Volume 22 | Number 7426 | 2 RiyalsSaturday 3 February 2018 | 17 Jumada 1 I 1439 www.thepeninsula.qa

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Minister of Public Health H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari met with French Ambassador to Qatar, Eric Chevallier, yesterday. During the meeting, they discussed aspects of joint cooperation between the two countries in the fields of health and ways to strengthen and develop them.

Public Health Minister meets French envoy

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Cold winds would continue to bring the mercury down today forcing the people to opt for warm clothes.

According to the daily weather report of the Department of Meteorology issued yesterday, the weather inshore will remain cold with scattered clouds and slightly dusty at places at times, cold by night, until 6 pm today.

Offshore, it will be slightly dusty at times with scattered clouds, report added, warning of strong wind and high sea offshore.

Winds inshore will be northwesterly at a speed of 10 to 18 or 22 knot at places

at times. Offshore, it will be northwesterly at a speed of 15 to 25 knot, reaching to 33 knot at places at times, the report said.

Visibility will be four to eight kilometers, the report stated.

Sea state inshore will be 2 to 4 feet, rising to 5 feet at places at times, while off-shore it will be 6 to 9 feet, rising to 13 feet at places at times, the report added.

The weather inshore remained hazy, yesterday, in some areas at first, becoming mild during daytime with some clouds and slight dust to blowing dust at times before being cold by night, according to another report issued earlier, warning of strong wind expected in some

areas. The cold windy holiday with bright shining sun in most part of the city provided a good opportunity to the people on the weekend to visit the beau-tiful parks and enjoy the weather.

Like other parks and picnic spots in and around the city huge number of people visited the Aspire Park Doha.

The park already offers best sites and various facil-ities for amusement and rec-reation to the people of all ages.

While many families picnicked on Aspire Park’s lush grounds and children enjoyed the various facilities on the playground, sports enthusiasts engaged in fitness activities such as

running on the three-km rubber-floored jogging track.

Some cycling enthu-siasts were seen availing of the bikes for rent at the park, while the water lovers rented paddle boats from the Aspire Lake’s marina to have fun.

Visitors also flocked the various cafes and a number of food trucks spread around the vast green space con-sidered one of the main tourist attractions in the country.

“It is a nice day. I enjoyed the weekend a lot with my family here at this beautiful park. My children are very happy,” said, a Pakistani expatriate, who visited the park with his family.

Cold winds to put mercury down today

People enjoying cool weather at the Aspire Park in Doha, yesterday. Cold winds have continued to bring the mercury down for the last couple of days. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

SIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

DOHA: More than 50 types of RC aircraft took part in the second edition of RC Aircraft Festival which will conclude today at the Cultural Village Foundation — Katara.

The festival attracted a large number of visitors in the last two days who enjoyed the enter-tainment and exhibition espe-cially the RC aircraft air show and the experience of flying on simulators which were available there to amuse the visitors.

“This is the second edition of the festival and the partici-pation is bigger as compared to the first edition which was held at Dahl Al Hammam park last year,” said Sheikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Thani, a member of the advisory board of Qatar RC Sport Centre. The festival is

organised in collaboration with The Social & Sport Contribution Fund and Katara.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Fahad Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar RC Sport Centre, said: “The festival is considered the first of its kind in Qatar and the Middle East region for the latest models of RC aircraft. It also includes the latest models of RC aircraft in different sizes. Also includes all radio controlled devices such as jets, vehicles, and boats.” The chairman said, “the festival aims to achieve a number of goals, the most important of which is the review of Qatar’s efforts in the field of RC aircraft, whether related to manufacturing or well-trained RC aircraft operators”.

The most important feature of this event is the exhibition of RC aircraft which include the latest models of RC aircraft

which were designed and made in Qatar. Some of these Qatari RC aircraft are admired by par-ticipants in European and American exhibitions.

Ahmed Saleh, a visitor said that the festival was marvellous and the variety of RC aircraft, boats and vehicles was source of entertainment cum infor-mation for many. “My kids enjoyed the flying experience of simulators a lot,” he said, adding that the festival was a pleasant addition to colourful activities happening at Katara round the year. The festival is being organised under the patronage of the Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali and Qatar Central Bank (QCB) Governor H E Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud Al Thani. A number of officials from dif-ferent government entities are also attending the event.

2nd RC aircraft festival attracts many visitors

QNA

DAKAR: Qatar’s Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Dr Mohamed bin Abdul Wahid Al Hammadi has met with Canada’s Inter-national Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, on the sidelines of the T h i r d I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on Financing the Global Partnership for Education. The Minister is leading Qatar’s delegation to the conference.

Discussions during the meeting dealt with the most important topics of common interest and issues on the agenda of the conference. The conference discusses a number of important topics on investing in education for economic development.

Al Hammadi meets Canadian Minister

DOHA: Criminal Investi-gation Department (CID) has arrested some African nationals accused of theft in Rayyan and Muaither areas. The department referred them to the Public Prose-cution for further legal proce-dures, said the Ministry of Interior on its twitter account.

CID arrests theft accused

NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday said no aid has reached a besieged area of Syria in last two months. “Not a single convoy of life-saving relief has reached a besieged area. No medical supplies. No food,” Guterres told reporters. He said humanitarian aid was not getting in and “people suffering dire health conditions are not getting out.” He appealed for humanitarian access, “strict” respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians.

UN: No aid reached Syria’s besieged area

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Terming the dialogue only way to resolve crisis, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence H E Dr Khlaid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah has said that Qatar has successfully diffused intentions of siege countries to intervene militarily.

Talking to Washington Post, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “We have diffused their intention. But at the beginning of the crisis they had this intention. They have tried eve-rything. They tried to provoke the tribes. They used mosques against us. Then they tried to get some puppets to bring in and replace our leaders.”

Al Attiyah said that the beginning (of current crisis) was an ambush. “The only thing is, I don’t think they calculated right. They thought they could strike hard and bend the Qatari people. But the people showed solidarity and became more resilient. We enhanced our bilateral relations all over the world.”

On 13 demands presented by the blockading countries, the Deputy Prime Minister said that out of those demands, not a single one was genuine. “We are the only country who signed a memorandum of under-standing with the United States to counter terrorism. We have teams from all concerned departments working together [with the United States] almost on weekly basis.”

The Minister said that the coalition against terror was facing problems due to siege of Qatar.

“[The coalition and NATO] are using our strategic airlifts. But we are facing problems, because the neighbours are dis-turbing the operation. The airways are blocked. The UAE

and Saudi Arabia are members of the coalition. But with their embargo, they are disturbing the operation.”

To a question about how can the dispute be resolved, the Defence Minister said that the only way to resolve such a dispute is dialogue, which we have been calling for since the beginning of the crisis. “They want to come with precondi-tions. We refuse the idea of preconditions.”

When asked had President Trump offered to mediate, he said: “Yes, he is trying. And I hear he will invite the GCC soon to Washington.”

On conversation with Defence Secretary Mattis, he said “the headline is that we have plans to take our military-to-military cooperation to another level. We are going to expand Al Udeid and build housing and increase the capacity.” He said that Qatar will have the F-15s in a couple of years.

To another question about relations with Iran due to sharing of gas field, he said: “We have to have friendly relations with everyone. We are respon-sible for the supply of [an enormous amount] of the world’s energy. We have to have a smooth flow of energy, and that means we have to eliminate having enemies.”

Qatar diffused siege nations’ military desires

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence H E Dr Khlaid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah told Washington Post that Qatar has successfully diffused intentions of siege countries to intervene militarily.

02 SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018HOME

HMC Nutrition Workshop highlights link between dietary choices and disease preventionTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Hamad Medical Corpo-ration’s (HMC) Department of Clinical Nutrition recently organized a workshop for nutri-tionists on the Qatar Dietary Guidelines.

The Guidelines were intro-duced to provide the public with parameters for healthy eating and physical activity. Over 120 specialists from HMC attended the workshop, held on January 20 at Bayt Al Dhiyafah, said a statement.

Reem Al Saadi, Director of the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at HMC, said the workshop was organized as part of the completion of the work plan to implement the Qatar Dietary Guidelines. The Guidelines were introduced by the Ministry of Public Health in 2015 and since their implemen-tation the Ministry has held a number of training workshops for nutrition specialists from various hospitals in the country, including staff from HMC.

Sahar Al Shammari, a Ther-apeutic Dietitian with HMC’s Department of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, presented during the workshop and reviewed the Guideline’s main recommendations, which include eating a diet with foods from the six food groups, main-taining a healthy weight, limiting the intake of sugar, salt, and fat, being physically active, drinking

plenty of water, and adopting safe and clean food preparation methods. She also discussed the importance of breastfeeding for at least the first six months of a child’s life.

Ayman Alawneh, a Senior Clinical Dietitian with HMC’s Department of Dietetics and Nutrition was a panelist at the workshop and said the Guide-lines have put a focus on the link between healthy eating and disease prevention.

He said dietary choices play an important role in the pre-vention and management of non-communicable chronic dis-eases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.

He said the guidelines are useful because they provide members of the public with

information on which foods should be eaten, which foods should be avoided, and which foods should be limited. They also provide other tips such as increasing one’s intake of legumes and other plant-based foods and eating fish twice a week.

Hayam Al Hajjaji, a Dietitian at HMC’s Pediatrics Department, also stressed the importance of eating a diet rich in plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. She said that many research studies support eating a whole food, plant-based diet as a strategy to prevent cardiovas-cular disease, diabetes, and some cancers. While meat and fish contribute to a healthy diet, she said moderation is key and men-tioned the importance of making

healthy choices such as selecting whole wheat bread and grains in place of white bread, white rice, and pasta made from white flour.

“The Qatar Dietary Guide-lines were designed to provide adult members of the com-munity with recommendations for healthy eating and physical activity. It is important to note that their advice is directed towards healthy individuals. Those requiring special diets or who have a medical con-dition may need to meet with a dietitian or other health pro-fessional for more guidance. Dietary intervention plays an important role in the pre-vention and management of non-communicable chronic diseases,” Reem Al Saadi added.

Ramy Ayach to entertain on closing event of Shop QatarRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The live performance of multi-award winning Arab pop icon Ramy Ayach will highlight the closing ceremony of Shop Qatar 2018 on Thursday at Doha Festival City (DHFC).

The multi-platinum Lebanese singer-composer will render an eclectic mix of contemporary Arabic pop music at the free concert which precedes the fourth and final raffle draw of Shop Qatar. He is scheduled to perform at 7.30pm at DHFC Center Court followed by the draw at 9pm.

“It is a great pleasure and privilege to perform at the Shop Qatar closing ceremony. I miss Qatar’s lovely people enormously and can’t wait to be among my fans there again. I hope they will enjoy the performance which will be a mix of some of my old songs and of course, some new singles,” said Ayach.

Rising to fame after winning grand prize at a major Pan-Arab talent show, Ayach is often called the ‘Pop Star’ in the Arab world for his huge impact to contem-porary Arab music and pop culture. Also an actor, the accom-plished artist is behind some of the most well-known Arab songs.

His name is also recognized in the world of philanthropy being the founder of Ayach Al Tofoula Foundation whose work focuses mainly on educating and empowering children.

The final draw will give away cars and cash prizes worth up to QR1m to 15 winners. Shoppers still have until Wednesday to shop or dine at any of the 13 participating malls to get the chance to win any of the prizes. For every QR200 spent at any of the par-ticipating retailers or restaurants, shoppers can enter the final draw.

Meanwhile, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) kicked off a two-day exclusive trunk show yesterday at DHFC. Nine exhibitors comprising VCUarts Qatar students, alumni and faculty are showcasing their latest ready-to-wear creations, abayas and accessories.

The boutique-like space offers an immersive experience where visitors can learn about the design process from sketch to final product; receive fashion consultations as well as buy the creations on display.

Mashal Shahbik, Director of Tourism Events and Festivals at Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) said: “In its second edition, Shop Qatar continues to provide new platforms for local talent to showcase their creativity and broaden their market reach. As evi-denced by the resounding successes we witnessed at the three fashion shows and workshop held earlier this festival, there is a growing appreciation and appetite for bespoke design in Qatar, which makes us particularly proud to partner with VCUarts Qatar to support locally-based designers.”

She added, “As the month’s festivities draw to an end, we are looking forward to the grand finale celebrations at DHFC on Thursday evening and would like to invite everyone who has been part of this brand new tradition to come out and join us.”

Ramy Ayach

Deputy PM & FM hopes for a more transparent GCCQNA

WASHINGTON: Deputy Prime Minister Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that the State of Qatar hopes for a restored GCC which is more transparent and based on shared interest like trade and security.

His Excellency also highlighted the State of Qatar’s resilience and survival under the siege. During a speech at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the Foreign Minister expressed hope that the international community will join in calling for an immediate regional strategic dialogue to agree upon common principles of coexistence, which can serve as a foundation to healing and ultimately prosperity for the region.

The Foreign Minister began his speech by expressing hope that he can shed light on the current turmoil in the Middle-East and how aggressive forces in the region threaten Qatar’s interest and ultimately threaten US interests. He also hoped that he can provide ideas for how to move forward towards a more stable situation.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that the US and the State of Qatar have been allies for 45 years. During that time, the two sides signed dozens of agreements that memorialize their commitment to each other. He then turned focus to last week’s meeting between the two coun-tries for a historic strategic dialogue, which took place in Washington. The dialogue led to the signing of five agree-ments in many fields. They included

agreements to defend the cyber security of the critical infrastructure for energy, strengthening trade, investment, and technology, developing international law enforcement to stop human traf-ficking, and continued joint defense commitments.

The Foreign Minister also high-lighted that the State of Qatar and the US enjoy a unique partnership. He noted that the State of Qatar welcomed US troops when the country was looking for a home for them in the Middle-East. Qatar now hosts the largest US military foreign air base in the world. He added that there are 11,000 US troops, thousands of American teachers and students, and hundreds of US-owned companies are living and working in Qatar.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that Qatar and the US base were strategi-cally located as they are surrounded by powerful players in the Middle East. He highlighted that some of the nations in the region were on intimidation, aggression, and dangerous flirtations with war.

He added that those nations were feuding for domination, taking as pris-oners not just the neighbors they bully. The Foreign Minister noted that the suf-fering inflicted by these power-hungry forces is not limited to the starvation and devastation in places like Yemen, Syria, and Somalia. The well-being of citizens within these dominating regimes is also being sacrificed in the power grab.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that “the illegal blockade started last year

against Qatar is one of many instru-ments of sabotage intended to bully my country into submission.”

“The world is discovering that the blockading states will stop at nothing: illegal market manipulation, military aggression, humanitarian assaults, silencing of dissenters, weaponing propaganda, and undermining the global fight against terrorism,” he added.

