Amir's visit to boost Qatar-Ecuador ties · 02 HOME MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 Qatar to honour 100...

Volume 23 | Number 7666 | 2 RiyalsMonday 1 October 2018 | 21 Moharram I 1440 www.thepeninsula.qa

BUSINESS | 21 SPORT | 27Hamilton wins Russian GP to go 50 points clear

ECB expects another year of interest rate

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Price of super gradepetrol for a litre.

The prices of Super petrol and Diesel will be stable, while the price of Premiumpetrol will rise in October.

Price of premium grade petrol for a litre.

Price of diesel for a litre.

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Amir's visit to boost Qatar-Ecuador tiesTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani begins his Latin American tour from the Republic of Ecuador today, which will be followed by tours to the Republic of Peru, the Republic of Paraguay and the Argentine Republic.

During the visits, H H the Amir will hold talks on ways of pro-moting the bilateral relations and cooperation in all fields, as well as the latest regional and international developments on mutual interest.

Qatar and Ecuador enjoy strong and growing relations at all levels. The relations have been developing since the opening of the Embassy of Ecuador in Doha in 2012, which was followed by the opening of the Embassy of Qatar in the capital Quito in the same year.

The relations were strengthened further after the visit of Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to Ecuador in January 2013, and the visit of former President of Ecuador Rafael Correa to Qatar in October 2014.

The two countries are linked by many agreements, including a convention on the avoidance of double taxation and pre-vention of tax evasion; an agreement on cooperation in legal matters; an agreement on air services; an agreement on trade, economic and technical cooperation between the two countries; and a goodwill mem-orandum for media cooperation and exchange of news between Qatar News Agency and the National Communications Sec-retariat of the Government of the Republic of Ecuador.

In February 2018, Ecuador’s

Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Pablo Campana Saenz, visited the State of Qatar.

Ecuador is a multi-ethnic and multicultural country with a population of over 16 million. It is a major oil exporter and the largest exporter of bananas throughout the world.

Ecuador is also one of the world’s leading exporters of flowers, shrimp, cocoa and coffee, and one of the region’s leaders in global tourism.

The Ecuadorian economy is the third-best economy in Latin America, with an annual growth rate of 7 percent of GDP, prompted by improved public investment, infrastructure, academic quality and the judiciary, making Ecuador an attractive destination for foreign companies.

→SEE ALSO PAGE 10

Qatar foresees200,000 cruise tourists by 2020THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Mowasalat have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further develop tourist transport services as Qatar’s cruise tourism sector is expecting to receive 200,000 by 2020.

The MoU will ensure the growth in cruise tourism demand is matched with flexible and reliable transport services.

The MoU is part of QTA’s ongoing efforts to enhance the overall visitor experience, and comes ahead of a busy cruise season, expected to start tomorrow.

The MoU opens new avenues of collaboration between QTA and Mowasalat to enhance the tourist transport experience through data sharing, training, tech-nical and logistical support and

exchange of expertise. The primary focus of the

MoU is the development of all transport services related to cruise tourism to meet the growing demands of the cruise tourism sector, which expects to receive 200,000 visitors by 2020.

Jawaher AlKhuzaei, Acting PR and Marketing Director, commented: “Our new part-nership with Mowasalat is a major step forward in enhancing the visitor expe-rience. Transport services play a key role in shaping visitors’ first impressions of a desti-nation, and so it is one of the first aspects of the tourism sector which we aim to enhance in collaboration with our partners. We will also be devel-oping all supporting operations in preparation for a busy cruise season ahead.”

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Pilot testing of eco-friendly electric buses beginsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Transport and Communications has started the pilot testing of electric buses in Qatar in collaboration with Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa), Mowasalat and China Harbor Engineering Company.

This comes within Ministry’s ongoing endeavours to provide eco-friendly and sustainable transport modes that help reduce carbon emissions from public transit, said a press release.

MOTC will assess the pilot testing, which is planned to con-tinue for several months, to ensure electric buses suit Qatar’s the weather conditions, by deploying them.

The testing comes in line with the ‘Green Vehicle Initi-ative’ which was launched jointly by the Ministry of Energy and Industry, MOTC and Kah-ramaa. That Initiative is wrapped into Kahramaa’s wider National Program for

Conservation and Energy Effi-ciency (Tarsheed).

Preparations for the electric buses pilot testing saw a great support from Kahramaa while Karwa carried out the actual testing operations.

The testing of the electric buses on Qatar streets, if proved successful, will support the diversification of the country’s

public transport sector as it will provide vehicles that consume lesser energy and emit lesser carbon. It also promotes the use of more eco-friendly materials; something that helps strike the aspired-after economic and environmental balance in all transport infrastructure projects.

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Electric buses being deployed for pilot testing by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Integrated healthcare for children, adolescents soonFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

DOHA: In an important move to enhance the wellbeing of children and adolescents in the country, integrated healthcare services are to be established soon.

They will be established in collaboration with different stakeholders across the health sector, building a national network and implementing evi-dence-based practices to improve health and provide better care, said Dr Sadriya Al Kohji, National Health Strategy Lead for Healthy Children and Adolescents.

Healthy Children and Ado-lescents are one of the

seven priority population groups identified in the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2018-2022. It aims to give practical help to parents, teachers and care givers to create a healthy environment for children and adolescents.

“About half a million popu-lation in Qatar consists of children and adolescents. They experience several health issues related to physical and psycho-logical problems during their growth.

"The importance of psycho-social support for children and adolescents throughout their journey should not be ignored as it affects all other aspects of the health and wellbeing,” said Dr Al Kohji talking to media

persons recently. The NHS focuses on

improving breast-feeding prac-tices, healthy diet and physical activities and decreasing dental caries.

“We will also be looking at developing healthy schools, tobacco control, maintaining high vaccination coverage, inte-grated paediatric practice at dif-ferent levels of care, child safety, adolescent friendly services and improving parental literacy,” said Dr Al Kohji, who is also Con-sultant in Community Medicine and Head of Child and Ado-lescent Health Service Devel-opment and Health Promotion at the Primary Health Care Corporation.

The NHS also aims at a 25 percent reduction in the preva-lence of dental caries among children less than 5 years old, 15 percent increase in the level of exclusive breast-feeding of children at six months of age and 25 percent increase in the pro-portion of adolescents who meet recommended levels of physical activity by 2022.

Following the launch of the new National Health Strategy 2018-2022, the Minister of Public Health H E Dr Hannan Al Kuwari appointed 12th NHS Leads to spearhead designing services around the seven Pri-ority Population Groups and the five areas of health system improvement.

Advisory issued to travellers to EU countriesQNA

DOHA: Citizens wishing to travel between the countries of the European Union should carry passports when leaving the city of residence to another city or country and should verify the validity of visas, an official source in the Consular Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

The source stressed the need to hold the international driving licence in addition to the Qatari driving licence in case of driving vehicles in the EU countries.

The source also stressed the need to ensure the presence of car seats for children from the age of one month to 10 years old, or for children under one metre height.

QF launches Education City Art Trail toursQNA

DOHA: Qatar Foundation (QF) has launched its latest edition of ‘Art Trail’, a series of guided tours providing the public with an opportunity to explore artwork around Education City.

Art Trail offers visitors an insight into regional identity and local artwork, engaging audiences of all ages and pro-moting artistic appreciation throughout the community in Qatar, as part of QF’s com-munity development efforts.

Upcoming Art Trail tours will, for the first time, take in QF member Sidra Medicine’s art collection, and Qatar National Library’s Heritage Library Exhibition, while the new additions to Art Trail also include ‘Deconstructing the Sacred’ exhibition, which is being presented at the Edu-cation City Mosque, explores the creative and often complex links between religion, culture, and social justice.

→SEE ALSO PAGE 4

Riitta Swan,Non-Resident

Ambassador of Finland to Qatar based in

Abu Dhabi, spoke to The Peninsula on Qatar-Finland relations during her recent visit to Qatar. An interview with the

Ambassador.

→ON PAGE 3

02 MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018HOME

Qatar to honour 100 teachers on World Teacher’s DayOne hundred teachers, who have spent 10 years teaching in the government schools in the State, will be honoured during the celebration in recognition of their distinguished efforts

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar represented by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education will honour 100 senior teachers on the World Teacher’s Day which will be observed on October 5 at Qatar National Convention Center. The event will be held under the patronage of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.

One hundred teachers, who have spent ten years teaching in the government schools in the State, will be honoured during the celebration in recognition of their distinguished efforts, QNA

reported.Director of Teachers Affairs

at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Ahmed Jumaa Al Jassimani, praised the big pos-itive role of teachers, as well as

the attention paid by the State to teachers, providing them with the support and appropriate con-ditions necessary for performing the job perfectly.

He noted that the official cel-ebration of the occasion will be accompanied by ceremonies at the levels of all schools in Qatar.

He underlined that Qatar is one of the developed countries in terms of the education system and the opportunities provided for students to receive education and achievement, noting that there is a teacher for every 12 students in the country, which is one of the best rates in the world.

He added that the number of

teachers in public schools cur-rently stands at 14,037 teachers, and that the Ministry is seeking to attract the national cadres and expertise to the teaching pro-fession through the development of a system to attract and evaluate teachers and building national capacities in the field of education.

He referred to a number of programmes that provide the Ministry with teachers, including Tamouh programme and Teach for Qatar initiative, in addition to the graduates of Qatar Uni-versity and those recruited from abroad whose number reached nearly 525 this year.

He also noted the cooper-ation with the Ministry of Admin-istrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs to attract Qatari cadres in disciplines that are close to education to train them to join the profession.

He said that the patronage of Prime Minister and Interior Min-ister for this celebration annually reflects the State’s great interest in the education system and the teaching profession.

The world has been marking the World Teacher’s Day since October 5, 1994, in recognition of the teachers’ important role in educating the generations of the future.

Qatar reiterates its commitment to OICTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar said that it will not hesitate to provide any support that contributes to the achievement of the objectives of the Organization of Islamic Coop-eration, stressing the need for the organisation to be a uniting force for Muslim people and nations.

Qatar also called on the exec-utive body of the organisation to abide by its mandate and tasks, and not to get involved in fabri-cated disputes and issues that would weaken the organisation’s ability to play a key role in central issues for the Muslim world.

This came in a statement made by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi at the annual coordination meeting of the OIC foreign ministers held on the side-lines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Minister said that the OIC General Secretariat should work on developing a vision of clear operational mechanisms to resolve the escalating crises, the schemes of attrition, marginali-sation, fragmentation, division and regional and sectarian dis-putes that afflict many Muslim countries.

He added that the lack of these mechanisms propelled

many countries to resort to inter-national organisations and inter-national actors in order to find solutions involving high cost and high risk. He stressed on the importance of strengthening the bonds of cooperation and broth-erhood between the members of the organisation and to enhance its role. He then wondered if it was acceptable to put obstacles to prevent the participation of delegations of Qatar in meetings held at the headquarters of the organisation.

“The tasks entrusted to the OIC to address the dangers facing the Islamic world, which make cooperation between our coun-tries the only way to achieve the goals for which the organisation was established, require a serious look into practical ways to enhance the role of the organi-sation in addressing these chal-lenges,” said the Minister.

Al Muraikhi said that Islam and its law calls for not harming the brotherly relations that bind the Muslim peoples, and to reflect on the results of actions and pol-icies that harm Muslims based on various claims and crises.

He called on those who conduct the work of the organi-sation to refrain from any position that conflicts with its objectives, or that does not serve the unity of

the ranks of the Islamic countries, deepen the division between brothers, and harms the credi-bility of the organisation that was established in order to bring Muslims closer rather than deepen differences and crises.

He noted that the Palestinian cause continues to be the most important for the organisation, adding that Al Quds is also central to that cause. He noted that threats to holy sites in Al Quds give Muslims a special responsi-bility to protect them. He stressed that they must use all means pro-vided by international law to stop such violations.

The Minister of State said that the time has come to end the suf-fering of the brotherly Syrian people by supporting the inter-national efforts to reach a political solution in accordance with the Geneva Declaration 1 and to implement the Security Council resolutions related to the situation in Syria and preserve its unity, independence and sovereignty.

In this context, the State of Qatar, in its capacity as Chairman of the Contact Group on Somalia, is coordinating the convening of the next meeting of the Group in Mogadishu in support of brotherly Somalia and the implementation of the organisation’s resolutions.

Speaker of Advisory Council reviews relations with Ambassadors of UK and Turkey

The Speaker of the Advisory Council, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, met yesterday with the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the State of Qatar, Ajay Sharma (left), and the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the State of Qatar, Fikret Ozer. The meetings discussed the relations between the State of Qatar and each of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Turkey, and ways of developing them in various fields, especially in the parliamentary sphere, in addition to issues of common concern.

Qatar expects 200,000 cruise tourists by 2020CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The agreement sets standards for the transport of tourists, as well as pricing limits, and outlines a protocol for the involvement of tour operators in providing transport services, according to the agreed upon standards.

Khalid Kafoud, Mowasalat

Government Relations Manager, said that “executing this agreement with Qatar Tourism Authority is part of mutual efforts being made by both parties to facilitate all capabilities to leverage the provided services for visitors and residents in terms of touristic transport, in order to partic-ipate in the economic, social and

investment growth of the State for ful-filling Qatar National Vision 2030.”

“Mowasalat (Karwa) is focused on being the first-choice provider of world class innovative transport solutions and services and inspire a legacy in the region, also providing safe and eco-friendly transport solutions to gain satisfaction of

our service users in Qatar from citizens, residents and tourists,” he added.

According to the MoU, QTA will work with the Qatar Ports Authority “Mwani” to ensure that only authorised taxis can access the visitor arrival area at Doha Port. QTA will also work with destination man-agement companies (DMC) to ensure they

benefit as much as possible during the cruise season. Meanwhile Mowasalat will ensure tourist transport prices are com-municated one year in advance so that DMCs can plan accordingly. Mowasalat will also coordinate with all suppliers that might take part in logistics or operations that support the cruise season.

San Marino’s FM meets Qatar’s envoy

QNA

SAN MARINO: The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Justice of the Republic of San Marino, Nicola Renzi, has met with the State of Qatar’s (non-resident) Ambassador to the Republic of San Marino, Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Malki.

The meeting discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways of boosting them, besides issues of mutual interest.

Transport Ministry starts pilot testing of electric buses

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

MOTC works on providing an integrated, multi-modal and world-class transportation system that provides safe and reliable services in line with the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030. It also works on

developing transport modes in accordance with the best worldwide eco-friendly systems, in addition to using alternative and clean energy in the field for lesser carbon emissions.

The Ministry places envi-ronment i ssues and

energy efficiency at the top of its priorities and in all transport projects. It also supports all aspects of cooperation between government and non-gov-ernment entities to reach to a clean environment and boost the culture of sustainable transportation.

Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti visiting a pilot electric bus.

03MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 HOME

Qatar will continue efforts to help ensure peaceTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi said that Qatar will continue efforts with the Group of Friends of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) to bring closer all parties to settle the differences amicably to ensure peace worldwide at a meeting of the Group of Friends of UNAC, held at the United Nations Head-quarters in New York on Saturday.

The meeting discussed on how to use soft power to promote a culture of peace, QNA reported.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi said that Qatar has established national institutions to promote the culture of peace and coexistence.

Qatar also established insti-tutions to combat extremism and renounce violence. The Minister of State gave examples of those institutions in Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center in Denmark and Doha International Center

for Interfaith Dialogue, both of which contributed to interna-tional efforts of promoting peaceful co-existence among religions.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi noted in that regard to the role of Qatar Committee for Alliance of Civilizations, which plays an active role in promoting a culture of dialogue and peace at the national level. He added that the Committee cooperates with institutions and organisa-tions in the State to implement the objectives of the Alliance.

