Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) National Steering Committee yesterday decided to gather party supporters from across the country for a mass rally in Male before the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) set up to probe the events surrounding the regime change on February 7 issues its report. The resolution submitted by the former Youth Minister Hassan Latheef was passed to decide on the party’s course of action to press the enforcement of the points that would be highlighted in the CNI’s report due by the end of the month.
During the Committee meeting yesterday, it was also passed to resume the party’s ‘Direct Action’ protests which had been suspended for the last ten days of Ramadan to allow for prayer and worship.
Related Articles No reason to overthrow the government: Abbas - 10-07-2012 McKinnon urges high-level sit-down - 18-07-2012 Nasheed's Antics - A Never Ending Story - 19-07-2012 Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Friday, September 26, 2014
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Standard Chartered fined $340m over Iran deals
Standard Chartered on Tuesday settled allegations that it helped Iranian clients dodge US sanctions, announcing a fine of $340 million from a New York banking watchdog. The "civil penalty" came amid allegations that the London-based bank hid 60,000 transactions with proscribed Iranian clients worth $250 billion over ten years.
The clients included the state-backed Central Bank of Iran and the National Bank of Iran, both accused by Washington of helping Tehran seek nuclear weapons and fund terrorism.
Under the terms of the settlement with New York's Department of Financial Services, Standard Chartered agreed to house a government anti-laundering monitor for two years at its New York branch.
It will also appoint in-house auditors to check compliance with US sanctions.
Standard Chartered CEO Peter Sands was in New York at the time the deal was struck.
According to the bank a detailed agreement will come soon, adding "the group continues to engage constructively with the other relevant US authorities."
The settlement is far from the worst-case scenario for the bank, which is a household name in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
New York state's Department of Financial Services had questioned whether Standard Chartered should lose its banking license, effectively cutting off access to the US market.
It should also have deep enough pockets to cover the fine without operations being dented.
In the first half of this year it reported profits of $3.95 billion.
Yet Standard Chartered remains in the sights of other US regulators and 15 percent of its share value has been lost since the allegations surfaced just over a week ago.
On Tuesday the Treasury Department told AFP the settlement would not halt its own investigation.
"Our investigation continues. Treasury will continue working with our regulatory and law enforcement partners to hold Standard Chartered accountable for any sanctionable activity that occurred," an official said.
The Department of Justice said it would also continue to "determine what actions might be appropriate."
Standard Chartered hinted that settlements may also be reached there, saying "the timing of any resolution will be communicated in due course."
The "United Against Nuclear Iran" lobby group said New York authorities had been too lenient, and federal investigators should not make the same mistake.
"Given the reports of Standard Charter's egregious actions the penalty should have been more severe," the said in a statement.
"Any financial institution that is found to be in violation of Iran sanctions should receive the financial equivalent of the death penalty and lose its license to do business in the United States."
In the last decade the United States and allies have ramped up sanctions against Iranian banks, institutions and individuals in a bid to stop Iran's weapons programs.
The question of Iran's weapons is a hot button issue heading into November's presidential elections, with some powerful voting blocs pressing President Barack Obama to take a tougher line against the regime.
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The clients included the state-backed Central Bank of Iran and the National Bank of Iran, both accused by Washington of helping Tehran seek nuclear weapons and fund terrorism.
Under the terms of the settlement with New York's Department of Financial Services, Standard Chartered agreed to house a government anti-laundering monitor for two years at its New York branch.
It will also appoint in-house auditors to check compliance with US sanctions.
Standard Chartered CEO Peter Sands was in New York at the time the deal was struck.
According to the bank a detailed agreement will come soon, adding "the group continues to engage constructively with the other relevant US authorities."
The settlement is far from the worst-case scenario for the bank, which is a household name in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
New York state's Department of Financial Services had questioned whether Standard Chartered should lose its banking license, effectively cutting off access to the US market.
It should also have deep enough pockets to cover the fine without operations being dented.
In the first half of this year it reported profits of $3.95 billion.
Yet Standard Chartered remains in the sights of other US regulators and 15 percent of its share value has been lost since the allegations surfaced just over a week ago.
