Trading sleep for work is hazardous to your health

© redOrbit

Did you try to catch up on sleep this weekend? You're not alone. More than one third of American adults report getting less than 7 hours of sleep on weekdays, and many of them try to sleep extra-long on weekends to make up for it.

This isn't a particularly healthy way to live -- insufficient sleep is associated with obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and a host of other physical ailments. Drowsy driving causes around 80,000 automobile accidents every year, 1,000 of which are typically fatal.

The simple reason for shortchanging sleep on the weekdays? Work. A team of researchers examined nearly 125,000 responses to the American Time Use Survey to calculate two things: first, how much sleep we're getting, and second, what we're doing instead of sleeping.

Compared to normal sleepers, so-called "short sleepers" -- those who are getting 6 hours or less on weeknights -- worked 1.5 more hours on weekdays and nearly 2 hours more on weekends and holidays. Perhaps not surprisingly, "the highest odds of being a short sleeper were found among adults working multiple jobs, who were 61 percent more likely than others to report sleeping 6 hours or less on weekdays," according to a press release about the study.

To put it another way: to the extent that we're trading sleep for work, our jobs are literally killing us.

Aside from work, commuting was the activity most likely to compete with sleep for time, followed by socializing, sleeplessness (e.g., lying in bed unable to sleep), and personal grooming. That latter finding led to this dry observation from the authors: "Although a certain level of body hygiene is important for social and physical well-being, excessive time spent in these activities may reduce sleep time at both ends of the sleep period."

TV-watching was ranked only 9th in the list of activities exchanged for less sleep.

The researchers found no difference in sleep time between private sector and government workers. But interestingly, the self-employed had significantly lower odds of being a short sleeper. This finding led to the researchers prescribing greater flexibility in work schedules, particularly in work start time, as one policy change that could help people sleep more: "making the work start time more flexible may help increase sleep time; even if total time spent working is kept constant," they conclude.

They also found that for every hour work or class started later in the morning, respondents' reported getting 20 minutes more sleep. More flexibility in work start times would thus help people naturally disposed to night-owl hours (are you a night-owl? We've got a quiz for that). Research suggests that this would lead not only to more productivity in the workplace, but also fewer instances of ethical lapses while on the clock.

Beyond that, the more sleep we get the healthier we are. To the extent that healthier employees are more productive employees, policy changes that let workers get more sleep could have benefits for businesses' bottom lines.

Want something else to read? How about 'Grievous Censorship' By The Guardian: Israel, Gaza And The Termination Of Nafeez Ahmed's Blog

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Ron Paul: All I want for Christmas is a real Government shutdown

© money.cnn.com

Former Congressman Ron Paul

The political class breathed a sigh of relief Saturday when the US Senate averted a government shutdown by passing the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill. This year's omnibus resembles omnibuses of Christmas past in that it was drafted in secret, was full of special interest deals and disguised spending increases, and was voted on before most members could read it.

The debate over the omnibus may have made for entertaining political theater, but the outcome was never in doubt. Most House and Senate members are so terrified of another government shutdown that they would rather vote for a 1,774-page bill they have not read than risk even a one or two-day government shutdown.

Those who voted for the omnibus to avoid a shutdown fail to grasp that the consequences of blindly expanding government are far worse than the consequences of a temporary government shutdown. A short or even long-term government shutdown is a small price to pay to avoid an economic calamity caused by Congress' failure to reduce spending and debt.

The political class' shutdown phobia is particularly puzzling because a shutdown only closes 20 percent of the federal government. As the American people learned during the government shutdown of 2013, the country can survive with 20 percent less government.

Instead of panicking over a limited shutdown, a true pro-liberty Congress would be eagerly drawing up plans to permanently close most of the federal government, staring with the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve's inflationary policies not only degrade the average American's standard of living, they also allow Congress to run up huge deficits. Congress should take the first step toward restoring a sound monetary policy by passing the Audit the Fed bill, so the American people can finally learn the truth about the Fed's operations.

Second on the chopping block should be the Internal Revenue Service. The federal government is perfectly capable of performing its constitutional functions without imposing a tyrannical income tax system on the American people.

America's militaristic foreign policy should certainly be high on the shutdown list. The troops should be brought home, all foreign aid should be ended, and America should pursue a policy of peace and free trade with all nations. Ending the foreign policy of hyper-interventionism that causes so many to resent and even hate America will increase our national security.

