Volume 24 | Number 7826 | 2 RiyalsSunday 10 March 2019 | 3 Rajab 1440 www.thepeninsula.qa

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BUSINESS | 01 SPORT | 06

Wilson leads by one shot at Qatar Masters

QFZA targets high-value

global companies: CEO

Silatech strives to achieve UN's SDGs, says Sheikha MozaTHE PENINSULA DOHA

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foun-dation, has said that Silatech’s work actually tackles many of the UN’s Sustainable Devel-opment Goals (SDGs), from poverty to decent work, to gender equality to partnership.

“We connect these young people to jobs or train them to be entrepreneurs. Their families also can benefit from these businesses or these jobs, and their society. We are in a way activating business in the whole community. And also we work in partnerships. We have international partners, regional partners and also local partners. Local partners for us are very essential because they’re the ones who can lead us towards the right programmes.”

In an interview with Al Jazeera, H H Sheikha Moza said: “There’s no one-size fits all, so we really need to make sure that what we’re offering is appro-priate and adequate to the culture and the dynamics of the society that we operate in. Of course, the regional and interna-tional partners help us to transfer certain expertise and knowledge to these local people that we’re helping and supporting.”

To another question, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser said: “As you know, I am really a great believer in education. I believe in the power of education in transforming lives and societies. Education is the basic building block for human development; it is the base where young people can learn their skills, their knowledge, the art of citi-zenry, and also they will con-struct their first world view.

“But education alone is not enough. We need to follow that with decent work and employment. We failed to provide our young people with the right environment — eco-nomic, social and cultural envi-ronment — for their prosperity and their hope. We have a very young population. One-third of the population is between 15 and 29 years old. This is a very pro-ductive age. This is the gener-ation that can drive the engine of our economic growth and lead our positive social changes. So I believe it’s imperative to invest in them and give them the oppor-tunity by which they can be active in their societies and practise the art of citizenry that we taught them during their schooling.”

H H Sheikha Moza said that Silatech is working to fill certain gaps. “The problem is that some of these young people lack skills that really can allow them to fit in an ever-changing market, so Silatech is training these young people to be employed.”

“So we help them with their employability, also train them to be entrepreneurs. We provide them with loan guarantees and try to instil in them their self-con-fidence to see themselves as pro-ductive citizens,” she added.

Qatar, Pakistan to exploreinvestment opportunitiesIRFAN BUKHARI THE PENINSULA

Pakistan is set to present over 30 projects for Qatari invest-ments which will be showcased today at Pakistan-Qatar Trade and Investment Forum being organised by the Embassy of Pakistan in Qatar.

“We have prepared a list of 30 projects which are large scale projects for investment from Qatar’s public sector while the opportunities for Qatari private businesses to invest in Pakistan are numerous,” said Haroon Sharif, Minister of State and Chairman of Pakistan’s Board of Investment.

Haroon Sharif and Abdul Razak Dawood, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Commerce, Textile, Industries & Production and Investment were talking to The Peninsula yesterday regarding Pakistan-Qatar Trade and Investment Forum. They will lead a dele-gation of Pakistani businessmen at the forum today at Four Seasons Hotel.

Dawood said that the visit of

Pakistani delegation was in follow-up of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Qatar in January this year. “The visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan was very constructive and we left with a great sense of satis-faction,” he added.

Sharif said that there existed a lot of opportunities for Qatari businessmen to invest in sectors including tourism and hospitality, food, agriculture, technology, engineering, real estate etc. “In the forum, Pakistani companies will also discuss opportunities of investment in Qatar with Qatari officials and private business entities,” he added.

Dawood said that Pakistan would welcome Qatari investment in Pakistan’s power sector. “We have two recently launched gas-based power plants in Bhikki and Haveli Bahadur Shah that can be privatised for foreign investment,” he said, adding that both power plants with 1200MW power gen-eration capacity were great investment opportunity for Qatar, the largest exporter of LNG in the world. �P5

Qatar Biobank screens 20,000th participantTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Biobank, a member of Qatar Foundation and part of Qatar Foundation Research, Devel-opment, and Innovation, has welcomed its 20,000th partic-ipant as part of its unique medical research initiative to understand the drivers of mainstream health challenges in Qatar.

Launched in 2011, Qatar Biobank enables researchers and healthcare professionals to access the data and biological samples that it collects from the local pop-ulation, in an effort to develop

customised medical solutions to the various diseases and health issues prevalent in the country.

Dr Asmaa Al Thani, Board Vice Chairperson of Qatar Biobank and Chairperson of Qatar Genome Pro-gramme Committee, said: “The screening of 20,000 participants is an achievement for us all. We are one step closer to accomplishing preventative treatment for the healthcare challenges that our pop-ulation faces. The success of the medical research at Qatar Biobank, and ultimately the realization of precision medicine, depends on how actively the people of Qatar contribute to our program.

“I thank everyone who has so far registered for Qatar Biobank, and encourage eve-ryone to join us in improving the efficiency of healthcare of the country, which is an important national duty.”

Qatar Biobank and Qatar Genome Programme, also a QF member, have completed the development of the first Qatari gene chip, ‘Q-Chip’. It is the first local gene array designed and based on data from thousands of Qatari genomes sequenced over the past three years, and repre-sents a major step in gaining insights into the health of the local

population, including the preva-lence of diabetes, obesity, and vitamin D deficiency.

Qatar Biobank welcomes registration from Qataris over the age of 18, and adult expa-triates who have lived in Qatar for at least 15 years.

A regular visit to the Qatar Biobank includes standard medical tests, such as blood pressure and lung function. However, the tests also include new screenings that are not included in other large-scale biobanks, such as advanced imaging techniques and a treadmill test.

Qatar, EU aviation deal to yield €3bn benefitsSACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

The aviation agreement reached between Qatar and the European Union last week will create thousands of jobs and billions of economic benefits. The agreement is expected to generate economic benefits worth €3bn in the coming years.

“According to an independent economic study undertaken on behalf of the European Commission, the agreement, with its robust fair competition provisions, could generate economic benefits of nearly €3bn over the period 2019-2025 and create around 2,000 new jobs by 2025,” the European Com-mission said in a statement posted on its website.

After the deal, Qatar will have direct access to 28 European Union countries, 500 million customers and a large cargo market, according to the European Cockpit Association.

Qatar and the European Union announced on Monday that they had ini-tialled a Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels.

The aviation agreement is the first such agreement between the European Union and a country from the Gulf region.

Following last week’s initialling, both parties will prepare the signature of the agreement following their respective internal

procedures. The agreement will enter into force once both internal procedures will be finalised, noted European Commission.

The agreement will benefit all stake-holders by improving connectivity through a fair and transparent competitive envi-ronment, and create strong foundations for a long-term aviation relationship.

Qatar is a close aviation partner for the European Union, with more than seven million passengers travelling between the European Union and Qatar per year under the existing 27 bilateral air transport

agreements with European Union member states.

Experts say that this deal will further intensify the expansion plans of Qatar’s flag carrier in Europe.

“Europe is an important market for Qatar Airways. After the deal, we may see increase in the expansion plans of the airline for coun-tries in Europe,” a senior official of a tour and travel firm told The Peninsula.

Qatar Airways, which open 25 new des-tinations in 2018, has plans to add more des-tinations to its network this year.

“I am really a great believer in education. I believe in the power of education in transforming lives and societies. Education alone is not enough. We need to follow that with decent work and employment.”

230

7mn

Number of

aircraft operated

by Qatar Airways

7 million Passengers travelling between Qatar and EU per year

160+Qatar Airways

network covers over

160 destinations

globally

Qatar- EU relations reaching new heights

€3bn

2000

Worth of economic

benefits expected

from deal during

2019-2025

New jobs likely to be created during the period

The Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, crowned yesterday Pieter Devos, winner of CHI Al Shaqab International Equestrian Competition. The President of Qatar Olympic Committee, H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, crowned second place winner Nicola Philippaerts, while Alistair Routledge, President and General Manager for ExxonMobil Qatar, crowned the third place winner Emanuele Gaudiano. Pic: AR Al Baker

Sheikha Moza crowns winner of CHI Al Shaqab Equestrian Competition

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ANNHRI praises NHRC’s leadership in global allianceQNA GENEVA

The Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions (ANNHRI) stressed that the appointment of the Chairman of National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, in three lead-ership positions in the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) is a historic gain.

ANNHRI added that all the national human rights institu-tions in the Arab countries are proud of that as it motivates them to promote the status of human rights and work hard to obtain the classification (A) equivalent to the highest ratings, in accordance with the Paris Principles.

This came during the first

meeting of the Executive Com-mittee of ANNHRI, on the side-lines of the meetings of the GANHRI at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

NHRC, represented by Dr Al

Marri, held three leadership positions in the GANHRI Meeting at the UN headquarters in Geneva. The positions are Vice-President, Secretary-General and member of the Executive Office of GANHRI, according to the results of the elections held on the sidelines of the 23rd annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions in Hong Kong, China, on September 18-19.

NHRC is the only national human rights institutions in the GCC, that is rated A by the GANHRI. Classification (A) is granted only to national institu-tions that fully comply with the principles of performance and classification of national institu-tions, known as the Paris Principles.

The meeting of the Executive Committee of the ANNHRI,

chaired by Muhammad Fayek, discussed several items and reports, including the ANNHR’s 2018 report, in preparation for its next General Assembly meeting. In addition to reviewing the updated work plan of 2019, presenting the results of the work of the follow-up team on the Palestinian issue, the global alliance systems study com-mittee, and propose criteria for the fellowship program.

The participants emphasized their commitment to cooperate and exchange experiences among national human rights institutions in the Arab countries, especially those which were newly established, with the aim of achieving the highest standards for the classification of A according to the Paris Principles.

In addition, they stressed the

importance of intensifying coop-eration between Arab and African institutions and openness to all stakeholders, in particular, UN agencies and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, with the importance of expanding the ANNHRI’s target group to include civil society and member institutions.

On the sidelines of the GANHRI meeting in Geneva, the Executive Director of ANNHRI, Sultan bin Hassan Al Jamali, met with Amina Bouayach, President of Morocco’s National Human Rights Council (CNDH). They dis-cussed ways to strengthen part-nership and cooperation and agreed to hold various events that would enhance cooperation and exchange of experiences among national human rights institutions in Arab and African countries.

Normal school dayfor Al Sailiya HighSchool Girls todayQNA DOHA

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education said that today (Sunday) will be a regular school day for Al Sailiya High School for Girls, after a small fire broke out on its roof.

The Ministry said the civil defence contained the fire with no injuries. It stressed that, along with the Ministry of Interior, are committed to ensuring the public that they have taken all the precautions in dealing with the incident.

The Ministry also said the decision to resume with the school day followed an evalu-ation that took into consider-ation the safety of the students.

Sheikh Joaan crowns winners of H H the Father Amir Camel Racing Festival’s Day 8QNA DOHA

The President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, crowned yesterday the winners of the eighth day of the annual camel racing festival for the sword of H H the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, organised by the Camel Racing Committee organized by the Camel Racing Committee over 12 days to March 13.

Sheikh Joaan attended the four main races of event, which were 8km long and handed out the winners silver trophies.

There were 18 races in the morning session. Nahab of Rashid Nasser Shibl won the

silver Shalfa after finishing the race in 12.29.7 minutes. Ghait of Ali Zaid Al Buhaih won the second main event and won a silver dagger.

There were 12 races in the afternoon session. Al Mamlaha of Nasser Abdullah Al Misned won the first main event and the silver shalfa. Salhawada of Misfer Mubarak Al Shahwani won the fourth and final main event and its silver Shalfa.

The President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, with the winners of the eighth day of the annual camel racing festival, yesterday.

The Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions (ANNHRI) stressed that the appointment of the Chairman of NHRC, Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, in three leadership positions in the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) is a historic gain.

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German officials visit Doha to discuss IAAF championshipsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The member of the German Bundestag (Parliament) and Chair-person of the Sports Committee in the Bundestag, Dagmar Freitag, visited Doha from March 6 to 8 in preparation of Germany’s partici-pation at the IAAF World Athletic Championships. She was accom-panied by representatives from DLV Marketing and their media partner Schmidt Media.

The visit aimed at promoting the IAAF World Athletic Championships to be held in Doha from September 28 to October 6, 2019. Freitag held high level talks with the Secretary- General of the Olympic Committee, Jassim Al Buenain, the beIN Media Group’s Managing Director MENA, Tom Keaveny, and the President of the Qatar Women Sports Association, Lulwa Al Marri.

During the meetings, Freitag

presented the “German House” concept, which will be a unique venue for members of the athletic teams,

VIPs, media and business represent-atives as well as visitors from all walks of life during the championships.

The officials during the visit to Doha.

Nama launches ‘Be a Social Entrepreneur’ awareness campaignTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Social Development Center ‘Nama’ has launched the ‘Be a Social Entrepreneur’ campaign. The campaign is an awareness initiative with numerous goals that directly serve our society and qualify our youth to be more active and influential to those around them. The campaign, which started on the March 1, will continue until March 21.

The “Be a Social Entre-preneur” campaign, which targets both male and female youth aged from 18-35 years old, aims to increase youth awareness of the concept of social entrepre-neurship, the means for realizing socially beneficial development projects, as well as harnessing the role of social entrepreneurship projects in achieving sustained development.

On her part, Nawal Al Kaabi, said: “It is an integrated, compre-hensive campaign that comes to enhance the centre’s role in this

area of qualifying and empow-ering our youth to interact more positively with their society.”

She stated that the campaign is based on multiple pillars that support the achievement of its goals, with the campaign plan including several beneficial visits to some state authorities, which will directly contribute to edu-cating the youth and increasing their awareness of social entrepreneurship.

The plan also includes awareness and promotional videos, along with a social media campaign in cooperation with the youth centers and media office of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Al Kaabi further said the centre always aims to qualify our youth and enhance many of the beneficial concepts they possess, including the concept of social entrepreneurship, in order to work toward achieving its goals and vision that include investment in the human capital and promising future generations.

HBKU students visit library of Dr Al KawariThe students from the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) recently visited the library of Minister of State H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari. The visiting delegation included of faculty and students from the Master of Arts in Islam and Global Affairs (IGA) program. During the visit, Dr Al Kawari discussed aspects of his ministerial and diplomatic roles, and his nomination to serve as the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). The Minister also highlighted the cultural diplomacy role played by Qatar since the 1990s, in fostering dialogue and mediation and receiving experts in diplomacy, culture, art, heritage and media. The meeting concluded with a dialogue session, during which students exchanged their views on international citizenship. The delegation extended their gratitude to Dr Al Kawari for his insights and hospitality in opening his library to them. Dr Al Kawari concluded by signing a copy of his book, ‘The Global Majlis’.

5,577 imported shipments inspectedQNA DOHA

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment’s agricul-tural quarantine offices have inspected 5,577 imported shipments weighing 101,373 tonnes, from various types of imported agricultural consignments, such as plants and production inputs products at all customs ports in the country in February.

The quarantine offices destroyed 85 shipments that weigh over 30 tonnes for violating the agricultural quarantine law and for certain damages.

The agricultural quar-antine is the first line of defence for protection from agricultural infections. The preventive procedure aims to protect the country’s agricultural wealth from foreign-originated pests.

It also requires that all plants, agricultural products, and any other materials shall be subject to phytosanitary regula-tions for its procedures and to ensure that other agri-cultural production inputs are in conformity with the c o n d i t i o n s a n d specifications.

The Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General (Pilot), H E Ghanem bin Shaheen Al Ghanem, attended the final day of the 10th Joint Exercise of Al Jazeera Shield drills in the north of Jubail region, in response to an invitation he received from Saudi Arabia’s Chairman of the General Staff, Major General Fayyad Hamed Al Ruwaili. The aim of this drill is to enhance joint cooperation, exchange expertise between GCC Forces and raise the level of training among all joint Armed Forces.

Joint Exercise of Al Jazeera Shield drills conclude

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Bangladesh community association formedSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

The Bangladesh Community — Qatar (BCQ), an association of expatriate community, was inaugurated officially on Friday in the presence of Imran Ahmed MP, State Minister at the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bang-ladesh.

Held at Crowne Plaza Hotel Doha the ceremony was attended by Ashud Ahmed, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Qatar; Muhammed Hassan Al Obaidly, Assistant Under-Sec-retary for Labor Affairs at the Ministry of Administrative Development Labour and Social Affairs of Qatar, and Lt. Hamad Ali Al Merri, Officer of Public Relations Department, Ministry of Interior.

“I came especially for the inauguration of BCQ and hope-fully there will be good inter-action. And I hope, ultimately, they (BCQ) will be able to do something good for Bangladesh community in Qatar,” Imran Ahmed MP, State Minister, Min-istry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bang-ladesh told The Peninsula.

Speaking about Qatar-Bang-ladesh relations, the Minister said that there had been very food relations between two countries and they will remain very good.

“We are buying LNG from

Qatar and over 400,000 Bang-ladeshi people are working in Qatar as the second largest expatriate community. We are taking part in the development of Qatar and Qatar also has involvement in Bangladesh as investor and partner,” said the minister.

“I am very happy that for the first time Bangladeshi community has come up with very constructive organisation named Bangladesh Community-Qatar (BCQ),” said Ashud Ahmed, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Qatar.

He said that BCQ will organise more programmes for the development of the

community. “With the launching of BCQ, the Embassy of Bang-ladesh and expatriate com-munity of Bangladesh will con-tribute more towards sustainable development in Bangladesh and Qatar,” said the Ambassador.

Over 300 members of Bang-ladesh community were hosted at the event where they were educated about the law of land by concerned departments.

A number of the departments of the Ministry of Interior including Community Police and Al Faza Police participated the event to introduce their services. The representatives of Ministry gave presentations on Metrash

2 service, repatriation proce-dures, services cetnres and Qatari visa centre in Bangladesh among many more.

An executive committee comprising of 149 members including Presidium members led by Engineer Anwar Hossain Akon and Secretariats led by Amin Rasul Saiful was formed to run the Bangladesh Community-Qatar (BCQ).

“The main objective of BCQ is to coordinate & cooperate with the various government authorities in Qatar and to support Qatari Govern-ment’s initiatives in various capac-ities,” Anwar Hossain Akon told The Peninsula.

Imran Ahmed MP, State Minister, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bangladesh; Ashud Ahmed, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Qatar; Muhammed Hassan Al Obaidly, Assistant Under-Secretary for Labour Affairs at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs of Qatar; and Lt. Hamad Ali Al Merri, Officer of Public Relations Department, Ministry of Interior, at the inauguration ceremony.

UCQ to provide greater

accessibility to studentsRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

The University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) has announced it is aligning its tuition fee structure with the University of Calgary in Alberta to provide greater accessibility for students who wish to avail of its programmes.

This was announced by Dr. Deborah White, Dean & CEO at UCQ in an interview with reporters during the university’s Open House yesterday.

“We are excited today with the Open House for two reasons: one is it brings students and families to our organi-zation, but a very exciting news this year is the difference in our tuition fee. We are now aligning our tuition with the University of Calgary in Alberta providing much more opportunity for stu-dents to access a Canadian uni-versity nursing education here in Qatar,” said White.

“A reduction in tuition fee provides an opportunity for great accessibility so we are very excited about that,” she said, adding this would mean bigger chance for students here to be nurses which are badly needed in Qatar.

UCQ is the only Canadian university in Qatar which exclu-sively provides Bachelor and Master of nursing programs in the country. About 16 percent of UCQ students are Qataris which comprises around 42 percent of Master of Nursing students.

One of the ways UCQ is doing to further encourage more Qataris to take up Nursing as a profession is to have UCQ alumni visit schools and talk to Qatari students, said White,

adding they also plan to have Qataris as teachers in their pro-grammes as a long-term goal.

One of the most successful UCQ alumni is Shaikha Ali Al Qahtani, who finished both Bachelor and Master degrees from UCQ and is the first Qatari Director of Nursing - Wound Care Service and OPD Ambu-latory Care Service at Hamad General Hospital.

“University of Calgary in Qatar has been a major part of my successful education because it has polished and strengthened my skills and talents which I can use in the real world. The environment here is very supportive which can’t be found in other univer-sities, like its faculty who helped hone our skills,” said Al Qahtani.

With healthcare being one of the priorities of the State, she called on more Qataris to choose Nursing as a profession to build a new generation of Qatari nurses who can be future leaders.

“You can be leaders of the future for Qatar and you can change the world because nurses have a big role to play in the success of healthcare,” she stressed.

Yesterday’s Open House gathered students, community members, and sponsors. Vis-itors were able to explore UCQ’s campus and advanced facilities including its high-tech Clinical Simulation Centre –a first-of-its-kind in Qatar. It was also an opportunity to meet with faculty to learn about the U n i v e r s i t y ’ s n u r s i n g programs.

Applications to UCQ’s pro-grammes are open to Qatari nationals and residents of Qatar until April 1.

The visitors at the University of Calgary in Qatar during the Open House yesterday. PIC: ABDUL BASIT / THE PENINSULA

Ooredoo sponsors Ride of ChampionsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Ooredoo will be the Title Sponsor of the Ride of Champions, Qatar’s community cycle event that is aimed at promoting cycling as part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

The Ooredoo Ride of Cham-pions, set to be held at Cere-monial Court, Qatar Foundation on March 15, is organised by Qatar Cycling Centre, the offi-cially recognised cycling centre under the umbrella of the Min-istry of Culture and Sport in Qatar. 2019 is the third year of the event, and this year’s ride is expected to attract record numbers of participants and spectators. The ride includes five different distances so all the family and all levels of fitness can join in, from youngsters trying out bikes for the first time to sea-soned cycling enthusiasts taking on the full 137.5km Ride of Champions.

The family, beginners and youth rides will be held in a secure, sheltered area around the Qatar Foundation and the Al Shaqab Arabian horse breeding area, providing a safe place in

which those new to the sport and less confident can enjoy their day, and the kids’ ride will be held at Green Spine in Oxygen Park. Addressing the press con-ference, on Thursday, Manar Khalifa Al Muraikhi – Director PR and Corporate Communica-tions at Ooredoo – said: “Ooredoo is committed to sup-porting sports and community

events as a key part of our cor-porate social responsibility strategy, and the Ooredoo Ride of Champions is an excellent opportunity for us to show our support.

Staying active is an integral part of a healthy, balanced life-style and it’s wonderful to see events such as these promoting sports and fitness. We hope all

riders enjoy a great day out.”Dr. Abulazziz Al Kuwari,

President Qatar Cyclists, com-mented: “We are delighted to reach this agreement with Ooredoo. They spare no effort in endorsing sports and community events in Qatar.

This partnership will allow us to deliver a superb edition of Ride of Champions, the biggest

cycling event in Qatar and one of the biggest three events in the region.”

Ali M Al Kuwari, Managing Director of Ooredoo Ride of Champions, commented: “We are only few days away from what will be the biggest ever cycling festival in Qatar, and we are looking forward to welcome all the riders.”

Ooredoo officials and Ooredoo Ride of Champions teams pose for a group photo.

Qatar, Pakistan to explore investment opportunitiesFROM PAGE 1

Dawood, who enjoys status of federal minister in Imran Khan’s cabinet, said that investment opportunities in Pakistan were in two categories. “In the category one, we are looking for investment from Qatari companies and Qatar Investment Authority and these projects are large scale projects and of strategic nature like in the power sector while for the private business entities of Qatar there also exists a wide range of options,” he added.

Regarding ease of doing business in Pakistan, Dawood said that Pakistan had intro-duced a number of incentives for foreign investors. “By making investment in special economic zones, investors can avail a number of concessions and lucrative incentives,” he added.

Sharif said that Pakistan’s tourism and hospitality sector was witnessing a significant growth and Pakistan’s new liberal visa regime for tourists would further augment the pace

of growth. “This offers an oppor-tunity to foreign investors to invest in Pakistan’s fast growing tourism and hospitality sector,” he added.

He said that Pakistan was set to showcase investment oppor-tunities for Qatari public sector

companies in three major sectors namely hospitality, aviation and real estate.

Dawood said that Pakistan government would soon announce an attractive package for overseas Pakistanis through which they would be able to

invest in country’s tourism and hospitality sector and the gov-ernment of Pakistan would ensure availability of finances for them through banks at lower interest rates.

Dawood said that Pakistan’s energy need was on the rise demanding more imports of LNG for which the country was devel-oping two new terminals. He hinted that Pakistan could sign new pacts with Qatar for more LNG import in future.

Sharif said that after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Qatar in January, Board of Investment was in constant touch with Qatar Investment Authority and was proposing dif-ferent strategically important projects to Qatari side. “Things are set to move to next trans-action level very soon,” he added.

Sharif said that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPEC), one of six corridors under China’s One Belt One Road initiative, would prove as a magnet to pull investors from the region and world to Pakistan.

Haroon Sharif (right), Minister of State and Chairman of Pakistan’s Board of Investment; and Abdul Razak Dawood, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Commerce, Textile, Industries and Production and Investment, during the interview at Pakistan Ambassador’s residence in Doha yesterday. PIC: ABDUL BASIT / THE PENINSULA

CMC Committees receive 27 appealsQNA DOHA

The number of appeals in the lists of candidates for the elections of the Central Municipal Council (CMC) is 27 during the period of submission of appeals that ended on Thursday.

The appeals filed in the candidates’ registration lists during the period of receiving applications amounted to 27 applications, 14 for candidates and 13 for not registering candidates in the prelim-inary tables, a statement issued by the municipal council’s supervisory com-mittee said. On Thursday, the appeals process in the registration of candidates for the elections of CMC was concluded. The appeals will be examined until March 18. The final candidates’ lists will be announced on March 21.

Brigadier Abdulrahman Al Farahid Al Malki, Chairman of the Technical Com-mittee for CMC elections, said that receiving appeals has been concluded on Thursday evening so there will be no further opportunity to challenge candi-dates’ names in the lists. He pointed out that the work of the committees of judging those appeals is currently ongoing under full judicial supervision in prepa-ration for the announcement of the final candidates’ lists on March 21.

06 SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019HOME

QM, Al Shamal Municipality ink agreementTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Museums (QM) and Al Shamal Municipality signed on Monday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance joint cooperation and preservation of Al Zubarah Unesco World Heritage Site and promote cultural awareness among community members.

As part of the new agreement, Al Shamal Municipality will be responsible for cleaning and pre-serving Al Zubarah’s beach every month for the next five years. Al Shamal Municipality will also take part in QM’s local activities to help promote cultural awareness among community members. The MoU was signed by Ahmad Al Namla, QM’s Acting Chief Exec-utive Officer (ACEO) and Hamad Jumaa Al-Mannai, Director of Al Shamal Municipality.

Al Namla said: “We’re pleased to sign this new partnership with Al Shamal Municipality to help preserve one of the most

important heritage sites in Qatar, and promote cultural awareness about its importance. Al Shamal Municipality is one of the key cul-tural hubs in Qatar. As such, its preservation is key to Qatar Museum’s Department of Archae-ology in line with QM’s vision. We hope this partnership inspires other entities to form similar agreements to promote cultural understanding within their

Corporate Social Responsibility progammes.”

“We’re pleased to partner with Qatar Museums to preserve this historic site of Al Zubarah, in line with our commitment to the country and its people. Not only are we going to help preserve the beauty and cleanliness of the site and its surrounding areas, but we will also set up several activities to help spread awareness about

Qatar’s rich cultural history. We look forward to seeing the out-comes of this fruitful cooperation,” said Al Mannai.

The historic coastal town, Al Zubarah, is situated approximately 100km north-west of Doha. Founded in the mid-18th century, the town developed into a centre of the pearling and international trade and rose to become the country’s largest and most important settlement. QM oversees its preservation and pro-motion by hosting various tourist visits and organising educational cultural activities all year-round for people in Qatar.

The Department of Archae-ology at QM places great impor-tance on Al Shamal Municipality given its historic significance. Some of QM’s efforts to preserve the area include the restoration of the iconic at Al Ruwais Mosque, one of Qatar’s oldest mosques, and its surrounding areas. Most recently, QM also turned the aban-doned Al Ruwais Police Station into an exciting touristic project.

Ahmad Al Namla, QM’s Acting CEO; and Hamad Jumaa Al Mannai, Director of Al Shamal Municipality, signing the agreement.

Mandarin Oriental, Doha opens with unveiling of signature fanTHE PENINSULA DOHA

To celebrate the official opening of Mandarin Oriental, Doha, centrally located in Msheireb Downtown Doha, the hotel’s personalised signature fan was unveiled yesterday by Ali Al Kuwari, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Msheireb Properties; Jill Kluge, Chief Marketing Officer of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, and Martin Schnider, General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Doha.

Every Mandarin Oriental hotel around the world has its own signature fan which is designed to reflect the local culture of each property. Man-darin Oriental, Doha’s fan design is a celebration of Qatari identity, with a mix of Middle Eastern inspired design elements.

Created in Qatar and hand-crafted in France by Maison Duv-elleroy, artisanal fan maker since 1827, the burgundy tone and pat-terns on each of the nine fan blades depict a series of

connected symbols that are intrinsic to Doha, while the tassel is a beautiful reminder of the sig-nificance of pearling to the her-itage of the city.

“This fan is a beautiful rep-resentation of our newest property in Doha, where Middle Eastern charm meets Mandarin Oriental’s legendary oriental hospitality,” said Jill Kluge, Chief Marketing Officer for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. “We are delighted to celebrate the opening of this stylish property in this landmark destination,” s h e a d d e d . “ T h e

launch of Mandarin Oriental, Doha represents a significant milestone for Msheireb Prop-erties. It is the first Mandarin Ori-ental hotel to be launched in the region and to open in Msheireb Downtown Doha, our key devel-opment project that has been designed as the world’s first sus-tainable regeneration project. We are delighted that guests can now enjoy the hotel’s five-star hospitality and also experience the beautiful architecture of the overall project,” said Ali Al Kuwari, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Msheireb Properties, developer and owner of the project. The hotel has created two fans, one to be prominently displayed in the hotel and the second to be presented to Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser whose vision is the driving force in building the future of Qatar.

To celebrate the opening, the hotel has launched an enticing Blossoming in Doha opening package, which includes a Man-darin Oriental Gift Card to the

value of USD100 per night, and a Mandarin Oriental, Doha limited edition replica bespoke fan with an authentic pearl tassel.

Featured on the fan blades are iconic elements which showcase this great city – paying homage to its distinctive archi-tecture, tradition, hospitality and

heritage. The dhow boat on the fan blade symbolises pearl trading in the region with designs inspired by beautiful calligraphy and charming hospitality.

Ali Al Kuwari, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Msheireb Properties; Jill Kluge, Chief Marketing Officer of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group; and Martin Schnider, General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Doha; unveil the signature fan to mark the official opening of Mandarin Oriental, Doha which centrally located in Msheireb Downtown Doha.

The launch of Mandarin Oriental, Doha represents a significant milestone for Msheireb Properties. It is the first Mandarin Oriental Hotel to be launched in the region and to open in Msheireb Downtown Doha.

