BUSINESS | Page 1
INDEX
QATAR
2 – 11, 32
30, 31
COMMENT
1 – 7, 14 – 16
REGION
12
BUSINESS
ARAB WORLD
13
CLASSIFIED
8 – 13
SPORTS
1 – 12
INTERNATIONAL 15 – 29
Hamilton
denies
Ferrari
home win
at Italy GP
WORLD | Health
Researchers identify
Alzheimer’s genes
University of Basel researchers
have identified a specific group of
genes that plays a central role in
the development of Alzheimer’s
disease. This group of molecules
controls the concentration of
calcium ions inside the cell.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most
common cause of age-associated
memory disorders. Due to
increasing life expectancy, the
disease is on the rise worldwide.
There is no effective treatment to
cure or even slow down Alzheimer’s
yet. Thus, understanding the origins
of this neurodegenerative disorder
is key to the development of much
needed treatments.
The 2015 World 9-Ball
Championship (W9BC) of the World
Pool-Billiard Association, with
the participation of 244 players
from 48 countries, begins in Doha
today. This is the sixth straight year
that Qatar hosts the World 9-ball
Championship, and the 24th time,
dating back to 1990, that the World
Pool Billiards Association (WPA) has
held a World 9-ball Championship.
Sport Page 12
AFGHANISTAN | Meeting
Kabul asks Islamabad
to act against Taliban
Afghanistan asked Pakistan to act
against Afghan Taliban militants
operating on its territory during
weekend talks in Kabul, while
Pakistan said the South Asian
neighbours needed to build trust,
officials said after the meetings.
Page 27
46.05
-69.49
-0.61%
-0.70
-1.50%
MONDAY
Vol. XXXVI No. 9838
September 7, 2015
Dhul-Qa’da 23, 1436 AH
www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals
Doha sees
traffic jams
as schools
reopen
Independent schools as well as
most of the expatriate schools
started the new academic session
after a break of over two months
By Joseph Varghese
Staff Reporter
M
any areas in Doha and suburbs experienced moderate
to heavy traffic yesterday as
schools reopened after the summer
break.
Independent schools as well as
most of the expatriate schools started
the new academic session with more
than 300,000 students resuming
their studies after a break of over two
months.
Different parts of the city, especially
Abu Hamour, Mesaimeer, the Old Air-
port Area, and College of the North
Atlantic - Qatar Roundabout at Duhail
witnessed heavy rush in the morning
hours. Long queues formed at several
interchanges and roundabouts in these
areas.
However, several motorists were of
the opinion that the rush was not a very
difficult one to handle. Most of them
had been prepared for the scenario
while others took it for granted. Several
others had followed the instructions
provided by the Ministry of Interior
(MoI) as well as the media outlets. Gulf
Times had, well in advance, provided a
number of tips to ease the traffic congestion, quoting a ministry official.
The road from Abu Hamour Interchange which connects to the interchange on Mesaimeer Road was packed
with vehicles as the area has a number
of schools. It took quite some time for
Saudi Arabia to allow full
foreign ownership in retail
QATAR | Sport
Doha hosts World
9-Ball Championship
11,277.65
-272.38
-1.66%
in
Kurdish militants said yesterday
they had killed 15 Turkish soldiers in
an attack on a convoy of armoured
vehicles in southeast Turkey, in
what could be the bloodiest assault
since the collapse of a ceasefire in
July. The number of casualties could
not be independently verified but
in a televised statement President
Tayyip Erdogan confirmed an
attack had taken place in Hakkari
province, close to Turkey’s borders
with Iran and Iraq. In a statement
posted online, the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said
its guerrillas had ambushed the
convoy in Yuksekova district.
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Militants kill 15
soldiers in ambush
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TURKEY | Conflict
QE
Latest Figures
GULF TIMES
In brief
DOW JONES
pu
Innovation key to
diversification, says
Injaz Qatar official
SPORT | Page 1
Reuters
Riyadh
S
audi Arabia will ease restrictions on foreign investors to let
them own 100% of retail and
wholesale businesses, the government said yesterday as the world’s
top oil exporter embarks on a new
drive to attract investment and diversify its economy.
