GULF TIMES

published in

QATAR

since 1978

BUSINESS | Page 1

MONDAY Vol. XXXX No. 11321

September 30, 2019Safar 1, 1441 AH www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

Qatar Inc set to bring in more opportunities for Alternatif Bank in Turkey

SPORT | Page 8

Hamilton wins in Russia, Ferrari trip on team honours

AMERICA | Politics

Aides claim Trump thetrue ‘whistleblower’

ARAB WORLD | Confl ict

Turkey shoots downunidentifi ed drone

QATAR | Technology

MoTC to launch SmartCity Expo Doha

QATAR | Offi cial

Amir arrives in Paris toattend Chirac’s funeral

Top aides to Donald Trump sought yesterday to turn the tables on Democrats pushing for his impeachment, insisting the president was the true “whistleblower” in urging Ukraine to investigate the son of rival Joe Biden for corruption. Trump’s Republican allies have closed ranks as he battles the deepest crisis of his presidency, flatly denying he abused his power and seeking to discredit the anonymous whistleblower who exposed the scandal. Page 10

Turkey’s air force yesterday downed an unidentified drone on the Syrian border after it breached Turkish air space multiple times, the defence ministry said. The drone detected near the border by the military intruded into Turkish airspace six times before it was finally shot down by F-16 jets. “An unmanned aerial vehicle which violated our air space six times (on Saturday) was downed by two of our F-16s which took off from Incirlik” air base in southern Turkey. Page 8

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has partnered with the organisers of Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), Fira de Barcelona to launch Smart City Expo Doha (SCE Doha). The event will be held from October 30-31 at Qatar IT Conference & Exhibition 2019 (Qitcom 2019), under the theme, ‘Safe, Smart Cities’, it was announced yesterday. Smart City Expo is a global platform committed to promote awareness and understanding of smart cities and the development of smart initiatives for a sustainable future. Page 4

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arrived in Paris yesterday evening to attend the national funeral of former French president Jacques Chirac which will be held today. The funeral will be attended by a number of heads of state and governments and high-ranking off icials. Page 16

In brief

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani met in Doha yesterday with the visiting Jordanian Minister of Labour Nedal Faisal El Batayneh and his accompanying delegation. The meeting reviewed the two countries’ co-operation relations and means to develop them in diff erent spheres in addition to a host of topics of mutual interest. Page 3

PM meets Jordan’s labour minister

Qatar scores high inall parameters ofcivil aviation safety

Qatar has topped a compre-hensive audit on all aspects of civil aviation safety, the Inter-

national Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) announced.

Qatar achieved a 91.16% compliance rate according to the new standards implemented by the ICAO in 2018.

The ICAO honoured Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) for this achievement. HE the QCAA chairman Abdullah bin Nasser Turki al-Subaey received a certifi cate of appreciation from the ICAO president Dr Olumuy-iwa Benard Aliu.

The honouring took place at the 40th session of the ICAO General As-sembly in Montreal, Canada.

Qatar is among 48 states that have made great progress in overcoming defi ciencies in safety control and im-proving the eff ective implementation of international rules and recommen-dations related to the fi eld.

The ICAO appreciated the qualita-tive achievement of QCAA at the level of the results of the comprehensive audit of the safety of civil aviation, ac-cording to ICAO’s global programme to

verify the conformity of the Qatari air safety standards with the international standards and specifi cations contained in the Chicago Convention on Interna-tional Civil Aviation.

Qatar received another certifi cate of appreciation in recognition of the results achieved in 2017 in the applica-tion of the standards of civil aviation security, by obtaining 99.10% in the application of the standards of Annex XVII on the security of civil aviation, which is the most important criterion in the fi eld of security audit.

Qatar achieved 96.76% with regard to the implementation of vital ele-ments related to civil aviation security, and 100% in the application of securi-ty standards contained in Annex IX to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

The QCAA has achieved a record in the results of the comprehensive au-dit of the safety of civil aviation, ac-cording to the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), which verifi ed the compliance of States’ safety standards with the inter-national standards and specifi cations

contained in the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and its supplements.

Qatar occupies an advanced posi-tion in the fi eld of security and safety of civil aviation in the world, due to its attention to civil aviation in general and safety and security in particular, by applying the highest international standards and international require-ments in this area.

Since 2015, QCAA has been focus-ing on updating all existing regula-tions to enhance aviation safety and security standards in civil aviation, in particular, safety as an essential pillar of aviation. In order to achieve this, QCAA has taken important steps such as signing a Memorandum of Under-standing with the European Aviation Safety Agency, which immediately implements all necessary changes re-lated to air transport, air safety and navigation systems, and meteorologi-cal measurements.

Qatar is also the fi rst country in the Middle East to implement comprehen-sive European aviation safety regula-tions. Page 2

ICAO honours Qatar Civil Aviation Authority for achievements

Fraser-Pryce makes history with 4th 100m titleBy Mikhil BhatDoha

Jamaican sprint star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce roared to her fourth 100m World Championships ti-

tle in 10.71 seconds yesterday, before she settled for a calm walk around the state-of-the-art Khalifa International Stadium with her son, Zyon, resting on her shoulders acknowledging the audi-ence she had just sent into a rapturous applause.

Once Fraser-Pryce hit her drive halfway through the sprint, Dina Ash-er-Smith was locked in a battle with Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast for silver, which the former won in a Brit-ish record of 10.83.

Ta Lou took bronze in 10.93 seconds.“Standing here having done it again

at 32, and holding my baby, is a dream come true,” Fraser-Pryce said after her spectacular win. “I had no sleep last night. I can’t believe it. I worked so hard to be back. The fi eld was so strong, I had to come good here and I’m so excited to come out with victory.

“(My son) Zyon and my husband have been my strength. When I found out I was pregnant, I was a nervous wreck, I was so worried about a lot of things, but now Zyon is my source of strength, my hope.”

Like the 32-year-old from Kingston, another new mother, Allyson Felix of the US, won a gold – her 12th to be pre-cise.

Felix broke her tie with Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt for Worlds golds after she combined with team-mates Wilbert London, Courtney Okolo and Michael Cherry, as the Americans broke the 4x400m mixed relay world record for the second time at Doha 2019 for the gold.

Felix extended her record of most medals at the Worlds to 17.

There was again a change in conven-tional running order as Poland’s Rafal Omelko went against the other ladies on the second leg, handing a healthy lead to Iga Baumgart-Witan, who then passed on the baton to Justyna Swiety-Ersetic. The latter was still in the lead at the bend but Cherry and Jamaica’s Javon Francis had hit their rhythm in the anchor leg and made their move.

Jamaica picked up a silver, while Bahrain won a bronze.

Christian Taylor of the US endured some anxious early moments with two no-jumps to start his triple jump final round, even as compatriot Will

Claye set the marker at 17.72m.But it wasn’t until his fourth attempt

that the two-time Olympic champion Taylor got going, jumping 17.86m, which in hindsight would have been enough for a gold. In the fi fth, he was in sight of his fourth world title when he came up with a 17.92m, even as Claye jumped his second straight 17.74m.

Hugues Fabrice Zango dislodged Portugal’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo for bronze when he jumped a 17.66m on his fi nal attempt going past Pichardo’s 17.62m. To Page 24

Sport Pages 1,2,3,4

Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrates after winning the Women’s 100m final at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma

USA’s Courtney Okolo passes the baton to USA’s Michael Cherry in the Mixed 4 x 400m Relay final at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday.

Puerto Rico’s Wesley Vazquez reacts after finishing first in the Men’s 800m semi-final at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday.

Qatar submits paper on dangers of airspace closure

The Qatari delegation taking part in the meetings of the 40th Session of the Interna-

tional Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) General Assembly has sub-mitted a working paper on airspace closure, the dangers resulting from it and its impact on air transport, in-cluding air safety and environment.

The delegation reviewed airspace closure’s negative impacts, par-ticularly with regard to the environ-ment as the closure of some routes results in longer fl ight time, which means higher fuel consumption and

thus generating more carbon dioxide emissions, the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) said in a statement yesterday.

Qatar has requested the General Assembly to remind the member states that they ought to comply with the 39th General Assembly Resolu-tion A39-15, which “urges member states to avoid adopting unilateral and extraterritorial measures that may aff ect the orderly, sustainable and harmonious development of in-ternational air transport”, the MoTC statement notes.

QATAR

Gulf Times Monday, September 30, 20192

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani met yesterday with president of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Jean Todt, who is currently visiting Qatar to participate in the International Traff ic Safety Conference, currently underway in Doha. During the meeting, they discussed a number of topics of mutual interest.

Prime minister meets FIA president

Qatar has participated in the 29th meeting of the Ministers of Justice of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which was held yesterday in the Muscat, Oman. HE the Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Aff airs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi headed the Qatari delegation. The meeting discussed a number of draft laws and guidelines related to strengthening the process of joint co-operation between the justice ministries in the GCC member states, including the recommendations of the undersecretaries of the justice ministries in the GCC countries at their 21st meeting in Muscat from September 10-11.

Qatar participates in GCC justice ministers’ meeting

Transport minister holds meetings in CanadaHE the Minister of Transport

and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti held

a number of meetings with offi cials from diff erent countries in Montreal, Canada, yesterday.

He met with the State Minister for Aviation of Nigeria, Hadi Sirika, and discussed aspects of co-operation in the fi elds of transportation services and civil aviation and the means of fur-ther enhancing them in addition to a number of matters of common interest between the two friendly countries.

HE the minister met with the Dep-uty Minister of the Popular Power for Transportation and Communications of Venezuela, Carlos Vieira. They dis-cussed a number of matters of com-mon interest between the two friendly countries relating to transportation and civil aviation and the means of further enhancing them.

HE al-Sulaiti also met with the Min-ister of Transport of Angola, Ricardo de

Abreu, and discussed a number of mat-ters of common interest between the two friendly countries relating to trans-portation services and civil aviation and the means of further enhancing them.

Qatar’s ambassador to Canada Saud bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud and HE the Civil Aviation Authority chairman Abdulla bin Nasser Turki al-Subaey attended the meetings.

HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti during a meeting in Montreal.

ICAO honours Qatar’s progress in aviation safetyThe International Civil Avia-

tion Organisation (ICAO) an-nounced that Qatar has made

signifi cant progress in the fi eld of civil aviation safety. Qatar is among 48 states who have made progress in overcoming defi ciencies in safety and improving the eff ective implementa-tion of international rules and recom-mendations related in the fi eld.

ICAO honoured the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) for this achievement, with HE the QCAA chairman Abdullah bin Nasser Turki al-Subaey having received a certifi cate of appreciation from ICAO president Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.

ICAO appreciated the qualitative achievement of QCAA at the level of the results of the comprehensive au-dit of the safety of civil aviation, ac-cording to ICAO’s global programme to verify the conformity of the Qatari air safety standards with the interna-tional standards and specifi cations contained in the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Qatar has achieved a 91.16% com-pliance rate according to the new standards set by the ICAO, which was implemented in 2018, making Qa-tar the fi rst to receive that percentage through the results of a comprehensive audit on all aspects of the safety of civil aviation system.

Qatar also received another certifi -cate of appreciation in recognition of the results achieved in 2017 in the ap-plication of the standards of civil avia-tion security, by obtaining a 99.10% in the application of the standards of Annex XVII on the security of civil aviation, which is the most important criterion in the fi eld of security audit. The country also achieved 96.76% with regard to the implementation of vital elements related to civil aviation security, and 100% in the applica-tion of security standards contained in Annex IX to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

The honour comes within the framework of Qatar’s participation in the meetings of the 40th session of the General Assembly of ICAO in Montreal, Canada.

QCAA has achieved a record in the results of the comprehensive audit of the safety of civil aviation according to the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), which

verifi ed the compliance of states’ safety standards with the interna-tional standards and specifi cations contained in the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and its supplements.

Qatar has not overlooked the impor-tant and vital role of cyber and techno-logical security in achieving aviation security and safety, QCAA has released version 1 of the “Aviation Cyber Secu-rity Guidelines” in collaboration with the Cybersecurity Aff airs Sector of the Min-istry of Transport and Communications.

The guidelines include standards and principles relating to securing critical avi-ation systems, in addition to best practices in electronic security in the fi eld.

This has made Qatar the fi rst country in the Middle East to have released such guidelines that focus on the deployment of the standards that aim to face and mitigate electronic threats and attacks in the civil aviation industry.

The guidelines are hoped to con-tribute to raising the awareness of all stakeholders and those who work in the industry in Qatar by guiding them to cybersecurity best practices.

The issuance of these guidelines complies with the recommendations of the ICAO that urge all member states to apply such standards and measures and continue cooperation and mutual support at the local and universal levels.

Qatar is also the fi rst country in the region to start implementing the latest

the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Comprehensive Safety Pro-gramme regulations. The new systems for aircraft crew licences, aviation op-erations and airworthiness require-ments have been complied with EASA regulations as one of the objectives of the regulatory and program structure of the Authority.

QCAA also co-ordinates with the military authorities to provide search and rescue services and prepare for the planned inspection by the ICAO.

Thanks to the directives of His High-ness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, as well as the eff orts of all sec-tors related to the aviation industry in the country, Qatar has become one of the fi rst countries to achieve the high-est international standards in safety and security of civil aviation.

Since 2015, QCAA has been focus-ing on updating all existing regula-tions to enhance aviation safety and security standards in civil aviation, in particular, safety as an essential pillar of aviation. In order to achieve this, QCAA has taken important steps such as signing a memorandum of under-standing with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which im-mediately implements all necessary changes related to air transport, air safety and navigation systems, and meteorological measurements.

Qatar is the fi rst country in the Middle East to implement comprehensive Euro-pean aviation safety regulations. (QNA)

HE the QCAA chairman Abdullah bin Nasser Turki al-Subaey receiving a certificate of appreciation from ICAO president Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.

Decision issued to open 7 new schools

HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education

Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi yesterday issued a Ministerial Deci-sion to open seven new schools in diff erent areas of the country.

According to the deci-

sion, a primary school for boys will be opened in the Old Airport area called Ah-mad bin Rashid Al Muraikhi Primary School for Boys, a primary school for boys in the southern Muaither area called Muaither Primary School for Boys, a primary school for girls in Al Morra

area called Fatima bint Al Khattab Primary School for Girls, and a secondary school for girls in Al Wukair called Al Wukair Secondary School for Girls.

The decision also called for the opening of a sec-ondary school for girls in the Al Ebb area called Al

Ebb secondary school for girls, Al Hedaya School for Special Needs for Boys in a new kindergarten build-ing in Al Hilal area, and Al Hedaya School for Special Needs for Boys and Girls in Bdayat Center Kindergar-ten Building in Al Sakhama Area. (QNA)

RACA, Ministry of Culture and Sports sign MoU

The Regulatory Au-thority for Charitable Activities (RACA) has

signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Culture and Sports to establish a joint

work mechanism in the fi eld of combating money laundering and terrorism fi nancing and to achieve the objectives and strategies of national co-operation and co-ordination in this fi eld.

The agreement aims at enhancing co-operation to reduce the risks associated with money laundering and fi nancing terrorism.

It also seeks to hold joint training courses and work-

shops in the fi eld of combat-ing money laundering and terrorism fi nancing in co-ordination with the Nation-al Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Committee. (QNA)

QATAR3

Gulf Times Monday, September 30, 2019

Qatar affi rms keenness to provide humanitarian, development aidQatar has stressed that

in line with its for-eign policy based on

the principle of co-operation and partnership to face com-mon challenges, and under the guidance of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, it is keen to provide humanitarian and development assistance, co-operation and co-ordination with the UN as an international umbrella.

This came in a statement delivered by HE the Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi, at the 43rd Ministerial Meet-ing of the Foreign Ministers of the Group of 77 held on the sidelines of the 74th session

QNANew York

HE Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi at the Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Co-operation Dialogue (ACD) in New York.

of the UN General Assembly in New York.

HE al-Muraikhi said that Qa-tar announced during the Doha Forum 2018 a multi-year and unearmarked support of core resources to fund a number of UN entities of $500mn, which

will benefi t the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustain-able Development, in addition to a multi-year contribution of $20m has been allocated to support UNDP accelerator labs network to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

The minister pointed out that during the Climate Action Sum-mit held on September 23, His Highness the Amir announced Qatar’s contribution of $100mn to support small island devel-oping states and least devel-oped countries to address cli-

mate change and environmental challenges.

HE al-Muraikhi noted that in 2021, Qatar will host the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

During the 73rd session of the General Assembly, Qatar, along with New Zealand, had facili-tated open consultations on the organisational arrangements for the high-level meeting of the General Assembly to commemo-rate the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Minister added.

He reiterated Qatar’s affi rma-tion of the principle of the per-manent sovereignty of peoples under foreign occupation over its natural resources, the inal-ienable rights of the Palestinian people and the population of the occupied Syrian Golan, and the

right to self-determination, so as to enjoy stability, prosperity and development as the inherent right of all peoples.

HE al-Muraikhi pointed out that Qatar is always keen to abide by the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, which emphasises respect for the national sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal aff airs.

He pointed out that Qatar will not hesitate to support the just causes of the countries of the Group, and therefore categori-cally reject attempts to disrupt its global active role under false pretenses, which are exposed to the international community.

The minister stressed that the ongoing unjust blockade against Qatar contradicts the objectives and principles of the Group, also,

it has grave consequences, un-dermines international eff orts to establish international security, and creates precedents that vio-late the sovereignty of states and international norms.

HE al-Muraikhi expressed pride in the great achievements of the Group of 77 in promot-ing the interests of developing countries.

He reiterated Qatar’s sup-port for the Group’s eff orts to enhance co-operation and co-ordination in the interest of all of the members.

Qatar’s hosting of the Second South Summit in 2005 con-fi rms its orientation to support joint collective eff orts under the umbrella of the Group of 77, the minister said, adding that Qatar looks forward to participating actively in the Third South Sum-mit in Uganda.

HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Aff airs Yousuf bin Mohamed al-Othman Fakhroo met yesterday with Jordan’s Minister of Labour Nedal Faisal El Batayneh and the accompanying delegation, currently visiting Doha. The meeting addressed aspects of co-operation between the two sides, especially in the field of labour and means to support and develop them.

Minister meets Jordan’s counterpartQatar strongly condemns attacks in Nigeria

Qatar has expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the two separate attacks that took place in northeast Nigeria and resulted in deaths.In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs reiterated Qatar’s firm stance on rejecting violence and terrorism, regardless of the motives and reasons.The statement voiced Qatar’s condolences to the families of victims as well as the government and people of Nigeria.

Minister holds talks in New YorkHE the Minister of

State for Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin

Saad al-Muraikhi met with Deputy Secretary of For-eign Aff airs of Mexico Julian Valero, on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York yesterday.

During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and issues of common concern.

Qatar attends OIC meet: Qatar has participated in

the annual co-ordination meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organisa-tion of Islamic Co-opera-tion (OIC) member states, on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Na-tions General Assembly in New York.

HE Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi headed the Qatari delegation to the meeting.

SIDS meeting: Qatar has participated

in the high-level meeting to review progress made in meeting the priorities of Small Island Develop-ing States (SIDS) through the implementation of the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Mo-dalities of Action (SAMOA Pathway), on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General

Assembly in New York.HE Sultan bin Saad al-

Muraikhi headed the Qatari delegation to the meeting.

High-level-meet on Sudan: Qatar took part in the

high-level event on Sudan, hosted by the United Na-tions, the African Union and the Sudan government on the sideline of the 74the UN General Assembly in New York.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs al-Mu-raikhi headed the Qatari delegation to the event, which highlighted the developments in Sudan.

Syria situation reviewed: HE the Minister of State

for Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi met with US Deputy Assist-ant Secretary of State and Special Envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn.

The meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, reviewed the latest developments in Syria and issues of common concern.

Al-Muraikhi meets UN offi cial:

The Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs al-Muraikhi met with UN Under-Secre-tary-General for Humani-tarian Aff airs and Emergen-

cy Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock.

The meeting, which was held on the sideline of the 74th UN General Assembly in New York, discussed aspects of co-operation between Qa-tar and the United Nations in the fi eld on humanitarian work, in addition to issues of common concern.

ACD ministerial meeting:Qatar has participated

in the Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Co-operation Dialogue (ACD) on the side-lines of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi head-ed the Qatari delegation to the meeting.

The meeting discussed further coordination and cooperation and renewing commitment to the com-mon goals of all peoples of the Asian continent.

Qatar takes part in LDCs meeting

Qatar has participated in the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), held on the side-lines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, at the invitation of Turkey and

Belgium as Co-Chairs of the Group of Least Devel-oped Countries.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi head-ed the Qatari delegation to the meeting.

Qatar attends Consensus Group meeting

Qatar has participated in the meeting on the Consen-sus Group on the interna-tional, impartial and inde-pendent mechanism (IIIM) to assist in the investiga-tion in crimes committed in Syria, which was held on the sideline of the 74th UN General Assembly in New York.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi head-ed the Qatari delegation to the meeting.

Qatar partakes in NAM meeting

Qatar on Saturday took part in the ministe-rial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) member states, which was held on the sideline of the 74th UN General Assembly in New York.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi head-ed the Qatari delegation to the meeting. (QNA)

Deputy PM visits Military Museum, National Defence College in OmanHE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Aff airs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah visited yesterday the Sultan’s Armed Forces Museum at Bayt Al Falaj camp in Oman.He was accompanied by Chief of Staff of Oman Armed Forces Lt General Ahmed bin Harith al-Nabhani, head of military protocols of Oman Armed Forces Brigadier Saleh bin Ahmed al-Hinai, and director of the Oman Armed Forces Museum Colonel Faleh bin Saif al-Maamari.The deputy prime minister toured the museum’s sections during which he was briefed on the Sultanate military history and the establishment of the Sultan’s forces. During the tour, he also listened to a briefing by curators about the museum’s holdings as well as its activities.

The museum contains an important collection of exhibits including conventional and modern weapons, documents and manuscripts.The deputy prime minister also visited the College of National Defence in Bayt Al Falaj camp, accompanied by head of Oman National Defence College Major

General Salim bin Musallam Qattan.During the visit, he toured the college, where he was briefed on its departments, educational and training facilities and the services provided by the college.He was accompanied by a number of senior off icers in the Qatar Armed Forces and the Sultan’s armed forces. (QNA)

The Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers of Oman Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said met with HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Aff airs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, in Muscat yesterday. During the meeting, they exchanged views on the latest develop-ments in the region, in addition to reviewing bilateral rela-tions and ways of enhancing and developing them.

Deputy PM meets Omani counterpart

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Aff airs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, who is on a visit to Oman, met with Omani Minister Responsible for Defence Aff airs Badr bin Saud bin Harib al-Busaidi at Bait Al Falaj camp In Muscat yesterday. During the meeting, they re-viewed the historical relations between the armed forces of the two brotherly countries, as well as the military relations between the two sides and ways of enhancing and developing them.

Deputy PM meets Oman’s minister

The projects of the Su-pervisory Committee of Beautifi cation of Roads &

Public Places in Qatar support social and cultural development in the country by increasing the public’s interest in walking to work, commercial areas and sports and leisure destinations, thus building a society that pro-motes a healthy lifestyle and supports fi tness.

Stressing this in a press statement, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said the committee emphasises the im-portance of paths for pedes-trians and cyclist as a key ele-ment of transportation within the city of Doha, as the easiest and quickest means of travel in residential neighbourhoods, as the most environmentally clean modes and the best in terms of social interaction.

Accordingly, Ashghal, through its Expressways and Local Roads projects as well as through the projects of the Su-pervisory Committee of Beau-tifi cation of Roads & Public Places in Qatar, will be imple-menting 2,650km of pedestrian and cycling paths by 2022, the statement notes.

The committee’s projects aim to revive and maintain lo-cal elements from Qatari urban settings, which in turn contrib-ute to and increase the Qatari cultural identity and its public realm. The committee is also working to encourage partner-ship with local artists to add an artistic and cultural footprint in diff erent spaces.

Work ProgressAshghal has started imple-

menting the fi rst phase of the Supervisory Committee of Beautifi cation of Roads & Public Places in Qatar projects. These include some streets in areas ly-ing in the north of Doha such as Legtaifi ya, Buhaira, Onaiza and Al Markhiya streets and parts of Al Waab Street. The beautifi ca-tion of streets such as Al Khafj i, Al Jamiaa, Arab League and oth-er areas across the whole coun-try is also under way.

To date, 73km of pedestrian and cycling paths have been completed, and other works pertaining to landscaping, tree-planting, street furniture, lighting and kiosks are continu-ing. Phase 1 is scheduled to be completed by the fi rst quarter of 2020. Moreover, the devel-opment of pedestrian and cy-cling paths has been completed on the road between Al Wakra Metro station and Al Janoub Sta-dium. The works included the execution of 5m-wide pedes-trian paths and 3m-wide cycling paths in each direction of the road, extending over a length of 3.5km starting from the Metro station till Al Janoub Stadium.

The beautifi cation works also included the planting of 1,100 trees to shade the pedestrian and cycle paths and the plan-tation of around 23,000sq m of grass. Street furniture, includ-ing benches, litter bins, bike racks and mobile food trucks, was also provided. In addition, directional signs were installed to facilitate the commute of users and fans during diff erent events at Al Janoub Stadium such as the Amir Cup fi nal.

The committee has also signed a contract for the devel-opment of Central Doha and the development of cycling and pe-destrian paths along Corniche Road and Al Khor Road. Also, a tender to design and carry out landscaping works on Al Majd Road has been issued.

Further, the committee — in co-ordination with the Min-istry of Municipality and En-vironment (MME) — has also signed a contract for the design of some public parks in diff er-ent parts of the country. These parks are Rawdat Al Khail, Al Gharrafa, Um Al Saneem, Raw-dat Al Hamama as well as the maintenance of parks such as

Ras Bu Abboud, Al Shamal and Al Wakrah.

The committee has also signed a contract with fi ve contrac-tors to implement some projects with a budget of QR700mn. The scope of works includes the con-struction of pedestrian and cy-cling paths, landscaping, trees, street furniture and lighting, to beautify main and local roads in various parts of the country. It also includes the development of some parks in with a special character such as the Qatar Na-tional Theatre Park, 5/6 Park and

Al Abraj Park, which was opened on Saturday.

The ‘Qatar Beautifi cation and Our Kids Planting Trees’ campaign

The ‘Qatar Beautifi cation and Our Kids Planting Trees’ cam-paign, which was launched on Saturday, seeks to raise aware-ness among school students on the importance of plant-ing trees. The launch was also marked by the opening of Al Abraj Park in West Bay.

The committee is keen to improve the lifestyle of the community in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. In this connection, it has decided to implement awareness cam-paigns aimed at raising aware-ness among students on the importance of planting trees for the environment and health.

In co-ordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Ashghal launched the campaign and

started involving school stu-dents in planting trees at some of Ashghal’s projects. Some 30 students from Ahmed Mansour Primary School for Boys partic-ipated in the planting of 25 trees on the occasion.

The necessary tools and seed-lings were provided and all nec-essary measures were taken to ensure the safety of students participating in the campaign. The ‘Qatar Beautifi cation and Our Kids Planting Trees’ cam-paign will contribute to instilling environmental values in school

students at diff erent educational stages and to emphasise that preservation of the environment is everyone’s duty, the state-ment explains. This will help involve students in the process of realising the country’s goals and encourage them to under-take volunteering activities that contribute to preservation of the environment in Qatar.

Economic DevelopmentWith the increase in the

number of pedestrian and cy-cling paths and their integration with the public transportation and Doha Metro networks, more residents and visitors will be encouraged to visit tourist des-tinations around the country — which will contribute to en-hancing the economic returns for diff erent companies and businesses, Ashghal points out.

Moreover, there will be em-phasis on allowing kiosks to be established along the pedestri-an and cycling paths in vital ar-

eas. The kiosks will be provided with the necessary infrastruc-ture. Further, the committee’s work will encourage the private sector in Qatar to invest in land-scaping and nurseries.

SustainabilityThe committee’s projects are

also contributing to sustainabil-ity by reducing environmental pollution, carbon dioxide emis-sion and energy consumption. Transportation options will be provided, which will reduce the dependence on cars and improve lifestyle by relying on clean and safe means of transportation. A healthier environment will be provided within neighbour-hoods and communities through increased green spaces. Also, the increase in landscaped and green areas will reduce temperatures in the city, the statement high-lights. Part of the committee’s work is to study sustainable so-lutions to reduce sandstorms coming from the desert. Among these solutions is the implemen-tation of a green belt of trees and plants on some highways, such as Al Khor Road and Al Majd Road. The committee is also planning to utilise sustainable and recycled materials, thus re-ducing maintenance and cost. In line with the initiative of the MME to plant trees, the com-mittee will co-ordinate with the Ashghal Highway Projects and Roads Projects departments and the MME’s Public Parks Depart-ment to provide 10mn sq m of green areas by 2022 through var-ious initiatives. There will also be collaboration with local and national tree nurseries such as Qatar Foundation to enable tree-planting, Ashghal adds.

Technical committee for artwork

The Supervisory Commit-tee of Beautifi cation of Roads & Public Places in Qatar has formed a joint committee comprising members from the supervisory committee, Qatar Museums and the Ministry of Culture and Sports, which aims to:

Provide an opportunity for all local artists to participate and make technical proposals that match the nature of the proposed sites.

Inform and educate the public about the importance of artworks in the city.

Provide an opportunity to receive diff erent and creative art ideas.

As such, and in view of the importance of the Doha Cen-tral development project, the technical committee has, in the fi rst stage, begun to study the mechanism of involving local artists in the proposal and de-velopment of some artworks in the area that require artists with extensive experience to meet the needs of these sites in terms of idea and design. The experi-ment will also be carried in sev-eral other areas of the country.

4 Gulf TimesMonday, September 30, 2019

QATAR

King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, met with ambassador of Qatar to Netherlands Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani, on the occasion of the end of the envoy’s tenure. King Willem-Alexander wished the Qatari ambassador success in his future duties and the bilateral relations between Netherlands and Qatar further bonds of friendship and co-operation in all fields.

King of Netherlands meets Qatari envoy

Beautifi cation, green projects to promote healthy lifestyle, fi tness

Off icials and schoolchildren take part in a tree-planting exercise. PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam

Integrated network of pedestrian and cycling paths to create ‘new social and cultural environment’

MoTC, Fira de Barcelona join hands for Smart City Expo Doha

The Ministry of Transport and Communica-tions (MoTC) has partnered with the organ-isers of Smart City Expo World Congress

(SCEWC), Fira de Barcelona to launch Smart City Expo Doha (SCE Doha). The event will be held from October 30-31 at Qatar IT Conference & Exhibition 2019 (Qitcom 2019), under the theme, ‘Safe, Smart Cities’, it was announced yesterday.

Smart City Expo is a global platform committed to promote awareness and understanding of smart cities and the development of smart initiatives for a sustainable future. Fira de Barcelona has previ-ously hosted several editions of the Smart City Expo in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe.

Smart City Expo Doha, in its fi rst edition in Qa-tar, aims to introduce innovative technologies to enhance the lives of citizens, residents and visi-tors through social inclusion, sustainability and empowerment.