206 public school directors attend evaluation programmeQNA DOHA

The Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Dr Ibrahim Al Naimi, has stressed on the importance of holding the first training programme on the ‘performance evaluation management’ for the directors of public education schools in the state.

The 3-week programme, organised by the Center for Edu-cational Development and Training in cooperation with DI, witnessed the participation of 206 public school directors. It aims to provide participants with a range of skills and experience that allows them to adopt the latest techniques and methodologies in the field of international per-formance assessment, training and practical application on a number of modern global standards adopted in the area of performance appraisal.

He explained that the training

program comes in the context of the difficulties facing the issue of evaluating the performance of teachers and complaints reaching the ministry regarding school administrations.

In a speech at the end of the program, Al Naimi said that the evaluation is not personal desires and individual impressions, but science based on real and organized pillars, calling for the need to develop concepts in the issue of performance evaluation. He praised the directors of schools as the real bond of the ministry.

Dr. Farid Elsahn, Director of Excellence Center for Executive Education at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) and Hessa Al Ali, Direct of Training and Edu-cational Development Center at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education stressed the importance of the program, taking into account the needs of the trainees and transforming the per-formance evaluation process from judgments to a sustainable process.

07SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019 HOME

HMC successfully performs surgery on patient with advanced oral cancerTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The surgeons from the Oral and Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery Department at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) have success-fully removed a tumour from the tongue and jaw of a patient with advanced oral cancer.

Dr. Moustafa Al Khalil, Senior Consultant and Head of Carnio-M a x i l l o f a c i a l S u r g e r y Department at HMC’s Rumailah Hospital, said the 40-year-old Egyptian man, who had been diagnosed with stage 3 oral cancer, is expected to make a full recovery.

Dr. Al Khalil said the complex 10-hour surgery involved removal of the tumour from the patient’s tongue and jawbone and reconstruction of the sur-gical site. The patient, Ahmed Hammam, underwent 30 ses-sions of radiation therapy post-surgery.

“Shortly after surgery, the patient began undergoing reha-bilitation and was able to speak and swallow ten days after the operation. Head and neck

cancers and their treatment fre-quently cause changes in both speech and swallowing. The post-operative therapy required will vary from patient to patient and depend on the location of the tumour and the treatment. In the case of Hammam, both the surgery and rehabilitation have been very successful and we expect him to make a complete recovery,” said Dr. Al Khalil.

According to Dr. Al Khalil, the Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery Department has had great

success in the surgical man-agement of cases involving aggressive tumours, including those that require reconstructive surgery. He said with the treatment of oral cancers the aim is to remove the affected tissue while minimising damage to the mouth. Dr. Al Khalil said that Hammam’s story is significant because it highlights the impor-tance of prompt treatment.

Dr. Al Khalil said cases involving aggressive tumours are prioritised for surgery to prevent the cancer from spreading to the neck and lymph nodes. He said the Oral and Cranio-Maxillo-facial Surgery Department has a board of surgeons and medical professionals from 12 different specialties and that treatment e x c e e d s i n t e r n a t i o n a l benchmarks.

HMC’s Oral and Cranio-M a x i l l o f a c i a l S u r g e r y Department receives referrals from across HMC’s network and from public and private hospitals and clinics located throughout Qatar. Dr. Al Khalil said head and neck cancers can be challenging to diagnose and treat because the

symptoms are often attributed to other medical problems and

as a result, the majority of these cancers are diagnosed at a late

stage, which makes them more difficult to treat.

Dr. Moustafa Al Khalil, Senior Consultant and Head of Carnio-Maxillofacial Surgery Department at HMC’s Rumailah Hospital, with Ahmed Hammam, the 40-year old Egyptian, who is cured of oral cancer after surgery.

Chevrolet Qatar sponsors 4th Al Adaid Desert ChallengeTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Chevrolet Qatar, distributed by Jaidah Automotive, was the official sponsor of this year’s Al Adaid Desert Challenge in Khor Al Adaid, a sport event.

This year’s challenge con-cluded with more than 500 diverse participants who took part in cycling and running across the site.

During the sports event, Chevrolet Qatar set up a photo booth display that participants used to save photographic mem-ories of their achievements and great success.

Commenting on Chevrolet’s sponsorship of the event, Maud

Daniel, Group Marketing Director of Jaidah Group, said: “It was a privilege to be part of such an amazing event that brought people together from all over the world for a friendly challenge.

This year’s event, now in its fourth year, was even more memorable as there were several Qatari women partici-pating for the first time. This is a testament to the growing pop-ularity of cycling and sports in Qatar, thanks to the efforts of the Qatar Cyclist’s Center and other local entities, and we’re glad to support it.”

The Al Adaid Desert Chal-lenge highlights the fitness and sport development in the

country, through the partici-pation of various female and male athletes during the event. The Al Adaid Desert Challenge was organized by Qatar Cyclist’s Center in cooperation with the Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Qatar Cycling Federation.

Chevrolet sponsors several local events as part of its com-mitment to support various industries in Qatar and engage community members. The most recent sponsorship this year was Chevrolet’s official sponsorship in the Chocolate, Tea & Coffee Festival.

The participants during the sport event, titled ‘Al Adaid Desert Challenge’, in Khor Al Adaid.

ISC plans major events to hone up skills of sport talents SANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

The Indian Sports Centre (ISC), a body of the Embassy of India, will organise as many as 35 major sport events, including football coaching camp, cricket matches, SAARC community football festival and inter school girls cricket among many more.

“ISC under its 2019 annual event calendar has formed 10 sections for games like football, cricket, volleyball & basketball, athletics, golf, aquatics & water sports, table tennis, tennis & badminton; yoga & fitness and ladies games,” said Nilangshu Dey, President of ISC.

Dey was speaking at a press conference yesterday at

Radisson Blu Hotel to announce ISC’s mission and objective by the newly elected managing committee for the term 2019 — 20. The press conference was attended by several officials of ISC, including Habib Un Nabi, General-Secretary; Abdulra-himan E P, Vice-President; Sharafu P Hameed, Vice-Pres-ident and Nish Agrawal, Joint Secretary.

The President of ISC high-lighted the mission of ISC to develop youngsters in sports and games through professional coaching after identifying the talents from the Indian com-munity. “The foremost objective of ISC is to initiate and lead the Inter community tour-naments in various games like

volleyball, table tennis, cricket, athletics, badminton etc. by col-laborating with respective Qatar games federations to promote a friendly and sports-manship environment among various expatriate commu-nities,” said Dey.

He said that ISC’s another mission is to nurture sports experts from Indian community by identifying their talents by organising inter school, inter organisations and inter com-

panies tournaments. “This also gives an oppor-

tunity to promote various games among those blue collar workers of those companies on regular basis and to identify any hidden talent among them,” said Dey.

Dey also highlighted that this year Sports Excellence Day is planned on September 21 to recognise the achievements in sports excelled by boys, girls, men and women of different

age groups of Indian com-munity. “Indian Sports Centre’s one of the prime objectives is to support FIFA 2022 and accordingly it has collaborated with Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy in their various community engagement programmes since it has signed a memorandum of under-standing with them in June 2017,” said Dey.

A b d u r a h i m a n E P announced that ISC will start

its few facilities shortly in its own premises. Initially rental option is being considered with a plan of having its own premises in future .

Sharafu P Hameed high-lighted the initiative to enrol more than 40 companies as corporate member of ISC within this term 2019 -20 to heavily involve the Indian workers in sports and games which will bring a high level of motivation amongst them.

FROM LEFT: Habib Un Nabi, General-Secretary of Indian Sports Centre; Abdulrahiman E P, Vice-President; Nilangshu Dey, President; Sharafu P Hameed, Vice-President and Nish Agrawal, Joint-Secretary, during a press conference at Radisson Blu Hotel. PIC: QASSIM RAHMATULLAH / THE PENINSULA

The Pearl-Qatar concludes live cooking showTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Pearl-Qatar has successfully concluded the first-of-its-kind live cooking show series, held over two consecutive weeks, where hundreds of families were in attendance.

Introducing an inspiring journey into the culinary world, four prominent chefs served their signature dishes and inter-acted with the large and enthu-siastic audience.

The four cooking events were hosted respectively by Chef “Aisha Al Tamimi”, one of Qatar’s top chefs, celebrity Lebanese Chef “Richard Khoury”, award-winning Indian Chef “Vineet Bhatia” and social media influ-encer and popular Kuwaiti Chef

“Fawaz Al Omaim” and Chef “Asmaa Al Bahr”. This first of its kind event is organized by Hos-pitality Development Company

(HDC), a subsidiary of United Development Company and one of the leading hospitality and fine dining companies in Qatar.

The guests enjoying the live cooking show.

Bedaya to highlight role of Qatari women in society THE PENINSULA DOHA

Bedaya Center for Entrepre-neurship and Career Devel-opment (Bedaya Center), a joint initiative by Qatar Development Bank and Silatech, will be hosting tonight an elite group of Qatari women at a panel discussion highlighting the most important achievements of Qatari women.

It is organised to mark Inter-national Women’s Day. During the event, which will take place at Marsa Katara at 5.30pm, H E Lolwah Al Khater spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nisrine Al Malak,

Institutional Program Manager at Qatar Leadership Centre, leading entrepreneur, Samia Al Saleh, and the councillor and coach, Shafa Ali, will be empha-sising on the important role of women in society and its impact in all fields in order to stimulate Qatari women’s leadership in various sectors.

Based on the guests’ impressive track record, drawing on their experiences and suc-cesses in various fields, in addition to the impact they have achieved in advancing the overall development and devel-oping the local economy by re-crystallizing the tasks of their traditional work; the discussion

will be shedding the light on how leading women achieve balance between work and family.

On this occasion, Reem Al-Sowaidi, General Manager of Bedaya Center, said, “We are honoured to host an elite women group from the Qatar society in conjunction with the Interna-tional Women’s Day to highlight their most important achieve-ments and to inform guests of the importance of the vital role played by Qatari women in various fields and diverse sectors. This meeting is a unique opportunity to share with the participants the achievements made by Qatari women and their contribution to society.”

Dr. Al Khalil said the complex 10-hour surgery involved removal of the tumour from the patient’s tongue and jawbone and reconstruction of the surgical site. The patient, Ahmed Hammam, underwent 30 sessions of radiation therapy post-surgery.

Several pieces of legislation are pending in the Senate and House, including a bill calling for the end of US support of the Saudi-led war in Yemen and a bipartisan-sponsored measure that would effectively mandate sanctions on the crown prince.

AMIT KAPOOR IANS

08 SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019VIEWS

Rebukes from the West won’t change Saudi Arabia’s course

The rhetorical attacks keep coming at Saudi Arabia from the West. On Thursday, the European Union signed on to a

rare rebuke of the kingdom. At a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, 36 countries, including all 28 member states of the continental bloc, called on the Saudis to release 10 imprisoned activists and cooperate with a U.N. inquiry into last year’s killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The statement was the first collective rep-rimand of Riyadh issued at the council since it was founded in 2006. “We call on Saudi Arabia to take many full steps to ensure that all matters of the public including human rights defenders and journalists can freely and fully exercise their rights to freedom of expression, opinion, and association including online and without fear of reprisals,” read the text of the joint statement. It also urged Saudi Arabia “to disclose all information available” from its investi-gation into the death of Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi dissident voice who US intelligence believes was abducted, tortured and killed on the orders of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Both the Trump administration and Saudi officials have sought to shield Mohammed from scrutiny, but that hasn’t dimmed the outrage of a host of Western gov-ernments and lawmakers. In Wash-ington, Con-gress is still battling the White House over the lat-ter’s flouting of a legal requirement to report to the Senate on the crown prince’s role in

Khashoggi’s death. Though US politi-cians remain bitterly divided on most issues, they have found an unusual consensus in their antipathy toward Riyadh.

On top of what happened to Khashoggi, there’s growing concern over the status of Walid Fitaihi, a Harvard-trained physician and a dual US-Saudi national who has been detained by the Saudis since November 2017 and allegedly beaten and tortured on repeated occasions. According to

the New York Times, friends close to Fitaihi believe his detention has to do with the palace intrigues surrounding the crown prince’s ruthless consoli-dation of power. And they have expressed their disquiet with President Donald Trump’s silence over his incar-ceration. “He’s gone full gangster,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said of Mohammed at a hearing Wednesday, “and it’s difficult to work with a guy like that.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., added that the Saudis’ “list of human rights violations is so long, it’s hard to comprehend what’s going on there.”

Several pieces of legislation are pending in the Senate and House, including a bill calling for the end of US support of the Saudi-led war in Yemen and a bipartisan-sponsored measure that would effectively mandate sanc-tions on the crown prince.

“Now the question is whether the Senate will act to uphold its authority under the law and prevent the Saudi ruler from escaping accountability for the gruesome murder and dismem-berment of a journalist who was a Vir-ginia resident and a contributor to The Post,” The Washington Post said in a March 6 editorial. “Not only the question of justice for Khashoggi is at issue: The crime is part of a pattern of reckless and destructive behavior by Mohammed bin Salman that ranges from the bombing of civilians in Yemen to the imprisonment and torture of a number of Saudi female activists, as well as a US citizen.”

But the Saudis’ response has so far been categorical and unrepentant. “Interference in domestic affairs under the guise of defending human rights is in fact an attack on our sovereignty,” said Abdul Aziz Alwasil, the kingdom’s permanent representative in Geneva, in reaction to the European Union’s statement. Similar bullish statements came from the Saudi Foreign Ministry this year as members of Congress weighed the passage of a punitive bill.

That Riyadh has endured only the slightest course corrections amid months of controversy speaks, firstly, to the durability of the monarchy’s economic ties with a host of major powers. International political and

business elites have shown themselves all too willing to overlook a regime’s record when it suits their interests. But it also speaks to the fact that despite their concerns over Khashoggi’s death, insiders in Washington cheer the Saudi push toward a more “normal” and secular modernity encouraged by Mohammed’s ambitious economic and social reform agenda. Movie theaters have sprung up, and women can now learn to drive - no matter that key female activists who clamored for these rights are still in prison.

Mohammed has championed these reforms by inculcating a new spirit of nationalism. “Saudi Arabia’s under-going an aggressive nationalist rebranding, downplaying an austere religious doctrine associated abroad with terrorism, and promoting vener-ation of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he pursues an economic overhaul,” noted Bloomberg News this week, exploring the extent to which overt nationalism is supplanting the kingdom’s tradi-tional religious orthodoxy. “Amid efforts to maintain domestic support while redesigning the contract between state and citizen, traitors, not infidels, are the enemy.”

The lecturing from Western cap-itals, too, plays into this dynamic, deepening national feeling among many patriotic Saudis who have rallied around their prince in the face of “unbalanced” criticism from abroad, said Ali Shihabi, founder of the Arabia Foundation, a Washington think tank with close ties to Riyadh. He added that “inspiring nationalism is an objective” of Mohammed’s reform agenda.

Critics of the crown prince view him as a fundamentally destabilizing leader . Other experts argue that he’s here to stay. “It’s impossible to not see how much the country has changed” under Mohammed’s watch, said former US diplomat Dennis Ross at a panel hosted by the Arabia Foundation last week, saying that though the crown prince may be “reckless,” the United States has much to gain from a “successful transformation” from Wahhabism to nationalism in Saudi Arabia.

ISHAAN THAROOR THE WASHINGTON POST

QUOTE OF THE DAYRespect for women is the fundamental dynamic of our values, customs and

traditions, history, and social life. It is everyone’s

responsibility to stand on the side of women subjected to violence

and oppression.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkish President

Rising disparity of income and opportunities led to rise of populism globally

The political discourse across the world is increasingly becoming dominated by the phenomenon of populism. The

term has become so commonplace that it usually appears in popular media without an explanation as to who qualifies to be a populist. However, revisiting the idea can be instructive at this point.