The Foreign Minister then moved to discuss Qatar’s resilience in the face of the siege, and highlighted that other countries might not be able to deal with such attacks as have been seen in “in example after example across the region.”

He warned that “the worldwide and long-term danger of aggression will eventually reach countries around the

globe because these rulers will stop at nothing: intentional, international destabilisation of the energy and financial markets; and worse, by laying the groundwork for the next generation of terrorism.”

He noted that “terrorism flourishes in oppressive, closed regimes, where the needs and rights of the citizens are not met. While many reckless leaders surrounding us double down on hidden and oppressive means of governance, Qatar and many other nations in the Middle East hope to keep developing into nations that can provide justice and security to its citizens.”

“As I told Secretaries Tillerson and Mattis yesterday, Qatar sees the U.S. as a critical part of that vision. Ending the turmoil in the Middle East will take further leadership,” he added.

He stressed that cooperation between all countries in the Middle-East to regain security will be vital. “Qatar and the US have been fighting terrorism together for many years. We agree that terrorism must not only be destroyed through military efforts, but also by lifting up the oppressed with a vision of openness and hope through lasting social transformations,” the Foreign Minister added.

The Deputy Prime Minister warned that imposing repression over reform and development, using the law of power instead of the power of law, is detrimental to the global counter ter-rorism efforts. He added that “the US, Qatar, and the other 72 members of the coalition against ISIS have spent years crushing this evil. We do not want to

find ourselves in the same situation again and again. We need to work together to completely end terrorism financing, recruitment, propaganda, and extremist ideologies.”

He said that wise leadership means putting aside personal feelings to help the good of the people. He added that it is Qatar’s hope that the GCC can be rebuilt.

“The citizens of Qatar are a forgiving and resilient people. We wish for unity. We cant ignore the historic bond between the countries of the GCC, and the shared family, cultural, and financial ties that can actually make us stronger. Qatar hopes for a restored GCC which is more transparent and based on shared interest like trade and security.”

He stressed that the State of Qatar hopes for a restored the GCC that would have “a clear process for raising and resolving differences; would need to be void of forced compliance regarding foreign policy and decisions concerning domestic affairs; would need to be gov-erned by reason over impulse; and would need to serve the best interest of all its members.”

As for the Middle-East as a whole, the Foreign Minister said that the dev-astated areas cannot be rebuilt “unless more diplomatic pressure is put on power-hungry players; and a holistic security plan is established across the region. This security plan must find common ground, include an arbitration mechanism that gives small and large nations equal protection, and provide binding consequences for those who create crisis and threaten security.”

“The citizens of Qatar are a forgiving and resilient people. We wish for unity. We cant ignore the historic bond between the countries of the GCC, and the shared family, cultural, and financial ties that can actually make us stronger. Qatar hopes for a restored GCC which is more transparent and based on shared interest like trade and security.”

Over 120 specialists from HMC attended the workshop on the Qatar Dietary Guidelines, held on January 20 at Bayt Al Dhiyafah.

Officials at the Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Department of Clinical Nutrition.

DOHA: Traffic Patrolling & Investigation Department has recently honoured a Syrian women, Duaa Fares Saleem for her coop-eration in investigations.

The woman helped the department to catch a driver of a vehicle who had hit a motorcyclist and escaped from the accident scene and caused injuries to the person besides damaging his motorcycle.

A source at the General Directorate of Traffic said that most of the motorists who flee from the scene after committing traffic accidents usually do not have driving licences.

Making an effort purely on humanitarian grounds, Duaa Fares followed the driver and registered the number of his car and called the authorities concerned. She also called

the ambulance to rescue the injured person (the motorcyclist).

The Traffic Patrolling & Investigation Department carried out the necessary meas-ures and caught the escaped driver and investigation showed that he was driving without licence and under legal age for driving.

The details of the accident showed that it happened due to reckless and high-speed driving of the offender who was driving a four-wheel car and had hit the motorcyclist, which caused the driver minor injuries.

Brig Abdul Aziz bin Jassim Al Thani, Director of Traffic Patrolling & Investiga-tion Department said that the aim of hon-ouring people and the cooperating enti-ties was to encourage positive initiatives from citizens to nab offenders who commit traffic accidents and flee from the acci-dent scene.

This also sends a message that even if the police is not on the road they are being monitored and people are cooperating with the department to report about similar cases.

The General Directorate of Traffic has a section to record violations against unknown persons who flee from the accident scene, and the fine in such cases, if it is a serious accident, is to transfer the person to Public Prosecution. The losses will be evaluated against the violator and the punishment may lead to imprisonment.

Two months ago, a similar accident had happened when a motorist due to “his reck-less driving” had killed a person on the road and escaped from the accident scene at ‘Khalifa Avenue’ street in front of Education City.

When the traffic patrols reached the accident scene, they had found that the person, who was hit by the car, had died.

03SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018 HOME / MIDDLE EAST

Visitors enjoying cool weather at the Aspire Park in Doha, yesterday. PICS: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

Enjoying cool weather

Syrian woman Duaa Fares Saleem is honoured for helping Traffic Department to catch a traffic offender.

Woman honoured for help to catch traffic offenderSIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

Supreme Committee’s occupational health clinics receive appreciation THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), the global trade union for construction workers, in its recent report, has lauded the “well-staffed occupational health clinics” and the Workers’ Welfare Forums (WWF), set up by the Supreme Committee (SC) to encourage workers to speak openly.

The report has been published by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and BWI Joint Working Group (JWG).

Formed in 2016 after the two organisations signed a cooperation agreement, the JWG ensures Qatar’s World Cup stadiums and accommodation facilities of workers on World Cup projects maintain the rigorous health and safety standards the SC requires, as stipulated in the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Standards (WWS).

The WWS were developed in consultation with human rights groups including Amnesty Interna-tional and Human Rights Watch.

The report is comprised of the findings from a series of inspections carried out at four FIFA World Cup™ stadium sites during 2017.

The JWG met in Qatar six times

during 2017, inspecting four different stadium construction sites and accommodation facilities.

The JWG made recommenda-tions to improve aspects of working and living conditions, such as better storage systems for workers’ har-nesses, improving health record management and providing training for contractors’ medical staff. The Supreme Committee is already working on all recommendations made in the JWG report.

Areas that were singled out in the report as positives include the well-staffed occupational health clinics, and the Workers’ Welfare Forums (WWF), set up by the SC to encourage workers to speak openly about any issues they have in relation to their work or accommodation.

The JWG recognised the impor-tance of free and fair discussions in the WWFs, which are central ele-ment of the grievance mechanisms available to workers.

WWFs will continue to be an area of focus in 2018, and BWI will deliver skills training to the workers involved in coordinating these forums, to help improve their com-munication and leadership skills.

BWI will also focus on their com-mitment to provide “train the

trainer” sessions for SC teams responsible for workers’ welfare. This year will also see the JWG inspect additional World Cup sta-dium sites and accommodation facil-ities as the SC prepares for its peak construction period and the corre-sponding increase in worker numbers.

Hassan Al Thawadi, SC Secretary General said: “I want to thank Ambet

Yuson and BWI for their support on what is a crucial issue for the SC – improving the health and safety of those working at our stadium sites. As this report shows, we have made progress, but we know more can be done, especially as we begin a n i m p o r t a n t y e a r o f construction.”

“We have always believed this World Cup has the power to deliver a meaningful social legacy, and our partnership with BWI is an essential part of that commitment. I’m extremely pleased that we will con-tinue this important partnership in 2018.”

Ambet Yuson, General Secretary of BWI said:

“The work we’ve conducted with the SC has been an excellent starting point. The cooperative and constructive partnership in place has improved the conditions of workers across World Cup projects, which would not have been pos-sible without the willingness shown by the SC and in particular the Sec-retary General, to engage us in con-structive dialogue. Over the next 12 months, the BWI team will return to Qatar and we hope to make further progress in the coming months.”

Hassan Al Thawadi, SC Secretary General said: “I want to thank Ambet Yuson and BWI for their support on what is a crucial issue for the SC – improving the health and safety of those working at our stadium sites. As this report shows, we have made progress, but we know more can be done, especially as we begin an important year of construction.”

Sudan holds top opposition leader to curb protestsAFP

KHARTOUM: Sudanese security agents have arrested the deputy head of the country’s main opposition Umma Party after it held anti-govern-ment rallies to protest rising food prices, the party said yesterday.

Sporadic demonstrations have hit Khartoum and some other parts of Sudan since early Jan-uary after prices of food, notably bread, more than doubled following a jump in the cost of flour.

Agents of the country’s powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) detained senior Umma official Fadlalla Burma Nasir at his home late on Thursday, the party said.

Umma party is headed by former premier Sadiq Al Mahdi, whose civilian government was overthrown in the 1989 Islamist-backed coup that brought President Omar Hassan Al Bashir to power. Nasir, a retired major general and former armed forces chief of staff, was the defence min-ister in Mahdi’s government.

“We strongly condemn the arrest of our leader and other detainees,” the party said in a statement. “We demand that they be immediately released or put on trial.”

In a separate incident on Thursday, several opposition activists were also arrested as they held a meeting in a Khartoum suburb, an opposition statement said.

Opposition leaders Kamal Ismail and Mohamed Al Hafiz were among those arrested by NISS agents who raided the meeting, the state-ment said.

Umma Party and other opposition groups have regularly called for anti-government demonstra-tions after food prices shot up in January.

So far the demonstrations have been swiftly crushed by anti-riot policemen and plainclothes security agents. Police have fired tear gas to break up the protests. European embassies in Sudan have urged Khartoum to release all detainees.

“The ambassadors...are very concerned by the prolonged detention without charge or trial of a large number of political leaders, human rights activists and other citizens,” a statement said Wednesday. The EU states urged Khartoum to ensure that the detainees “are not mistreated”.

Among those still held is Mokhtar Al Khatib, chief of Sudan Communist Party.

Turkey slams Greece for refusing terrorist extradition

ISTANBUL: Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu yesterday criticised a Greek court for rejecting an extradition request of one of nine Turkey-based far left terrorists.

“We have information about the existence of many [terror] camps, names of some of them are known by public. We don’t want Greece to be a country that aids and abets terrorists and ter-rorism,” Cavusoglu told reporters in Istanbul.

The reaction of Turkish deputy premier came hours after a Greek court refused to approve the extradition of one of nine Turkish citizens accused of being members of the DHKP-C terrorist group.

The far-left terrorist suspects had plotted to assassinate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Greece last December, Greek media reported after their arrest last year.

“As much as we know, FETO [Fetullah Ter-rorist Organization’s] terrorists as well as DHKP-C terrorists are taking shelter in Greece, this number could be around 900, we particularly know that FETO members are there,” he said referring to a group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.

“In this context, we had not given any pos-sibility that Greece will host these terrorists who target Turkey’s existence, integrity and nation. I would like to express that our hope is damaged after these decisions are made.”

The ruling alleges that if the DHKP mem-bers were handed over to Turkey their life would be in danger.

04 SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

90 migrants feared dead as boat capsizes off LibyaAFP

GENEVA: At least 90 people were feared dead yesterday in the latest migrant tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya, the UN migration agency said.

The tragedy happened off the coast of Zuwara in the early hours yesterday, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) spokeswoman Olivia Headon said in Geneva by phone from Tunis.

“At least 90 migrants are reported to have drowned, when a boat capsized off the coast of Libya this morning”, the IOM said.

The agency said that “10 bodies are reported to have washed up on Libyan shores”, including those of two Libyans and eight Pakistanis.

Two survivors from the dis-aster had swum to shore, while another was rescued by a fishing boat, it added.

The agency has repeatedly issued warnings over the extreme dangers facing migrants who try to reach Europe via the

so-called central Mediterranean route, which connects Libya to Italy.

IOM said yesterday that more than 6,600 migrants and refugees had already entered Europe by sea this year, with central Mediterranean route crossings to Italy accounting for nearly 65 percent of the entries.

It voiced surprise that Lib-yans were among the dead, pointing out that only 29 Libyan nationals were rescued or inter-cepted trying to cross the Medi-terranean in all of 2017, with no Libyan deaths recorded last year.

Asked if it was common to see Libyans among the migrants trying to cross to Europe, IOM spokesman Joel Millman said “we haven’t (really) seen that before.”

“They could have been smugglers,” he said.

The large number of Paki-stanis found dead could mean-while hint at a shift in migration trends.

IOM pointed out that Paki-stanis made up the 13th largest group trying to cross the Medi-terranean to Europe last year, with 3,138 of them arriving in Italy in 2017, and no recorded sea deaths. But they have already climbed to third place this year, with an estimated 240 Pakistanis reaching Italy in January, com-pared to just nine during the same month last year.

Drownings in the Mediter-ranean began surging in 2013 as Europe’s worst migration crisis since World War II began picking up speed, with hundreds of thou-sands of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Over the past five years,

more than 16,000 people have died trying to make the perilous crossing to Europe, according to IOM numbers.

Excluding Friday’s tragedy, 246 migrants and refugees have already died trying to cross the Mediterranean since the begin-ning of the year, compared to 254 casualties during the first month of 2017. Two hundred and eighteen of the deaths this year occurred on the central route,

IOM said, while 28 happened on the western route that links North Africa to Spain.

No deaths have been reorded this year on the eastern Mediterranean route that con-nects Turkey and Greece, used by 1,089 migrants so far in 2018.

The EU last year reached controversial agreements with chaos-wracked Libya to stem the flow of migrants from that country, following a more

comprehensive deal with Turkey in 2016, which sharply reduced the numbers crossing to Greece.

Casualties in the eastern Mediterranean have dropped dramatically since then.

In the 22 months since the deal with Turkey was reached in April 2016, fatalities on that route have fallen to an average of 6.75 per month, from 96.25 per month during the year prior to the agreement, IOM said.

Migrants arrive at a naval base in Tripoli late yesterday, after they were rescued off Lybia’s coast.

Ten bodies are reported to have washed up on Libyan shores, including those of two Libyans and eight Pakistanis. Two survivors from the disaster had swum to shore, while another was rescued by a fishing boat.

Zuma faces new no-confidence vote this monthREUTERS

JOHANNESBURG: South Afri-ca’s Jacob Zuma (pictured) faces a no-confidence vote this month, a fresh attempt to unseat the president by opponents embold-ened by splits within his own party.

Zuma, who is battling a string of corruption allegations, is in a weakened position since he was replaced as leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party in December by Cyril Ramaphosa, the country’s deputy president.

The 75-year-old president is expected to meet the ANC’s six most powerful officials this weekend, but the agenda of the meeting has not been disclosed. Ramaphosa, 65, has been lob-

bying the ANC’s national execu-tive to force Zuma to resign.

Zuma, who has not said whether he will step down vol-untarily before his second term as president ends next year, has been deserted by several prom-inent allies in the ANC since Ramaphosa took over leadership of what is the only party to govern South Africa since the end of apartheid.