Smart City Expo Doha will be hosting a number of speakers locally, regionally and internation-ally such as Michael Steep (Stanford Engineer-ing Center for Disruptive Technology and Digital Cities, executive director, Palo Alto, California, US), Larissa Suzuki (Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, the Chair of the Tech London Advocates Smart Cities), Mikko Hypponen (chief research offi cer, F-Secure Corporation, Helsinki, Fin-land) and Robert Muggah (co-founder, Igarape Institute – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). They will be addressing topics related to smart cities namely, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, artifi cial intel-ligence and urban planning.

Reem al-Mansoori, assistant undersecretary for the Digital Society Development Sector at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, commented, “We are delighted to partner and co-ordinate with Fira de Barcelona which is one of the world’s leading companies in this fi eld to in-troduce the First Smart City Expo Doha this year. The partnership with Fira de Barcelona refl ects our readiness for business dialogues and com-mitment towards bringing together global lead-ers and experts from various economic sectors to showcase innovative technologies.”

“Regionally and globally, Qatar has been on the frontlines of a major digital transformation towards safe smart cities. This has been proved to be true as the policy briefs issued by the Arab Monetary Fund showing that 43% of Qatar cities are smart cities. We believe that this event will be the biggest of its kind, as it will enrich the soci-ety with expertise from the global speakers and showcase Qatar’s eff orts in creating an intelligent community via seamlessly integrating all eco-nomic sectors”, she added.

Smart City Expo Doha will drive conversations around intelligent technologies and highlight the challenges towards building and enhancing smart cities. More information could be had from http://smartcityexpodoha.com/

Enaya project reduces hospital-acquired pneumonia rates

A quality improvement project implemented at Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Enaya Specialised Care Center has led to the successful reduction of hospital-acquired pneumonia within that facility. Dr Hanadi al-Hamad, Senior Consultant and Chairperson of Geriatrics and Long Term Care at HMC, explained that many of the patients cared for at the Enaya Specialised Care Center are at risk for developing pneumonia due to having multiple chronic conditions, underscoring the significance of the improvement project. “The number of patients requiring long-term care facilities is expected to increase dramatically over the next 30 years, with an increasing number of elderly people in Qatar experiencing higher levels of functional disability and other medical illnesses. Over 130 patients are currently cared for at the Enaya Specialised Care Center

and many of them are susceptible to pneumonia due to their age and pre-existing chronic health conditions,” Dr al-Hamad said. Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. A variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi, can cause pneumonia. Pneumonia can range in seriousness from mild to life-threatening. It is most serious for infants and young children, those over the age of 65 years, and individuals with health conditions or weakened immune systems. Dr Shafi Hashmath Ulla Khan, Consultant Geriatrician at HMC, noted that the primary aim of initiating the improvement project was to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia at the Enaya Specialised Care Center. Dr Khan explained that pneumonia has consistently been a global leading cause of morbidity and mortality among elderly patients residing in

long-term care facilities.“Studies have shown that the incidence of pneumonia among long-term care residents ranges from 0.27 to 2.50 per 1,000 patient days, with mortality ranging from 12% to 44%,” Dr Khan said. “The Enaya leadership team identified the need to tackle pneumonia and we formed a multi-disciplinary task force to collaboratively work to identify the best strategies for the reduction and prevention of incidences of pneumonia. We first ensured there was adequate staff ing at the facility, and that staff was appropriately trained, and we also updated our policies to ensure maximum compliance with the Aspiration Prevention Bundle. Alert signs were placed in high-risk areas and enhanced monitoring of new cases of pneumonia was implemented. We also encouraged flu vaccinations for both patients and staff ,” Dr Khan added. (QNA)

QATAR5Gulf Times

Monday, September 30, 2019

Ooredoo celebrates IAAF World Championships with data promotion

Ooredoo has announced a promotion for customers during the ongoing 2019

IAAF World Athletics Champi-onships in Doha.

Daily free data will be available to claim during the promotion, which will see customers hunt down and take a picture of spe-cial posters and banners to claim their reward.

To participate, customers have to watch out for the special Ooredoo posters and banners around town.

Once a poster or banner has been located, customers will need to open their Ooredoo App and use the camera to take a pho-to of the poster or banner. Then, they simply wait for their reward. Free data will be given every day of the tournament.

The promotion runs until Oc-tober 6.

Free data will be valid until midnight on the day of activa-tion/receipt.

Customers can take a pic-ture of the poster and claim their reward once per day per number.

Manar Khalifa al-Muraikhi – director PR and Corporate Com-munications at Ooredoo – said of the promotion: “We’re thrilled that Doha is hosting the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Champi-onships, and delighted to be sup-porting such a prestigious sport-ing event as National Partner. We’re confi dent our customers will enjoy this fun new promo-tion and the exciting rewards on off er in celebration of the tour-nament.”

Customers who do not yet have the Ooredoo App can download it from the App Store and Google Play.

Toyota models recalled over wrong label

The Ministry of Com-merce and Industry, in co-operation with Abdul-

lah Abdulghani & Bros Co, has announced the recall of Toyota Fortuner and Innova models of 2017-2020 due to wrong lan-guage on the cooling fan caution label.

The ministry confi rmed the recall campaign comes within

the framework of its ongoing ef-forts to protect consumers and ensure that vehicle dealers follow up on defects and repairs.

The ministry has said that it will co-ordinate with the dealer to follow up on the maintenance and repair works and will com-municate with customers to en-sure that the necessary repairs are carried out.

Large number of Qatari women in decision-making roles: offi cialBy Joseph VargheseStaff Reporter

Qatar has taken several steps to em-power women and provide gender equality with a very high number

of women holding decision-making roles, an offi cial said yesterday.

“The number of women in workplace is very high in Qatar with a large number of women in decision making roles,” stated, Dr Khalid Klefeekh al-Hajri, board mem-ber, Qatar Chamber.

Speaking at the third edition of the Doha Women Forum, he pointed out that Qatar provides equal opportunities for both women and men in all areas of life.

“Women receive great attention to get empowered and are provided appropri-ate support to create an environment that will promote their political, civil, social, economic and cultural rights.”

The Doha Women Forum was held in co-operation with the Qatar Chamber, the In-ternational Chamber of Commerce Qatar, and the Qatar Businesswomen Association.

The forum, under the theme ‘Balance for Better’, highlighted the importance of gender balance and creation of an ena-bling environment that ensures equal op-portunities to build a healthy and pros-perous society.

Dr al-Hajri pointed out that there are obstacles and challenges that still make it diffi cult for women to participate in the business community, although the femi-

nist element has become a central part of the social development and economic growth of any society.

He noted that the recommendations by the forum will help in dealing with these obstacles and ways to overcome them.

Delivering the keynote speech, Qatari Businesswomen Association vice chair-person, Aisha Hussain Alfardan stressed the importance of women’s participation in all fi elds.

She also noted that a society without equal opportunities in work and study for all members, won’t be able to take ad-vantage of all its potential to achieve the required economic growth.

“Lack of gender equality is synony-mous with weak development and bridg-ing the gender gap is the basis for achiev-ing sustainable economic growth. Qatari women have become a positive example in this area, taking strong steps towards achieving gender equality and provid-ing a supportive environment to expand women’s participation,” she explained.

Alfardan pointed out that Qatar has come a long way in the development of women’s capacities in the fi eld of education and has made great eff orts to remove obstacles.

This has strengthened the women community at various levels and areas and is refl ected on the level of women’s

economic participation in the labour market, as well as entering into new areas.

She pointed out that Qatari women are proud that Qatar has been able to bridge the gap between male and female in the educational fi eld, highlighting that pre-university education rates are quite equal for both in the country, but at the uni-versity level, female university education rates outperform male.

Other speakers at the event included state offi cials, several diplomats and oth-er important offi cials from various walks of life. Qatar Women’s Sports Commit-tee president Lolwa Hussain al-Marri spoke about the extent of gender equal-ity in the fi eld of sports in Qatar. The Ca-nadian ambassador Stefanie McCollum explained why more female leaders are needed to change the world.

Argentine ambassador Dr Carlos A Hernandez shared his views on how women in politics can help the global economy.

Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Legisla-tion and Compliance manager Dr Franc-esca Re spoke about how women in gov-ernment and policy making roles can help promote the health and well being of not just women but the entire community.

The forum also featured an interactive question and answer discussion with pan-el members including Maha Kamal Taw-fi k, senior specialist, Labour Aff airs and Monitoring, QFC; Dr Haya al-Naimi, head of Financial Control, North Oil Company; and Omar Shaath, digital lead, TASMU.

Participants attend a session of the Doha Women Forum.

Dr Khalid Klefeekh al-Hajri and Aisha Hussain Alfardan speaking at the event. PICTURES: Ram Chand

QATAR

Gulf Times Monday, September 30, 20196

MME to strictly implement law on workers’ accommodationThe Ministry of Municipality and

Environment (MME) has called on landlords of residential prop-

erties to strictly follow Law No (22) of 2019, which prohibits workers’ camps within family residential areas in Qa-tar.

In an announcement published in yesterday’s Gulf Times, the minis-try said any person who violates the provisions of this law shall be impris-oned for not more than six months and be fi ned between QR10,000 and QR50,000 (or any penalty thereof maybe applied).

“In the event of a repeated off ence, the minimum and maximum fi ne shall be doubled. In all cases, the court shall rule that the property shall be vacated,” MME noted.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani issued Law No (22) of 2019 on September 16, 2019, amending some provisions of Law No (15) of 2010.

This law aims to “eliminate the phenomenon of housing workers

within the family residential areas.”According to MME, “the law au-

thorises the competent municipality’s director to address the competent au-thority of the state to cut the electricity and water to the illegally established workers accommodation, after proving the violation and taking the necessary legal actions in this regard.”

The law, MME added, also “author-ises the competent municipality direc-tor to address the security authorities for forced execution of the evacuation decision, if required.”

MME “calls on landlords of residen-tial properties, which violate the law, to immediately evacuate them.”

“The municipalities will make reg-ular inspection campaigns to control such off ences and to take the neces-sary actions in this regard,” MME said, adding that the law will be im-plemented after its publication in the gazette.

MME also announced any per-son who violates Law No 8 of 2014, amending some provisions of Law No

4 of 1985 on Organisation of Buildings, shall be penalised.

“Division of residential proper-ties, in any way, is deemed as legal offence, in accordance with the pro-visions of Law No 8 of 2014,” MME stressed.

MME said necessary permits from authorities must be obtained fi rst be-fore any building construction, in-cluding institution of works, exten-sion, heightening, support, demolition or building maintenance, a change in landmarks of property through exca-vations, fi lling or levelling.

The law also prohibits any work such as connection of services to or painting of buildings without the needed permit from the competent municipality.

Penalty ranges between QR250 and QR500 per each illegal square me-tre, and between QR200 and QR400 per each illegal square metre while each contractor who violates the said provisions shall face a fi ne between QR10,000 and QR100,000.

AAB celebrates Land Cruiser global sales landmark

Toyota has announced that the cumulative global sales of its Land

Cruiser series surpassed 10mn units as of August 31, 2019.

The new milestone comes as a recognition for the premium SUV’s stand-ing as a global and regional icon that continues to touch the lives of millions of peo-ple across the globe every day, according to a press statement issued in Doha by Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros Co (AAB), sole agents for Toyota vehicles in Qatar.

True to its tagline ‘Pride of the Land’, the Land Cruiser “occupies a spe-cial position in the heart of every citizen in Qatar as they enjoy an emotional relationship with the Land Cruiser”, says R K Murugan, acting CEO of AAB.

“The Land Cruiser is truly the ‘Pride of the Land’ due to its inbuilt quality, durability and reliability, which have helped Land Cruiser to oc-cupy the No 1 position in its segment,” he adds.

“We are grateful to each and every one of our cus-tomers for their trust and support in our journey towards achieving this important milestone, ce-menting it as a remark-able success story over the years,” said Yugo Miya-moto, chief representative,

Middle East and Central Asia Representative Of-fi ce, Toyota Motor Corp. “Since its introduction over six decades ago, the Land Cruiser has evolved into one of the most fully capable premium SUVs, exceeding expectations across succes-sive generations to establish

itself as a favourite among the region’s families.

“The legendary Land Cruiser embodies Toyota’s reputation for reliability, du-rability and capability, and has become an integral part of people’s lives in virtu-ally every part of the globe. We remain committed to continue working hand-in-hand with our customers to create ‘ever-better’ cars.”

Launched on August 1, 1951 as the Toyota Jeep BJ, the Land Cruiser is the company’s longest-run-ning vehicle.

The production of the world-beating vehicle, which assumed its current name in 1954, has contin-ued for 68 years with nine generations dominating the premium SUV market across the world, the state-ment notes. At present, the Land Cruiser is sold in ap-proximately 170 countries and regions worldwide, with annual global sales standing at approximately 400,000 units.

New academic guidelines for private schools

The Private Schools Aff airs Department at the Min-istry of Education and Higher Education yesterday held a meeting with the managements of the pri-

vate schools to discuss the new academic guidelines for the school year 2019-2020.

Rawdah Zaidan, director of the Private Schools Aff airs Department, attended the meeting alongside a number of the directors of private schools, and 120 co-ordinators of the three mandatory subjects (Arabic Language, Islamic Education, and the History of Qatar).

The meeting focused on the new policy of the ministry which regulates the mechanism of teaching the three sub-jects, in addition to accrediting the updated teaching peri-ods.

Zaidan pointed out that all teachers should abide by the teaching hours for the three mandatory subjects in a way that would not negatively impact other subjects and activi-ties at the school.

The Arabic language classes should be distributed fairly across the school schedule.

The classes of the three compulsory subjects should not be kept for the end of the school day.

The views and suggestions of parents should be taken into consideration and the school management should be keen to communicate with them and resolve any problems.

The offi cial said that parents should approve the teaching their children Qatari history in English if they opted for it.

Besides, when teaching Arabic, the students should be classifi ed and separated into Arabic speaking and non-Ar-abic speaking.

The meeting also reviewed the mechanism of following up and supervising private schools by the department con-cerned at the ministry.

According to the new directives, Arabic should have four hours a week, Qatar History one hour and Islamic Educa-tion two hours a week.

The meeting at the ministry to introduce the directives.

HEC Paris in Qatar to host ‘masterclass’

HEC Paris in Qatar will host a masterclass on ‘Lean Startup vs Business Plan: What the Lean Startup has changed for founders and investors’, on October

6 at HEC Paris campus in Tornado Tower, Doha.The session will be delivered by Sebastian Becker, HEC

Paris associate professor of accounting and management control.

In addition to teaching Accounting and Management Control at HEC Paris, Prof, Becker also conducts Business Performance Management courses in the MBA, Executive MBA, MSc and PhD programmes.

He has also designed and built a new online course – ‘Managing the performance of a growing enterprise’ with Coursera in HEC Paris’s Online Master for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

“In recent years, new markets and business opportuni-ties have opened up due to technological developments. In addition, business models, many of these exclusively or largely based on digital components, compete worldwide. Therefore, innovating fast and without spending too much time or resources until a business idea reaches some trac-tion have become increasingly important skills to master,” Prof Becker said.

“Successful entrepreneurs around the world have come to use methods and tools around the lean startup philoso-phy. In this masterclass, attendees will get a taste for the skills necessary to use management tools for entrepreneurs that search for business models in direct, multi sided, or marketplace types of settings,” he added.

QATAR7Gulf Times

Monday, September 30, 2019

Qatar pavilion witnesses huge turnoutQNATunis

The Qatar pavilion, par-ticipating in the activities of the 14th edition of the

International Show of Agricul-ture, Agricultural Machinery and Fishing (SIAMAP 2019) in Tunisia, witnessed a huge turn-out from the visitors, due to its distinctive products of national companies.

Visitors to the pavilion ex-pressed their admiration for the Qatari products, and the high quality achieved despite the conditions of the unjust block-ade, and expressed their fascina-tion with the success of Qatar in achieving self-suffi ciency in the production of milk and poultry, in record time, and the transition from import before the block-

ade to self-suffi ciency. Visitors praised the cultural and urban section within the Qatar pavil-ion and the pavilion of the World Cup and the achievements of the eight stadiums that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup matches in Qatar, in addition to the Qatar Rail project as it is a qualitative leap for transportation in the country.

Among the visitors to the pavilion was Ennahdha Party president Rached Ghannouchi, who reviewed the participation of Qatari agricultural compa-nies in the show and learned about the agricultural prod-ucts.

Many Tunisian schools were keen to visit the Qatar pavilion, to learn about agricultural ac-tivities, cultural events, handi-crafts, and traditional clothes.

As part of the activities of

the show, Masoud Jarallah al-Marri, director, food security department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environ-

ment, attended the panel dis-cussion on promoting Tuni-sian-Qatari partnership in the agricultural field.

Qatar is participating in the exhibition with a distinctive and spacious pavilion in an area of 700sq m.

NAAAS showcases itsexpertise in TunisiaNAAAS Agricultural Consulting &

Greenhouse took part in the 14th edi-tion of the International Show of Ag-

riculture, Machinery and Fishing (SIAMAP 2019) in Tunisia from September 24 until yesterday.

This came within the framework of Qa-tar’s participation in the event as a ‘country of honour’ in response to an invitation from Tunisia, represented by the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fishing.

Qatar’s delegation was headed by HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie.

The event concluded yesterday.Located in Qatar’s pavilion at the event,

NAAAS Agricultural Consulting & Green-house’s stand highlighted the company’s of-ferings through a display of its services and products for visitors - particularly greenhouse construction and installation, the company said in a statement.

The company highlighted how its experts run such projects through the use of latest technologies and globally adopted methods, taking into account the climatic conditions and environment concerning each project as well as its characteristics and needs.

NAAAS Agricultural Consulting & Green-house’s participation in the event saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Tunisian Agency for Techni-cal Co (ATCT) to provide recruitment services of Tunisian talents in the agricultural fi eld and

in achieving a balance between work needs and the provision of qualifi ed and trained staff , the statement noted. The MoU comes as part of the services provided by ATCT to NAAAS Agricul-tural Consulting & Greenhouse for hiring qual-ifi ed Tunisian staff in the agricultural fi eld in accordance with the company`s requirements.

ATCT is a state-run institution of civilian nature, coming under the supervision of the Ministry of Development, Investment and In-ternational Co-operation, Tunisia.

During the signing ceremony, NAAAS Ag-

ricultural Consulting & Greenhouse was rep-resented by its CEO Nasser Hassan al-Jaber, while ATCT was represented by its general manager, El Borni Salhi. The ceremony was at-tended by Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser al-Thani, assistant undersecretary of Agriculture and Fish-eries Aff airs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), and Masoud Jarallah al-Marri, director of the Food Security Department at the MME, from the Qatari side. and by Abdel-majid Ezzar, president of the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fishing, from Tunisia.

Nama’s food projects display Qatar’s heritage

In co-operation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME),

the Social Development Centre (Nama) participated in the 14th edition of the International Show of Agriculture, Machin-ery and Fishing (SIAMAP 2019) in Tunisia from September 24-29, through its incubated projects.

Through its participation in the exhibition, Qatar aimed to advance the level of agricul-tural production, livestock and fi sheries in line with the na-tional food security strategy as well as to open new trade pros-pects between national and in-ternational companies, Nama said in a statement.

Lulwa al-Nuaimi, head of the Business Incubators Pro-gramme at Nama, said due to the large number of interna-tional participants in the exhi-bition, it served as an impor-tant platform to introduce the world to Qatar and highlight its cultural features by introduc-ing the history of the State and its achievements and future projects.

She noted that stemming from a sense of social respon-sibility and through the con-certed eff orts among various

institutions working in Qatar, and in order to enable emerg-ing enterprises from benefi ting from the incubation services at Nama to access local, regional and global markets, the centre initiated a co-operation proc-ess between the State insti-tutions concerned to achieve the development goals that provide for the development of microand small enterprises by integrating them into the market.

Al-Nuaimi said two projects specialising in Qatari cuisine

were chosen to participate in the exhibition to introduce the world to Qatar’s heritage. She expressed happiness at par-ticipating in the international exhibition to introduce Qatari products through the diff er-ent food projects incubated by Nama. She also lauded the co-operation with the MME and its eff orts to represent Qatar at international forums, and thanked the ministry for invit-ing Nama to participate in the international event.

In conclusion, al-Nuaimi said the participation was aimed at enhancing the sup-port provided to national entrepreneurs and highlight-ing the reality of productive enterprises in Qatar. It would further provide outlets for showcasing, selling and pre-senting the products of the incubated projects outside Qatar as well as promoting the spirit of citizenship by in-troducing Qatar, its heritage and culture - thus bolstering social partnerships between entities and individuals to strengthen the ecosystem of this sector in the country and to support the efforts of both parties to achieve the desired development goals.

Visitors to the pavilion expressed their admiration for the Qatari products.

HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie during his visit to the NAAAS Agricultural Consulting & Greenhouse stand at SIAMAP.

Lulwa al-Nuaimi, head of the Business Incubators Programme at Nama.

Successful participation for QAC

in ‘The Big 5 Construct Qatar’

Qatar Automobiles Com-pany (QAC), the author-ised distributor of Fuso

in Qatar, successfully participat-ed in the second edition of The Big 5 Construct Qatar, which took place from September 23-25 at Doha Exhibition and Conven-tion Centre.

During the event, the compa-ny displayed its light truck, Fuso Canter, the “perfect solution for construction operations”, QAC said in a statement.

QAC, the transport sponsor of the event, continues to sup-ply the Qatari market with buses and light trucks that “combine durability and reliability, while remaining aff ordable in a com-petitive market”, the statement notes. The Fuso trucks are “per-fectly suited to meet the de-mands and requirements of vari-ous sectors, and provide services for passenger and staff trans-port, commercial operations and other kinds of business”.

Qatar Automobiles Company is the authorised distributor of Fuso brand that is known for its “trusted quality, economic ef-fi ciency, solid and functional design, and committed services”.

In the segment of light-duty trucks, the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter is the fl agship product of the company and has the highest market share in Qatar, according to QAC.

The light-duty Canter is “one of the most successful and in-demand trucks across the world”. In Qatar, the Canter has accom-plished “huge success thanks to its safety standards, high per-formance, low cost of operation and lifetime value”. In terms of design, the Fuso Canter is set for

light-to-medium operations, with its rigid cab and chassis.

Being fuel effi cient and need-ing less frequent maintenance, the Canter guarantees that work is always running to secure more profi ts.

The high rigid cab and chassis contribute to outstanding safety and durability and allow more space for transportation with-out any impact on the perform-ance and stability, the statement added.

The smooth transmission

supports the performance of the engine to carry heavy loads. Be-sides, the truck is equipped with high-performance battery that ensures stable supply of electri-cal power.

The butterfl y valve-type ex-haust is standard equipment, and it improves braking per-formance and also extends brake life.

The cab of the Canter enables the safety and comfort of both the driver and passengers. The big cab is equipped with reclin-

ing and front-back adjustable seats to improve driveability and to reduce driver fatigue, thus enhancing safety and reliability. The tachometer is redesigned so that it is easier to read the meter cluster and monitor the functions of the truck. Also, the halogen headlights generate brighter beam and wide beam pattern to improve driving safety at night.

The Canter is available at the Mitsubishi Fuso showroom on Salwa Road.

QAC displayed the Fuso Canter at the event.

Maxus V80 the ‘ideal van for comfortable operations’

The Maxus V80 multi-purpose van has proved its capabilities to be “the

perfect choice for individuals and corporates, whether for transportation or commercial use”, Auto Class Cars, the au-thorised general distributor of Maxus in Qatar, has stressed.

The Maxus V80 and other Maxus vehicles are available at the Auto Class Cars showroom on Salwa Road.

The company said in a state-ment that it continues to sup-ply the Qatari market with the “best and reliable Maxus ve-hicles that provide the highest standards of performance and safety to guarantee that busi-ness is running smoothly with-out any stoppage”.

The Maxus V80 is a large van that comes in diff erent versions. The V80 cargo is the “best option for cargo and commercial operations” while the V80 16-seater is an “ideal solution for transport, whether for hospitality, schools or pub-lic transport”.

The Maxus V80 is equipped with standard headlamps that come with tilt adjustability and LED Daytime Running Light. The Standard version comes with 16-inch alloy wheels. The Rear Barn Doors split design make loading and unloading “a breeze”.

In terms of interior design, the Maxus V80 is distinguished by its Humanised Design Inte-rior. “From front to back, the V80 gives you effi ciency and comfort as only European-designed vehicles can. The in-credible boot space and various styles of seat arrangement al-low the V80 to provide various possible settings for diff erent

occasions. The centre console is simple and facilitates ease of usage in a modern way,” the statement notes.

Surging power comes from an advanced, economical 2.5-litre turbo-diesel engine that generates 131ps of power and 330Nm of torque.

The V80 also off ers car-like handling while letting one “travel in complete comfort”.

The V80 is also packed with active safety features. Active safety equipment such as ABS, EBD, BAS and other electronic active safety systems meet the stringent European collision standards for commercial ve-hicles.

The Maxus V80 provides more safety options with the

factory rear parking sensor for getting in and out of tight spots with ease. Its monocoque body frame is strong and energy-ab-sorbing, made of high-tensile yet lightweight materials to provide added safety without comprising fuel effi ciency. Be-sides, the front-row dual air-bags are designed to protect the driver and front-row passenger during an emergency.

Customers can visit the Auto Class Cars showroom between Saturday and Thursday, from 8am to 9pm, and on Friday from 5pm to 9pm.

Formerly known as LDV (Leyland DAF Vans), Maxus is one of the brands of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corpora-tion.

The Maxus V80.

REGION/ARAB WORLD

Gulf TimesMonday, September 30, 20198

Sudan govt summons Egypt envoy over detained studentAFPKhartoum

Sudan yesterday sum-moned Cairo’s envoy to Khartoum in protest over

the detention of a Sudanese student by Egyptian authori-ties during a crackdown on rare rallies against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The anti-Sisi protests first erupted on September 20 af-ter viral videos posted by an exiled Egyptian businessman accusing the president and the military of corruption tapped into simmering discontent over economic woes in Egypt.

Rights groups say more than 2,000 people, including law-yers, activists, professors and journalists, have since been detained in a wave of arrests.

“The Egyptian ambassa-dor was informed about the concern and worry raised by Waleed Abdulrahman’s family over his detention,” the Suda-nese foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also protested that Cairo was not allowing the Sudanese embassy there to meet Abdulrahman, the state-ment said.

“We have asked the Egyp-tian authorities to give Waleed Abdulrahman all his legal rights,” the ministry said.

Yesterday, dozens of Suda-nese demonstrators staged a rally outside the foreign min-istry in Khartoum, calling for the release of Abdulrahman.

“We will bring back Waleed!” chanted demonstra-tors, some holding his photo-graph. Sisi has downplayed the protests in Egypt, saying there

was “no reason for concern”.Elected president in 2014, a

year after overthrowing pred-ecessor Mohamed Mursi, Sisi

is seen as one of the most au-thoritarian figures in the Mid-dle East. But his supporters see him as a bulwark against the

insecurity and political dis-integration unleashed across the region by the Arab Spring protests. In Sudan, a months-

long protest movement led to the military ousting long time ruler Omar al-Bashir on April 11.

Prominent activist held as crackdown continuesReuters Cairo

A prominent Egyptian ac-tivist who was released on probation in March

was arrested yesterday, said his family and a security source, the latest detention in what activists say is the largest wave of arrests since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took offi ce.

Rights groups say about 1,900 people have been detained since anti-government protests began in Cairo and other Egyptian cit-ies last week.

The public prosecutor’s offi ce said on Thursday no more than 1,000 suspects had been ques-tioned.

Alaa Abdel Fattah, a blogger and software engineer, was re-leased in March after serving a fi ve-year sentence for protesting without permission in breach of a 2013 law that rights groups say eff ectively bans protests.

Under the terms of his release, Abdel Fattah was required to spend his nights at a police sta-tion for fi ve years.

His family said he was rear-rested yesterday morning as he was preparing to leave the sta-tion.

“I arrived at the police sta-tion and I found the place where he spends the probation empty, I asked them where Alaa was...The chief detective came out and told me that Alaa is at the

national security prosecution,” his sister Mona said. The Interior Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment, but a security source told Reuters an arrest warrant had been issued against Abdel Fattah over accu-sations of publishing false news and inciting people to protest.

Abdel Fattah was a leading voice among the liberal youth who initially led the 2011 upris-ing that ended the 30-year rule of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Rights groups say the crack-down by Sisi’s government on dissent is the most severe crack-down in recent memory. The president’s backers say the au-thorities need to stabilise Egypt after the turmoil following the 2011 uprising.

Several hundred of those de-tained in the past week, including writers, activists and opposition fi gures, have been placed under investigation on allegations of using social media to spread false news, joining a banned terrorist group and protesting without a permit, defence lawyers say.

“I remind the Egyptian gov-ernment that under interna-tional law people have a right to protest peacefully,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Friday, adding they had a right to ex-press opinions on social media.

“They should never be de-tained, let alone charged with serious off ences, simply for ex-ercising those rights,” she said.

Sudanese demonstrators gather in front of the Foreign Ministry in Khartoum yesterday, to demand the release of a Sudanese student arrested in Egypt.

Queues as far as the eye can see: new fuel shortage hits YemenReuters Sanaa

A fuel shortage is deepen-ing Yemen’s humanitar-ian crisis, forcing drivers

to wait for days in queues that stretch back from some petrol stations as far as the eye can see.

The new shortage is just one of many problems causing suff er-ing in the civil war being fought by the Houthi movement and a Saudi-led coalition backed by the West.

But its consequences are far-reaching. Fuel is needed not just for cars but also for wa-ter pumps, hospital generators and to transport goods around a country where millions are on the brink of famine.

“It’s aff ecting us and all the Yemeni people,” said Nashwan

Khaled, who had already been waiting for two days in a queue for petrol in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital where many petrol stations have been forced to close. “I put my job and my life on hold,” he said.

Petrol on the black market is selling for almost three times the offi cial price.

Drivers can queue for two or three days. “Fuel shortages in Yemen exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the country and lead to unac-ceptable levels of suff ering,” said Sultana Begum, a representative of the Norwegian Refugee Coun-cil humanitarian organisation.

Imports into areas controlled by Houthis have to go through stringent controls imposed by the Saudi-led military coalition which intervened in Yemen in 2015 to restore the government

of President Abd-Rabbu Man-sour Hadi.

Supplies can be held at ports and frontline borders for months because of bureaucracy on both sides, aid agencies say.

“Today we are in a very bad situation, there’s a fuel crisis and they are stopping fuel ships from entering Yemen with the excuse of security,” said Ahmed Nasser, standing at a petrol station. “We suff er shortages of fuel, goods, all commodities.”

A Djibouti-based UN inspec-tion mechanism was set up in 2015 after the coalition accused the Houthis of smuggling weap-ons through Yemeni ports under their control, a charge the group denies.