All programs that spy on or otherwise interfere with the private lives of American citizens should be shutdown. This means no more TSA, NSA, or CIA, as well as an end to all federal programs that promote police militarization. The unconstitutional war on drugs should also end, along with the war on raw milk.

All forms of welfare should be shut down, starting with those welfare programs that benefit the wealthy and the politically well connected. Corporate welfare, including welfare for the military-industrial complex that masquerades as "defense spending," should be first on the chopping block. Welfare for those with lower incomes could be more slowly phased out to protect those who have become dependent on those programs.

The Department of Education should be permanently padlocked. This would free American schoolchildren from the dumbed-down education imposed by Common Core and No Child Left Behind. Of course, Obamacare, and similar programs, must be shut down so we can finally have free-market health care.

Congress could not have picked a worse Christmas gift for the American people than the 1,774-page omnibus spending bill. Unfortunately, we cannot return this gift. But hopefully someday Congress will give us the gift of peace, prosperity, and liberty by shutting down the welfare-warfare state.

Want something else to read? How about 'Grievous Censorship' By The Guardian: Israel, Gaza And The Termination Of Nafeez Ahmed's Blog

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Majority of Americans approve torture: poll

© REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

A barbed wire fence surrounds a military area is in the forest near Stare Kiejkuty village, close to Szczytno in Northeastern Poland, in this January 24, 2014 file photo. Poland threatened to halt the transfer of al Qaeda suspects to a secret CIA jail on its soil 11 years ago, but became more "flexible" after the Central Intelligence Agency gave it a large sum of money, according to a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report released on December 9, 2014.

In the wake of last week's release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the CIA's detention and interrogation program, 69 percent of Americans consider waterboarding to be torture, but 49 percent think aggressive interrogation tactics like waterboarding are sometimes justified. 36 percent think they are not justified.

More than half (57 percent) think that such interrogation tactics provide reliable information that helps prevent terrorist attacks at least some of the time. Fifty-two percent of Americans think the release of information regarding the CIA interrogation tactics poses a threat to U.S. security; a third doesn't think it will have an impact.

Waterboarding and Aggressive Interrogation Tactics

Forty-nine percent of Americans think waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation tactics are sometimes justified to get information from suspected terrorists, but just over a third -- 36 percent -- think they are never justified. The percentage who thinks these tactics are justified has risen slightly from three years ago.

More than seven in 10 Republicans (73 percent) and half of independents (50 percent) think these tactics are sometimes justified. Most Democrats (54 percent) do not. Those who have heard or read a lot about the report are even more likely than Americans overall to say these tactics are justified.

One of the techniques highlighted in the report is the use of waterboarding, in which the sensation of drowning is created by either dunking a restrained prisoner in water or pouring water over the prisoner's face. As they did five years ago, most Americans consider this technique to be torture, including majorities of Democrats (83 percent), independents (67 percent), and half of Republicans. The percentage of Americans who do not consider waterboarding torture is unchanged, at 26 percent.

Among Americans who consider waterboarding torture, half think these practices are not justified. 87 percent of those who do not consider waterboarding torture think these tactics are justified.

The report outlined a number of other techniques used by the CIA to interrogate suspected terrorists in the years after the 9/11 attacks -- such as threatening to sexually abuse a prisoner's mother, forcing a prisoner to stay awake for up to 180 hours, and forcing them to bathe in ice water. Most Americans consider these tactics to be torture (by percentage, below):

• Threaten to sexually abuse prisoner's mother (73 percent)


• Forced to stay awake up to 180 hours (70 percent)


• Waterboarding (69 percent)


• Forced ice water bath (57 percent)

Fifty-seven percent of Americans think these tactics provide reliable information that help prevent terrorist attacks at least some of the time, including 23 percent who think this happens often. Twenty-four percent think this rarely happens, while just 8 percent think these tactics never provide reliable information.

President Obama banned the use of waterboarding and several other aggressive interrogation methods in January 2009. However, 57 percent of Americans think waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques are still being used by the CIA.

The Senate Intelligence Committee Report

Six in 10 Americans say they don't know enough about the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA interrogation program to assess its fairness, but among those with an opinion, more are inclined to say the report left important things out than say it was a fair representation. Forty-one percent of Americans who have heard or read a lot about it think the report left important things out.

