Kia Motors posts 11.5% increase in May global sales

Kia Motors Corporation announced that its global sales figures for passenger cars (export sales, domestic sales, and sales from overseas plants), recreational vehicles (RVs), and commercial vehicles for May 2009 recorded a total of 141,949 units. This marks a year-on-year increase of 11.5%.

By region, Kia posted year-on-year sales increases in China (20,252 units, a 51.3% year-on-year increase), Korea (38,102 units, a 44.0% year-on-year increase) and general markets (23,430 units, a 13.0% year-on-year increase).

Cumulatively through the first five months of 2009, Kia’s global sales increased by 0.5% year-on-year and reached 590,934 units. General markets experienced the largest gain, selling 110,289 units through May and representing a 17.0% increase, while the Korean and Chinese markets showed cumulative year-on-year sales increases of 14.2% (146,518 units) and 13.5% (74,797 units), respectively.

So far in 2009, Kia’s best selling model in overseas markets has been the C-segment Cerato (known as ‘Spectra’ or ‘Forte’ in some markets) with 95,883 units sold. The B-segment Rio comes in second with 60,780 units sold, followed closely by the Sportage compact SUV with 58,091 units sold. Sales of the C-segment cee’d and the A-segment Picanto continue to perform well with 50,544 and 35,951 units sold, respectively.

In terms of vehicle category sold overseas, Kia’s recreational vehicles achieved an increase of 24.6% year-on-year, selling 36,187 units in May.

Hyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of the International Business Division, Kia Motors Corporation, said “We are five months into the year and have already surpassed the half million global sales mark, and have experienced consistently high and significant year-on-year gains in general markets and China. Considering the global climate, these results are even more impressive and our message to our dealers is to continue their great work.”

The New Straits Times Online: Nigerian leaps seven floors to evade cops

The New Straits Times Online: Nigerian leaps seven floors to evade cops

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QIB Finances Salam Bounian Tower for QR 206 Million

Doha – QIB and Salam Bounian have signed a QR 206 million Musharaka agreement through which the Bank will finance the developer’s Jumana Tower at The Pearl. QIB is a leading financial institution in Qatar, financing some of the country’s largest vital projects and is a dedicated supporter of the country’s economy.

Jumana Tower is a residential project at The Pearl’s Porto Arabia. Facing the marina, the 28-floor tower offers 250 luxury apartments. Jumana Tower construction is proceeding according to schedule and is due to be delivered next year.

QIB CEO, Mr. Salah Jaidah, commented on this agreement, saying, “Qatar’s economic growth has been measured between seven and nine percent in 2009. With continual government support of the local real estate sector and the resulting involvement of primary local financial institutions such as QIB, sector growth will continue to rise and the market will see an increasing number of large finance deals such as QIB’s agreement with Salam Bounian.”

Mr. Ahmad Meshari, QIB General Manager, Domestic Business Group, said, “QIB and Salam Bounian have a strong collaborative history regarding Sharia’-compliant finance agreements. QIB has previously organized sukuk for Salam Bounian for a USD 137.5 million finance for “The Gate” project. This Jumana Tower agreement is an extension of QIB and Salam Bounian’s strong relationship characterized by the strength and stability of its real estate projects.”

Salam Bounian General Manager, Mr. Yasser Hamad, said of the QIB – Salam Bounian partnership, “This agreement is symbolic in that it is the first major Islamic finance agreement to occur since last year’s Q3 crisis. It proves that Salam Bounian is respected in the banking industry and is considered a strong company in the market with a solid foundation and good reputation.”

DOHA: Despite the constraints faced by the organisers, the Akon concert held last Month has turned out to be one of the most successful concerts held in Qatar.

Qatar Vision not only brought an international artiste such as Akon to Doha but also successfully hosted the event without any major or official sponsor. The Akon crew pocketed QR1m for the performance, for which 8,960 tickets were sold.

The InterContinental hotel’s beach was a perfect location for the big event. The hotel provided Akon a full suite with food and beverages and arranged the visas for the artist and the crew.

While the event brought much publicity to Doha for having hosted a magnificent concert, the absence of an official sponsor was sorely felt by the organisers. They could get some sponsorship only at the last minute from Kodak, Pepsi and Sarq.

Sharif Omar Hashisho, Managing Director of Qatar Vision, said: “We did not make any money in Akon but we are happy that all Doha is speaking about it. The profit is not really much if we compare it to the hard work done for the event. At least we had great exposure and managed to prove to people that Qvision is capable of doing an amazing job in bringing to Qatar superstar artists such as Akon.”

On the issue of sponsorship, he said: “Honestly, without good sponsors and government support, its just too much for us as a private company to do all this work ourselves. If sponsors cover 50 percent of your cost you are in a good shape and can bring even better artists.”

“From my side, I am extremely happy that everyone who attended the concert left with a great impression about the good organisation and professional work of the Qvision team. I am also happy because Qatar now is going to be considered a place artists would include in their future tours. I am also happy because we had zero incidents regarding safety or security of our guests. I am also happy because Akon and his musicians left Qatar with a great impression about the culture and hospitality and are ready to come back again and again,” Hashisho added.