Ships also need permission from the internationally recog-nised Yemeni government and the Western-backed coalition

to enter ports. Last week, United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock said he was concerned that im-ports were being further com-plicated by new Yemeni govern-ment regulations on commercial fuel. He said earlier this month that the coalition and govern-ment were preventing 10 vessels carrying 163,000 metric tonnes of commercial fuel imports — more than an average month’s imports — from entering the port of Hodeidah.

Two of the ships have since been allowed to dock, port sources told Reuters.

The coalition’s spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

A government committee ac-cused the Houthis of “fabricat-ing” the fuel crisis in response to the regulations, Saudi state media said. Cars queue at a petrol station during a fuel crisis in Sanaa, Yemen.

NGO accuses troops of torturing PalestinianAFPJerusalem

An NGO accused Israeli security forces yester-day of torturing a Pal-

estinian arrested on suspicion of leading a cell allegedly be-hind a West Bank bomb attack that killed an Israeli teenager.

Israeli police and the Shin Bet domestic security agency said late Saturday they had ar-rested three members of the Popular Front for the Libera-tion of Palestine several weeks ago for the August 23 bombing.

The explosion near a spring close to the Jewish settlement of Dolev, northeast of Ramal-lah in the occupied West Bank, killed 17-year-old Rina Shnerb and wounded her father and brother.

Shin Bet identifi ed the cell leader as Samer al-Arbeed.

It said the cell “was prepar-ing other attacks when the ar-rests occurred, notably gun at-tacks and a kidnapping”.

Yesterday, Palestinian pris-

oner support group Addameer said that Arbeed was hospi-talised after suff ering a “seri-ous health deterioration due to torture and ill-treatment dur-ing interrogations.”

According to a statement by Addameer, Arbeed was “harshly beaten” by the Israeli police who arrested him.

Shin Bet investigators “con-tinued using torture and ill-treatment,” the NGO alleged.

Arbeed suff ered several bro-ken ribs as well as “severe kid-ney failure,” according to his lawyer, cited by Addameer.

Both Shin Bet and Add-ameer gave Arbeed’s age as 44.

Police refused to comment on the nature of Arbeed’s ar-rest, while the Shin Bet said that during his interrogation he said “he did not feel well.”

“In accordance with pro-cedures, he was transferred to medical examination and care at a hospital,” the securi-ty agency said in a statement.

Palestinian demonstrators carry portraits of relatives in Israeli jails during a demonstration in the West Bank city of Ramallah, yesterday.

Turkey’s air force yesterday downed an unidentified drone on the Syrian border after it breached Turkish air space six times, the defence ministry said. “An unmanned aerial vehicle which violated our air space six times (on Saturday)...was downed by two of our F-16s which took off from Incirlik” air base in southern Turkey, the defence ministry said, sharing pictures of the downed drone.The ministry said it was not known who the drone belonged to but said it was grounded at 1324 (1024 GMT) local time. “The wreck of the drone was found at the Cildiroba base” by the Turkish gendarmerie in the Kilis province near the Syrian border, the ministry said. The Turkish air force shot down a Russian Su-24, aircraft, in the Turkey-Syria border area in 2015, sparking an unprec-edented crisis in the two countries’ relations. That was condemned by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “stab in the back” but the two countries later reconciled and worked together on the Syrian crisis although they remain on opposite sides of the conflict. Turkey backs rebels seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad while Moscow is one of the few remaining allies of the regime in Damascus. The Turkish military conducted two off ensives in northern Syria against IS and Kurdish militia forces in 2016 and 2018. The two Nato allies, Turkey and the US, reached a deal last month to establish a safe zone between the Turkish border and Syrian areas east of the Euphrates river controlled by the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

At least 71 illegal migrants rescued after four days in distress at sea were brought to shore east of the Libyan capital Tripoli early yesterday but then fled and no attempt was made to capture them, a navy off icial said. Libya is one of the main departure points for African migrants fleeing poverty and war to reach Italy by boat, but many are intercepted at sea and brought back by the Libyan coast guard, with the approval of the European Union. In this incident, the UN refugee agency reported late on Saturday that an inflatable boat carrying scores of migrants had capsized off the Libyan coast and that the Libyan coastguard dispatched a patrol boat to search for them. None of the migrants drowned or were hurt in the incident, though two were in a poor condition after four days at sea without food and water and they received medical treatment, said the off icial, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “After the illegal migrants were brought back to the shore at around 9.30am (on Sunday), they fled,” the off icial said. The incident took place in the town of Al-Khums, some 120km east of Tripoli.

Turkey downs unidentified drone

Scores of migrants flee after being rescued

CONFLICT

REFUGEES

Protests fl are in LebanonReutersBeirut

Protesters blocked roads across Lebanon yesterday in demonstrations against

deteriorating conditions in a country grappling with an eco-nomic and fi nancial crisis.

Tyres were set ablaze on several major roads in Beirut, paralysing the capital. Several hundred people chanted “Down with capitalism” and “Leave!” as they marched along a main road near parliament amid heightened security.

“We went down to demand to live with dignity. We want to say to the MPs, the ministers, and all the ruling class that if they don’t want to give back what they stole, they should at least stop stealing so the people can live,” one protester in Beirut said, at-tacking Lebanese leaders.

Protesters blocked highways in other parts of Lebanon.

In Tripoli, Lebanon’s second city, protesters set fi re to a picture of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, footage broadcast showed.

AFRICA9Gulf Times

Monday, September 30, 2019

Nigeria ‘risks humanitarian disaster’ by expelling charitiesBy Patrick Wintour Guardian News and Media

Nigeria has been warned it risks a humanitarian disaster if the govern-

ment goes ahead with its threat to throw aid agencies out of the north-east of the country, claim-ing they are in secret league with extremist Islamic groups.

A spate of aid offi ces have been forcibly shut amid unproven claims that they have been act-ing as conduits for cash that has ended up with Boko Haram, or Islamic State West Africa Prov-ince (Iswap).

The Nigerian army is stepping up its 10-year eff ort to drive out extremists, and claims that, de-spite several warnings, aid agen-cies continue to provide aid to terrorist groups.

Two aid agencies have had of-

fi ces closed in the past few days, and there are fears in the charity sector that the Nigerians are tar-geting as many as 10 independent humanitarian organisations.

Talks are under way to try to defuse the breakdown in rela-tions, and the charities say they often avoid transporting cash by road to avoid the risk of seizure.

The reprisals came at the same time as the brutal execution of a kidnapped Nigerian aid worker last week by extremists.

The charity worker was among six aid workers employed by the Paris-based charity Action Against Hunger captured in July by Boko Haram during an am-bush on a convoy close to the border with Niger.

Action Against Hunger is the biggest NGO involved the inter-national humanitarian response in the region, and on 18 Septem-ber had its offi ce in Maiduguri,

the capital of Borno State, forci-bly shut by the Nigerian army.

No warning or notice was giv-en to the charity.

The army claimed in a state-ment that it had credible intel-ligence the charity was one of a number involved in subversive activities and was aiding and abetting terrorists, including by supplying drugs and food to ex-tremist groups.

In an angry rebuttal, Action Against Hunger said it strongly re-jected the accusation of “aiding and abetting” a terrorist organisation: “Action Against Hunger delivers neutral, impartial, and independ-ent humanitarian aid to millions of people in Borno and Yobe States by providing basic services to the most vulnerable people, especially women and children.”

The charity added it stood ready “to support any investi-gation, and will work tirelessly

with the Nigerian authorities to allay any concerns they may have about our operations in the region”.

Another international aid agency, Mercy Corps, said last week that it had suspended its operations in the north-eastern Borno and Yobe states, two of the worst hit by the violence.

The charity made the move af-ter the Nigerian army closed fi ve of its offi ces, initially not provid-ing any offi cial explanation.

Boko Haram eff ectively runs four of the 10 zones inside Borno, near Lake Chad, but the army and the government are reluctant to admit the counter-insurgency is failing.

Mercy Corps’ head of media and communications Amy Fair-bairn confi rmed the organisa-tion was seeking to work with the Nigerian army to resolve the position.

In December 2018, the army

also suspended Unicef from op-erating in the north-east over claims it was training “spies” who supported Boko Haram — only to lift the ban later the same day af-ter a meeting with the aid agency.

Iswap is a splinter faction of Boko Haram that swore alle-giance in 2016 to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It has repeatedly attacked military bases and targeted aid workers in north-east Nigeria.

UN humanitarian co-ordina-tor Edward Kallon said he was appalled by the killing of the aid workers, but added he was “extremely concerned by the increasingly dangerous and re-strictive operating environment for humanitarian assistance”.

In remarks aimed at the Ni-gerian army, he insisted the humanitarian community was working in line with the agree-ment reached between the gov-

ernment and aid workers, in place until 2021, to provide as-sistance to 6.2mn of the most vulnerable people.

The army has announced a fresh nationwide crackdown, starting on October 7, designed to fi nd and arrest criminals and terrorists.

Jeremy Hunt, the then-UK foreign secretary, visited the area earlier this year, where he was briefed by a small British mili-tary team helping to advise the Nigerian army, but the degree of the UK military’s day-to-day in-fl uence over the Nigerian army’s strategy can be exaggerated.

One worker from an aid agency based in Nigeria that could not be named for fear of reprisals said: “If humanitarian agencies are kicked out of north-east Nigeria then thousands of Nigerian civil-ians will needlessly die, includ-ing many children; it will be a

humanitarian disaster. Someone needs to ask the Nigerians and the UN some serious questions about how the government of Nigeria is getting away with this whilst it sits on stage in New York, presid-ing over the UN General Assem-bly and preaching about ending confl ict and fi ghting poverty in the drive to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The war with Boko Haram has devastated the population in ru-ral north-east Nigeria, one of the poorest regions on earth.

More than 2mn people have fl ed their homes, tens of thou-sands have been killed and many more injured, abducted and con-scripted to join the fi ght.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said last month that about 22,000 Nigerians have been reported missing during the decade-long crisis, nearly half of them minors.

Zambia charter reforms stoke opposition

By Obert Simwanza, AFPLusaka

Proposed constitutional reforms that would sharply increase President Edgar Lungu’s powers ahead of elec-

tions in 2021 are stoking concerns about Zambia’s democratic credentials, analysts and civil society groups say.

Bill number 10 is to be discussed soon by parliament, where the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) holds a majority.

Lungu, in power since 2015, faces mounting complaints that he is cracking down on dissent and seeking to consolidate power.

If approved, the changes will allow the head of state to nominate judges and min-isters, change the electoral layout and take control of central bank monetary policy.

“The bill is the grave digger of Zambia’s democracy and the country’s worst consti-tutional amendment since the achievement of independence in 1964,” said professor Sishuwa Sishuwa from the University of Zambia.

The bill would “make it eff ectively im-possible to remove President Edgar Lungu from offi ce,” he added.

Zambia has enjoyed relative stability since its fi rst multi-party election in 1991, which ousted the country’s long-running post-independence leader, Kenneth Kaun-da.

Lungu initially replaced president Michel Sata who died unexpectedly in 2014.

Lungu then won the presidency in his own right in 2016 but the polls were marked by clashes between PF supporters and those of the rival United Party for Na-tional Development (UPND).

The president has since taken an in-creasingly authoritarian stance against his rivals, critics say.

Election runner-up Hakainde Hichile-ma, who refused to accept the results, was jailed for four months in 2017 for allegedly refusing to give way to a motorcade trans-porting Lungu.

Hichilema was held on treason charges, an off ence that carries the death penalty.

He claims his arrest was “political”. Tensions rose again last year, when the

president successfully asked the consti-tutional court to allow him to run again in 2021 so as not to “plunge the country into chaos.”

The opposition and civil society fi gures say this breaches the constitution which limits the president to two terms while Lungu, if re-elected in 2021, would in eff ect have served three times.

Musician Chama Fumba — targeted for a song deemed hostile to the president — and activist Laur Miti launched a “yellow card” campaign in July to fi ght against corruption and the proposed reform.

“Would you like a constitution with these provisions to be in the hands of a president you did not support?” Miti wrote in an article.

“Do you think this constitution would protect Zambians...against the whims of whoever happened to be in State House whether saint, devil or something in be-tween ?”

The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has sued Lungu, his attorney general Likando Kalaluka and the entire national assembly for attempting to tamper with the constitution.

“This proposed bill is a project to put more power on the executive and disad-vantage parliament,” said US-based LAZ member Muna Ndulo.

The government is unfazed by their ef-forts and says LAZ is wasting its time.

“We know that there are some lawyers whose job is to seek popularity,” spokes-woman Dora Siliya told AFP, adding that “the process is going ahead”.

Lungu shows no sign of backing down.“We braved the storm to deliver the con-

stitution and we mean every word we say,” he told parliament earlier this month.

“Support the current process. If you don’t want to refi ne it, we will.”

Abuse school victims share stories of terrorBy Alexis Akwagyiram, Reuters Kaduna, Nigeria

When Jibril had tried to es-cape as a boy from an insti-tution in Nigeria that called

itself a place of education, he said he was hung up by his arms until bones in his shoulders broke.

Another teenager, one of about 400 men and boys freed in last Thursday’s police raid, said boys were often kept in chains and those caught stealing food were whipped until they bled.

“They used car engine belts and electrical cables to fl og us,” 15-year-old Suleiman told Reuters, staring at the fl oor.

Horror stories are emerging about life in a two-storey house in Nigeria’s northern city of Kaduna as the au-thorities try to fi nd families of the victims who often spent years at the site.

Police arrested seven adults in the raid on the building, which some par-ents thought it was an Islamic school.

Some described it as a good institu-tion and dismissed talk of abuse.

Others saw it as a correctional fa-cility.

Police and regional offi cials said it was not registered as either.

Despite mixed accounts about its role, the abuse reported by victims has thrown a spotlight on Nigeria’s struggle to provide enough school places for its rapidly expanding popu-lation, leaving a gap for unregulated institutions that poor parents some-times turn to.

The West African nation’s popula-tion will swell from 190mn to 400mn by 2050, according to UN fi gures.

Primary education is offi cially free but about 10.5mn Nigerian children aged fi ve to 14 are not in school.

“Nigeria is facing a demographic tidal wave,” said Matthew Page, an associate fellow with the Africa Pro-gramme at Britain’s Royal Institute of International Aff airs.

“The long-term viability of the Ni-gerian economy — and the state itself — hinges on the government, reli-gious, and traditional institutions de-veloping a plan to address this chal-lenge before it becomes impossible to remedy,” he said.

Prior to last Thursday’s police raid,

those who made it out of the Kaduna institution were sometimes returned by families.

Some parents said they needed to discipline wayward children and oth-ers said they were too poor to look af-ter all their kids.

Kaduna state government said there were at least 77 boys under 18 years old held there. The youngest was fi ve.

Reuters spoke with seven victims and fi ve parents of those who had been inside, withholding their full names to protect their privacy.

All the victims said beatings were regular and said children and men were frequently shackled.

Days were dark, long and hungry: food was only served at 10am and 11pm.

Suleiman’s elder brother sent him to the institution fi ve months ago for skipping school.

“They beat us everywhere in the house, even in the mosque. If you asked to speak with your family, they would shackle you,” said the 15-year-old, who showed sores, scabs and scars on back.

When Suleiman and three friends were caught trying to steal some garri — a staple food made from cassava shavings — they were stripped and whipped, he said.

“When the police raided the school the whole place was in pandemoni-um, we were so happy,” he said.

“What I want now is to return home. I’ll be a good boy.”

Jibril, now 17 and who was hung up for trying to escape when he was 10, said boys faced a stark choice: submit to regular sexual assault or be beaten.

Jibril chose beatings.“They used planks of wood to beat

us,” he said, blaming a scar beside his left eye on a caning.

He now struggles to raise his arms since his punishment for try-ing to escape. He was sent home for six months after that incident. His family returned him when he had healed.

Jibril and Suleiman are now in a safehouse on the edge of Kaduna while the authorities try to fi nd their relatives.

Their temporary home is fi lled with laughter as boys and teenagers, up to 17 years old, play together.

Those adults who were freed are staying in a neighbouring building.

At the Kaduna institution, relatives were not allowed to see boys for three months after admission and had lim-ited visiting rights after that, parents and children said.

Punishment was swift for those who talked of any abuse, boys said.

“If anyone tried to tell their fam-ily, they would be hung up from a wall or put in chains,” said 14-year-old Umar, whose grandfather sent him to the facility two years ago for skipping school.

About 40 police offi cers fi nally raided the building, acting on a com-plaint by an uncle who was denied ac-cess to his nephews.

Police said they found several boys and men in chains.

Reuters had fi lmed victims in chains on Thursday after the raid.

Some boys said they were shackled to broken power generators, which they dragged around, including to bed or the bathroom.

Police said they expected to charge seven people, who they said ran the institution, over physical and sexual abuse allegations.

Those arrested could not be reached for comment.

The building lies in Rigasa, a run-down district of Kaduna, a city that, like Nigeria, is evenly split between Muslims and Christians.

Reuters journalists who visited the labyrinthine building saw wheels and generators attached to metal chains.

Floors were strewn with litter and stained sponge mattresses. Flies swarmed. Children begged in the traffi c on the streets outside.

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a local organisation, estimates about 10mn children attend Islamic schools in the north.

President Muhammadu Buhari has sought to encourage school attend-ance, with programmes that include one off ering free school meals that the government says reaches 9.8mn chil-dren in 32 of Nigeria’s 36 states.

But Nigeria, an oil producing state whose fi nances by the government’s admission have been drained by cor-ruption, only spends 0.5% of gross domestic product on health and 1.7% on education, among the lowest worldwide, the International Mon-etary Fund said.

With few options, some parents defended the Kaduna institution, which charged fees of 35,000 naira ($114) a term.

“There is no problem in this school,” said a woman who only gave her name as Zainab, wearing a Mus-lim veil and speaking outside the locked gates.

She said she had seven children at the institution where she cooked meals and had not seen any abuse.

Ahmed Balrabe, a tailor who lives next to the site, said two of his chil-dren attended the school and he had never encountered any abuse.

“It was good for them, they became calm,” he said. “They showed them how to read the Qur’an. I liked it.”

Women protest outside the building, where hundreds of men and boys were rescued from captivity by police, in Kaduna on Saturday.

Tourists and visitors look at a family of lions walking inside the Nairobi National Park on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital.

On the wild side...Equatorial Guinea vice president’s seized supercars net $27mnBy Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters Geneva

A collection of 25 su-percars seized from Equatorial Guinea’s

vice president as part of a Swiss money-laundering probe fetched nearly 27mn Swiss francs ($27mn) at an auction held yesterday by Bonhams.

A 2014 white Lamborghi-ni Veneno Roadster sold for 8.28mn francs including com-mission, about 50% more than its pre-sale estimate, in heavy three-way bidding.

“The top lot of the collection

and rarest of all, one of only nine built and introduced for the 50th anniversary of Lam-borghini,” said James Knight, group chairman of Bonhams Motoring Department, as he opened bidding.

The buyer was anonymous, but the saleroom burst into applause as the hammer came down at the event in a 12th-century abbey in the grounds of Bonmont golf and country club in the village of Cheserex, 30km from Geneva.

Geneva prosecutors had said in February that they had closed an inquiry into Teodoro Nguema Obiang for money laundering and misappropria-tion of public assets with an

arrangement to sell the cars to fund social programmes in west African state.

Known as Teodorin, he is the son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled Equatorial Guinea for 40 years.

Rights groups label his ad-ministration as one the world’s most corrupt.

A Reuters tally of offi cial hammer prices, VAT and 15% commission, showed a total of 26.93mn francs.

A 2011 Aston Martin One-77 Coupe, which Knight de-scribed as an “absolute rocket ship”, went for 1.55mn francs.

“Proceeds are for charity,” Knight said.

AMERICA

Gulf Times Monday, September 30, 201910

Elon Musk unveils new Mars rocket prototype, expects missions in monthsBy Joey Roulette, Reuters Washington

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has unveiled the latest iteration of his

space company’s newly assem-bled Starship, outlining a speedy development timeline for the centrepiece vehicle of SpaceX’s quest to launch humans to the moon and Mars.

Musk showed a crowd of space enthusiasts and report-ers at SpaceX’s rocket develop-ment site late on Saturday in the remote village of Boca Chica, Texas, animations of Starship landing on the moon and Mars and predicted that the rocket’s fi rst orbital fl ight could come in the next six months, followed by missions to space with humans aboard the next year.

“This is basically the holy grail of space,” Musk said, standing between a towering, newly as-sembled Starship rocket and

Falcon 1 — the company’s fi rst vehicle whose debut orbital mis-sion was celebrated by SpaceX 11 years ago.

“The critical breakthrough that’s needed for us to become a space-faring civilization is to make space travel like air travel,” said Musk, who is also the chief execu-tive of electric carmaker Tesla Inc.

Starship, a shiny steel rocket-ship designed to ferry dozens of humans to the moon and Mars, is the top half of Musk’s colossal interplanetary rocket system that stands 118m as the latest addition to SpaceX’s lineup of reusable launch vehicles.

The Boca Chica village, a few miles north of the Mexican bor-der, is ground zero for SpaceX’s three-year experimental test programme for Starship, whose rocket engine tests have rattled the nerves of residents living in a remote hamlet of roughly two dozen homes a mile away.

“I think the actual danger to the Boca Chica village is low but

it’s not tiny,” Musk said during a question and answer session.

“So probably over time it’d be better to buy out the villages, and we’ve made an off er to that ef-fect.”

Some residents have rejected SpaceX’s non-negotiable off er to buyout their homes for three times the market value.

A three-legged prototype of the rocket named Starhopper has test launched in the village twice since July, most recently fl ying as high as 152m and landing on an adjacent slab of concrete to trial Musk’s next generation rocket engine dubbed Raptor.

Musk’s mission to the moon aligns with Nasa’s goal of send-ing humans there by 2024 under its Artemis programme, an ac-celerated deep-space initiative spurred by the Trump adminis-tration in March that aims to work with a handful of US space com-panies in building a long-term presence on the lunar surface be-fore eventually colonising Mars.

The space agency has tapped SpaceX to fi gure out how to land vehicles on the lunar surface and help develop a system for refuel-ling rockets — like Starship — in space, an “important technol-ogy to aid sustained exploration eff orts on the Moon and Mars,” Nasa said in a release last week.

Nasa has awarded SpaceX and Boeing Co a total of $6.8bn to build competing rocket and cap-sule systems to launch astronauts into orbit from American soil for the fi rst time since 2011.

Development of both astro-naut capsules have been beset by delays and testing mishaps.

“I am looking forward to the SpaceX announcement tomor-row. In the meantime, Commer-cial Crew is years behind sched-ule,” Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine had said on Friday night.

“Nasa expects to see the same level of enthusiasm focused on the investments of the American taxpayer. It’s time to deliver.”

Space enthusiasts look at a prototype of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft at the company’s Texas launch facility in Boca Chica near Brownsville, Texas.

Democrats set sights on Trump-Putin phone callsBy Doina Chiacu and David Morgan, Reuters Washington

Congress is determined to get access to US President Don-ald Trump’s calls with Rus-

sian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said yesterday, citing concerns the Republican leader may have jeop-ardised national security.

“I think the paramount need here is to protect the national security of the United States and see whether in the conversations with other world leaders and in particular with Putin that the president was also under-mining our security in a way that he thought would personally benefi t his campaign,” Democrat Adam Schiff said on NBC’s Meet the Press.

Following a whistleblower com-plaint that Trump solicited a politi-cal favor from Ukraine’s president that could help him get re-elected, the lawmakers are investigating concerns Trump’s actions jeopard-ised national security and the integ-rity of US elections.

The whistleblower’s complaint cited a telephone call in which Trump asked President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to launch an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Hunter Biden sat on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.

The July 25 phone call came shortly after the United States froze nearly $400mn in aid to Ukraine, prompting concern that Trump was using the taxpayer money already approved by Congress as leverage for his personal political gain.

Joe Biden is a leading candidate in the race to challenge Trump in the November 2020 presidential elec-tion. There is no evidence of wrong-doing in Biden’s actions involving Ukraine.

The matter prompted Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to launch an impeach-ment inquiry against Trump last week.

Trump says there was nothing wrong with his phone call with the Ukrainian leader and denounced the whistleblower as a “political hack.”

White House adviser Stephen Miller took up the attack yesterday, accusing the whistleblower of being part of a “deep state” government conspiracy to foment opposition to Trump.

“I know the diff erence between a whistleblower and a ‘deep state’ operative. This is a ‘deep state’ op-erative pure and simple,” he told Fox News Sunday.

Trump’s Republican supporters in

Congress defended the president’s actions on Sunday TV news shows.

“I have zero problems with this phone call,” Senator Lindsey Gra-ham said on CBS’ Face the Nation.

The whistleblower’s complaint was deemed credible by the inspec-tor general of the US intelligence community and the acting director of national intelligence told law-makers the person “acted in good faith” and “did the right thing.”

The complaint said White House lawyers directed that an electronic summary of the call, which was re-leased to the public on Wednesday, be moved from the place where such things are usually kept to a secret server reserved for covert matters.

“If those conversations with Pu-tin or with other world leaders are sequestered in that same electronic fi le that is meant for covert action, not meant for this, if there’s an eff ort

to hide those and cover those up, yes we’re determined to fi nd out,” Schiff said on NBC.

The intelligence committee has reached an agreement with the whistleblower to appear before the panel, Schiff told ABC’s This Week.

Lawmakers were working out lo-gistics to protect the person’s iden-tity and get security clearance for lawyers who will be representing the whistleblower.

Schiff said he hoped the whistle-blower can appear very soon.

House committees had on Fri-day issued a subpoena to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for docu-ments concerning contact with the Ukrainian government.

They also scheduled depositions for fi ve State Department offi cials within two weeks, including Kurt Volker, Trump’s envoy to Ukraine. Volker resigned on Friday.

State Department speeds up Clinton e-mail investigationDonald Trump’s administration is

amping up an investigation into Hil-

lary Clinton’s e-mails, The Washing-

ton Post reported late on Saturday,

breathing new life into a pet issue

used by the president to rail against

his opponent during the 2016 elec-

tions.

The question of whether Clinton

improperly used a private email ac-

count and server while secretary of

state led to Trump’s repeat assertion

that she deserved to be put in prison

and frequent chants of “lock her up”

at his political rallies.

Following an FBI investigation into

the matter, former director James

Comey did not recommend charges

against Clinton but did describe her

conduct as “extremely careless.”

In recent weeks, up to 130 off icials

have been contacted by State Depart-

ment investigators concerning e-

mails they sent years ago which have

been retroactively classified, nearly

all of which were sent to or eventu-

ally made their way into Clinton’s

unsecure e-mail account, the Post

reported.

The paper, which cited current and

former off icials, said State Depart-

ment investigators began contacting

employees approximately 18 month

ago, before the eff ort trailed off , only

to be revived again in August.

“This has nothing to do with who is

in the White House,” one senior State

Department off icial told the Post,

speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This is about the time it took to go

through millions of e-mails, which is

about 3.5 years.”

Revelation of the renewed eff ort

comes the same week that Demo-

crats in Congress launched an im-

peachment investigation into Trump

over accusations he tried to arm-twist

the Ukrainian president into providing

dirt on one of his main 2020 election

rivals, Joe Biden.

State Department off icials deny the

renewed e-mail eff ort has any political

motivation.

However, one former senior US

official familiar with the inves-

tigation said it seemed to be a

means for Republicans “to keep

the Clinton e-mail issue alive” and

represented “a way to tarnish a

whole bunch of Democratic foreign

policy people.”

Those who have found their

e-mails swept up in the investigation

do not seem to be at risk of criminal

prosecution, however.

Trump’s own handling of classified

information has come into repeat

question, such as when he revealed

highly classified information on the

Islamic State group to senior Russian

off icials in an Oval Off ice meeting in

May 2017.

And in April, a whistleblower told

Congress some 25 White House

off icials including top advisers of

Trump were given security clear-

ances despite staff recommendations

against it.

Clinton has previously chalked up

her election defeat to Comey’s brief

re-opening of the FBI investigation

into her use of the private e-mail ac-

count and server just days before the

2016 election.

Aides claim Trump the true ‘whistleblower’AFPWashington

Top aides to Donald Trump yes-terday sought to turn the tables on Democrats pushing for his

impeachment, insisting the president was the true “whistleblower” in pushing Ukraine to probe the son of rival Joe Bi-den for corruption.

The Democratic-led House of Repre-sentatives launched an offi cial impeach-ment inquiry this week after a whistle-blower complaint led to the release of a phone call showing Trump pressed Kiev to probe his potential challenger for the White House.

Trump’s Republican allies have closed ranks around the embattled president, fl atly denying he abused his power — and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, him-self a key player in the scandal, led the charge yesterday with a series of com-bative talk show appearances.

Brandishing what he said were af-fidavits incriminating Biden’s son Hunter over his role on the board of a Ukrainian gas company while his fa-ther was vice president, Giuliani said Trump had been duty bound to push Kiev to investigate.

“If he hadn’t asked them to investigate Biden, he would have violated the con-stitution,” Giuliani said on ABC’s This Week.

“The president is the whistleblower here,” echoed Trump’s adviser Stephen Miller on Fox News Sunday.

“Getting to the bottom of a corruption scandal in Ukraine is in the American na-tional interest,” Miller said.

“The president of the United States is the whistleblower and this individual is a saboteur trying to undermine a demo-cratically elected government.”

As Barack Obama’s vice president, Joe Biden and other Western leaders pres-sured Ukraine to get rid of the country’s top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, because

he was seen as not tough enough on cor-ruption.

Trump has claimed Biden was seeking to protect his son — tweeting a Trump-approved ad attacking the Bidens’ con-duct — but that allegation has largely been debunked.

Facing the biggest crisis of his presi-dency, Trump insists he did nothing wrong when talking to Ukrainian Presi-dent Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25, characterising the impeachment push as a new “witch hunt.”

In tweets to his 65mn followers over the weekend, he lashed out at Democrats as “savages” and called for lawmaker Adam Schiff , who is leading the impeachment probe, to resign from Congress.

Between Saturday night and yesterday morning, the president retweeted doz-ens of video clips from Republican allies defending his conduct and criticising Democrats — while warning in a mes-sage to supporters that “our country is at stake like never before.”

A demonstrator stands outside of the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

Minority students concentrated in high-poverty schools: study

By Alex Dobuzinskis, Reuters Los Angeles

Segregation in US public education has concentrated black and His-panic children into high-poverty

schools with few resources, leading to an achievement gap between minority and white students, a nationwide study shows.

Stanford University Graduate School of Education professor Sean Reardon and his team crunched hundreds of millions of standardized test scores from every public school in the United States from 2008 to 2016 to reach their conclusions.

The fi ndings reinforced previous stud-ies illustrating that poverty, linked to continuing segregation, is a key mecha-nism accounting for racial disparities in academic achievement.

“If we want to improve educational opportunities and learning for students, we want to get them out of these schools of high-concentrated poverty,” Reardon said in presenting his fi ndings at Stan-ford last week.