The definition for the term, which now forms the backbone of academic studies, was provided by young Dutch political scientist Cas Mudde in 2004. He suggested that the concept is a political ideology that considers society to be segregated into two homogenous and antagonistic groups: “the pure people” and “the corrupt elite” - and that politics should be an expression of the general will of the people.

The first major sign of the global shift towards populism was the election of Donald Trump as the US

President. Populists have been suc-cessful in other countries as well. Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Victor Orban in Hungary and the Finns Party in Finland are evidence of the expanding global footprint of pop-ulism. Such trends point towards a larger shift in attitudes of citizens around the globe that are rapidly changing the face of democracy.

The rise of populism around the world is of interest because it presents a few concerning aspects. Cas Mudde highlights that populist leaders usually carry one or all of the following traits: anti-establishment, authoritarianism, and nativism.

Since the idea is about the virtue of the ordinary people against a corrupt establishment, populist leaders display resentment for existing authorities. The aversion of populist leaders to institutional restraint can also extend to the economy, where exercising complete control in the interest of the people implies that autonomous regu-latory agencies should place no obstacles in their way. Alongside, they

also exude authoritarian leanings as they believe to be representing the interest of the masses. Finally, the nar-rative set by populist leaders taps into the feeling of nationalism among the citizens, which can develop into xeno-phobic tones like in Trump’s America or Nigel Farage’s Britain.

A combination of these three traits undermine and weaken the idea of democracy by making its institutions ineffective, concentrating power around a few individuals and polar-ising the people.

It must also be noted that populism is not necessarily a movement of the right. Quite a few populist parties around the world favour economic left-wing policies. In fact, one of the most populist leaders in recent times, Hugo Chavez, rallied Venezuela against the ‘predatory’ political elite and the US as a whole while attempting a socialist revolution in the country. Even Trump, for that matter, presents instances of socialistic tendencies in his advocacy of trade barriers and opposition to global trade deals.

NHRC has become a model for human rights institutions in the region and the world as it is the only one in the GCC to receive an ‘A’ status from GANHRI, after following a rigorous accreditation process, and supervision.

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

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI osman@pen.com.qa

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Global appreciation for QNHRC

The fabricated Gulf crisis was aimed to harm the people of Qatar, break down their will and subject the country to the will of others, infringing upon its sovereign deci-

sions. However, the outcome of that has gone in a direction that is not desired by those planned and imposed the siege on Qatar on June 5, 2017.

Contrary to the wishes of blockading countries, the crisis triggered the public energy and discovered unexpected potential of the Qatari youth in different fields, creating new realities on the ground to re-affirm that Qatar is a force that is difficult to subjugate or infringe its sovereign decisions.

There are hundreds of examples proving this fact, at national and individual levels, but one of the vibrant examples is of human rights advocacy whose positions, cred-ibility, visions and performance not only impressed the locals, but also regional and international community.

Since the imposition of the unjust siege on Qatar, the National Human Rights Committee (QNHRC) has played a crucial role in stopping the violations of human rights by siege countries. For the second year of the ongoing siege, the QNHRC kept urging United Nations and concerned

human rights organisations to assume their responsibilities to stop human rights violations resulting from the continued blockade and unilateral coercive measures imposed on Qatar.

The committee not only expressed its hope to stop these violations, but carried out out-standing efforts to document siege related grave violations to human and called for compen-sating the victims and hold those responsible accountable.

The Qatari position against the violations of human rights is not limited to the violations related to the Gulf crisis but also took strict stances advocating rights of peoples in countries engulfed by war and political crisis such as Syria, Yemen, Libya and the ongoing construction of settlements and the unjust siege on Gaza.

The NHRC’s achievements and contributions to the defence of human rights issues in Qatar and the region, and its efforts and international moves to face the blockade imposed on Qatar and its credibility was appreciated by the international community and this culminated in the nomi-nation of the committee to chair three leading positions through election that took place during the General Assembly meeting of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).

The three positions assigned to the Chairman of the NHRC, Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri in GANHRI are vice-pres-ident, secretary and member of the bureau.

To gain the confidence of the GANHRI means that QNHRC is in full compliance with the Paris Principles, appreciation of the international organiSations and recognition of its efforts and contributions in defending human rights issues.

NHRC has become a model for human rights institutions in the region and the world as it is the only one in the GCC to receive an ‘A’ status from GANHRI, after following a rig-orous accreditation process, and supervision.

Friends of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi holding posters and banners with his pictures during a demonstration outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 25, 2018.

As soon as Guaido proclaimed himself interim president on January 23, Mexico and Uruguay stepped forward offering mediation and their call for a negotiated solution has been echoed by the United Nations and myriad voices in Venezuela and beyond. But again, while Maduro has embraced the possibility of dialogue, it is the Venezuelan opposition that most stubbornly refuses to negotiate.

09SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019 OPINION

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Italian war games: Who really stands to gain from a snap vote?

Can there be a peaceful exit from the Venezuelan crisis?

JOHN FOLLAIN & CHIARA ALBANESE BLOOMBERG

GEORGE CICCARIELLO-MAHER AL JAZEERA

From the corridors of the Rome parliament to Milan trading floors, the war of words between rivals-turned-

partners Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio has ignited speculation that

Italy’s populist experiment could blow up, with an early election this year.

An online news site founded by popular TV anchor Enrico Mentana floated Friday what it called “the extreme hypothesis” -- a snap vote in late May, on the same day as elections for the European Parliament. The post said the office of President Sergio Mattarella is studying the possibility. Mattarella’s spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

The head of government relations at a state-owned firm said rumors of a coalition collapse are intensifying, as both Salvini’s rightist League and Di Maio’s anti-establishment Five Star Movement appear determined to stick to their guns on a disputed $10-billion rail link to France. The League says it’s vital for business. Five Star sees it as environmental vandalism.

A snap vote is a market risk and

uncertainty continues to weigh on sentiment, according to a Morgan Stanley note to clients.

Here’s the talk and strategy options in the key players’ war rooms:

Five Star: How Do We Seize The Initiative Back?

Di Maio’s Five Star faces a dilemma. Either it stays in gov-ernment with coalition partner Salvini, watching its rating in opinion polls decline. Or it decides enough is enough, insists the rail project must be blocked, and risks a collapse of the government.

Forcing a crisis could turn Five Star’s fortunes around, according to an opposition lawmaker. Remaining firm on the rail link would allow Five Star to claim it’s taken a moral stand, proudly faithful to the party’s roots on an issue central to its DNA.

Support for Five Star was at 22.1 percent in a SWG poll published March 4, a hemorrhage compared to the 32.7 percent it scored in last March’s general election. The center-left Democratic Party is also showing signs of new life in polls, biting into the left-wing Five Star electorate.

The League: Should Salvini Make a Power Grab?

As ever, Salvini put it colorfully. “We are in the hands of the good Lord,” he told reporters Friday when asked how long the government will last. Divine intervention aside, Salvini has to decide whether an early election, possibly after the European vote, would allow him to capitalize on his ascent in opinion polls.

The rail plan is as much of a red

line for Salvini as it is for Di Maio. He’s likely to stick to his guns, betting that Di Maio will cave in as usual, and that if he doesn’t the League will be the big winner from any vote.

An election victory for the League looks very likely, but patching up a new coalition with a parliamentary majority is a headache for Salvini. The League leader is wary of returning to the embrace of ex-premier Silvio Ber-lusconi, who is widely-seen as a part of a discredited ruling class.

President And Premier: How Do We Guarantee Stability?

It’s for different reasons, but both President Mattarella and Premier Giuseppe Conte want the government to last. Mattarella prizes stability for the sake of Italy’s economic prospects among others; those count for Conte too, but of course the longer the gov-ernment lasts, the longer he keeps his job.

Although they are at the pinnacle of the Italian state, their hands are tied. If there is a government crisis, Mattarella’s task is to first seek an alternative parliamentary majority by consulting party leaders. If that fails, he’s likely to call early elections.

Conte, a Florence law professor picked by Five Star for the pre-miership, has served as a de facto mediator, squeezed between Salvini and Di Maio. Trouble is, Conte has no political base to call his own. On Thursday, he criticized the rail link for the first time, which could undermine his relationship with Salvini, and therefore his ability to keep the gov-ernment on track.

When Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela on January 23, he

thought regime change would be easy, but both Guaido and his backers in Washington dramatically underesti-mated the Maduro government and its grassroots supporters.

Venezuela’s military brass imme-diately refused calls to recognise the coup and opposition efforts to provoke a crisis by forcing truckloads of dubious “humanitarian aid” across the Venezuelan border a month later similarly failed.

US vice president Mike Pence reportedly rebuked Guaido for failing to deliver military support, and the increasingly desperate opposition leader called for “all options to achieve liberation” - code for military intervention - but was blocked by regional leaders.

For now, Guaido’s coup attempt appears to have collapsed, but Vene-zuela remains mired in a deep eco-nomic crisis, with increasingly dra-conian US sanctions turning the screws on ordinary Venezuelans even tighter. The coming months will be treacherous straits for the Maduro government and the Chavista grass-roots to navigate. As the threat of mil-itary intervention grows by the day, voices from across the political spectrum are scrambling to find an alternative, from dialogue to new elections.

So what options are on the table?Many, including some on the left,

point to early elections as one solution to the crisis. Both sides claim popular support - so why not let the people vote? But for those millions of Vene-zuelans who cast their ballot for

Maduro’s re-election less than a year ago, new elections would be a hard pill to swallow. The opposition refuses to recognise his re-election, but they are often dishonest about why.

Even right-wing voices concede that Maduro won the elections, in large part because the opposition refused to participate, citing the disqualification of opposition candidates for criminal allegations. Why would Chavistas accept new elections imposed by the losers, or what’s worse, by Wash-ington? Moreover, accepting elections would make Maduro - who was only just inaugurated for his second term - appear weak and might set a dan-gerous precedent.

But this all assumes that the oppo-sition, with Guaido temporarily at its head, actually wants elections, which isn’t clear. While Guaido’s constitu-tional claim to power was shaky to begin with - premised as it was on Maduro’s abandonment of the office - the constitution is absolutely clear that new elections be held within 30 days. But despite all his talk of democracy, Guaido never called those elections - why?

First, the opposition distrusts the National Electoral Council (CNE), despite its long record of free and fair elections. In other words, it’s not as easy as calling new elections, there remains the question of who would run those elections. But second, and more important, the electoral question has long divided the opposition between moderates seeking to win over a majority and hardliners who favour violent street protests and coups. Guaido - himself a stand-in for Leopoldo Lopez who is currently under house arrest for leading such protests - represents this hardline

approach. Elections, in other words, were never part of the plan: The opposition and Washington want an immediate transition of power.

Perhaps aware of this, Maduro has even dared Guaido to call elections in the most provocative terms: “Why doesn’t he call elections so we can demolish him with the votes of the people? […] Call elections, Mr Clown!”

By the same token, it seems Maduro’s preference is to work with the opposition towards early legis-lative elections as a sort of temper-ature check on popular opinion.

As soon as Guaido proclaimed himself interim president on January 23, Mexico and Uruguay stepped forward offering mediation and their call for a negotiated solution has been echoed by the United Nations and myriad voices in Venezuela and beyond. But again, while Maduro has embraced the possibility of dialogue, it is the Venezuelan opposition that most stubbornly refuses to negotiate. In fact, Mexico’s quite reasonable offer was seen as nothing short of a betrayal.

Guaido’s coup had been planned in advance through conversations among the Lima Group, a coalition of predominantly right-wing govern-ments formed to undermine Vene-zuela’s role in the region. But while Mexico had joined the Lima Group while under the right-wing gov-ernment of Enrique Pena Nieto, December saw the inauguration of leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who bucked pressure from the Lima Group by refusing to recognise Guaido. The opposition leader was quick to denounce Mexico and Uru-guay’s mediation proposal: “If you are neutral in unjust situations,” he wrote in an open letter, “you have taken the side of the oppressor.”

This intransigence is nothing new: Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero spent years brokering an agreement between Chavistas and the opposition, only to express his frustration when the opposition suddenly refused to sign on at the last minute in early 2018.

In the past, opposition parties that have chosen to sit down at the negoti-ating table have been lambasted by the right for colluding with Chavismo. Guaido and the Trump administration have openly embraced this extreme view.

Neither Maduro nor Guaido?Finally, both within Venezuela and

beyond, the absence of good options has led some to choose no option at all. One recent piece, for example, urges the left to take a stand against “both the US and the Maduro adminis-tration,” conspicuously leaving the Venezuelan opposition out of the equation. In Venezuela, a centre-left coalition including some prominent ex-Chavistas has emerged, calling itself the Citizens’ Platform in Defence

An election victory for the League looks very likely, but patching up a new coalition with a parliamentary majority is a headache for Salvini. The League leader is wary of returning to the embrace of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi.

of the Constitution, and proposing not only dialogue but also the replacement of the CNE and a ref-erendum on the Maduro gov-ernment. This neither/nor approach is a dead-end, however, not least for the same practical reasons outlined above.

How to replace the CNE and with whom? Who would collect the signatures of 10 percent of the elec-torate required for a referendum? And most importantly: If the popu-lation votes against the Maduro gov-ernment, they still wouldn’t have voted for any alternative in par-ticular - the crisis would drag on.

But the contradictions of the neither/nor position run deeper still. One member of the Citizens’ Platform, the sociologist Edgardo Lander, appeared on Democracy Now to denounce “a coup carried out by the United States gov-ernment with its allies, with the Lima Group and the extreme right wing in Venezuela.” What Lander failed to mention is that he and others had sat down with that coup leader just weeks earlier. Refusing to choose is itself a choice.

A negotiated solution to the crisis seems difficult, if not impos-sible, since the Venezuelan oppo-sition wants nothing less than a coup. How to negotiate with an opposition that refuses to do so? In this dangerous scenario, there are no easy answers, but a few things should be clear nonetheless.

First, there can be no elections under US sanctions. When Nicara-guans voted in 1990, they didn’t do so freely. The Bush Sr adminis-tration had declared that it would lift the embargo if the opposition candidate won against the Sandi-nista incumbent, Daniel Ortega.

Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed Acting President Juan Guaido at a demonstration in Caracas, yesterday.

10 SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

South Africa commits

to supporting Iran

JOHANNESBURG:

South Africa said yester-

day it remains committed to

supporting Iran, despite con-

straints faced by the oil-rich

nation.

“I would like to emphasize

that we, as South Africa,

regard the decision of the

United States government

to withdraw from the Joint

Comprehensive Plan of

Action (JCPOA) as regret-

table,” Deputy Minister of

International Relations and

Cooperation Reginah Mhaule

told her visiting Iranian coun-

terpart Abbas Araghchi at

a meeting in Cape Town. In

2015, Iran and the five per-

manent UN Security Council

members plus Germany

signed the JCPOA agreement

that would lift sanctions

against Iran if it agreed to roll

back its nuclear programme.

IN SHORT

Oldest temple site

opens in Turkey

ANKARA: Turkish President

Recep Tayyip Erdogan inau-

gurated the ruins of what

is thought to be the world’s

oldest temple.

“Turkey is an open-air

museum,” said Erdogan,

speaking at a ceremony at

the Gobeklitepe archaeolog-

ical site located in Turkey’s

southeastern province of

Sanliurfa.

Erdogan added that archae-

ological research should be

promoted in order to uncover

more historical artifacts and

sites in Anatolia region.

With 2019 declared as “the

Year of Gobeklitepe” in honor

of the 12,000-year-old tem-

ple, the region expects to be

thronged by tourists.

Gobeklitepe has been on

Unesco’s World Heritage Ten-

tative List since 2011.

Palestinians mourn girl martyred by IsraelAGENCIES RAMALLAH

Thousands of Palestinians yesterday attended a funeral procession in the West Bank for a 16-year-old Palestinian girl, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces last December.

Samah Mubarak, was killed by Israeli forces at the Al Zaiyem military checkpoint in eastern Jerusalem. Israeli forces withheld her body for 36 days before releasing it to Palestinian author-ities on Friday.

Mourners marched from the Ramallah Hospital to the graveyard of Al Bireh city, amid chants against Israel.

Israeli authorities are esti-mated to be holding the bodies of 35 slain Palestinians, according to figures issued by a Palestinian NGO.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces, yesterday, launched several strikes against Hamas sites in Gaza in response to a projectile launched from the besieged coastal territory the night before.

“IDF fighter jets and aircraft struck several military targets in a Hamas compound in the southern Gaza Strip and

underground structures in the northern Gaza Strip,” it said in a statement.

Security officials in Gaza said the strikes had not caused any casualties. A Palestinian was killed and at least 45 others wounded by Israeli fire on Friday in new protests and clashes along the Gaza border, the enclave’s health ministry said.

The Gaza Strip has been the scene of mass protests and clashes since late March last year. Demonstrators have been calling for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to be allowed to return to former homes now inside Israel.

Israeli officials say that amounts to calling for the Jewish

state’s destruction.At least 253 Palestinians have

been killed by Israeli fire since the rallies began, the majority shot during weekly border pro-tests and others hit by tank fire or air strikes in response to

violence from Gaza. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki has said the US decision to stop financial aid to a UN agency that

supports Palestinian refugees has not affected its works. “Thanks to the contributions of many countries led by Turkey, United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) continues its services,” Al Maliki said.

Relatives of the Palestinian girl, Samah Mubarak, mourn during her funeral in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, yesterday.

Ebola treatment centre in Congo attackedAP KINSHASA

Armed assailants again attacked an Ebola treatment centre in the heart of eastern Congo’s deadly outbreak yesterday, with the mayor reporting one police officer killed.

The early-morning attack in Butembo came less than a week after the treatment centre reo-pened following an attack last month, which forced aid group Doctors Without Borders to suspend its operations in the city. Security forces repelled

yesterday’s attackers, one of whom was wounded, Butembo Mayor Sylvain Kanyamanda said.

The latest attack occurred hours before the World Health Organisation director-general visited the centre, which remains open. Tedros Adhanom Ghe-breyesus encouraged health workers to continue their fight against the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, which is spreading in a region com-pared to a war zone.

Dozens of armed groups are active in eastern Congo, though

some have allowed health workers access to administer Ebola vaccines and track con-tacts of infected people after del-icate negotiations.

In addition, some residents wary of outsiders after years of deadly rebel attacks have shown hostility to health workers in a region that is facing its first Ebola outbreak.

Misunderstandings have been high, especially over the need to conduct safe burials, a highly sensitive issue. Ebola is spread via bodily fluids of those infected, including the dead.

The Minister of Public Health, Dr Oly Ilunga Kalenga, visits an Ebola treatment centre, which was attacked early yesterday in Butembo.

IS attack on coalition wounds Syria fightersAFP BEIRUT

A suicide car bomb targeting US forces in northern Syria wounded at least two allied fighters yesterday, a monitor said, with IS claiming the attack.

A militant “driving a car bomb” hit a convoy that included a US armoured vehicle from the international anti-IS coalition and Kurdish fighters in the city of Manbij, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The two wounded fighters

were from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Britain-based monitor said.

“No US soldiers were injured or killed today,” coalition spokesman Sean Ryan said.

The IS group claimed the attack by an “explosive-laden vehicle” via its Amaq propa-ganda arm. The attack is the third in the past two months tar-geting the US-led coalition and its allies in northern Syria. Manbij is a former IS stronghold that is now held by a military council affiliated to the SDF.

Hamas to vie in elections under unity govtANATOLIA GAZA CITY

Palestinian group Hamas said yesterday it was ready to take part in presidential and legis-lative elections under the super-vision of a national unity government.

On Friday, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh met with Election Commission head Hanna Nasser to discuss proposals for holding the Palestinian elections.

“Hamas told Nasser of the group’s agreement to participate in presidential and legislative elections, to be supervised by a national unity government,”

spokesman Abdel Latif Al Qanoua said. He said Hamas also suggested holding elections of the Palestinian National Council, the legislative body of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

“Hamas is also ready to implement the 2011 reconcili-ation agreement,” he said, adding that his group was “open to all solutions that serve the Pal-estinian people.” In December, President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinian Constitu-tional Court had dissolved the Palestinian Legislative Council (parliament) and had called for legislative polls to be held —

throughout the Palestinian ter-ritories — within six months.

Hamas, however, has chal-lenged the legitimacy of the alleged court ruling, saying it was illegal and influenced by Abbas. Hamas and Fatah have remained at odds since the former seized the Gaza Strip from the latter in mid-2007 after several days of street fighting.

In 2017, the two factions signed am agreement in Cairo in hopes of ending years of ani-mosity and division. Terms of the agreement, however, have never been implemented amid deep-seated differences between the two movements.

Counting begins in crunch Nigerian state pollsAFP LAGOS

Vote counting began after polls closed yesterday in keenly fought governorship and state assembly elections in Nigeria, held against a backdrop of political tensions and insecurity.

For the second time in a fort-night, Nigerians went to the polls to elect governors in 29 of Nigeria’s 36 states, all state assemblies and administrative councils in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to announce the results in a few days. Voting was mostly peaceful but there were reports of abductions, violence and vote buying, as well as at least 10 deaths before and on polling day.

The Situation Room umbrella group of more than 70 civil society monitoring organisations recorded seven deaths yesterday, just weeks after 53 people were killed in

presidential polls. INEC mean-while said some of its staff had been abducted by “thugs” in the southern states of Rivers and Akwa Ibom.

“We are working with the security forces to ensure they are rescued,” INEC spokesman Rotimi Oyekanmi said, without specifying how many were

seized. “When thugs invade our polling units and kidnap our staff there is nothing we can do but rely on security forces,” he added. Some election workers protested at the non-payment of their 10,000-naira salaries, and technical issues with biometric card readers delayed voting elsewhere.

Five journalists and two staff from the CoolWazobiaInfo FM Radio station were abducted for four hours by gunmen in military camouflage in the Rivers state capital Port Harcourt. They were later released unharmed.

Many voters as well as oppo-sition parties complained about the “militarisation” of the vote, given the strong presence of troops on the ground.

The beaten presidential election candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, said the involvement of the military was “unconstitutional”.

The PDP is hoping for victory in some of the 22 states currently run by President Muhammadu Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governors are powerful and influential figures in Nigeria’s federal politics, controlling state finances and responsible for key areas from education to health.

They can also provide a strong collective voice in Abuja.

Algeria orders early university holiday as students spur protestsREUTERS ALGIERS

Algerian authorities yesterday ordered an early start to the spring university holiday, an apparent attempt to weaken two weeks of student-led protests against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

The Higher Education Min-istry’s decision came a day after tens of thousands of demon-strators packed central Algiers to challenge the veteran leader’s 20-year-old rule in the biggest protests in the capital in 28 years. Without giving a reason for the move, the Ministry said in a decree that the spring break would be brought forward by 10 days, starting today instead of March 20.

The ailing Bouteflika is in hospital in Geneva and has rarely been seen in public since

suffering a stroke in 2013.On Thursday he issued his

first warning to protesters, saying the unrest, now entering its third week, could create chaos in the oil- and natural gas-producing North African country.

Bouteflika has offered to limit his term after the election and has vowed to change the “system” that runs the country, but the protest movement has galvanised discontent among different sectors, particularly students and young families.

Many of the demonstrations — the largest since 1991 when the army cancelled elections Islamists were poised to win — started at university premises before spilling out onto the streets. Friday’s protests were largely peaceful except some clashes between youths and police.

The Minister of Transport, Chibuike Amaechi (left), votes at a polling station at Ubima Town, on the outskirts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in Nigeria yesterday.

Israeli forces yesterday launched several strikes against Hamas sites in Gaza in response to a projectile launched from the besieged coastal territory the night before.

11SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019 ASIA

Pakistan hiding information by blocking scribes: India

NEW DELHI: India said Pakistan had “plenty to hide” by preventing jour-

nalists from accessing the site of an air strike by Indian fighter jets inside

Pakistan. Citing “security concerns”, Pakistani security officials barred

a Reuters team from climbing a hill in northeastern Pakistan to the site

of a madrasa, and a group of surrounding buildings that was targeted

by Indian warplanes last week. “The fact that Pakistan has now refused

access to journalists from visiting the site means that they have plenty to

hide,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said. REUTERS

BSF sends back Pakistan national as goodwill gesture

JAMMU: As a goodwill gesture, the Border Security Force (BSF) sent

back a Pakistan national who was apprehended on Friday on the inter-

national border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district. Muhammad

Ashraf, 60, a resident of Boi village in the Narowal district in Pakistan,

was apprehended by BSF troopers while he was trying to cross over to

the Indian side in the Ramgarh sector of Samba district. IANS

India returns envoy to Pakistan as tensions easeAP NEW DELHI

India said yesterday that it was returning a key diplomat to Paki-stan’s capital amid an easing of tensions between the nuclear neighbours, but also demanded that its archrival take concrete steps against terrorists operating from its territory.

India’s high commissioner to Pakistan was to return to Islamabad, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said at a news briefing.

Pakistan had announced earlier in the week that its high commissioner to India was

returning to New Delhi.The moves come after the

two countries recalled their dip-lomats for consultations as ten-sions flared after a February 14 suicide attack on a convoy of Indian paramilitary soldiers in the Indian-held portion Kashmir that killed 40 soldiers.

Kumar said yesterday that a reported Pakistani crackdown earlier in the week on madrasas, mosques and hospitals belonging to outlawed groups and the arrests of dozens of people was not enough, and that Pakistan should take concrete steps “against terrorists and terror infrastructure” on its territory.

He said a recent United

Nations statement also called for “perpetrators, organisers, finan-ciers and sponsors of terrorism to be held accountable and brought to justice.” Kumar accused Pakistan of failing to take any credible action against Jaish-e-Mohammed and other terrorist organisations, which he said continued to operate with impunity from Pakistan.

“The widespread presence of terrorist camps in Pakistan is public knowledge within and outside Pakistan,” he said.

Pakistan says it has arrested 44 people, including the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar who was appar-ently named in a dossier given

to Islamabad by New Delhi. It also says it shut a number of facilities and froze assets of s e v e r a l o u t l a w e d organisations.

Pakistan’s Information Min-ister, Fawad Chaudhry, said yes-terday that his country was acting against the banned mil-itant outfits and would not allow anyone to “use Pakistani land for terrorism against any country.” He also said Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had asked India to send evidence it has against any individuals.

New Delhi’s retaliatory strike in the northwest Pakistani town of Balakot last month sent ten-sions spiralling.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie pose during a photo opportunity at the wedding ceremony of Akash Ambani, son of the Chairman of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani, at Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai, yesterday.

Blairs at wedding ceremony of Ambani’s son

Indian Army cadets celebrate graduation ceremony TOP LEFT: Representatives of the Buddhist, Sikh, Muslim and Hindu faiths walk past holding holy books as recruits from the Indian Army’s Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment (JAKLI) take an oath during a passing out parade after graduating in Srinagar yesterday. The 152 recruits, many of them locals, graduated after they completed a one-year training programme in order to be inducted as regular members of the regiment. RIGHT: Indian Army cadets celebrate after their graduation ceremony at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai yesterday. A total of 142 cadets including 30 women and 18 foreign cadets from Bhutan, Afghanistan and Fiji graduated from the academy and will be posted as lieutenants in the Indian Army.

Nirav Modi tracked down to London; Congress slams PMIANS NEW DELHI

With billionaire Nirav Modi, wanted in the Rs13,500cr PNB fraud case, tracked down to London, the Congress yesterday slammed the Modi government for its “failure” to bring back the fugitive diamantaire to justice while he apparently thrived else-where.

The Opposition’s attack came soon after the UK’s The Telegraph newspaper claimed Nirav Modi has been spotted in London. “In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to bring back Rs80-lakh crore black money, and deposit Rs15 lakh in the bank accounts of each Indian. But i n s t e a d h e h a s

ensured that Rs1-lakh crore of honest taxpayers’ deposits are now being freely used by fraud-sters to lead a luxurious, guilt-free life in foreign shores,” Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said at a media briefing, here.

Hitting out at the government, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a video message: “Today, the fugitive dia-mantaire ‘chota Modi’ has been traced to London, living a luxu-rious life in a Rs75cr flat and wearing a jacket worth £10,000.” “It is right Modiji (Narendra Modi), first rob Rs23,000cr from the banks; escape the country without any problem and then ridicule the investigative agencies like the CBI and the ED. It seems that Modiji is

running Bank Fraudster Set-tlement Company.

“You (Modi) promised to bring back Rs80,000cr black money but instead you allowed Rs1-lakh crore to be robbed from banks. It is because ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai’ (Impossible is possible under Modi),” Surjewala said.

Earlier, a video released by The Telegraph showed Nirav Modi walking the London streets sporting a changed look with a handle bar moustache and long hair. He was seen avoiding ques-tions posed at him by the reporter by saying “no comments”.

The Indian intelligence agencies had already provided inputs about the fugitive billion-aire’s new disguise.

The newspaper report also

stated Nirav Modi, against whom a red corner notice has been issued by the Interpol, has been living in London’s West End area and has even started a new diamond business.

Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are under probe by both the Central Bureau of Inves-tigation (CBI) and the ED. The ED filed money laundering cases against them and others on Feb-ruary 15 on the basis of an FIR reg-istered by the CBI. The ED has till date attached Rs4,765cr properties of Choksi and Nirav Modi.

Meanwhile, The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said the UK Home Secretary has referred India’s request to extradite Nirav Modi to a court there for initiating legal proceedings.“The UK Central

Authority of Home Office has con-firmed that the extradition request has been sent to the Westminster Magistrate Court for further pro-ceedings,” said an official. The request to the court was for-warded by the UK Home Office a few days ago, the official added.

Earlier in the day, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, based on the information received from the ED and the CBI, the Ministry had made the request for Nirav Modi’s extradition with the UK author-ities in August 2018.

“The UK is yet to respond and is considering our request for extradition of Nirav Modi,” Kumar said. Despite whatever we see on television today, the “status remains the same”, he added.

Jewar airport to be India’s biggest: ModiIANS GREATER NOIDA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Noida would get an inter-national airport at Jewar, which would be the biggest airport in the country. “Jewar is going to have the country’s biggest airport and all the formalities for it are being completed,” Modi said at a function after laying the foundation stones for a number of projects, including a power plant at Khurja and an archaeological institute.

“Noida will get air connec-tivity and there will be no need to go to Delhi for air travel,” he said. Modi also said in the next few weeks, Bareilly in UP too would be on the air connectivity map.

Woman ends life hearing death of mother-in-lawIANS KOLHAPUR

Unable to bear the death of her ailing mother-in-law, a woman allegedly committed suicide, here yesterday. The incident occurred in the Apte Nagar resi-dential locality, sending shock waves among residents.

According to police official Irfan Gadkari of Juna Rajwada Police Station, a 70-year-old woman Malti M. Lokhande died aftert a prolonged battle with cancer. On hearing about her death, 49-year-old daughter-in-law Shubhangi S. Lokhande went to the balcony of their third floor flat and jumped to death.

According to local residents, she reportedly could not bear the shock of losing her mother-in-law, but Gadkari said the motive behind her death was being investigated.

World Bank approves $165m for Rohingya in BangladeshANATOLIA DHAKA

The World Bank (WB) has approved $165m to help Bang-ladesh provide relief to Rohingya refugees in the country, the bank said in a statement.

“The grant will help Bang-ladesh provide basic services and build disaster and social resilience for the Rohingya who have fled violence in Myanmar,” the statement said.

Noting that Rohingya out-numbered more than threefold the local residents in the Teknaf and Ukhia Upazila, the bank said the fund will be used in building a water supply system com-prising of community stand-points, rainwater harvesting, and piped water supply systems as well as improve sanitation facilities. “The project will also build and improve multipurpose cyclone shelters, roads, foot-paths, drains, culverts, bridges

and install solar street lights inside the camps,” it added.

“The influx has placed enormous pressure on local infrastructure, services and public resources. Through our existing and new projects, we are helping the local popu-lation,” said Dandan Chen, the World Bank’s acting country director for Bangladesh and Bhutan. “More than half of the Rohingya population are women and girls and before coming to Bangladesh they were exposed to gender-based violence and now are at risk,” World Bank Team Leader for the project Swarna Kazi said.

The grant is the third in a series of planned financing of approximately half a billion dollars announced by the World Bank in June 2018. The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world’s most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

12 SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019ASIA

N Korea may be preparing a missile or space launch: ReportAGENCIES SEOUL

North Korea may be preparing for a missile or space launch, US news outlet NPR has reported, based on satellite image analysis of a key facility near Pyongyang.

NPR said the images of Sanumdong, one of the facilities Pyongyang has used to produce inter-continental ballistic mis-siles and space rockets, were taken days before US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in Hanoi for their high-stakes summit, which ended in failure.

The photos by the firm DigitalGlobe show the presence of cars and trucks at the site on February 22, said NPR, which has exclusive access to the imagery.

It added that rail cars and cranes can also be seen at a yard.

“When you put all that together, that’s really what it looks like when the North Koreans are in the process of building a rocket,” Jeffrey Lewis, a researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, was quoted as saying by NPR on Friday.

The Sanumdong analysis

comes days after the specialised website 38 North and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies said Pyongyang may have resumed operations at its long-range rocket launch site at Sohae, based on their study of satellite imagery from March 6.

The development is likely to further compound Washington’s frustration over the lack of progress in its bid to get the North to give up its atomic arsenal, especially after the Feb-ruary 27-28 summit between Trump and Kim collapsed without so much as a joint statement - let alone an agreement on nuclear disar-mament. According to senior US officials, in the week leading up to the Hanoi summit, the North Koreans had demanded the lifting of effectively all UN Security Council economic sanc-tions imposed on Pyongyang since March 2016. In return, Pyongyang offered only to close part of the Yongbyon complex.

But North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho disputed the US account, saying Pyongyang offered to dismantle all “nuclear production facilities in the Yongbyon area” in exchange for partial sanctions relief.

Sharif refuses moving to hospital for heart treatment INTERNEWS LAHORE

Terming the government’s attitude to his need for medical treatment ‘humiliating’, Paki-stan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has once against refused to be shifted to a hospital for treatment.

“I feel comfortable in jail. I’m taken to a hospital but sent back without giving any treatment. I cannot tolerate more humiliation and whatever the treatment they wish to extend to me, give it in the jail,” Sharif was quoted as telling his family who visited him

in jail on Friday. Sharif’s daughter Maryam

Nawaz, his brother and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, and Shehbaz’s son Hamza Shehbaz, who is Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, met Sharif in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail where he has remained incarcerated since December, following his conviction in a cor-ruption case.

Sharif’s family tried to con-vince him to agree to the gov-ernment’s offer for his treatment at a government hospital but Sharif refused, apparently in

protest against the treatment meted out to him.

Citing report of medical spe-cialists sent by the government to examine Sharif in the jail on Thursday evening which said his heart disease had worsened, Maryam urged the authorities to set up a resuscitation and life-saving unit in jail for Sharif.

“Just met MNS. Since he hasn’t agreed to be shifted to hospital and his heart disease has worsened (according to cardiol-ogists sent by the govt to examine him y’day), I request the Jail authorities to establish an immediate resuscitation and

lifesaving unit on jail premises,” she said on Twitter.

“Being a 3 times Prime Min-ister and leader of biggest political party and of millions of people, this is the least he deserves,” she added.

PML-N party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has criti-cised Prime Minister Imran Khan and his ‘courtiers’ for what she called politicking on the health of Sharif. She said the gov-ernment, which was now ready to provide all health facilities to Sharif, had so far been telling lies to the nation about Sharif’s health and delayed his treatment.

Bodies of missingclimbers foundon mountainAFP ISLAMABAD

The bodies of two climbers from Britain and Italy have been found in northern Pakistan nearly two weeks after the pair went missing, the Italian ambassador in Islamabad said yesterday.

Climbers Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi were last heard from on February 24 as they climbed the Nanga Parbat, which at 8,125 metres (26,660 feet) is the world’s ninth-highest peak.

They were attempting a route that has never been suc-cessfully completed.

Italy’s Ambassador to Pakistan Stefano Pontecorvo tweeted yesterday that the bodies of the two men had been identified from aerial photos.

“It hurts to announce that the search is officially over,” he wrote. “The search team have confirmed that the silhouettes spotted... at about 5,900 meters are those of Daniele and Tom.”

An announcement on Nardi’s Facebook page con-firmed the deaths.

“We inform you that the search for Daniele and Tom has ended,” the post said. “A part of them will always remain on the Nanga Parbat.”

The discovery followed an extensive search by a team of Spanish climbers with the help of Pakistani mountaineer Reh-matullah Baig, who was climbing with the men before turning back due to bad weather. Ballard is the son of British mountaineer Alison Hargreaves, the first woman to conquer Mount Everest solo and without bottled oxygen.

Pakistan extends closure of airspaceAGENCIES ISLAMABAD

Pakistan yesterday extended closure of its airspace for all transit flights till March 11, local media reported.

A state-run Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has delayed the Pakistan’s airspace opening for transit flights till March 11, as the authority had earlier announced to open the airspace from Saturday.

The East and West bound flights will have to use alter-native routes to operate from and to Europe, North America, however some transit flights between the north and south will be allowed to fly over some routes of the country’s airspace.

The authority has also extended the closure of some domestic airports - including that in Sialkot, Rahim Yar Khan and Sukkur - till March 11.

The airspace was completely closed for local and international flights following an air combat between Pakistani and Indian air forces in which both sides claimed to have shot downed each other’s aircraft on February 27.

However, it was partially reopened and flight operations at major airports were restored after a couple of days. But, the East-West route remained closed.

The airspace closure left thousands of passengers stranded at several airports across the world apart from

forcing airlines to reschedule their flights.

The partial closure of air-space for commercial flights in Pakistan has jacked up the cost and duration of flights.

Airspace on the eastern side of Pakistan has remained closed for commercial flights, forcing airlines to fly through the western airspace. Alternative routes are quite longer than the original ones. Consequently, the duration and cost of flights have surged significantly.

To cope with the situation, some airlines have partially passed the high cost of air travel on to passengers while others are considering doing so.

“The duration of domestic flights has increased by 30 to 60 minutes each,” Pakistan Inter-national Airlines (PIA) spokesman MashoodTajwar said.

“This is causing delay in the arrival and departure of other flights on domestic routes and for connected international flights as well,” he said.

“The operation cost of a flight from Karachi to Islamabad has surged by over 30 per cent due to the closure of airspace on eastern routes and airlines are using western routes,” Airblue Deputy Managing Director Com-mercial Raheel Ahmed said.

The usual duration of air travel from Karachi to Islamabad is around two hours. These days, according to him, it takes an additional 50 minutes to reach Islamabad.

Kane Tanaka holds a Guinness World Records certificate naming her as the world’s oldest person living during a ceremony in Fukuoka, Japan, yesterday.

Japanese woman world’s oldest person at 116AP TOKYO

A 116-year-old Japanese woman who loves playing the board game Othello was honoured as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records yesterday.

The global authority on records officially rec-ognised Kane Tanaka in a ceremony at the nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka, in Japan’s southwest. Her family and the mayor were present to celebrate.

Tanaka was born on January 2, 1903, the seventh among eight children. She married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, and they had four children and adopted another child.

She is usually up by 6am and enjoys studying mathematics.

The previous oldest living person was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died in July at age 117. The oldest person prior to Miyako was also Japanese.

Japanese tend to exhibit longevity and dom-inate the oldest-persons list. Although changing dietary habits mean obesity has been rising, it’s still relatively rare in a nation whose culinary tra-dition focuses on fish, rice, vegetables and other food low in fat. Age is also traditionally respected here, meaning people stay active and feel useful into their 80s and beyond.

But Tanaka has a ways to go before she is the oldest person ever, an achievement of a French woman, Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to 122 years, according to Guinness World Records.

Guinness said the world’s oldest man was still under investigation after the man who had the honours, Masazo Nonaka, living on Japan’s north-ernmost island of Hokkaido, died in January at 113.

Hanoi probes cause of boat’s sinkingREUTERS HANOI

Vietnam is seeking clarification of how a fishing boat came to sink this week in the contested South China Sea, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday, days after a local rescue agency said it was rammed by a Chinese vessel.

Vietnam and China have long been embroiled in mar-itime disputes. The boat sank on Wednesday near Da Loi island in the Paracel Archi-pelago, the ministry said. It said all five fishermen on board were rescued by another Viet-namese fishing boat. “Viet-namese authorities are con-tinuing to clarify the cause of the incident,” the ministry said.

On Wednesday, Vietnam’s national search and rescue agency said the boat had been rammed and sunk by a Chinese vessel. It did not say if the latter was civilian or military.

Chinese Foreign Ministry said the fishing boat had sunk when the Chinese vessel approached, and that the Chinese crew had rescued the fishermen.

Border fencing by Pakistan key to endgame in Afghan war: ReportINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

Britain’s leading defence think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) has said in a report that Pakistani military has completed fencing of 500km of its border with Afghanistan to consolidate the gains made in operations against terrorists and has demonstrated to the world that Pakistan is serious in elimi-nating the scourge of terrorism.

The RUSI report, published on its website, described the fencing of porous border as “Bajwa Fence” and linked it with “Bajwa Doctrine”, the vision pursued by the current army chief, domestically and internationally.

It said that American and

western governments have been persistent in calling on Pakistan to do more and Pakistani lead-ership has remained quiet but General Bajwa fired back calling on international forces to do more, rejecting wave of allega-tions against Pakistan.

The fence is an all-encom-passing project which also looks at stabilisation of the former tribal areas, return of the inter-nally displaced refugees and economic prosperity of the border regions. “Simultaneously General Bajwa firmly brought the Taliban to the negotiation table and decided to once and for all seal the Afghan border thereby settling the whole debate of cross border infiltration.

As 2018 drew to a close and another winter of Afghan fighting

started, the Pakistanis were busy physically sealing the Afghan frontier, thereby settling the argument once and for all as to who may or may not cross the Durand Line, the internationally recognised border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This containment of the border, referred to as the ‘Bajwa Fence’, has already completed

almost 500km of fencing. So, what is the significance of the Bajwa Fence, and could it sig-nificantly change the trajectory of Afghan-Pakistan relations?

Erstwhile US critics such as former Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Senator Lindsey Graham are already changing their opinion on Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan. As the border fence forges ahead and the Paki-stani military delivers the Taliban to the negotiating table there is a change in international opinion about the Pakistani role in Afghanistan, said the report.

The report said that both Pakistan and Afghanistan have accused each other of running cross-border terrorism against each other and there has been much fist pumping around the issue but the fact remains that

“both Afghanistan and Pakistan’s most-wanted men were found in each other’s back yards”.

“The Pakistan game plan under Bajwa has now moved from the clearing of sanctuaries into building and stabilisation operations. Despite the allega-tions of the Afghan officials, Pakistan is quite clear that it shall no longer live in fear of US threats of military aid cuts,” the report said.

“Inaugurated in early 2018, in total over 800km is already completed out of a total of 1200km with state-of-the-art infrared detectors, forts on peaks to monitor crossings and a modern mechanism that can record and log data for all Paki-stanis and Afghans making the trek east and west,” the report added.

The border fence has state-of-the-art infrared detectors, and a modern mechanism recording data for all Pakistanis and Afghans making the trek east and west.

Cricket fans arrive at the National Cricket Stadium before the start of the first match of the last eight matches of the Pakistan Super Leage in Karachi, yesterday.

Fans welcome cricket stars in Karachi

13SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019 EUROPE

British IS runaway teen’s baby son dies in SyriaBegum’s fate has sparked heated debate in Britain, which like many other countries is facing a dilemma over whether to allow jihadists and IS sympathisers home to face prosecution, or stop them from returning at all.

An employee poses as he views ‘Handcuffs’ by Michael Craig-Martin ahead of the George Michael Collection online auction at Christie’s in London, Britain, yesterday.

Switzerland ranked as best country for women’s rights: OECDREUTERS LONDON

Switzerland, which promotes equality at home and in the workplace, has been ranked the best country for women’s rights, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said in a report.

Denmark, Sweden, France and Portugal were the next best-performing countries, according to an index that ranked 120 nations on how they tackled dis-crimination against women through their laws and reforms.

Meanwhile, Guinea, Jordan, Iran, Pakistan and Yemen came out at the bottom of the OECD’s Social Institutions and Gender Index, released to mark Interna-tional Women’s Day.

Gender-based discrimi-nation, including reproductive rights, pay gaps, and gender vio-lence, were estimated to cost $6 trillion, or 7.5% of the global economy, the report said.

The OECD gave Switzerland a “very low” gender discrimination score of 8.1 out of 100 for having robust laws and social norms that addressed those issues.

While Yemen had a “very high” score of 64 for its strict gender norms that restricted lib-erties, financial access, and justice for female victims of vio-lence and abuse.

“Despite a global realisation that women’s equality is an urgent priority, we are moving too slowly in closing gender gaps, and in some countries gender gaps have even widened,” said the OECD’s chief of staff, Gabriela Ramos, in a statement.

The gender pay gap sat at 13.6% across developed coun-tries, it said.

Women occupy less than a quarter of parliamentary seats globally, the index also said.

“We need to do more and to do it better. We need to be smarter in the way we design and execute policies and be held more accountable on the results. Otherwise we may be looking at another 200 years to achieve gender equality,” Ramos said.

Some gains have been made, the report said.

Though one in three women globally still experience domestic violence once in their lifetime, it has become less socially

acceptable, it said.The proportion of women

who said domestic violence was acceptable has dropped from 50 percent in 2012 to 27% in 2018, the OECD said.

Paid maternity leave is also now guaranteed in every country except Papua New Guinea and the United States, it said.

A report on Tuesday by global accounting firm PwC said increasing the female labour force to match that of Sweden —where 69% of women work — would add a further $6 trillion to advanced economies.

EPP leader to meet Orban over anti-EU campaignAFP BERLIN

Manfred Weber of the centre-right European People’s Party will meet Hungarian populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban to discuss his Fidesz Party’s dispute with the EPP, a Germany news-paper reported.

On Tuesday, Weber, the EPP’s leading candidate to take over as head of the European Commission later in the year, set Fidesz an ultimatum if it wanted to avoid being expelled from the largest group in the European Union parliament.

Orban had to stop his gov-ernment’s anti-EU campaign; let the CEU university founded by the liberal US-Hungarian bil-lionaire George Soros stay in Budapest; and apologise to other member parties of the EPP.

“I will again in the coming days personally hold talks with Viktor Orban in Budapest,” Weber told Welt am Sonntag,

due to appear today. He said he wanted to make

it clear to Orban that Fidesz was going to be forced out of the EPP if he did not change his position, he said.

On a visit in Slovenia yes-terday, Weber refused to confirm if he was going to Hungary personally, saying only he and Orban were in “regular contact” and had several phone calls.

“Let me say, that for the moment we are in the period of talks,” he told reporters at a joint news conference with Janez Jansa, the leader of Slovenia’s main opposition Social Demo-crats Party (SDS).

“For me there is no Europe of East or West, of South or North, of small or big. There are only Europeans... We have to keep Europe together that’s why with talks you can solve problems, and we’ll try to do it until the 20th of March,” he added.

Poor response,planning blamedfor 2018 wildfiredeaths in GreeceAP ATHENS

Greek prosecutors have concluded that public safety and government officials made grave errors in responding to a wildfire outside Athens last summer that left 100 people dead and dozens injured, according to parts of an inves-tigation report.

The damning report follows a seven-month investigation of Greece’s deadliest wildfire in decades. The excerpts prose-cutors shared catalogued blunders by the fire service, police agencies, and regional and national government authorities that led to the fire’s victims getting trapped at a seaside resort.

“The competent authorities ... through omissions, delays, lack of coordination, and lack of proper execution failed to develop an effective response,” the report stated, citing the lack of evacuation planning in an area known to be at risk for fires as a major failure.

The July 23, 2018 blaze swept through the resort of Mati, east of Athens, and other coastal areas, gutting more than 1,000 homes. Hundreds of res-idents and visitors fled to the sea to escape the flames and choking smoke spread by gale-force winds.

The prosecutors’ investi-gation, led by Athens public pros-ecutor Ilias Zagoraios, found fire-fighters failed to act swiftly to contain the fire in its early stages and their managers did not grasp the gravity of the situation.

Clashes in Kievinjure threepolice officersAP MINSK

Three police officers in Ukraine have been injured in a clash with far-right demonstrators in the capital.

The violence occurred outside the presidential admin-istration building in Kiev where several hundred demonstrators had gathered yesterday to call for arrests of top figures in an alleged military corruption scandal.

A media investigation last week detailed alleged embez-zlement schemes in Ukraine’s military industry, including at a factory controlled by Pres-ident Petro Poroshenko.

A police statement said the demonstrators tried to break through police lines and were setting off fireworks. Police turned them back with tear gas.

One officer was hospi-talised with chemical burns to his eyes, according to police.

Up for auction

French ‘yellow vests’ protest for 17th weekend“Yellow vests” (Gilets Jaunes) protesters holding a banner that reads, “We can live 500 millions of years on earth. We have to protect it” as they take part in an anti-government demonstration in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, yesterday. “Yellow vests” protesters took to the streets for the 17th consecutive Saturday with a rallying dedicated to the women’s rights. This movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President’s policies and top-down style of governing.

Suspicious vehicle sparks roads closure near UK parliamentREUTERS LONDON

British police briefly shut London’s Westminster bridge and roads close to parliament and the capital’s police head-quarters yesterday due to a suspicious vehicle.

A spokesman for the Met-ropolitan Police said officers had sealed off roads at Victoria Embankment next to the River Thames and close to New Scotland Yard, the head office of the Metropolitan Police, and by Parliament Square.

The roads were later re-opened.

“The incident in Victoria Embankment has now con-cluded,” police said on Twitter. “The vehicle has been deemed non-suspicious. All roads will now be reopened.”

UK dismisses EU offer on Brexit backstop as ‘disappointing’BLOOMBERG LONDON

UK Cabinet Minister Andrea Leadsom rejected the European Union’s latest plan to break the Brexit deadlock, but said Parliament will be given more chances to vote on the deal if the bloc improves its “disappointing” offer before it’s too late.

Leadsom, leader of the House of Commons, said yes-terday that she was “absolutely astonished” that EU chief nego-tiator Michel Barnier was simply rehashing old ideas that Theresa May has already thrown out, dis-missing his new proposal for the Irish border backstop as a joke.

“He seems to be on Twitter offering to go back to negotia-tions that were ruled out several months ago suggesting somehow that the United Kingdom should be split up and we should have a border down the Irish Sea,” Leadsom said in an interview. “That is disappointing. We are within a few days of the next meaningful vote.”

If the EU comes back with a plan to address British concerns

— even after Parliament votes on the withdrawal agreement next week — the Commons will be given a say, Leadsom said.

“Certainly, in the event that we can get the changes that Par-liament wants, then Parliament will be given opportunities to support the deal,” she said. “But we are focused on trying to win this vote on Tuesday.”

It’s now “vital” for the EU to “take very seriously” the clear proposals the UK has put forward for resolving the dispute over the so called backstop plan for the Irish border, she added.

The UK is on course to leave the EU on March 29 but there’s currently no deal in place to cushion the blow. The Commons will vote for a second time on whether to accept the divorce agreement on Tuesday, after rejecting it by an historic margin in January.

Since that defeat, May has been trying to get changes to the Irish border backstop but there’s no sign of a breakthrough in the increasingly acrimonious nego-tiations in Brussels.

Barnier told ambassadors on

Friday the blame game had started, according to a source.

Barnier announced on Twitter a new package of con-cessions intended to resolve the contentious issue of the Irish border backstop, a policy intended to ensure there’s never a need for a “hard” land border between the UK and Ireland.

Barnier’s most striking idea was to allow the backstop to apply just to Northern Ireland, rather than the whole of the UK.

The EU also offered to strengthen other provisions in the deal — on arbitration and good-faith clauses — but the UK side said it wasn’t enough. British politicians worry that the UK could be trapped against its will in the backstop and bound by EU trade rules potentially forever.

“If the EU doesn’t enable us to resolve this issue about the per-manent nature of the backstop, then in effect what the EU is pushing us towards is leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement at all,” Leadsom said. “A no-deal Brexit will be “a big problem” for Ireland, France, Poland and Germany.”

AFP LONDON

The British government drew fresh criticism yesterday over its decision to revoke citizenship from a London teenager who joined the Islamic State group in Syria, after her baby died in a refugee camp.

Shamima Begum, 19, had asked to return home after giving birth to her son Jarrah last month in the camp in northeastern Syria, but London refused. A spokesman for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, Mustefa Bali, said the baby had died.

The BBC said he had pneu-monia, citing a medical certif-icate. Begum’s fate has sparked

heated debate in Britain, which like many other countries is facing a dilemma over whether to allow jihadists and IS sym-pathisers home to face prose-cution, or stop them from returning at all.

She was 15 when she left east London for Syria with two other schoolgirls, and was found by journalists in the refugee camp.

Begum told them she wanted to return home to save her baby, saying that her two older

children had died, apparently from illness and malnutrition. “I don’t want to lose this baby as well and this is really not a place to raise children, this camp,” she told the BBC at the time.

Opposition Labour MP Diane Abbott said the death of the baby was “a stain on the conscience of this government”. She accused Home Secretary Sajid Javid of revoking Begum’s citizenship “to appease the right-wing press”, saying he

had “failed this British child, and he has a lot to answer for”.

However, the chairman of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative party, Brandon Lewis, told BBC radio: “There is no question that the duty of a home secretary in this country is to keep British people safe.”

Begum, who was married to a Dutch IS fighter who is now thought to be held in Syria, ini-tially showed little remorse about IS attacks, sparking public outrage in Britain.

But Javid’s decision to revoke her citizenship drew mixed reac-tions. British law states that the government cannot remove a person’s citizenship if that would make them stateless, unless

there are “reasonable grounds” to believe they can become a citizen of another country.

It was reported that Begum could be eligible for Bangla-deshi citizenship through her parents, but Dhaka said there was “no question” of her going there.

Javid had hinted that her baby could be treated differ-ently, telling MPs previously: “Children should not suffer, so if a parent does lose their British citizenship it does not affect the rights of their child.”

But he said it would be “incredibly difficult” to bring the child back from Syria, where Britain has no consular presence.

14 SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019AMERICAS

Court ruling on migrant families deals blow to govtREUTERS WASHINGTON

In a blow to the Trump admin-istration’s US-Mexico border strategy, a federal court judge in California has expanded the number of migrant families separated at the border that the government may be required to reunite.

San Diego-based US District Court Judge Dana Sabraw issued a preliminary ruling that would potentially expand by thousands the number of migrants included in a class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Sabraw already ordered the Trump administration last year to reunite more than 2,800 migrant children who were sep-arated from their parents at the US-Mexico border under the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy.

But he will allow more sep-arated families to join the class-action lawsuit after a report released in January by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Inspector General, which identified poten-tially thousands more families that had been separated as early as July 1, 2017.

The administration’s “zero tolerance” policy did not take effect until May 2018.

“The hallmark of a civilised society is measured by how it treats its people and those within its borders,” Sabraw said in his ruling.

Sabraw said that report was “a significant development in this case” and its contents “are undisputed.”

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to calls The administration of US Pres-ident Donald Trump imple-mented the zero-tolerance policy to criminally prosecute and jail all illegal border crossers — even those travelling with their children — which led to a wave of separations last year.

The policy sparked outrage when it became public, and the backlash led Trump to sign an executive order reversing course on June 20, 2018.

The IG report said prior to the officially announced zero-tolerance policy, the government began ramping up separations in 2017 for other reasons related to a child’s safety and well-being, including separating parents with criminal records or lack of proper documents.

A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said in January after the IG report came out that the practice of sepa-rating apprehended minors from adults to protect the interests of the children has been standard practice “for more than a decade.”

The report also said more than 100 minors, including more than two dozen under age 5, were separated after the Presi-dent’s executive order.

“The court made clear that potentially thousands of chil-dren’s lives are at stake and that the Trump administration cannot simply ignore the devas-tation it has caused,” Lee Gelernt, ACLU lead attorney in the class-action family separation lawsuit, said.

Trump set to request funds for border wall and Space ForceAP WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump will be making a significant request for border wall funds and seeking money to stand up Space Force as a new branch of the military in the White House budget being released next week, an admin-istration official said.

For the first time, Trump plans to stick with the strict spending caps imposed years ago, even though lawmakers have largely avoided them with new budget deals. That will likely trigger a showdown with Congress.

The official said that the president’s plan promises to balance the budget in 15 years.

Trump will seek $750bn for defence, a boost for the military, while cutting non-defence dis-cretionary spending by 5 percent below the cap, said the official.

Budgets are mainly seen as blueprints for White House

priorities. But they are often panned on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers craft the appropri-ation bills that eventually fund the government, if the president signs them into law.

Trump’s budget for the 2020 fiscal year will increase requests for some agencies while reducing others to reflect those priorities. Reductions are pro-posed, for example, for the Envi-ronmental Protection Agency.

The official said Congress has ignored the president’s spending cuts for too long. The federal budget is bloated with wasteful spending, the official said, and the administration remains committed to balancing the budget.

The cuts being requested by the White House would hit dis-cretionary spending as well as some mandatory safety net pro-grams, which Trump has pro-posed in the past. Many Repub-licans are often eager to reduce government spending, but

Congress has had trouble passing bills that seriously slash the safety net programs used by many Americans.

Budgets often rely on various accounting measures to achieve desired results. This one, for example, counts $546bn in defence money as a base, but another $174bn in another account to keep within caps.

And while the budget will suggest it balances in future years, it is also expected to rely on projections for continued economic growth from the tax cuts Trump signed into law in 2017. But there’s no guarantee that would cover the lost tax revenues.

By proposing spending levels that don’t raise the budget caps, the president is courting a debate with Congress. Lawmakers from both parties have routinely agreed to raise spending caps established by a previous deal years ago to fund the government.

Shooting in Mexico club leaves 13 dead

Judge Dana Sabraw issued a preliminary ruling that would potentially expand by thousands the number of migrants included in a class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

REUTERS MEXICO CITY

At least 13 people were killed and another seven wounded in a shooting at a club early yesterday in Mexico’s violence-wracked Guanajuato state, local media reported.

It was not immediately clear who committed the crime. Before sunrise, a group of armed men pulled up in three vans at the La Playa Club in the city of

Salamanca, burst into the premises and opened fire, local media reported.

Powerful oil theft gangs have stolen vast quantities of fuel from Salamanca’s oil refinery. This week President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador launched a major offensive to capture local gang leader Jose Antonio Yepez, known as “El Marro.”

A video taken after the shooting from the street near the club showed a line of police

vehicles. A woman wailed uncontrollably in the back-ground as an ambulance drove into the area.

Salamanca lies in Guana-juato state, part of the country’s industrial heartland that was a magnet for carmakers such as Volkswagen AG, General Motors Co and Toyota Motor Corp, but it suffered a doubling of murders last year, making it one of Mex-ico’s most violent regions, official data shows.

A police officer is seen on the street near a club, in the city of Salamanca, in Mexico, yesterday.

Michigan mangets congratulatory telegram 50 years after graduation

AP ANN ARBOR

A man who graduated from the University of Michigan in 1969 has finally received a congrat-ulatory telegram from family friends that was sent more than 50 years ago.

Robert Fink received the Western Union telegram this year. Western Union ended its telegram business in 2006. The Washington Post first reported on the telegram finally being delivered to Fink.

The telegram originally arrived in 1969 at an Ann Arbor apartment Fink shared with three classmates a day after he had left to attend graduate school in New York.

Christina Zaske redis-covered the telegram in December after removing the bottom drawer of an old filing cabinet now owned by Ann Arbor-based digital marketing agency ICON Interactive to retrieve a piece of paper that had fallen inside.

“I looked inside, mostly because I was curious to see an actual telegram,” Zaske said.

Zaske saw Fink’s name on the paper and used the Internet to find him and return the note. Fink is now a professor at Oakland University in Rochester.

“I was surprised to learn that he had never received the telegram and was glad that I could reunite it with its intended recipient all of these years later,” Zaske said.

Fink said the letter has brought back memories and made him reflect on his old connections. “The theme for me has been that the long arm of the past is reaching out and grabbing me, and I should take it seriously,” he said.

Venezuelan citizens with expired passports allowed to enter ColombiaREUTERS BOGOTA

Colombia will allow Venezuelan citizens to cross the border using expired passports in view of the difficulty of renewing travel documents in the neighbouring country in the midst of its economic crisis, the migration agency said.

More than 1.2 million Vene-zuelans fleeing widespread food and medicine shortages and a complex political crisis have migrated to Colombia in recent years, overtaxing the South American country’s already-limited public healthcare, housing and utilities.

Many arrive without visas because they are unable to

renew their passports.Passport renewals in Vene-

zuela are “nearly impossible because of the high cost of the document, because of a lack of primary materials to make them and because of other actions from the Venezuelan side to curb the exit of Venezuelans,” said Christian Kruger, the head of Colombia’s migration agency.

Venezuelans will now be able to use old passports for up to two years after their expiry date, Kruger said in a statement.

The measure is part of recent agreements made by the Lima Group bloc of nations to give migrants security and prevent them from turning to trafficking gangs in order to cross the border, the statement said.

Most Western nations rec-ognise opposition leader Juan Guaido, and not President Nicolas Maduro, as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.

An attempt by Guaido to bring hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian aid into Venezuela was largely stymied last month by Maduro, whose troops blocked convoys of aid trucks,

leading to clashes that killed at least six people.

“There is nothing more dan-gerous for a country than not to know who is within its borders. Shutting the frontier and demanding official documents from a population that is fleeing a dictatorship because of hunger and want only incentivizes irreg-ularities,” Kruger said.

Plane makes emergency landing in New Jersey, passengers evacuatedAP NEWARK

Authorities said passengers on a plane were evacuated by slides after an emergency landing at a New Jersey airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that Air Transat Flight 942 was on its way from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale, Florida when it

reported a possible fire in cargo hold and was diverted to Newark Liberty Interna-tional Airport at 8:30am yesterday.

The Boeing 737 landed and remained on the runway while airport firefighters responded, and passengers were evac-uated on the runway via emer-gency slides. There were no reports of any injuries.

Trump in tornado-hit AlabamaUS President Donald Trump hugs a resident who survived a tornado, in Beauregard, Alabama, yesterday.

Russian trolls shift strategy to disrupt 2020 US votes: ExpertsBLOOMBERG WASHINGTON

Russian Internet trolls appear to be shifting strategy in their efforts to disrupt the 2020 US elections, promoting politically divisive messages through phony social media accounts instead of creating propaganda themselves, cybersecurity experts said.

The Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency may be among those trying to circumvent pro-tections put in place by com-panies including Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc to find and remove fake content that hackers created to sow division among the American electorate in 2016 presidential campaign.

“Instead of creating content themselves, we see them ampli-fying content,” said John Hultquist, the director of intel-ligence analysis at FireEye Inc.

“Then it’s not necessarily inauthentic, and that creates an opportunity for them to hide behind somebody else,” he added.

Other hackers are breaking into computing devices and using them to open large

numbers of social media accounts, according to Candid Wueest, a senior threat researcher at Symantec Corp.

The hacked devices are used to create many legitimate-looking users as well as believable followers and likes for those fake users.

While covert efforts to amplify divisive content origi-nated by others isn’t a new tech-nique, hackers and trolls seem to be embracing it heavily in advance of the next US presi-dential election.

Wueest said he observed a decrease in the creation of new content by fake accounts from 2017 to 2018 and a shift toward building massive followings that could be used as platforms for divisive messages in 2020.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, said on Tuesday that social media remains a primary avenue for foreign actors to influence US elections, and the bureau is working with com-panies on the problem.

Nathaniel Gleicher, the head of cybersecurity policy at Facebook, said policing those efforts is “an incredibly hard balance.”

15SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019 HOME

MG Motor celebrates 2018 sales success in Mideast THE PENINSULA DOHA

MG Motor is marking a milestone year of sales success in the Middle East, as it closed 2018 with an overall increase of 453 percent across the entire region. Having launched three new models in the Middle East in 2018 – the MG RX5, face-lifted MG GS, and the all-new MG6 – the British-born brand is celebrating a major renaissance in the region.

In Qatar, Auto Class Cars, a subsidiary of Nasser Bin Khaled group and the authorized dis-tributor of MG in Qatar has accomplished big achievement with a 274 percent growth in sales marking a new record and posi-tioning MG as one of the top selling brands. Acknowledging this effort, the Auto Class Cars/MG showroom in Qatar was approved by MG Middle East to be the Standard Reference MG Showroom for the region.

With a network of dedicated retail partners across the Middle East boasting 20 modern show-rooms and 21 service centers, MG Motor’s presence is growing apace, with the MG 360 and RX-5 proving its most popular models. And, with a further three new models joining the region’s model line-up in 2019, the brand is

primed to continue its expansion. Arriving in the third quarter

of 2019 will be another strong compact sedan to bolster the brand’s C-segment offering, fol-lowed later in the Summer with an innovative new SUV packed with the latest cutting-edge tech-nology. And finally, MG will enter a brand-new segment in 2019 as it launches its first ever 7-seat SUV.

Commenting on the brand’s substantial success, Tom Lee, Managing Director for SAIC Motor Middle East, said, “Our com-mitment to the region has been cemented by the very positive results of 2018, and we intend to build on this success further as we establish MG as a household name in the years to come. As a rela-tively young brand in the Middle East, and with the current chal-lenging market conditions, we are very encouraged by the acceptance of the brand.

“We are determined to lead the way in delivering smartly-designed, performance-focused, and importantly, reliable cars to our customers.

Our extremely competitive warranty package, which covers our cars for six years or 200,000 kilometers, is a compelling offer which makes us stand out from competitors.”

Tickets to A R Rahman’s concert selling fast THE PENINSULA DOHA

The countdown to Qatar’s largest enter-tainment event has begun as global music icon A R Rahman (pictured) gets ready to take centrestage at the newly completed Khalifa International Stadium in just over two weeks. Khalifa Stadium is the first FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium to be completed.

Fans of Rahman did not waste any time getting their concert tickets since the announcement was made. According to COO of Q-Tickets, Aarti Mahajan, all tickets for the Royal and Upper stand categories have already been snapped up.

“We have never seen tickets sell at this rate for a music event in Qatar, which is a testimony to the popularity of A R Rahman,” says Mahajan.

According to event organisers Katara Studios, news of Rahman’s concert in Doha has travelled far. “We have been seeing tickets purchased from across the region, and even some from as far as the United States,” says Hussein Fakhri, CEO of Katara Studios.

He said that this concert will be a real treat for A R Rahman fans as this is his first performance in Qatar and will be unlike any concert performed anywhere else due to the sheer size of the stage production.

The two-time Oscar and Grammy Award singer, songwriter and producer will perform on March 22 with his troupe of over 80 per-formers on a world-first 90-metre length stage. Over 30,000 fans are expected in what is to be the largest music event ever in Qatar.

Internationally-acclaimed Rahman is

globally known for revolutionising the Indian film music industry with his unique East-West blend. He is famously known for the 2009 Hollywood production Slumdog Mil-lionaire and has earned numerous interna-tional accolades and awards.

In addition to his Grammy and Oscar Awards, Rahman also has a BAFTA and Golden Globe Award. The musical genius of India has also won multiple awards in his homeland, including six National Film Awards, 15 Filmfare Awards and 16 Filmfare Awards South.

The musical fest in Doha is a collabo-ration with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy and the National Tourism Council as part of the Qatar-India 2019 Year of Culture that is intended to promote mutual understanding, recognition and appreciation between the two countries.

Katara Studios, a state-of-the-art pro-duction facility in Doha was established to advance the local film and music industry. Their collaboration with A R Rahman is the start of many other joint efforts that have been planned to bring some of the world’s biggest names in the industry to Qatar.

AFG College with Universityof Aberdeen hosts InternationalWomen’s Day conference THE PENINSULA DOHA

AFG College with the University of Aberdeen marked International Women’s Day with its inaugural conference, which was held on Friday at Sharq Hotel in Doha.

Since its inception in the early 1900s, International Women’s Day has sought to build greater awareness of the plight of women’s role within society and has pro-vided a forum for women from across the globe to come together to campaign on a plethora of issues that impact their lives on a day to day basis.

Having given the keynote speech at the University of Aberdeen’s International Women’s Day, the Chairperson and Founder of Al Faleh Group, Dr Sheikha Aisha bint Faleh Al Thani, said: “I was so inspired by the event last year in Scotland that I decided to hold our own conference. Women’s role in society has always been an area that I have been concerned with and followed closely. I believe that the empowerment of women at all levels is fundamental to a healthy and prosperous nation, which is why I am so happy that such an eclectic mix of women have joined us in inaugurating such a wonderful event.”

Speakers included Prof Lora Heisler from the University of Aberdeen, who was recently awarded the Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award from the American Diabetes Association, one of only three women to have

been recognised for her research in the associations’ 60-year history. She spoke on the research she and her team have been undertaking on Diabetes prevention and treatment. She said: “It is a real honour to be here at this inspirational International Women’s Day event in Doha, celebrating the important advances women have made in improving our world.”

Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al Thani, Managing Director, Business Development, Qatar Financial Centre, said: “The United Nations has defined the theme for this International Women’s Day as ‘Think equal, build smart, innovate for change.’ The selection of this theme is apt consid-ering the global wave of innovation that is shaping and changing the way we live and function in every part of the world. We must ensure — in Qatar and everywhere else — that the rapid pace of technological development is inclusive, and caters ade-quately for women and girls — not only as consumers, but as designers, creators and leaders of the innovation revolution.”

Qatar Olympic Committee’s Director of Marketing & Communications, Sheikha Asma bint Thani Al Thani, spoke about her recent expedition to the North Pole, as well as other sporting achievements which included being part of a team that raised QR2.1m in funds for building schools in Gaza. Sheikha Asma said, “It is important for women to break down barriers and it’s our responsibility to tell our stories and explore best how we can affect change.”

A view of the conference organised by AFG College with the University of Aberdeen.

QNL talk at QBRI highlights its open access publishing fundTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Researchers at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, a national research centre within Hamad Bin Khalifa University, learned about the range of open access publishing services at Qatar National Library, in a lecture entitled, ‘Open Access Publishing Fund at Qatar National Library.’

The Library provides practical support to Qatar-based researchers wishing to publish open access articles. An Open Access Author Fund covers article

processing charges (APCs) for open access publications.

“The Library offers fascinating services for researchers wishing to publish their work on open access journals and platforms. This is very helpful for science researchers in Qatar to share their articles with interested readers in Qatar and beyond. I recommend everyone to use this incredible opportunity,” said Vishnubalaji Radhakrishnan, Researcher at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute. The Library has agree-ments with open access publishers to support its existing Open Access

Author Fund. Corresponding authors, which include students, faculty, researchers, staff from any institute of higher education or non-profit research institute in Qatar, qualify for 100 percent discounts.

“As a strong supporter of the

Open Access movement, I am very pleased about the efforts of Qatar National Library. It is at the fore-front of scientific publishing and will help put Qatar on the world map in the scientific community,” said Dr Julie Decock, Scientist at Qatar Bio-medical Research Institute.

A lecture in progress at QNL.

Alfardan Automobiles introduces

BMW X7 at special VIP viewing eventTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Alfardan Automobiles, the official importer of BMW Group in Qatar, has officially welcomed the latest addition to BMW’s X-range of vehicles, the first-ever BMW X7.

The ultimate combination of on-road presence, agile driving performance, interior luxury, superior technology and exclusive style, the BMW X7 was unveiled to members of the media and invited VIP guests at a specially arranged private viewing at St. Regis Hotel, Doha.

The event, which took place at St. Regis Hotel, allowed guests the oppor-tunity to be among the very first people in the region to view and explore the BMW X7.

As the newest and largest model in the BMW X line-up, the BMW X7 is poised to be a dominate force in the hugely popular Sports Activity Vehicles (SAV) market.

At more than 5.1 metre in length, 2 metre wide, 1.8 metre tall and with a wheelbase of over 3.1 metre long, the BMW X7’s design is both authoritative

and intriguing.Its defining features, including a

high ground clearance, long roofline, large windows and prominent front end with powerful BMW kidney grille and standard 20-in alloy wheels, help to make the BMW X7 instantly recognizable.

With three rows of leather-trim seats and a feeling of comfort, luxury

and purpose, the BMW X7 is large enough to accommodate up to seven people thanks to a range of seating con-figurations, uncompromising on the space in the third row, complete with armrests, cupholders and USB ports

A powerful range of engine choice gives the BMW X7 a dynamic and sport-focused performance, with the 462 hp petrol V8 in the BMW X7 xDrive50i.

The officials with BMW X7 at a special VIP viewing event organised by Alfardan Automobiles at St. Regis Hotel, Doha.

A BMW X7 is displayed during the private preview held at the St. Regis Hotel in Doha yesterday. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

16 SUNDAY 10 MARCH 2019MORNING BREAK

FAJRSHOROOK

04. 33 AM

05. 49 AM

11. 44 AM

03. 08 PM

05. 42 PM

07. 12 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 06:14 – 18:49 LOW TIDE 01:20 –14:08

Mild daytime with slight dust at some plac-

es at times, cold by night.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum16oC 24oC

SHATIU’s vision, mission disseminated in JordanTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The delegation of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and Understanding (SHATIU) concluded yesterday a media tour in Jordan aiming at intro-ducing the fifth edition of the Awards 2019.

The tour included sem-inars, lectures and interviews and panel discussions in a number of Jordanian univer-sities, where the vision of the award and its objectives, terms and conditions and the new languages for this year were elaborated in details.

The media spokesperson of the award Dr. Hanan Al Fayyad thanked all the edu-cational and cultural institu-tions in Jordan, and trans-lation specialists including professors and academicians for their interaction throughout the days of the visit.

Al Fayyad praised the Jor-danian translators’ efforts in carrying out important works that enrich the cultural

landscape through their respective institutions and distinguished associations that seek to help locals and Arab readers to learn about valuable human knowledge.

“This has given the Jor-danian translators a distin-guished presence among the winners of the Sheikh Hamad Award she said adding that s of the prize in 2015 won by Dr. Fayez Al Sayagh from Jordan who was one of the winners of the award in its first season 2015, for his translation of a book The Age of Extremism.”

For her part Dr. Imtanat Al-Smadi, called on those working in the field of trans-lation to presented their con-tribution in various categories of literature and humanities knowledge as translation establishes the culture of knowledge and dialogue, dis-seminates Arab and Islamic culture, and promotes the role of translation in spreading peace.

The delegation had held a seminar before concluding

the visit at Yarmouk Uni-versity in Irbid in northern Jordan as part of their tour to introduce the award in its fifth season of 2019.

During the visit, the del-egation met with the Pres-ident of the University Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, a number of faculty members in the E n g l i s h L a n g u a g e Department, members of the Jordanian Translators Asso-ciation, which hosts the uni-versity. The delegation also learned about their efforts in the field of translation.

Dr. Hanan Al Fayyad stressed that the award is a means of human and peaceful communication between peoples and service thought and civilisations, adding that the award is global and supervised by a board of trustees, steering committee and independent judging committees.

She confirmed that the award did not accept trans-lated works from third lan-guages, but only from the original languages.

The delegation of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and Understanding during a seminar at Yarmouk University of Jordan as part of a media tour to spread its vision.

Second Souq Waqif

Honey Exhibition

a huge successSIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

With a participation of as many as 139 local and inter-national companies and sales of 45 tonnes, the second Souq Waqif Honey Exhibition 2019 concluded yesterday.

“As many as 139 local and international companies par-ticipated in the exhibition from 23 countries and some of them have already announced their intention to participate in the next exhi-bition,” said Khaled Sayf Al Suwaidi, General Supervisor of the exhibition.

He also said in the press conference held at the closing of exhibition that the second edition witnessed more success compared to previous one. “The number of partici-pants was only 84 last year while this year it reached to 139. Also there were 60 types of honey available in the exhibition.”

The exhibition was organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and with the partic-ipation of the Ministry of M u n i c i p a l i t y a n d Environment.

“It was supposed to be concluded on March 7 but thanks to big number of vis-itors we extended it for two more days. Also what was dis-tinctive this year was the availability of laboratory for visitors to check the quality of honey,” he said.

About the local partici-pation, he said it was excellent and some local companies

signed contracts with some international companies in this regard to bring new types of honey and they also received new experiences.

Al Suwadi pointed out that Qatar’s self sufficiency in honey production was around 50 percent. “The work is underway to produce more honey.”

In the end of the press conference, three local com-panies were honoured for the quality of their product. Also three international companies were honoured for the same.

A large number of visitors keened to visit the exhibition yesterday and bought their needs of honey. Mohamed Shazar, a local exhibitor told The Peninsula: “The demand of honey today is better com-pared to before and the average sales was about QR5,000 to QR6,000 daily during the exhibition. Sidr honey demand was higher than others.” For his part, Mohamed Sulayman, an exhibitor from Oman said that around 20 comapnies were taking part in the exhibition. “All the quantity which we had brought for the exhibition has almost finished while our average per day sale was about QR6000.”

Sales of 45 tonnes of honey took place at the expo with a participation of as many as 139 local and international companies from 23 countries.