DOHA: The Diplomatic Club, Doha’s premier private club providing its members and guests with a luxurious lifestyle, announced yesterday its portfolio expansion for 2009 with several projects currently under way.

These new plans reflects the Diplomatic Club’s longstanding relationship in the hospitality industry and the company’s continued ability to provide unparalleled and outstanding standards of services within this field.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Saad Hilal Al Muhannadi, CEO of Diplomatic Club said: “In order to continuously provide a prestigious lifestyle to its patrons, the Diplomatic Club is undergoing some minor and major facelifts. This year, the club underwent a complete renovation of its main lobby and member’s lounge areas with designs that are both comforting and classic in appearance ensuring grace and elegance.”

Le Grill Restaurant, renowned for the best grilled meats in town, is currently undergoing a transformation in its design features in order to provide its clientele with alternative new look.

Also in the pipeline, and in order to meet the ever increasing number of guests, is the construction of a new multi-storey Al Sayyad restaurant, located adjacent to the existing site. The new restaurant will feature regular seating areas, as well as private majles areas and a terrace overlooking the magnificent views of the west bay lagoon, said Al Muhannadi.

The Diplomatic Club is accelerating its expansion programme with the construction of a luxury hotel in the club’s premises. The Hotel will be located by the beachfront, overlooking the west bay lagoon and will offer 100 rooms and suites, restaurants, roof top bar and retail shops. The design of the building will be inspired by the traditional construction of the club but with an added modern touch in order to comply with current market trends and styles.

Also the Diplomatic Club has ventured into the business of Hotel management services with the creation of DC Hotels.

A formal agreement was signed between the two parties which mean the Diplomatic Club for Hotel Management Services will manage the DC Hotel Brand and will provide hotel owners advisory services and input before and during construction, manage the pre-opening stages of the new property and operate the hotel throughout the contracted period.

The Diplomatic Club for Hotel Management services has recently been awarded the operation of its first 2 hotels in Doha this year, with the opening of DC Hotel at the 44 West Bay Tower and the DC Hotel Musheireb.

DOHA: Qatar Charity recently opened a mosque in Mali in the presence of Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré.

During a meeting with representatives of Qatar Charity, the president commended the efforts of the charity in building mosques and administering development projects in the country over the past several years. A certificate of appreciation was given to

Qatar Charity.

A representative of Qatar Charity said the mosque was built to alleviate the hardship faced by the elderly and the women, as it is the nearest mosque for the

local community.

Qatar Charity also distributed canned meat to widows, the disabled, the elderly and the poor in a number of villages, and also in canteens in several elementary schools. Six schools in four rural communities of the province of Koulikoro and the poor in 18 villages were the beneficiaries.

The distribution was conducted at a ceremony in Bashanvala village. It was attended by a representative of the governor of Koulikoro, an academic director of a university, heads of the beneficiary rural communities and the director of the office of the World Food Programme in Mali.

The World Food Programme official expressed happiness over the initiative taken by Qatar Charity to support the school feeding programme in rural schools. He said this had brought joy to the hearts of children and their parents, as they were exempted from bearing the expenses of the last two school meals.

The initiative is the first of its kind by any charity organisation in Mali and will reduce the burden borne by parents of schoolchildren. It will also encourage students to continue their education and contribute to a high rate of school enrolment in the target villages. The WFP official called for expanding the programme to other schools and continuing it in the coming years.

In recent years, Qatar Charity has implemented a range of health and educational projects in Mali, building five schools, three clinics, two multi-purpose centres and more than 30 mosques.