“Part of the reason why we have a big achievement gap is that minority stu-dents are concentrated in high-pov-erty schools, and those schools are the schools that seem systematically to pro-

vide lower educational opportunities,” he said.

African-American and Hispanic stu-dents tend to score lower on standard-ized tests than white students, and clos-ing that achievement gap has posed a persistent challenge for educators.

The US Supreme Court in its landmark 1954 decision in Brown vs Board of Edu-cation ruled that racial segregation was a violation of the equal protection clause of the US Constitution’s 14th Amend-ment.

In the decades that followed, public education offi cials wrestled with how to integrate schools in the face of opposi-tion by residents and politicians in many regions.

This history became a point of con-tention between Democratic presiden-tial candidates during a televised debate in June, when US Senator Kamala Har-ris criticised former Vice President Joe Biden for his 1970s opposition to court-ordered busing to reduce segregation.

In a working paper released last week, Reardon and his team compared diff erent levels of racial disparities between schools in New York City and those in Fulton County, Georgia, to explain how segrega-tion aff ected student performance.

The school attended by the average black student in New York City over a

recent span of eight years had a poverty rate 22 percentage points higher than that of the average white student.

There researchers found white stu-dents performing 2-1/2 grade levels above black students on average.

By comparison, the average black stu-dent attended a school with a poverty rate 52 percentage points higher than the average white student’s school in Ful-ton County, where an achievement gap of four grade levels separated black and white students.

Gary Orfi eld, co-director of the Civil Rights Project at the University of Cali-fornia, Los Angeles and not affi liated with the Stanford study, endorsed the methodology Reardon’s team used but said its fi ndings reveal only part of the picture.

“It’s really misleading to talk about whether race or poverty is most im-portant, because a lot of the poverty is caused by race, and that’s something that people need to keep in mind,” Or-fi eld said.

For instance, discrimination against minority parents is a factor in why those families are more likely to struggle with poverty, Orfi eld said by telephone.

The Stanford research data is publicly available at the website edopportunity.org.

ASIA11

Gulf Times Monday, September 30, 2019

Death toll in Indonesia quake increases to 30The death toll from a pow-

erful earthquake that rocked Indonesia’s re-

mote Maluku islands rose to 30 yesterday, including several tod-dlers, the disaster agency said.

On Thursday, terrifi ed resi-dents ran into the streets as buildings fell in around them when the 6.5-magnitude tremor struck, sparking landslides that buried at least one of the vic-tims.

Among the confi rmed dead were three young children, with

many people killed by falling de-bris in and around quake-struck Ambon city.

The region’s governor has de-clared a state of emergency until October 9, the agency said.

“As of Sunday morning, 30 people died and 156 were in-jured,” said national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Agus Wibowo.

On Friday, the agency had re-vised down the offi cial death toll of 23 to 19 after offi cials realised some of the deceased has been double-counted.

At least 25,000 people had to fl ee because their houses were damaged by the strong jolt, Wi-

bowo said previously.Hundreds of houses, offi ces,

schools and public facilities were also been damaged in the disaster. Authorities have set up emergency tents and public kitchens for the evacuees in sev-eral districts.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck about 37km (23 miles) northeast of Ambon in Maluku province at a depth of 29km.

The Southeast Asian archipel-ago is one of the most disaster-prone nations on Earth.

It experiences frequent seis-mic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacifi c “Ring

of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide.

Last year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island left more than 4,300 people dead or missing.

The force of the impact saw en-tire neighbourhoods levelled, with the earth turning to quicksand.

The disaster also destroyed fi shing boats, shops, and irriga-tion systems, robbing many lo-cals of their income.

Rebuilding has been slow, and some people - still living in temporary shelters - wonder if they’ll ever have a home again.

Hundreds of damaged schools

across the region have not been repaired.

Many “are so badly aff ected they remain too dangerous to use, forcing children to learn in temporary classrooms where they have to attend in shifts due to a lack of space,” Save the Chil-dren has said.

Earlier the World Bank off ered the country up to $1bn in loans to get the city back on its feet.

In 2004, a devastating 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia.

AFPJakarta

13 dead in Thailand after truck fl ips over

Thirteen people, most of them students, were killed when a pick-up

truck fl ipped over while try-ing to change lanes yesterday in the Thai capital, police said.

Graphic CCTV footage shows passengers riding in the back being hurled out of the vehicle onto the road in Bang-kok’s suburbs.

“Twelve people died in-stantly and one later died at the hospital,” police offi cer Samran Chaytao told AFP, adding that nine of them were college-age students fi nished mechanical training for a local company.

A total of 18 people were in the truck, which was coming from an evening out with stu-dents and company offi cials celebrating the end of their

training, Samran said.Two of the fi ve survivors

had severe injuries.Deadly accidents are com-

mon in Thailand, which regu-larly tops lists of the world’s most lethal roads, with speed-ing, drunk driving and weak law enforcement all contrib-uting factors.

Though many of the victims are motorcyclists, bus crashes involving groups of tourists and migrant labourers often grab headlines.

In March last year at least 18 people were killed and doz-ens wounded when a bus car-rying people returning from holiday in northeastern Thai-land swerved off the road and smashed into a tree.

The World Health Or-ganisation’s most recent data showed Thailand with 32.7 road deaths per 100,000 peo-ple, compared to 12.4 in the United States.

AFPBangkok

Men stand on their wooden boats under heavy rain on the banks of Buriganga River in Dhaka yesterday.

Under heavy rain Thai model’s death casts spotlight on leisure industry

Thai police investigating a model’s unexplained death were hunting for

more suspects in a case that has captivated the country and sparked rare outrage over the treatment of women in a poorly understood sector of the enter-tainment industry.

The body of model-for-hire Thitima Noraphanpiphat was found in the lobby of a Bangkok apartment block on September 17, hours after she attended a party where she was paid to serve drinks.

Police are working to press charges against anyone tied to the “scandal” that led to the 25-year-old’s death, spokesman Krissana Pat-tanacharoen told AFP late Saturday.

The case has made front page news in Thailand and fuelled speculation on social media over what happened to Thiti-

ma, who has nearly 85,000 followers on Instagram where many have posted “RIP” on her photos.

The so-called “pretty” in-dustry in Thailand hires pro-motional models to attend clubs, product launches and car shows.

But critics say it exists in a legal grey area where women at VIP parties can be coerced into drugs, alcohol and sex.

The models can earn around $100 and up for an evening’s work - a signifi cant amount for college students.

Police have already charged seven people connected to the party after CCTV footage went viral showing the main sus-pect dragging Thitima’s lifeless body into an elevator before dumping it on a couch in the lobby.

The inquiry is widening as authorities hope the case will serve as a warning.

“We have opened the inves-tigation into all these people who got involved in this scan-

dal as well, including the agen-cy, the manager... and the cus-tomers who enjoyed the party,” Krissana said.

“It just goes to show that if you cross the line this is what you will receive.”

He said police had not re-leased an offi cial cause of death but that a “very high consump-tion rate of alcohol” was found in her body.

The man believed to be in the CCTV footage also works in the entertainment industry and has been identifi ed as model Rachadej Wongtabutr.

He was charged this week with illegal detention leading to death after he allegedly took Thitima from the party to his condo and left her on the lobby couch.

Authorities say he has de-nied wrongdoing.

The six others were released on bail after a separate com-plaint from another woman hired for the party who said she blacked out and woke up with her clothes removed.

AFPBangkok

Heartburn drug banned over cancer fears

Bangladesh’s drug regulato-ry authority yesterday is-sued a ban on sales of pop-

ular heartburn drug ranitidine while it investigates a potential cancer-causing substance in the drug.

The move comes after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that some of the pills contained small amounts N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which the regulator says is a “probable human carcinogen”.

“We have banned the import of raw materials, production and sale of ranitidine until further notice,” said Khandaker Sagir Ahmed, a director of Bangla-desh’s drug regulatory author-ity, adding that the decision was taken a precautionary measure.

Drug manufacturers across the world have begun recall-ing the widely taken heartburn drug, which is sold under the trade name Zantac among oth-ers, while the FDA and European drug regulators review whether low levels of NDMA in ranitidine pose a health risk to patients.

Domestic companies aff ected include Beximco Pharmaceuti-cals and Square Pharmaceuti-cals, which produce ranitidine under the Neoceptin R and Neo-tack brands respectively.

The Bangladesh drug regu-latory authority will test drug samples but has also asked do-mestic manufacturers to test their drugs in accredited labs and send reports to the watchdog, Ahmed said.

ReutersDhaka

Motorbike ride-sharing panacea for Dhaka chaos

Ride-sharing motorbike services are surging in popularity in the Bang-

ladeshi capital of Dhaka, where nightmare traffi c often means that walking is faster than trav-elling by car or bus.

Congestion in Dhaka, one of the world’s most crowded cities with a population of 20mn, eats up 3.2mn working hours per day, according to a 2017 World Bank study. Average traffi c speeds have dropped to 7kmh from 21kmh over the last decade, only slightly faster than the average walking speed.

The debut of app-based ride-sharing services in May 2015 has helped to alleviate this problem. These days, service providers like Uber Technologies, Pathao, Shohoz and OBHAI transport hundreds of thousands of peo-ple every day on motorcycles, navigating narrow alleys and congested traffi c lanes.

“Sharing a bike ride saves me a lot of time, I can reach any-where on time,” said Khadija Khan, a private-sector employee who often hitches a bike ride.

The ride-sharing industry in Bangladesh is worth an esti-mated 22bn taka ($260mn) and accounts for about 23% of the transport sector in the country, according to a 2018 study by

the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI).

Local motorcycle ride-shar-ing service Pathao now has over fi ve million users and more than 200,000 registered drivers, ac-cording to its chief executive, Hassan M Elius.

“A trip which previously used to take two hours with uncom-fortable rides on rickshaws and buses, now only takes 40 min-utes,” Elius said. “That not only saves time but also increases productivity.”

The advent of motorbike sharing apps is not only pro-viding relief to commuters used to wasting hours in gridlocked traffi c, it is also creating em-ployment opportunities for thousands.

“For a young man like me from a low-income family, it is a big source of income,” said student Lokman Hossain, who owns a motorbike.

However, unskilled bike driv-ers and reckless driving are often cited as one of the main reasons for a recent spike in traffi c ac-cidents in Bangladesh. More than 4,000 people die in road accidents each year, one of the world’s highest rates.

Massive student protests sparked by the death of two teenagers mowed down by a speeding bus in the capital last July led to street battles and the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by police.

By Rafiqur Rahman, ReutersDhaka

Climber dies on Nepal’s Mt Manaslu

A Polish climber died on Nepal’s Mount Man-aslu, the world’s eighth

highest peak, expedition or-ganisers said yesterday - the fi rst fatality of the autumn climbing season.

More than 250 climbers are attempting to reach the summit of the 8,163m (26,781ft) high mountain in Nepal.

The 50-year-old woman felt

unwell during her climb and decided to descend from around Camp 4 at 7,450m (24,445ft). She was found dead in the early hours Saturday at Camp 3, or-ganisers said.

“She was helped down to Camp 3 after she complained of hypothermia but died yesterday morning,” Thaneswor Guragai, of Seven Summit Treks, said.

Guragai said they were trying to bring her body down.

Autumn expeditions on the Himalayas are less popular because of the shorter, colder

days, snowy terrain and a nar-row summit window compared to the busy spring.

Nepal has issued 474 per-mits for 25 peaks - including 10 for Mount Everest - nearly half of the total permits issued in spring.

This year’s traffi c-clogged spring climbing season saw a record 885 people summit on Everest, 644 of them from the south and 241 from the north-ern fl ank in Tibet.

The season ended with 11 deaths on the mountain, with

at least four blamed on over-crowding.

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks and foreign climbers that fl ock to its mountains are a major source of revenue for the country.

The rapid growth of the climbing industry has created fi erce competition among com-panies for business.

But it has also led to fears some were cutting corners on safety measures neces-sary for climbing at extreme altitudes.

AFPKathmandu

A truck transports a pair of Sri Lankan elephants in Colombo yesterday. Wildlife off icials found three more dead wild elephants in central Sri Lanka on Sunday, raising the number believed to have been poisoned by angry villagers to seven.

Elephant ride

President Xi awards ‘heroes’ and ‘old friends’ of ChinaAFPBeijing

Chinese President Xi Jin-ping awarded medals and honorary titles to an ar-

ray of domestic and international “heroes” yesterday, including a former French prime minister and a centenarian Canadian edu-cator.

The award ceremony is part of China’s celebrations to mark 70 years of Communist rule, which will kick off tomorrow

with a massive military parade in Beijing aimed at showcasing the country’s emergence as a global superpower.

“The heroes and role models are all devoted to the cause of the Party and the people... and hold fast to working for the happiness of the Chinese people,” said Xi in a speech following the presenta-tion of awards.

Isabel Crook, a Canadian an-thropologist and educator born in 1915, was the oldest awardee present and had lived in China since before the founding of the

People’s Republic in 1949, ac-cording to offi cial news agency Xinhua.

Born in the southwest city of Chengdu, the centenarian made “outstanding contributions in the cause for China’s education and friendly exchanges with foreign countries,” Xinhua re-ported.

Former French prime minis-ter Jean-Pierre Raff arin, an “old friend of the Chinese people”, was recognised for his “long-term commitment to promot-ing China-France friendship”,

said Xinhua. Other international awardees included former Cuban president Raul Castro and Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirind-horn.

A total of 42 individuals were given awards, though only 29 re-cipients were present at the cer-emony. Tu Youyou, the fi rst Chi-nese citizen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for helping create an-ti-malaria medicine, was among the list of Chinese awardees, as well as Yu Min, a nuclear physi-cist widely regarded as the “fa-ther of China’s hydrogen bomb.”

Canadian anthropologist and educator Isabel Crook receives an award from China’s President Xi Jinping during a ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People yesterday.

Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn shakes hands with China’s President Xi Jinping during an awards ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People yesterday.

Intense Hong Kong clashes ahead of China anniversaryAFPHong Kong

Fierce clashes broke out be-tween protesters and riot police in Hong Kong yes-

terday as thousands marched through the strife-torn city, dur-ing a day of global protests aimed at casting a shadow over com-munist China’s upcoming 70th birthday.

Beijing is preparing for huge, tightly-choreographed festivi-ties from tomorrow to mark the founding of the People’s Repub-lic of China, including a massive military parade that will revel in the country’s emergence as a glo-bal superpower.

But ongoing unrest in Hong Kong threatens to upstage those celebrations as the semi-au-tonomous city boils with pub-lic anger over the erosion of its special freedoms under Beijing’s rule. Democracy activists in the fi nancial hub had vowed to ramp up their nearly four-month-long campaign ahead of National Day celebrations, which Hong Kong protesters have dubbed a “Day of Grief”.

Yesterday witnessed the most intense clashes in weeks as police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons at multiple loca-tions for hours during running battles with hardcore protesters hurling rocks and petrol bombs.

Using online forums and social media, demonstrators had called for “anti-totalitarian” rallies to be held around the globe. March-es were held in Australia and Tai-wan, with more planned in some 40 locations across Europe and North America later in the day.

Clashes broke out before Hong Kong’s unsanctioned march had begun after angry groups in the shopping district of Causeway Bay surrounded and heckled of-fi cers who were conducting stop and searches.

But the tear gas fi red by police

only emboldened the crowds, who then began walking through the streets in their thousands. Some hardcore activists vandal-ised subway stations, tore down banners proclaiming the upcom-ing 70th anniversary celebra-tions and set fi re to makeshift

barricades. Police spent hours fi ring tear gas and rubber bullets at diff erent locations across the city centre and were seen mak-ing multiple arrests throughout the day.

An AFP reporter witnessed masked men repeatedly beat-

ing pro-democracy protesters in Wanchai district using long sticks. It was not clear if the men were offi cers dressed as protest-ers, a tactic increasingly used by the force. A member of the me-

dia was also treated by volunteer medics after being hit in the face with a police projectile, while at least two men were attacked by democracy demonstrators and a taxi was trashed.

Singer attacked with paint at Taiwan rally

Hong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho was attacked yesterday by a masked man who threw red paint at her at a rally in Taiwan held in support of anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Ho, who earlier this month urged members of the US Congress to pass legislation to combat human rights abuses in Hong Kong, was talking to reporters at the Taipei rally when the man ran up to her and poured red paint over her head.Two Taiwanese men were arrested immediately after the attack, the island’s Crime Investigation Bureau said, adding that the pair were linked to an organised crime group which supports closer ties between self-ruled Taiwan and China.Organisers said around 100,000 people attended the Taipei rally to support the anti-government protests in Hong Kong, part of a global “anti-totalitarianism” rally ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China on Oct 1. “A lot of social activists in Hong Kong are actually subjected to situations like this every day. I think this is very obviously a sort of suppression and intimidation,” Ho told reporters after being hit by the paint.“I think that Hong Kong people will not back down or be scared by situations like this,” she said, calling the incident “an attack on free speech”.Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the

streets of Chinese-ruled Hong Kong since mid-June in protests denouncing what they perceive as creeping interference by Beijing, a charge China denies. Yesterday saw some of the most violent clashes since the protests began, with Hong Kong police firing water cannon, rubber bullets and rounds of tear gas at petrol bomb-throwing protesters.Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said Ho’s attackers “will be harshly punished” according to law and that Taiwan will not tolerate violence.“Please take our will and determination to protect Taiwan’s democracy seriously,” Tsai said in a post on Facebook. “This is the land of freedom and civilization, not the territory of rampant totalitarianism. Don’t try to challenge Taiwan’s democracy and rule of law.”People in Taiwan have been closely watching Hong Kong and many have become increasingly wary of Beijing’s “reunification” agenda for Taiwan. China considers democratic Taiwan a breakaway province to be taken under its control, by force if necessary, and has suggested an arrangement similar to Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” formula guaranteeing certain freedoms.Braving heavy rain ahead of an approaching typhoon, many protesters in Taipei wore black and repeatedly chanted “free Hong Kong. Stand with Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong police fire water cannon toward protesters gathered outside the central government off ices after taking part in an unsanctioned march through Hong Kong yesterday.

36 killed, 36 hurt in China road crashAFPBeijing

At least 36 people died and 36 others were injured in east China when a packed

coach with a fl at tyre collided with a truck, authorities said yesterday.

The bus was carrying 69 peo-ple - its maximum capacity - when it crossed into oncoming traffi c and hit the freight truck on

an expressway in eastern Jiangsu province on Saturday morning, the Yixing public security bureau said.

A preliminary investigation determined that the accident was caused by a fl at tyre on the

left front wheel of the bus, the bureau said in a statement.

Nine people were seriously injured, 26 were slightly hurt and one was discharged from hospi-tal. The Changchun-Shenzhen expressway reopened after eight

hours of rescue work. Deadly road accidents are common in China, where traffi c regulations are often fl outed or go unen-forced.

According to authorities 58,000 people were killed in ac-cidents across the country in 2015 alone, the last available fi g-ures.

Violations of traffi c laws were blamed for nearly 90% of acci-dents that caused deaths or inju-ries that year.

Malaysia dithers on $1bn train project with SingaporeReutersKuala Lumpur

Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to delay by another month a deci-

sion on whether to go ahead with a billion-dollar train project connecting the city-state with Malaysia’s southern state of Jo-hor, Malaysia said yesterday.

The countries agreed to ex-tend the deadline to decide on the RTS Link project by a month to Oct 31 without any additional cost, Malaysia’s Ministry of

Transport said in a statement. Malaysia will have to pay Singa-pore abortive costs if the Rapid Transit System Link is not taken forward.

The two countries fi rst sus-pended the transit system in May as Malaysia’s new govern-ment — hit with 1.087tn ringgit ($259.7bn) of debt and liabilities as of end-2017 — reassessed projects announced by the pre-vious administration.

It successfully persuaded China to cut the cost of another train project by nearly a third to about $11bn.

Metallica tour postponed

Metallica are postponing their upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand after lead vocalist James Hetfield re-entered rehab, the American band announced. The heavy metal band was set to perform their first Australian show as part of their WorldWired tour on October 17, but will now fully refund all tickets, band members Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo wrote in a series of tweets. “As most of you probably know, our brother James has been struggling with addiction on and off for many years. He has now, unfortunately, had to re-enter a treatment programme to work on his recovery again.”

The bus was carrying 69 people — its maximum capacity — when it crossed into oncoming traffic and hit the freight truck

18 injured in cargo ship fire in South KoreaSouth Korean authorities announced that 18 people were injured when a fire broke out in an oil tanker and spread to another ship after an explosion

in the southeastern port city of Ulsan. The 25,881-tonne vessel for transporting petroleum products from the Cayman Islands caught fire following the explosion when

it was in a berth at Yeompo Quay in Ulsan, 400km southeast of Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported. A total of 25 people, all foreign nationals, were aboard

the ship. The fire quickly spread to another cargo ship next to it with 21 crew members onboard, but they were also all saved, according to the authorities.

12 Gulf TimesMonday, September 30, 2019

ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

Premier fuelsspeculation hecould ignoreBrexit delay lawGuardian News and MediaLondon

Boris Johnson has ramped up speculation that he is plan-ning to bypass a law that

stops the UK from crashing out of the EU without a deal.

The prime minister told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show that Britain can still leave the bloc on October 31 despite the passing of the Benn Act, which aims to prevent a no-deal Brexit by forc-ing him to ask Brussels for a delay.

He also failed to deny holding talks with EU heads of state to re-quest they block any request for a Brexit extension.

Despite outrage this week after he repeatedly labelled the Benn Act the “surrender bill”, Johnson described himself as a “model of restraint” in what has been de-scribed as an increasingly toxic political atmosphere.

During the interview on The Andrew Marr Show on the fi rst day of the Conservative party conference in Manchester, John-son also refused to apologise for using the word “humbug” in re-sponse to the MP Paula Sherriff ’s complaint that she has received death threats, claiming he had been discussing a diff erent point.

On whether he had declared an interest when public money was given to the company run by his close friend Jennifer Arcuri when he was mayor of London, he said he had acted with “propriety”.

In a bullish performance, John-son said repeatedly that the public are weary of Brexit and just want to get it done – the slogan of this year’s autumn conference.

He said there was still a chance of reaching a deal with the EU but

that eff orts were not helped by the Benn Act, which compels him to ask for a Brexit extension if he has not struck a deal by October 19.

He said: “Obviously the chances of a deal or no-deal depend very much on the common sense of our friends and partners. It has not been helped by the surrender act.

“I do think there’s a good chance (of getting a deal) and we’re working incredibly hard. I’ve been having conversations ... we will continue to work tomor-row and in the course of the next few days … to see if we can get this thing over the line. And there’s a good chance.”

Asked if it was still possible to leave on October 31 without a deal, he replied: “Of course we can.” Asked about suggestions that the government could use EU law to supersede the Benn Act or use contingency powers, he said it was a hypothetical scenario that he would not discuss.

Asked directly if he had spoken to any other EU heads of state and requested they veto an extension, including the rightwing Hungar-ian Prime Minister, Viktor Or-bán, he said: “I am certainly not now going into the discussions I’m having with other EU heads of state about the negotiations because they are interesting, but they are also delicate.” However, he said it was clear that “other EU countries do not want this thing to keep dragging on”.

Despite depicting himself as the man who can deliver Brexit, he ruled out quitting should he be forced into a delay. “No … I’ve un-dertaken to lead my party and the country at a diffi cult time … and I’m going to continue to do that. I believe it’s my responsibility to do that.” He said he could not discuss

whether he had apologised to the Queen after the supreme court found the prorogation of parlia-ment had been unlawful.

After a week in which he was criticised for his use of language around Brexit and his perceived dismissiveness of MPs’ complaints, Johnson remained unapologetic.

He said there was a “cloud of indignation” around phrases such as “surrender bill”, which he claimed was masking the legisla-tion’s true aim – to keep the UK tied to the EU indefi nitely.

“Military metaphors are old, standard, parliamentary terms,” he said, adding that they had been used for centuries and should continue to be used. If you cannot use a meta-phor like surrender, to describe the surrender act … you are diminishing parliamentary debate,” he said.

He said the abuse female MPs had received was deplorable and that everyone should act more calmly in politics. Asked if that included him, he replied: “I think I’ve been the model of restraint.”

He faced a number of questions about his relationship with Acru-ri, an entrepreneur he is said to have had a close friendship with and who received public money for her business when Johnson was mayor of London. She also attended offi cial trade trips.

The prime minister has been referred to the Independent Offi ce for Police Conduct, which inves-tigates complaints of misconduct connected to police in England and Wales. As mayor, Johnson was also head of the mayor’s of-fi ce for policing and crime.

He insisted there was “no in-terest to declare” amid claims about his association with the former American model-turned-tech businesswoman.

‘Hard left’ risking Labourpoll chances: WatsonGuardian News and MediaLondon

Tom Watson has accused a “hard-left faction” of jeopardising Labour’s

electoral chances by forcing MPs to waste time and eff ort on local selection battles, after Margaret Hodge became the second MP to face reselection.

Hodge has vowed to campaign to remain Labour’s candidate for Barking, after local members voted for her to face an open se-lection in the “trigger ballot” process.

Watson, the party’s deputy leader, said yesterday: “Our pro-fessional organisers, constituen-cy activists and MPs are spend-ing an extraordinary amount of time on internal selections when they could be preparing for an imminent general election.

“I know the Jon Lansman-led hard-left faction on Labour’s NEC are committed to full rese-lections but they risk Labour’s

chances of election success against Boris Johnson with their dogmatic behaviour.”

Hodge, a veteran MP and prominent critic of Jeremy Cor-byn, said: “I am obviously dis-appointed. My priority remains serving the people of Barking, as I have done for the last 25 years. At a vital time for the country, with a general election looming, we should be focusing our eff orts on holding Boris Johnson and the Tories to account.

“I will work to secure the full backing of Barking Labour party, so I can continue to play my part as their MP in doing that.”

It has become easier for La-bour members to force an open contest since the threshold was lowered at last year’s party con-ference. In Barking, fi ve out of 11 local branches supported an open selection.

Momentum, the grassroots campaign group set up by Lans-man to support Corbyn’s lead-ership, would like to see all MPs face an open contest before each

general election, believing it helps to hold MPs accountable and would bring new talent to Westminster.

Hodge has served as MP for Barking in east London since 1994 and a number of Labour MPs rallied behind her at the weekend. Stephen Doughty called her a “brilliant constitu-ency MP” and Tulip Siddiq said she was an “amazing feminist”.

The Hull North MP, Diana Johnson, who is widely respected at Westminster for campaigning on the contaminated blood scan-dal, is also facing an open selec-tion.

Hodge has led criticism of the party’s handling of antisemitism complaints, confronting Corbyn directly about it and making a strongly worded speech about her experiences of antisemitism in a Commons debate.

She beat the British National Party in the 2010 general election and, in the same year, became the fi rst woman to be elected chair of the public accounts committee.

Guardian News and MediaLondon

The Conservatives enjoy a 12-point lead over Labour, according to the latest

Opinium poll for the Observer.Labour is up three points to

24% after its conference in Bright-on last week, at which it rejected pressure to back an explicitly pro-Remain stance on Brexit. But the Tories are on 36% (down one) despite another diffi cult week for Boris Johnson, during which the Supreme Court ruled his fi ve-week suspension of parliament to be unlawful.

Worryingly for Jeremy Corbyn’s party, the Liberal Democrats are up three points on 20% and for the fi rst time now have the most sup-port among Remain voters. How-ever, the poll shows Labour has gained fi ve points among Leave voters compared with last week.

The Brexit Party is down one point on 11%.

Despite Johnson’s diffi culties, he is still way ahead of Corbyn when voters are asked who they think would be the best prime minister. A total of 37% of voters say Johnson, against just 16% who would prefer the Labour leader.

The percentage of people who disapprove of Johnson’s handling of Brexit has risen slightly from 41% to 43% in the past week, with 37% approving , the same as last week. Corbyn’s approval rating on Brexit has improved slightly, though from a very low level.

Some 60% of voters disapprove of his handling of Brexit (com-pared with 63% last week), against 17% who approve (up three points from last week).

More voters (49%) believe Johnson should obey the law and seek an extension to Brexit if no deal has been reached by October 19, than the 34% of people polled who believe he should refuse to do so. Among Remain supporters, 80% think he should comply with the law and seek an extension, while only 21% of Leave voters think he should do so.

Tories hold12-pointlead overLabour inlatest poll

BRITAIN

Gulf Times Monday, September 30, 2019 13

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures during a visit to North Manchester General Hospital in north-west England yesterday, ahead of the opening day of the annual Conservative Party conference.

Brexit takes wrecking ball to housing marketAFPLondon

As Britain’s deadline to leave the European Union ap-proaches, property prices

have slowed or dropped, especially in London, with sector analysts warning of worse to come if Britain crashes out of the bloc without a deal.

“The market is at a standstill,” said Beatrice Caboche, director at real estate company Barnes UK. Average property sales prices rose

just 0.7 % in July, their slowest in-crease in nearly seven years.

Analysts blame a process set in motion with a 2016 Brexit refer-endum.

“Over the past three years, there has been a general slowdown in house price growth, driven mainly by a slowdown in the south and east of England,” said Yael Selfi n, chief economist at KPMG UK.

Many investors expect the mar-ket to weaken further and don’t want to overpay for property that will be worth less if, for example, Britain leaves the EU without a ne-

gotiated deal.Potential sellers, on the other

hand, often prefer to leave their houses empty rather than accept a price they deem too low — a stance that seems to add to an already acute housing crisis.

In London, property values dropped by four percent in the fi rst quarter from their year-earlier level, the sharpest drop since 2009 when the global fi nancial crisis was raging.

In wealthy London neighbour-hoods, like Mayfair, Knightsbridge or south Kensington, the price falls

have been most spectacular as they plunged from the dizzying heights of recent years.

“Transactions of high-end homes in central London last year reached a decade low,” according to data group LonRes, which said that the market had already been under pressure from stamp duty changes.

A property put on the market for £14mn four years ago would now only sell for £9mn, said Caboche.

She said it’s not just the market’s high end that is suff ering but the Brexit impact was being felt among cheaper housing, too, and across

the entire country, with perhaps more of a lasting impact than even the fi nancial crisis.

“This time around, prices have been falling more slowly, but con-tinuously, and we don’t see any coming recovery,” she said.

Meanwhile, the sales commis-sions collected by estate agents have been dropping as transaction numbers fall, causing a bad mood in the profession.

But there’s a fl ipside to the suf-fering of sellers and middlemen: Some buyers are fi nding that the property market, which had priced

them out a long time ago, has again become accessible.

Moreover, historically-low in-terest rates are an enticing propo-sition for anyone shopping for a mortgage.

Meanwhile, the decline of the pound, which is trading around 20% lower against the dollar than before the Brexit referendum, has vastly improved the purchasing power of non-residents eyeing British property.

“It’s a buyer’s market,” said Caboche.

Some call the slowdown a nec-

essary correction after years of double-digit price growth, par-ticularly in London which is one of the world’s most expensive cities.