Just over half of Americans (52 percent) think the release of information in the report regarding CIA interrogation tactics poses a threat to U.S. security; a third doesn't think it will have an impact. There are partisan differences: Most Republicans (64 percent) and more than half of independents (55 percent) think the release of the report does pose a threat, while Democrats are more divided.

There is some skepticism about whether the CIA told the President and Congress the truth about its treatment of prisoners. Only 18 percent think the agency was telling the truth about its interrogation program. 44 percent think the CIA was mostly truthful but hiding something, and 17 percent of Americans think the CIA was mostly lying about its treatment of prisoners.

More broadly, when asked if suspected terrorists should have the same legal rights as other criminal suspects, 56 percent don't think they should, particularly Republicans (79 percent). Forty-seven percent of Democrats say suspected terrorists should have the same legal rights, while 41 percent think they should not.

____________________________________________________________________

CBS NEWS POLL

Torture and Reaction to the Senate Intelligence Report

December 11-14, 2014

Q1. How much have you heard or read about the recent report by the Senate Intelligence Committee on the detention and interrogation program used by the CIA in the years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks?

** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **

Total Rep Dem Ind

% % % %

A lot 30 33 25 32

Some 33 32 33 34

Not much 31 29 35 29

Nothing at all 5 5 6 3

Don't know/No answer 1 1 * 1

Q2. From what you have heard or read, do you think the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the detention and interrogation program used by the CIA is a fair representation of what occurred, or did it leave important things out, or don't you know enough to say?

Fair representation 12 12 13 10

Left important things out 24 30 19 26

Don't know enough to say 61 55 64 61

Don't know/No answer 3 4 4 3

Q3. When it comes to how prisoners were being treated in the CIA's detention and interrogation program, do you think the CIA was telling the truth to the President and Congress, mostly telling the truth but hiding something, or mostly lying?

Telling the truth 18 31 12 15

Mostly telling truth, hiding something 44 41 51 41

Mostly lying 17 12 20 17

Don't know/No answer 21 15 17 27

Q3a. Do you think the public release of information about the CIA detention and interrogation program poses a threat to the security of the U.S., or don't you think its release will have an impact on U.S. security?

Threat to U.S. security 52 64 40 55

No impact on U.S. security 33 24 45 28

Don't know/No answer 15 12 15 17

Q3b. Do you think it is sometimes justified to use water boarding and other aggressive interrogation tactics to get information from a suspected terrorist, or are these tactics never justified?

Nov11b

%

Justified 49 73 32 50 45

Not justified 36 19 54 32 40

Depends (vol.) 4 4 4 4 6

Don't know/No answer 10 5 10 13 9

Q3c. Do you think the use of water boarding and other aggressive interrogation tactics are still being used by the CIA to get information from suspected terrorists, or do you think these tactics are no longer being used by the CIA?

Total Rep Dem Ind

% % % %

Still being used 57 57 63 53

No longer used 20 22 19 20

Were never used (vol.) 1 1 1 1

Don't know/No answer 22 20 18 26

Q4. In a procedure known as 'waterboarding,' interrogators produce the sensation of drowning in a restrained prisoner either by dunking him in water or pouring water over his face. Do you consider this procedure a form of torture, or not?

Apr09b

%

Torture 69 51 83 67 71

Not torture 26 45 13 26 26

Don't/no answer 5 4 3 7 3

Q5. Do you consider forcing a prisoner to stay awake for up to 180 hours to be a form of torture, or not?

Torture 70 50 86 68

Not torture 27 46 12 27

Don't/no answer 4 4 2 5

Q6. Do you consider forcing a prisoner to take an ice water bath to be a form of torture, or not?

Torture 57 39 76 53

Not torture 39 57 21 42

Don't/no answer 4 3 3 5

Q7. Do you consider threatening to sexually abuse a prisoner's mother to be a form of torture, or not?

Torture 73 63 87 68

Not torture 23 33 13 24

Don't/no answer 4 4 1 7

Q9. How often do you think the use of water boarding and other aggressive interrogation tactics provide reliable information that helps prevent terrorist attacks -- often, sometimes, rarely or never?

Often 23 35 13 24

Sometimes 34 35 36 33

Rarely 24 16 30 23

Never 8 5 12 7

Don't know/No answer 11 10 9 14

Q11. Do you think suspected terrorists being detained by the U.S. should have the same legal rights as other individuals who are suspected of a crime, or should they not have the same legal rights?