The Hazards of illegal immigration to the UK

Nigerians are everywhere in the world. Our proclivity to global itinerancy, I suspect, is born out of nature and economics. By nature, we love to scan our immediate and outer environments with the ultimate objective of improving ourselves. Even before our country becomes what it is now, our people had traversed the globe seeking the proverbial Golden Fleece in places far and wide. Thus it can safely be said that our forebears who travelled to Europe and America in the early to mid 20th century did so simply to attain quality Western education and having achieved this they promptly came back to Nigeria, where commensurate jobs were waiting for them.The second reason for playing ‘Andrew’ is economics. It is clear that despite {or perhaps because of } the country’s abundance of human and natural resources, our successive rulers have seemingly contrived to snatch defeat from the jaw of economic victory and the country has remained a perpetual work-in-progress. The Nigerian people, with no hope of a better tomorrow have thus been voting with their feet and migrating to all sorts of countries {as an aside a colleague of mine recently seconded to the Afghanistan Ministry of Justice relates of presence of a considerable community of Nigerians in Afghanistan!}.Nigerians have been migrating to the UK for decades. However lately, there have been changes in the legal and political climates in the UK that those seeking to migrate to England and work illegally need to think twice before they did so. In the late 1980s and throughout 1990s, as a result of liberalisation of the British economy by Lady Thatcher, {which was sustained by the New Labour government since 1997}, the British economy has been very buoyant and was out-performing the economies of the Euro-zone. This has generated job opportunities in all facets of the labour market, especially such jobs the natives were not particularly enamoured of. As a result of this, there was a laissez faire attitude towards migration {including illegal ones}. Nigerians who came to the UK during this period could thus easily obtained works using false/forged documentations and subsequently normalise and regularise their stays. This is no longer the case.The UK Identity Card Act 2006 was promulgated to check the incidents of identity thefts. However its ambit covers those who are in possession of false or fraudulent identification documents. The Act provides for two separate offences: possession of false identity document with the intention to deceive and simple possession of false identity document.Section 25{1&2} provides that:‘{1} It is an offence for a person with the requisite intention to have in his possession or under his control—(a) an identity document that is false and that he knows or believes to be false;(b) an identity document that was improperly obtained and that he knows or believes to have been improperly obtained; or(c) an identity document that relates to someone else.(2) The requisite intention for the purposes of subsection (1) is—(a) the intention of using the document for establishing registrable facts about himself; or(b) the intention of allowing or inducing another to use it for establishing, ascertaining or verifying registrable facts about himself or about any other person (with the exception, in the case of a document within paragraph (c) of that subsection, of the individual to whom it relates).’Section 25{5}{a-c}, provides that:‘It is an offence for a person to have in his possession or under his control, without reasonable excuse—(a) an identity document that is false;(b) an identity document that was improperly obtained;(c) an identity document that relates to someone else; or(d) any apparatus, article or material which, to his knowledge, is or has been specially designed or adapted for the making of false identity documents or to be used in the making of such documents.’It can be clearly seen that the sections have been widely drafted to encompass such practice as using someone else genuine identity documents as well as using plainly forged documents. The offence under section 25{1} is committed if the suspect presents such documents to anyone with the intention of inducing that person to avail them of a service. Thus Mr A presents a genuine international passport {or any other form of identification documents} belonging to Mr B {probably because they look alike} to a bank with the intention of inducing the bank into opening an account for himself {Mr A}, the offence has been committed. Such practice was/is not unusual amongst illegal immigrants in the UK. The maximum punishment for a conviction under section 25[1} of the Act is 10 years custodial sentence. The offence under section 25{5} {the simple possession} is committed if the suspect is found to be in possession of such document. Thus, if using our scenario above, Mr A was in possession of any of the above documents and was subject to a routine stop and search by the police and the document{s} was found on him, he is guilty of the offence and could be sent to two years imprisonment.Prior to the promulgation of the Identity Card Act, people found to be in possession of such identification documents were simply repatriated to their countries without having to face criminal trials. This of course is no longer the case as such people now face criminal prosecution and almost inevitable imprisonment. To make matter worse such convicted people are subsequently deported to their countries after they have served their terms of imprisonment since the sentencing courts almost always recommend those people for deportation. Under the UK law, foreign nationals convicted of imprisonable offence are liable to be removed from the UK after conclusion of their custodial sentence. Talk of double jeopardy!This writer knows as a matter of fact that hundreds {perhaps thousands} of Nigerians have been affected by this new law. The fact that most of the key cases that have gone to Criminal appellate Courts in the UK in this area of law relate to Nigerian names are indicative of how the net of this Act has caught many Nigerians. In the case of R-v-Kolawole {2006}2 Cr.App.R{S} 14, the defendant, who was initially arrested for a traffic offence, was found to be in possession of forged passport. Even though he was previously of good character, he was nevertheless sentenced to 18 months custody. Similarly, in the case of R-v-Adebayo {2007} EWCA Crim 878, the defendant went to an employment agency and produced two documents, a national insurance card and a Nigerian passport which were fakes. Mr Adebayo claimed that he had entered the United Kingdom about 10 years earlier and had lost his Nigerian passport. He had paid £2,500 for the two false documents which he had produced. He was sentenced to Sentenced 2 -year custody, although this was reduced to reduce to 15 months on appeal. It is needless to say that both defendants were recommended for deportation.Those two cases have become the guidance cases in UK courts for sentencing people accused of breaching the provisions of the Act. Hundreds of Nigerians are languishing in various UK jails awaiting deportation after serving their criminal sentence. What started out as journey to economic liberation and good life have suddenly become painful existence of nightmarish proportion for these unfortunate people. Ordinarily decent and hardworking people have now acquired criminal convictions for, at worst their desperation to escape from the inequities and insecurities at home. The convenient thing is to blame the UK for the harshness of its law, but that will miss the point. The real culprits are the successive leaders of Nigeria who have made staying at home so hostile, so hopeless that Nigerians are ready to migrate to such bastion of prosperity and tranquillity as Afghanistan! Whilst the country remain cocooned in the quagmire of high unemployment, entrenched poverty and decaying infrastructures, it is difficult to advise people not to seek better life elsewhere. My advice to Nigerians seeking to come to the UK is to ensure that they seek impassioned and objective advice before spending their hard earned money on a trip into the unknown.