Either way, “house price growth has reached its nadir,” said analysts at Pantheon Mac-roeconomics, adding they now expected a recovery in 2020 as “the housing market appears to be emerging gradually from the coma induced by Brexit uncer-tainty”. The market could grow by more than 1% next year, they said, but only if a no-deal Brexit is averted.

Anti-austerity rally

Demonstrators dressed as clowns march during a protest to coincide with the Conservative Party’s annual conference, in central Manchester yesterday. The protest was organised by The People’s Assembly Against Austerity.

New backstop plan‘by end of next week’Daily MailLondon

Britain plans to table a new solution to the Irish bor-der ‘backstop’ by the end

of next week, it emerged.Brexit Secretary Stephen Bar-

clay said Brussels is facing “the moment of truth” over whether it wants a compromise.

Until now the government has tabled four ‘non-papers’ – informal discussion papers – sketching out its proposals.

But it is understood Brexit talks will be stepped up im-mediately following the Tory party conference, which ends on Wednesday, after the for-mal, more detailed plans aimed at breaking the deadlock are ta-bled.

Irish Deputy Prime Minis-ter Simon Coveney earlier said there were still “signifi cant gaps” between the two sides and that the UK has failed to put for-ward any “serious” proposals.

But Barclay hit back, saying: “Well what Coveney also said this week is if there’s the politi-cal will, a deal can be done. But

there needs to be political will on both sides and we’re now ap-proaching the moment of truth in these negotiations.

“We are committed to secur-ing a deal, the prime minister has made clear he wants a deal but there has to be political will on both sides and that’s what we’re exploring.” There is a tight timetable before Britain is due to leave on October 31, with EU leaders wanting sight of British proposals well ahead of a crunch EU summit on October 17, where Boris Johnson wants to strike a deal.

One EU diplomat said: “Paris wants a cut-off date to ensure that Brexit doesn’t overshadow the other (summit) topics.”

The sides are at odds over what extent Northern Ireland should be “left behind” in the EU’s single market and customs union after Brexit under the controversial ‘backstop’ – de-signed to prevent the return of a hard border in Ireland.

Last week EU Commission president Jean-Claude Junck-er claimed Britain would be ‘solely’ to blame if there is a no-deal.

14 Gulf TimesMonday, September 30, 2019

BRITAIN

Mum faces life formurdering sonsDaily MailLondon

A mother has been told she faces the rest of her life in jail for killing two

of her children and attempting to murder four others.

Sarah Barrass, 35, sobbed as she admitted murdering sons Blake, 14, and Tristan, 13.

The brothers died in hospi-tal 12 minutes apart after po-lice were called to their home in Sheffi eld at about 7.30am on May 24.

Although post-mortem ex-aminations have been carried out, the results were not pre-sented at the hearing at Shef-fi eld Crown Court.

The exact circumstances surrounding the boys’ deaths are not yet known. At the time, the tragedies were de-scribed as a ‘major’ incident. Barrass also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder six chil-dren, including Tristan and Blake, and fi ve counts of at-tempted murder, which relate to four children who include the two boys. The surviving

children are all aged under 13. She appeared alongside Brandon Machin, 39, a family member, who also admitted the same charges.

Judge Jeremy Richard-son QC told the defendants: “No words of mine can ever fully refl ect the enormity of what you have both done. The crimes you have committed quite frankly speak for them-selves. The murder of two chil-dren. The attempted murder of four children and the over-arching conspiracy to murder those children.”

He added: “I repeat, those crimes speak for themselves. I have little doubt that each of you will in due course be sen-tenced to several terms of life imprisonment.”

Hundreds of mourners at-tended Blake and Tristan’s fu-neral last month. Their shared coffi n was accompanied to the crematorium by a cortege of 300 motorbikes and two Lam-borghini cars.

Friends and family said the brothers were both car fanatics and had been keen on motor-bikes.

Prince Harry visits Malawi collegeReutersJohannesburg

Prince Harry began his fi rst offi cial visit to Malawi yesterday, with wife Meg-

han joining him on a college visit via video call after she had met a group of female activists in Cape Town the previous day.

The Duke of Sussex had left the duchess and their four-month-old son Archie — who stole the spotlight when he sat on his mother’s lap while his par-ents chatted with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu in Cape Town — to visit Botswana, Angola and Malawi.

Though Harry has visited Ma-lawi several times privately, this trip is his fi rst visit in an offi cial capacity, marking the fi nal leg of his solo tour across southern Af-rica before rejoining his family in Johannesburg.

The college visit was to al-low the Duke of Sussex to meet young women whose education is partially supported by The

Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT), of which Harry and Meg-han are president and vice presi-dent respectively.

Harry was greeted by a line of students waving UK and Malawi fl ags before entering the college, where Meghan joined proceed-ings via Skype while, she said, Archie took a nap.

A post on the couple’s offi -cial Instagram said the project was changing the lives of many young women.

“As president and vice presi-dent of the QCT, the duke and duchess both believe in the power of education to empower young girls, and change society as a whole,” the post said.

Harry will next see President Peter Mutharika, who he has met on a number of occasions, and attend a reception hosted by the British high commissioner.

Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and sixth in line to the throne has been visiting southern Af-rica for two decades for holidays and conservation work, but this is his fi rst offi cial overseas tour

with both Meghan and their son.The family drew crowds of

well-wishers in Cape Town, where Meghan visited a post of-fi ce where a female student was murdered last month in one of a spate of killings and rapes that have sparked outrage over high levels of gender-based violence in the country.

It was announced yesterday that Meghan, known for being an advocate for women’s rights, had met a group of female lead-ers and activists the previous day.

The women included Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, who in 1956 led 20,000 women in an anti-apartheid march on the seat of government in Pretoria when she was only 18 years old.

“I was recently reminded that the fi rst one up the mountain often gets knocked down the hardest but makes way for eve-ryone behind them,” a statement quoted Meghan as saying to the women, adding that all young female campaigners must keep at it.

Couple trainstrees to growinto furnitureReutersWirksworth, England

On a two-acre fi eld in Eng-land’s Midlands, Gavin and Alice Munro are tak-

ing sustainability to the next lev-el: they harvest trees which they train to grow into chairs.

The couple have a furniture farm in Derbyshire where they are nurturing 250 chairs, 100 lamps and 50 tables.

It is their answer to what they see as the ineffi cient and carbon-heavy process of cutting down mature trees to create furniture.

“Instead of force-growing a tree for 50 years and then cut-ting it down and making it into smaller and smaller bits...the idea is to grow the tree into the shape that you want directly. It’s a kind of zen 3D printing,” said Gavin.

Part of the inspiration for the idea came when Gavin was a young boy. He spotted an over-grown bonsai tree which looked like a chair.

He was also born with a curved spine and as a child spent sev-eral years wearing a metal frame to reset his back. “The (medi-cal) staff were just brilliant. The nurses, the doctors, they would kind of combine kindness and competence in a way that really, really impressed me.

“I wanted to combine care and competence and hopefully this is what we’re doing here,” he added.

The 44-year-old began ex-perimenting in 2006 when he tried to grow chairs on two small plots of land in the Peak District, also in central England. But in 2012, a year after they married, Gavin and Alice set up the com-pany Full Grown and committed to the idea full-time.

Progress has been bumpy. One of their fi rst attempts at a crop ended in disaster when it was trampled by cows and eaten by rabbits.

They have also had to discover the most eff ective way to shape a tree without stunting its growth.

The couple has learned to guide shoots already heading in

the right direction, rather than forcing shoots the wrong way against their will.

The labour and time involved in producing the organic pieces means they do not come cheap.

Chairs sell for £10,000, lamps for £900-£2,300 and tables for £2,500-£12,500. The average chair takes six to nine years to grow — and another year to dry out.

The longest commission the company has is for 2030. It is a chair for a customer’s retire-ment.

The plight of rainforests have stormed up the global agenda in recent weeks, as fi res raged in the Amazon and the Congo Basin.

“You know the damage that we do with forestry. We’re only just starting to really understand that. This is kind of the opposite really, we use... ancient tech-niques that we used in the stone age,” Gavin said.

Ancient Romans, Chinese and Japanese are known to have shaped trees to customise their forms.

Gavin and Alice hope to be harvesting annually by 2022. Long-term, they want to buy a farm they can use as an experi-mental hub. They also want to spread their knowledge through consultancy.

In the medium-term, Al-ice wants a new dining set. But it will take at least a decade to grow.

Television presenter and former Conservative MP Michael Portillo is accompanied by Freemen of the City of London as he opens the wool fair by walking sheep across London Bridge in London, Britain, yesterday. The centuries-old custom grants so-called Freemen of the City the right to bring animals and tools into the city without paying taxes.

Sheep shepherded over London Bridge

Number of rich foreignersbuying ‘golden visas’ risesGuardian News and MediaLondon

The number of wealthy foreigners investing at least £2mn in the UK in

exchange for a “golden visa” has risen to a fi ve-year high, despite a clampdown on the scheme in the aftermath of the Skripal novichok poisoning attack.

The Home Offi ce granted 255 people tier-1 investor visas in the fi rst half of 2019, allowing them to live and work in the UK for fi ve years. This was the most in a six-month period since 2014, according to the depart-ment’s data.

The increase came after the then Home Offi ce minister Caroline Nokes suspended the

controversial scheme in De-cember 2018, saying “we will not tolerate people who do not play by the rules and seek to abuse the system”. The govern-ment later backtracked and kept the scheme in place, but intro-duced tougher rules from April to tackle organised crime and money laundering.

The Home Offi ce granted 124 applications in the three months to the end of June. That was an increase from 91 people in the same period a year earlier under more relaxed rules. Home Offi ce data shows that just four applicants had their visas de-nied.

“Late last year the UK was poised to suspend these risky and unethical schemes but just nine months later they’ve sold

the highest number since 2014, with very few applicants being rejected,” said Naomi Hirst, an anti-corruption campaigner at Global Witness. “At a time when the EU is moving to crack down on the sale of citizenship and residency, it’s worrying that the UK is once again opening its arms to high risk but wealthy individuals. It opens the ques-tion as to whether, post-Brexit, the UK will be looking to pick up the customers that EU member states could be forced to reject.”

Following the novichok poi-soning attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal, which the gov-ernment accuses Russia of or-dering, the Home Offi ce said it would crack down on the golden visa scheme and review the vi-sas of 700 Russians who had

come to Britain between 2008 and 2015 under the so-called tier 1 scheme.

Some 11,000 people have en-tered the UK since the golden visa scheme was fi rst intro-duced in 2008, mostly from Russia and China. Among them are Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea football club, although he took Israeli citizenship after the UK government failed to renew his visa last year.

Other people known to have entered the UK with tier-1 vi-sas include Zamira Hajiyeva, the woman subject to the UK’s fi rst McMafi a-style “dirty money” unexplained wealth order who spent £16mn in Harrods. Haji-yeva is the wife of a banker jailed for defrauding Azerbaijan’s na-

tional bank out of hundreds of millions.

Madiyar Ablyazov – the son of Mukhtar Ablyazov, a Kaza-khstan politician accused of embezzling $5bn (£4bn) and lying to a court about the scale of his vast fortune, including a £17nm mansion on The Bishops Avenue in London – arrived in the UK on a tier-1 investor visa in 2008.

Under the tightened rules applicants must invest at least £2mn in British companies, and must be able to prove they had legitimate access to the funds for at least two years, rather than the previous 90 days. If they maintain their investment for fi ve years they are eligible for indefi nite leave to remain and apply for citizenship.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, poses with the Cama choir during his visit to the Nalikule College of Education to learn about the Cama network and how it is supporting young women, in Lilongwe, Malawi, yesterday.

A finished full grown chair on display.

Compulsory vaccinations being seriously considered: govtGuardian News and MediaLondon

The government is “looking very seriously” at making vaccinations compulsory

for state school pupils and has taken advice on how such a law could work, the health secretary has said.

Matt Hancock, a vehement

critic of anti-vaccination cam-paigners, has previously sug-gested such a plan. Hancock said he was “very worried” by falling vaccination rates, indicating the government could act soon.

“I’ve said before that we should be open-minded, and frankly, what I’d say is that when the state provides services to people then it’s a two-way street – you’ve got to take your responsibilities, too,”

Hancock told the Q&A session hosted by the Huffi ngton Post.

“So I think there’s a very strong argument for having compulsory vaccinations for children when they go to school, because otherwise they’re putting other children at risk.

“Then I’d want to make it very easy if the children do arrive at school not vaccinated, simply to get vaccinated, and make it the

norm. But I think there’s a very strong argument for movement to compulsory vaccination, and I think the public would back us.”

Several US states, including California, have introduced such laws for state school pupils but also faced lengthy legal chal-lenges.

Asked about such potential opposition in the UK, Hancock said: “Actually, I’ve received ad-

vice inside government this week on how we might go about it, and I’m looking very seriously at it.”

The UK has lost its offi cial measles-free country status from the World Health Organi-sation after a gradual fall in rates of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunisation.

Figures released earlier this week showed that for vaccina-tions administered at the ages of

12 months, 24 months and fi ve years, there has been a marked decline for 13 diff erent diseas-es, including whooping cough, diphtheria and meningitis.

Hancock said this was “a seri-ous problem” and added: “It’s unbelievable, I think, that Britain has lost its measles-free status, and it should be a real wake-up call. I think that the social media companies have got a lot to an-

swer for, because they allow the spread of anti-vaccine messages.

“I will do whatever I can – the science is absolutely clear and settled on the importance of vaccination. And the worst thing is that if you don’t vac-cinate your child, and you can, then the person you’re putting at risk is not only your child but it’s also the child who can’t be vac-cinated for medical reasons.”

EUROPE15Gulf Times

Monday, September 30, 2019

Austrian conservatives won the most seats in snap elections yesterday,

putting their 33-year-old leader Sebastian Kurz on track to re-take power but forcing him into tough coalition negotiations af-ter a corruption scandal sent his far-right former allies tumbling.

Kurz’s People’s Party (OeVP) won 37%, up almost six percent-age points from the last election two years ago, but not enough to form a government on its own, according to projections based on partial results.

The Greens were also big win-ners as climate change rose to the top of voters’ concerns, se-curing around 14% of the vote.

That means they will be vi-able coalition partners for a new government, but Green leader Werner Kogler said yesterday evening that the party would need to see “radical change” from the right-wing policies pursued by the previous coali-tion.

Kurz’s former allies, the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), were the biggest losers of the night, falling 10 percentage points to around 16% follow-ing the spectacular “Ibiza-gate” corruption scandal in May.

The aff air brought down the OeVP-FPOe coalition after just 18 months in government and triggered Sunday’s snap poll.

The centre-left Social Demo-crats look set for their worst-ever result on around 22% of the vote, with the liberal NEOS party winning around 7%.

A total of 6.4mn people were eligible to vote in the small Al-pine country.

Kurz told jubilant support-ers at party headquarters yes-terday evening that the scale of the victory had left him “almost speechless”, but gave few clues as to his next moves.

Before the election, Kurz – a former law student, who has en-joyed a rapid ascent through the ranks to become the youngest-ever chancellor in 2017 – said that he would keep all options open.

“It is a big responsibility. We accept this trust humbly and re-spectfully, and I promise we will do our best to honour this trust,” he said.

The FPOe took a bigger hit than expected following the “Ibiza-gate” scandal which brought down its long-time leader Heinz-Christian Strache

and a fresh investigation against him announced this week – this time over alleged fraudulent ex-pense claims.

FPOe leader Norbert Hofer, a former aircraft engineer who took over the party after “Ibiza-gate”, told Austrian media that he believed the result meant the party would not take part in coa-lition talks and was “preparing for opposition”.

Previously, a renewed coali-tion with the far-right – touted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and other nation-alists as a model for all of Europe – had looked a likely outcome.

The Greens failed to make it into parliament in the last elec-tion in 2017, in a shock result, but have staged an impressive recovery, with an especially strong showing in Austria’s big cities.

The Greens’ gains put Kurz in

a tough spot if he wants to try to woo them and rebrand himself as fi ghting climate change rather than immigration.

“It’s an important vote for the climate. Past governments have done much too little,” 26-year-old Peter Litzlbauer, 26, told AFP after casting his vote in Vienna.

However, as the Die Presse daily noted in its editorial on Saturday, “even with a nice plus on Sunday, it is more diffi cult for him than in 2017” to construct a suitable coalition.

“We had too much chaos in the last months. We hope for something less chaotic,” Vienna

voter Clara Heisinger told AFP.Since World War II, either the

OeVP or SPOe have always been in government, and for 44 years in total the two have ruled to-gether.

But it was Kurz who ended their last “grand coalition”, lead-ing to the 2017 polls.

He has also fl oated the idea of ruling in a minority government.

However, this would poten-tially further bring political un-certainty and even trigger an-other election.

Either way, initial discussions between the parties are expected to start later this week, and to

continue for months.Ultimately, President Alex-

ander Van der Bellen, a former Green leader, will need to ap-prove any government.

The OeVP-FPOe government imploded in May when two Ger-man media outlets published footage fi lmed secretly on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza, showing then FPOe leader Stra-che appearing to off er public contracts in exchange for cam-paign help from a fake Russian backer.

In the aftermath, Strache re-signed from all posts, including that of vice-chancellor.

Austria’s conservatives win big, far-right suff erAFPVienna

Kurz gives a speech on stage after the first exit polls during his party’s electoral evening in Vienna. His centre-right People’s Party (OeVP) took 37% of the vote, despite a scandal which engulfed his previous far-right allies, projections showed.

The Green Party’s Kogler holds a placard with a supporter after the announcement of Austria’s snap parliamentary election results.

Former US president Barack Obama embraced German culture yesterday, jok-

ing that he is planning to don a pair of lederhosen for his wife,

Michelle, because he looks good in them.

“I was given some lederhosen and in the privacy of my hotel I tried them on,” he said during the opening of a start-up conference called “Bits & Pretzels” in the Bavarian city of Munich. “I have to say, I thought I looked pretty

good so I’m going to wear them for Michelle.”

He also talked about putting on a fake beard in order to attend the city’s famous Oktoberfest, since it’s diffi cult for him to go to such a big public event: “Secret Service get a little nervous.”

Obama also addressed teen

climate activist Greta Thunberg, saying that she had undertaken a “monumental” task that older people, not younger ones, should try to address.

Greta is a reminder that “those among us who claim to be adults often don’t live up to our respon-sibilities”.

Organisers had tried for two years to bring Obama to the event, which brings start-up founders, investors and enthusi-asts together during Oktoberfest.

Now-disgraced Hollywood star Kevin Spacey and billionaire Richard Branson have been past guests at the event.

Obama cracks jokes at Munich start-up festivalDPAMunich

Obama cracking a joke on the stage of the ‘Bits & Pretzels’ festival.

Highlighting the Earth

Visitors take a picture with a smartphone in front of the installation Gaia by British artist Luke Jerram, presented in Bratislava during Slovakia’s largest contemporary art festival ‘White Night 2019’. Measuring 7m in diameter, Gaia features 120dpi detailed Nasa imagery of the Earth’s surface. The artwork provides the opportunity to see our planet on this scale, floating in three-dimensions.

Hungary will stay part of the EU, says OrbanReutersBudapest

Hungary has no plans to leave the European Union, Prime Minister

Viktor Orban said yesterday, adding however that eastern and western members of the bloc must fi nd a compromise over the bloc’s future.

Orban, in power for nearly a decade, has often been at log-gerheads with Brussels, for ex-ample over his refusal to take in migrants under an EU quota scheme and his eff orts to tighten control over the media, the judi-ciary and academic institutions.

His combative stance has prompted speculation that Hun-gary might at some stage follow Britain’s example and leave the EU, though it provides billions of euros worth of funding to its poorer former communist mem-ber states.

The EU is now seeking to make that generous assistance condi-tional on upholding the rule of law.

“We are a member of the Un-ion and will remain a member,” Orban told a congress of his rul-ing Fidesz party, which re-elect-ed the 55-year-old premier as its president.

However, in an apparent ref-erence to criticism of Hungary’s record on the rule of law by some other EU members, he added: “This is our country, our home and our life and no one else but Hungarians can decide about that.”

A “compromise” is needed between the two sides of Eu-rope, said Orban, whose Fidesz faces local government elections in two weeks’ time and his hard line on immigration has been a strong vote winner for his right-wing party.

“Even though the western and eastern halves of the Union clearly follow diff erent paths ... and respect diff erent values, ways of living together can be formed even in such circum-stances,” Orban said.

He said “the other side” should abandon what he called their open attacks on govern-ments in ex-communist central and eastern Europe.

“We do not send them such paid political activists, so they should also take theirs home from central Europe,” he said.

“They should abandon covert actions against central Euro-pean governments,” Orban said. “The EU budget should not be used to fi nance teams and media favoured by liberals and immi-grants serving their objectives.

“If we really want to keep Eu-rope together, we need to aban-don these practices.”

Orban: The western and eastern halves of the Union clearly follow diff erent paths

Support fell for Chancel-lor Angela Merkel’s con-servatives over the past

week but rose slightly for their Social Democrat (SPD) coali-tion partners after the ruling alliance agreed on a package of measures to protect the cli-mate.

The package includes a new domestic carbon pricing scheme, bigger incentives for buying electric cars, higher road tolls for trucks from 2023, and surcharges on domestic fl ights.

The plan was also aimed at stemming a surge in support for the ecologist Greens oppo-sition, though it risks disrupt-ing industry at a time when the economy may already be in re-cession.

Support for Merkel’s con-servative bloc – her Chris-tian Democratic Union (CDU) and their Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU) – fell by two percentage points to 27%, the survey by pollster Emnid for newspaper Bild am Sonntag showed.

The Greens were unchanged on 21%.

CDU chairwoman Anne-gret Kramp-Karrenbauer dis-missed talk of a rift between her and Merkel after they travelled in separate planes for meetings in the United States last week.

“There is no quarrel be-tween me and Angela Merkel,”

Kramp-Karrenbauer told Bild am Sonntag.

The Emnid poll showed a one percentage point rise in support for the SPD to 16%.

Emnid surveyed 1,719 voters from September 19-25.

The government agreed the climate package on September 20.

The left-leaning SPD need-ed to clinch a climate deal that its members believed was fair in order to show them that it is worth staying in the ruling coalition.

Germany’s oldest party, di-vided over staying in Merkel’s coalition, is holding a pro-tracted leadership race after its worst ever performance in elections to the European Par-liament in May forced Andrea Nahles to quit.

Many SPD members say they are fed up of propping up Merkel.

The Emnid survey showed support for the far-left Linke unchanged at 8%, and the business-friendly Free Demo-crats (FDP) down one percent-age point at 7%.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) gained one percentage point to 15%.

The AfD has sought to at-tract voters in Germany’s poorer east by prioritising coal jobs above the environment.

“Criticism of the so-called climate protection policy is, after the euro and immigra-tion, the third big issue for the AfD,” party leader Alexander Gauland told the Welt am Son-ntag newspaper.

Merkel’s party loses support while SPD allies gain: surveyReutersBerlin

Danish Queen Margrethe II, who turns 80 next year, has no plans to step down

in favour of her oldest son except for serious health reasons.

“It’s an assignment you have for life,” the queen said in an in-terview published yesterday by Swedish daily Expressen.

The queen added that she felt “no pressure” to change her stance about not abdicating, which she expressed in a book published 1990.

Margrethe became queen in 1972, succeeding her father, King Frederik IX.

The queen admitted she did not have the same physical strength as earlier.

“In the mirror you see that the years have passed and left traces, but I really don’t feel very diff er-

ent to 10 years ago, even if I am an elderly woman,” she said.

In 2018 she lost her husband, French-born Prince Henrik, whom she married in 1967.

He had been in poor health for the last two years of his life.

Crown Prince Frederik, 51, ac-companied the queen on a state

visit to Argentina earlier this year.

This triggered speculation of possible future preparations for the queen to step down.

The queen told Expressen that it was simply a matter “of two people being able to do more than one”.

Danish queen has no plans to step down in favour of sonDPAStockholm

EUROPE

Gulf Times Monday, September 30, 201916

Thousands of people queued yesterday in Par-is to bid a fi nal farewell

to France’s former president Jacques Chirac, fondly remem-bered as a charismatic giant of domestic and international pol-itics despite a mixed legacy.

A massive queue snaked round the Invalides complex to pay homage at Chirac’s cof-fi n ahead of a national day of mourning today and a memorial service expected to be attended by dozens of world leaders.

Chirac’s death on Thursday aged 86 prompted a fl ood of tributes to a man whose high-profi le political career spanned three decades capped by 12 years as president from 1995-2007.

But it also sparked questions about how much this consum-mate political operator had ac-tually achieved during a long spell in offi ce and again threw the spotlight on a 2011 convic-tion for graft over his time as Paris mayor.

Nevertheless, a poll in Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper showed that the French con-sider him to have been their best president of the modern era, alongside Charles de Gaulle.

An initial multi-faith prayer service was held around the coffi n in the Saint-Louis-des-Invalides cathedral at the In-valides memorial complex with close family, including his daughter Claude.

His wife of six decades Berna-dette, 86, was however unable to attend.

Members of the public were then allowed in to view the cof-fi n, draped in a French fl ag and fl anked by a picture of a waving Chirac.

Thousands lined up in a queue that wound around the Invalides complex, where Napoleon Bo-naparte is buried, for almost a kilometre, braving the rain and the prospect of a long wait.

“Adieu president, we miss you already,” read one placard in the crowd.

Admitted in small groups, some crossed themselves while others took photos and even selfi es.

“Chirac represented a certain era,” said Marin Menzin, 21. “If he had seen the queue today, he would have jumped into the crowd to shake hands.”

The French presidency had since Thursday night thrown open the doors of the Elysee Pal-ace for anyone wanting to write in condolence books.

By the time the doors shut on Saturday evening, 5,000 people had done so.

The national day of mourning in France today will see a minute of silence observed in all public institutions and schools.

The coffi n of Chirac will at 0900 GMT today leave the In-valides, under a military escort through the streets of Paris, before arriving at the Saint-Sulpice church for a fi nal me-morial service attended by Pres-ident Emmanuel Macron.

The Elysee said some 30 heads of state and government are ex-pected to be present, including Russian President Vladimir Pu-tin, Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Former leaders who worked closely with Chirac, notably in-cluding German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, will also be there.

Chirac’s successors Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, will also be attending, the Elysee said.

In a rare public appearance, the third president of France’s modern fi fth republic Valery Giscard d’Estaing, 93, will also be present.

European Union Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and former US president Bill Clinton will also attend.

Absent will be French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose father Jean-Marie Le

Pen – her predecessor as leader of what was then known as the Front National – once described Chirac as an “enemy”.

She pulled out after reserva-tions expressed by the Chirac family.

In the fi nal act, Chirac will be buried at the Montparnasse cemetery in southern Paris, next to his daughter Laurence who died in 2016 aged 58 following a battle with anorexia.

Perhaps Chirac’s most sig-nifi cant political decision on the international stage was oppos-ing the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

At home, he was the fi rst French president to acknowl-edge France’s role in the depor-tation of Jews in World War II.

And he warned of the risk of climate change before it rose

high on the political agenda.However, many tributes fo-

cused not on his policy achieve-ments but the sheer charisma and genuine love for his country of a man who Macron said on Thursday “embodied a certain idea of France”.

According to the Ifop sur-vey in Le Journal du Dimanche, based on interviews with 1,015 people, 30% of French now see Chirac as their best president, the same rating as de Gaulle.

“It’s clear Chirac was no an-gel,” the paper wrote in an edi-torial, saying that he had some-times overstepped the mark for the sake of power.

“But to experience all these tests and embody the spirit of a nation, is this not the legacy of a great president? It is at least that of a great man,” it wrote.

Long queue to pay homage to ChiracAFPParis

People queue to say a final farewell to former French president Chirac at the Saint-Louis-des-Invalides cathedral in central Paris.

More than 20,000 Rus-sians took to the streets of Moscow yesterday to

demand the release of protesters jailed over the summer in what opponents of the Kremlin say is a campaign to stifl e dissent.

The protesters were arrested at rallies that fl ared in July when opposition politicians were barred from a local election.

Allegations of police brutal-ity and what many Muscovites saw as harsh jail sentences have sparked an unusual public out-cry.

Several people have been sen-tenced to up to four years in jail, and others are being prosecut-ed for crimes such as violence against police offi cers.

On a rainy Sunday, throngs of people waved fl ags from an ar-ray of political groups, chanting “Let them go!” and “Freedom for political prisoners”.

“No one can get a fair hearing in Russian courts – injustice and lawlessness can happen to any-one now,” opposition politician Lyubov Sobol told the protest-ers over a sound system from a raised stage.

The protests do not pose a threat to President Vladimir Putin who won re-election by a landslide last year.

However, they come as his ratings have slipped following years of falling real incomes and an unpopular move to hike the retirement age.

The opposition had hoped for as big a turnout as possible, ar-guing that authorities would be compelled to release jailed pro-

testers if they felt holding them could dent their ratings further.

The White Counter group which monitors political pro-tests said it counted 25,200 peo-ple at the rally.

Police put the fi gure at around 20,000.

The demonstration was au-thorised by the Moscow may-or’s offi ce, unlike several rallies in recent months where po-lice briefl y detained more than 2,000 people.

No police detentions were re-ported yesterday.

In the lead-up to the rally, courts freed one person on bail and dropped charges against another, rare steps that followed a public outcry.

But the opposition fears those rulings may be a tactic by au-thorities to avoid wider conces-sions.

“I’m sure more people will be released because of this rally,” Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny told supporters at the protest.

The series of protests began in July when more than a dozen opposition-minded candidates were barred on a technicality from running in a September 8 election to Moscow’s city legis-lature.

The rallies were the largest sustained protest movement in Moscow in almost a decade, peaking at around 60,000 peo-ple, before appearing to lose momentum.

The police says that people were detained or prosecuted for breaking the law and insist that some of the protests had to be dispersed as they had not been authorised and were therefore illegal.

After his allies were barred from the vote, Navalny called on supporters to vote tactically for opponents of the ruling United Russia party, regardless of their political stripe.

United Russia, which sup-ports Putin, lost a third of its seats in the Moscow city assem-bly, a setback for the authorities that Navalny said was a victory for the Kremlin’s opponents even though the governing party kept its majority.

Thousands rally in Moscow for jailed protestersReutersMoscow

Opposition supporters wave flags and hold banners as they attend the authorised demonstration in Moscow. Thousands gathered in Moscow for a demonstration demanding the release of the opposition protesters prosecuted in recent months.

At least two migrants died yesterday in a fi re at a Greek island refugee

camp, a report said, with the blaze triggering rioting by angry residents.

After the fi re was extinguished, police fi red tear gas to control a crowd angered by the time it had taken for the fi re brigade to arrive at the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos, according to an AFP correspondent.

Additional offi cers were sent from Athens in C-130 army air-planes in a bid to contain the situation.

Athens News Agency, quot-ing police sources, reported that a woman and a child had died in the fi re.

An Afghan migrant eyewit-ness, however, told AFP that a woman and two children had died, describing how the blaze spread to six or seven containers used to house residents.