Total Rep Dem Ind

% % % %

Same legal rights 34 18 47 32

Not same legal rights 56 79 41 56

Depends (vol.) 3 2 3 4

Don't know/No answer 7 2 9 8

Unweighted Weighted

Total Respondents 1,003

Total Republicans 257 224

Total Democrats 310 321

Total Independents 436 458

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SOTT Exclusive: EU helps ISIS by banning the export of jet fuel to Syria

© AP/ Jacquelyn Martin, File

On December 12th, Reuters reported the following:

European Union governments agreed on Friday to ban the export of jet fuel to Syria from Sunday, saying it was being used by the Syrian air force for indiscriminate attacks against civilians.

As has become the norm for the 'European Union governments,' they all agreed on something that has no basis in reality. There is actually no proof that the Syrian Air Force is targeting civilians. Are we supposed to believe that amid fighting foreign backed insurgents, the Syrian government decided to take a break and bomb their own people? For what purpose? To justify further intervention from the U.S. and their coalition of the guilty? Should we forget that the U.S. has a long history of fabricating atrocities just for that purpose? Just last year we had the alleged chemical weapons attack which nearly lead to another U.S. sponsored 'humanitarian bombing' if it weren't for Russia. The claims that 'Assad gassed his own people' turned out to be fictitious as are those that he is now bombing civilians.

Mainstream media propaganda aside, there is plenty of evidence that the U.S. air strikes are targeting civilians. Here are a few reports from SOTT.

Despite the EU decrying the 'indiscriminate attacks against civilians,' banning the export of jet fuel will do nothing but cause more civilian casualties as it would weaken the Syrian Army which has been effectively countering the foreign sponsored insurgency that the U.S. unleashed in the region.

By their actions we can see that it's not the civilians that the EU stooges worry about, but pleasing their masters in U.S. who care about nothing but "degrading, disrupting and destroying" Syria using a proxy-terrorist force of their own creation.

In 2013 policymakers from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) published an article which points out to a possible motive behind the United States/EU decision to ban the export of jet fuel to Syria.

Syria is not Libya. Bashar Assad's troops are well armed, and his ground forces are waging successful campaigns against rebel forces across the country. But eliminating Assad's ability to take to the air and tilting the balance of power in favor of anti-Assad rebels - as the United States and its allies did with the fighters who eventually overthrew Moammar Gadhafi - is both achievable and advisable.

Ante Sarlija

Born and raised in Croatia, Ante joined the SOTT editorial team in 2014. He is also a part of the Croatian SOTT translation team. His area of interest includes, among other things, Philosophy and Politics. In his spare time he enjoys reading, researching, listening to music and smoking.

Want something else to read? How about 'Grievous Censorship' By The Guardian: Israel, Gaza And The Termination Of Nafeez Ahmed's Blog

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Homeland Security warns that major coronal mass ejection could be catastrophic to civilization

Homeland Security officials are warning that a major coronal mass ejection, solar flare or electromagnetic pulse may be inevitable and catastrophic to modern civilization. The devastation to the electric grid and modern infrastructure could impact the lives of more than 100 million, and cause untold casualties during prolonged outages.

Homeland Security conducted a study assessing the risks with these extreme solar events (as well as manmade EMPs).

Via Free Beacon

DHS' Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stated in an internal 2012 fact sheet outlining its response plan for severe "space weather" that the actual impact and damage from a future solar storm is not known.

[...]

The report outlines the scenario for a major "coronal mass ejection" from the Sun that will first be detected by U.S. satellites. The magnetic band reaches the earth within 24 to 72 hours, affecting up to 100 million people.

The largest such storms, called G-5s, would cause transformers and transmission lines to be "severely damaged."

The storms last from hours to a day but can disrupt electric power grid operations, GPS satellites, aircraft operations, manned space flight, satellite operations, natural gas distribution pipelines, and undersea communications cables.

Though acknowledging they lack sufficient information about what exactly might happen, it is clear enough what kind of damage and disruption of service it might pose for the infrastructure that everyone depends upon.

Major solar events happened in 1859 with the Carrington Event and in 1921 with huge magnetic storm. The federal government and the utility companies both admit that another event of this magnitude would take down the existing power grid and could affect some 100 million people, likely damaging many other services as well.

Former CIA official Peter Pry warned that a large solar flare "could have catastrophic consequences for civilization."

"We are running out of time to prepare," Pry said, noting that NASA reported in July that Earth narrowly missed a second Carrington Event.