On Friday, parliament speaker Baleka Mbete agreed to a request from the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) for a motion of no-confi-dence, though she refused to hold the vote before the presi-dent’s state of the nation address on Feb. 8, and scheduled it for Feb. 22. The rand, which tends to strengthen on signs Zuma

could leave office, pared losses on the announcement from parliament.

Investors associate Zuma’s tenure with a period of economic decline, with growth slowing to an average of 1.5 percent a year and unemployment up to 28

percent from around 23 percent when he took office in 2009.

Zuma narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in August, but was politically wounded by some ANC lawmakers voting with the opposition. In its letter requesting the vote, the EFF said

Zuma was not a suitable head of state as he is likely to be embroiled in a judicial inquiry into state corruption. Zuma has denied any wrongdoing.

“The majority of parliament is going to say that Jacob Zuma will not be the president of South Africa because the biggest sen-timent, even in the ANC, is saying that Jacob Zuma cannot continue as president,” EFF Deputy Pres-ident Floyd Shivambu told eNCA television. Zuma agreed to estab-lish the inquiry into so-called “state capture”, a South African term for government corruption, last month. Another opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, had lobbied speaker Mbete to postpone the state of the nation address until Zuma had been removed from office.

ANATOLIA

RAMALLAH: Dozens of Pales-tinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces yesterday in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to a Palestinian NGO.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Israeli forces used live ammunition, rubber bullets and teargas to disperse Pales-tinian protesters near the Jewish-only Beit El settlement.

“Seven Palestinians were injured by live ammunition while three others suffered excessive teargas inhalation,” according to a statement issued by the Palestinian Red Crescent

(PRC). “In the city of Qalqilya, meanwhile, two Palestinians sustained injuries from rubber bullets, while another 28 suf-fered excessive teargas inhala-tion,” the PRC statement read.

And in Nablus, one Pales-tinian was hurt by live ammu-nition, while two others were injured by rubber bullets, according to the PRC.

Forty others, it noted, had suffered temporary asphyxia due to teargas inhalation.

Earlier yesterday, 20 Pal-estinians were injured when Israeli police forcibly dispersed a demonstration at the entrance of East Jerusalem’s Al Issawiya neighbourhood to protest US

President Donald Trump’s deci-sion to recognize the city as Isra-el’s capital.

The US president recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, prompting widespread condem-nation across the region and angry demonstrations in the Palestinian territories. 21 Pales-tinians have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Pal-estinians hoping that East Jeru-salem might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.

A Palestinian protester throws back a teargas canister towards Israeli forces during clashes in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, yesterday.

Dozens of Palestinians injured in clashes with Israeli forces

Tunisian journos protest against govt restrictionsANATOLIA

TUNIS: Tunisian journalists yesterday staged a demonstra-tion in Tunis to protest alleged government restrictions on their activities.

Held outside the headquar-ters of the Tunisian Journalists Syndicate, protesters decried restrictions on their journalistic activities imposed by Tunisia’s Interior Ministry.

Organised by syndicate members, yesterday’s protest was endorsed by the Tunisian Human Rights League, an NGO; the Tunisian General Labor Union, the country’s largest labor union; and a number of prominent political and judi-cial figures. “The current gov-ernment, especially Interior Minister Lotfi Brahem, remain

silent while journalists are being subject to persecution,” syndicate head Naji Baghouri said on the demonstration’s sidelines.

He went on to call for a nationwide general strike if government ministers remained “complicit” in the persecution of journalists.

Baghouri pointed in partic-ular to the interior minister’s recent admission -- made during a Monday session of par-liament -- that the ministry was tapping certain journalists’ phones. Amna Guellali, director of Human Rights Watch’s Tunis office, told Anadolu Agency: “Today’s protest comes against the backdrop of the ongoing erosion of press freedoms in Tunisia since the 2011 revolution.”

Tunisian journalists protest outside the headquarters of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) against police threats and intimidation in the capital Tunis, yesterday.

Iraq eyeing improved relations with neighboursANATOLIA

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi yesterday stressed his government’s keenness to “consolidate” relations with neighbouring countries.

Al Abadi made the asser-tion at a meeting of Iraqi ambassadors in capital Baghdad.

“We want to establish normal relations with all of our neighbours in the upcoming period,” he told meeting participants.

Iraqi political leaders have repeatedly said that maintaining solid relations with neighbouring states serves the country’s interest -- especially after the Daesh terrorist group’s expulsion from Iraq last year.

“Iraqi diplomacy is playing an important role in strengthening relations and minimizing differences -- policies that ultimately con-tribute to the national interest,” he said.

All 955 miners trapped in SA rescuedAFP

AFRIQUE DU SUD: All 955 gold miners trapped under-ground for more than a day in South Africa after a power cut were rescued unharmed yesterday, to the relief of waiting relatives.

“Everybody’s out,” mine spokesman James Wellsted said, adding that there were no deaths or serious injuries reported. There were “cases of dehydration and high blood pressure but nothing serious”, he said. The miners were stuck in the Beatrix gold mine, in the small town of Theunissen near the city of Welkom, for around 30 hours after a massive power outage caused by a storm prevented lifts from bringing workers on the night shift to the surface. After several hours engineers were able to restore power, allowing the hoist to bring up the miners -- who had been trapped since Wednesday in batches.

REUTERS

NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to provide health insurance for about half the country would require an estimated Rs110bn in federal and state funding each year, sources familiar with the matter said.

The scheme, which the gov-ernment dubs “Modicare”, was announced in federal budget for 2018/19 and would provide 100 million families, or about 500 million poor people, with health cover of 500,000 rupees per year for free treatment of serious ailments.

Several Indian states now offer health insurance but these schemes are generally small and poorly implemented. Modi faces a national election next year and the new health programme is seen as a signature initiative to woo voters in the countryside, many of whom struggle with high healthcare costs.

The government estimates the cost of insuring each family under the new scheme at about 1,100 rupees ($17.15), said a

government official who had direct knowledge of the matter and did not want to be identified.

Officials at NITI Aayog, India’s federal think tank, yes-terday said the government’s estimated premium for insuring each family would be 1,000-1,200 rupees, confirming the funding would be shared between federal and state governments.

“This is a turning point for

the health sector,” Vinod K. Paul, a member of NITI Aayog, told reporters.

Indian officials have said “the world’s largest government funded health care programme” would have a federal allocation of 20 billion rupees in 2018-19, but added that more funds would be made available as the pro-gramme is rolled out over the year. Some critics have raised doubts whether 20 billion rupees in federal funding is enough to support the programme for 2018-19.

However, the government official said of the 110 billion rupees in premiums required to fund the programme, the federal government would contribute about 70 billion rupees with the 29 states providing the rest.

The 50 billion rupees in fed-eral funding on top of the budget allocation of 20 billion rupees would be made available as the scheme details are worked out over the coming months, the offi-cial said.

“Government health insur-ance companies have readily agreed to fund the programme

(at this cost),” the official said.A second source familiar

with the planning said the gov-ernment could also partly use the funds raised from a newly imposed 1 percent health cess on taxable incomes, and the health scheme would also benefit from the planned merger of three state-run insurance firms announced in Thursday’s budget.

“It’s a big pool (of people). When you have a mamoth

insurance company, the task becomes easier,” said the source, adding that the government’s premium payments for the scheme were expected to be low and manageable. Modi’s govern-ment on Thursday also raised the federal health budget by 11.5 per-cent to $8.3 billion for 2018-19.

The measures are Modi’s latest attempt to reform a public health system that faces a shortage of hospitals and

doctors. The government has also in recent years capped prices of critical drugs and med-ical devices and increased health funding.

Still, India spends only about 1 percent of its GDP on public health, among the world’s lowest, and the health ministry estimates such funding leads to “cata-strophic” expenses that push 7 percent of the population into poverty each year.

The scheme, which the government dubs “Modicare”, was announced in federal budget for 2018/19 and would provide 100 million families, or about 500 million poor people, with health cover of 500,000 rupees per year for free treatment of serious ailments.

05SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018 ASIA

India’s ‘Modicare’ to cost Rs110bn a year

Amritsar District Mahila Congress workers shouting anti-government slogans during a protest against the union budget, in Amritsar, yesterday.

Bangladesh ‘tree man’ relapses after 24 surgeries AFP DHAKA: A year ago Abul Bajandar, a Bangladeshi rick-shaw-puller dubbed “tree-man” for the bark-like growths that once covered his body, appeared to have made a full recovery from the rare condition that has afflicted him for a decade.

But twelve months after doctors declared him all but cured following 24 surgeries, Bajandar’s hands are once again covered in the growths that characterise his rare con-dition. Surgeon Samanta Lal Sen, who last year hailed his cure as a milestone in medical history, now admits Bajandar’s case may be more complicated than first thought. His patient, who has been unable to work for years and whose young family lives in the hospital, says

he fears he will never be cured. “I am scared to have any

more surgeries. I don’t think my hands and feet will be okay again,” the 27-year-old said at the Dhaka hospital where he first came for treatment in Jan-uary 2016. Bajandar suffers from epidermodysplasia ver-ruciformis, an extremely rare genetic condition known as “tree-man disease”.

Intrigued by his condition, doctors at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital treated him for free, surgically removing more than five kilos of growths from his hands and feet.

He has been there ever since with his wife and family, who live together in a small room in the hospital. “We thought we had achieved. But now it seems to be a time-con-suming case,” surgeon Sen said.

Nasheed vows to challenge Maldives president in pollsAFP COLOMBO: The exiled former leader of the Maldives vowed yesterday to run for president after the Supreme Court quashed his conviction, dealing a major blow to the ruling regime.

Mohamed Nasheed, (pic-tured) the country’s first demo-cratically elected president, has urged the government to respect the top court’s shock decision to overturn the convictions of nine dissidents and order the release of those serving jail sentences.

Yesterday, he said the ruling cleared the way for him to return to the Maldives, a South Asian atoll nation known as a honey-mooners’ paradise.

“I can contest and will con-test,” he told AFP in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.

“We must set up proper pro-cedures for inclusive, free and fair elections with full interna-

tional observation.” Nasheed, 50, said the gov-

ernment should withdraw the troops deployed inside the par-liament since July last year, when a dozen MPs from Presi-dent Abdulla Yameen’s party defected and attempted to impeach the pro-government speaker.

The Supreme Court on Thursday reinstated the 12

legislators who were expelled for defecting, and effectively gave the opposition a majority in the 85-member assembly.

The United Nations, Aus-tralia, Britain, Canada, India and the United States welcomed the court’s decision as a move towards restoring democracy in the politically-troubled Indian Ocean nation.

“I urge the Government and security services to respect this ruling, which bolsters #democ-racy and #RuleOfLaw for all Mal-divians,” tweeted Atul Keshap, the US ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Nasheed’s Maldivian Dem-ocratic Party (MDP), which has criticised the country’s “highly corrupt judiciary” in the past, saw the unexpected decision as the “end of Yameen’s authori-tarian rule”.

He was barred from con-testing any election in the

Maldives after a controversial 2015 terrorism conviction widely criticised as politically motivated.

The Supreme Court said yesterday that the “questionable and politically motivated nature of the trials of the political leaders warrant a retrial”.

Nasheed urged the govern-ment to respect the verdict.

The beleaguered adminis-tration said it had not been heard by the Supreme Court, but prom-ised it would abide by the ruling.

It did not say, however, when the convicted political prisoners would be released from prison.

The ruling -- published on the court’s website and broad-cast by private media outlets -- brought opposition activists onto the streets in celebration Thursday night, sparking clashes with police who fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Workers of Nepal Asiana Garments Industries Ltd attending a protest rally in Dhaka, yesterday. Hundreds attended the protest rally as the owner has closed the factory without prior notice to the employees.

Vietnam doctor jailed for anti-state posts

AFP

HANOI: A doctor in Vietnam has been sentenced to four years in jail for “anti-state propaganda”, state media reported, as part of a fresh wave of convictions in the one-party state accused of waging a crackdown on critics.

Bloggers, activists and lawyers are routinely jailed in communist Vietnam, where a hardline leadership in place since 2016 is accused of tight-ening its grip on dissidents.

At least 24 activists were convicted last year, with another 28 arrested, according to Human Rights Watch, making 2017 one of the worst years for activists in the country. The latest to be jailed is Ho Van Hai, 54, a doctor who was arrested in November 2016 over a series of blog posts criticising the government.

“Of the 75 articles posted online and stored in Hai’s com-puter, the authorities identified 36 articles that violated the regulation on management, provision and use of internet services and information on the internet,” according to the VnExpress report.

Protest against factory closure

Everest: Nepal losing out to ChinaAFP

KATHMANDU: Poor regulation and overcrowding are pushing Everest climbers away from Nepal to China, which is investing millions to boost a rival path to the top of the world.

Veteran climbing outfits, fed up with what they regard as a

lax attitude to safety on Nepal’s southern flank of the 8,848 metre peak, are starting to shift operations to Everest’s north side in Tibet.

“The south side is way too overcrowded with inexperi-enced people,” Phil Crampton, a seasoned Everest hand who announced in January his

company Altitude Junkies would shift to China, the third such outfit to abandon Nepal in recent years.

The exodus could dent a long-standing source of revenue for the cash-strapped Himalayan nation — Kathmandu raked in more than $4 million in Everest permits fees alone in 2017.

Kachin conflict escalates, drawing concern from UNREUTERS

GENEVA: Conflict between Myanmar’s army and guerrillas of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northern Myanmar has escalated since January 19, including in Sumprabum, Waingmaw and Tanai townships, a UN human-itarian report said yesterday.

“The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are con-cerned about the safety of civil-ians in these areas,” it said.

“The Tanai area has seen heavy fighting since 25 January 2018. There have been reports of a number of civilians killed or injured.”

The KIA is one of Myan-mar’s most powerful militias and has clashed regularly with the Myanmar military since 2011, when a 17-year-old cease-fire broke down.

It is part of the predomi-nantly ethnic Chinese Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) which clashed with Myanmar’s military in 2015, in fighting that spilled over the Chinese border and displaced tens of thousands.

The UN report said aid agencies were reporting about 1,800 people, mainly labourers, had been evacuated from the Tanai area as a result of the

latest fighting, but other civil-ians were still in the areas of conflict and unable to leave.

UN staff had not been granted access to the area and could not independently verify the information, it said.

In Sumprabum township more than 700 people were sheltering in the forest after being displaced on January 22. They included villagers and about 500 people from an internal displacement camp who fled after mortar bombs landed near the camp.

Tanai and Sumprabum are located on the two major roads running north from Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, the northernmost part of Myanmar, between China and India.

On three occasions since mid-Decmber, most recently on Jan. 27, mortar bombs also landed close to a displacement camp in Waingmaw township, just cross the Irrawaddy river from Myitkyina, the report said.