The State of Qatar has pledged this year to support the 8th Global Forum of the UNAOC, to be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on November 19, with $1.5m as the sponsor of the forum.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi praised the interna-tional efforts aimed at promoting a culture of peace, dialogue, understanding and cooperation between religions and cultures, and the determination of the international community to

confront all obstacles to achieving peace and security in the world.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs expressed the satisfaction of Qatar with the fact that the meeting is focusing on soft power, saying that the country is the most prominent example of adopting soft power and using its capabilities to build and promote peace, thanks to the vision of its leadership, which believes in the common destiny of humanity and sup-ports change and modernization, as well as the respect for inter-national law.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi said that education is one of the most important means of building peace. He pointed out that Qatar has launched many educational initiatives at the national, regional and interna-tional levels that benefited mil-lions of children and youth deprived of education.

He also reflected on the big achievement of Education Above All Foundation, which was done in partnership with UNICEF and

more than 80 global partners, in providing quality education to 10 million school-deprived children in more than 50 coun-tries around the world, including areas affected by armed conflict. He also referred to Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), which plays a role to promote stability and peace in countries facing development challenges, through fruitful partnerships to contribute to the development plans of the countries concerned.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi then discussed the role of Qatari charities operating in many countries and conflict areas to provide relief to civilians and alleviate their suffering.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs noted that Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup as a means of pro-moting communication and rap-prochement between cultures and peoples, eliminating divi-sions and differences, and pro-moting the values of dialogue and achieving the peace desired by mankind.

Finland enjoys growing relations with Qatar: Envoy

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Riitta Swan, non-resident Ambassador of Finland to Qatar based in Abu Dhabi, has said that Finland can offer a vast portfolio of opportunities for Qatari companies and investors espe-cially in areas of digitalisation, software, healthcare, education and clean technologies.

In an exclusive interview with The Peninsula, the Ambas-sador of Finland said that the relations between Qatar and Finland are very good. “Even if we do not have an Embassy in Doha, I and my staff visit Qatar often. Finland enjoys growing relations with Qatar.”

To a question about major areas of cooperation between two countries, the Ambassador said that the major cooperation areas for Finland in Qatar are machinery since “we have a few big Finnish companies active in Qatar but also education”. “The Qatar Finland Private School was

founded a few years ago and works extremely well. It has also increased the interest in Finnish education in general in the country. Tourism is also a prom-ising field of cooperation,” she added.

On investments opportunities in Finland for Qatari investors, she said: “Finland can offer a vast portfolio of opportunities for

Qatari companies and investors. I would say that the most prom-ising areas for investors are dig-italisation, software, health care, education and clean technologies.”

“Finland has an attractive business environment. Compared to many other countries we have a low cooperative tax. Finland is a R&D hot spot. We can offer

excellent highly educated work force and over 90 percent of under 30 year old population speaks English. And we may not forget that Finland is according to the World Economic Forum the most competitive country in Europe,” she added.

She said that Finland is also a gateway between East and the West. “In 2 hours you can reach almost the whole Europe and the Russian capital Moscow. In less than 7 hours you reach the USA. Our main airport in Helsinki is an air hub to Asia.”

The Ambassador said that in Finland, “We can offer investors a stable and transparent business environment. We are one of the least corrupted country in the world.”

Regarding Qatar 2022, she said that 2022 FIFA World Cup will give Qatar a possibility to show the world her achieve-ments and let people to see her great hospitality. “It will be a real boost for tourism also in the longer run.”

Talking on tourism sector, she said: “Tourism is definitively a sector in which we could proceed more in our bilateral relations. We have two daily direct flights from Doha to Hel-sinki, the capital of Finland. Many Finns have already found the way to Doha. Many of them thought continue their way further since Qatar Airways has an excellent network of flights all over the world.”

“We warmly welcome Qataris and expatriates living in Qatar to Finland. In only after 6 hours flight you can find a des-tination with the freshest air in the world and beautiful nature. Finland is very safe and has a lot to offer in wellbeing services and all kind of adventures.”

On The Qatar Finland Inter-national School in Qatar, she said that The Qatar Finland Interna-tional School is the jewel in the crown in “our bilateral cooper-ation”. “It gives the Qatari and international children a possi-bility to be educated with excellent teachers and according to the best Finnish practices. In the school children learn tol-erance and appreciation.”

At this moment, the

Ambassador said, there are about 40 Finnish teachers all of them having a Master’s Degree in edu-cation at the university. “The School will start IB High School at the beginning of next school year and is planning to open a kindergarten.”

Regarding prospects for Qatari students to get higher edu-cation in Finland, the Ambassador said: “Unfortunately we have only very few Qatari students in Finland. It would be our sincere wish to get more young Qataris to our Universities. We can offer Bachelor and Master Degrees in almost all the fields of science in English.” To another question, she said that there are about 250 Finnish nationals residing in Qatar.

2022 FIFA World Cup will give Qatar a possibility to show the world her achievements and let people to see her great hospitality. “It will be a real boost for tourism also in the longer run.”

Riitta Swan, non-resident Ambassador of Finland to Qatar, at The Peninsula office. PIC: QASSIM RAHMATULLAH / THE PENINSULA

Ministry of Justice educates students about electronic crimeTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Legal Awareness Unit at the Legal and Judicial Studies Center of the Ministry of Justice has organised a legal workshop for students of the Qatar Technical School to raise the awareness of students and young people by providing them with the knowledge, skills and legal values that protect them from the dangers of crimes in modern age, partic-ularly electronic crimes.

In a presentation at the workshop yesterday, Khalid Al Harami, legal expert at the Min-istry of Justice discussed on the crime of extortion in light of the provisions of the law and the risks it poses to the security and safety of society as one of the modern types of cyber crimes.

The workshop also reviewed the concept of the extortion crime, its motives, the stages it goes through and how

to avoid falling into it and the penalties prescribed for this crime. He explained that elec-tronic extortion crimes against individuals was deliberately aimed at harming the repu-tation of the victim by using modern means of communi-cation, including threatening and intimidating the publi-cation of video or audio or video recordings, or leaking confidential information about the victim in order to obtain funds or exploit the victim to carry out illegal acts, such as disclosing confidential infor-mation about the employer or other illegal acts.

The lecturer advised the students of the school to stay away from everything that leads to exposure to extortion operations and to report any case of suspicion, noting that the State puts great potential and harnesses to face various electronic crimes.

Ooredoo announces offers for iPhone XS, iPhone XS MaxTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Ooredoo yesterday announced that the new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max is now available in selected Ooredoo Shops, on the eShop and at Ooredoo Self-Service Vending Machines across Qatar.

Ooredoo launched the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max at a special event in the Ooredoo Tower on Friday, where hundreds of people gathered to collect their new device. At the event, Ooredoo offered the chance to purchase a device to customers who had not pre-ordered a new iPhone via a state-of-the-art Ooredoo Self-Service Vending Machine.

Talking about the event, Manar Khalifa Al Muraikhi, Director PR and Corporate Com-munications, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “Ooredoo is the provider of choice

for the latest devices in Qatar. Not only do we have Qatar’s biggest and fastest mobile network, ena-bling you to truly test your new smartphone on the Supernet, but we are an official distributer of Apple, meaning all warrantees and accessories are valid. Thank you to everyone who came out to the iPhone launch event, we hope you had a great time.”

Anyone in Qatar can now buy an iPhone from Ooredoo at the Ooredoo Mall Of Qatar, Airport Road, Al Wakra, City Center, Landmark and Doha Festival City shops. The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are also available via the Ooredoo eShop (www.ooredoo.qa/eshop) or via Ooredoo Self-Service Vending Machines in the Gate Mall. To celebrate the exciting Apple launch, any Ooredoo cus-tomer who buys an iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max from Ooredoo and

inserts an Ooredoo SIM will also enjoy free data for 30 days. With the offer, Shahry and Qatarna cus-tomers will enjoy Unlimited data for 30 days and Hala customers will get 20 GB of free data, ena-bling everyone to test their latest devices on Qatar’s fastest network. iPhone Data offer is available for all activated iPhones before 12 October only and Ooredoo will provide the data within 24 hours of iPhone activation. Data will be given to the first SIM which is acti-vated on the iPhone only.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are the most advanced iPhones ever, taking the vision for the future of the smartphone to a new level, featuring stunning 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch Super Retina displays that offer remarkable brightness and true blacks while showing 60 percent greater dynamic range in HDR photos. The customers checking the new iPhone models at an Ooredoo shop.


‘Art Trail’ back with 3 new locationsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Foundation (QF) has launched its latest edition of ‘Art Trail’ – a series of guided tours providing the public with an opportunity to explore artwork around Education City.

‘Art Trail’ offers visitors an insight into regional identity and local artwork, engaging audi-ences of all ages and promoting artistic appreciation throughout the community in Qatar, as part of QF’s community development efforts.

The first two tours under the initiative’s latest edition have taken guests on a journey through the works of Moroccan artist Younès Rahmoun, whose exhibition ‘Little Worlds, Complex Structures’ has been displayed in the gallery of Vir-ginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, a QF partner university.

Upcoming ‘Art Trail’ tours will, for the first time, take in QF member Sidra Medicine’s art collection, and Qatar National Library’s Heritage Library Exhi-bition, while the new additions to Art Trail also include the work of emerging Doha-based artist Othman Khunji. His solo exhi-bition ‘Deconstructing the Sacred’, which is being pre-sented at the Education City Mosque, explores the creative and often complex links between religion, culture, and social justice.

Machaille Al Naimi, Pres-ident of Community Devel-opment, QF, said, “We are pleased to have launched

another series of our ‘Art Trail’ guided tours, building on the success of previous editions of this initiative and the interest it has generated among the com-munity in Qatar.

“Qatar Foundation is a hub of arts and culture, recognising how these cornerstones of regional identity can provoke thought and be a catalyst for cre-ativity, and we are proud to welcome people to explore the unique exhibits housed within Education City through an initi-ative that represents a wonderful opportunity for social interaction

and engagement.”“This year’s ‘Art Trail’ tours

feature exhibits by homegrown and international artists in venues that are landmarks for Qatar across a diverse range of fields. We hope that the tours will inspire the imagination of Qatar’s community, encouraging people to connect with art and appreciate its relevance to our lives,” she added.

Education City is home to an array of opportunities, activities, and institutions dedicated to enhancing Qatar’s artistic and cultural environment.

‘Art Trail’ not only serves as a channel for local and interna-tional artists to display their work to the community but enables the public to experience firsthand the creativity and uniqueness of Qatar Founda-tion’s art collection, which rep-resents a significant contribution to the contemporary art world.

Upcoming tours will take place today October 6, and 27. There will also be tours in November.

Those wishing to join the ‘Art Trail’ tours can register by emailing [email protected]

‘Art Trail’ tours at Qatar Foundation.

QSTP incubatees win big at Qatar IT Business Awards

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Tech-development startups that are part of Qatar Science & Technology Park’s (QSTP) growing community have been honoured for the impact they are making on the information technology sector in Qatar.

At the recent Qatar IT Business Awards, organised by the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Qatar Development Bank, three QSTP incubatees, a QSTP tenant, a startup that benefitted from the QSTP-admin-istered MENA Dojo program, and a recipient of the QSTP Product Devel-opment Fund received awards for their tech-development businesses that service various sectors.

The award presentation is one of the most prestigious awards for the technology sector in Qatar. It recog-nised IT businesses and innovators who

are transforming the IT landscape in Qatar. Leading the awards were three startups at QSTP – part of Qatar Foun-dation Research, Development, and Innovation – that are providing inno-vative healthcare solutions in Qatar.

The team behind QSTP incubate Meddy, which was crowned ‘ICT Exporter of the Year’, has its sights set on becoming one of the leading medical tech startups in the region. Haris Aghadi, CEO of Meddy, said, “This year, we’ve focused on expanding our product outside of Qatar to realise our vision of becoming the primary source of healthcare information in the region.

“It’s a great honour for us to be rec-ognised by the Ministry of Transport and Communications through this award.”

QSTP accelerates the commercial-isation of technology-based innova-tions by incubating and mentoring local startups, in order to bring their products to market and support their global growth.

The ‘Smart Healthcare Solution of the Year’ award went to MediHealth Solutions, a startup that offers a B2C service, ‘At home Doc’ – a compre-hensive medical platform that utilizes bespoke healthcare technologies to provide a patient-centric and evidence-based medical practice.

Droobi Health, a mobile app that empowers patients to take control of their diabetes by using behavioral

science to encourage people to change their habits and prevent chronic illness, won the ‘Tech Startup of the Year’ award. It is a recipient of the QSTP Product Development Fund that funds SMEs and startups involved in devel-oping tech products and services rel-evant to Qatar.

In addition to the array of robust healthcare solutions being awarded, QSTP incubatee Maktapp received the ‘Cloud Service Provider of the Year’ award for the second consecutive year, for its cloud-based application that enables businesses to schedule tasks and manage time and deadlines effectively.

Meanwhile, another QSTP incu-batee, Airlift – dedicated to employing intelligent control software and hardware technologies in autonomous aircrafts to disrupt the on-demand logistics market – secured the ‘Smart Logistic Solution of the Year’ title.

Also sharing the spotlight was QSTP’s long-standing tenant MEEZA, which was awarded ‘Service Provider of the Year’. The company provides end-to-end IT services and solutions and is becoming increasingly recog-nized as a leading systems integrator. MEEZA also offers disaster recovery and business continuity services, and has established the first commercial Security Operations Centre (SOC) in Qatar to help its clients mitigate digital and cyber security threats.

Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti with the winners of the Qatar IT Business Awards 2018.

GWC offers logistics infrastructure insights to US Embassy delegationTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Gulf Warehousing Company (GWC), Qatar’s leading logistics provider, received a delegation from the US Embassy at the Logistics Village Qatar (LVQ) yesterday.

The visit included a tour of the landmark integrated logistics hub, offering bespoke supply chain logistics and warehousing solutions, spanning 1-million square metre infrastructure; the largest logistics hub of its kind in the region, said a release.

The tour offered the attendees insights into how logistics infrastructure such as

the LVQ act as a supply chain enabler for investment opportu-nities considered by businesses from US and elsewhere in Qatar, as well as situating Qatar as a potential hub from which US businesses may reach the globe.The delegation included many high-ranking officials from the US Embassy, including Charge d’Affaires, William Grant.

About 15km off the Hamad Port, 18km from Hamad Inter-national Airport, just 2km from Doha’s main industrial area, and immediately accessible through the country’s G-Ring Road, GWC’s strategically positioned LVQ offers the most

comprehensive, globally recog-nised supply chain solutions.

Organised, structured, inte-grated, IT enabled, and “ready-to-go”, the LVQ was conceived and developed on a scale that has set new benchmarks in logistics infrastructure. The tour also highlighted GWC’s dedication to the highest standards of health, safety, and environmental pro-tection through the initiatives it practices at LVQ and all its logistics sites.

The company also stands as an example of what can be accomplished through a multi-national work force working and living together in high standard

business and accommodation facilities.

“It was a pleasure to host the US Embassy and its staff, show-casing what Qatar is capable of, while reviewing possible

avenues of collaboration,” stated Matthew Phelps, General Manager at GWC. “The grand vision behind developing the LVQ was to provide regional and international companies with

customizable, instantly opera-tional platforms to meet their logistics needs, and we are fully prepared to meet the growing demand for logistical support and expertise.”

The GWC officials with the delegation of the US Embassy at the Logistics Village Qatar.

Lulu begins 10/15/20/30 promotion at all outletsTHE PENINSULA

D O H A : L u l u Group, after an interval of a couple of months, has relaunched the most sought after 1 0 / 1 5 / 2 0 / 3 0 promotion at all Lulu outlets across the country.

More than 1,000 products from all categories — grocery, fresh food, fruits, vegetables, household, textile, footwear, cosmetics, sports goods, home décor, luggage, stationery, toys and electronics are offered for the above promotion, said a release.

This promotion will con-tinue until October 9.

The speciality of the pro-motion is that Lulu man-agement has succeeded in adding products to meet every utility of the customers. Products of good quality are made available at affordable prices and that defines the pro-motion as outstanding.

Hot Food and Bakery sec-tions have organised their own tailor-made innovative value combo offers encompassing various cuisines such as Arabic, Western, Chinese, South Indian and North Indian, along with extensive diversities of bakery delights to compliment value and beauty to the main-stream promotion.

Meanwhile, promotion with better prices have been organised like Digi fiesta offers

on electronics, IT products and cameras.