“We found two children com-pletely charred and a woman dead. We gave the children cov-ered in blankets to the fi re bri-gade,” Fedouz, 15, said.

The Deputy Minister of Citi-zen Protection Lefteris Econo-mou, along with the chief of po-lice and the secretary-general for migration policy, were heading to Lesbos.

The migrants complained that they were frustrated over the time it took for the fi re brigade to arrive, claiming that a long delay

had led to the fatalities.In a statement, police said the

riots occurred after two separate fi res broke out, fi rstly outside and then inside Moria camp with a time gap of 20 minutes.

The camp hosts around 13,000 people but has facilities for just 3,000.

It has become like a small town with UN refugee agency tents for around 8,000 people sprawl-ing into the olive fi elds of nearby Moria village.

Others are housed in contain-ers.

Greece is hosting some 70,000 mostly Syrian refugees and mi-grants who have fl ed their coun-tries since 2015, and crossed over from neighbouring Turkey.

Under an agreement reached with the European Union in 2016,

Turkey has made greater eff orts to limit departures towards the fi ve Greek islands closest to its shores.

But the number of arrivals has been steadily climbing in recent months causing a dangerous burden in the camps of the is-lands that are in the forefront of the migrant infl ux.

More than 9,000 people ar-rived in August, the highest number in the three years since the European Union and Ankara implemented a deal to shut off the Aegean migrant route.

More than 8,000 people have arrived so far in September.

On Friday seven Turkish na-tionals, two women and fi ve children, drowned when a boat carrying them capsized near Greece’s Chios island.

At least two dead in migrant camp blaze on Greek islandReuters/AFPAthens

Migrants stand near the burning container in the Moria camp on Lesbos island.

Germany allows 47% of rescued migrants to stayDPABerlin

Almost every second Medi-terranean boat migrant who has gone through

asylum proceedings in Germany over the last year has been al-lowed to stay in the country.

A representative from the in-terior ministry told parliamen-tarians at a closed-door meeting on Friday that of the 225 people saved at sea and taken to Ger-many since July 2018, 138 have so far gone through an asylum procedure, according to meeting participants.

Forty-seven per cent were al-lowed to stay by being granted asylum, refugee status or sub-sidiary protection because they face “serious harm” in their country of origin.

In six cases, migrants were allowed to stay because of a na-tional deportation prohibition.

Seventy-two requests were rejected.

“It is good that Germany has fi nally abandoned its stance of only wanting to take in rescuees with presumably good prospects of remaining,” Ulla Jelpke of the far-left Die Linke party said.

Last Monday, Germany, Italy, France and Malta announced a deal to redistribute rescued sea migrants.

Interior Minister Horst See-hofer said on Friday that the deal could be the fi rst building block of a new, solidarity-driven com-mon asylum policy in Europe.

Seehofer, a former leader of the right-wing Christian So-cial Union (CSU) who in Ger-man coalition negotiations had demanded a cap on refugee ar-rivals, insisted that he had not changed his political stance.

“It remains humanity and or-der, and part of order is the lim-iting of immigration,” the minis-ter said.

Seehofer will travel to Tur-key and Greece this week with French Interior Minister Chris-tophe Castaner and EU Migra-tion Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos to capitalise on the dynamic created by the deal.

The visit comes amid in-creased migrant movements from Turkey to Greece.

Slovakia grounds MiG-29 fighter jetsSlovakia has ordered its Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets temporarily grounded after one crashed late on Saturday in the west of the country, the defence ministry said in a statement.The pilot of the plane managed to eject himself and survived, the ministry informed.According to Defence Minister Peter Gajdos, the hospitalised pilot’s condition was stable.Before ejecting, the pilot had directed the plane to crash in an uninhabited area to limit potential damage to life and property, the Pravda.sk website quoted Gajdos as saying.A second plane which took part in the routine training flight landed safely, defence ministry spokeswoman Danka Capakova said.The cause of the crash is still unclear.Slovak police suspected a fuel shortage, possibly caused by a technical malfunction, Pravda.sk reported.The ministry did not comment on the cause of the crash.An independent commission has been sent to investigate the crash.Last year, Slovakia signed a deal to buy F-16 aircraft from the US to replace its ageing fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets.Slovakia has been a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) since 2004.

Germany still conducting criminal proceedings against 29 WWII Nazis

Germany is still conducting criminal proceedings against 29 people for their involvement in Nazi crimes during World War II, including guards at concentration camps, German public broadcaster NDR said has said.In total, investigations are being carried out into 50 named individuals, including some women, NDR said.In many cases, it is not clear if the suspects are still alive or not.A court in Hamburg will in October open a trial against a 93-year-old former guard at the concentration camp Stutthof near Gdansk in modern-day Poland.The man is charged with accessory to murder in 5,230 cases.Investigators in Hamburg are also looking into a case against a 97-year-old woman who was once a supervisor at the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen.

INDIA17Gulf Times

Monday, September 30, 2019

Going to UN for Kashmir was blunder, says Shah

Toll rises to120 as heavyrains lash north India

IANSNew Delhi

Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday held the Con-gress party responsi-

ble for the present Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and slammed critics for questioning the gov-ernment’s August 5 move to ab-rogate Article 370 that granted special status to Kashmir.

Blaming the fi rst prime minis-ter Jawaharlal Nehru for the cri-sis, Shah said going to the UN for the Kashmir issue was a blunder.

“First of all, going to UN for Kashmir was a blunder. And sec-ondly, the selection of the char-ter was wrong. Instead of choos-ing charter 35, the government should have opted for charter 51,” the BJP president said.

“It is because the people writ-ing the history were the ones who created the problems in Kashmir”, he said.

While he congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ax-ing Article 370, he reminded the Congress of the alleged atroci-ties committed under its rule in Kashmir.

“At least 41,800 people have been killed by terrorism in Kash-mir to date. I ask those people who raise questions of human rights... will you raise voice for the children and family of these 40,000 plus people who were killed?”

Training his guns at hu-man rights organisations cry-ing foul over Kashmir, he said: “For them, video clips of mobile phones is human rights violation but the killing of many people, army men, and security forces is not human rights violation. Lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits are roaming around in the country after being thrown away from their homeland. Isn’t this hu-man rights violation?”

AgenciesNew Delhi

The death toll due to tor-rential rains in northern India rose to 120 yester-

day, with over 50 deaths report-ed in the past 24 hours alone, of-fi cials said.

Monsoon rains, accompanied by storms and lightning, hit large parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar since Thursday.

The incessant downpour felled trees and electricity poles, and brought down roofs and temporary structures.

Offi cials at Uttar Pradesh’s Disaster Management Depart-ment said that 49 more people were killed in rain-related ac-cidents, in addition to the 64 deaths reported since Thursday.

“The situation is grim in the eastern districts, with no let-up in the rains. The deaths were due to incidents of house collapses, lightning, drowning and snake bites,” said Ashutosh, an offi cial.

Uttar Pradesh received record rainfall – 1,700% above normal – on Friday.

The eastern parts of the state were the worst hit.

On Saturday, Prayagraj re-ceived 102.2mm of rain and Vara-

nasi received 84.2mm of rain, much higher than what is usually received at this time of the year.

In Lucknow, Amethi, Hardoi and some other districts, schools were closed on Friday and Satur-day due to the heavy downpour.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked divi-sional commissioners and dis-trict magistrates to take all meas-ures and extend immediate relief to those aff ected, an offi cial said.

NDTV news channel reported that heavy rains also battered the neighbouring state of Bihar, kill-ing seven people.

The rains fl ooded homes and hospitals, disrupting life for thousands of people in region.

Boats were out on waterlogged roads for rescue operations, the report said.

The weather offi ce has forecast more rain for the region today.

According to weather depart-ment offi cials, capital city Patna has received 151mm rain since Sat-urday – a record in recent years.

“This is the fi rst time I have seen boats plying on the water-logged roads in Patna...it is new for us,” Sanket Jha, a college student of Rajendra Nagar colony, said.

“The entire Patna is water-logged because of choked drain-age. It has caused havoc in resi-

dential localities and exposed the Patna Municipal Corpora-tion,” Lakhender Mahto, a re-tired school teacher, said.

According to reports, water entered the residence of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi in Rajendra Nagar.

Water also made its way into the residences of former chief ministers Satendra Narayan Singh on Boring Road and Jitan Ram Manjhi, as well as Bharatiya Janata Party MP and former fed-eral minister Rajeev Pratap Rudy.

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi expressed grave concern over the fl ood situation and urged the central govern-ment to provide assistance to the two states.

Expressing deep concern over the fl ood situation arising out of incessant rains in Bihar, espe-cially Patna, Uttar Pradesh and other states, Gandhi in a state-ment that she was hoping that the state governments and local administration were taking suf-fi cient relief and remedial meas-ures.

She sought to draw the atten-tion of the central Government to the fl ood situation and said the required assistance must be given to the respective state gov-ernments.

A man and a boy ride a scooter through a flooded road after heavy rains in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, yesterday.

BJP euphoria on PM’s US visit misplaced: CongressIANSNew Delhi

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from his week-long US

visit, during which he addressed the UN General Assembly, the Congress yesterday slammed the government saying it failed to meet India’s expectations de-spite public display of bonhomie at the “Howdy Modi” extrava-ganza in Houston.

The opposition party, how-ever, supported Modi for his stand on Pakistan, the continu-ing threat from terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Congress notes with disappointment that the much-hyped Modi-Trump meeting failed to meet India’s expecta-tions despite the public display of bonhomie and special friend-ship at the Huston extrava-ganza,” Congress leader Anand Sharma said in a statement.

He said there were no tan-

gible outcomes of the vis-it, which could justify the Bharatiya Janata Party’s cel-ebrations.

“The prime minister was un-successful in persuading the US President to restore the gen-eralised system of preference (GSP) for exports to the US mar-ket, withdrawal of reduction in number of H1-B visas for Indian professionals and steep hike in the visa fee,” Sharma said.

The failure to conclude trade deal had disappointed the indus-

try and exporters, which were weighed by the economic reces-sion, he said.

Sharma said Modi’s meetings with other heads of states and governments were routine aff air and part of the standard practice at the UNGA. “They don’t have a special signifi cance as is claimed by the government-BJP propa-ganda. The BJP euphoria on PM’s visit is misplaced and there is no cause for celebration,” he said.

Sharma said the Congress would appreciate sharing of the

government assessment of visit by Modi with leaders of political parties.

The Congress leader accused the prime minister of getting carried away by his own “propa-ganda” and remaining “discon-nected with the harsh ground realities of deepening economic crisis, falling investment, crash-ing industrial production, loss of jobs and wages and collapsing demand and consumption”.

“It’s high time the govern-ment brings focus back on real

issues, and not defl ect by en-gaging in boastful propaganda,” Sharma said.

The Congress leader, however, supported Modi on his stand against Pakistan.

“The Congress is in complete agreement with the stand taken by the prime minister and the government on Pakistan and the continuing threat of terror-ism. We congratulate the prime minister for reiterating India’s fi rm and consistent position that J&K is an integral part of India

and its accession is fi nal and ir-revocable.”

The Congress also endorsed the offi cial position that all is-sues pertaining to Kashmir were India’s internal aff airs and there was no question of any third party meddling.

Modi received a grand welcome on Saturday night on his return from the week-long visit to the US during which he addressed the UNGA, attended the ‘Howdy, Modi!’ diaspora event besides several other programmes.

No vaping ban U-turn, says offi cialReutersNew Delhi

The government has no plan to roll back a ban on electronic cigarettes, an offi cial told Re-

uters, as protests against the move by vapers in six cities drew scant support.

India banned the sale and import of e-cigarettes this month, warning of an “epidemic” of vaping among young people.

The action has aff ected users nationwide and the plans of inter-national companies including Juul Labs Inc and Philip Morris Inter-national, as well as triggering court challenges by local fi rms.

Protesters convened on Saturday to call for vaping devices to be regu-lated rather than prohibited.

But organisers Association of Vapers India said only about 400 people turned up across six cities, adding that some opponents of the ban feared being targeted by police.

At one protest in New Delhi, sev-eral people used vaping devices.

Among them sat a child with a poster that read: “I don’t want my dad to be a smoker”.

The government argues the ban is essential to protect people as vap-ing can lead to nicotine addiction and push users towards consuming tobacco.

Vapers say the devices help them stay away from more harmful to-bacco cigarettes.

More than 900,000 people die each year due to tobacco-related illnesses in India, the government estimates.

But the country has 106mn adult

smokers, second only to China, making it a lucrative potential mar-ket for companies selling both to-bacco and vaping products.

A health ministry offi cial said the government was determined to stick by its ban, despite the protests and court challenges.

“There is no question of a roll-back or anything like that,” the of-fi cial said.

Two court challenges that could be pivotal for whether the ban can continue to be enforced are under way in Kolkata, including one by e-cigarette importer Plume Va-pour.

The company, in a court fi ling seen by Reuters, argues that the ban will allow cigarette companies to fl ourish while putting e-cigarette fi rms out of business.

New Delhi protester Aryaman Chaudhary, 25, said he stocked up on vape refi lls ahead of the ban, but was worried he would eventually run out.

“I just want this regulated, not banned. Everybody has an addic-tion.”

People hold placards during a protest against the ban on the sale, import and manufacture of e-cigarettes in New Delhi.

As anticipated, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aditya Thackeray will contest the Maharashtra assembly elections from Worli in Mumbai, a top party source said yesterday.The 288-member assembly will go to the polls on October 21 and the results will be declared on October 24.The development comes amid

uncertainty over Sena’s proposed poll tie-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but the source said the “alliance is very much on”.“Aditya Thackeray will be contesting the polls from Worli. He is likely to file his nomination papers in a couple of days,” an aide of Uddhav Thackeray told IANS.The 29-year old grandson of Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray will

stand from the prestigious Worli seat in south-central Mumbai.Aditya will be the first member from the Thackeray family to enter the electoral fray after Shalini Thackeray, the wife of Jeetendra Thackeray, a cousin of Maharashtra Navnirman Samithi founder Raj Thackeray, who unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Aditya is the son of Uddhav and Rashmi Thackeray and has a younger brother Tejas.While a section of the party has been projecting Aditya as the chief ministerial candidate of Shiv Sena, others have been clamouring for Uddhav Thackeray to take the plunge himself – developments that have not gone down well with Sena’s wary ally, the BJP.

Aditya Thackeray to contest Maharashtra assembly elections

18 Gulf TimesMonday, September 30, 2019

INDIA

Cleanliness drivewins UN praiseIANSNew Delhi

The ‘Swachh Bharat’ mis-sion of the government is an “example-setting

programme for the world” and a “game-changer” as it altered the way Indian society behaved towards cleanliness, a top Unicef offi cial said.

In an interview to IANS, Unicef India’s Sanitation chief Nicolas Osbert showered praise on the programme announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his maiden Independ-ence Day address in 2014.

The Swachh Bharat (Clean India) campaign was launched by the government on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2, 2014. The compo-nents of the government’s fl ag-ship scheme include the con-struction of household toilets, community and public toilets

and solid waste management.“It caught us all by surprise,

us, the international crowd, the development crowd. Look at India, a very powerful coun-try, going for space conquest, having such powerful indus-tries, such strong research on the robotics and on IT and as much as India was dreaming of all of these, I think, in August 2014, saying that we are going to clean this mess, so we have a strong base for our develop-ment, was a good move,” Os-bter said.

“Five years ago, I was told that talking about open defection was a taboo here, even with the administration and the people but after Swachh Bharat, even chief ministers, district magis-trates propagate open defeca-tion free India,” he added.

He highlighted the posi-tive global impact that suc-cess of Swachh Bharat Mission brought with itself.

Maradu residents to moveout; demolition on scheduleIANSKochi

Residents of Maradu apart-ment complex yesterday decided to move out of

their homes after a meeting with Ernakulam district authorities, paving the way for its demoli-tion as ordered by the Supreme Court.

The 240 families who occupy 356 fl ats in the four buildings in the Maradu complex will move out latest by Thursday.

The court on September 6 or-dered demolition of the complex by September 20 for violating the Coastal Regulation Zone rules.

Yesterday morning, the residents launched an indefi -nite protest, but called it off at around 3pm after talks with top district authorities led to an am-icable solution.

Talking to media after the

meeting, representative of the fl at owners said they decided to end their protest and move out.

“The discussions were fruitful and most of our demands have been agreed to by the district au-thorities, who will fi nd suitable alternative accommodation for us besides paying the rent. Hence we have decided to end our pro-test and co-operate with the authorities so that the Supreme Court orders are adhered to,” one of the representatives said.

Following the agreement, the district authorities made ar-rangements to restore electric-ity and water connections to the complex.

The Supreme Court has asked the Kerala government to to give Rs25 lakh as interim compensa-tion to each fl at owner within four weeks and later recover the money from the builders.

The court also appointed Ker-ala High Court’s retired judge

K Balakrishnan Nair to head a three-member committee which will include a technical and civil expert to decide on any increase in the compensation, and to oversee the demolition.

Kochi Sub-Collector S K Singh , appointed as special of-fi cer in charge of demolition, confi rmed that several com-panies which have expertise in demolition, have expressed their willingness to participate in the tender process.

Meanwhile, Crime Branch chief Tomin Thachenkery ar-rived at the complex yesterday for an investigation into the al-leged illegalities in the construc-tion of the complex and fi nd out the wrong-doers.

According to an affi davit sub-mitted by the Kerala government in the Supreme Court, the dem-olition would be completed in 90 days and the debris would be cleared in another 30 days.

MP sex scandalcould lead topolice reshuffl e,say offi cialsIANSBhopal

A probe into the Mad-hya Pradesh honey-trap scandal seems to have

run into a controversy following a face-off between state police chief V K Singh and his peer-in-rank Purushottam Sharma.

According to offi cials, Chief Minister Kamal Nath might an-nounce a change in the police hierarchy this week.

Singh recently got a house rented by Sharma vacated in Ghaziabad amid reports that it was linked to the racket. Shar-ma, Special Director General of the Special Task Force (STF) and Cyber Cell, has protested and demanded that the Director General of Police (DGP) be pre-vented from overseeing the case.

Sharma wants the special in-vestigation team (SIT) probing the case supervised by an offi cial of the rank of Director General who is not under the state po-lice’s control.

“The SIT has been plagued by controversies right from the be-ginning. At fi rst, it was headed by an IG-CID, then an ADG-rank offi cer was made its head and, subsequently, its members were also changed. Later, a fl at housing the cyber cell’s guest-house was linked to the sex scan-dal,” Sharma said.

He claimed the position of the DGP had become “untenable” under such circumstances.

“In the wake of such contro-versies, it’s in the interests of jus-tice that supervision of the SIT be handed to a DG-rank offi cial who doesn’t report to state police headquarters,” Sharma said.

“As the cyber cell and the STF operations are sensitive in na-ture, their location-specifi c de-tails (like where they stay during special operations) shouldn’t be made public because its ramifi ca-tions could be serious,” he said.

Sharma has also written to the Indian Police Service Association in this connection. The Madhya Pradesh DGP has, however, re-fused to comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, SIT chief Sanjiv Shami continued to question fi ve suspects on Saturday night. Three of them were taken to Sa-gar to crosscheck statements on the director of an NGO who benefi ted from contracts earned through the gang.

A new woman, Rupa Ahir-war, is also under the scanner for helping Arti Dayal, who was among the fi rst to be arrested nearly a fortnight ago.

The scandal, which resulted in the arrest of fi ve women along with their driver, had the ac-cused allegedly luring power-ful people into sexual relation-ships and subsequent blackmail. Many people ended up facilitat-ing transfer of lucrative govern-ment projects to the clients of the accused.

The SIT is now trying to trace the money trail of the accused as well as their travel history over the last few years. Accord-ing to the police, one of them even made trips to Nepal, Dubai and a European country. On the Nepal trip, she was allegedly ac-companied by a former Madhya Pradesh minister.

Investigators are probing four bank accounts and two lockers, held by two of the operatives, to trace the money trail.

The police are baffl ed by the sophistry and range of spy cam-eras the honey-trapping the gang used on numerous occa-sions. Indore Senior Superin-tendent of Police Ruchi Vardhan Misra admitted that the gang used spy cameras, which have been seized.

Meanwhile, two more videos - one of a former chief minister and another of a close aide of a right-wing leader - have sur-faced, creating a fl utter in politi-cal circles.

Both videos have gone viral on social media. In one, the former chief minister is seen with a girl in a hotel room.

In the other video too, an elderly aide of a right-wing or-ganisation is seen with a young girl.

IANS does not authenticate the veracity of videos.

A sales woman arranges saris inside at a shop ahead of upcoming Dushhera festival in Hyderabad. Amazon and Flipkart yesterday launched a crucial battle for shoppers as retailers search for a much-needed boost to sales in a slowing economy.

Sales galore as web giants woo shoppersAFPNew Delhi

E-commerce giants Ama-zon and Walmart-backed Flipkart kicked off a cru-

cial battle for shoppers yes-terday ahead of India’s mas-sive festive season as retailers search for a much-needed boost to sales amid a slowing economy.

October and November - when much of India’s 1.3bn population celebrates several major festivals and consumers traditionally go on spending sprees - are critical for retailers, with some raking in almost half of their annual sales during the period.

But sales this year have been hit by falling consumer demand as a liquidity crunch crimps personal loans and unemploy-

ment soars to its highest level since the 1970s.

“Things are diffi cult,” Rakesh Kumar Yadav of the Federation of Sadar Bazar Traders Asso-ciation, which represents some 40,000 wholesale traders in New Delhi, told AFP.

Even aggressive pitches by Amazon and Flipkart, which have heavily invested in India’s budding e-commerce market, did not stop online consumer spending from slipping by around 20% in the six months to June compared to last year, the Economic Times reported citing market research firm Kantar.

“The festival season is around the corner and a lot of these corporates are coming up with various schemes to prop up de-mand and woo the consumers,” India Ratings principal econo-mist Sunil Sinha told AFP.

“But my own sense is that despite all the eff orts, over-all consumer sentiment is so down-and-out that we won’t see similar kinds of spending that we have seen in the past.”

With their deep pockets, Am-azon and Flipkart are taking on India’s local family-run stores, known as “kirana” shops, that have dominated streets for dec-ades.

Less than 5% of India’s $600bn retail market is online, but the sector is expected to expand to 8-9% of the market by 2022 thanks to smartphone adoption and a rising middle class, according to RBC Capital Markets.

Amazon - which recently opened a massive campus for 15,000 employees in of Hydera-bad - has taken out full-page newspaper ads to promote its “Big Indian Festival” sales and

is off ering discounts of up to 90%.

Flipkart has Indian mega-star cricket Virat Kohli as the face of their “Big Billion Days” sales campaign and has slashed prices on fashion items and home appliances.

The two platforms - which have almost 75% share of the e-commerce market - hope to attract cash-strapped shop-pers with fi nancing options, and have hired hundreds of thousands of temporary staff to cope with expected increased demand.

Their six-day festive sales are estimated to reach $3.8bn, up from $2.9bn last year, de-spite the wider economic slowdown, Forrester Research senior forecast analyst Satish Meena said.

Bricks-and-mortar retailers are also ramping up their vis-

ibility to keep pace with the on-line behemoths.

“These are diffi cult times and consumer sentiment has been tilted towards the negative for some time now,” J Suresh, the managing director of Arvind Lifestyle Brands, told the Eco-nomic Times about why the 1,300-store owner was increas-ing ad spending by up to 20% this year.

Meanwhile, economists said a raft of recent government measures to revive the fl agging economy, including a corporate tax cut, would improve senti-ment in coming years.

“It’s a good beginning. The likelihood is that we’ve almost reached the bottom and if the government continues to do its bit and corporates remain upbeat because of these an-nouncements, things will start looking up,” Sinha said.

Members of the South India Floriculture Association distribute flowers to the public at Lalbhag to create awareness against use of plastic flowers, in Bengaluru yesterday.

Flower campaign

The Samajwadi Party yesterday said it will consider withdrawing a petition seeking disqualification of Shivpal Singh Yadav as a member of the Uttar Pradesh assembly if he agreed to merge his Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) with it. Senior SP leader Ram Govind Chaudhary had moved a petition, seeking Shivpal Yadav’s disqualification on September 13. “If Shivpal Yadav dissolves his party and merges it with SP, the party will consider withdrawing its petition,” he said. This is the first time that the Samajwadi Party has extended an olive branch to Shivpal Yadav. Chaudhary said his party has shown utmost patience in dealing with Shivpal Yadav. “He was elected on as Samajwadi Party ticket in 2017 from Jaswantnagar assembly seat but he floated a new party and contested against the SP candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

Officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation yesterday took arrested police officer S M H Mirza to the south Kolkata flat of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukul Roy in connection with the Narada sting footage probe. A CBI officer said Mirza was taken to Roy’s flat in the light of the footage in which he was seen promising someone that an amount of Rs1.70 crore had been deposited at the right place. The officer said the agency had taken Roy’s permission before coming to his flat and that the former federal minister was present and “co-operative” when Mirza was taken there. A day after Roy was grilled for two-and-a half hours by the CBI, Mirza was brought to the apartment under heavy security.

Employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) yesterday decided to go on an indefinite strike from October 5 to press their demands. The employees said they were forced to go on strike by the “unhelpful attitude” of the state government, which failed to address the long-pending demands. The employees want the TSRTC to be merged with the government. The demand cropped up after the loss-making Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) was merged with the government in the neighbouring state early this month. Beside the merger, the TSRTC employees’ unions are demanding pay revision, job security, payment of dues and filling up of vacancies. The unions, which claim to represent about 100,000 employees, half of them working on contract basis, also demanded an increase in the bus fleet.

Akhtar Parvez, owner of the popular biryani restaurant chain Arsalan, was among 14 people arrested for allegedly playing poker during raids in two clubs in Kolkata, police said yesterday. Police conducted simultaneous raids against poker clubs in different places of the Kolkata late on Saturday night. “During the raids, 14 people, including Parvez, were arrested from two poker clubs,” a police officer said. Parvez, 57, and a resident of Syed Amir Ali Avenue in central Kolkata, were picked up along with six others from Friends Club in south Kokata’s Camac Street. Poker is banned in India. Last month, the Arsalan owner’s son Raghib was arrested after a luxury car he was driving was involved in an accident killing two people and injuring three.

In a bizarre incident, a female police off icer in Uttar Pradesh got herself shot by her boyfriend and faked a robbery case in a bid to get her in-laws framed. Police have arrested Renu Singh and two others, including her boyfriend. Her husband is also a constable and both were posted in Ghaziabad. According to police reports, on September 16, Renu was reportedly found with a bullet injury on her hand. A case of robbery was registered against unknown persons who allegedly stole her two-wheeler and Rs2 lakh in cash, besides attacking her. Renu had strained relations with her husband and in-laws,” a police off icer said. The couple had been married for six years and have a child. Renu was having an aff air with Manish. She staged the fake case with his and friend Vikas’s help.

Shivpal urged to mergehis party with SP

CBI takes arrested police off icer to Mukul Roy’s flat

Telangana transportemployees to go on strike

14 held at poker clubs raids in Kolkata

Female cop gets herself shot to frame in-laws

POLITICS INVESTIGATIONPROTEST CRACKDOWN CRIME

MexicansingerJose Josedies at 71ReutersMexico City

Mexican singer Jose Jose, whose powerful, ro-mantic ballads capti-

vated Latin America for more than half a century, has died.

Mexico’s culture ministry expressed its condolences in a statement, calling Jose Jose, whose real name was Jose Rom-ulo Sosa Ortiz, “one of Mexico’s most loved voices.”

Jose Jose received several Grammy nominations, sold more than 250mn albums and was once courted by music legend Frank Sinatra, who wanted to win him for his own label.

He is often considered Mexi-co’s most successful singer and was also an occasional actor. “It is sad, his passing,” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters.

Mexico City residents gath-ered for an impromptu tribute at a statue of the singer, laying wreaths, and singing his songs. Some were in tears.

‘The Prince of Song,’ as the Mexican was aff ectionately called by his fans, was born into a family of musicians and raised in Mexico City.

Son of tenor Jose Sosa Esquivel and pianist Margarita Ortiz Pen-sado, Jose Jose began his musical career as a child: he debuted in school choir and in 1963 formed a musical trio formally starting his career at age 15.

Initially, he appeared in night-clubs and even formed a jazz and bossa nova group in which he played the double bass; later, he scored a contract with the Mexi-can subsidiary of the interna-tional label RCA Victor.

In 1969, he released his fi rst album under the pseudonym of “Jose Jose.” The singer said later that his artistic name was in-spired by the name of his father, who died in 1968 of alcoholism.

Jose Jose conquered the Span-ish-speaking world with the in-terpretation of “El Triste” at the 1970 Latin Song Festival that took place in the Mexican capital.

It became the performance that catapulted him to stardom.

The sudden fame also brought negative consequences.

Like his father, he fell into al-coholism and had to take some time out.

He returned to the stage in 1971, but continued to suff er from alcoholism for 30 more years.

The 1980s became the most successful decade of his career, during which he sold 2mn copies of his album “Secrets” in just a few weeks while also making his debut in the cinema.

But his dipsomania and lack of rest irreparably damaged his vo-cal cords, forcing him to undergo several operations that failed to restore them.

In 2007, he also suff ered a fa-cial paralysis. As a result of his alcohol addiction, Jose Jose’s health deteriorated rapidly since the 1990s.

Even so, supported by his wife, Cuban Sarita Salazar, Jose Jose recovered and continued his ca-reer.

In recent years he gained a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Mexican broadcaster Televisa reported the singer died in Mi-ami at 71 after complications fol-lowing treatment for pancreatic cancer.

Two years ago he announced that he had a tumour in the pan-creas that was being treated with chemotherapy.

Many of his works inspired a younger generation of artists and musicians, including Latin pop star Julio Iglesias, who interpret-ed Jose Jose’s fi rst big hit “The Ship of Oblivion.”

His son Jose Francisco, known as Jose Joel, who is also a musi-cian, changed his profi le picture on Twitter to a black ribbon.

Declare wildfi res nationaldisaster, Morales urgedReutersChiquitano Forest, Bolivia

In Bolivia’s fi re-ravaged low-lands, a caravan of indig-enous protesters is marching

hundreds of miles to demand President Evo Morales declare a surge in wildfi res a national dis-aster, a move they hope will un-leash international aid.

Morales has been reluctant to make the designation as he campaigns for a fourth presi-dential term ahead of October 20 elections, despite growing calls that he acknowledge the fi res — which have already burned an area bigger than Costa Rica —

were beyond his government’s control.

Some 200 protesters — most indigenous Chiquitano people from Bolivia’s east — have joined the caravan since it departed earlier this month from San Ig-nacio de Velasco, a ranching hub where fi res have forced villagers from their homes and threatened pastures that sustain half a mil-lion head of cattle.

“He hasn’t declared a national disaster despite all this misfor-tune we’ve suff ered,” Joaquin Orellana, the organiser of the march, said of Morales as he walked along an unpaved road alongside protesters playing fl utes and drums.

“Everything’s burned where I’m from. We don’t know what to do,” Orellana said of his village of San Miguel.