Myanmar is already under international scrutiny for its handling of the Rohingya crisis on the Bangladesh border.

The UN human rights investigator for Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, was barred in December from visiting the Rohingya areas and also Kachin and Shan states.

Goodwill visit Sailors work on board the JS Amagiri (DD���-), an Asagiri-class destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, as it arrives at port in Manila, yesterday. The Amagiri, with its crew of over ��� personnel, arrived at port in Manila as part for a two-day goodwill visit.

A man walks past graffiti depicting Thailand’s junta number two Prawit Wongsuwan, who is currently mired in a corruption scandal over his collection of luxury watches, in Bangkok, yesterday.

Pakistan backs Afghan govt to fight terrorism REUTERS

KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani yesterday said Pakistan failed to move against the Taliban and pledged a new security plan for Kabul after hundreds of people were killed and wounded in two deadly attacks on the capital last month.

“We are waiting for Paki-stan to act,” Ghani said in a tel-evised address after weekly prayers.”

A recent attack on the Inter-continental Hotel in Kabul and a suicide bombing on a crowded city street a week later have stoked public anger in Afghan-istan and stepped up pressure on Ghani’s Western-backed

government to improve secu-rity. The attacks, which killed more than 130 people and wounded hundreds more, were claimed by the Taliban, which is fighting to drive out interna-tional troops and re-establish its form of strict Islamic law in Afghanistan.

A Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman said Pakistan and Afghanistan were both victims of terrorism and needed to work together to fight the common threat.

“Pakistan affirms solidarity with the people and govern-ment of Afghanistan in fighting the menace of terrorism,” he said in a statement. “We feel the pain of our Afghan brothers and sisters.”

New law to withhold US aid to Pakistan

INTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Some legisla-tive changes in the US National Defence Authorisa-tion Act (NDAA) this year will lead to withholding of $350m American aid to Pakistan, says an official US report.

On January 4, the US State Department announced that Washington had suspended security assistance to Paki-stan until Islamabad took decisive action against the Taliban and the Haqqani network.

So far, various figures have been quoted on how much aid has been sus-pended. But the report by the office of the US Special Inspector General Afghani-stan Reconstruction (SIGAR) is the first to quote a specific figure.

The report, submitted to Congress this week, also warned that the Afghan gov-ernment has been gradually losing control over its territory.

N Korea warns against US-South Korea drillsREUTERS

SEOUL: North Korea has warned if the United States goes ahead with delayed military exercises with South Korea after the Winter Olympics it will not “sit idle”, the North’s foreign minister said in a letter to the United Nations.

North Korea has not tested a missile since late November 2017 and entered into inter-Korean dialogue in January, the first talks in two years which have eased tensions after a year of escalating rhetoric between t h e P y o n g y a n g a n d Washington.

Whenever joint military exercises took place “the peace and security of the Korean peninsula were gravely threat-ened and the inter-Korean mis-trust and confrontation reached the top, thus creating great dif-ficulties and obstacles ahead of hard-won dialogues,” said the letter from North Korea’s For-eign Minister Ri Yong Ho.

“We will make every effort to improve inter-Korean rela-tions in future, too, but never sit idle with regard to sinister act of throwing a wet blanket over

our efforts.” The United States and South Korea have agreed to push back a routine early-year joint military drill until after the South holds the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which begins next week.

Joseph Yun, the U.S. special envoy on North Korea, said on Thursday all options remain on the table for solving the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear mis-sile programme but that he did not think the Trump adminis-tration was close to triggering military action.

The North also said that the United States was “misleading” public opinion by claiming its tough actions brought about the

inter-Korean talks.“The fact that a dramatic

turning point has been made for peace and stability, national rec-onciliation and cooperation, and reunification on the Korean peninsula where a touch-and-go war danger was prevailing is entirely thanks to the noble love for the nation by respected Comrade Kim Jong Un,” it said.

“However, the U.S. author-ities are misleading public opinion as if the inter-Korean dialogue is an outcome of their harshest sanctions and pressure imposed upon our country.”

In a commentary later on Friday, the North’s state media said the United States is attempting to create a “stage of confrontation” at the Olympics, saying inter-Korean talks and positive results that have stemmed from them could “dis-appear” after the Games.

It also criticised US Vice President Mike Pence’s pending visit to the Pyeongchang Olym-pics, accusing Washington of halting improvements in inter-Korean relations.The North has agreed with South Korea to send a 230-strong cheering squad to the Winter Olympics.

“We will make every effort to improve inter-Korean relations in future, too, but never sit idle with regard to sinister act of throwing a wet blanket over our efforts,” said North’s foreign minister.

Pakistani minister commits suicide after shooting wife to deathINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Police yesterday said that based on initial inves-tigation, the cause of death of PPP provincial minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani - who was found shot dead in his house along with his wife yesterday appears to be a suicide.

The senior politician first killed his wife, former MPA and long-time media professional Fariha Razzaq, and then used the same weapon to commit sui-cide, said a press release issued by the deputy inspector general police, South Zone Karachi, yesterday.

“On the basis of the avail-able crime scene/circumstan-tial evidence and initial post-mortem report, it appears that Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani killed his wife and then committed suicide with the same weapon,” read the press release, adding all the empty bullet casings found at the crime scene were fired from the same weapon.

Funeral prayers for Bijarani and his wife were held shortly after Friday prayers. While Raz-zaq’s funeral was held in Kara-chi’s Defence Housing Authority

area, prayers for Bijarani were offered in Kashmore.

According to the police press release, the police had received a call at 2:30pm on Friday informing them that the bodies of Bijarani and his wife had been found on the first floor of their house.

Police officials had then rushed to the crime scene, where they found Razzaq’s body lying on the floor near the entrance to the study, located adjacent to the bedroom, the statement said, while Bijarani’s body was found on a couch in the same room.

Regarding the police’s ini-tial investigation, the press release said: “The crime scene was secured and properly pho-tographed. Forensic, fingerprint and investigation teams were called. DVR of CCTV cameras installed at the house has been seized.” “Relevant evidence” - blood samples, bullet empties, fingerprints - was also collected from the scene.

Six individuals interviewed by the police - including two police guards and four domestic servants revealed that an alter-cation was ongoing between

Bijarani and his wife over the past few days, said the police. The house was locked from the inside and the door was forcibly opened by Bijarani’s son and servants.

Yesterday, the police guards had told the investigators they were not sure about the origin of the sound of gunshots - besides they were not allowed to go inside the house - so they stayed put outside.

However, the police guards said they had informed a house servant about the quarrel and gunshots when he arrived at around 9.30am, who had then called Razzaq’s son from her first marriage.

According to Counter-Ter-rorism Department official, Raja Umar Khattab, Razzaq’s son had entered the room - locked from inside - from the kitchen’s window and found the couple lying dead. Subsequently, the police had been informed.

A day earlier, life in Kara-mpur, Bijarani’s native town, came to a standstill and a shut-down was observed in many other towns of upper Sindh as soon as the news of the couple’s death reached the areas.

Malaysia bans Bollywood movie ‘Padmaavat’AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia y e s t e r d a y b a n n e d “Padmaavat”, a Bollywood epic that has enraged Hindu radicals in India, saying that it portrayed Islam in a bad light.

The national censorship board said it took the tough measure “because the plot of the movie gave a bad image about Islam through the role played by a (Muslim) sultan,” it said in a statement.

Authorities turned down an appeal by the local distrib-utor against the banning of the hit Indian film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

In India, the movie has fuelled anger among hardline Hindu activists over its por-trayal of a legendary Hindu queen which led to the film sets being vandalised.

The country has previ-ously banned movies that it feared could hurt religious sensitivities.

Dengue vaccine row wreaks havoc on Philippine war on diseaseAFP

MANILA: Widespread fears over a controversial dengue vaccine that some blame for child deaths are wreaking havoc on the Philippines’ war on preventable diseases, with many parents refusing to get their children immunised, a senior health official said yesterday.

Immunisation rates for polio, chicken pox, tetanus and other diseases are significantly down from previous years since the government suspended the sale and distribution of the Dengvaxia vaccine in December, Health Undersec-retary Enrique Domingo told reporters.

The government is also investigating Dengvaxia’s alleged role in the deaths of at least 14 children who were among the 830,000 who got the vaccine as part of the world’s first public dengue immunisation programme in 2016-2017.

“Our programmes are suf-fering... (Filipinos) are scared of all vaccines now,” Domingo said, adding that immunisation rates for some diseases are down to 60 percent, signifi-cantly lower than in recent years and below the target of

85 percent. The Philippine gov-ernment is concerned about the potential for epidemics because of lower immunisation rates, he said. Dengue -- a mosquito-borne disease -- infects 400 million people each year and kills 9,000 globally, the health department said, citing World Health Organization data.

The Philippines has one of the highest dengue fatality rates in the world, with 732 deaths last year, it added.

Dengvaxia’s manufacturer Sanofi disclosed in December, two months after the vaccina-tion campaign was completed, that it could worsen symptoms for people who had not previ-ously been infected with the virus. The disclosure sparked nationwide panic, with some parents alleging the vaccine caused the deaths of their children.

“When you go to the com-munities, all the paediatricians are really heartbroken because all the patients -- the parents (and) the children -- feel that they are going to die,” Domingo said. Sanofi says no one has been proven to have died from the vaccine, but last month the French pharmaceutical giant agreed to reimburse the Phil-ippine government for leftover doses.

Cambodia criminalises criticism of kingAFP

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s government yesterday approved the country’s first lese majeste law handing a five year sentence to anyone found guilty of insulting the king, a move rights groups fear will be used to target dissent. Unlike neighbouring Thailand where royal defama-tion often results in decades in jail, Cambodia’s largely symbolic monarchy was not until now

shielded from criticism. The law was adopted during

a cabinet meeting chaired by premier Hun Sen, an authori-tarian leader who is poised to extend his tenure at elections in July after dissolving the oppo-sition and driving many of his critics into self-exile.

The new law, which bans insulting Cambodia’s constitu-tional monarch King Norodom Sihamoni, was added to the criminal code to “uphold and to

protect the reputation and royal name,” government spokesman Phay Siphan wrote in a Face-book post. “Insults to the King shall be punished between one to five years in prison” plus a $2,500 fine, the post said.

The power of the Cambo-dian monarchy has waned sig-nificantly in recent decades under Hun Sen, a domineering premier who has amassed tight control of the kingdom during his 33 years in office.

Thai junta 2 faces public ire

06 SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018ASIA

07SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018 EUROPE

‘Serious differences’ block coalition deal: MerkelAFP

BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured) warned yesterday that Germany’s top parties still had “very serious differences” to overcome ahead of next week’s deadline for sealing a coalition deal.

Heading into what she called the “decisive phase of the nego-tiations” on a new right-left “grand coalition”, Merkel said her conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD) would have to haggle down to the wire.

“There is still a whole range of very serious differences -- we have an enormous amount of work ahead of us,” she said, as negotiators fought especially over policies on refugees, the labour market and health insurance.

“I hope we will succeed but

the problems are, as I said, not yet solved.”

Germany has been in polit-ical limbo since a September 24 election in which Merkel failed to win a clear majority, in part due to the rise of the anti-immi-gration Alternative for Germany (AfD) which took millions of

votes from all major parties.Merkel initially turned to two

smaller parties, the Free Demo-crats and Greens, to form a new coalition government for her

fourth term. But when those talks collapsed in November, she had to once more woo a reluctant SPD for a new power pact.

Both main parties reached a breakthrough deal in January when they presented an in-prin-ciple agreement to start formal coalition talks that could lead to a new government for the big-gest EU economy by the end of March.

However, with the worst in the details, they have again clashed on divisive policies -- especially SPD demands for rules to shift temporary workers into permanent contracts, and to make Germany’s health insur-ance system fairer.

National news agency DPA reported yesterday that they also reopened another point of con-tention -- whether their agreed cap of allowing in 180,000 to

220,000 new asylum seekers a year should be regarded as a firm limit or a flexible goal.

The SPD, which slid below 20 percent support in latest polls, has been under particular pres-sure to deliver results -- espe-cially since its rank-and-file members will be allowed to vote on whether the party should once again govern in Merkel’s shadow.

Scepticism is high after the SPD scored a humiliating result in September, its worst of the post-war era. That initially led party leader Martin Schulz to vow to head into opposition to rebuild the party’s fighting spirit and voter appeal.

In the final stretch, the par-ties have said they would like to wrap up talks by tomorrow but have given themselves a two-day grace period until

Tuesday if they are still strug-gling with key issues.

Schulz agreed there was still “quite of bit of need to negotiate” and said he would not allow the impending deadline to pressure him into a hasty agreement.

“Thoroughness must come before speed,” he said.

Horst Seehofer, head of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of Merkel’s Christian Democrats, said changes in health insurance and employment policy demanded by the SPD were the main bones of contention.

But he expressed optimism they would reach a deal to end the political standstill which has gripped Europe’s top economy since September.

“I am convinced that we will manage to do it in the coming days,” he said.

Kremlin delays presidential address

BLOOMBERG

MOSCOW: The Kremlin has decided to delay Vladimir Putin’s annual state-of-the-nation speech to closer to the March 18 vote, giving him a key platform for him to lay out priorities for his next presiden-tial term, according to three offi-cials familiar with the plans.

“The landmark event on Russia’s political calendar is expected to take place in late February or early March, just weeks before the presidential election,” the sources said.

The speech had been set for early next week - on Wednesday, the speaker of the

upper house of parliament said it was coming in early February, according to RIA Novosti - but plans shifted in recent days, the people said.

“The president hasn’t yet set the date for the address. As soon as he does, we will announce it,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. News website RBC reported yesterday the speech had been delayed with no new date set yet.

Putin is planning to use the nationally televised address to parliament and other officials to outline plans for the fourth term he’s expected to win easily in the vote.

The Kremlin already

delayed it from the usual timing at the end of last year, aiming to bring it into the campaign period. Putin is expected to discuss proposals for higher spending on popular domestic programs like health and education, while steering clear of painful tax hikes and benefit cuts that are in the works to pay for them.

“It’s Putin’s political message, a kind of picture of the future over the next ��-� years,” said Konstantin Kostin, a political consultant who works for the Kremlin. Putting if off until closer to the vote will add to its impact as interest in the campaign rises, he said.

Russia marks 75 years Stalingrad battleAFP

VOLGOGRAD: Russia yesterday marked 75 years since the Soviet Union’s victory in the major World War II Battle of Stalin-grad, extolled as a symbol of the country’s resilience at a time when President Vladimir Putin campaigns for his fourth term.

Putin flew to Volgograd, the current name of the city, which staged a military parade involving about 1,500 troops, armoured vehicles and jets flying over a crowd of spectators bun-dled up to protect against the sub-zero temperatures.