On Tuesday the Treasury Department told AFP the settlement would not halt its own investigation.
"Our investigation continues. Treasury will continue working with our regulatory and law enforcement partners to hold Standard Chartered accountable for any sanctionable activity that occurred," an official said.
The Department of Justice said it would also continue to "determine what actions might be appropriate."
Standard Chartered hinted that settlements may also be reached there, saying "the timing of any resolution will be communicated in due course."
The "United Against Nuclear Iran" lobby group said New York authorities had been too lenient, and federal investigators should not make the same mistake.
"Given the reports of Standard Charter's egregious actions the penalty should have been more severe," the said in a statement.
"Any financial institution that is found to be in violation of Iran sanctions should receive the financial equivalent of the death penalty and lose its license to do business in the United States."
In the last decade the United States and allies have ramped up sanctions against Iranian banks, institutions and individuals in a bid to stop Iran's weapons programs.
The question of Iran's weapons is a hot button issue heading into November's presidential elections, with some powerful voting blocs pressing President Barack Obama to take a tougher line against the regime.
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Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Romney to Obama: take your 'hate' back home
Mitt Romney lashed Barack Obama as "angry and desperate" Tuesday and told him to take his "hate" home to Chicago in an outburst which prompted the president's camp to brand him "unhinged." A sudden and bitter escalation to the White House race was triggered when Vice President Joe Biden said in the one-time slave state of Virginia that Romney's plans to slash banking regulation would "put y'all back in chains."
A furious Romney fired back at a rally in Ohio, accusing Obama, who ran in 2008 vowing to heal political divides, of trying to "smash America apart" to cobble together a 51 percent majority to win a second term.
"This is what an angry and desperate presidency looks like," he said, in the most charged exchanges of the campaign so far.
"Mr President, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting America," the Republican candidate said.
Democrat Obama, in his final event of the day, under a setting sun in Waterloo, Iowa, decided to stay above the fray, and left it to his campaign to use the outburst to implicitly question his foe's temperament to lead.
"Governor Romney's comments tonight seemed unhinged and particularly strange coming at a time when he's pouring tens of millions of dollars into negative ads that are demonstrably false," Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said.
Rising temperatures between the campaigns came as Romney and Obama trekked across crucial electoral territory in dueling bus tours as both geared up for their nominating conventions and a race to the finish on November 6.
Obama thrust home his claim that Romney, a former multi-millionaire venture capitalist would further enrich his wealthy friends with tax cuts -- and put the burden on a middle class struggling to cope in a slow economic recovery.
Romney paints Obama as out of ideas, an enemy of job creating small businesses and bent on a big government takeover of many aspects of American life and questions whether he really understands his home country.
Republicans said Tuesday that emerging party favorite, Chris Christie, the sharp-tongued governor of New Jersey, will deliver the keynote address at their nominating convention in Tampa, Florida, between August 27 and 30.
Such appearances can catapult politicians to national prominence: Obama's electrifying address at the Democratic convention in 2004 launched his meteoric rise to the presidency.
Both Romney and Obama Tuesday settled on the politically charged issue of energy sources, past and present, as the latest prism for their differences.
Romney, drawing big crowds in coal country in Ohio, a key swing state, accused Obama of waging a "war on coal" by hampering America's mining industry with environmental emissions regulations.
Flanked by miners, Romney mocked the president's energy plan, saying he was opposed to "all the sources of energy that come from above the ground, none of those that come from below the ground, like oil and coal and gas."
Obama, barnstorming across Iowa, another tightly contested battleground, sarcastically charged that Romney simply did not understand the heartland economy, as he attack the Republican over wind power.
"If he knew what you've been doing, he'd know that about 20 percent of Iowa's electricity now comes from wind, powering our homes and factories and businesses in a way that's clean and renewable," Obama told a crowd in Iowa.
"Governor Romney even explained his energy policy this way... 'You can't drive a car with a windmill on it.'" Obama said.
"I don't know if he has actually tried that -- I know he has had other things on his car," Obama said, referring to a notorious story about how Romney once drove to Canada with his pet dog strapped in its kennel to the car roof.
Obama's campaign believes it can move votes in Iowa by highlighting Romney's opposition to an extension of a wind energy tax credit which expires this year.