Protesters, including women with young children and elders, have camped out in empty lots and relied on donations of food, water and clothes from villages along the march’s 500km route.

They aim to reach regional capital Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where Orellana expects the demonstration to expand into a show of force of indigenous peo-ple from the lowlands whom he says feel abandoned by Morales’ government.

Morales, South America’s longest-serving leftist leader, is

Bolivia’s fi rst indigenous presi-dent, hailing from Bolivia’s larg-est indigenous group, the Ay-mara.

His government has said de-claring a national disaster would turn a sovereign issue over to foreigners.

Morales is also fi ghting for his political survival in an increas-ingly tight presidential race.

Recent polls show he might be forced to go to a run-off race with his chief rival, Carlos Mesa, a business-friendly former president.

The wildfi res — the biggest in at least two decades — have thrown Morales’ re-election campaign into disarray, drawing

waves of criticism of his push to ramp up soy and beef production to tap demand from China.

Protesters want Morales to re-peal a law his government passed this year expanding slash-and-burn farming in drought-stricken regions now alight with blazes.

Some blame Aymara and other highland settlers, soy farmers and cattle ranchers.

They say the government’s response has fallen short as fi res have swept over some 15,000 square miles in the region of Santa Cruz alone, according to recent fi gures from Bolivian en-vironmental group Friends of Nature Foundation (FAN).

Slim’s company bullish oncoveted Mexico TV licenceReutersMexico City

America Movil, the tel-ecoms giant controlled by the family of billionaire

Carlos Slim, is growing increas-ingly bullish that it will receive a licence to off er television in Mexico, a prize that has eluded it for nearly three decades.

America Movil off ers TV in markets across Latin America, but the company has been barred from providing the service in its native Mexico since the privati-sation of state telecom fi rm Tel-mex in the early 1990s, which gave rise to the industry jugger-naut.

Last October, an America Movil subsidiary fi led a request for a pay TV licence with Mex-ico’s Federal Telecommunica-tions Institute (IFT).While many feel the company’s share of the market is still too high, and the IFT has given no indication of the decision it will take, senior executives have expressed opti-mism in recent months that the

matter will soon be resolved in their favour.

“I think that we will soon hear a fi nal defi nition from the min-istry that will entail not if but when we will be able to begin the service,” America Movil chief fi nancial offi cer Carlos Garcia Moreno said at an event hosted by Goldman Sachs last week, ac-cording to a recording obtained by Reuters.

Although Garcia Moreno al-luded to the ministry of com-munications and transportation (SCT), the decision will be taken by the IFT.

An America Movil spokesman declined to comment on the re-cording.

The remarks were previously published by Mexican newspaper El Universal.

Before approving or rejecting the request, the regulator’s com-missioners must vote on a rec-ommendation from staff .

Such a recommendation has not yet been received by the commissioners, a source in the regulator said.

The company fi led its request

shortly after the victory of Mexi-can President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has a long history of collaborating with Slim.

While the decision rests with the IFT, an autonomous regu-lator, senior members of Lopez Obrador’s administration have previously told Reuters they are open to granting America Movil the licence.

Despite more consumers em-bracing streaming, America Movil is impatient to join its rivals in peddling triple-play packages that unite phone, inter-net and TV — with the company arguing the penetration of pay TV in Mexico is still low.

If a licence is issued, the Tel-mex network could be ready to off er TV to consumers within six months at most, a person close to Telmex said.

The America Movil sub-sidiary plans to invest roughly 6.03bn pesos ($305.95mn) to offer the service, according to a document filed by the SCT in November that was obtained by Reuters.

Argentina’s Fernandezreassures creditorsReutersBuenos Aires/New York

Argentina’s presidential front-runner Alberto Fern-andez said that if elected

next month, he would aim to avoid haircuts on bond payments and seek a moderate “Uruguay-style” debt restructuring, music to the ears of the country’s creditors.

Investors are closely watching Fernandez’s comments on debt after the South American nation was forced to announce plans to renegotiate around $100bn in bonds after a sharp market crash in August pushed the country to-ward default.

The Peronist candidate, who soundly beat market-friendly incumbent President Mauricio Macri in an August primary, is the favourite to win the October 27 general election. How his admin-istration will handle the debt crisis is one of the key questions for the country and its local and global backers.

“Hearing Fernandez refer to a Uruguay-style re-profi ling is a very positive thing,” said Roger Horn, senior emerging market

strategist at SMBC Nikko Securi-ties America in New York, adding that most investors were braced for some sort of loss. “It at least shows a market-friendly inten-tion.”

Fernandez, in comments posted on Twitter, said debt was Argen-tina’s “biggest issue,” but that the country - in recession for much of the last year - would meet its obligations in full if given time to revive growth.

“We will pay the debts by grow-ing and exporting... The only way is to export. The other channel has been exhausted, which is to bor-row,” he said.

In separate comments at an event in Cordoba, he said Argen-tina should be able to replicate the model of neighbouring Uruguay, which successfully undertook voluntary debt renegotiations in 2003 and is widely seen as a posi-tive model.

By contrast, in 2005 and 2010, under a prior Peronist govern-ment, Argentina pushed bond holders to take a massive ‘haircut’ that hurt its reputation on fi nan-cial markets and sparked a multi-year battle with ‘holdout’ credi-tors.

Costa Rica wins UN award

Tourists ride horses on Cahuita beach, Limon, Costa Rica. Costa Rica received the 2019 United Nations Champions of the Earth award for its work on conservation and against climate change and decarbonisation.

LATIN AMERICA

Gulf Times Monday, September 30, 2019

19

Two people were killed and two more injured when a rollercoaster carriage derailed at a theme park in Mexico, authorities have said. Early reports suggest a mechanical problem caused the carriage to become detatched from the ride and fall some 10 metres to the ground, the public prosecutor said in a statement. It is believed the two men died as a result of head injuries, it added, while two woman were taken to hospital -- one of them in a serious condition. The accident happened at La Feria amusement park in the capital Mexico City on Saturday. In a Twitter post, the theme park said it “deeply regrets the terrible accident” and it has launched an investigation into the incident.

The luxury presidential plane that whisked Mexico’s former leader around the world but is now for sale should tempt Donald Trump to open his wallet, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador joked. “I’m going to make him an offer the next time I talk to him on the phone,” he saidjokes. As he was giving the speech, Lopez Obrador emphasised his 10-month-old government’s anti-corruption drive and he then reminded his audience that one of his first official acts was to put up for sale the airliner fitted with a large presidential bed and marble bathroom that former president Enrique Pena Nieto used.

Brazil’s Congress has approved a section of a bill concerning a oil auction in November that lawmakers say will allow the process to be carried out despite lingering disagreements between lawmakers. The approved legislation concerns the sharing between states and municipalities of the proceeds resulting from the auction. While Brazil’s lower house and senate still disagree over aspects of how the proceeds will be shared, the move allows the aspects they agree on to become law. The transfer-of-rights auction, scheduled for November 7, will give international oil firms the opportunity to bid for production rights in off shore pre-salt areas that hold billions of barrels of oil.

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific off the coast of Chile yesterday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. “There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage,” the USGS said of the earthquake, which it earlier reported as a magnitude 7.2, and which occurred 66kms west-southwest of Constitucion, Chile. Chile’s National Seismological Centre (CSN) put the quake at 6.6 magnitude. Despite the tremor’s strength, there were no reports of injuries, impact to basic services or damage to infrastructure, according to Chile’s National Emergency Off ice (ONEMI).There were also no tsunami warnings, advisories, watches or threats in the wake of the earthquake.

The top leader and founder of Colombia’s Los Pelusos crime gang has been killed in an operation led by the national police, President Ivan Duque said. The gang is one of the most well-known criminal organisations in the Andean country and involved in fighting that has endangered hundreds of thousands of people in areas along the eastern border with Venezuela. Luis Antonio Quintero, known by his alias Pacora, was a former leftist rebel who commanded some 440 gang members, the government said. The 49-year-old was wanted on terrorism and murder charges and located in Norte de Santander province.

Two killed in Mexicorollercoaster accident

Trump should buy Mexicojet, jokes Lopez Obrador

Brazil’s Congress clearsway for huge oil auction

6.8 magnitudequake rattles Chile

Leader of Colombia’sLos Pelusos gang killed

TRAGEDYCOMMENT DECISION DISASTERLAW AND ORDER

Macri campaigns

Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri holds up a sign at a campaign rally in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The sign reads: “Yes we can”.

PAKISTAN

Gulf Times Monday, September 30, 201920

The Commonwealth Par-liamentary Association (CPA) has decided to

probe the ongoing siege in the Indian-administered Kashmir and the dissolution of its leg-islature, which had also been a member of the CPA.

The announcement was made by president of the General As-sembly of the 64th Common-wealth Parliamentary Confer-ence (CPC), Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, the Speaker of the Par-liament of Uganda and the host of the 64th Commonwealth Par-liamentary Conference.

Her statement came in wake of the powerful interventions made by Pakistan’s delegates, led by Minister for Inter-Pro-vincial Co-ordination Dr Feh-mida Mirza.

The CPA has asked Pakistan to submit a written application for an investigation in this matter, according to a press release re-ceived here.

Drawing the attention of the

General Assembly, Mirza stated that the legislature of the Indi-an-administered Kashmir had been held in abeyance by the CPA on account of its dismissal by the state’s governor.

However, she said that the CPA had neither investigated nor looked into the reasons un-der which even the limited and controlled representation had been “snatched” from the be-leaguered people of Kashmir by occupying forces.

“The people of Indian Occu-pied Kashmir (IOK) are under siege since August 5. All elected representatives of IOK are under detention and deprived of any voice,” said Mirza, informing the delegates that the state had re-mained under continued curfew for over 54 days now.

Upon interruption by the In-dian delegation, the minister forcefully voiced her outrage for the rights of Kashmiris.

Her intervention drew inter-est from delegates from other member states, who joined the Pakistan delegation in yelling “No!” as an Indian delegate tried to insist that the issue was an in-

ternal matter of India.Mirza was followed by mem-

ber of the National Assembly (MNA) Dr Aisha Ghous Pasha, who strongly objected to the continued siege of Kashmir by the Indian forces, calling the Kashmir the “world’s largest open-air prison”.

Pasha lamented the fact that the “so-called largest democ-racy” had in fact “choked” peo-ple’s voices, with women and children “the worst victims of continued Indian aggression”.

“The CPA stands for de-fending democratic rights and freedoms of people of its mem-ber branches,” she stated. “If the IOK is a legitimate branch of the CPA, any act of silence or shying away from the continued breach of human rights in Kashmir will cast a dark shadow on this House.”

Later, as an Indian delegate tried to justify the dismissal of the assembly of the Indian-administered Kashmir, he was booed down by members of the House.

The chair, while taking note of the situation, directed the Ex-

ecutive Committee of the CPA to investigate the matter on a writ-ten complaint, as moved by the Pakistan delegation.

Her ruling received general applause.

An eight-member parliamen-tary delegation of Pakistan’s parliament, comprising MNAs

Bashir Mehmood Virk, Shan-dana Gulzar Khan, Uzma Riaz Jadoon, Shaheen Saifullah Khan and Pasha, with Senator Sana Jamali and Senator Kesho Bai, besides Minister Mirza, is in the Ugandan capital Kampala to at-tend the 64th CPC.

Apart from the delegates from

the Senate and the National As-sembly, delegates from the four provincial assemblies are also there.

More than 600 delegates, ob-servers and parliamentary ex-perts from 180 legislatures of 54 Commonwealth countries are participating in the conference.

Commonwealth body to probe Kashmir situationInternewsIslamabad

PM’s speech resonated with masses, says US-based journalist

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s UN General Assembly

speech on Friday “resonated among the masses

because he spoke with heart”, said a senior Paki-

stani journalist based in the US when describing the

historic address.

Masood Haider, who has covered many Pakistani lead-

ers at the UN, shared his observation with German

broadcaster DW about the prime minister’s speech.

“His words resonated with the people of Pakistan

because he spoke with heart and intense emotion.

There was nothing artificial and this what the people

wanted,” the journalist said. “Those I met and talked to

are pleased with Prime Minister Imran Khan.”

In his over 45-minute maiden speech to the UN

General Assembly, Khan lashed out at Indian Prime

Minister Narendra Modi for annexing Indian-adminis-

tered Kashmir and imposing a repressive lockdown,

with phone and Internet services cut off , thousands

arrested, medical supplies running short, and schools

closed.

Prime Minister Khan vows to continue speaking out

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that he will con-

tinue exposing the “fascist and anti-Muslim regime” of

his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

He was addressing a large number of people, who

gathered at the Islamabad airport to receive him, after

his historic address to the UN General Assembly on

Friday, highlighting human rights violations in Indian-

administered Kashmir by Indian forces.

Khan said that Pakistan will continue supporting the

just struggle of the people of Kashmir, and sooner or

later they will achieve their goal of freedom.

He asked the people of Pakistan to remain steadfast

in supporting their Kashmiri brethren in their struggle

against the Indian “aggression”.

Khan said that India has locked the 8mn people of

Kashmir by imposing an “illegal” curfew.

La whoa!Models present creations by Pakistani designers Fahad Hussayn (above), Faraz Abid Sheikhu (right), Noreen Neelam (below), and Nickie Nina (left) on Saturday evening during the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) Bridal Week 2019 in Lahore.

Pakistan military ranked 15th most powerfulgloballyInternewsKarachi

According to Global Fire-power’s 2019 military strength ranking, the Pa-

kistan military is ranked as the 15th most powerful military in the world.

The US, Russia and China, in that order, are ranked as the three most powerful forces, with India coming in at number four ahead of France, Japan, South Korea and the UK.

Global Firepower ranks the militaries of 137 countries by giving weightage to a complex number of factors, and not just sheer numbers of soldiers or weapons.

It looks at a large number of diff erent criteria, including the diversity of each country’s weapons, manpower, popula-tion, geography and its state of development.

While it gives bonus points to countries with nuclear weapons, it does not factor in the size of their nuclear stockpiles in the fi nal score.

While landlocked countries are not penalised for not having navies, countries that do have navies, but with fl eets that lack diversity, are penalised.

The Global Firepower rank-ing takes into account 55 factors to determine a country’s Power Index score.

The formula allows smaller, more technologically-advanced countries to compete with larger, less developed ones.

A perfect Power Index score is 0.0000, which is realistically unattainable.

The closer countries are to that number, the more powerful their military is.

For example, the Power Index rating for the US is 0.0615.

For Pakistan, the fi gure stands at 0.2798 and for India it is 0.1065.

According to the ranking, Pa-kistan has an estimated total of 1,204,000 military personnel, total aircraft strength of 1,342 (ranked 7th out of 137), 348 fi ghter aircraft, 197 total naval assets, and a defence budget of $7bn.

India, meanwhile, has an es-timated 3,462,500 military per-sonnel, a total aircraft strength of 2,082 (4th out of 137), 4,184 combat tanks, 295 total naval as-sets, and one aircraft carrier.

India’s defence budget is $55.2bn.

Here is a ranking of the world’s top give most powerful militaries in 2019, according to Global Firepower, in order: the US, Rus-sia, China, India, and France.

Japan is ranked sixth, followed by South Korea, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Germany at rank 10.

Italy is ranked 11th, followed by Egypt, Brazil, Iran, and Paki-stan.

At rank 16 is Indonesia, fol-lowed by Israel, North Korea, Australia, and Spain.

The fi nal fi ve in the top 25 are Canada (at rank 21), Taiwan, Vi-etnam, Poland, and fi nally Saudi Arabia.

The three countries with the least powerful armies, accord-ing to the ranking, are Bhutan, Liberia, and Suriname, which rank 137th, 136th, and 135th, re-spectively.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology

and Telecommunications has been informed that 900,000 URLs have been blocked for rea-sons such as carrying blasphe-mous and pornographic content and/or sentiments against the state, judiciary or the armed forces.

The committee was told by the Pakistan Telecommunica-tion Authority (PTA) that citi-

zens could lodge complaints with the authority against un-lawful content.

However, the offi cials in-formed the meeting that any criminal activity pertaining to information technology (IT) or mobile telephony was dealt with by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and that informa-tion regarding cyber-crime was not available with the PTA.

They added there is no law in the country that barred the criminals or other people whose SIMs had been blocked, from obtaining new SIMs.

The committee meeting

chaired by Ali Khan Jadoon also approved the draft National IT Board (NITB) bill, which was presented by federal Minister for IT and Telecommunications Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.

Talking to media personnel after the meeting, Siddiqui said: “Pakistan is already lagging be-hind the world in many areas, including the prevalence of IT.

“If we do not convert our of-fi cial working to e-governance now, things will go bad in times to come.”

The minister added that “heavy use” of IT in govern-ment offi ces would help control

corruption and mismanagement there.

The NITB is a department that is attached to the ministry of IT and telecommunications, and is mandated to undertake and co-ordinate e-government initia-tives at federal ministries/divi-sions and departments, provide consultancy and advisory serv-ices relating to acquiring and implementing IT solutions as well as building capacity of staff of these organisations.

After the bill is approved by parliament, the ministry of IT and telecommunications will carry out procurement speed-

ily to remove shortfalls in in-formation and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure across all federal ministries and divisions to be able to implement an e-offi ce application.

The committee also reviewed the status of the IT park to be established in Islamabad that was conceived in 2008 and for which the Pakistan Software Ex-port Board has obtained 33 acres of land on lease from the Capital Development Authority.

The park is being established with the technical support and loan from South Korea, but the project has been delayed

by around two years due to an anonymous complaint lodged with the Economic Aff airs Divi-sion (EAD) that one of the short-listed companies was blacklisted in 1990 in Korea.

The committee was told by the offi cials of the IT ministry that there was “some truth” in the allegations, but the matter was resolved at a joint meeting of the EAD, the Korea Eximbank and the ministry, chaired by former fi nance minister Asad Umar in February.

IT Secretary Shoaib Siddiqui said the project would be com-pleted by August 2022.

900,000 websites blocked over content in Pakistan: offi cials InternewsIslamabad

More than 1mn register for housing schemePeople were quite enthusiastically registering themselves for Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme (NPHS), with more than 1mn citizens have so far registered.Online registration would continue till October 15, off icial sources informed, adding that the registration process has also been started in Karachi.“The registration process of NPHS was being continued at the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)’s E Sahulat Franchise Centres and online website, with payment of Rs250 as fee,” the sources said.According to the NADRA, so far 109,475 people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been registered for the NPHS, 2,065 from erstwhile-Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), 477,337 from Punjab, 130,981 from Sindh, 248,424 registrations from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 13,984 from Gilgit-Baltistan, 79,218 from Baluchistan, and 9,813 from Kashmir have been registered as aspirants for getting houses under the NPHS.Citizens can submit forms online at nphp.nadra.gov.pk

FBR identifies 104 benami properties

In pursuance of the prime minister’s directive, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)’s Anti-Benami Zones have started a countrywide exercise to gather information on benami properties from the provincial revenue and development authorities as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration.Senior off icers of these authorities have been given a briefing on benami laws along with guidelines for identification and reporting of all such properties.The FBR Anti-Benami Directorate is currently investigating 79 “beneficial owners” having 104 benami properties, out of which 58 are located in Karachi, 18 in Lahore, and 28 in the national capital Islamabad.Summonses have been issued to buyers and sellers of these properties.

Six dead, seven hurt in van attack

At least six people were killed while seven others sustained injuries as gunmen opened fire on a passenger van in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Hangu district.Police said the incident took place in Zargari area when unidentified assailants showered the van with bullets when it was en route to Shamsha Din Banda from Hangu.Initial inquiry suggested that the incident was a result of a feud between two groups of people.

PHILIPPINES21Gulf Times

Monday, September 30, 2019

A man uses an improvised raft to collect plastic and recyclable materials floating amongst the trash and water lilies in a polluted river in Manila, yesterday.

Cleanup effort

Student commits suicide after expose on hazingBy Glee JaleaManila Times

A student of the Univer-sity of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon

City committed suicide days after the alleged hazing activi-ties of the Sigma Rho Fraternity was exposed.

The police said the student was found unconscious by his mother.

The university confirmed that a student died.

But UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan called on the pub-lic to refrain from posting on social media about the death of the student, who the university did not name.

“I appeal to all students, fac-ulty and staff, as well as other concerned parties in and out of UP Diliman, to stop posting and forwarding social media messages related to the death of one of the Sigma Rho Frater-nity members implicated in last

week’s online expose of the fra-ternity’s hazing,” Tan said.

“Let us do this out of sense and decency and respect for

the privacy of the family,” he added. A spot report from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) showed that a 22-year-old Sigma Rho student took his own life in his home in Mariki-na City on Saturday afternoon.

His family had executed a waiver to launch an investiga-tion into the crime scene.

Tan said the university had initiated an administrative ac-tion “toward the pursuit of justice for the hazing victims,” and vowed to keep the public posted for updates on the cases.

“Sensationalism is, itself, a form of violent assault, and is not the solution to the frater-nity culture of violence,” he added.

On Wednesday, an anony-mous Twitter user called on the concerned parties to put an end to hazing, which “has done nothing but destroy lives and create this false sense of broth-erhood.”

His tweet came with leaked private conversations from

2017 among fraternity mem-bers about performing a hazing ritual and a photo of a man in a white shirt with bruised arms.

Among the leaked screen-shots was a photo of the stu-dent who committed suicide holding a paddle. A UP alumna defended the dead student.

“(The other Sigma Rho members) are the only ones who have access to that par-ticular thread. That initiation happened two years ago, in 2017,” Carla May Bautista told Manila Times.

Bautista bared that the vic-tim had a hard time accepting “all that bashing” from the public and decided to “just end it.”

“Fraternity-related violence has long been a part of the UP culture. The reason why I know that is because I person-ally know of young men, since I was a freshman in UP in 1991, who underwent the exact same process,” Bautista told this newspaper.

“There has to be a defini-tive action to finally demolish this culture of impunity,” she added.

This is not the first time that the UP Sigma Rho was called out for being involved in a violent hazing activity. Chris Anthony Mendez died in 2007 after reportedly sustaining lo-calised bleeding based on the medical report of the QCPD.

Another fraternity group, Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity, also received public backlash after its members were caught in a brawl inside the premises of the university last year.

The first reported hazing death in the country was of Upsilon’s neophyte member Gonzalo Albert in 1954.

Republic Act 11053, or the “Anti-Hazing Act of 2018,” imposes a penalty of reclusion perpetua and a P3mn fine on those behind hazing activities that will lead to the death, rape or mutilation of a prospective member.

Design changes to skyways may worsen traffi c woesBy Ben KritzManila Times

Hailed as a partial solution to Metro Manila’s crip-pling traffi c congestion

and proof of the success of the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build infrastructure drive, the Skyway Stage 3 and Skyway Stage 4 projects might actually worsen traffi c problems.

A careful analysis of both projects and the growth patterns of the metropolis reveals that the construction of the Skyway Stage 3, and likely the Stage 4 project as well, has worsened traffi c congestion. This was an-ticipated to some extent, but delays and design changes have made the problem worse.

Even when completed, the new highways may not signifi -cantly reduce congestion be-cause they do not connect ar-eas in and around Metro Manila where growth is greatest.

Legal issues and extraordi-nary cost overruns associated with the Skyway Stage 3 project may result in greater scrutiny of upcoming project contracts, po-tentially delaying the launch of new construction at a time when President Rodrigo Duterte’s ad-ministration is trying to accel-erate the pace of infrastructure development.

The Metro Manila Skyway

(MMS) Stage 3 project was origi-nally conceived as a 14.8-kilo-metre, six-lane elevated high-way connecting the South Expressway at Buendia in Makati City with Balintawak in Quezon City. The P26.5bn project was proposed under a public-private partnership by the former Aqui-no 3rd administration. A joint venture called the Citra Central Expressway Corp. (CCEC), com-prised of San Miguel Holdings Corp. (SMHC), the Philippine National Construction Corp. and Indonesia’s Citra Group, won the 30-year concession to build and operate it in January 2012.

The project was bogged down with delays from the very be-ginning. Construction was sup-posed to start in January 2014, but did not get underway until nearly four months later, with very little of the highway be-ing completed by its planned mid-2016 opening date. De-sign changes necessitated by right-of-way disputes and a decision to extend the highway across Edsa to the North Luzon Expressway-Balintawak inter-change in Quezon City length-ened the original design by 2.58km, and drove costs far be-yond the original P26.5bn price tag to P37.43bn by mid-2017. In February this year, an offi cial of San Miguel disclosed that costs had ballooned beyond P46bn.

As of early September, ac-cording to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, the project was only about 75% complete, more than three years beyond its original target date, and securing of the right-of-way for the high-way is only “almost 100% com-plete.” Villar said the highway would be partially open by the end of this year, with one lane available for traffi c in either di-rection, and that the project will be fully completed by the fi rst quarter of 2020.

If construction delays and enormous cost overruns were not enough, the Skyway Stage 3 project is also at the centre of an ownership dispute between the principal partners in the project, SMHC and the Citra Group (Ci-

tra Lamtoro Gung Persada), a conglomerate controlled by the eldest daughter of the late Indo-nesian dictator Suharto.

SMHC has accused the Indo-nesian group of fraud in creating CCEC, and in September 2018 the Justice department approved the fi ling of syndicated estafa charges against Shadik Wahono, the head of the Indonesian fi rm, three other Indonesians and two Filipinos.

Wahono, who along with his co-accused is the subject of a no-bail arrest warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court of Man-daluyong, has since disappeared and the case remains stalled. Be-cause the heart of the dispute is control over the joint venture, it could have serious implications for the contract arrangements of many large-scale infrastructure projects that have foreign inves-tors.

The Southeast Metro Manila Expressway, otherwise known as the Skyway Stage 4, is a P45bn, six-lane tollroad, approximately 34km in length, that will con-nect the South Luzon Express-way near the FTI complex with the Batasan Complex in Quezon City. San Miguel is handling this project, as well, along with its problematic Indonesian part-ner Citra, this time under a joint venture known as Citra Intercity Tollways Inc, an arrangement that could be put at risk depend-

ing on the outcome of SMHC’s case against Citra over CCEC.

Although the offi cial start of construction was in Janu-ary 2018 — the optimistic target completion date at that time was the end of 2020 — very lit-tle work has been completed ac-cording to recent data from the DPWH. Only some pile-drilling work along the highway’s Sec-tion 1, a 2.4km section at the route’s southern end, has been accomplished.

The apparent reason for this is that a major realignment of one of the highway’s sections has be-come necessary. Section 2 of the project, which was supposed to be a 2.125km stretch between the C-5 at Diego Silang, Makati and the C-6 road in lower Taguig, will now take a northward loop nearly four times in length.

The design of the new route has yet to be completed, and so the estimated additional cost to the entire project is not known. Likewise, although some work can be done on other sections of the route, the redesign poses some delays in the overall con-struction timeline. The DPWH is no longer providing an esti-mate for completion of the entire highway. It expects Section 1, the shortest section, to be complet-ed sometime in 2021.

Even when both Skyway projects are completed, they may not ease traffi c congestion

as much as anticipated for the simple reason that their orien-tation across the densely popu-lated metropolis is entirely two-dimensional.

Both highway routes are aligned in a north-south direc-tion; Skyway Stage 3 takes a path directly across the city near to the historic centre of Manila, while Stage 4 will add another circumferential road in the city’s eastern sections. What they do not do is contribute to faster travel in an east-west direction across the metropolis, or adding connections between the city and the nearby provinces.

The two new highways may help ease traffi c on EDSA, as they both supply approximately parallel alternate routes, but not all of the city’s congestion can be found on EDSA. Travel in an east-west direction along axes such as España-Quezon Ave-nue-Commonwealth Avenue, Magsaysay-Aurora Boulevard and Shaw Boulevard-Ortigas Avenue will continue to be con-strained by heavy traffi c.

Overlooking new connec-tions from the areas surrounding Laguna de Bay, Rizal and Bu-lacan provinces to the east and north fails to recognise that the Spanish-era planning bias that places Manila at the centre of development is no longer realis-tic. According to data published last year by the National Eco-

nomic Development Authority, in terms of population, business and job growth, and in terms of regional gross domestic prod-uct growth, both the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) region and Region 3 bordering the National Capital Region are expanding faster than the National Capital Region.

The disappointing pace of progress in the Skyway Stage 3 and Stage 4 projects may also be emblematic of a perception that the Duterte administration has under-delivered on its fl agship ‘Build, Build, Build’ programme. That is perhaps not entirely fair, but Duterte’s critics have been quick to use the lagging progress of the ambitious policy against him.

The shortcomings of the two large-scale highway projects in addressing traffi c congestion may suggest solutions the ad-ministration can use to speed up progress and protect the presi-dent’s legacy, while substantially easing traffi c congestion. Small-er transportation infrastructure projects linking the new roads, which can be designed, bid, and awarded quickly, and construct-ed in timeframes measured in months instead of years, could be a way to give new impetus to the ‘Build, Build, Build’ initiative, while at the same time providing practical relief to Metro Manila’s commuting population.

UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan has asked the public to refrain from posting about the death on social media.

Duterte ‘to reveal cops linked to drugs’By Bernadette E TamayoManila Times

President Rodrigo Duterte will reveal the ninja cops list to the public when

he returns from his fi ve-day trip to Russia in October, Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said yesterday.

Duterte’s visit to Russia will be from October 1 to 5. He and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold another round of bilateral talks during his visit. “I talked to the president and he plans to disclose the list to the public when he comes back from his trip to Russia. He is validating it and he needs to check it further to ensure

that these (policemen) are re-ally involved in irregularities,” Go said.

Go added that the presi-dent asked offi cials concerned to validate the list of police-men suspected to be recycling seized illegal drugs.

“We need to consolidate the list,” Go said during an inter-view on Saturday after he vis-ited fi re victims in Navotas.

“The president has ordered the cross-validation of all the reports from diff erent agencies – PDEA, the intelligence com-munity,” he said.

Go also said on Friday that Duterte was willing to off er a reward to those who would give information about ninja cops.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar has said the skyway project was only about 75% complete.

6.4 quake strikes off Davao OccidentalReutersManila

A magnitude 6.4 earth-quake struck off the province of Davao Oc-

cidental in the southern Phil-ippines yesterday morning, the Philippine Institute of

Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or dam-age but several aftershocks were felt, Phivolcs said in its advisory.

The epicentre was 126km southeast of Jose Abad Santos town.

Finance dept explores new donor countriesBy Mayvelin U Caraballo Manila Times

The Philippines is in ex-ploratory talks with some of its international devel-

opment partners to seek their support for projects “adversely” aff ected by the government’s deferment of talks on loans and grants with countries that sup-ported the United Nations Hu-man Rights Council (UNHRC) investigation of the Rodrigo Duterte administration’s drug war, the Department of Finance (DoF) said.