Simultaneously, an exclusive ongoing promotion that Lulu Hypermarket Group launched in coordination with Nestle Qatar on Nestle products under title “Buy Nestle products worth QR50 and get a chance to win Lulu Gift Vouchers worth QR40,000 “at all Lulu outlets will continue until October 21.

This promotion has started on September 27 and will run continuously for 23 days thereby identifying eight winners.

Customers those who buy any of Nestle products for QR50 are entitled to get a chance to enter E-raffle to win Lulu Shopping Vouchers worth QR40,000 in an E-raffle draw.

Also Rayyan water in coor-dination with Lulu have started an innovative promotion under title “Buy Rayyan natural water Product @QR10 and get a chance to win Lulu Gift vouchers QR50,000”.

This promotion will create 25 winners in a mega E-raffle draw, which is scheduled to be held on October 31 at Lulu Hypermarket, D-Ring Road branch.

Three QSTP incubatees, a QSTP tenant, a startup that benefitted from the QSTP-administered MENA Dojo program, and a recipient of the QSTP Product Development Fund received awards for their tech-development businesses.


QCRI meet to explore artificial intelligence useto ramp up food securityTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Experts are to gather in Qatar on Thursday, for a workshop to discuss how arti-ficial intelligence can be used to help the country attain better food security.

The workshop is being hosted by Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s Qatar Computing Research Institute for its new Qatar Center for Artificial Intelligence.

QCAI Research Director Dr Sanjay Chawla described food security as one of Qatar’s ‘highest priority areas.’

While Qatar has signifi-cantly ramped up its domestic production of meat, dairy products and vegetables since a blockade was imposed against it in June 2017 – a large per-centage of its food products are imported.

“The government of Qatar is ensuring that it has multiple sources from where food is acquired and that is has a robust supply chain for trans-porting food,” Dr Chawla said.

“We are confident that AI and big data will be instru-mental in binding diverse threads of know-how which fall under the umbrella of food security,” he added.

Experts attending the event will include Omar Al Ansari, Secretary-General of Qatar Foundation Research Devel-opment and Innovation, and a pioneer in establishing Qatar’s food security policy. Purdue University ’s Professor Venkatesh Merwade, a global

expert in water management, will give his insights into how to manage scarce water resources.

A panel discussion will be moderated by Qatar Science and Technology Park’s Dr Laoucine Kerbache, former dean of HEC Paris, a co-organizer of the workshop and an international authority on supply chains.

Representatives from QTer-minals, and major food pro-ducers and distributors Hassad Food Qatar and Baladna will also speak at the event.

The workshop, to be held at the HBKU Research Complex from 9am, is being jointly organized with QSTP and the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute. For more information and to register, please visit qcai.qcri.org.

QCAI Research Director Dr Sanjay Chawla

Al Wakra Hospital’s dental clinictreats more than 900 patients THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar’s first dental clinic for patients with special needs, located in Al Wakra Hospital, has cared for over 900 children and adults with special needs since opening in 2015.

The first of its kind spe-cialised clinic in the Middle East, has seen an increase in demand from patients under the age of 18 with special healthcare needs often have more severe dental problems. The disability, and the increased incidence of anxiety that can accompany a physical or developmental disability often results in more complex care needs, said Dr Abdulhakim Ahmad Al Yafei, Senior Pediatric Consultant for Special Needs Dentistry and Head of the Den-tistry Department at Al Wakra Hospital.

“Since the opening of our specialised clinic three years ago, we have seen an increase in the number of children who require our services. We are currently seeing around 20 children each week and these paediatric patients can have a variety of special requirements as a result of congenital or developmental conditions, or disease or trauma. Around 70 percent of the children we care for have autism, but we also care for patients with down syn-drome, epilepsy, and multiple physical and developmental dis-abilities. To date, we have cared for over 200 children who have had multiple dental problems who we were able to treat in a single appointment through the use of sedation and general anesthesia,” Dr Al Yafei said.

Dr Al Yafei explained that sedation or general anesthesia

is sometimes recommended in the case of patients who have multiple dental problems and are unable to sit in a dental chair. He said sedation allows for multiple procedures to be bundled together during the same appointment, which he says is less stressful for the patient because it means they only have to visit the clinic once for treatment. He says it is often safer for patients with special needs to be sedated while pro-cedures are carried out to protect them from the shape, fast-moving instruments required in dental treatment.

“We have recently begun using nitrous oxide, called laughing gas, in the treatment of many of our paediatric patients in particular, patients with Down syndrome. Nitrous oxide is a gas used to safely and effectively administer conscious sedation. During the adminis-tration of nitrous oxide, no bodily functions are affected and the patient remains in a com-fortable state. The patient is

awake but feels completely relaxed,” said Dr Al Yafei.

Al Wakra Hospital’s spe-cialised dental clinic is fitted with state-of-the-art medical equipment and has a number of features designed to meet the needs of patients with physical disabilities, including a dedi-cated operating room, a special door which is wide enough to allow access to patients with mobility impairments, and a special lifting apparatus which can lift an object up to 400kg in weight. This feature enables the treatment of patients while they are seated on their wheelchairs.

The clinic is staffed by one senior consultant and two spe-cialists and provides routine dental care such as cleaning, checkups, tooth extractions, and fillings.

The clinic also provides care for patients who are unable to clean their own teeth. Unlike most HMC services, a referral from a primary healthcare or private clinic is not required.

A patient being given special care at Al Wakra Hospital’s specialised dental clinic.

QC launches ‘Home Collector’ to ease donationTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Charity (QC) has activated the “Home Collector” service in its App, which helps donors make their contribu-tions from anywhere within Qatar.

The activation of the service came as part of QC’s continuing efforts to make the donation process smart, easy and simple, considering the fact that many benefactors, due to any reasons, are not able to come in person to QC’s headquarters, its branches, or its points of col-lections, said a release.

The idea of this service is that a donor can request for a “home collector” through QC’s App. Then this service will locate the donor on the map

and send his request to a col-lector nearer to his location. Then the collector will contact the donor to receive his donation.

It is worth mentioning that some QR1,000 is the minimum amount, for which a home collector can go to the donor’s place to receive. Using this service, a donor can also evaluate the work of the home collector, which will be monitored by QC’s customer service team to ensure the satisfaction of the

donors, and improve QC’s services.

QC’s app is now available on Android and iOS. It is smart,

secure, practical and very easy to uses. Through this app, donors can make, track and manage their contributions. Moreover, it includes a donor profile page and maintains the privacy of personal information of the donor.

The app users can choose from QC’s different projects, sponsorship programmes and campaigns, and donate for all or any of them. Also, donors can view periodic reports (videos and photos) on their contributions through this app. Users can donate by credit or debit cards from any place in the world as well as they can get the latest news on vol-untary, charitable and human-itarian work worldwide through this App.

Mobile app of the Qatar Charity.

Challenges of achieving food security for disabled discussedTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: As part of marking World Social Responsibility Day under slogan “Achieving Zero Hunger”, Best Buddies Qatar participated in the discussion entitled “Achieving Food Security and Access for People with Disabil-ities” in Qatar Social and Cultural Center for Blind.

Best Buddies Qatar official, Samah Al Khreasha raised four main subjects: disability, poverty, hunger and food insecurity; the challenges of achieving food security for persons with disa-bilities; sustainable development objectives and the rights of persons with disabilities; and solutions to eradicate the causes of poverty and hunger for persons with disabilities and their families.

The debate among Best

Buddies Qatar experts and social responsibility and disability support specialists, concluded several important recommen-dations including the inclusion of disabilities in food and nutrition and food security pro-grams, ensuring that persons with disabilities benefit equally from mainstream food programs

and food security programs, as well as guaranteeing that inter-national cooperation programs on food imports to developing countries do not contribute to food insecurity through the delivering of lower quality food.

The recommendations also emphasized raising awareness on the nutrition and disability among communities, nutrition institutions, disability institutions and governments at all levels.

The necessity of knowledge and understanding about the sit-uation of children and parents with disabilities through data exchange and researches, reas-sures access to awareness cam-paigns on nutrition to persons with disabilities and their families.

The references emphasized that nutrition and disability are closely related to each other as

priorities for global devel-opment; to eliminate malnu-trition and to ensure the safety and health of children with dis-abilities through stopping poverty, ensuring justice and guaranteeing human rights.

Laalei Abu Alfain, Executive

Director of Best Buddies Qatar, commented: “Best

Buddies Qatar, being a govern-mental non-profitable

organisation which aims to enhance life of persons with and without intellectual and

developmental disabilities

through social integration, is eager to have this opportunity to raise, discuss and spread awareness of today’s problem-atics of Hunger and Food Security and

Accessibility for people with disabilities and their families.”

Best Buddies Qatar participated in the discussion entitled “Achieving Food Security and Access for People with Disabilities” in Qatar Social and Cultural Center for Blind.

The participants at the event.

QU, EABC discuss developing farm projectsDOHA: Qatar University (QU) has discussed with Euro-Arab Business Council for SMEs (EABC) the academic and research cooperation between the two sides in the devel-opment of some agricultural and industrial development projects that contribute to enhancing the food security of Qatar.

The discussion was held during a meeting held yes-terday at the College of Business and Economics, under the keenness of QU and EABC to develop and define the frameworks of bilateral scien-tific and practical cooperation between the two sides, QNA reported.

The meeting came out with a number of recommenda-tions, the most important of which is the need to establish a joint investment research unit that includes QU’s scien-tific side and EABC’s practical experience, in addition to enhancing technical cooper-ation in the evaluation and development of existing and potential agricultural projects.

The meeting also recom-mended the need to feed the local centers concerned with these projects with the latest reports, research and studies related to them and to indicate the most important agricultural investment opportunities available in Qatar and friendly countries. The meeting stressed the need to follow international standards and specifications for various agricultural products in Qatar in order to enhance their exports abroad, after achieving self-sufficiency from some of these products in Qatar.


More awareness programs on breast cancer this monthTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and its stake-holders will continue to raise awareness of breast cancer through various campaigns in October.

Under the theme ‘Together against breast cancer,’ the cam-paign aims to educate women about the risk of breast cancer, increasing their knowledge of the signs and symptoms and empowering them to take charge of their own breast health.

Throughout the month of October there will be a number of activities across Qatar in malls, hospitals, and schools including lectures, community events, workshops and conferences. Educational materials including leaflets, roll ups and posters, raising public awareness of how to be breast aware and what the breast cancer signs and symptoms are, will be provided. A social media campaign will run to share information with the public about breast cancer, pro-viding health tips and offering

support to cancer patients and their families and cancer survivors.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in Qatar. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every 19 seconds someone in the world is diag-nosed with breast cancer.

Statistics from the Qatar National Cancer Registry (QNCR) 2015 report, of the MoPH shows a total of 248 cases diagnosed with malignant breast cancer; six

of which were male and 242 were female. The three-year sur-vival rate from malignant breast cancer during the period 2013-2015 was relatively high at 82.3%. Female breast cancer ranked first amongst all new cases of female malignant cancers at 39.41%.

Dr Mohamed H. Al Thani, Director of Public Health, MOPH said, “There is no certain way to prevent breast cancer however one can lower the risks. This can be especially helpful for women with certain risk factors for breast cancer, such as having a strong family history or certain

gene change; there are some things you can do to help lower your chances of developing breast cancer.”

Certain breast cancer risk factors are related to personal behaviors, including diet and exercise. Other lifestyle-related risk factors include decisions about having children and taking medicines that contain hor-mones. By making meaningful lifestyle changes, the odds for preventing cancer can be increased. Take healthy lifestyle measures including regular exercise, controlling weight, eating a healthy diet and no

smoking.“In line with its mission to

provide the safest, most effective and compassionate care to eve-ryone in Qatar, HMC as one of the largest healthcare organiza-tions in Qatar and the region is keen to empower women and provide people with the knowledge they need about breast awareness, reducing their risk of cancer and how early detection can save lives. Our aim is to minimize the impact of breast cancer in Qatar, said Cath-erine Gillespie, Executive Director of Nursing at the National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR).

Dr Shaikha Abu Shaikha, Cancer Program Manager, Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) said, “The main part of our contribution to this joint campaign is the ‘Screen for Life’ program which was launched in January 2016. Providing compli-mentary breast and bowel cancer screening services to eligible people, we are launching our annual breast cancer awareness campaign throughout October under the theme ‘Your Life is

Precious, Get Screened’. We urge eligible women to take a proactive approach to their breast health and book a screening appointment by calling the program call center at 8001112.”

Mariam Al Noaimi, General Manager of Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) said, “The ‘life is pink’ breast cancer awareness cam-paign continues in October and emphasizes the importance of early detection and spreading the culture of healthy life style in prevention and highlights the health services available in Qatar; activates QCS’ role in providing social and financial support to cancer patients and enriches the experiences of individuals living with cancer.”

This joint awareness initi-ative acknowledges the impact of breast cancer on the com-munity and how Qatar’s healthcare professionals and leaders are committed to con-tinually raising awareness and improving services to best con-tribute to the Qatar Vision 2030 of a cancer free community.

Under the theme ‘Together against breast cancer,’ the campaign aims to educate women about the risk of breast cancer, increasing their knowledge of the signs and symptoms and empowering them to take charge of their own breast health.

QRCS to support Kerala’s flood-affected peopleTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), and the Interna-tional Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support flood-affected people in Kerala.

The partnership will enable IRCS and Kerala State branch to implement the mid- and long-term recovery plans, including sharing resources and technical expertise, said a release.

The MoU was formally endorsed at the IRCS NHQ between Dr R K Vats, Secretary-General of IRCS, Noora Rashid Al Dosari, General Director of Relief and International Devel-opment, QRCS, and Leon Prop, Head of Country Cluster Support Team for India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Mal-dives, IFRC.

The recent Kerala floods are one of the worst disasters that the state has faced in close to a hundred years. The Red Cross Movement has been responding from the very first hours of the disasters, starting with the state and district branch, national

headquarters, other state branches and National Societies in other countries.

“We reached out to IRCS with an offer of support and expressed a desire to partner in the recovery plan developed based on the needs visible on the ground. The MoU is an endorsement of our com-mitment to support the people of Kerala as they start rebuilding their lives,” said Ms. Al Dosari.

“This MoU embodies the spirit of cooperation and common principles of human-itarian response that bring the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement together in times of crisis and need. The partnership will enable IRCS and Kerala State branch to implement the mid- and long-term recovery plans, including sharing resources and technical expertise,” said Dr. Vats.

“The MoU will promote effective partnership and close cooperation and leverage strengths that each has. Detailed individual plans will be agreed upon as well-based baseline data and response and recovery plans that have been developed,” added Prop.

QRCS officials with representatives of IRCS and IFRC after signing an MoU.

Maserati is official car in Cannes Yachting FestivalTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: For the second consecutive year, Maserati will be taking part as official car in the 41st edition of the Cannes Yachting Festival, with a compre-hensive programme of events placing the Trident Brand firmly in the centre of Europe’s top yachting show.

Throughout the event, the Croisette will provide the backdrop for test drives involving the entire Maserati 2019 range: Levante, the first SUV in the Modena con-structor’s more than a century of history, the Quattroporte flagship and the Ghibli sports sedan will be available to guests and cus-tomers for test drives on a route carefully chosen to high-light the performance, driving pleasure and comfort, said a statement.

Maserati is also supplying a chauffeur courtesy car service for VIP guests visiting the event, in a fleet of cars, including the flagship Quattroporte sedan and the Levante SUV.

From September 13 to 15, during the exclusive “Drive & Sail” programme, as well as taking the cars on-road, par-ticipants will also have the opportunity for an experience on board the Maserati Multi 70, skippered by Giovanni Soldini.

The high-tech racing tri-maran and its crew offer the opportunity of an adrenalin-packed experience of “flying”

across the waves, in a vessel that is a cutting-edge work-in-progress, always seeking to evolve and improve performance.

In February, Maserati Multi 70 set the new record on the Tea Route of 12,948 nautical miles from Hong Kong to London, which it covered in just 36 days, 37 minutes and 12 seconds.

The “Drive & Sail” expe-rience is the ideal combination of technology, performance and lifestyle, all typical of the Trident Brand and echoed across the Maserati 2019 range, enhanced with discreet updates to the styling and new, exclusive contents.

Throughout the Festival, customers and guests will be welcomed to the Maserati Lounge, an exclusive space within the Vieux Port, Palais

239. Inside the Lounge, visitors

will be able to view the MY19 range, all featuring the powerful V6 and V8 petrol engines that deliver the perfect mix of per-formance and comfort, with the unique sound that identifies all Maserati cars:

To celebrate the part-nership, Bvlgari will be exhib-iting the two versions of the exclusive Octo Maserati watch, GranLusso and GranSport, the perfect synthesis of the elegance and excellence which the two brands share.

Ermenegildo Zegna, will be present with the ZZegna capsule collection, designed for sailing and yachting enthusiasts in search of quality technical clothing. The collection will also be on show at the Zegna bou-tique in Cannes throughout the Festival.

Maserati Levante and Quattroporte MY19 on display at Maserati Lounge.

Texas A&M at Qatar students showcase talents in ‘Best Writing’ bookTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Engineering students from Texas A&M University at Qatar showcased their writing talents in the 2018 edition of Best Writing, a book that demonstrates the ability and creativity of students at the branch campus.

Now in its fifth year, Best Writing features the writings of Texas A&M at Qatar students in a variety of genres, from poetry, short stories and personal essays to technical papers and research reports.

Dr César Octavio Malavé, dean of Texas A&M at Qatar, said, “We are committed to educating well-rounded engineers who are critical thinkers and problem solvers, and

who will lead Qatar’s transfor-mation into a modern, knowledge-based society. Best Writing cele-brates the talent and creativity of our Aggie engineers and shows their innovation and passion.”

This year’s book, Stories We Live By, features stories their authors live by. Several of the pieces published in the book reveal students’ struggles with difficult issues or decisions, and demon-strate the courage and resilience of each author as they try to make sense of their experiences.

During the book launch, several of the student authors read selec-tions from their published pieces. The book also features photos taken by Texas A&M at Qatar

students, including Mowad Alaradi whose photo of Souq Waqif is fea-tured on the book’s cover. Co-editor and instructional associate professor Dr Mysti Rudd first con-ceived of the book five years ago. Rudd said Best Writing shows that Aggie engineers in Qatar excel at thinking and writing creatively as well as critically. Rudd also praised the students who were brave enough to share their writings.

“I am humbled by the trust that each of these student writers places in us by sharing the ‘stories they live by’ — exposing their struggles and concerns, daring to give us glimpses of what they have yet to learn. Reading through an entire volume of Best Writing is like listening to our

students without interruption. If you listen intently as you read, both to what is said and what is left unsaid, I believe you will be changed by what you read,” said Rudd.

Co-editor Dr Amy Hodges agreed said, “We need stories to live by. Stories remind us of what kind of person we want to be, and they tell us what we are like at our worst. I encourage you to listen to the following student authors for the ways in which they tell us truths about each individual human spirit. These are volunteers who are speaking to you tonight, people who are answering a higher call than a professor assigning an essay. They are telling you the stories that we live by.” Texas A&M at Qatar launches book of student writing.

MEC recalls 2016-18 models of Toyota Prius

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce, in collaboration with Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros Co W.L.L, dealer of Toyota vehicles in Qatar, has announced the recall of Toyota Prius models of 2016-2018 over a potential defect in the wire harness, which is connected to the hybrid vehicle Power Control Unit.

The Ministry of Economy and Commerce, in collabo-ration with Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles, dealer of Mercedes Benz vehicles in Qatar, has also announced the recall of Mercedes Benz GLE-Class model of 2018 because the threaded con-nections of the strut rods on the rear axle carrier do not correspond with the manu-facturer’s specifications.

The ministry said the recall campaigns come within the framework of its ongoing efforts to protect consumers and ensure that car dealers follow up on vehicle defects and repairs.

The ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to follow up on the maintenance and repair works and will communicate with customers to ensure that the necessary repairs are carried out.

The Ministry has urged all customers to report any vio-lations to its Consumer Pro-tection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department.


TURKEY

‘Qatar is our second home’The brotherly relations

between Qatar and Turkey are not limited to cooperation in areas

of politics and economy rather citizens of both countries share the same sentiments of mutual trust and affection.

The Turkish expatriates living here consider Qatar as their second home and praise Qatar’s peace, progress, pros-perity and determination of Qatari citizens to achieve their goals.

After the unjust siege, imposed on Qatar in June last year, not only the relations at the State level strengthened between Qatar and Turkey but also more Turkish citizens came here to start new jobs or launch new business ventures.

The Peninsula talked to a number of distinguished Turkish expatriates to learn about their views on Qatar, its society, culture and understand their thoughts on mega development projects particularly the ones related to 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Peninsula also tried to explore the experiences Turkish community members gained during their stay in Qatar.

Peace, security and progress

are three elements which have impressed Barbaros Akyildiz, Managing Director of The Blue Group. “Everything in Qatar is peaceful, secure and well-organized,” he said.

Akyildiz joined The Blue Group last year in October and in less than one year, he has a lot to talk about Qatar and its achievements. “My around one year experience of living and working in Qatar has been very good. Before joining The Blue Group, I had not been here but

had read and listened a lot about the country and its rapid progress,” he added.

He regularly interacts with Turkish community and has a number of Qatari friends. “My circle of friends from the Turkish community is expanding with passing time and same is the case regarding making Qatari friends,” he said.

Akyildiz said that brotherly relations between Turkey and Qatar were old but in recent years they touched new heights of

mutual trust and cooperation. “We in our individual capacity can feel them while moving in the society.”

He said that a number of Turkish businessmen were turning their focus towards Qatar’s market and Qatari investments in Turkey were also on a constant rise. “New contracts are being made, new joint ventures are being matured,” he said, adding that the trend of Qatari-Turkish joint businesses was on the rise in the post-siege scenario.

Akyildiz has attended some

marriage functions of his Qatari friends and thinks that there are numerous similarities between cultures of Turkey and Qatar. “Two cultures are not so separate, they share many common things.”

Talking on recent acute financial crisis in Turkey, he said that not only Turkish community living in Qatar was supporting their country’s economy but many Qataris had sought his advice on how they could help Turkey.

“During recent Lira fluctua-tions, many Qataris invested in Turkish currency. And it was not for the financial gains rather on the grounds of emotional affection,” he said, adding: “We need each other, support each other.”

Akyildiz also expressed delight over the fact that Turkish cuisine was getting popular in Qatar and many new Turkish restaurant franchises were opening in Qatar.

Akyildiz said that Qatar’s preparations for 2022 FIFA World Cup were amazing. “I visited the Supreme Committee majlis in Moscow during Russia 2018 and was delighted to observe the interest and curiosity of visitors for Qatar 2022,” he added.

The Blue group’s deeply rooted presence in the sports retail market in Qatar is spear-headed by Sports Corner. Sports Corner Woman, Adidas Y-3 and Adidas Originals are also part of Blue Group’s Sport Division.

Another Turkish citizen, Atilla Kurucayirli, who is living in Qatar for the last five years, described his experience of working in Qatar saying, “I feel at home.”

Atilla, High Net Worth Clients Coordinator at a leading private bank of Qatar, has arranged hun-dreds of visits of Turkish busi-nessmen to Qatar particularly in the post-blockade scenario and with his efforts numerous joint ventures between Turkish and

Qatari companies have been matured.

“Turkey and Qatar are like two hearts, one soul. Both coun-tries are at the peak of their brotherly relations and being a Turkish national my efforts will always be to keep them at this level,” he said.

Atilla, without exaggeration, is the most dynamic Turkish expatriate in Qatar enjoying a huge circle of Qatari friends. “Recently, my friend Ahmed Al

Maadheed and I presented a por-trait of President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan to him in Ankara which Al Maadheed had created out of his love for Turkey and President Edrogan,” he said.

He said that the number of Turkish expatriates in Qatar was increasing. “The number of vis-itors from Turkey is also increasing.”

Atilla said that like other Turkish expatriates, he fre-quently visited restaurants offering original Turkish cuisine. “Sazeli at Mall of Qatar is my favourite Turkish restaurant but there are other good options as well including Hassan Kolcuoglu

and Habib. Soon Turkey’s popular ‘Huqqa’ eatery is opening its branch in Qatar,” he added.

Dr Volkan Uygunucarlar, Co-Chairman and CEO of the Turkish Hospital thinks that Qatar is the pearl of GCC.

“Going very well,” was his answer when asked about his experience of establishing a private hospital in Qatar.

Turkish Hospital which was opened in February 2017 offers a wide range of sophisticated healthcare facilities and according to Dr Volkan provides solutions to health problems in Qatar leaving no space for patients to travel abroad on medical grounds.

“We invested in Qatar because we have full trust in the country. It is not the case of pulling investments from Qatar but exactly opposite,” he added.

Dr Volkan said: “Our aim is to provide all medical solutions in Qatar without sending patients to other countries. Turkish Hos-pital is a full-scale hospital offering all types of simple to complex surgeries.”

Dr Volkan lives in Doha with his family and enjoys sociali-zation with his Turkish and Qatari friends. He thinks that there is a lot of scope for launching business ventures in Qatar. “Frequent interaction between private sectors of Turkey and Qatar is needed,” he observed.

“In Qatar, we feel like a citizen. In Qatar one can learn a lot from different communities living together peacefully.”

To a question about future expansion plans in services of Turkish Hospital, he said that soon the hospital would start a beauty centre offering advance-tech cosmetic surgery.

He said that more Turkish citizens came to start new jobs or businesses here after June 5, 2017 blockade. “Crisis did not affect Qatar rather today we are better than yesterday. Qatar is a strong country having wise lead-ership,” he added.

Burak Ozdal, GM and Partner at Vector Electromechanical says that success is guaranteed in Qatar for committed and honest people. “I am residing in Qatar for the last nine years and have witnessed country’s tremendous development,” he said.

He said that Qatari citizens knew very well how to set targets and achieve their goals. “The people here are friendly and wel-coming. Qatari citizens are very humble and know how goals are achieved.”

Ozdal spent 29 years of his life out of Turkey in 14 different countries. “I was treated most beautifully here in Qatar.” He said that the current Gulf crisis and the blockade of Qatar was a product of jealousy. “Some coun-tries could not tolerate rapid development and extraordinary achievements of Qatar therefore tried to hamper its growth but they all failed,” he observed.

He lauded ongoing prepara-tions for 2022 FIFA World Cup saying that all preparations were being made very carefully.

The Turkish expatriates living here consider Qatar as their second home and praise Qatar’s peace, progress, prosperity and determination of Qatari citizens to achieve their goals.

Crisis did not affect Qatar rather today we are better than

yesterday. Qatar is a strong country having wise leadership.

We invested in Qatar because we have full trust in the country. It is not the case of pulling investments from Qatar but exactly opposite.

Dr Volkan Uygunucarlar

Co-Chairman and CEO

Turkish Hospital

My around one year experience of living and working in Qatar has been very good. Before joining The Blue Group, I had not been here but had read and listened a lot about the country and its rapid progress.

Barbaros Akyildiz,

Managing Director

The Blue Group

I am residing in Qatar for the last

nine years and have witnessed

the country’s tremendous

development.

Burak Ozdal

GM and Partner, Vector

Electromechanical Turkey and Qatar

are like two hearts, one soul. Both

countries are at the peak of their

brotherly relations and being a Turkish national my efforts will always be to keep them at this

level.

Atilla Kurucayirli

Qatari artist, Ahmed Al Maadheed, presenting a portrait to President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Ankara. Atilla Kurucayirli can be seen standing at extreme right.

Turkish cuisine is one of the most popular food options closest to Arab cuisine, especially that of the

Levant. It offers appetizers, main courses, desserts and beverages which are famous around the world. The Turkish cuisine varies from region to region within Turkey itself, and consists of many dishes.

In Qatar, the most popular dishes which most Turkish restaurants provide are grilled ones such as Kabab, Sha-warma, Kofta, in addition to pies anad appetizers and also Pizza.

Turkish restaurants particularly casual dining restaurants are spread

across Qatar and are loved by everyone. There are more than one Turkish res-taurant in some areas due to high demand like in the Old Airport area.

Replying to a question about the reasons of growing demand for Turkish food, an operator of a Turkish res-taurant in Matar Qadeem said: “Many people who live here are workers who do not have families here so they prefer eating outside. For families, they come mostly on weekends. Another factor is the affordable price.”

Another operator of Turkish res-taurant Marmara Istanbul in Al Sadd said: “Most of the customers come on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. All the communities, whether Arab, Asian, European or African are visiting our res-taurant. What makes Turkish cuisine

special is that all people like it.”Along casual dining restaurants,

Turkish fine dining restaurants are fre-quently visited not only by the Turkish community but also by Qatari citizens and other expatriate communities. Sazeli at Mall of Qatar and Hassan Kol-cuoglu at The Pearl Qatar are among them.

Most of the workers especially chefs in these restaurants hail from Turkey to give food the authentic taste.

“I like the way they cook chicken. In my opinion, Turkish cuisine is a fusion and refinement of all cuisines around the World from Eastern European and Balkan to Middle Eastern cuisines,” said Abdel Raheem from India, a customer at Habeeb Restaurant in Old Airport Area.

Turkish food makes inroads in Qatar

IRFAN BUKHARI THE PENINSULA

SIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA


Qatari librarians gain international expertise at global congressTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatari librarians shared their expertise and experiences at Qatar National Library (QNL) with their international peers at the recent 84th World Library and Information Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Representing Qatar, these librarians from a wide range of disciplines discussed skills, best practices and opportunities in a series of workshops and meetings with their counterparts from more than 110 countries. They also highlighted the Library’s successes, as the newest national library in the 21st Century, since its public opening in November last year, including user services experi-ences, events and exhibitions.

Abeer Al Kuwari, Director of Research and Learning Services, said, “All of us at the Library are constantly trying to develop pro-fessionally and learn new ideas and skills so that we can pass that knowledge on to our visitors as well as our colleagues. This was the third time I attended the conference. Being a corre-sponding member in the MetLib section of the International Fed-eration of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), it was an excellent opportunity to get a wide variety of perspectives on libraries and librarianship, and I’m very excited to put what I’ve learned into practice.”

Information Services Librarian Eiman Al Shamari pre-sented a poster about gas-tronomy books in the Middle East, highlighting an important

but often overlooked topic and laying the groundwork for future professional partnerships. “I was able to meet librarians from around the world, and we discussed potential ways to collaborate and share expertise,” Al Shamari said. “Collaboration is key to my long-term development as a librarian, so these opportu-nities to network and exchange ideas are important personally and professionally.”

The congress was held on the theme “Transform Libraries, Transform Societies,” a partic-ularly appropriate context coming in the Library’s first year open to Qatar community. Amani Al Yafei, Head of Science at the Library, embraced that theme: “Science has a huge impact on society in countless

ways, from sustainability to the economy to healthcare, and at the Library, we have developed numerous programs to encourage science education in Qatar. I was able to talk with science librarians from around the world, and our future pro-gramming at the Library will reflect the new ideas they shared.”

Commenting on his expe-rience at the congress, Ahmed Al Malki, Senior Information Services Librarian, said, “Through networking and exchanging ideas, I was not only able to grow as a librarian, but I was also able to help my col-leagues and contribute to the profession by sharing my own experiences in Qatar. Any time you can both teach and learn, it’s a valuable opportunity.”

Safari Hypermarket begins10-20-30 promotion

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Safari, the well-known hypermarket group in Doha has started 10-20-30 promotional offering amazing prize discounts from today.

The promotional offers are also designed in such a pattern and the products with superior quality at a lesser prize is the specialty of this promotions, said a release.

Safari is a shopping desti-nation for the common people for past several years as it has always introduced different verities of daily promotions and offers. This promotion is the most popular promotion from safari. Over thousands of verity products are showcased as a part of this promotion.

Safari group Director and General Manger, Zainul Abideen pointed that Safari is the first business firm which has created a transparent rela-tionship between the customer and the business firm.

He said that over thousands of products are showcased under this promotion including food products, daily usage products, health products, beauty care products, house hold, sanitary, cleaning products, electronics & elec-trical items, ready-made, foot ware, computer accessories.

Baskin-Robbins ice cream

500 ml bottle for uust QR10, Nescafe jar 200 grams for just QR20, Kenwood brand steam Iron box for just QR30 are the highlights of the promotion.

Under the promotions there will be a musical show on October 2, 3 and 4, 2018 at 6.30 pm. This program will be led by .Navas Palery, Malayalam singer and famous Artists from Doha. And also there will be a magic show led by .Francis. The entry for this show will be absolutely free for all and the venue will be the food court of Safari Mall located in Abu-Hamour.

The new fabulous pro-motion in which the customers can win 10 kg gold is introduced in all safari outlets from Sep-tember 10, 2018 onwards. There will be 5 lucky draws and 4 winners in each lucky draw. Two kg of gold is the winning prize in each lucky draw. The first prize winner will be awarded by 1 kg gold, 500 gm for second prize winner, 300 gm for third winner and 200 gm for the person who is coming at the forth position.

The first lucky draw will be held on October 29 at Safari Mall Abu Hamour. Anyone can participate in this event through the lucky draw of coupons which they receive while each purchasing of goods worth QR50.

130 new cars join Karwa taxi fleetTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Mowasalat (Karwa) company flagged off new 130 Volkswagen Passat S 2018 Taxi Cars to join the taxi fleet, in a span of 10 days.

Mowasalat CEO & Managing Director, Khalid Nasser Al Hail, was personally present to flag them off, along with General Manager of Q-Auto and other officials of Q-Auto and Mowasalat Karwa, who witnessed it.

The new 130 Volkswagen Passat S 2018 Taxi vehicles come with high safety and security standards and spacious and comfortable interior for passengers, in addition to spacious trunk. It also has stronger engine with 2.5L 125kw (170hp),

advanced transmission. “The vehicles are also equipped with

electronic stability control (ESP) including ABS, ASR, HBA and TPMS. In addition, the car has 6 airbags distributed for the safety of drivers and passengers in front and back seats,” explained Ahmed Shariefi, Q-Auto General Manager, on the addi-tional safety & care, thanking also Mow-asalat Management for reposing trust in them.

Khalid Nasser Al Hail said: “Within the framework of meeting with commitment to customer service and accomplishing to build for delivering FIFA 2022, it is our endeavor to upgrade the complete eco system of taxi

services, with vehicle standards, driver training, enhancement of Karwa Taxi Appli-cation, technology upgrades, test run, monitor and implement.”

“We take customer feedback and put it back in the product development cycle to update the latest version. Our aim is for our taxi-riding pas-senger to have a rich customer experience and ensure their loyalty and good will.”

From his side, Khalid Kafoud, Mowasalat Government Relations Managers said that the new look “Karwa Taxi App” has addi-tional exclusive features making it much more lighter (less consumption of data) & faster (quick responsive time) with more options.

QU-CPH organises 12th Annual White Coat CeremonyTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar University College of Pharmacy (QU-CPH) recently held the 12th Annual White Coat Ceremony in which 31 new pharmacy students, class of 2022, took the symbolic Oath of a Pharmacist and donned the pharmacist’s White Coat in front of an audience of more than 300 invited guests and well-wishers.

During the event, QU-CPH celebrated the renewal of its accreditation by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) for another 5 years. The College of Pharmacy at Qatar University is the first international program to be awarded full accreditation status by CCAPP (Canada) since 2009.

The renewal certificate was handed to QU President Dr Hasan Al-Derham by Executive Director for CCAPP Dr Wayne Hindmarsh. Dr Hindmarsh also delivered a keynote speech entitled: ‘Professionalism in Pharmacy Practice’.

The event also featured the distribution of Ebn Sina Medical Scholarship Awards to the stu-dents who achieved high GPA in addition to those with the most promising potential in their upcoming academic years. The students are: PharmD student Dima Kawas, MSc

student Ola Hussein, fourth year student Aya Maklad, third year student Soumaya Koraych, and second year student Mena-tallah Rayan.

During the event, a special recognition was held for the four students who participated and won 10 awards in the 64th Inter-national Pharmaceutical Stu-dents’ Federation World Con-gress (IPSF) that was held this year in Mendoza, Argentina with participants from 60 countries around the world. The four par-ticipating students are Iqrah Qurishi, Ikram Zouch, Sara Aldali and Sara Thiab.

The event was attended by Canadian ambassador H.E. Mrs. Stefanie McCollum, Dr. Hassan Al Derham, President of QU, Vice President for Medical and Health Sciences Dr. Egon Toft, Vice President for Medical and Health Sciences and Dr. Mohammad Diab, Dean of College of

Pharmacy. First year students, their families and QU-CPH faculty and staff also attended the event.

Dr Mohammad Diab, Dean of the College of Pharmacy said, “Today we are welcoming the newest class of students and their families to the 12th annual White Coat Ceremony. The white coat symbolizes the highest ideals of pharmacy and is a reward for passage to the college. The core values of the College of Pharmacy are mainly profes-sionalism, respect, commitment, impact, innovation and partnership.”

Dr Wayne Hindmarsh said, “I would like to add my congrat-ulations to the students within the College of Pharmacy for taking this step in their Pharmacy Career. The White Coat cer-emony signifies entry into a health profession and with that the obligations of a profession.

The College of Pharmacy at Qatar University has an excellent record of producing great grad-uates with the knowledge to provide excellent pharmaceu-tical health care to the citizens of Qatar.

“The Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Pro-grams is pleased to see the con-tinued excellent growth of the College through the leadership by both the faculty and Uni-versity administration. CPH is a College for which Qatar Uni-versity can be proud of,” Dr Wayne

Dr Alla El-Awaisi, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, com-mented, “The theme for the World Pharmacist Day, cele-brated tomorrow, is focused on the pharmacist being the medi-cation expert sharing their knowledge with their patients and other members of the healthcare team.”

She added: “Therefore, our students who are future phar-macists have an exciting road ahead of them where they will acquire the knowledge, the skills and the professional attitude to be able to provide

the best quality of care to their patients by being outstanding pharmacists and an active integral member of the healthcare team.”

Ruba Sulaiman, First year professional year pharmacy student said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, and today marks the start of our journey as pharmacists, with our white coats ceremony. We are aware that is a great responsibility and we know per-fectly well that we are capable of carrying it. We are proud of what we have achieved.”

New pharmacy students, class of 2022, taking the symbolic Oath at the 12th Annual White Coat Ceremony.

Mowasalat officials during the launch of new taxis.

During the event, QU-CPH also celebrated the renewal of its accreditation by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) for another 5 years. The College of Pharmacy at Qatar University is the first international program to be awarded full accreditation status by CCAPP (Canada) since 2009.

Qatar Chamber concludes CSR programmeDOHA: Qatar Chamber concluded the Corporate Social Respon-sibility (CSR) licence programme, which was held for the first time in Qatar in collaboration with the Regional Network for Social Respon-sibility, a member of the United Nations Global Compact programme. The programme aimed at providing participants with the concept of social responsibility and its implementation mechanisms as well as the development and design of community initiatives.

The program, presented by deputy chairman of the Regional Network for Social Responsibility Dr Ali Abdullah Al Ibrahim, aimed at providing the trainees with full knowledge of the principles of social responsibility, tools enabling companies to achieve sus-tainable social returns, encouraging the private sector to search for comprehensive and environmentally friendly solutions.

09MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 MIDDLE EAST

Former leader of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (IKRG) Masoud Barzani casts his ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling station in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, yesterday.

Iraqi Kurds hold election one year after failed independence bidREUTERS

ERBIL/SULAIMANIYA: KURDS voted in a parliamentary election in their semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq yesterday, with political dynasties expected to extend their power sharing rule despite growing discontent with perceived corruption and economic hardship.

The vote comes a year after the region of six million, which gained semi-auton-omous status after the 1991 Gulf War, made a failed bid to break away from the rest of Iraq in a campaign headed by Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Barzani has retained a support base even though his independence drive prompted an intense backlash from the Baghdad government and resulted in the Kurds being stripped of some territory and economic autonomy. And while crit-icism of the ruling Kurdish establishment - dominated for decades by the Barzani and the Talabani families - has grown more vocal, a weak opposition means voters may stick to the status quo.

“I don’t know who I will vote for but our family has always supported the KDP. My son will pick a candidate for me,” said Halima Ahmed, 65, as she walked with a cane in the city of Erbil, the seat of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Splits within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) mean the KDP could gain the upper hand in their two-party ruling coalition. At midday, the Independent High Elections and Referendum Com-mission said that at mid-day turnout ranged between 16-23 percent in a breakdown of provinces.

The number of voters has shrunk in recent elections as the oil-producing region’s stagnant politics, unpaid public sector salaries and corruption have undermined the population’s faith in pol-itics. There are 111-seats up for grabs in the election, including 11 reserved for ethnic minorities. Kurdish opposition parties did poorly when Iraq held federal elections in May. But multiple allegations that the KDP and PUK had committed election fraud - not confirmed in a sub-sequent recount - may sway some voters

in their favour. Gorran, the main oppo-sition movement, has been weakened by infighting and the death of its founder and leader Nechirvan Mustafa last year.

Rebel group won’t abandon front lines in Idlib

AP

BEIRUT: A Syrian rebel group said yesterday it would not pull back its fighters from front-line positions in the contested north-western province of Idlib, where Russia and Turkey agreed to set up a demilitarised zone this month to avert an all-out offensive by Syrian government forces.

Failaq Al Sham, one of the main Turkey-backed factions in northern Syria, also said that one of the conditions of the Russia-Turkey deal — for rebel groups to withdraw heavy weapons from the zone — is meaningless since it has no such weapons there. “We will leave in this buffer area all what is needed to repel any treason or aggression such as anti-armor weapons,” the group said.

The Turkey-Russia deal calls for the removal of all members of Syrian radical groups from the demilitarised zone, as well as the removal of tanks, armored per-sonnel carriers and rebel

artillery weapons form the area.The demilitarised zone is

expected to be established by October 15. It will cover a stretch of about 15-20km, with troops from Russia and Nato-member Turkey conducting coordinated patrols in the zone.

But Failaq Al Sham also said it would not accept any Russian patrols in rebel-held areas once the agreement goes into effect.

The group’s statement is likely to complicate matters further for the Russia-Turkey deal. The statement was released hours after the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Failaq al-Sham had begun

removing some of its heavy weapons and evacuating some of its positions in the adjacent Aleppo province, which borders Idlib. On Saturday, another rebel-group, Jaysh al-Ezzah, also expressed reservations toward the deal that averted a government offensive on Idlib province, the last major stronghold of the Syrian opposition.

Jaysh Al Ezzah said demili-tarised zones should not only be established in rebel areas but also in areas under government control. The group also said Turkey should ensure the Idlib deal does not end up like last year’s de-escalation zones in

central and southern Syria, where rebel-held areas were later simply taken over by gov-ernment forces.

Last week, two jihadi groups in Idlib— the Al Qaeda-linked Horas Al Din, which is Arabic for “Guardians of Religion,” and Ansar Al Din, or “Partisans of Religion” — rejected the deal calling it a “great conspiracy.”

However, the main Al Qaeda-linked group — Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, Arabic for Levant Liberation Committee - that is also the largest militant group in Idlib, has not yet announced its position regarding the demilitarised zone.

18,000 dead in three years of Russia strikes: MonitorAFP

BEIRUT: More than 18,000 people, nearly half of them civilians, have been killed in Russian air strikes on Syria since Moscow began its game-changing intervention three years ago, a monitor said.

Russia, a steadfast ally of Syria’s ruling regime, began carrying out bombing raids in the country on September 30, 2015 -- more than four years into the devastating conflict.

Since then, they have killed 18,096 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“That number includes 7,988 civilians, or nearly half of the total,” said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

Another 5,233 Islamic State fighters were also killed in Russian strikes, with the rest of the dead including other rebels, Islamists and jihadists, the Britain-based monitor said.

Human rights groups and Western governments have criticised Russia’s air war in Syria, saying it bombs indiscriminately and targets civilian infrastructure including hospitals.

The White Helmets, a Syrian rescue force that works in oppo-sition areas, said in a report released Sunday that it had responded to dozens of strikes by Russia on buildings used by civilians since 2015.

They included Russian bombing raids on 19 schools, 12 public markets and 20 medical facilities over the past three years, as well as 21 of its own rescue centres.

“Russia has flaunted its disregard for agreements over safe zones, no-conflict zones, cessations of hostilities, and de-escalation zones by continuing with airstrikes on civilian spaces,” the White Helmets charged. Russia has operated a naval base in Syria’s coastal Tartus province for decades, but expanded its operations to the nearby Hmeimim airbase in 2015.

It also has special forces and military police units on the ground in government-controlled parts of the country.

The air strikes were crucial in helping troops loyal to President Bashar Al Assad retake swathes of the country, including second city Aleppo in 2016 and areas around Damascus, the rural centre, and the south this year alone.

“The regime controlled just 26 percent of Syrian territory” when Russia intervened, said Abdel Rahman, compared with close to two-thirds now. In addition to the Russian and Syrian air forces, warplanes from the US-led coalition fighting IS have also been carrying out bombing raids on Syria since September 2014.

Syrian children are seen during their lesson with the teacher inside a classroom tent at Atmeh Camp areas in northwestern province of Idlib, yesterday.

Dubai airport says operating as normal after Houthi drone attack: ReportREUTERS

DUBAI: Dubai International Airport said it was operating as normal following a news report Yemen’s armed Houthi movement had launched a drone attack against the airport.

“With regards to reports by questionable sources this morning, Dubai Airports can confirm that Dubai Interna-tional (DXB) is operating as normal without any inter-ruption,” said an airport spokesman. The Houthi’s Masirah TV earlier said, without providing evidence, a Sammad-3 drone had launched a drone attack on the airport. UAE officials last month denied reports by Houthi media that the group had targeted Dubai airport with a drone.

Israel frees French-Palestinian after 13 months without trialAFP

JERUSALEM: Israel yesterday released a French-Palestinian lawyer held without charge for the past 13 months over unspecified allegations, his lawyer said. Salah Hamouri, 33, was freed at Jerusalem police headquarters after being brought from his cell in a prison in southern Israel’s Negev desert.

Attorney Mahmud Hassan said that under the terms of his release Hamouri was for-bidden to take part in any cel-ebrations, demonstration or protests for a period of 30 days and required to post a bond of 3,000 shekels ($825).

He was arrested at his home in Israeli-annexed east Jeru-salem on August 23, 2017 and subsequently interned under what Israel calls administrative detention, which allows detention without trial for renewable six-month periods.

Classmates mourn boy shot dead by Israeli troopsREUTERS

KHAN YOUNIS: The school friends of Nassir Al Mosabeh sat tearfully in their classroom in Khan Younis yesterday and mourned their 12-year-old friend who was killed in a protest on the Gaza-Israel border.

Gaza health officials said Israeli sol-diers on Friday shot dead seven Pales-tinians, who were among thousands who thronged to the fortified border as part of weekly protests launched six months ago. Mosabeh was one of those killed.

“I cried for him like I have never cried before. I do not know what the (Israeli) occupation saw in him to kill him? What did he do to them? Did he kill anybody? I do not know what happened,” Mosa-beh’s friend, Dia’ Abu Khater said.

Mosabeh’s classmates in the school in the southern Gaza Strip decorated his chair with his picture ringed by red and white flowers and green leaves, the Pal-estinian colours.

Mosabeh was always at the border to assist medics in the Friday protests, his sister, Eslam, said.

“Nassir always came with us.

Everyone in the field hospital knows him and he always helped us. Nassir was our right hand, he would always bring us equipment whenever we needed some-thing. May God bless his soul,” she said.

Israel said troops resorted to live fire and an air strike after explosive devices and rocks were thrown at them and to prevent breaches of the border fence. It posted a video clip showing a controlled detonation of many explosive devices.

Gaza health officials said 505 people were wounded on Friday, 89 of them by gunshots.

At least 191 Palestinians have been killed since the Gaza protests began on March 30. The protesters are demanding the right of return to lands that Pales-tinian families fled or were driven from on Israel’s founding in 1948, and the easing of an Israeli-Egyptian economic blockade.

Two million Palestinians, mainly stateless descendants of people who left what is now Israel 70 years ago, live in the Gaza Strip, which has been controlled by Hamas for more than a decade, during which it has fought three wars against Israel.

Israel and Egypt say the blockade is necessary for security reasons. The World Bank says it has reduced the territory’s

economy to a state of collapse, with res-idents suffering a lack of clean water, elec-tricity and health care.

A picture of 12-year-old Palestinian boy Nassir Al Mosabeh, who was killed during a protest at the Israel-Gaza border fence, is seen on his table as his classmates react at a school, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, yesterday.

Iran sentences 3 to death for economic crimesREUTERS

DUBAI: Special courts set up in a drive against financial crime have sentenced three people to death, state television reported yesterday, as the country faces renewed US sanctions and a public outcry against profiteering and corruption.

The special Islamic revolutionary courts were set up last month to try sus-pects quickly after Supreme Leader Aya-tollah Ali Khamenei called for “swift and just” legal action to confront an “eco-nomic war” by foreign enemies.

Judiciary spokesman Gholam-hossein Mohseni Ejei, quoted by state TV, said the courts handed down out death sentences to three defendants after convicting them of “spreading cor-ruption on earth”, a capital offence under Iran’s Islamic laws. Mohseni Ejei did not name the three but said the sen-tences would have to be upheld by the supreme court before being carried out, the TV reported.

Mohseni Ejei said 32 other defendants were sentenced to jail terms of up to 20 years, the official news agency Irna reported.

The Turkey-Russia deal calls for the removal of all members of Syrian radical groups from the demilitarised zone, as well as the removal of tanks, armored personnel carriers and rebel artillery weapons form the area.

Qatar and Ecuador enjoy strong and growing relations at all levels. The relationships have been developing since the opening of the Embassy of Ecuador in Doha in 2012, which was followed by the opening of the Embassy of Qatar in the capital Quito in the same year.

10 MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018VIEWS

Qatar and Ecuador: Wide horizons for cooperation and mutual interests

The Amir of Qatar H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will start today a state visit to a number of friendly countries

in Latin America, at the invitation of their prospective leaders, in the course of the State of Qatar’s keenness on strengthening cooperation and stra-tegic partnerships with various coun-tries of the world.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will kick off his Latin American tour in the Republic of Ecuador, which will be followed by the Republic of Peru, the Republic of Par-aguay and the Argentine Republic. During the visits, H H the Amir will hold talks on ways of promoting the bilateral relations and cooperation in all fields, as well as the latest regional and international developments on mutual interest.

The Latin American trip follows several tours for H H the Amir in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, aiming at developing Qatar’s relations with all world countries.

In 2015, H H the Amir paid visits to a number of Latin American countries included Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela. H H the Amir held talks with leaders of the countries and senior officials on the bilateral relations and ways of pro-moting them, in addition to issues of common concern. During the tour, the State of Qatar signed several agree-ments and memorandums of understanding.

In July 2016, H H the Amir visited the Argentine Republic where he dis-cussed ways of upgrading the relations

between the two countries.

Qatar and Ecuador enjoy strong and growing relations at all levels. The relationships have been devel-oping since the opening of the Embassy of Ecuador in Doha in 2012, which was followed by the opening of the Embassy of Qatar in the capital Quito in the same year. The rela-tions were strengthened further after the visit of Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to Ecuador in January 2013, and

the visit of former President of Ecuador Rafael Correa to Qatar in October 2014.

The two countries are linked by many agreements, including a con-vention on the avoidance of double

taxation and prevention of tax evasion; an agreement on cooperation in legal matters; an agreement on air services; an agreement on trade, economic and technical cooperation between the two countries; and a goodwill memo-randum for media cooperation and exchange of news between Qatar News Agency and the National Com-munications Secretariat of the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Ecuador. In May, the first round of political consul-tations was held in Quito between Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In February 2018, Ecuador’s Min-ister of Foreign Trade and Investment Pablo Campana Saenz led visited the State of Qatar on the head of an eco-nomic delegation, and met with Vice Chairman of Qatar Chamber Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Towar in the presence of a number of Qatari businessmen.

Following the meeting, the Qatar Chamber Vice Chairman said that the two countries signed a number of agreements aiming at facilitating trade, business and investment, and noted a joint interest to increase the volume of trade exchange between the two countries which reached QR30,6 million in 2017.

For his part, Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Pablo Campana Saenz said that the dele-gation discussed the opportunities of encouraging Qatari investments in the sectors of hotels, tourism, mining, gas and others.

The Ecuadorian minister under-lined that the State of Qatar is an important investment destination in the region, stressing the significance of the Qatari investments in Ecuador.

In this context, H E Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador to the State of Qatar Yvonne Abdul Baki praised the distinct relations between the two countries, noting that the bilateral

relations are developing at all levels and that there are many mutual official visits to upgrade the relations.

In an interview with Qatari daily earlier this month, H E the Ambas-sador of Ecuador said that work is under way to inaugurate a direct air link between Qatar and Ecuador, stressing that it will contribute to the development of relations between the two countries in the fields of trade, investment, tourism and others.

She believed that the level of rela-tions will soon witness a breakthrough to serve the interests of the two peoples. She noted a strong focus and work on raising the value of trade between the two countries to reach the highest levels especially as Qatar and Ecuador have the economic com-ponents that would push the relations to the highest level.

The Ambassador said that the energy and natural gas sector could be an important area for the development of relations between Qatar and Ecuador.

Ecuador is a multi-ethnic and multicultural country with a popu-lation of over 16 million. It has a unique geographical location, situated on the equator in the middle of the world and characterized by its mag-nificent nature, with rivers, seas, mountains, forests and charming islands. It is a major oil exporter and the largest exporter of bananas throughout the world. Ecuador is also one of the world’s leading exporters of flowers, shrimp, cocoa and coffee, and one of the region’s leaders in global tourism.

The Ecuadorian economy is the third-best economy in Latin America, with an annual growth rate of 7% of GDP, prompted by improved public investment, infrastructure, academic quality and the judiciary, making the Republic of Ecuador an attractive des-tination for foreign companies.

QUOTE OF THE DAYWe must stop

re-fighting the referendum and come

together to honour the democratic will of the

British people or we will risk undermining

faith in that democratic system itself.

Liam Fox British Trade Minister

Further ramp up awareness of pollution, environmental protection

Fifty years have passed since Minamata disease was desig-nated as a pollution-

caused illness in 1968.Itai-Itai disease and

Niigata Minamata disease also received the designation that year. Four major pollution-caused illnesses, including Yokkaichi asthma, are neg-ative legacies of the high-growth period. Based on lessons learned from these diseases, it is essential to promote the building of a society that gives consider-ation to the environment.

Minamata disease was caused by wastewater dis-charged into the Yatsushiro Sea from a Chisso Corp. factory in the city of Minamata, Kumamoto Pre-fecture. The first patient was officially confirmed in 1956, but it took 12 years until the condition was recognized as a pollution-caused disease.

Chisso initially denied that the wastewater was the cause of the disease. Moreover, the government’s investigation into the cause of the disease and control of wastewater lacked swiftness. In a recent news conference, Envi-ronment Minister Masaharu Nakagawa said, “The delay in initial implementation of countermeasures led to the expansion of damage. It is still difficult to recover the serious damage.”

Taking countermeasures immediately if something extraordinary is detected - this is the most important thing for preventing the expansion of damage. This key to crisis management is applicable even today.

The emergence of pol-lution-caused diseases gave momentum to the polluter-pays principle taking root in Japan. The principle is based on the idea that pollution-causing businesses are responsible for environmental

cleanup and compensation for pollution sufferers. The idea was proposed by the Organi-zation for Economic Cooper-ation and Development from the 1970s to ‘80s.

Once a company causes environmental destruction, it will have to pay a huge price. This is apparent from a look at the case of Chisso.

Japanese firms’ environ-mental awareness has improved significantly now. Emissions controls of haz-ardous substances have been strengthened legally, too, so it is hard to imagine a situation in which serious pollution is caused as in the past.

Nevertheless, there are cases in which the adverse effects of past corporate activ-ities have emerged over time. A typical example is health damage caused by asbestos, once a commonly used con-struction material.

Businesses are called on to pay careful and constant attention to the environment.

They must be prepared to take prompt action in case damage emerges.

Health damage caused by mercury poisoning, as in the case of Minamata disease, has been posing an issue in devel-oping countries. This is because mercury is used in the refining of mined gold.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury, which took effect in August last year, is aimed at preventing environmental pol-lution and health damage caused by mercury. Japan, where Minamata disease origi-nated, is called on to take the lead in accelerating the movement toward restricted use of mercury across the globe.

Environmental devas-tation has been growing more serious on a global scale in recent years, including the destruction of the ozone layer caused by chlorofluorocarbon gas used in air conditioners, global warming and the outflow into oceans of a huge amount of plastic garbage.

Qatar’s relations with Latin America and its cooperation in different areas tells one of its successful diplomatic efforts that reiterate its keenness on strengthening cooperation and strategic partnerships with various countries of the world.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK [email protected]

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM [email protected]

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI [email protected]

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Qatar’s diplomacy thrives

Qatar is keen to enhance its relations in all fields with different countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and Latin America aiming at devel-

oping relations and creating partnership. Qatar is cooperating with all world nations to serve the interests of its people and ensure global security and peace.

Qatar’s participation in all international events and meetings aiming at discussing and exchanging views on key regional and international issues is motivated by its strong belief that dialogue at different levels and commu-nications are essential mechanism not only for settling differences but also to discuss ways to address challenges facing mankind and also development issues to bring about peace and ensure human rights everywhere.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s visit to a number of friendly countries in Latin America, including the Republic of Ecuador, the Republic of Peru, the Republic of Paraguay and the Argentine Republic, at the invitation of their respective presidents comes in the context of enhancing ties and boasting cooperation in different areas of common interests. Therefore, the tour is expected to

witness signing of several agreements and memo-randums of understanding aiming to enhance cooperation and partnership with these countries.

Qatar’s relations with Latin America and its cooperation in different areas tell one of its successful diplomatic efforts that reiterate its keenness on strengthening cooperation and strategic partnerships with various countries of the world.

H H the Amir’s visit to the above mentioned four coun-tries start today with a visit to Ecuador which enjoys strong and growing relations at all levels with Qatar and linked by many agreements including, cooperation in legal matters,

air services, trade, economic, technical and media. During the visit, H H the Amir and the accompanying delegation will discuss with president and senior officials ways of promoting bilateral relations and cooperation in all fields, and will exchange views on various regional and inter-national issues of mutual concern.

Qatar’s relations with Latin America is growing con-stantly at all levels as H H the Amir visited Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela in 2015 followed by a visit to the Argentine Republic in 2016.

The State of Qatar has been able to overcome the unjust siege thanks to the steadfastness of its people and lead-ership which has left the siege behind and the blockade has failed to achieve its goals to isolate Qatar or convince anyone about false allegations levelled against the country.

Qatar’s ties and cooperation with different countries and UN organizations is witnessing a breakthrough serving the interest of its people and taking initiatives to serve mankind everywhere which is a proof of its openness and commitment to build strategic, economic cooperation and deep-rooted diplomatic relations with various countries and international institutions.

THE JAPAN NEWS

QNA

A file picture shows Qatar Chamber Vice-Chairman Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari (right)with Pablo Campana Saenz (centre), Minister of Foreign Trade and Investments of the Republic of Ecuador, and Ivonne A Baki (left), Ambassador of Ecuador to Qatar.

If Trump continues down this path, there are implications for both the United States and the international system. Burning bridges with traditional allies increases the isolation of the US and undermines its global leadership.

11MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 OPINION

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Stigma, poverty leave disabled children neglectedin Kenya’s orphanages

Trump can only go that far with his unilateralism

NITA BHALLA REUTERS

JOE MACARON AL JAZEERA

At a dilapidated orphanage on the outskirts of eastern Nairobi, children with twisted limbs and clawed

hands are slumped in wheelchairs, lie foetal-like on mattresses on the floor, or sit in chairs rocking back and forth repeatedly.

The children — ranging from 3 to 19 years old — are devoid of attention and lack stimulation. They look up wide-eyed, moaning and grunting - many unable to speak or move due to illnesses such as cerebral palsy and Down’s syndrome.

A third of the children are not independently mobile and are kept in a room all day. Others with disabilities such as autism wander around a muddy patch of the compound. At 4 pm, they are locked in cramped dor-mitories — four to a bed — until 6 am.

Thousands of disabled children in Kenya — abandoned by their parents due to poverty and stigma — are being neglected and uncared for in orphanages across the east African country, according to a study by Disa-bility Rights International (DRI).

“Our research found having a dis-abled child is a horrible stigma in Kenya. They are a source of fear and shame and are a curse - and parents are pressurised to abandon these children or even kill them,” said Eric Rosenthal, DRI’s executive director.

“We also found that abandoned children are being placed in orphanages which are often unregis-tered and unregulated, where they are neglected and at risk of abuse and exploitation,” he told.

An official from Kenya’s department of child services, who did

not want to be named, said all regis-tered orphanages were being inspected regularly, but it was pos-sible some charities were running unregistered orphanages.

“We inspect all institutions caring for children which are registered,” he said. “Those that are registered are very closely monitored but could be some which are fake orphanages are getting foreign donations but not looking after the children.”

According to government sta-tistics, around 3.5 percent of Kenya’s 40 million people have a disability, but campaigners estimate the true figure is closer to 10 percent.

The government has social welfare programs to support people living with disabilities, but cam-paigners say they remain largely unimplemented and few disabled people know of their entitlements.

A lack of awareness has also allowed age-old myths labelling dis-abled people as “cursed” or “bewitched” to persist, leaving many on the margins, unable to complete their schooling, get a job, or secure land or other assets.

The DRI study, released on Thursday, was based on inspections of more than 20 orphanages and inter-views with 60 mothers of disabled children.

It found mothers received little or no support on how to care for their children. Many were shunned by their families and communities while doctors were unsympathetic.

“Mothers complain doctors and nurses do not want to treat them or their children with disabilities because they believe disability is dangerous or even ‘contagious’,” said the study.

“Mothers are often sent home without any information or care plan as doctors feel children with disabil-ities are “not worth it” or are “not going to

make it”, it added. As a result, disabled children were being abandoned in orphanages where they could be forcefully tied down in wheelchairs, locked in darkened rooms or left neglected and unclean for hours at a time.

Orphanage owners admit that they often do not have the enough resources to care for the children, and say they are dependent on donations from local and foreign donors.

“Most of the children at my orphanage have been left in hospitals, car parks and even pit latrines,” said Anne Nyeri, executive director of the Compassionate Hands for the Dis-abled Foundation orphanage in Nairobi. “We do what we can to look after these children, but we know it’s not enough.”

But Rosenthal said orphanages were out-dated and that Kenya — as well as international donors who fund hundreds of orphanages in the country — needed to rethink policy on institutional child care.

He called for families to be given information and support to care for their disabled children and for greater awareness to dispel negative percep-tions around disability.

“All the science shows that children need to grow up in a loving family environment, and not in orphanages, which are banned in many countries including the United States,” said Rosenthal. “All children — disabled or not - should be in fam-ilies, not orphanages.”

Long gone are the days when authoritarian leaders of the Global South, like Muammar Al Gaddafi and Hugo Chavez,

were stealing the show at the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York. Today, it is US Pres-ident Donald Trump, the leader of the “free world”.

Within the first lines of his General Assembly speech, he managed to get an audience of diplomats and world leaders laughing at his haughty claim that his administration has done much more than any other in US history. This reflected the unprec-edented low global standing the US leadership “enjoys” these days.

But despite the scorn which Trump’s speech was met with at the General Assembly hall, the vision of the world he outlined is indeed disconcerting. Trump talked about a future in which uni-lateralism, militarism and the pursuit of one’s self-interest are put above international cooper-

ation, integration and trade. What he is suggesting is basi-

cally the end of the global liberal order which the US has been leading since the end of the World War II and which it solid-ified after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The Trump administration has already come after various inter-national organisations and multi-lateral agreements. It has with-drawn from the climate change accords, Unesco, the Human Rights Council, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, undermined the International Criminal Court (ICC) and cut funding for UNRWA.

It has also strained relations with its traditional allies, Canada and the EU, and picked up a trade war with China. It has pulled out the of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal with Iran and rendered the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks even more obsolete. On Syria and Yemen, it has remained reluctant to play a role in advancing

any viable solution to the two conflicts.

If Trump continues down this path, there are implications for both the United States and the interna-tional system. Burning bridges with traditional allies increases the iso-lation of the US and undermines its global leadership.

A year and a half into his presi-dency, Trump struggled to name friends in his UN speech. He could think of just four: India, Israel, Poland and Saudi Arabia.

More importantly, his unilateral decisions, including trade wars and excessive sanctions, endanger the primacy of the US dollar in the global financial system.

Nations around the world increasingly believe they should be less dependent or even less integrated in the American financial system, which ultimately would weaken the US dollar. We are already seeing initial steps in that direction, most notably fol-lowing US sanctions on Iran and Turkey as well as the trade war with China.

On September 25, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, Frederica Mogherini, unveiled a plan to set up a new financial entity to help com-panies seeking to do business with Iran evade US sanctions. A day later, speaking at business event in New York, she said: “The dollar is not the only currency on earth — we have the euro, others have their own currency.”

The EU’s new financial vehicle will only be useful to businesses operating outside the US banking system, but it reflects a global trend of abandoning the dollar as trade exchange currency.

Furthermore, when a dominant superpower like the US challenges the principle of multilateralism and the international legal order, it will be harder to convince rogue states not to follow suit.

For instance, Trump chose to engage with North Korea in bilateral talks sidelining interna-tional institutions and regional actors. He also encouraged other nations to act in the same way by

Thousands of disabled children in Kenya — abandoned by their parents due to poverty and stigma — are being neglected and uncared for in orphanages across the east African country, according to a study by Disability Rights International (DRI).

welcoming the Sochi agreement between Turkey and Russia on Syria, which was neither nego-tiated nor endorsed by the UN.

This approach to interna-tional diplomacy increases the risk of miscalculations and is reminiscent of the post-9/11 mentality of the Bush adminis-tration which believed that the unilateral use of force and coercion is a better approach than diplomacy for achieving US objectives.

But apart from outlining a vision of unrestrained unilater-alism in US foreign and economic policies, Trump also inadvertently showed signs of his own anxiety about the potential fallout of such a strategy.

In his speech to the UN Security Council, he went on to accuse China of interfering in the upcoming midterm elections, a claim that is yet to be corrobo-rated by the US intelligence community.

What these claims show, however, is that Trump might be fearing that the US farmers in Iowa and beyond who lost the Chinese market because of the trade war he started might vote against him and his Republican party in November.

While former US allies are already building mechanisms to circumvent the need to deal with Trump, neither they, nor international institutions like the UN are likely to confront him. In the end, it is going to be up to the American voter to restrain Trump’s unilateral adventurism.

The writer is a fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.

US President Donald Trump speaks during the United Nations Security Council briefing on counterproliferation at the United Nations in New York.

12 MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

People from community of Oromo from different parts of Ethiopia celebrate Irreecha Afaan Oromo, also called Irreessa, a Thanksgiving holiday of the Oromo People in Ethiopia, yesterday.

Supporters of Cameroon’s President Paul Biya are contained by policemen during an electoral meeting at the stadium in Maroua during his visit in the Far North Region of Cameroon, yesterday.

December polls in Libyaunlikely, says UN envoyAFP

TRIPOLI: The UN envoy to Libya said that it will be difficult to hold elections as hoped on December 10, following a new wave of fighting in the North African nation.

“There is still a lot to do. It may not be possible to respect the date of December 10,” Ghassan Salame said in an interview.

Rival Libyan leaders agreed to a Paris-brokered deal in May to hold a nationwide election by the end of the year.

But Salame said that the polls may not be organised before three or four months.

“We can hold elections in the near future, yes. But cer-tainly not now,” he added in the interview at the heavily fortified UN mission in Tripoli.

Clashes between militias in suburbs of the capital have left more than 100 people dead since late August.

Libya remains divided between the UN-backed Gov-ernment of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east that enjoys support from Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

The GNA was set up under a 2015 UN-brokered deal that raised hopes of an easing of the chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed armed uprising which ousted Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

The Paris meeting brought together for the first time GNA head Fayez Al Sarraj and mil-itary strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose self-styled Libyan National Army dominates the country’s east.

Also present were Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk, and Khalid Al-Mishri, the head of the High Council of State.

The Paris agreement set a September 16 deadline for con-ditions to be met for parlia-mentary and presidential elec-tions to be held by the end of this year.

This was to be based on a new constitution that would have to be put to a referendum, as well as a new electoral law.

But many observers have said the timetable was overly ambitious given ongoing insta-bility and territorial disputes across the country, along with an economy that is flagging despite Libya’s vast oil wealth.

The United Nations is hoping that elections will help turn the page on years of chaos in Libya. On Monday France called for stronger UN sanctions on Libyans who stand in the way of a political solution.

The clashes that erupted on Tripoli’s southern outskirts on August 27 were between rival militias both from and outside the capital. The UN brokered a ceasefire on September 4, but fighting resumed within days.

By the time the guns fell silent again on Wednesday, the

fighting had left at least 117 dead and more than 400 wounded, according to the GNA.

Salame said the hopes of holding polls in December were made more “difficult” by the delayed adoption of the elec-toral law, which finally hap-pened last week.

“If everything goes well, the referendum could take place before the end of the year”, but the elections could only be organised in “three to four months” depending on the security situation, the envoy said.

“We still need a parlia-mentary electoral law and another for the presidential (elections),” said the Lebanese diplomat.

Salame said there were also logistical problems after a deadly suicide attack by the Islamic State group severely damaged the electoral com-mission headquarters.

The attack has “greatly delayed” the work of the com-mission whose offices would soon be moved, he said.

Once it relocates, the com-mission would launch a new voter registration campaign “in the coming weeks”.

Salame said the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) was helping the GNA to sift through thousands of people -- civilian and militia -- to be registered as regular security forces.

Some of them could become regular police officers, but “there will be militiamen who will have to look for a job else-where”, said the envoy.

On the political front, Salame reaffirmed his support for the GNA, while stressing the need to reform it.

Cameroon President hits thecampaign trail ahead of voteAFP

MAROUA, CAMEROON: “It was as if time stood still,” said an exuberant announcer as Cameroon’s President Paul Biya landed in the country’s north to kick-off campaigning ahead of next week’s polls.

He was in the town of Maroua on Saturday for the first time in six years, drumming up support ahead of voting on October 7 when the 85-year-old will seek a seventh term.

The polls will be held to an unprecedented backdrop of vio-lence, as clashes continue in the country’s separatist anglophone regions and Boko Haram fighters continue to threaten Cameroon’s northeast—including Maroua. “We are proud that he is here, proud that he thinks of us,” said a pro-Biya

activist who wore a blue and white pagne print smock embla-zoned with the president’s face.

Nearby, a local leader wearing a pagne outfit in the presidential colours jumped with joy and took the hand of the man beside him as the pres-ident made his way down the red carpet. “It is with barely con-cealed joy that we are covering this event,” a journalist for the state CRTV broadcaster told his audience emphatically.

The visit of Biya and a dozen of his ministers who come from the poor, under-developed region, was held amid tight security and only announced days ahead of the event.

Army vehicles were deployed to upgrade the road along which Biya’s long convoy travelled between the town and the airport. Even the lampposts

were upgraded. “The RDPC promised us tar and lights,” said a motorcycle taxi driver with a smile, referring to Biya’s ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement.

But in the Maroua-3 area of town, youngsters promised 3,000 CFA francs ($5.20, 4.5 euros) to help clean up the town ahead of the VIP arrival received little more than half that.

“So now they’re on strike,” sighed one of the event organ-isers, visibly frustrated with the clean-up effort in the town which was adorned with Biya’s signature blue. On Friday night the main opposition party Social Demo-cratic Front’s candidate Joshua Osih staged a night-time public meeting in the town. But it attracted just a few hundred sup-porters -- a far cry from the vast production staged by “Team Biya”.

Ethiopia: Millions flock to festival after past unrestANATOLIA

ADDIS ABABA: Yesterday a town southeast of Ethiopia’s capital thronged with millions of people who came out to cele-brate the annual Oromo thanks-giving festival.

The festival, Irreecha, part of an ancient indigenous socio-political system of democratic administration known as the Geda, is a heritage cherished and celebrated by Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, the Oromo people.

In 2016, UNESCO put the Geda System on the Represent-ative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In the town of Bushoftu, 45 kilometers from the capital Addis Ababa, people celebrated Irreecha in a festive mood.

This stood in sharp contrast to the previous two observances, when young people turned the

occasion into anti-government protests, giving much impetus to nationwide resistance move-ments, forcing the ruling Ethi-opian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) to make drastic political changes six months ago.

In the widespread protests, which also only halted six months ago, hundreds or even more were killed by security forces, according to human rights groups.

During the 2016 Irreecha, 52 people were killed after falling into a deep fissure in a stampede caused after security forces fired tear gas and live bullets into a thick crowd.

This April 2, the ruling party elected a young Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to replace his pred-ecessor, who resigned to “give way for much-needed reform.” The reformist leader then apol-ogized for what he described as

decades of misguided policies a n d s t a t e - s p o n s o r e d terrorism.

Addisu Daba is one of the lucky ones who survived after falling into the ravine in 2016. Though the trauma still persists, he said the Oromo people now feel vindicated and see a ray of hope.

Daba who is in his mid-twenties, told Anadolu Agency: “The coming of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed seems to end decades of repression.”

However, he said: “The demands of the Oromo people for improvements in the area of the economy should be addressed.”

“Most of the youth who are credited for bringing about all the political change in the country are unemployed,” Daba said, adding that employment is a key benefit the government must deliver.

CAIRO: An Egyptian court has ordered a retrial of the Muslim Brotherhood’s leader Mohamed Badie and other senior figures from the banned group starting on October 7, judicial sources and state news agency Mena said. Badie has been handed multiple death sentences and life prison terms in a series of trials since Egypt’s military ousted President Mohamed Mursi, also of the Brotherhood, in July 2013.

According to Mena, the retrial relates to a case in which Badie and 14 others were handed life sentences for ‘incitement to commit murder and attempted murder of anti-Muslim Broth-erhood demonstrators’ near the group’s headquarters in June 2013. Four others were sentenced to death in the February 2015 ruling. Khairat Al Shater, another senior Brotherhood figure is also among those to be retried, according to the state news agency.

Egyptian court orders retrial of Muslim Brotherhood leader

UN sets sights on Western Sahara talks in DecemberAFP

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has invited Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front to talks in December on ending their decades-old conflict over Western Sahara, diplomats said on Saturday.

UN envoy Horst Koehler, a former president of Germany and ex-director of the International Monetary Fund, has invited the two sides along with Algeria and Mauritania to Geneva for talks on December 5-6.

In letters sent to the four parties on Friday, the envoy requested a response by October 20, according to dip-lomatic sources.

Morocco and the Polisario Front fought for control of Western Sahara from 1975 to 1991. Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have been deadlocked since the last round of UN-sponsored talks in 2008.

Morocco maintains that negotiations on a settlement should focus on its proposal for autonomy for Western Sahara and rejects the Polisa-rio’s insistence on an inde-pendence referendum.

The Security Council in April approved a US-drafted resolution that urged Morocco and the Polisario to prepare for talks, setting a six-month deadline for action.

Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel told the UN General Assembly on Sat-urday that his government backed UN efforts to re-start talks on Western Sahara. He stressed that a solution must uphold the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination.

Boko Haram has been repelled, Cameroon’s leader declaresYAOUNDE, CAMEROON: Cameroon’s president says Boko Haram has been defeated in the country, the first such announcement since he declared war on the extremist group four years ago. President Paul Biya spoke during his first visit to the Far North region since 2012 as he campaigned on Saturday ahead of the October 7 election. The 85-year-old, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, has been in power since 1982 and is likely to win again as the fractured opposition has been unable to put forward a strong candidate. Security is a major issue in Cameroon, a U.S. and French military ally, as it also faces a bloody English-language separatist movement in the southwest and northwest. Addressing a rally in Maroua, Biya said he would focus on rebuilding what has been destroyed in the Far North “now that terrorism has been defeated.”

Nigerian migrants rescued after Libya cell video goes viralLAGOS: Nigerian migrants held in Libya were rescued after releasing a video from their cell that went viral on social media and caught the attention of authorities. A group of migrants held inside a detention centre in Zawiya in Libya, risked their lives to shoot the video in July, showing poor living conditions and people pleading for help.

“They refuse to deport us,” says a man in the video that was shared over WhatsApp and other social networks. “We are suffering here, we are dying here... they are keeping us here for business.” The video was sent to France 24 Observers, a citizen journalism initiative, in July .

After seeing the video, the journalists flagged the attention of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which helps organise voluntary returns from Libyan detention camps.

The migrants returned to Nigeria on August 30.

The Paris agreement set a September 16 deadline for conditions to be met for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held by the end of this year.

13MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 ASIA

Modi vows ‘befitting reply’ to India’s enemiesIANS

NEW DELHI: In a veiled warning to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday said Indian soldiers will give a “befitting reply” to whosoever attempts to ruin peace and progress in India.

While India fiercely believed in peace, it would not com-promise with its honour and sovereignty at any cost, he said.

Modi’s remarks came in his 48th episode of monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, a day after India celebrated the second anniversary of the 2016 surgical strike by the Army on terrorist hubs in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Recalling the surgical strike as a reply to the “audacity of a proxy war under the garb of ter-rorism”, Modi, without naming Pakistan, said: “It has now been decided that our soldiers will give a befitting reply to who-soever makes an attempt to destroy the atmosphere of peace and progress in our nation.

“We staunchly believe in peace; we are committed to taking it forward… but not at the cost of compromising our self-respect and sovereignty.” Modi’s attack came a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, speaking at the UN General Assembly, denounced Pakistan for its continued support to ter-rorism on Indian soil and blamed Islamabad for sabo-taging the bilateral talks process.

New Delhi on September 21 called off talks by Foreign Min-isters of India and Pakistan, blaming Islamabad for the killing of security personnel in

Jammu and Kashmir and accusing it of glorifying terrorism.

Modi said: “India has always been resolutely committed to peace. In the two World Wars, over a lakh of our soldiers made the supreme sacrifice; that too in a war where we were not involved in any way.

“We have never eyed someone else’s territory mali-ciously. This in itself was our commitment and dedication towards peace.

“Even today, India is one of the largest contributors to various UN Peace Keeping forces in terms of sending personnel. For decades, our brave soldiers wearing blue helmets have played a stellar role in ensuring mainte-nance of world peace.” Modi said that remembering the surgical strikes will remind “our youths about the glorious heritage and valour of our armed forces.

The Prime Minister called the Indian Air Force (IAF) one of the “mightiest and bravest” air forces and hailed its contri-bution both during wars and natural disasters.

“Be it the relief and rescue work or disaster management, our country is indebted to our Air

Force for the commendable efforts of our Air Warrior,” he said, men-tioning its role during the 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999 wars.

The “Swachh Bharat Mission”, he said, had become a success story globally.

Noting how a small step of people can bring changes in the life of the most underprivileged, the Prime Minister invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy and mantras and called upon the people to pur-chase khadi and handloom products on special occasions.

“What people purchase must benefit our countrymen... This is the mantra of Gandhiji, this is the message of Gandhiji. I firmly believe that a small step of yours can surely bring about a very big benefit in the life of the poorest and the most under-privileged person. “The mantras of Gandhiji are very relevant even today,” he said.

He urged the people to par-ticipate in the ‘Run for Unity’, on the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, on October 31.

He recalled former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, saying his mild persona always fills every Indian with a sense of pride.