While the grid might be repaired within in hours and days for most, as many as 10 million could face prolonged life without electricity. It could be literally months - and possibly even years - before the power is restored.

Are you even remotely prepared for that kind of event? The government is admittedly NOT prepared and has no way to feasibly take care of that many people during a mass disruption event:

"How would the government deal with 10 million, or many more, Americans without power for two months, or even longer?"

[...]

"An analysis of the space weather impacts indicates that the greatest challenge will be to provide life-saving and life-sustaining resources for large numbers of people that experience long-term power outage from damage to the U.S. electrical grid," the FEMA document, dated March 1, 2012, states.

The FEMA fact sheet noted the findings of a 2010 study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the agency that monitors sun storms, warning that an extreme solar storm could leave "130 million people without power for years," and destroy or damage more than 300 hard-to-replace electrical grid transformers.

Even more worryingly is the government secrecy and failure to adequately prepare the public for an event that could happen at any time, and is considered 'overdue.'

The report was released only after Mark Sauter, a security adviser and published author on Homeland Security, filed a FOIA request:

Sauter said FEMA's more-than-200-page response plan for dealing with a solar storm was blacked out from the released documents.

"This makes one wonder why FEMA is refusing to release the government's space weather response plan," he said.

Sauter questioned whether the government is taking the threat of a major solar storm seriously, or is "just going through an obligatory bureaucratic exercise that in reality reflects DHS/FEMA crossing its fingers and hoping that such a plan will never need to be used."

Though it should be strongly noted, it should come as no surprise that the federal government cannot and will not be able to take care of everyone during a massive power outage, and especially not during an extended breakdown of society, services and infrastructure.

Many preppers have been hedging for this cataclysm for some time, and have known that extreme solar events pose a significant threat that, again, may prove to be a question of when not if.

Daisy Luther outlines several important areas to consider when preparing to survive potentially prolonged power outages and disruptions to services. Going off-grid requires significant planning, investment and a reorientation of mindset - but it can be done.

Have you planned for:

Off-grid Water

If you haven't located water sources near your home, it's time to break out the topographical maps of your area and find them! A low-tech water plan might include some or all of the following:

• A manual pump for your well


• Buckets and wheelbarrows for hauling water from a nearby source


• Rain barrels for water harvesting (THIS is an inexpensive option with mixed reviews)


• A gravity-fed water filtration system (we have THIS ONE)


• A water dispenser for convenient access to filtered water (Be sure to get one with the bottle on top so that it can be operated without electricity, and not one that uses an electric pump to pull the water up from the bottom)


• Storage units for water such as cisterns or tanks


• Portable water filter bottles for safe water when you are away from home (we have THIS ONE)

Off-grid Shelter and Warmth

Homes these days aren't built to function without a connection to the power grid. If you aren't fortunate enough to live in an older home that was designed for off-grid living, look at some ways to take your home back a century or so. A secondary heating system is vital in most climates.

• An antique oil heater can use lots of different oils and requires little effort for installation (THIS SITE is loaded with information about Perfection oil heaters)


• Have a woodstove installed


• Clean your chimney and get your fireplace working


• Set up an outdoor fireplace with large rocks to bring inside for radiant heat (this won't get you super warm but it's better than nothing)


• Have a good supply of blankets, warm clothes, and cold-rated sleeping bags


• Learn techniques to stay warm with less heat

Off-grid Food

Not only do you need access to food, but you also need a way to cook it and a way to keep your refrigerated and frozen items from spoiling.

Off-grid Sanitation and Hygiene

How will you keep clean and deal with human waste in the event of a long-term emergency?

Off-grid Lighting

The world is a scary place when it's dark, and most of us have forgotten how dark TRUE dark really is, due to light pollution and the proximity of neighbors. Here are some lighting solutions for an off grid world:

• Solar garden lights - store them outside to be charged during the day and bring them in and put them in vases where they're needed at night


• Oil lamps - you can recycle used cooking oil or use rendered fat to power these - they give a brighter light and can be used for reading and close-work (Learn more HERE)


• Candles - stock them and learn to make them


• Solar powered flashlights

Renewable power is practical power.

One exception to my no-generators rule is renewable power. If you can afford a solar set up for your home, then very little would change about your day-to-day life, aside from you being one of the few people with power. You don't have to go totally solar to have power for a few important items. Assuming you have electronics in working order, they can be powered with solar, wind, or water.