“We are currently in ex-ploratory talks with our other bilateral partners on how they can assist the Philippine gov-ernment in funding the grants that were previously under ne-gotiation but were suspended on orders of the president, pending the review by the De-partment of Foreign Aff airs of our country’s relations with countries that had voted for or sponsored the UNHRC resolu-tion,” Finance Secretary Carlos

Dominguez 3rd said in a state-ment. Malacanang, through a confi dential memorandum, has ordered the suspension of talks on grants and loans to 18 countries that voted in favour of the UNHRC resolution in July that called for an inves-tigation of the human rights situation in the country.

The 18 countries were Ar-gentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Uruguay.

France, Germany and Swe-den were among the UNHRC non-members that backed the resolution.

Meanwhile, the Finance department said Dominguez did not identify the potential donor-countries as talks with them are still in the prelimi-nary phase.

But it noted that the Finance chief had directed Undersec-retary Mark Dennis Joven to review aff ected projects.

Gulf Times Monday, September 30, 2019

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEFFaisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka

Deputy Managing EditorK T Chacko

Qatar committedto combatingclimate change

The fact that Qatar is an active partner with the international community in eff orts to combat climate change was reiterated once more recently when His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani announced a donation of $100mn to support small developing island states and the least developed states. The contribution is to help them deal with climate change, natural hazards, environmental challenges and to build the capacity to counter their destructive eff ects.

The Amir made the announcement at the UN Climate Action Summit 2019, held by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York last Monday. The summit, held in conjunction with convening of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, was attended by a number of world leaders and representatives of civil society organisations and institutions concerned with the environment.

As the Amir pointed out, climate change is undoubtedly one of the most serious challenges of our time. It is a problem that is continuously exacerbating and causing

many repercussions in the economic, environmental and social dimensions and have very serious negative eff ects on all forms of life and on both developed and developing countries alike, and is a stumbling block to sustainable development. This serious situation makes it incumbent upon the international community to co-operate and redouble eff orts to

combat and reduce its repercussions. All states must fulfi l their responsibilities and honour their commitments to international agreements.

Highlighting Qatar’s eff orts, His Highness the Amir recalled that in 2012, the country hosted the 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Doha Carbon and Energy Forum, attended by international experts to develop public policy recommendations for this sector and for governments on climate change and alternative energy, and carbon capture and storage. Qatar has also spared no eff ort to ensure the success of negotiations of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015.

At the national level, Qatar has taken many measures to develop technologies taking into consideration climate change and adoption of clean energy. These steps include the optimal use of water in order to reduce the loss of desalinated water, encouragement of recycling and reuse of water, improving air quality, promoting the effi ciency of using gas and energy, waste recycling and increasing green spaces. In the same context, and to achieve the long-term environmental goals, Qatar has prepared a set of fi xed goals, the most important of which are those related to renewable energy, generating 200MW from solar energy within the next two years which will increase to 500MW afterwards. Qatar is also seeking to regulate carbon pricing as a means of reducing emissions and driving investments towards cleaner options.

His Highness the Amir reiterated that as the hosting country of FIFA 2022 World Cup, Qatar is committed to organising an environment-friendly tournament and the fi rst “carbon neutral” tournament through the use of solar-powered stadiums and cooling and lighting technology that is water and energy-saving. The Qatar Sovereign Wealth Fund also assumes an active role in combating climate change, through Qatar Investment Authority, a founding member of the “One Planet” Global Sovereign Wealth Fund. In short, Qatar is fully committed to the cause.

All states must fulfi l their responsibilities and honour their commitments to international agreements

Benin counts the cost after Nigeria shutters borderBy Josué Mehouenou/ AFPCotonou

Dozens of baskets brimming with newly-picked tomatoes gently rot in the sticky heat, becoming the latest casualty

in a bout of trade tension between Benin and Nigeria.

On August 19, President Muhammadu Buhari unexpectedly closed Nigeria’s borders to goods trade with Benin and Niger, declaring the time had come to end rampant smuggling from those countries.

In Benin, Nigeria’s neighbour to the west, traders say the impact has been devastating.

“This is a distressing sight,” Agriculture Minister Gaston Dossouhoui said this month, visiting markets in the town of Grand Popo, one of the main agricultural communities of southern Benin.

“It’s very diffi cult for our producers. It’s a disaster.”

“Financially speaking, Benin’s small producers are under water – they’ve already had to run up millions (of CFA francs) in debt,” said Adjeoda

Amoussou, head of Benin’s Chamber of Agriculture.

Buhari defended the closure by saying Benin and Niger – Nigeria’s neighbour to the northeast – had failed to police their borders properly, and chronic smuggling was the result.

“The borders will remain closed until our neighbours control what goes through the borders and comply with the laws,” warned Hameed Ali, comptroller general of the Nigeria Customs Service.

The move immediately caused a shockwave.

Unilateral border closures go against all commercial and freedom of movement treaties signed under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The announcement also cast a shadow over a historic free-trade agreement, signed by 54 out of 55 African countries, that reached a key operational threshold just fi ve weeks earlier.

Nigeria, as well as Benin, had signed onto the pact on the eve of the landmark day – a move hailed as a crucial push towards ending the continent’s trade barriers.

That smuggling goes on is clear, although it goes in both directions.

Huge quantities of frozen chickens, rice, fabric and cars arrive at the port of Cotonou, Benin’s economic capital, where they are taxed locally before being routed – often illegally – to Nigeria.

Benin has few functioning petrol stations, and its fuel is far more expensive than in Nigeria, where it is subsidised by the state.

A common sight is smuggled Nigerian petrol, sold by the side of the road in jerrycans.

Beyond contraband, though, trade with Nigeria is crucial for Benin and Niger.

Ranking among the world’s poorest countries, they fi nd themselves as David opposite the Nigerian Goliath – a market of 190mn and Africa’s biggest economy.

In Benin, business people in some parts of the economy are panicking, and unfounded rumours that Nigeria will even go so far as to cut off its electricity supply are spreading in local newspapers.

“Buhari and his country want to put an end to us,” said Barthelemy Agon, a

pineapple producer.He like many others have been

hard-hit by fruits and vegetables no longer being exported to their big neighbour.

As for taxi and truck drivers, it’s barely worth the eff ort to hit the road since a litre of imported contraband fuel has risen by about $1.10 since the frontier was closed.

“We are suff ering seriously from this situation – without petrol we can’t do anything,” said Aristide Samson Assogba, a motorcycle taxi driver.

Sebastien Deguenonvo in Cotonou’s Casse-Auto district said sales of his low-quality diesel had slumped from at least 30 26-litre cans per day to just 10.

“I beg the Nigerian president to have pity on us,” he said.

But if his stoney reputation is anything to go by, Buhari – an ex-general whose fi rst spell as Nigeria’s leader, in the 1980s, came after a coup – is unlikely to be merciful.

“President Buhari should be a little bit afraid of God,” said Henry Assogba from the National Association of Petrol Sellers.

“The big one cannot live without the little one.”

How smartphone trade thrives in North KoreaBy Ju-min Park/Reuters Seoul

North Korea is evading UN sanctions to cash in on soaring domestic demand for smartphones, using

low-cost hardware imports to generate signifi cant income for the regime, according to defectors, experts and an analysis of North Korean-made phones.

Economists estimate as many as 6mn North Koreans – a quarter of the population – now have mobile phones, a critical tool for participating in an informal market economy that has become a key income source for many.

Reuters spoke to some 10 defectors and experts about the use of mobile devices in North Korea, as well as reviewing state media reports and advertisements for mobile devices, and examining two North Korean-branded smartphones.

The phones feature Taiwanese semiconductors, batteries made in China and a version of Google’s open-source Android operating system, analysis of the North Korean phones revealed.

United Nations imposed sanctions in 2017 because North’s weapons programmes prohibit imports of mobile phone hardware.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has endorsed wireless networks, some reportedly built with the help of China’s Huawei Technologies, and local mobile phone brands through public speeches and a tour to a mobile phone factory reported by state media.

Basic North Korean phones typically cost between $100 and $400 at state stores or private markets, experts and defectors say.

Subscriptions to mobile carriers are registered at the telecom ministry’s stores.

Phones are typically sold with service plans that include 200 minutes of calling time.

Prepaid plans cost about $13 for 100 minutes, North Korean phone advertisements show.

While those prices are comparable to or higher than what mobile phone customers pay in other countries, North Koreans earn an average of about $100 per month, only about 4% of their southern neighbours, according to South Korean government data.

International brands such as Apple iPhones are not publicly on sale, but traders and wealthy North Koreans can buy them outside the country and use them with local SIM cards, defectors say.

North Korean phones can only be used to call domestic numbers and have some unique security features.

Downloading or transferring fi les is severely restricted.

Reuters found a warning pop-up when installing an “unidentifi ed program” on the Pyongyang 2418 smartphone stating: “If you install illegal programs, your phone can malfunction or data will get destroyed.”

“North Korea puts algorithms and software in its mobile phones to keep data from being copied or transferred,” said Lee Young-hwan, a South Korean software expert studying North Korean smartphones.

Apps such as maps, games and an English dictionary show they are developed by North Korean engineers at state-run enterprises or state universities.

The regime has also developed a

home-grown surveillance tool on mobile phones, according the UK-based cybersecurity company Hacker House.

When a user accesses illegal or non-state approved media, an alert is generated and stored inside the phone.

A modifi ed version of Android also conducts surveillance and tracks users, Hacker House said.

North Korea’s representatives at the United Nations did not respond to requests for comment.

Still, the phones are a big asset in North Korea’s grey market economy, which has fl ourished since a devastating famine in the 1990s.

One young North Korean woman surnamed Choi recalled selling two goats and smuggling herbs from China to raise the 1,300 Chinese yuan ($183) her family needed to buy a mobile phone in 2013.

She used the phone to help successfully run a retail business selling Chinese clothes and shampoos, arranging deliveries from wholesalers.

“It turned out we could make a way more money than our offi cial salaries,” said Choi, who has since defected to South Korea, declining to give her full name for fear of retribution against relatives still in North Korea.

In a survey this year of 126 North Korean defectors who had used mobile phones, more than 90% said cellphones improved their daily lives and about half said they used them for market activities.

“Millions of people are using mobile phones and need them to make a living or show off their wealth,” said Shin Mi-nyeo, executive director of the Organisation for One Korea, a South Korean support group for defectors that conducted the poll.

“Then their phone bills create huge income for the government.”

Kim Bong-sik, a researcher at South Korea’s Korea Information Society Development Institute, said estimating revenues was diffi cult, but it was likely to be one of the state’s biggest earners given the scale of the business.

The two Pyongyang-branded smartphones examined by Reuters are powered by chips from Taiwan’s MediaTek and run a version of Google’s Android operating system, along with the North Korean security software.

Ads for an Arirang-branded handset also claimed to use MediaTek chips.

The Pyongyang 2423 smartphone manufactured last year featured Mediatek’s MT6737 chipset and a slot for one SIM card and one memory card.

The memory card’s serial number showed it was produced by Japanese chip-maker Toshiba.

The device’s identifi cation number showed the phone was manufactured by the Chinese fi rm Gionee, a maker of low-end smartphones.

Google said any hardware maker can use open-source Android software at no cost, meaning no export rules are being violated in regards to North Korean smartphones.

Mediatek said in a statement to Reuters it had not shipped any products to North Korea, and was in full compliance with sanctions.

Toshiba also said the company had no business with North Korea.

Gionee did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“North Korea cannot make phones without using foreign components and technology,” said Kim, the researcher.

“That means it is violating sanctions to keep running the business.”

Offi cial customs data show North

Korea imported $82mn worth of mobile phones from China in 2017, the third biggest import item after soybean oil and fabrics.

That number dropped to zero in 2018 as sanctions bit.

But while sanctions eliminated offi cial imports, informal trade along the China-North Korea border appears to be ongoing, experts and defectors say.

William Brown, a retired US intelligence offi cial who studies North Korea said mobile phone hardware parts “are very easily smuggled across the Chinese border.”

Intermediaries make it hard to fi nd those responsible for breaching sanctions, he added.

China is North Korea’s sole major ally, and its mobile phone industry is crowded with little-known local smartphone manufacturers.

Chinese offi cials referred questions to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which declined to comment.

China has repeatedly said it upholds UN sanctions but has defended what it calls “normal trade” with North Korea.

Big Chinese telecommunications brands have previously supplied North Korea as well.

Huawei supplied 3G network equipment to North Korea after late leader Kim Jong-il, the father of Kim Jong-un, toured the Chinese tech giant in 2006, according to US Nautilus Institute and monitoring group 38North.

The US Commerce Department has been investigating Huawei since 2016 and is reviewing whether the company violated export control rules in relation to sanctions on North Korea, sources have said.

A man uses his mobile phone next to an electric bicycle in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea.

QATAR23Gulf Times

Monday, September 30, 2019

National Address Law aims to achieve‘strategic development of e-government’People who provide incor-

rect data about their na-tional address face a pen-

alty not exceeding QR10,000, a Ministry of Interior (MoI) offi -cial has said.

Brigadier Salim Saqr al-Mu-raikhi, director of the Legal Af-fairs Department at the MoI and chairman of the Working Group on the Status of Law-Enforce-ment Mechanism, made the ob-servation while explaining the National Address Law and its provisions.

A statement issued by the ministry yesterday noted that the issuance of the National Ad-dress Law constituted a leap in the eff orts undertaken to cope with the economic and social developments as well as the legislative advancement wit-nessed in the country recently. This came with the objective of achieving the “strategic devel-opment of e-government and complementing the legislative

structure necessary for e-gov-ernment transactions, and the transition from descriptive to digital address”.

Brigadier al-Muraikhi said Law No 24 of 2017, namely the National Address Law, is an “internationally advanced law”. He explained that “any natural person or legal person, including nationals and residents”, shall register their data through elec-tronic registration or by submit-ting to the offi ces of the ministry that will be opened to receive the assigned persons from among citizens, residents, institutions and companies to register the data.

The human resources and technical needs have been pro-vided for this purpose, he added.

Article 2 of the law stipulates that the national address shall include details such as the resi-dential address, fi xed telephone and mobile phone numbers, e-mail ID, address of the employer

for government and private sec-tor employees, permanent ad-dress abroad, if any, and any other data specifi ed by the com-petent authority.

Brigadier al-Muraikhi said Article 3 obliges the assigned person to submit to the compe-tent authority his/her national address in the manner and on

the dates specifi ed by a deci-sion of HE the Minister of Inte-rior, including the data provided for in Article 2. In the event of failure to provide such data, the declaration or notifi cation to this body shall be considered valid for all its legal purposes, the statement points out.

The offi cial said Article 6

stipulates certain penalties, not-ing that any person who violates any of the provisions of Articles 3 and 4 of this law or shall be punished for providing the com-petent authority with incorrect data about his/her national ad-dress with a fi ne not exceeding QR10,000.

Article 7 stipulates that the

minister or his authorised repre-sentative may permit reconcili-ation with the crimes stipulated in this law, before initiating or during criminal proceedings and before the fi nal judgment, in ex-change for paying half the maxi-mum fi ne prescribed and remov-ing the reasons for the violation, the statement explains.

Such reconciliation shall re-sult in the inadmissibility of the initiation of a criminal case or its expiry and its eff ects, as the case may be.

Lt Hazza Rashid al-Athba, of-fi cer in the Legislation and Judi-cial Disputes Section of the Legal Aff airs Department, said Article 4 obliges the assigned person to notify the competent authority about any amendment/change in the data of his/her national address and update it in the manner and on the dates speci-fi ed by a decision of HE the Min-ister of Interior. If not updated, the existing national address

with the competent authority is considered valid for all its legal purposes.

Judicial declarations and of-fi cial notifi cations sent to the national address are also valid for all their legal purposes under Article 5.

He added that this law is the solution to many of the prob-lems faced by the authorities while addressing individuals, especially the judiciary in the implementation of a judicial declaration. He added that this would solve the problem of de-lay in the adjudication of cases caused by late intimation of the person concerned.

Rima Saleh al-Manea, legal researcher at the MoI’s Legal Aff airs Department, said it is an address for correspondence be-tween an individual and diff er-ent bodies in the State, whether private or government, and communication with the person concerned through it.

Brigadier Salim Saqr al-Muraikhi Rima Saleh al-Manea Lt Hazza Rashid al-Athba

Iraqi artist’s works on display at Anima Gallery from todayBy Joey AguilarStaff Reporter

Qatar residents and visi-tors, especially artists and enthusiasts, will

have the opportunity to see and explore the works of Iraqi artist Omar al-Shahabi at Anima Gal-lery at The Pearl-Qatar from to-day until October 30, it was an-nounced.

This unique show, titled ‘Transition by Omar al-Shahabi’, is one of the artist’s solo exhi-bitions, including one at Qatar Society of Fine Arts in 2014, Foresight Art-Gallery in Amman (2013), French Cultural Centre in Damascus (2007), and Broadway Gallery in Amman (2005).

“Al-Shahabi’s paintings re-fl ect the complex human confi g-urations, always on the move… in solitude or in an overcrowded space,” Anima said in a press statement announcing a preview reception today (September 30).

Anima, established in March 2012, focuses on two main areas: exhibitions, art consulting and execution. It represents emerg-ing, mid-career and established artists working in a broad range of styles and mediums, featuring paintings, sculptures, installa-tions and all other contemporary forms of art.

“Al-Shahabi’s fi gures are playful reminding us of Alad-din’s magic lamp and other fairy tales, yet through the multi-ple gazing faces we travel back through the tunnel of transi-tion,” Anima added. “We are in a constant state of transition. Childhood memories, disap-pointments, triumphs and emo-tions among others, create a fu-sion.”

The artist, born in Iraq in 1983

and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Baghdad University in 2007, lives and works in Qatar.

Al-Shahabi also participated in a number of group exhibi-tions with other artists at Ani-ma (2018), Al Markhiya Gallery (2018), Katara – the Cultural

Village (2017), Al Markhiya Gal-lery (2017), Qatar Society of Fine Arts (2014), Katara (2014), Qatar Performing Arts Society (2013), Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club Doha(2011), Iraqi Minis-try of Culture (Baghdad 2007), BroadwayGallery (Amman 2006), Youth artists from Jor-dan Broadway gallery (Amman 2005), Baghdad University(Iraq 2004), and Institute of Fine Arts (Baghdad 2001).

“The train of life goes quickly, passing stations that will remain in memory… In each station, there are new faces, new experi-ences. Some will stay and others will leave,” said the artist in a statement about this exhibition, ‘Transition’.

“Each station is a transition. A transition from yesterday to to-morrow, a transition from what was, to will come, a transition from what we were, to what we will become,” he added.

Omar al-Shahabi

One of the artist’s paintings. PICTURES: Iliana Kodzhamanova

QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham, Indian ambassador P Kumaran, and other officials at the centenary celebration of international engineering congress.

QU and IEI celebrate centenary international engineering congress

Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG) and the Insti-

tution of Engineers, India (IEI) launched the Centenary Inter-national Engineering Congress (CIEC) at Qatar University to discuss several topics related to “Smart Engineering – State of the Art Technologies in Oil & Gas and Infrastructure Devel-opment.”

The opening session featured speeches by QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham, Indian am-bassador P Kumaran, IEI presi-dent Dr TM Gunaraja and chief adviser partnerships, Dr Nabeel al-Salem from Qatar Founda-tion Research, Development, and Innovation.

Dr al-Derham said, “It is an honour to attend the Interna-tional Engineering Congress in partnership with the Institu-tion of Engineers, India, which has been active in promoting

professional activities, sup-porting students and spread-ing technological activities across India since its inception in 1920. The conference will shed light on the latest inno-vations and technology in the engineering sector in the pres-ence of experts and profession-als from Qatar, India and other countries across the world.”

Kumaran stated that “it is a moment of pride for the en-tire engineering community in India and in Qatar, as we cel-ebrate the 100th year of the IEI. The IEI is the largest multi-disciplinary professional body encompassing 15 engineering disciplines, and provides a ro-bust platform for sharing and exchanging professional ideas and knowledge. It has a vast membership base and operates through its 123 centres located across India and six overseas chapters, including Qatar.

CENG dean Dr Khalid Kamal Naji said, “The conference will discuss diff erent advanced and state-of-the-art technologies and technological innovations of integrated engineering proc-esses for the development of petrochemical and civil infra-structure.”

Dr al-Salem, delivered an insightful talk highlighting Qa-tar Foundation’s leading role in establishing a nation-wide cul-ture of research, and fostering a vibrant ecosystem of research, development, and innovation in Qatar. “Through this ecosys-tem, QF RDI nurtures and em-powers students, researchers, technologists, and profession-als to contribute in novel and innovative ways. We recognise that the next logical step from research and development is innovation and commercialisa-tion. Qatar Science and Tech-nology Park, home to some of

the largest global technology companies and promising star-tups, takes pride in its 10 years of impactful achievements for Qatar,” noted Dr al-Salem.

“Since its inception, the Qatar Chapter of IEI has been rendering dedicated and unin-terrupted professional services to the engineering community of Qatar, consistent with its vi-sion and objectives for the last 29 years. Key activities include regular technical seminars and workshops, promoting the general advancement of engi-neering and technology, while also providing a platform for rich technical interactions that support the continuous profes-sional development of the en-gineering community of Qatar,” added Gunaraja.

IEI also celebrated Engineer’s Day at Al Dana Club, West Bay, observed worldwide on Sep-tember 15 annually.

Qatar Charity highlights role of sports in empowering refugeesQNANew York

On the sidelines of the 74th ses-sion of the United Nations Gen-eral Assembly, Qatar Charity

held a panel discussion entitled “The Role of Sport in Safeguarding and Em-powering Refugees and IDPs”, at UN headquarters in New York, in co-oper-ation with the Qatar Fund for Develop-ment (QFFD) and many international humanitarian organisations.

In his opening statement, Qatar Charity CEO Yousef bin Ahmed al-Ku-wari thanked the attendees for joining him to celebrate sports.

“Today, we celebrate sports diff er-ently, not with scores and goals but with life-changing stories, stories of hope, survival and dreams,” al-Kuwari said.

“Today, we have with us organisa-

tions and people seeking to bring about global peace and development through sports and I would like to thank them for honouring our invitation. Some of the people present with us today are real-life heroes, who challenged hard-ships of displacement and poverty. They will share their stories with us today,” he added.

For his part, the QFFD Director General, Khalifa bin Jassim al-Kuwari, said: “From the FIFA World Cup to the small pitches in remote villages, sport in its different forms has proven to be a powerful tool for forging social in-clusion, breaking down barriers and promoting understanding between people.”

“Sport in such situations is an op-portunity to provide a safe environment and supportive haven for refugees and IDPs. It could be a tool to build their individual skills and capacities and to

boost their physical and psychosocial well-being and their self-esteem. It is indeed a mean to help them live a digni-fi ed life,” Khalifa added.

Several offi cials from many inter-national humanitarian organisations, humanitarian experts, and sports stars from Kenya, Somalia and Afghanistan, who fl ed their countries, settled in other countries and made achievements, also took part in the dialogue.

The panel discussion organised by Qatar Charity, in collaboration with the Qatar Fund For Development, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the German Corp for International Co-op-eration (GIZ), and Save The Dream, cov-ered many sports-related topics.

The visitors of the exhibition had the opportunity to see and understand the refugees situation through VR video shots. Dignitaries at the Qatar Charity event at UN headquarters in New York.

The World Innova-tion Summit for Health (WISH), an initiative of

Qatar Foundation (QF), is set to host an art exhibition – ti-tled Artistic Dimensions to a Healthier World – at the Fire Station from October 2 -27.

The exhibition will explore the relationship between art and health, showcasing work by Giles Duley, an award-winning British documentary photographer, who strives to highlight the long-term impact of war.

The exhibition will also in-clude a display of artworks produced by refugee Rohingya children, as part of a project by UK-based humanitarian charity, Save the Children.

Duley’s indoor collection – ‘Iraq: An Open Wound’ – depicts healthcare and rehabilitation ef-forts in Mosul by health charity, Emergency, while his outdoor exhibit — ‘Disability and Armed Confl ict’ — gives insight into the lives of people with disabilities during armed confl ict.

These stories have special meaning for Duley, who lost both legs and his left arm after stepping on an explosive device in Afghanistan in 2011, whilst on photographic assignment to document the horrors of war.

“The price I paid for doing my work was huge, but the gift I received in return, it’s equal – I understand these stories in a way no other photographer could,” Duley said.

He stressed the importance of photography as an “honest” art form that permits insight into other’s worlds, and said: “There is no point in taking a photo-graph if I do not do all I can to make sure the whole world sees it. That is where my duty lies.”

WISH CEO Sultana Afdhal

explained how the exhibition grew from the organisation’s 2018 report, ‘Healthcare in Confl ict Settings’, which rec-ommended increasing public awareness through events and educational activities.

“By bringing the exhibition to the heart of the artistic com-munity in Qatar, we hope to raise awareness of the devastating ef-fects of war and violence, par-ticularly on the most vulnerable during times of confl ict: our children,” Afdhal said.

“We are thrilled to be show-casing Duley’s photography and we are delighted to give people the opportunity to learn about some of the tremendous work that Save the Children is doing with the child victims of the Rohingya crisis,” Afdhal said.

“We are striving to involve every part of the community in Qatar. We encourage people to come and participate in our workshops and talks at the Fire Station, and to use the exhibi-tion to enrich our perspectives through this thought-provok-ing exhibition,” Afdhal added.

The exhibition features a full programme of events for schools, universities, healthcare professionals, and art and pho-tography enthusiasts.

Activities open to the public include an art therapy session organised by members of the Save

The Children team working with refugees in Cox’s Bazar on October 2 from 6pm-8pm, and a photography workshop hosted by Duley on October 10 from 6pm-8pm.

Duley will also lead a public talk detailing his personal story at the Fire Station Cinema on October 8 from 6pm to 8pm.

24 Gulf TimesMonday, September 30, 2019

QATAR

WISH exhibition explores relationship between art and health in confl ict zones

Award-winning photographer and Save the Children charity to participate

Giles Duley at Emergency Hospital Erbil.

Drawing depicts a Rohingya refugee family crossing the border from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

Indian embassy organises‘Celebrating Khadi’ event to commemorate Gandhi

As part of ongoing Qatar-India 2019 Year of Cul-ture, the Indian embassy

will host an event titled “Cel-ebrating Khadi: The Fabric of Freedom” tomorrow at Saff ron Hall, VCUarts Qatar.

This event is part of the se-ries of events organised by the embassy to pay a befi tting trib-ute to Mahatma Gandhi when India celebrates his 150th birth anniversary.

This festive celebration of Khadi, the modern handmade and sustainable fabric of the people, will be one of the many

events contemplated in honour of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.

The event will feature a fashion show and exhibition to showcase creative use of the khadi fabric. Curated by the eminent Bengaluru-based fashion consultant and cho-reographer Prasad Bipada, the event is being organised in as-sociation with VCUarts Qatar and the Indian Community Be-nevolent Forum.

Clothing and dresses made from Khadi fabric and yarns will be on display outside the

venue, showcasing India’s vi-brant Khadi culture.

During the event, Qatar Post and the Indian embassy will jointly release a postage stamp to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Some events to mark Gandhi@150 have already been organised by the embassy, in-cluding ‘Experiments with Truth’ — a photo exhibition at Katara in October 2018, and a rendition of ‘Vaishnava Jan Te’, Gandhiji’s favourite bhajan, by Qatar-based singer Abdul Ra-him.

Celebrating Khadi: The Fabric of Freedom event will be held at Saff ron Hall, VCUarts Qatar.

Fraser-Pryce makes history with fourth world 100m titleFrom Page 1

A fi nal eff ort by Russia’s Anzhelika Sidorova, competing as a neu-tral athlete, elicited a thunderous applause as the 28-year-old cleared a world leading 4.95m for the women’s pole vault world title.

Sidorova, who had lost out to 2017 champion Katerina Stefa-nidi of Greece at the Diamond League fi nals in Brussels earlier this month, was locked in a battle of ‘who blinks fi rst’ with Sandi Mor-ris of the US, with both the athletes clearing fi ve heights right up to 4.90m on their fi rst attempts.

After Stefanidi failed her fi rst attempt at 4.90m, she had the bar lifted to 4.95m, dislodging it twice to settle for bronze.

Both Morris and Sidorova elicited massive “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd as they couldn’t clear on their fi rst two attempts.

Just when you thought the contest will have to be decided in a jump off after Morris missed her third attempt too, Sidorova came up with a fantastic third eff ort for her fi rst World Championships medal.

“All my performances at the World Championships were too unsuccessful. Certainly, I looked forward to stop this bad ‘tradi-tion’,” Sidorova said after her win.

“A few weeks ago, I cried when I lost the Diamond League fi nal. Now I’m glad I was beaten there. It made me angrier, stronger and much more focused on the season’s main goal.”

Morris, who is all set to marry in a couple of weeks, said, “I knew it was going to be between me and Sidorova, I just knew it. This exact scenario happened in reverse at the indoor world championships when she got second. I guess she owed me one for that. But I can’t even be mad. But maybe this is building up to something bigger next year.”

Earlier in the evening, Britain’s Adam Gemili ran the fastest time in the fi rst round heats for the men’s 200m, winning the fi rst heat in 20.06 seconds, even as 2019 leader Noah Lyles, who did not run the 100m the day before, ran a much sedate 20.26s to fi nish second in the seventh and fi nal heat behind his training partner Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago. Also in the next round is Canadian Andre de Grasse, who won bronze on Saturday in the 100m dash.

“I expect from myself to keep winning as the rounds go on, try-ing to conserve energy and hold it off and let it loose at the fi nals. It feels go with this fi rst race at these championships. It’s been a long time in the making (to be at my fi rst senior world champion-ships),” Lyles said after the heat.

For both the Team Qatar athletes, the day ended in a heartbreak as the campaigns of both Abdelaziz Mohamed and Abubaker Hay-dar Abdalla came to an end.

While Mohamed ran a season’s best of 20.75s in the fi fth heat of the men’s 200m, it was only good enough for a fi fth place, and out of contention for the place in the next round.

The men’s 800m Asian champion Abdalla had called it right af-ter the fi rst round heats when he said that 1:44:00 would secure a place in the fi nal.

But the 23-year-old, who continued with his fi rst round strat-egy to take the lead in the fi rst lap, couldn’t hold on to it as a pacey Wesley Vazquez (1:43.96) of Puerto Rico stayed right on the Qatari heels and eventually took victory in the fi rst heat in the only sub-1:44:00 time of the round. Abdalla’s 1:46.87 took him out of con-tention. Kenyan Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich, who has the second fastest time this year, grabbed a spot in the fi nal with the second fastest time of the round, fi nishing behind Vazquez in 1:44.20.

The pacey fi rst heat meant that Clayton Murphy of the US and Spain’s Adrian Ben, third and fourth behind Vazquez and Rotich, too made it to the fi nal on their time.

Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrates after winning the Women’s 100m final at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday.

Sandi Morris and Katie Nageotte of the US react after winning Women’s Pole Vault Final.

Michael Cherry, Wilbert London, Allyson Felix and Courtney Okolo of USA celebrate after setting a world record in the Mixed 4 x 400m Relay final at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday.

USA’s Christian Taylor competes in the Men’s Triple Jump final at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday.