told a news briefing.

“He then stopped in the office, greeted everyone and decided to pay the bill for the room ... because he was concerned about giving a good example of what priests and bishops should do.”

The spokesman did not disclose the amount of the bill.

Jorge Bergoglio brought with him a reputation for frugality from his native Argentina. The first pope in 1,300 years born out-side Europe, he is the first to take the name of St Francis of Assisi - a gesture of solidarity with the poor from the new leader of an institution long associated with great wealth which is now bat-tling to retain loyalty among its congregations.

Father Pawel Rytel-Andrianik, who lives in the central Rome boarding house where Bergoglio had stayed said he was surprised the new pope had insisted on set-tling his account: “I don’t think he needs to worry about the bill,” he said. “The house is part of the Church, and it’s his Church now.”

Rytel-Andrianik said Bergoglio had been a regular guest: “When we were eating at the table, you wouldn’t realise he was a cardinal unless you already knew. He was just like any priest.

“He never asked for a car although he could have done,” he recalled. “He always took the metro or walked.” REUTERS

HONG KONG: Author Tan Twan Eng became the first Malaysian author to win Asia’s top literary prize yesterday for his novel set during the after-math of the Japanese occupa-tion of Malaya.

Tan won the $30,000 Man Asian Literary Prize with The Garden of Evening Mists, beating four other shortlisted books.

Literary critic and journalist Maya Jaggi led the judging panel and said Tan’s novel “revisits the traumatic aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Malaya, and the post-war insurgency against British rule, with stylistic poise and probing intelligence”.

“The Garden of Evening Mists,” which was also shortlisted for the 2012 Booker prize, follows a young law graduate who discov-ers the only Japanese garden in Malaya and its secretive owner and creator.

“The novel becomes a pro-found exploration of personal and national honour; guilt and com-plicity; what it means to atone; and what it takes to forgive,” said the judging panel that also included Vietnamese-American novelist Monique Truong and novelist Vikram Chandra.

“You’re being taken in different directions and there’s an atmos-phere of doubt and mystery,” said

Jaggi of Tan’s novel. “And that’s deliberate, it’s partly about the coexistence of cultural refine-ment and artistry and terrible barbarity.”

Tan, born in 1972 in Penang, worked as lawyer in Kuala Lumpur and also has a first-dan ranking in aikido. His first novel, The Gift of Rain, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2007.

“This comes as a huge shock,” Tan said at a black tie dinner in Hong Kong where the announce-ment was made. “It’s such a strong list this year that I am speechless.” The book’s central metaphor of the Japanese garden was partly inspired by a chance meeting with the gardener for the emperor of Japan, he said.

“I’ve always been interested in that period of history and I’ve always wanted to explore all the things which I felt weren’t explored enough by other people,” he said of its setting in the after-math of Japanese occupation, an issue that continues to resonate in Asia.

Jaggi said the ambitious scope and structure of Tan’s novel elevated it above the others on a shortlist that included Indian author Jeet Thayil’s Narcopolis and The Briefcase by Japanese writer Hiromi Kawakami.

Silent House, an early work from Turkish writer and 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature win-ner Orhan Pamuk, also made the 2012 shortlist despite being first published nearly 30 years ago. It qualified for the prize because it appeared in English for the first time in 2012.

China, which has seen three Man Asian Literary Prize winners since the prize was first awarded in 2007, did not have any writers on this year’s shortlist.

It is the second time the prize has been won by a novel origi-nally written in English. All pre-vious winners, except Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (2008), won as English translations. AFP

Malaysian author bags Asia’s top literary prize

Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng with his award-winning book The Garden of Evening Mists.

NEW YORK: US First Lady Michelle Obama is showing up all over these days: grooving with Jimmy Fallon on late night TV, awarding an Oscar, and soon, gracing the cover of fashion bible Vogue.

Obama will front the April edition, which hits news stands March 26, in a shot by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. She is leaning on a desk in a sleeveless blue dress by Reed Krakoff, one of her current favourite designers, her smile framed by her much-discussed new bangs. This is her second time appearing on the cover of the high fashion glossy — the first First Lady to have that honour. The image accompanies an interview with Michelle and her husband — who posed together in the White House’s Red Room — in which she spoke briefly about her look but focused more on her daughters, Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11, and her husband, whom Michelle said she has tried to teach “patience and calm.”

“Ninety percent of our conversation is about these girls: What are they doing? And who’s got what practice? And what birthday party is coming up?” she said, explaining their hope that the girls have as normal a childhood as possible. Rebutting criticism that the Obamas don’t spend enough time entertaining privately in the White House, Michelle said without hesitation: “Our job is, first and foremost, to make sure our family is whole.” AFP

Michell’s second Vogue cover, a first for a US First Lady

US First Lady Michelle Obama appearing on the cover of the Vogue magazine’s April edition.

Pope returns to Rome hotel -- to pay bill

Fajr (Dawn) 4:28

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Zuhr (Noon) 11:43

Asr (Afternoon) 3:08

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Isha (Night) 7:14

PRAYER TIME

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