Most of us can't afford an entire set up but these are some options to consider:

• Build a DIY portable solar recharging station - learn how to make it HERE


• Solar-powered systems for specific items - learn more HERE


• Use wind power - learn more HERE


• Use water power - learn more HERE

Recommended Resources:

The Prepper's Blueprint: Prepare Yourself For Any Disaster

52 Weeks to Preparedness (Free Online Web Series)

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Endangered northern white rhinos on brink of total extinction

© Wikipedia/ Sheep81

Scientists will make every effort to save the endangered subspecies of the world's biggest northern white rhinos through artificial insemination of female species, although the chances are slim, Vladimir Krever, the WWF Russia coordinator of biodiversity conservation program told RIA Novosti.

Earlier, the San Diego Zoo reported that one of only six northern white rhinoceros remaining in the world died of old age on Sunday, December 14. The rhino, named Angalifu, was almost 44 years old and arrived in San Diego from Sudan in August 1990.

"Angalifu's death is a tremendous loss to all of us. Not only because he was well beloved here at the park but also because his death brings this wonderful species one step closer to extinction," said Randy Rieches, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park curator as cited by the Daily Mail.

Vladimir Kremer emphasized that the wild species of the northern white rhino had been exterminated long ago and only females rhinos are left in the zoos. The scientist pointed out that the sperm of Angalifu was harvested and frozen by researchers in a cryogenic laboratory. Mr. Kremer said that scientists would try to carry out artificial insemination in order to breed new animals. However, the scientist doubts that the experiment will prove successful.

According to Mr. Kremer, scientists should focus on preserving the southern wild white rhinos, which are now extremely vulnerable to poaching. Traditional Asian medicine makes frequent use of powdered rhino horn as a cure for various illnesses, including fevers and even cancer, and to improve virility.

In total, there are five rhino species existing in their natural habitat: three of them can be found in Southern and South-Eastern Asia and the other two in Africa. All of them are currently on the verge of extinction. Well-equipped poaching gangs are exterminating these rare animals, using helicopters, night-vision equipment and veterinary drugs, making their protection a hard task for conservationists.

Want something else to read? How about 'Grievous Censorship' By The Guardian: Israel, Gaza And The Termination Of Nafeez Ahmed's Blog

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Dubai Crashed, Qatar Crashed, And The Rest Of The Gulf States Got Smoked

Share prices in energy-rich Gulf Arab states fell sharply at the start of the week Sunday, dragged down after oil prices plunged to new lows.

The decline was across the board on almost all of the region's seven bourses, as investors went into a panic sell-off soon after trading kicked off.

Dubai's benchmark DFM Index lost 6.2 percent to 3,373.51 points, pulled down by market leader Emaar Properties, which shed 8.0 percent, and construction giant Arabtec, which lost 7.2 percent.

The index shed 7.2 percent on Thursday.

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange recovered slightly at mid-session, trading down 3.6 percent at 4,212.07 points with energy stocks declining 5.3 percent and the real estate and banking sectors also falling.

The Saudi Tadawul All-Shares Index, the largest in the Arab world, dipped 3.3 percent to 8,113.22 points, a 12-month low.

Bloomberg.comA disastrous last three months for the Dubai stock market.

Leading the decline was the petrochemicals sector, with Saudi Basic Industries Co. SABIC losing 5.6 percent.

The main index on the Qatar Exchange, the second biggest bourse in the Gulf, dived 7.2 percent to 10,959.0 points, a level last seen in early January. Market leaders in banking and industry contributed to the slide.

Kuwait Stock Exchange deepened losses, losing 3.2 percent to 6,254.62 points, a 22-month low, despite the listing of VIVA, a third mobile phone operator 26 percent-owned by Saudi Telecom.

The Muscat Securities Market lost 2.72 percent to 5,649.49 points, while the Bahrain bourse was unchanged.

Global oil prices tanked Friday to fresh five-year lows after a gloomy crude demand downgrade from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and more weak Chinese economic data.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for January delivery plunged to $58.80 per barrel -- the lowest level since May 20, 2009 -- having already closed under the psychological level of $60 on Thursday.

Brent crude for January meanwhile slipped to $62.75 in morning London deals, striking a low point last witnessed on July 16, 2009.

The oil market -- which has shed almost 50 percent since June -- plumbed the latest lows after the Paris-based IEA slashed its 2015 demand outlook, despite plunging prices.

The six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates -- depend heavily on oil revenues which make up around 90 percent of their total income.

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