The 1942 to 1943 battle in the Volga river city was one of the bloodiest in history. It was a disastrous loss for Nazi Ger-many, and is glorified by Russia as the event that saved Europe

from Adolf Hitler. “There was no other such

battle in the history of man-kind,” Putin told a crowd of vet-erans he met at the Volgograd philharmonic for a concert com-memorating the event.

“The unified resistance and readiness for self-sacrifice were truly undefeatable, incompre-hensible and frightful for the enemy.”

“Defenders of Stalingrad have passed a great heritage to us: love for the Motherland, readiness to protect its interests and independence, to stand strong in the face of any test,” he said, calling on Russians to measure up to their ancestors’ example.

To mark the occasion, traffic controllers in the city of a mil-lion people, one of the poorest

in Russia, were dressed in Red Army winter uniforms, complete with felt boots.

Viktoria Rybakova, a 31-year-old dancer performing in the concert, said: “In eve-ryone, there is gratitude for our future, for the fact that we are living today.”

Soviet victory and sacrifice in the war has been increasingly upheld by Moscow in recent years to stoke patriotism, which “has practically become a state ideology,” said political analyst Konstantin Kalachev.

Moscow needs positive sym-bols while ties with the West are at a post-Cold War low, so dates like war victory anniversaries are used to “promote the image of a country capable of accom-plishments and defeating all of its enemies,” Kalachev said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath laying ceremony at the eternal flame, at the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex, in the city of Volgograd, Russia, yesterday.

Five dead as French helicopters crashAFP

CABASSE: Five people were killed yesterday after two army training helicopters crashed into each other near a lake in southern France, police said, one of the deadliest such accidents involving the country’s armed forces in recent years.THE collision took place at around 8:30am near the lake of Carces, about 50km northwest of the resort of Saint-Tropez.

“The helicopters collided. There were three army per-sonnel in one and two in the other. All are dead,” police said in the nearby town of Brignoles.

The cause of the collision was still unclear.

All the people on board were officers, a source close to the inquiry said.

“One of the helicopters broke up and crashed onto a road, the

second crashed about 150 to 200 metres away and burned,” said Jean-Luc Videlaine, prefect of the Var region.

The Gazelle helicopters from the army’s light aviation division were based at a flight school in Cannet-des-Maures.

Two police helicopters were still searching the crash scene shortly after midday, while rescue services had blocked access to a forest road near the lake, according to a witness.

Defence Minister Florence Parly, who was en route to the site and the training base, expressed “great sadness” in a Twitter post, while President Emmanuel Macron hailed the “commitment of these officers who were preparing themselves for future missions.”

The French-made Gazelle helicopters entered service in the 1970s, and are used for recon-naissance and light attacks as

well as training. The aircraft were part of the

French army’s EALAT light-air-craft training school.

More than two dozen Gazelles are stationed in Cannet des Maures, along with Fennec and Puma choppers.

A local councillor, Jean-Pierre

Veran, said helicopters “regu-larly” fly over the zone and there had never been an accident, calling it a “terrible shock” with debris spread over a large area.

Army chief-of-staff Jean-Pierre Bosser expressed his “sol-idarity with the family and friends of the victims, as well as

their comrades” at the training facility.

The last major aviation accident involving the security forces in France took place in May 2016, when a police heli-copter crashed near Cauterets in the Pyrenees mountains, killing four on board.

A Gazelle helicopter at the French army’s EALAT light-aircraft training school in Cannet-des-Maures.

“There is still a whole range of very serious differences - we have an enormous amount of work ahead of us,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, as negotiators fought especially over policies on refugees, the labour market and health insurance.

Greek court rejects extradition of alleged Turk bomberREUTERS ATHENS: A Greek court yesterday ruled against the extradition of a Turkish man wanted by Ankara over links to a banned militant group blamed for suicide bombings in Turkey, court officials said.

Mehmet Dogan, 60, is one of nine people detained by Greece’s anti-terrorism service in November, weeks before Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Greece in December.

The court said yesterday that Dogan, although still being held in Greece, had been granted political asylum in France.

He told the court this week he had gone to France in 2011, after being held for 20 years in prison in Turkey, a court official said.

“He has already been rec-ognised as a refugee in France ... therefore he cannot be sent back to Turkey, where his life is in danger according to former rulings,” the official said.

The nine detained have been charged in Greece with setting up and belonging to a criminal organisation, ter-rorist-related acts of sup-plying explosive materials, and with illegal possession of firearms, smoke bombs and firecrackers.

All have all denied those charges, saying in a statement in December: “Solidarity with people who are fighting for their rights and freedom is not terrorism.

Dogan is also wanted in Turkey over alleged links to a far-left group blamed for attacks and suicide bomb-ings there since the year 1990.

His lawyers told the Greek court he had been sen-tenced to three years in prison in Turkey in the case.

Bild’s chief editor quits as print loses out to digital REUTERS

BERLIN: The editor-in-chief of German red-top tabloid Bild, Europe’s best-selling newspaper, quit yesterday after losing a power struggle with the head of its digital edition.

Tanit Koch, 40, resigned after two years at the helm of publisher Axel Springer’s flagship print title. In a message to staff, she said her working relationship with digital chief Julian Reichelt broke down last year. “In the year 2017 my readiness to compromise reached its limits.”

The management ructions offer a rare insight into the inner workings of Europe’s largest digital publisher, which was founded by the late Axel Springer in 1946. His widow, Friede, remains the main owner of the company.

Springer CEO Mathias Doepfner said that the double act at the top of Bild had not worked out as intended.

“We meant the division of editorial responsibilities well, but in practice it didn’t work because the setup didn’t fit with Bild,” Doepfner said in a statement, expressing regret at Koch’s departure.

Reichelt, 37, would take overall charge at Bild.

THE United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (UNHRC) has fired a shot across Israel’s bow.

In a report, the international organisation said 206 companies are in violation of international law for their operations in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian Territories.

Israel’s friends in Washington scrambled to its rescue. American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) called the UN report “pernicious,” and warned it could serve as the basis for a general boycott of Israel.

While the UN has so far kept names of the 206 companies under wraps, AIPAC said “the report targets at least 22 American companies” with business ties to Israeli settlements.

To counter the UN effort, AIPAC called on Congress to pass the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S. 720 and H.R. 1697), “which would expand existing US anti-boycott laws to international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union. ”The legislation was introduced in response to a March 2016 resolution of UNHRC.

But despite its vast influence inside Congress, AIPAC has had a hard time pushing through the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, with some of its closest legislators, such as Democratic Senator Christine

Gillibrand of New York, withdrawing support for the law. New York is home to more than 5 million Jewish Americans.

Gillibrand justified her reversal by saying she could never support an act that ultimately prohibited people from calling for any

kind of boycott, since such a right is enshrined in the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of expression.

The New York senator has not been the only American friend of Israel to express unease with settlements in Palestinian Territories. The US State Department considers the settlements illegal, and has gone as far as blaming them — in its report on terrorism in July — for fanning Palestinian “violent extremism.”

Even Donald Trump, the only sitting US president to visit the Western Wall and announce plans to relocate the American Embassy to Jerusalem, has expressed unease with the

settlements. “Settlements do not help the (peace) process,” Trump told Israel Hayom, the newspaper owned by an avowed supporter of settlements, Jewish-American billionaire Sheldon Adelson. “Every time you take land for settlements, there is less land left,” Trump told the Hebrew-language daily.

Unease with Israeli settlements in Palestinian lands comes from all quarters of American power, Republican and Democrat, in the administration or in Congress.

American opposition to the settlements, though subtle, should tell Israelis something: Their unique experiment in grabbing land outside their internationally recognized borders, and annexing them to their state, is an experiment that does not promise success.

The Israeli experiment is relatively new in the aftermath of World War II order, and only started in 1967. Except for Israel, there are currently no governments engaged in programs of population replacement, outside their borders.

In his book, Israel: A Place under the Sun, released in the mid-1990s, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that whatever the outcome of the peace process with Palestinians, Israel will annex a few big settlement blocs in the West Bank. Netanyahu cited military and strategic concerns, saying that a narrow corridor connects north and south Israel, and that should the Arabs launch a sweeping attack, like in 1948 or 1973, Israel will not be able to defend this narrow strip, hence the need to beef it up with adjacent Palestinian land.

But since the mid-1990s, technology has changed drastically, as armies gained the ability to project power anywhere without holding territory. Israel’s “security argument” for annexing a few settlement blocs has since fallen out of fashion and has been replaced with the “de facto” argument, that is, the settler population has grown so big that displacing and relocating it to Israel is impossible.

But the “de facto” argument is one that Israel gives to the world. The storyline that Israeli officials sell to their constituents is more connected to religious and historic claims, along the lines that no Israeli government will ever relinquish land in the West Bank, the territory that hosted the kingdoms of Judea and Samaria around the turn of the Common Era.

The validity of historic claims aside, history can be used as a populist platform to rally supporters, but is of little value in foreign relations governed by international laws. Unless Palestinians sign off on any piece of the West Bank or East Jerusalem to Israel, Tel Aviv will always carry the badge “occupier” when it controls these lands. Its settlers will always be seen as illegal colonizers or occupiers by international law.

The restrictions of international law has made it hard, even for Israel’s staunchest supporters in America, to support settlements beyond saying that these territories are “disputed,” and

that their final status is open for discussion in peace talks. No matter how strong and strategic ties between America and Israel are, Washington will always face the problem of running afoul of international laws, should it endorse the Israeli line, and logic, on settlements.

Still, America’s unwavering support to Israel, materially and diplomatically, will continue. But when it comes to violating the Fourth Geneva Convention, which bans occupiers from population reshuffle, America, even Trump, will remain reluctant in crossing that line. For all his pomp, Trump has yet to describe the Israeli settlements as legal entities, even though his ambassador to Israel has done so, in a move that seemed more of a personal position than a shift in US policy.

So how will the UNHCR report, and the possible public shaming of the 206 companies that operate in Israeli settlements, affect Israel?

The answer is anybody’s guess. Proponents of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement hope to replicate a regime similar to the one that brought down the apartheid government in South Africa.

But the Israeli situation is different. For starters, companies inside Israel proper are not subject to any boycott or sanctions. Second, the current financial system makes it much easier to hide Israeli capital than it was for South Africa in the 1980s. Israelis today can buy a majority stake in any company, while keeping their identity concealed. They will thus make profit despite the BDS campaign. For BDS to succeed in inflicting pain on Israel, time will have to go back to the day when business was more of a one-on-one transaction than one run by multinational conglomerates.

So far, however, BDS has put the settlement movement on the back foot. Companies that invest in occupied Palestinian Territories find themselves the target of public shaming and boycott.

The UN has just joined this activity. If such conditions persist, the only way for Israeli settlements to survive would be for the Israeli government to fully subsidize them, or they can serve only as suburbs for Israel’s economic centers, but never as viable independent economic centers.

It is a known fact that throughout this grave situation, Qatar stood in the path of justice and strived for the peaceful solution of the crisis which was very important for the unity and integrity of the Gulf nations.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFIeditorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMEDm.salim@pen.com.qa

08 SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018VIEWS

EDITORIAL

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Our objective remains the peaceful denuclearization

of the Korean peninsula. For that, it is absolutely

essential that serious discussion take place

among the key actors in this process!

Antonio Guterres UN Secretary-General

The answer is anybody’s guess. Proponents of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement hope to replicate a regime similar to the one that brought down the apartheid government in South Africa.

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) called the UN report “pernicious,” and warned it could serve as the basis for a general boycott of Israel.

Israeli settlements pit US against UN

HUSSAIN ABDUL HUSSAIN ANATOLIA

Qatar’s bold stance

Qatar’s bold stance in facing the challenges of the blockade imposed by four Arab nations, led by Saudi Arabia and supported by UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, eight months

ago, is a case study on how an illegal, unjustified and blatant violation of a nation’s sovereignty will be defeated with the wholehearted support of its people and by the international community.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani’s remarks during his speech at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington, underlines this fact when he said: “Qatar has been able to show the resilience to survive under siege. Other countries in the Middle East might not be able to withstand the trials of an attack, as we have seen in example after example across the region.”

The latest statement by a top US official in Doha on Thursday that Qatar has been doing an amazing job in dealing with the siege and Washington was impressed by this action underlines Qatar’s strong stance against the illegal blockade and its willingness in solving the issue with mutual dialogue.

It is a known fact that throughout this grave situation, Qatar stood in the path of justice and strived for the peaceful solution of the crisis which was very

important for the unity and integrity of the Gulf nations. This is echoed by Foreign Minister in Washington when he said that ‘it is Qatar’s hope that the GCC can be rebuilt.’ He also said Qatar’s willingness to participate in a US-GCC summit next spring, provided that the blockading countries’ motivation is based on real will and not coercion. The last US-GCC summit was held in May 2017, in Riyadh, just before the illegal blockade.

National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) has called on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR) to immediately implement the

findings of the November 2017 report, which concluded that a blockade against Qatar was discriminatory, without legal basis and amounted to economic warfare.

According to the OHCHR report, the measures taken by the siege countries last June were unilateral, coercive and arbitrary and had a permanent effect on the union of families and the social fabric of the region as a whole. The condemnation of the UN agency report by the quartet and their claims that it was within their ‘sovereign right’ to sever ties with Qatar to protect national security interests, are nothing but a face-saving tactic.

The report that the United States is expected to involve directly for the lasting solution to the Gulf crisis in three months is a welcome step and it is the siege countries who must cooperate with Washington to correct their mistakes.

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Britain’s checkered relationship with Europe since World War Two demonstrates a capacity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. That trait is culminating in Brexit, a decision that continues to roil the UK as Prime Minister Theresa May’s grip on power looks ever shakier.

Mugabe may be gone, but his aides are still running Zimbabwe

JEFFREY SMITH THE WASHINGTON POST

09SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018 OPINION

Whitewashing the junta serves only to deny Zimbabwe a genuine democracy. Lending new money to a kleptocratic cabal only strengthens the forces of corruption.

Brexit reinvents the Dunkirk myth

“DARKEST Hour,” the film portraying

Winston Churchill as he takes the helm in a country teetering on the edge of submission to Nazi Germany, has been nominated for six Oscars, including for best leading actor and picture. The movie plays to a deep national sentiment that Britain can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, portraying the ignominious evacuation of British forces at Dunkirk in 1940 as a triumph. In fact, the real takeaway is precisely the opposite.

Britain’s checkered rela-tionship with Europe since World War Two demon-strates a capacity to snatch defeat from the jaws of vic-tory. That trait is culminating in Brexit, a decision that con-tinues to roil the UK as Prime Minister Theresa May’s grip on power looks ever shakier. The past week has seen grow-ing pressure on her to quit

and a dispute over a leaked government document putting hard numbers on potential damage to the econ-omy as a result of Brexit.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron’s recent remark in Davos that Britain’s vote to exit the European Union was a mistake rather than a disaster is a modern reinvention of the Dunkirk myth. (In his speech after Dunkirk, Churchill himself cautioned that wars were not won by evacuations and that Britons should not “assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory.”) Before Cam-eron’s ill-conceived and unnecessary referendum in 2016, Britain held the com-manding economic and strategic heights in the Euro-pean Union. The British economy was outperforming the euro area as the currency union struggled to recover from the debt crisis of 2010-12 that nearly tore it apart. Despite its reservations about the expanding reach of Euro-pean integration, Britain benefited strategically from its influence as a big member

state within the EU, which reinforced and enhanced its wider international standing.

The contrast with today is stark. Though Britain avoided an immediate recession fol-lowing the Brexit vote, its economy now trails a resur-gent euro area. British growth in 2017 was the slowest for five years despite the uplift from a more buoyant global economy. Mark Carney, gov-ernor of the Bank of England, has said that Brexit has already cost the British econ-omy one percentage point of growth and that this loss will probably reach two percent-age points by the end of 2018.

From a strategic perspec-tive, too, Britain has lost stature as foreign govern-ments rub their eyes at a country quixotically bent on weakening itself. Despite President Trump’s attempt to smooth relations with May in Davos, Britain’s relationship with America is now fractious rather than special. May her-self is a diminished figure outshone within Europe by the new sun king, French President Emmanuel Macron.

The British knack of turn-ing triumph to disaster in its relations with Europe goes back to the aftermath of World War Two, and is not confined to May’s Conserva-tive Party. In the late 1940s Britain had an unrivalled opportunity to shape a more united Europe on its own terms, concentrating on eco-nomic rather than political integration. But following the landslide Labour victory over the Conservative Party in 1945 the new government failed to seize the chance, focusing instead on securing American commitment to the economic revival and security of Western Europe. For his part Churchill, cast into oppo-sition, hankered after Britain’s past glory as a great power belonging uniquely to all three of what he sonorously called in 1948 the “three great circles” of America and the

English-speaking world, Europe and the Commonwealth.

Eventually France took the lead when its then-for-eign minister Robert Schuman proposed a coal-and-steel community that was in effect the embryo of the EU. Crucially, Britain decided to stand aside from this plan. In a lecture before the Brexit referendum, Ver-non Bogdanor, Cameron’s political tutor at Oxford Uni-versity, called the day of the Schuman declaration - 9 May 1950 - “the most important date in the post-war history of Western Europe.” Although Britain eventually boarded the European train in the early 1970s, it did so on terms already decisively deter-mined by France and Germany that included the political vision of “ever closer union.” And it did so as the sick man of Europe following two dismal decades of rela-tive economic decline when Britain grew more slowly than the continent.

Even so, inside the bloc Britain gradually started to claw its way back, recovering lost economic ground by growing faster than its Euro-pean neighbors. And armed with the clout of a big mem-ber state the British were able to score some notable wins. In particular, they were a driv-ing force behind the creation of a single market in the late 1980s and early 1990s and secured an opt-out from the over-ambitious project of creating a single currency.

Now once again Britain is plucking defeat from these victories. Remarkably, the City of London had emerged as the currency union’s finan-cial capital even though Britain did not join the euro. That position is in jeopardy owing to Brexit as euro-zone countries led by France in particular seek to relocate financial activities in the monetary union. May is intent on leaving the single market

that her Conservative prede-cessor Margaret Thatcher helped to forge in the 1980s.

Ardent Brexiters such as trade minister Liam Fox argue that Britain is once again embracing the wider world beyond Europe at a time when most growth will come from emerging econo-mies. Yet Britain has long had the scope to do that within the EU merely by emulating the performance of Germany in these export markets. Ger-man firms, for example, outsell British enterprises by a wide margin in India, even though the British have the advantage of cultural and lin-guistic affinities together with political links through the Commonwealth. Britain may be able to cut new trade deals after leaving the EU, but it will have much less to offer than as a member of the union, and other countries will be ruthless in exploiting its new-found weakness.

“Darkest Hour” tugs at Britain’s national sense of pride because the British had a good war, not just on the winning but the right side. Yet victory can have a sting. Jean Monnet, the architect of the Schuman plan and patron saint of European integration, memorably mused that Brit-ain’s abstention in the founding years when it was so much in its interest to join in was the price of its wartime success - “the illusion that you could maintain what you had,

LAST week at the World Economic Forum, Zimbabwe’s new president,

Emmerson Mnangagwa, declared: “Zimbabwe is now open for business.” Mnangagwa’s appearance in Davos, Switzerland, was a first for his country, which had

been ruled by Robert Mugabe since independence in 1980. Now, following Zimbawe’s apparent change of leadership last year, many in the international community are eager to invest. The United States and other longtime supporters of Zimbabwe’s democratic forces should not, however, fall for a poorly veiled charade of a military junta.

The rush to assist a coun-try as it emerges from the clutches of a brutal dictator is understandable, even praise-worthy. In such situations, the United States and its allies should support the forces of freedom and economic

opportunity. This was the response in many places across Africa, including Ethio-pia after the fall of Mengistu Haile Mariam, Liberia follow-ing the ouster of Charles Taylor, and most recently in Gambia. These were true his-torical transitions. Zimbabwe’s is not.

In November 2017, Mugabe was placed under house arrest and ultimately ousted by his own army. Thousands of people flooded the streets, alongside tanks and uniformed soldiers, to celebrate. But this was no popular uprising restoring democracy; rather, it was a well-orchestrated coup designed to maintain the sta-tus quo. In Zimbabwe, sadly, the dictator may be gone, but the dictatorship remains.

Mnangagwa is not the car-toon dictator of the past. He is savvier and knows how to play the international game. He has pledged to hold “free and fair” elections by late August and to revive a failed economy. A slick public rela-tions and aggressive social media campaign have led to sympathetic press coverage and a warm reception in Davos. Mnangagwa is hoping to attract investors and con-vince the United States and others to lift targeted sanc-tions on him and his allies for past human rights abuses. Mnangagwa is also pushing hard for the World Bank to help to repay its massive debts and secure new loans.

Yet it’s far too soon to embrace the junta or to bail it out.

First, the “new regime” in Zimbabwe is hardly new. While Mugabe and his wife, Grace, have departed, those in control are the very same henchmen who kept Mugabe in power for nearly 40 years. The new vice president, Con-stantino Chiwenga, is the army general who led a de facto coup in 2008. After the opposition defeated Mugabe at the polls, Chiwenga organ-ized a brutal campaign of violence and intimidation to keep Mugabe in power. Sibus-iso Moyo, the officer wearing camouflage fatigues and a beret who announced the army takeover on state televi-sion, is now foreign minister. And the list of Mugabe aco-lytes in power goes on and on.

Second, despite the rheto-ric, Mnangagwa has no intention of losing by the bal-lot. His officials have already admitted that the military will safeguard their survival. Top adviser Christopher Mutsvangwa recently said: “We will win resoundingly. . . . We will mobilize heavily working with the [Zimbabwe Defense Forces].” State media has also begun again to demonize human rights activists and political oppo-nents, while the party has a long record of vote rigging and manipulation. None of this portends a free and fair vote.

Third, Mugabe’s plunder-ing wasn’t alone. While the regime talks about business, it is the same cabal that system-atically destroyed Zimbabwe’s economy. Mnangagwa and his

allies have enriched them-selves for decades by seizing farms, mines and businesses. Zimbabwe reportedly has $15 billion in missing diamond mining revenues. The notion that these same people are suddenly reformers who can engineer a robust recovery is farcical.

Finally, there are the war crimes. In the early 1980s, government forces murdered an estimated 20,000 civil-ians, including women and children, in the operation known as Gukurahundi, or in the local Shona language, “the rain that washes away the garbage.” A chief architect of the massacres was Mugabe’s state security chief at the time: Emmerson Mnan-gagwa. To this day, not a single officer or politician has been held to account. Mnan-gagwa, who publicly dismissed its victims as “cockroaches,” was asked about the massacres in Davos. He played down the events and refused to apologize.

Whitewashing the junta serves only to deny Zimba-bwe a genuine democracy. Lending new money to a kleptocratic cabal only strengthens the forces of corruption. And embracing a war criminal abets crimes against humanity and turns our backs on the survivors who are yearning for justice and accountability. Zimba-bweans, after suffering for so long, deserve better from the international community.

PAUL WALLACE REUTERS

10 SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018EUROPE

Brexit talks to resume next weekAFP

LONDON: The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator will hold talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May in London on Monday as the two sides resume negotiations on post-Brexit ties in a climate of deep uncertainty.

“The Prime Minister will welcome Michel Barnier to Downing Street on Monday,” read a tweet on the official Downing Street account yesterday.

Barnier and the UK’s Brexit Minister David Davis “will dis-cuss the upcoming negotiations on the implementation period and the next steps in building a new partnership between the EU and the UK,” it said.

The European Commission said there would also be nego-tiations between British and EU officials in Brussels from Tuesday to Friday and these would include a “UK update on the future relationship”.

Britain has said it wants to leave the European single market and customs union and retain strong economic ties with the EU but has given little detail.

Downing Street yesterday rejected a Financial Times report that ministers are pri-vately considering a customs union deal for post-Brexit trade.

In an interview in Shanghai with Bloomberg TV, Interna-tional Trade Secretary Liam Fox also ruled this out saying: “We have to be outside of that to take advantage of those growing markets.”

“One of the reasons we are leaving the European Union is to take control and that’s not

possible with a common external tariff.”

Britain voted to leave the EU in a momentous referendum in June 2016 that bitterly divided the nation.

London and Brussels struck a preliminary deal on key Brexit issues in December but are yet to discuss the conditions for a post-Brexit transition period and future trade relations between Britain and the EU.

May has faced growing public calls from across her Con-servative party this week to set out her vision for Brexit more clearly, amid media reports of increasing discontent with her leadership.

Tensions were fuelled by a leaked internal government assessment earlier this week suggesting that the options on the table so far for a trade deal

with the EU would all leave Britain worse off.

The prime minister also sparked concern in Brussels by questioning the rights of EU cit-izens who arrive in Britain during the post-Brexit transition period.

May insisted yesterday she was “doing what the British people want” and going nowhere despite the pressure.

In an interview at the end of a three-day trip to China, May declined to detail exactly what she wants from negotiations on future ties.

Asked whether she would favour a deal that limited dis-ruption to trade, or one that emphasised Britain’s power to forge its own path, she said: “These are not the options we have before us.”

“The option that we have

before us is to go in there with the EU and negotiate a good trade deal.

“What the British people voted for is for us to take back control of our money, our bor-ders and our laws and that’s exactly what we are going to do.”

Sensing a lack of coordina-tion in government on Brexit, pro-EU politicians have become increasingly vociferous in Britain in recent days.

Labour MP Chuka Umunna, head of a new coalition of pro-EU groups formed this week, said yesterday that the government was “trying to deliver something that isn’t deliverable.”

“If the people started this in 2016, they should be the ones who decide how we end it, and whether or not we do actually leave.”

Opposition Labour lawmaker Chuka Umunna campaigns, along with pro-European activists, on the streets of Brixton, south London, yesterday.

London mosque attacker jailed for 43 yearsANADOLU

LONDON: The man convicted of murder and attempted murder in last year’s terror attack on Muslim worshippers in London was handed a life sentence yesterday of a minimum of 43 years behind bars.

Darren Osborne, 48, killed a Muslim worshipper, Makram Ali, and injured 11 others last June when he plowed a van into a group of people after they left Ramadan prayers at the Muslim Welfare Centre in Finsbury Park.

Prime Minister Theresa May had condemned the attack as “sickening” and “insidious and destructive to our values and our way of life.”

The Woolwich Crown Court convicted Osborne over his attempt to use a van as a murder weapon, which fol-lowed three major terror attacks that killed dozens of people in Manchester and London.

The court heard during the trial that Osborne initially intended to drive the van into a Palestinian march in central London, hoping to make a victim out of opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Ruzina Akhtar, the daughter of the terror attack victim, said she could not describe the pain

she and her relatives had suffered.

Akhtar also said in the court statement that her mother now feared being targeted because of her religion.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC also confirmed that Osborne’s victims had suffered “flashbacks, fear of going out onto the street” and had lost confidence since the attack.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) welcomed the conviction of Darren Osborne but underlined how far-right propaganda effectively targeted the Muslim community in Britain.

“The scenes we witnessed last summer were the most violent manifestation of Islamophobia yet in our country,” Harun Khan, secre-tary general of the council, said yesterday.

The Woolwich Crown Court convicted Osborne over his attempt to use a van as a murder weapon, which followed three major terror attacks that killed dozens of people in Manchester and London.

Macedonia name row: Greek minister receives threats REUTERS ATHENS: Greece is investigating threats against its foreign minister that authorities believe are linked to his attempts to resolve a long-standing name dispute with the neighbouring state of Macedonia.

A letter addressed to Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and received on Thursday said there were “three bullets” for him.

“It was threats to him and h i s f a m i l y , ” C i v i l

Protection Minister Nikos Toskas said yesterday. Toskas said that sending threatening letters to those who have been trying to settle a problem in a honest manner was “dangerous”.

“Kotzias had received other threatening letters and calls in recent weeks,” a government official said.

Kotzias is leading talks to resolve the dispute over Mace-donia’s name, which has frus-trated its ambitions to join Nato and the EU since the 1990s, and

said on Thursday that he would soon submit proposals.

Greece, which has its own region called Macedonia, has objected to its neighbour’s name since the small Balkan state broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Greece argues that the use of the name, along with contentious articles in Macedonia’s consti-tution, imply territorial claims over Greek land.

Many Greeks feel passion-ately that there can be no deal

including the term “Macedonia”, which for them is the name of the ancient kingdom ruled by Alexander the Great, and an inte-gral part of their heritage.

Because of Greek objections, the Balkan state was admitted to the United Nations with the pro-visional name “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Mace-donia” in 1993, and this remains its official title in international organisations.

Hundreds of thousands turned out at a demonstration

on January 21 in Thessaloniki, capital of Greece’s Macedonia region, to protest against any use of the name by the neighbouring state, and a rally is scheduled for central Athens tomorrow.

Kotzias, who was an aca-demic before joining the leftist-led government in the year 2015, in a tweet accused long-time adversaries, in which he also included some unnamed media, of being “the moral insti-gators of these threats against my life”.

Five migrants shot in CalaisAFP

CALAIS: Five migrants were in critical condition after being shot and 18 were injured in clashes in the northern French port of Calais between Afghans and Africans, local authorities said.

Four Eritreans aged between 16 and 18 were taken to hospital for surgery, local prosecutors said. Another wounded migrant was taken to the nearby city of Lille because of his “very serious

state of health,” the local pre-fect’s office said.

A nearly two-hour fight broke out on the southern out-skirts of Calais among about 100 Eritreans and some 30 Afghans who had been queueing for food handouts. It started when an Afghan fired shots.

“A second fight then broke out at an industrial site around five kilometres, with more than a hundred Eritreans armed with iron rods and sticks fighting about 20 Afghans,”prosecutors said.

“Police intervened to pro-tect the Afghan migrants faced with 150 to 200 Eritrean migrants,” the local prefecture said, adding that security rein-forcements were being deployed in the area.

It was the worst violence in Calais since clashes on July 1 2017 left 16 people wounded.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb tweeted he would be heading to the area by helicopter and could stay overnight.

AFP

GENEVA: The head of a fun-

draising company accused of

stealing millions of dollars

intended for major interna-

tional charities including the

Red Cross has been arrested,

Zurich police said yesterday.

Police said in a statement

that Peter Conlon, who ran the

online fundraising platform

Ammado, has been under

arrest since December 24.

The International Feder-

ation of Red Cross and Red

Crescent Societies (IFRC) said

in a separate statement that

it was “one of a number of

non-profit organisations owed

money by the online dona-

tion provider, Ammado AG.”

“Ammado AG has failed

to pay approximately $1.9m

donated via its platform to IFRC

and to a number of National

Red Cross and Red Crescent

Societies around the world.”

NEWS BYTESAlleged charity thief arrested in Zurich

REUTERS

MOSCOW: Prime Minis-

ter Dmitry Medvedev has

approved the deployment

of Russian warplanes on a

disputed island near Japan,

accelerating the area’s mil-

itarisation at a time when

Moscow’s ties with Tokyo are

strained over the roll-out of

a US missile system.

In a decree published late

on Thursday, Medvedev allowed

the Russian Defence Ministry

to use a civilian airport on the

island of Iturup, as it is known by

Russia, or Etorofu, as it is called

in Japan, for its warplanes.

The island was one of four

seized by Soviet forces at the

end of WWII and is located

off the north-east coast of

Hokkaido, Japan’s biggest

prefecture.

Russia to deploy warplanes near Japan

Macron supports global education funding driveAFP

DAKAR: French President Emmanuel Macron joined megastar Rihanna in Senegal yesterday at a conference aimed at pressuring donors to finance the education of a quarter of a billion children worldwide who are currently out of school.

Macron is co-hosting the event organised by the Global Partnership for Education with Senegalese President Macky Sall, while Rihanna is attending as a global ambassador for the organisation.

It is not the first time the young French leader and the singer of “Umbrella” fame have met: she visited the Elysee Palace in July after urging Macron to raise French spending on global education in a tweet to her 86 million followers.

She renewed her appeal on Thursday, tweeting: “Merci @EmmanuelMacron for stepping up to co-host @GPForEduca-tion’s Financing Conference in Dakar! Will France pledge EUR250M for @GPForEduca-tion tomorrow?”

France currently dedicates just 2.5 percent of its aid budget directly to education, according to its development agency.

The Dakar conference, which brings together govern-ments and the private sector, aims to raise $3.1bn over the coming three years to support education for 870 million chil-dren around the world.

Some 264 million school-age children and youths are living without any education owing to poverty, conflict and social bar-riers including bias against girls, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

The singer touched down on Thursday in Dakar, followed by Macron who was accompa-nied by his wife Brigitte.

Partner countries in the scheme are required to ear-mark 20 percent of their national budgets to education -- a tough goal for developing nations battling jihadists or civil conflicts.

Literacy in sub-Saharan Africa hovers around 65 per-cent, according to Unesco, the UN’s culture and education agency, and girls lose out disproportionately.

“People feel education is not that important because you are not losing lives”, Unicef Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. “But education must be seen with the same urgency,” she added. Without it, “you lose a child’s future”.

Migrants queue during a food distribution, a day after clashes in Calais, yesterday.

11SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018 AMERICAS

US escalates fight over Russia probeREUTERS

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump yesterday approved the release of a classi-fied Republican memo that alleges bias against him at the FBI and Justice Department, in an extraordinary showdown with law enforcement agencies over the probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Ignoring the urgings of the FBI earlier this week, Trump declassi-fied the four-page memo and sent it to Congress, where Republicans on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee imme-diately released it to the public

The Republican president told reporters that the contents of the document tell a disgraceful story of bias against him and that “a lot of people should be ashamed.”

The document has become a flashpoint in a battle between Republicans and Democrats over Special Counsel Robert Muel-ler’s criminal probe into possible collusion between Trump’s cam-paign and Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election. Mueller is also believed to be investigating any attempts to impede his probe.

Trump has repeatedly complained about Mueller’s investigation, which has cast a shadow over his first year in

office, calling it a witch hunt and denying any collusion or obstruc-tion of justice. Moscow has denied any election meddling.

The memo, criticised by the FBI as incomplete and slammed by Democrats as an attempt to undermine Mueller’s probe, purports to show that the investi-gation of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia was driven by political bias.

The document, commissioned by the Republican chairman of the House intelligence panel, Devin Nunes, uses the case of investi-gations into a Trump campaign aide, Carter Page, saying the FBI used a biased source to justify surveillance on him.

It alleges that a dossier of Trump-Russia contacts compiled

by former British spy Christopher Steele, and funded in part by U.S. Democrats, formed an “essential part” of requests for electronic surveillance on Page that began in October, 2016.

It says the initial application and subsequent renewal appli-cations did not mention the link between Steele and the Demo-crats. It also portrays Steele as biased, saying he “was passion-ate about him (Trump) not being president.”

Democrats said the memo cherry picks information.

“The selective release and politicisation of classified infor-mation sets a terrible precedent and will do long-term damage to the Intelligence Community and our law enforcement agencies,” Democrats on the House intelli-gence panel said in a statement yesterday.

The Democrats said they hoped to release their own memo responding to the allegations on February 5.

The entire file that the Jus-tice Department used to apply to a special court for permission to eavesdrop on Page remains highly classified, making it hard to evaluate the memo’s contents.

Two days ago, in a rare pub-lic rebuke of the president and Republicans in Congress who were pushing to release the

memo, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it had “grave concerns about material omis-sions of fact” in the document and it should not be made public.

Yesterday, FBI agents defended their work and said they “have not, and will not, allow partisan politics to dis-tract” from their mission.

“The American people should know that they continue to be well-served by the world’s preem-inent law enforcement agency,” FBI Agents Association President Thomas O’Connor said in a state-ment after the memo’s release.

Earlier yesterday, Trump accused top US law enforce-ment officers - some of whom he appointed himself - of polit-icising investigations.

“The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have polit-icised the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans - some-thing which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago,” Trump wrote on Twitter. The president praised “rank and file” FBI employees.

His latest salvo was sure to worsen the president’s frayed relations with agencies that are supposed to be politically independent.

James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence under Democratic President Barack Obama, said Trump’s attack on the FBI and Justice Department was the “pot calling

the kettle black.”Seeking to defuse the conflict

over the memo, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan backed the release of a Democratic counter-point document. His office said he backed making the Demo-crats’ rebuttal public if it does not reveal intelligence gather-ing sources or methods.

Democrats say their coun-ter-memo restores context and information left out of the Repub-lican version. Republicans have resisted releasing that document,

The former head of Trump’s presidential campaign, Paul Manafort, and the Trump admin-istration’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, have been charged in the Russia probe, along with others.

A copy of the top secret classified memo written by House Intelligence Committee Republican staff is seen shortly after it was released by the committee, in Washington, yesterday.

Tillerson kicks off Latin America tour

AFP

MEXICO City: Washington’s top diplomat held talks yesterday with top officials of the country that President Donald Trump has perhaps disparaged more than any other, the United States’ neighbour Mexico.

Kicking off his first Latin American tour since being named secretary of state, former oilman Rex Tillerson met with his Mexican counterpart and was later due to talk trade, crime and immigration with President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Before setting off on his trip, Tillerson laid out a vision of the United States and Latin America -- the “democratic hemisphere” -- working together to build a

prosperous future.But first he will have to

overcome the aftermath of Trump’s aggressive brand of diplomacy.

Trump has called the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) “perhaps the worst deal in the history of the world,” has said immigrants from across the southern border bring crime, and he remains determined to build a frontier wall.

On some positions, Trump has softened his rhetoric since his inauguration a year ago, but in this week’s State of the Union address he spoke more about cross-border crime and immi-gration than any other foreign policy topic.

Pena Nieto meanwhile is

under domestic pressure not to give up too much ground to his pushy northern neighbor, even though Mexico and Canada are keen to save NAFTA from Trump’s threat to rip it up and start anew.

Tillerson, in Latin America to build support for a tough stance against Venezuela’s beleaguered government, make the case for closer economic ties and warn of Chinese encroach-ment, is not the US trade repre-sentative and could do without the row.

But, as he sat down yes-terday for two- and three-way talks with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts, Luis Videgaray and Chrystia Free-land, the trade deal was in the foreground.

FROM LEFT: Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after a press conference, in Mexico City, yesterday.

Socialist Party confirms Maduro’s reelection bidAFP

CARACAS: Venezuela’s ruling Socialist Party yesterday confirmed that President Nicolas Maduro is its official candidate in a snap election due before the end of April.

“Approved by acclamation. You are officially the candidate of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela,” the party’s deputy leader, Diosdado Cabello, told Maduro during a party congress.

The party’s nomination was expected.

In January, a super-legis-lature stacked with Maduro loy-alists announced that the pres-idential election, originally

scheduled for December, was being brought forward by months.

The Supreme Court, which critics say systematically bows to Maduro, then barred the opposition coalition from fielding a candidate under its banner.

The opposition said the moves are designed to engineer a second term for Maduro, who is broadly unpopular but faces no single opposition figure with strong support.

Maduro, adopted by the Socialist Party and accompa-nied by his wife Cilia Flores, accepted the nomination as hundreds of party members yelled “Yes.”

Gender-neutral: Canadian National Anthem revised AFP

OTTAWA: Canadians will soon be singing a new tune after parliament passed a bill to change the lyrics of the national anthem to make it gender neutral.

Only one line in O Canada was amended, from “True patriot love in all thy sons command” to “True patriot love in all of us command.”

But it has caused quite a stir.“It’s about two words,” Senator Frances Lankin said. “But

it’s huge in terms of one of our major national symbols, the anthem we sing with pride about our country.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the move “another positive step towards gender equality,” while feminist author Margaret Atwood, who has been pressing for this since the 1980s, tweeted her thanks to lawmakers.

Others decried the new lyrics and vowed to continue to sing the older version.

The memo, criticised by the FBI as incomplete and slammed by Democrats as an attempt to undermine Mueller’s probe, purports to show that the investigation of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia was driven by political bias.

French President’s campaign guru eyes Brazilian electionAFP

RIO DE JANEIRO: The campaign gurus behind Emmanuel Macron’s rise from the margins to French president have arrived in Brazil to see if they can pick - and help make - another winner.

Brazil holds presidential elections in October. Just as during France’s earthquake

election last year, voters are in a rebellious mood and looking for a way beyond the status quo.

The leading candidate, leftist former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, faces possible prison, while second place is entirely up for grabs.

And Guillaume Liegey thinks a Macron-style campaign could produce a surprise winner from

the centre.“I believe we can import (the

campaign) to Brazil,” he said a second visit to the country.

Liegey is part of the three-member, startup consultancy LMP, which crafted Macron’s emergence as an electoral force at the head of a brand new cen-trist party that pushed aside long-established rivals.

S imilari t ies between France and Brazil include “a high level of hostility toward the political class, big parties that have trouble adapting, and the same (public-private) cam-paign finance system,” Liegey said.

For now, LMP says it has no one signed up.

Brazilian media have

already linked LMP to one out-sider, television presenter Luciano Huck, who in the latest Datafolha poll scored eight percent in a first round of voting.

Huck himself has yet to declare his candidacy and he has no party, but expectations are high that he will enter.

Liegey says he has “no

contract” with anyone and while he’d be open to an approach from Huck, “there are also other candidates.”

LMP is looking for “a candi-date who’s a little new, or someone there who wants to run a bit of a different campaign,” the strategist said. “We’re ready to work with any party or candidate... able to run a big national campaign.”

Flu cases widespread in 48 statesANATOLIA

SAN FRANCISCO: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced yesterday that influenza is still widespread in the United States and has killed 16 children in the past week alone.

In total, the CDC has recorded 53 pediatric deaths connected to the flu since the annual flu season began last October.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, the acting director of the CDC, said that roughly half of the young patients killed by the flu appeared healthy and not especially vulnerable before contracting the virus.

Nationwide, hospitalisa-tions are at the highest levels since the CDC began moni-toring this data eight years ago.

“Our latest tracking data indicate that flu activity is still high and widespread across most of the nation and increasing overall,” Schuchat said in a statement.

“So far this year, the cumulative rate of hospitali-zations is the highest since we’ve been tracking in this way, which goes back to 2010. This is a very difficult season.”

Influenza activity is now widespread in 48 states and Puerto Rico, the CDC revealed. Over the past week, the state of Oregon joined Hawaii in being the sole states with reduced flu hospitalisations.

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14 SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018HOME

Annual general meeting of Sri Lankan bodies held THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The annual general meeting of Sri Lanka Coordi-nating Committee (SLCC) Qatar, Sri Lanka Community Benevo-lent Fund (SLCBF) Qatar and Sri Lanka Business Council (SLBC) Qatar was held at the Embassy on January 26.

The programme began with the confirmation of the quorum followed by the adoption of the minutes of the previous AGM, annual reports, financial reports.

It was later followed by the address of outgoing SLCC Pres-ident Tenison de Silva, election of office bearers for 2018-2019 and speeches by the newly elected President of SLCC Sanath Kohowilage, President of SLCBF Anura Hettigoda and President of SLBC Tenison De Silva.

The members briefly dis-cussed the details of the forth-coming 70th Independence Day celebrations and the grand finale of Qatar Gee Tharu Dahana season 2 to be held at the Qatar National Convention Centre on February 16.

The new office bearers, committee members and area representatives elected during the meeting are: Sanath Kohowilage as President of SLCC Qatar; Lenny Cramer, General-Secretary, Lalindra De Silva, Treasurer; Mahesh Abhayapala, Chief Coordinator; Pantalion Perera, Vice-Presi-dent; Ranjith Gurusinghe, Pres-ident (Welfare & Fund Raising):

Nishantha Gamage, Assistant General Secretary; Ajith Priya-ntha Lekamge, Assistant Treas-urer and Viddya Shanthiku-mara, Assistant Chief Coordinator.

The office bearers elected for SLCBF Qatar are, Anura Het-tigoda, President; A.M. Liyanage, General Secretary; Rathnasiri Hewage, Treasurer and Tissa Edirisinghe, Vice-President.

Representatives of Sri Lankan community during the meeting.

Participants during the meeting.

Majlis Qatar lines up events to mark Sri Lankan Independence Day 2018THE PENINSULA

DOHA: In view of the upcoming 70th Independence Day of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Majlis Qatar (SLMQ) will conduct many competitions for Sri Lankan school children in Qatar.

The event will be conducted for the fifteenth consecutive year. The competitions will include public speaking, essay writing, drawing and colouring.

The competitions will be held in four age categories: sub junior, junior, intermediate and seniors. Essay writing for sen-iors and intermediates, prepared speech for juniors and drawing competitions will be held on February 9 at Stafford Sri Lankan School from 2pm.

The prepared speech for seniors and intermediates and

colouring competitions for sub-juniors will also be held on Feb-ruary 23 at the Sri Lankan Embassy premises from 3pm.

The closing date for appli-cations for essay writing (senior/ intermediate), junior speech and junior drawing competitions will be on February 7.

The closing date for pre-pared speech (senior / interme-diate) and sub junior colouring competitions will be on Feb-ruary 20. All interested compet-itors can apply on line at www.slmq.com

The prepared speech com-petitions will be judged by senior toast masters from Doha Toast Masters Club, while art and drawing specialists from Sri Lankan School will judge drawing and colouring compe-titions. A senior academic will judge the essay writing

competition.Prizes and certificates will

be awarded to the winners by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the State of Qatar, A S P Liya-nage, Principal of Stafford Sri Lankan School and the distin-guished guests who will be present to grace the event.

Sri Lankan Majlis Qatar (SLMQ) was established in 2001 with aim to facilitate greater interaction and fellowship among the Sri Lankan Muslim residents in Qatar. It is also involved in charitable, educa-tional, religious, and social wel-fare activities in Qatar and Sri Lanka. SLMQ also serves all the Sri Lankans residing in Qatar, in order to promote commu-nity-building efforts in Sri Lanka, under the patronage of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Qatar.

Children and officials pose during an event of Sri Lankan Majlis Qatar.

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTERCROSSWORD NOVO Pearl Qatar

MALL

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

Den of Thieves

LANDMARK

ROXY

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

Den of Thieves (2D/Action) 10:30, 11:30am, 12:30, 1:00, 2:00, 3:15, 3:30, 4:30, 6:00, 7:00 8:30, 8:45, 9:30, 11:00, 11:30pm & 12:00midnightMaze Runner: The Death Curve (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:45, 3:30, 6:15, 9:00pm & 11:45pm All The Money In The World (2D/Drama) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00 & 4:00pm Throne of Elves (2D/Animation) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00 & 4:00pm Phantom Thread (2D/Drama) 10:00am, 2:45, 7:30pm & 12:15amThe Post (2D/Biography) 12:30, 5:15 & 10:00pmJumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2D/Action) 10:15am, 2:45, 7:15&11:45pm The Commuter (2D/Action) 12:30, 5:00 & 9:30pm Proud Mary (2D/Action) 10:00am, 2:00, 6:00 & 10:00pmDay of The Dead: Bloodline (2D/Horror) 12:00noon, 4:00, 8:00pm & 12:00midnight Cops And Robbers (2D/Action) 10:00am, 2:00, 6:00 & 10:00pm Memory Card (Arabic) 12:00noon, 4:00, 8:00pm & 12:00midnight Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2D IMAX/Action) 10:15am, 1:00, 3:45, 6:30, 9:15pm & 12:00midnight

Throne of Elves (2D/Animation) 2:15 & 6:00pm Carbon (2D/Malayalam) 2:30pm Touch Desi Chudu (Telugu) 2:15pm Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2D/Action) 4:00pm Oru Nalla Naal Parthu (Tamil) 4:45pmProud Mary (2D/Action) 5:15 & 10:00pm Showdown In Manila (2D/Action) 7:00 & 10:15pmChalo (Telugu) 7:30pm Queen (2D/Malayalam) 11:30pm Den of Thieves (2D/Action) 7:45 & 11:30pm Cops And Robbers (2D/Action) 8:45 & 11:45pmDay of The Dead: Bloodline (2D/Horror) 10:00pm

ROYAL PLAZA

Carbon (2D/Malayalam) 2:15pm Memory Card (2D/Arabic) 6:30pm Throne of Elves (2D/Animation) 2:15 & 4:00pm Yemali (Tamil) 2:30pm Touch Desi Chudu (Telugu) 5:00pm Cops And Robbers (2D/Action) 2:45 & 10:00pmShowdown In Manila (2D/Action) 4:45 & 9:15pmJumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2D/Action) 5:45pmThe Death of Stalin (2D/Comedy) 7:30pmDen of Thieves (Action) 7:30 & 11:30pm Proud Mary (2D/Action) 8:15 & 9:45pm Queen (2D/Malayalam) 11:00pm Oru Nalla Naal Parthu (Tamil) 11:30pm

Queen (2D/Malayalam) 2:00 & 6:30pmOru Nalla Naal Parthu 2:00pm Carbon (2D/Malayalam) 2:30pm Throne of Elves (2D/Animation) 3:00 & 5:00pmShowdown In Manila (2D/Action) 4:45 & 11:45pmMemory Card (2D/Arabic) 5:00pm Phantom Thread 9:15pmProud Mary (2D/Action) 6:30 & 10:00pm Den of Thieves (2D/Action) 7:00 & 11:00pm Cops And Robbers (2D/Action) 5:00 & 8:15pmThe Death of Stalin (2D/Comedy) 9:15pm Yemali 11:30pm

Queen (Malayalam) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00pm Chalo (Telugu) 12:30pm

Touch Desi Chudu (Telugu) 5:30pm

Street Light (Malayalam) 3:00, 8:15Carbon (Malayalam) 12:30, 3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30pmOru Nalla Naal (Tamil) 12:30 & 6:00pm Yemali (Tamil) 3:15 & 8:45pm

Proud Mary 12:15, 5:00 & 9:45pm Queen (Malayalam) 2:45 & 8:45pmCarbon (Malayalam) 11:45am, 5:45 & 11:45pm Throne of Elves (2D/Animation) 11:00am & 01:00pm Den of Thieves (Action) 2:15, 7:00 & 11:45pm Touch Desi Chudu (Telugu) 3:00 & 8:30pm Chalo (Telugu) 5:45 & 11:15pm

Throne of Elves (Animation) 10:30am, 12:45, 3:00, 5:15 & 7:30pm Den of Thieves (Action) 10:30am, 1:20, 4:10, 7:00, 9:50pm & 12:30

Maze Runner (Action) 10:30am, 1:10, 3:50, 6:30, 9:10 & 11:50pm

Queen (2D/Drama) 10:30am, 1:30, 4:30, 7:30 & 10:30pm

Habet Caramel (2D/Arabic) 9:45pm & 12:00midnight

Den of Thieves is a 2018 American heist film co-written, directed and produced by Christian Gudegast. The film stars Gerard Butler, 50 Cent, Pablo Schreiber, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Jones, Dawn Olivieri, Mo McRae, and Max Holloway.

Yesterday’s answer

15SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018 MORNING BREAK

A spectacular viewIlluminated skyscrapers at West Bay get an added grandeur in full moonlight. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT / THE PENINSULA

FAJRSHOROOK

04.58 am06.16 am

ZUHRASR

11.48 am02.57 pm

MAGHRIBISHA

05.21 pm06.51 pm

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 07:00 – 19:00 LOW TIDE 14:00 – 00:00

Hazy at places at first becomes moder-

ate temperature daytime with scattered

clouds, cold by night.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum 13oC 22oC

Tough days ahead for polar bears REUTERS

WASHINGTON: A study of polar bear metabolism conducted near Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay has provided more reason to worry about the future of these massive predators that prowl the Arctic.

Scientists said they examined activity levels, foraging behaviour and blood biochemistry of a group of polar bears during their prime hunting season on the sea ice of the Beaufort Sea, determining that the metabolism of the species is about 60 percent greater than previously understood.

The decline of Arctic sea ice amid global climate change is making polar bears travel farther to find prey such as ringed seals. The findings have sci-entists worried about whether polar bears will be able to catch enough prey to meet their unexpectedly high energy needs and sustain their population.

Nine female polar bears were fitted for eight to 11 days in April of 2014, 2015 and 2016 with high-tech collars that provided satellite tracking of their movements and captured video to observe behavior and hunting success, U.S. Geological Survey wildlife biolo-gist Anthony Pagano said.

The study identified the mecha-nisms driving declines in polar bear survival rates, body condition and pop-ulation over the past decade, added Pagano, who led the study published in the journal Science as a University of California-Santa Cruz doctoral candidate.

“This study is a beautiful example

of how animals are built to live in syn-chrony with their environment. Unfor-tunately, with the rapid environmental changes occurring in Arctic sea ice, the specialization that once allowed polar bears to live in this challenging habitat has painted the animals into a physi-ological corner and led to devastating consequences,” said wildlife eco-phys-iologist Terrie Williams, a study co-author who heads the university’s Center for Marine Mammal Research and Conservation.

Experts estimate the total polar bear population at between 22,000 and 31,000.

A high fat diet based on blubbery seals is essential for providing the nec-essary energy for the bears to live in the cold, but sea ice changes have made it harder to find this critical prey, Wil-liams said. In fact, five of the bears lost body mass during the time they were studied. “They are spending so much energy walking to find their prey that the energy gained once they find a seal is not enough to maintain their weight,” Williams said. “Think of having to drive all over town to locate a gas station for your car only to find that you cannot fill your tank. Eventually, you run out of gas.”

An adult female polar bear lays on the sea ice wearing a GPS satellite video-camera collar.

IANS

LONDON: British paleontologists have discovered a rare 200 million-year-old Ichthyosaur specimen from a private collec-tion 22 years after it was origi-nally found. Ichthyosaurs were a type of sea-going reptile that lived during the time of the dino-saurs. The new fossil belongs to a rare species of “sea reptile” known as Wahlisaurus massarae and is the second known spec-imen of the entire species.

In 2016, Dean Lomax palae-ontologist at the University of Manchester had discovered Wahlisaurus massarae from the collections of New Walk Museum and Art Gallery at Leicester.

He spotted several unusual features of the bones and deter-mined that the features were unique. But some paleontolo-gists questioned this and said it was just ‘variation’ of an existing species, Lomax noted. Thus, col-laborating with fossil collector Simon Carpenter, of Somerset, Lomax re-discovered a specimen of Wahlisaurus, originally col-lected in 1996 from a quarry in northern Somerset. The spec-imen had an almost complete coracoid bone that has exactly the same unique features of the same bone in Wahlisaurus.

Rare 200 million-year-old fossil discovered

Ancient sculptures to go on display in Beirut REUTERS

BEIRUT: Ancient sculptures that were missing for decades after being stolen during Lebanon’s civil war are to go on display in Beirut thanks to a global fight against antiquities smuggling that has been stepped up since wartime looting in Iraq and Syria.

The five marble statues were among a haul of hundreds that Lebanese militiamen took from a storehouse in 1981, some of which are only now emerging onto the shadowy global arts market and even into the world’s greatest museums.

Three of the five sculptures unveiled at a ceremony in Beirut yesterday were spotted in New York’s Metropolitan Museum - where they were on loan from a private collector - by a curator who identified them using Art Loss, an online register of stolen artefacts.

One of the people instru-mental in getting them sent back to Lebanon was Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mat-thew Bogdanos, an Iraq war vet-eran who led the investigation into looting at the national

museum in Baghdad during the chaos of the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

Outrage at looting there and in Syria, and fear that art traf-ficking was funding militant groups, has driven countries to work together to stop it, said Bogdanos, who was in Beirut on Friday for a ceremony to unveil the statues.

“It has resulted in greater attention, greater scrutiny and greater resources, all of which we desperately need in order to fight such an entrenched global network,” Bogdanos, whose office has recovered thousands of stolen antiquities in recent years, said at the ceremony at Beirut’s National Museum.

One of the other statues was identified last year by a gallery in Germany, which noticed it on the Art Loss register. The fifth was seized in a container entering Lebanon’s port of Tripoli last month.

Archaeologists excavated all the statues in the 1960s and 1970s in Sidon at the Temple of Eshmoun, a god of healing.

They were carved between the sixth and fourth centuries BC, when Lebanon’s Phoenician

civilisation was ruled by the Per-sian empire but influenced by Greek art and culture.

One of the statues, a bull’s head, was from the capital of a pillar in the temple. The other statues, of youths and children, included one dedicated to the temple by fond relatives in thanks for the recovery from ill-ness of their child.

They will be added to the Beirut museum’s display of Eshmoun sculptures, which include a complete capital with

bull heads facing in each direc-tion and marble statues of babies and children. Only a handful of more than 500 Esh-moun statues pillaged from the storerooms of Byblos citadel in 1981 have been identified and returned to Lebanon. “We will put every resource that we have to recover any piece wherever it is and whoever thinks it belongs to him. Our heritage is not for sale,” said Lebanon’s Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury.

A sculpture of a bull’s head dating back to the 4th century BC, part of a collection of repatriated artefacts on display during a ceremony at Beirut National Museum.

IANS

NEW YORK: Raising hopes for a cancer vaccine for different types of cancers, researchers have found that injecting minute amounts of two immune-stimulating agents directly into solid tumours in mice can eliminate all traces of cancer in the animals.

A clinical trial was launched in January to test the effect of the treatment in humans with lymphoma, cancer of the lym-phatic system. The approach works for many different types of cancers, including those that arise spontaneously.

The researchers believe the local application of very small amounts of the agents could serve as a rapid and relatively inexpensive cancer therapy that is unlikely to cause the adverse side effects often seen with bodywide immune stimulation. “When we use these two agents together, we see the elimina-tion of tumours all over the body,” said senior author of the study Ronald Levy, Professor at Stanford University School

of Medicine in the US.“This approach bypasses

the need to identify tumour-specific immune targets and doesn’t require wholesale acti-vation of the immune system or customisation of a patient’s immune cells,” Levy said.

“Our approach uses a one-time application of very small amounts of two agents to stim-ulate the immune cells only within the tumour itself. In the mice, we saw amazing, body-wide effects, including the elim-ination of tumours all over the animal,” Levy explained.

Cancers often exist in a strange kind of limbo with regard to the immune system. Immune cells like T cells rec-ognise the abnormal proteins often present on cancer cells and infiltrate to attack the tumour. However, as the tumour grows, it often devises ways to suppress the activity of the T cells. Levy’s method works to reactivate the cancer-specific T cells by injecting microgram (one-millionth of a gram) amounts of two agents directly into the tumour site.

Cancer ‘vaccine’ found effective in mice

16 SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018HOME