To drive home his point the president stopped his sleek black bus at a family farm, where 52 huge turbines harness enough wind to power thousands of Iowa homes.
Obama says wind energy supports 7,000 jobs in Iowa and 75,000 across the country, and styles his energy policies as both creating vitally needed green energy sources and creating jobs in the 21st century economy.
The fury of Tuesday's campaigning pushed Romney's newly minted vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, a favorite of the party's conservative base, into the background, though there were signs of a quickening media vetting operation into the 42-year-old Wisconsin lawmaker's past and policies.
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A furious Romney fired back at a rally in Ohio, accusing Obama, who ran in 2008 vowing to heal political divides, of trying to "smash America apart" to cobble together a 51 percent majority to win a second term.
"This is what an angry and desperate presidency looks like," he said, in the most charged exchanges of the campaign so far.
"Mr President, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting America," the Republican candidate said.
Democrat Obama, in his final event of the day, under a setting sun in Waterloo, Iowa, decided to stay above the fray, and left it to his campaign to use the outburst to implicitly question his foe's temperament to lead.
"Governor Romney's comments tonight seemed unhinged and particularly strange coming at a time when he's pouring tens of millions of dollars into negative ads that are demonstrably false," Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said.
Rising temperatures between the campaigns came as Romney and Obama trekked across crucial electoral territory in dueling bus tours as both geared up for their nominating conventions and a race to the finish on November 6.
Obama thrust home his claim that Romney, a former multi-millionaire venture capitalist would further enrich his wealthy friends with tax cuts -- and put the burden on a middle class struggling to cope in a slow economic recovery.
Romney paints Obama as out of ideas, an enemy of job creating small businesses and bent on a big government takeover of many aspects of American life and questions whether he really understands his home country.
Republicans said Tuesday that emerging party favorite, Chris Christie, the sharp-tongued governor of New Jersey, will deliver the keynote address at their nominating convention in Tampa, Florida, between August 27 and 30.
Such appearances can catapult politicians to national prominence: Obama's electrifying address at the Democratic convention in 2004 launched his meteoric rise to the presidency.
Both Romney and Obama Tuesday settled on the politically charged issue of energy sources, past and present, as the latest prism for their differences.
Romney, drawing big crowds in coal country in Ohio, a key swing state, accused Obama of waging a "war on coal" by hampering America's mining industry with environmental emissions regulations.
Flanked by miners, Romney mocked the president's energy plan, saying he was opposed to "all the sources of energy that come from above the ground, none of those that come from below the ground, like oil and coal and gas."
Obama, barnstorming across Iowa, another tightly contested battleground, sarcastically charged that Romney simply did not understand the heartland economy, as he attack the Republican over wind power.
"If he knew what you've been doing, he'd know that about 20 percent of Iowa's electricity now comes from wind, powering our homes and factories and businesses in a way that's clean and renewable," Obama told a crowd in Iowa.
"Governor Romney even explained his energy policy this way... 'You can't drive a car with a windmill on it.'" Obama said.
"I don't know if he has actually tried that -- I know he has had other things on his car," Obama said, referring to a notorious story about how Romney once drove to Canada with his pet dog strapped in its kennel to the car roof.
Obama's campaign believes it can move votes in Iowa by highlighting Romney's opposition to an extension of a wind energy tax credit which expires this year.
To drive home his point the president stopped his sleek black bus at a family farm, where 52 huge turbines harness enough wind to power thousands of Iowa homes.
Obama says wind energy supports 7,000 jobs in Iowa and 75,000 across the country, and styles his energy policies as both creating vitally needed green energy sources and creating jobs in the 21st century economy.
The fury of Tuesday's campaigning pushed Romney's newly minted vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, a favorite of the party's conservative base, into the background, though there were signs of a quickening media vetting operation into the 42-year-old Wisconsin lawmaker's past and policies.
Related Articles Romney says Obama campaign all about 'hatred' - 16-08-2012 Obama, Romney prepare for debates - 30-09-2012 Biden gaffe on eve of US presidential debate - 03-10-2012 Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Philippines storm brings more floods, landslides
Two people were killed as another tropical storm swept across the Philippines on Wednesday, triggering landslides in the mountainous north and dumping more heavy rain on the flood-battered capital. Tropical Storm Kai-tak hit the northeast of the main island of Luzon before dawn, packing powerful winds and dumping up to 35 millimetres (1.3 inches) of rain an hour on a vast farming region, the state weather bureau said.
Areas to the south that were trying to recover from devastating floods last week, including Manila, also endured strong rain, prompting authorities to warn residents in low-lying areas of the capital to be ready to evacuate.
The worst-hit areas on Wednesday morning were four small northern farming towns, where water reached neck-deep in some areas and landslides cut off a major highway, said Melchito Castro, civil defence chief in the region.
"We have been experiencing really heavy rains since last night, and our rescuers have evacuated some residents," Castro told AFP by phone.
Two people died in the far north on Wednesday, including a 47-year-old man who drowned in a swollen river, adding to the 95 deaths in and around Manila during last week's floods, the civil defence office said.
Norma Talosig, the civil defence chief for northeastern Luzon, said authorities there were closely watching the Cagayan river, the country's largest river basin, amid fears it could overflow.
At more than 500 kilometres (310 miles) long, the heavily silted Cagayan river is the longest in the country and cuts across four northeastern agricultural provinces.
"The water level is rising, but it has not yet reached critical levels," Talosig told AFP.
"The danger is that when it does overflow, it will flood hundreds of hectares of agricultural production areas and communities."
More heavy rains were expected in the northeast on Wednesday, she said.
"When the storm's outer bands hits us, it's like a whip that's deadlier," she said.
Rain was also falling in and around Manila on the other side of the Sierra Madre mountain range to the southwest, where more than 300,000 people were still in evacuation shelters following last week's floods.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said many low-lying farming areas near Manila remained flooded, and with the fresh rain there was little chance of the waters receding anytime soon.
Council chief Benito Ramos also said Kai-tak had not yet caused any major fresh floods in Manila, 80 percent of which was submerged last week amid an intense 48-hour deluge triggered by another tropical storm,
But he said people in coastal areas of Manila and others in dangerous areas should be prepared to leave their homes if the rains worsened.
Local governments declared school holidays in some areas of Manila on Wednesday because of the heavy rains, while several domestic flights were delayed or cancelled due to bad visibility.
Weather forecasters said Kai-Tak was expected to move across Luzon on Wednesday, and exit into the South China Sea towards Hong Kong on Thursday morning.
Related Articles Death toll in Philippine floods tops 1,000 - 21-12-2011 Philippine capital battles deadly floods - 08-08-2012 Philippine flood deaths climb to 60 - 10-08-2012 Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Areas to the south that were trying to recover from devastating floods last week, including Manila, also endured strong rain, prompting authorities to warn residents in low-lying areas of the capital to be ready to evacuate.
The worst-hit areas on Wednesday morning were four small northern farming towns, where water reached neck-deep in some areas and landslides cut off a major highway, said Melchito Castro, civil defence chief in the region.
"We have been experiencing really heavy rains since last night, and our rescuers have evacuated some residents," Castro told AFP by phone.
Two people died in the far north on Wednesday, including a 47-year-old man who drowned in a swollen river, adding to the 95 deaths in and around Manila during last week's floods, the civil defence office said.
Norma Talosig, the civil defence chief for northeastern Luzon, said authorities there were closely watching the Cagayan river, the country's largest river basin, amid fears it could overflow.
At more than 500 kilometres (310 miles) long, the heavily silted Cagayan river is the longest in the country and cuts across four northeastern agricultural provinces.
"The water level is rising, but it has not yet reached critical levels," Talosig told AFP.
"The danger is that when it does overflow, it will flood hundreds of hectares of agricultural production areas and communities."
More heavy rains were expected in the northeast on Wednesday, she said.
"When the storm's outer bands hits us, it's like a whip that's deadlier," she said.
Rain was also falling in and around Manila on the other side of the Sierra Madre mountain range to the southwest, where more than 300,000 people were still in evacuation shelters following last week's floods.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said many low-lying farming areas near Manila remained flooded, and with the fresh rain there was little chance of the waters receding anytime soon.
Council chief Benito Ramos also said Kai-tak had not yet caused any major fresh floods in Manila, 80 percent of which was submerged last week amid an intense 48-hour deluge triggered by another tropical storm,
But he said people in coastal areas of Manila and others in dangerous areas should be prepared to leave their homes if the rains worsened.
Local governments declared school holidays in some areas of Manila on Wednesday because of the heavy rains, while several domestic flights were delayed or cancelled due to bad visibility.
Weather forecasters said Kai-Tak was expected to move across Luzon on Wednesday, and exit into the South China Sea towards Hong Kong on Thursday morning.
Related Articles Death toll in Philippine floods tops 1,000 - 21-12-2011 Philippine capital battles deadly floods - 08-08-2012 Philippine flood deaths climb to 60 - 10-08-2012 Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Saturday, February 15, 2014
US defense chief concerned about Afghan 'insider attacks'
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday he was "very concerned" about attacks on US and NATO troops by their Afghan allies and the impact they are having on cooperation. "Our enemies have attempted to undermine the trust between the coalition and the Afghan forces and in particular they have tried to take credit for a number of so-called green-on-blue or insider attacks that are taking place this fighting season," he said.
"Make no mistake about it, I've been very concerned about these incidents, because of the lives lost and because of the potential damage to our partnership efforts," he told reporters.
The attacks have raised questions about the viability of US and NATO efforts to train Afghan security forces so they will be ready to take charge of security after the departure of foreign forces in 2014.
In the latest attack, an Afghan policeman shot and wounded two troops from the NATO-led mission on Monday in the eastern province of Nangarhar, where Americans troops make up the bulk of the force.
Seven soldiers of the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) lost their lives over four days last week when Afghan forces turned weapons on their NATO allies.
According to NATO, 37 of its soldiers have died in 27 such attacks so far this year, up from 21 incidents and 35 deaths in all of 2011.
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"Make no mistake about it, I've been very concerned about these incidents, because of the lives lost and because of the potential damage to our partnership efforts," he told reporters.
The attacks have raised questions about the viability of US and NATO efforts to train Afghan security forces so they will be ready to take charge of security after the departure of foreign forces in 2014.
In the latest attack, an Afghan policeman shot and wounded two troops from the NATO-led mission on Monday in the eastern province of Nangarhar, where Americans troops make up the bulk of the force.
Seven soldiers of the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) lost their lives over four days last week when Afghan forces turned weapons on their NATO allies.
According to NATO, 37 of its soldiers have died in 27 such attacks so far this year, up from 21 incidents and 35 deaths in all of 2011.
Related Articles Half of Afghanistan to local control: Karzai - 28-11-2011 Pakistan reviews US, NATO ties over strike - 27-11-2011 NATO expresses 'regret' over Pakistan strike - 28-11-2011 Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Friday, January 31, 2014
Indian yoga guru ends anti-graft hunger strike
An Indian yoga guru on Tuesday ended a six-day hunger strike against corruption but vowed to use his public popularity to pile pressure on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Baba Ramdev, a maverick "holy man" who heads a wealthy international yoga organisation, sipped juice to break his fast as several thousand supporters cheered him in New Delhi.
Ramdev had tried to lead an anti-corruption march to parliament on Monday but was corralled by police at a sports stadium in the Indian capital.
The prime minister "should show political will and honesty, and if he does not show it, he will be deemed as corrupt", Ramdev, half naked and wearing saffron-coloured robes, told the crowds.
"If he cannot remain politically honest then he should leave the post," Ramdev said, claiming that the fast had achieved its aims and calling for the downfall of Singh's ruling Congress party at general elections due in 2014.
"Next time in the elections, we should ensure that not a single Congress leader gets elected to parliament," he said.
Pranab Mukherjee, India's newly elected president, in a customary address on the eve of Independence Day, said he had sympathy with Ramdev's cause but warned against random protests.
"Anger against the bitter pandemic of corruption is legitimate, as is the protest against this plague that is eroding the capability and potential of our nation," he said, without referring to the yoga guru.
"There are times when people lose their patience but it cannot become an excuse for an assault on our democratic institutions," said Mukherjee, who quit as finance minister in June to run for the largely ceremonial post.
"When protest becomes endemic, we are flirting with chaos," he added.
Ramdev has modelled his anti-graft campaign on the spirited protest movement launched last year by veteran social activist Anna Hazare, but he has failed to attract an equal level of public support.
Ramdev, who returned to his ashram in the Himalayan foothills, has focused on demanding the government repatriate billions of dollars of "black" money stashed by Indians in foreign accounts.
The government has accused him of trying to whip up popular support for his own benefit and of being used by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Ramdev had tried to lead an anti-corruption march to parliament on Monday but was corralled by police at a sports stadium in the Indian capital.
The prime minister "should show political will and honesty, and if he does not show it, he will be deemed as corrupt", Ramdev, half naked and wearing saffron-coloured robes, told the crowds.
"If he cannot remain politically honest then he should leave the post," Ramdev said, claiming that the fast had achieved its aims and calling for the downfall of Singh's ruling Congress party at general elections due in 2014.
"Next time in the elections, we should ensure that not a single Congress leader gets elected to parliament," he said.
Pranab Mukherjee, India's newly elected president, in a customary address on the eve of Independence Day, said he had sympathy with Ramdev's cause but warned against random protests.
"Anger against the bitter pandemic of corruption is legitimate, as is the protest against this plague that is eroding the capability and potential of our nation," he said, without referring to the yoga guru.
"There are times when people lose their patience but it cannot become an excuse for an assault on our democratic institutions," said Mukherjee, who quit as finance minister in June to run for the largely ceremonial post.
"When protest becomes endemic, we are flirting with chaos," he added.
Ramdev has modelled his anti-graft campaign on the spirited protest movement launched last year by veteran social activist Anna Hazare, but he has failed to attract an equal level of public support.
Ramdev, who returned to his ashram in the Himalayan foothills, has focused on demanding the government repatriate billions of dollars of "black" money stashed by Indians in foreign accounts.
The government has accused him of trying to whip up popular support for his own benefit and of being used by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Friday, January 24, 2014
China bows down to 'Devil Beast' Drogba
Didier Drogba's first month in China is being heralded as an unequivocal success, the powerful Ivory Coast striker earning rave reviews, the moniker "Devil Beast" and being compared to "a nuclear bomb". The 34-year-old became one of the world's highest-paid players when he swapped European Champions League winners Chelsea for the relative obscurity of the ambitious Shanghai Shenhua, in China's Super League.
Vocal in English football, Drogba has kept a low profile off the pitch since arriving in China to a hero's welcome in mid-July, insisting that his reported 200,000 pounds ($314,000) a week was not the main motivation.
"China is a big sports country and it is a big challenge," said Drogba on his arrival, fresh from scoring the goal which won Chelsea the Champions League.
"For me it would have been easy to go to another team in Europe but I chose China because of the challenge."
Drogba got off to a flying start at struggling Shenhua -- then 12th in the 16-team Super League -- scoring twice on his home debut in the 5-1 thrashing of longtime rivals Hangzhou Greentown and quickly earning the tag "Devil Beast".
The fanatical home crowd, swelled from the usual 15,000 to 25,000, chanted the veteran's name repeatedly and gave him a rousing cheer as he performed the traditional post-match bow.
"Shenhua's nuclear bomb has arrived," Shanghai goalkeeper Wang Dalei said of his new team-mate, who joins another former Chelsea striker, Nicolas Anelka, at the club.
Although Chinese teams have been luring a fast-expanding group of foreign stars to play for enormous salaries, Drogba is the highest paid and has quickly become a fan favourite, eclipsing Anelka.
"We suddenly found out that football, which is very close to us, can be so thrilling, so touching and so good that you can't help but tremble," prominent football commentator Ji Yuyang wrote in the Oriental Sports Daily.
Despite the plaudits, Drogba has had only a negligible effect on his team so far. He has not found the net since his double and Shenhua are still struggling, creeping up to 10th in the table.
Not that the fans are laying any blame on their new hero, who is on international duty on Wednesday when Ivory Coast play Russia in a friendly in Moscow.
"Reliable, exciting and full of class, he's a real leader on the pitch, hopefully he will lead us to glory over the next two years," said Lu Xiaoming, a long-time Shenhua fan.
British expatriate Andy Summers, another Shenhua supporter, added: "It takes time to settle in, but he's played great so far."
The biggest name to play in Chinese football, fans in the northeastern city of Changchun clambered over locked stadium gates to get a glimpse of Drogba during a training session when Shenhua visited for a cup match.
Shenhua's eccentric owner, Zhu Jun, posted a photo online showing the bashed-up back of Drogba's silver Mercedes-Benz Viano after enthusiastic fans gave chase and rear-ended the vehicle, though he was not inside.
Drogba is a rare beam of light in a league battling to recover from a bribery scandal that saw scores of officials and players jailed for match-fixing.
Although that was before Drogba's highly anticipated arrival on a two-and-a-half-year contract, scars remain and many Chinese fans still prefer to follow European clubs.
Shenhua have their own issues. Zhu, a billionaire online gaming tycoon, is notorious for putting himself on in matches -- despite being in his 40s and mediocre on the pitch.
During his pursuit of the player, Zhu said that "chasing Drogba is like trying to get a girl, you put in too much effort and she seems less interested".
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Vocal in English football, Drogba has kept a low profile off the pitch since arriving in China to a hero's welcome in mid-July, insisting that his reported 200,000 pounds ($314,000) a week was not the main motivation.
"China is a big sports country and it is a big challenge," said Drogba on his arrival, fresh from scoring the goal which won Chelsea the Champions League.
"For me it would have been easy to go to another team in Europe but I chose China because of the challenge."
Drogba got off to a flying start at struggling Shenhua -- then 12th in the 16-team Super League -- scoring twice on his home debut in the 5-1 thrashing of longtime rivals Hangzhou Greentown and quickly earning the tag "Devil Beast".
The fanatical home crowd, swelled from the usual 15,000 to 25,000, chanted the veteran's name repeatedly and gave him a rousing cheer as he performed the traditional post-match bow.
"Shenhua's nuclear bomb has arrived," Shanghai goalkeeper Wang Dalei said of his new team-mate, who joins another former Chelsea striker, Nicolas Anelka, at the club.
Although Chinese teams have been luring a fast-expanding group of foreign stars to play for enormous salaries, Drogba is the highest paid and has quickly become a fan favourite, eclipsing Anelka.
"We suddenly found out that football, which is very close to us, can be so thrilling, so touching and so good that you can't help but tremble," prominent football commentator Ji Yuyang wrote in the Oriental Sports Daily.
Despite the plaudits, Drogba has had only a negligible effect on his team so far. He has not found the net since his double and Shenhua are still struggling, creeping up to 10th in the table.
Not that the fans are laying any blame on their new hero, who is on international duty on Wednesday when Ivory Coast play Russia in a friendly in Moscow.
"Reliable, exciting and full of class, he's a real leader on the pitch, hopefully he will lead us to glory over the next two years," said Lu Xiaoming, a long-time Shenhua fan.
British expatriate Andy Summers, another Shenhua supporter, added: "It takes time to settle in, but he's played great so far."
The biggest name to play in Chinese football, fans in the northeastern city of Changchun clambered over locked stadium gates to get a glimpse of Drogba during a training session when Shenhua visited for a cup match.
Shenhua's eccentric owner, Zhu Jun, posted a photo online showing the bashed-up back of Drogba's silver Mercedes-Benz Viano after enthusiastic fans gave chase and rear-ended the vehicle, though he was not inside.
Drogba is a rare beam of light in a league battling to recover from a bribery scandal that saw scores of officials and players jailed for match-fixing.
Although that was before Drogba's highly anticipated arrival on a two-and-a-half-year contract, scars remain and many Chinese fans still prefer to follow European clubs.
Shenhua have their own issues. Zhu, a billionaire online gaming tycoon, is notorious for putting himself on in matches -- despite being in his 40s and mediocre on the pitch.
During his pursuit of the player, Zhu said that "chasing Drogba is like trying to get a girl, you put in too much effort and she seems less interested".
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