The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) announced
the reform to US businessmen during
a visit by King Salman to Washington, adding that the changes would
be subject to conditions, which
would be revealed at a later stage.
The increase in maximum foreign
ownership from the present level of
up to 75% for retail and wholesale
businesses comes after tumbling oil
prices have slashed government revenues.
SAGIA wants to attract more highend investors into the kingdom to create white collar or technical jobs for
Saudi citizens, introduce new technol-
ogy and maintain economic growth
- goals that may become increasingly
important if oil prices stay low.
The agency is streamlining its investment rules and visa regulations
for investors, it said, adding that the
new regime would come into force
next year.
Meanwhile, a Saudi official said
Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed bin
Salman had told US businessmen
that state-owned oil giant Saudi
Aramco would open a series of new
projects in refining, distribution and
support services to foreign participation.
The official added that there might
also be new opportunities for foreign
banks to enter the kingdom, as most
banks already operating there were
nearing maximum credit limits imposed by the central bank.
Banking subsectors such as services for individuals and smaller companies would be among areas for
new opportunities, the official said,
adding that US banks entering the
kingdom could have a market share
of $150bn in the next five to 10 years.
A long line of vehicles at the Immigration flyover yesterday. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed
people to pass through the road and
clear the signal. Several motorists had
to wait for more than 10 minutes to
pass through the interchange.
One of the motorists said: “This is
a big problem for us. There are several
schools in this locality and the flow of
vehicles in the area is very high. Moreover, the signal duration from this direction is very short and makes us wait
for very long time. Maybe the authorities should do something to add additional time for the signal from this direction at least during the peak hours.”
Several other areas of the city also
faced similar problems. The Old Airport Area witnessed heavy congestion as several infrastructure develop-
Banking studies
school for girls
QNA
Doha
Q
atar Central Bank (QCB), in cooperation with Supreme Education Council (SEC), yesterday launched a Qatar Banking Studies
and Business Administration Independent School for Girls.
A similar school for boys is already
open.
In a speech on behalf of QCB Governor HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud
al-Thani, school chairman Jassim Mohamed al-Baker thanked
SEC’s Education Institute for its
support.
He said that the Qatar Banking
Studies and Business Administration
Independent School would graduate a
qualified cadre to work in the country’s
financial institutions, adding that the
school had great support from financial sectors, be it banks, companies or
the stock exchange.
SEC Education Institute director
Fawziya al-Khater said that the school
highlighted SEC’s co-operation with
different state institutions.
ments are taking place there. Many of
the pocket roads in the area are closed,
making the traffic difficult to handle.
The Midmac Roundabout as well as
the Immigration Roundabout also saw
high traffic during the peak hours.
One of the motorists said he started
quite early to avoid the heavy traffic. “I
had anticipated heavy rush today and
had read tips to avoid the rush. Therefore, I started early and reached the
school of my children well in advance. I
could also reach my office on time and
could avoid the heavy traffic to a great
extent.”
Meanwhile, many people pointed
out that a number of students had not
attended the school yesterday. One
parent said that several families in his
neighbourhood were yet to return after
the vacation though they had schoolgoing children. They might turn up
sometime this week or next week. In
addition, there are many parents who
had left for vacation quite late and they
will be coming back only after Eid alAdha which falls in the fourth week of
this month.
“Several of them would like to spend
their time during the festival at home.
Moreover, it is a matter of 10 days of
classes and if the students are in the
lower classes, it does not matter much.
So the real test will be when the schools
resume after the Eid al-Adha holidays,”
added another parent. Page 8
Migrants get hero’s
welcome in Germany
AFP
Berlin
T
housands of exhausted migrants received a hero’s welcome as they streamed into
Germany yesterday as the UN criticised the huge disparity in European
efforts to help them.
As well-wishers turned out en
masse at train stations in Munich,
Frankfurt and other German cities,
the UN’s refugee chief said the crisis
could be “manageable” if European
countries all pulled their weight and
agreed on a common approach.
Europe’s worst refugee crisis since
World War II has sparked a flurry of
diplomatic wrangling, with Turkey lashing out at what it called the
closed-doors response of “Christian
fortress Europe”.
But for thousands of refugees who
had made a perilous trip across land
and sea and finally set foot in Germany - seen by many as a promised land
- the welcome was overwhelming.
As they stepped off trains in Mu-
nich, many clutching young children, the newcomers were met by
crowds of cheering well-wishers
holding balloons, who handed them
food, water and toys.
“The people here treat us so well,
they treat us like real human beings,
not like in Syria,” said Mohamed, 32,
from the devastated town of Qusayr,
his eyes welling up with tears.
Although Germany has thrown
open its doors, waiving procedural
rules for Syrian asylum-seekers,
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu yesterday lashed out at the
“ridiculously small” share of refugees EU countries were accepting.
Writing in Germany’s Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung, he hit out at
“Christian fortress Europe” pointing out that Turkey had already taken
in more than 2mn people from wartorn Syria and Iraq.
His remarks came just days after Hungary, which saw 50,000 new
arrivals in August alone, raised the
alarm over the impact of mainly
Muslim refugees on Europe’s “Christian culture”. Pages 22, 23
Msheireb Downtown Doha marks a ‘significant milestone’
M
sheireb Properties yesterday officially announced the
launch of its first building in
the QR20bn Msheireb Downtown Doha
(MDD), the world’s first sustainable
downtown project designed to regenerate and preserve the historical heart of
Doha.
The opening of Qatar Academy
Msheireb (QA Msheireb) marks a “significant milestone” in the development
of MDD and reflects Msheireb Properties’ objective of creating an environment that caters to the needs of all its
residents.
Both Msheireb Properties and Qatar
Academy are establishments functioning under Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF).
QA Msheireb’s new building in
Msheireb Downtown Doha spans
12,754sqm. It contains a spacious swim-
ming pool, a dedicated dining area, music and art rooms, basketball and volley
ball courts, a gymnasium, as well as a
comprehensive library.
The drop-off point has been conveniently located in the basement mezzanine to ensure pick-ups are as safe and
convenient as possible for both students
and parents.
Commenting on the opening of the
new Academy and its importance within
the community, Msheireb Properties
CEO Abdulla al-Mehshadi said that it
was entirely logical that a development
seeking to create a vibrant modern community which also reflected traditional
Qatari culture and heritage should contain a world-class educational establishment.
“The opening of Qatar Academy
Msheireb therefore marks an especially
significant milestone in the development of Msheireb Downtown Doha. It
Qatar Academy Msheireb building: it contains a spacious swimming pool, a
dedicated dining area, music and art rooms, basketball and volley ball courts, a
gymnasium, as well as a comprehensive library.
underpins our overall objective of creating an environment which caters to
all the needs of our residents, while also
fostering a sense of community that will
flow through the entire development.”
He added: “Our values of Innovation, Excellence and Partnership
underpin all that we are striving to
achieve through this flagship project,
and our collaboration with Qatar Academy Msheireb and Qatar Foundation is
a perfect indication of this. Msheireb
Properties is passionate about realising
the potential of Qatar’s community and
the launch of this school reflects our
determination to enable the next generation to play its full role in building
the future of Qatar.”
QA Msheireb director Suad al-Kindi
observed that it was extremely rewarding to be opening a school in the centre
of Doha delivering education which is at
the heart of any nation’s development
and prosperity.
“Both the purpose and the location of
Qatar Academy Msheireb will raise the
standards of the role we play as educators
to meet students, parents and community needs for a model school and hub of
excellence through its unique programme
embracing diversity, crafting support
and celebrating students’ success.”
“Preparation for the new academic
year and the relocation to the building
started months ago to ensure a smooth
transition and a successful opening through continuous communication and rigorous follow up both from
Msheireb Properties and Qatar Academy Msheireb,” she added.
MDD is a 31-hectare mixed-use development situated in the centre of
Doha.
The highlights include a lively urban
neighbourhood featuring premier office
space, retail, leisure facilities, townhouses, upscale apartments, hotels,
museums, civic services, and cultural
and entertainment venues.
Cars and traditional services are strategically placed underground in several
basement levels, ensuring a pedestrian
- friendly atmosphere. The project will
also be served by a dedicated tramway.