The Prime Minister hailed the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

“It is essential for the freedom and peace of the exploited, victimised and deprived people and to ensure justice for them. NHRC has not only protected human rights but has also promoted respect for human dignity over the years.” He said the NHRC, formed on October 12, 1993, had sparked hope and confidence among Indians.

Former President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and his wife Ziroatkhon Hoshimova during their visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra, yesterday.

A snap for the album of memories

Nirmala defends celebrating surgical strikeIANS

BENGALURU: Denying that the government was politicising the Army’s surgical strike inside Pakistan two years ago, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman yesterday said it was being cele-brated as a festival to show that India won’t take any attack on its troops lying down.

“The ‘Parakram Parv’ is being celebrated in over 50 cities across the country to show that we are not going to accept a blatant cowardly act of a neighbour getting into our Army base and killing soldiers who were resting and unarmed,”

Sitharaman told reporters here.Giving the backdrop of the

fest over the surgical strike on the intervening night of Sep-tember 28-29, 2016, Sitharaman said it was necessary for the Army to hit the terrorist launch pads of the enemy in their territory.

“Though there have been quite a few infiltrations over the past few years and actions were taken to eliminate the intruders, it was a call of the Army with political backing to strike at the terrorist launch pads of our enemies,” she recalled.

Considered the deadliest attack on Indian security forces,

17 soldiers were killed by four heavily armed militants in the Army’s base camp near Uri town in northwest Kashmir on Sep-tember 18.

“As the terror attack hap-pened inside the base on unarmed soldiers, it was nec-essary for the Army to strike at the enemy in its territory,” she asserted.

Claiming that people in large numbers had come to mark the event and show solidarity with the armed forces, the Minister said if anyone raised questions about the celebration, she would ask if it was something to be ashamed of.

Over 81% voting in panchayat bypolls in TripuraIANS

AGARTALA: Over 81 percent of the around 55,000 elec-torate yesterday cast their votes in the bypolls to Panchayati Raj Institutions in 11 blocks in Tripura, an official said.

Tripura State Election Commission and police offi-cials said that except for some minor squabbles in northern Tripura, no untoward incident was reported from the 11 blocks.

The by-elections to 3,386 seats — 3,207 Gram Pan-chayat seats, 161 Panchayat Samiti seats and 18 Zilla Parishads seats — were scheduled for Sunday, but polling was necessitated only for 11 blocks as most of the seats were filled without election as candidates were elected unopposed.

These seats fell vacant following large-scale resig-nations of elected represent-atives of Left and other parties after the BJP-led coa-lition came to power in Tripura in March. Some of the three-tier Panchayat seats were lying vacant also due to d e a t h o f P R I representatives.

“The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier won unopposed around 96 per cent of the Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti seats and all 18 Zilla Parishad seats in Tripura,” the State Election Commission (SEC) official said.

Almost all parties, including BJP’s junior partner Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), following large-scale violence during electioneering, has been demanding rescheduling of the September 30 Panchayat elections to ensure partici-pation of all parties.

Public money being used to bail out IL&FS group: RahulIANS

NEW DELHI: The Congress yesterday stepped up its attack on the Central government, with party President Rahul Gandhi alleging that public money was being used to bail-out the debt-ridden IL&FS group.

In a tweet, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is bailing out the IL&FS group which has a long-term debt liability of around Rs91,000 crore via public savings in LIC and the State Bank of India (SBI).

The tweet in Hindi titled “Lights, Camera, Scam”, alleges that in 2007 when Modi was the Gujarat Chief minister, IL&FS was given the ‘GIFT CITY’ project worth Rs70,000 crore. Till date no work has been achieved under the plan.

Gandhi adds that in 2018, Modi was bailing out the same company via LIC an SBI.

Recently, the Congress has raised the issue and warned of “an impending ‘Lehman Brothers-type’ economic crisis facing the country”.

The IL&FS crisis has also dented equity investors confi-dence in the entire NBFC space.

Besides, the party has called for a forensic audit of the group over the disbursement of Rs 42,000 crore in the last four years.

Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari also tweeted yesterday: “This is why IL&FS financials need to be forensically audited as management, principal share-holders and NDA/BJP gov-ernment are unwilling to address the 42,000 crore question

Peruse second Graphic minutely. Rs42,000 crore was disbursed in past four years. Nobody knows where the money disappeared.” The call for an audit comes at a time, when concerns have been raised regarding the financial stability of the group after some of its subsidiaries defaulted on commercial paper repayment obligations.

In addition, the party has said that public savings via LIC and SBI should not be used to bailout the private entity in which foreign institutions have a stake.

On Saturday, the cash-strapped company said it was planning to have a “successful” rights issue and would sell its assets to repay creditors.

The company in its Annual General Meeting sought

shareholders’ permission to carry out its plans to recapitalise itself.

In a video shared by the company after the AGM, IL&FS MD Hari Sankaran said that the company addressed the con-cerns of shareholders to restore normalcy in its operations and proposed a three-point strategy.

“Number one, to have a suc-cessful rights issue which will generate and enable the company to recapitalise itself,” he said, adding that the company also proposes to sell assets in order to repay its creditors.

The third element of the strategy is “to get liquid allo-cation to support repayments of debtors till our assets sale begins”, he said.

IL&FS Financial Services, a group company, defaulted in

payment obligations of bank loans (including interest), term and short-term deposits and failed to meet the commercial paper (CP) redemption obliga-tions due on September 14.

On September 15, the company reported that it had received notices for delays and defaults in servicing some of the inter cor-porate deposits accepted by it.

Consequent to defaults, rating agency ICRA downgraded the ratings of its short-term and long-term borrowing programmes.

IL&FS Ltd is a core investment company and serves as the holding company of the IL&FS Group, with most business operations domiciled in separate companies which form an eco-system of expertise across infra-structure, finance and social and environmental services.

Members of the Punjab Contract Employees Action Committee along with their children shout slogans as they march towards the residence of Punjab Education Minister O P Soni, in Amritsar, yesterday. Punjab government contract employees of various departments staged a protest to demand regularisation of their jobs.

Contract employees protest

Chief Justice Dipak Misra retires todayIANS

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice Dipak Misra, who will have his last working day as CJI today, will be remembered in the Indian judicial history as perhaps the only head of the top court who saw rebellion by four of his senior most colleagues.

Another incident that stands out during his tenure is an unsuccessful impeachment motion against him in a move led by senior lawyer and Con-gress leader Kapil Sibal.

On the brighter side, CJI Misra will be given credit for the nod to live-streaming of the top court’s proceedings — a move that will take court proceedings to the drawing rooms of the people.

His term of 13 months and five days as the Chief Justice of India was perhaps the most tur-bulent for any Chief Justice, which

saw his brother Judges and some from the Bar openly questioning his style of functioning in allo-cation of cases/matters to dif-ferent benches and listing Con-stitution Bench matters before a bench of Judges who were rela-tively newcomers to the top court.

There was a perception, also voiced by the four rebel Judges, that matters of par-ticular significance, including that of deceased Special Court Judge B H Loya, were being listed before a certain bench.

The then second-in-command, Justice J Chela-meswar, set up a five-Judge Constitution Bench to hear the plea for an SIT probe into graft allegations involving a Lucknow-based medical college. The order passed in the afternoon of November 9, 2017 was reversed by a five-Judge Constitution Bench a day later.

“We staunchly believe in peace; we are committed to taking it forward… but not at the cost of compromising our self-respect and sovereignty,” the Prime Minister said.

14 MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018ASIA

KP province to abolish district

tier of local govt systemINTERNEWS

PESHAWAR: In a major policy shift, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf provincial government has decided to abolish the district government, the most effective tier of the existing local government (LG) system.

After doing away with the district government, the remaining two tiers the tehsil and the village and neigh-bourhood governments would be further empowered, sources said. They said that major changes were under consider-ation in the remaining two tiers of the LG system.

The decision in this regard was taken in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan during his maiden visit to Peshawar on Friday. It was also attended by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, cabinet members, MNAs and MPAs.

Minister for Local Gov-ernment Shahram Khan Tarakai said yesterday that the tehsil government was more acces-sible to the masses compared to the district government.

Asked about reasons for abolishing the district gov-ernment, he said that several functions of the district and tehsil governments were over-lapping and that was why the government had decided to abolish one of them.

Asked who would be the administrative head of the 20 devolved departments currently headed by the district nazim, Tarakai said that threadbare dis-cussion would be held to sort out such issues.

However, he said, that powers would be further devolved to the tehsil and village and neighbourhood councils on need basis.

He said that some powers of the devolved departments would be retained by the pro-vincial government.

Regarding legislation for bringing the proposed changes in the LG system, he said that it was not yet clear whether the government would bring a new law or introduce amendments to the existing KP Local Gov-ernment Act, 2013.

The minister was not clear about completion of tenure of the existing three-tier local gov-ernments, which is likely to be completed by the end of May 2019.

The district government would not be abolished anytime soon as the consul-tation on changes in the LG

system would take three to four months.

Regarding other changes, he said that the number of members of the village and neighbourhood councils would be reduced to five or six from the existing 10 or 15 members.

The nazim/chairman of the village/neighbourhood council would also be a member of the tehsil council and there would be no separate elections for tehsil councils.

Another big change in the system was that the tehsil mayor would be elected directly by the masses while under the existing system the tehsil councillors used to elect tehsil nazim.

Reacting to the decision to abolish the district government tier, senior vice-president of Local Councils Association (LCA) Sahibzada Fasihullah said that it was a violation of the Article 140-A of the Constitution.

Fasihullah, who is also dis-trict nazim of Upper Dir, said that bureaucracy seemed to have succeeded in its design of abolishing the district govern-ments and retaining ultimate powers of the district.

In the absence of the district nazim, the bureaucrats would enjoy the powers of running the districts instead of elected rep-resentatives, he said.

“The LCA will oppose abo-lition of the district government at all forums,” he said and added that they would also go to the court from the platform of LCA against this decision. He also warned to launch a protest cam-paign if the government didn’t withdraw its decision.

Election posters of parliamentarian candidates are installed during a campaign in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. The parliamentary elections will be held on October 20.

Poll campaign

Pakistani student Anila Bano attends Nobel Peace Prize ForumINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: As the Nobel Peace Prize Forum commenced on Thursday, among the 22 students attending the event, one was Pakistan’s Anila Bano.

The esteemed event com-menced this year at Ausburg College in Minneapolis this year with the theme ‘The Paradox of Peace’ that will operate to lay out peaceful grounds in areas of conflict to elude violent out-pours in the future.

Moreover, it was revealed that the session was led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Pres-ident Juan Manuel Santos from Columbia along with Beatrice Fihn, winner of Nobel Peace Prize for The International Cam-paign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

Twenty-year-old Bano from Pakistan had attended the session and interacted to Fihn about the prospects of nuclear weapons in Pakistan.

While talking to the media

after the event, Bano had termed Fihn as the highlight of the conference, adding that: “I liked that she focused on a humanistic approach, while taking into consideration the environmental aspects of nuclear weapons.

“(Fihn) thinks Pakistan’s case is complicated; she cannot say (Pakistan) should give up (nuclear weapons) because of security reasons with the con-flict between Pakistan and India.”

Refugees in Pakistan may be allowed to stay on till JuneINTERNEWS

PESHAWAR: As the deadline for repatriating Afghan refugees to their homeland expired yesterday, the federal government of Pakistan is likely to extend the refugees’ stay in Pakistan.

The interim government had extended the stay of Afghan refugees for three months in June this year. The extension period ranged between July 1 and September 30.

Officials privy to this devel-opment maintain that during a recent meeting of the federal cabinet, information ministry officials had contended that the stay would be extended until June next year. But this was not communicated to the donor agencies, specifically the United Nation High Com-mission for Refugee (UNHCR).

“This was discussed in the [cabinet] meeting by the federal minister for infor-mation. However, no other stakeholder was sent any official notification [in this regard],” a senior official dealing with the issue said.

The official stated that the UNHCR mainly dealt with registered refugees and those who were issued ‘Proof of Registration’ cards.

“It is likely that the gov-ernment (will) make this announcement on September 30 after the expiry of the extension date otherwise even the registered refugees will be facing immense problems,” another official said.

“A notification in this regard has not yet been issued by the federal government,” the official said.

UNHCR’s head in Pakistan Ruvendrini Menik-diwela expressed the hope that the government would extend the refugees’ stay.

Pakistan decides to stabilise prices of commoditiesINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Economic managers of Pakistan have decided to make Utility Stores Corporation (USC) completely functional again in a bid to stabilise prices of commodities as they are apparently irked by the rise in food product prices.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), in a recent meeting, directed Adviser on Commerce, Textile, Industries, Production and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood to come up with a comprehensive report within a month with recommen-dations for transforming USC into an active and useful organ-isation for maintaining price stability.

After the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government took reins of power in August, the

adviser on commerce decided to shut down USC by stopping all procurement of commodities. The ban on procurement led to a constant decline in its revenues.

Now, the ECC has tasked the adviser with making suggestions in order to make the USC fully functional again to stabilise prices of food commodities.

During discussion, the Power Division secretary pointed out that prices of tomatoes would fall substantially after supplies from Punjab came to the market.

The railways minister was of the view that USC was estab-lished in an effort to stabilise prices of food commodities and make them affordable for the poor.

However, he said, it seemed that USC was not running effec-tively which was why prices had

gone up.It was emphasised that

market committees were not playing their due role in inves-tigating the hike in prices of food items. These market committees are functioning under the pro-vincial governments.

The ECC noted that there was a dire need to make USC a more active and useful enter-prise. Sales of USC had declined to Rs49bn from Rs94bn a few years ago. Its losses crossed Rs4bn.

USC provides daily-use com-modities to the low-income group at discounted rates. It has 5,500 retail outlets across the country and 14,500 employees are working on its outlets.

At present, USC has inventory worth Rs4.5bn and its monthly sales are around Rs1 billion.

During tenure of the pre-vious Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) government, USC had turned into a defaulter.

Earlier, it was running as a profit-making enterprise during the rule of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government. Pakistan International Airlines and Pakistan Steel Mills have also been running on bailout packages for a long time due to billions of rupees worth of losses they have faced.

USC suffered a loss of Rs1.36 billion in the first quarter of financial year 2017-18 with neg-ative equity of Rs1.808 billion and outstanding payments of Rs5.6bn to vendors. Conse-quently, most of the vendors halted supply of commodities to the corporation.

In 2010-11, USC reported a

profit of Rs843.19m and subsidy receipts amounted to Rs8.9 billion.

Its profit dropped to Rs775.28m in 2011-12 whereas the subsidy increased to Rs12.4bn. In 2012-13, the profit surged to Rs1.399bn and the subsidy was also enhanced to Rs18.53bn.

However, USC switched from profit to loss in 2013-14 and its loss stood at Rs202.32 m with subsidy of Rs12.544bn.

The loss continued to swell and reached Rs3.94bn in 2016-17. Sales also decreased from Rs68.91bn to Rs57.91bn in the year.

The Ministry of Industries and Production blamed the loss on the inclusion of private-sector directors in the USC board who had no experience of working with such corporations.

Cargo trains carrying shipping containers and coal, crossing under a bridge with the backdrop of City Station, built in the British Raj era, in Karachi.

Legacy of the British Raj

ISI chief among five generals retiring todayINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Five three-star generals, including spymaster Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar, are due to retire today, informed sources said yesterday.

Besides the director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Mukhtar, the others retiring on October 1 are Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant General Nazir Ahmad Butt, Commander of Army’s Strategic Forces Command (ASFC) Lieutenant General Mian Mohammad Hilal Hussain, Military Secretary at the General Headquarters (GHQ) Lt Gen Ghayur Mehmood and Inspector General of Training and Evaluation, GHQ, Lieu-tenant General Hidayatur Rehman.

Commissioned in the armoured corps regiment in 1983, Lieutenant General Mukhtar is a graduate of the Command and Staff College, Quetta; National Defence Uni-versity, Islamabad; and the United States Army War College.

He had commanded a mechanised division and served as director general of Rangers before being pro-moted to the rank of lieutenant general and posted as corps commander of Karachi in Sep-tember 2014.

He served there till December 7, 2016 before being posted to Islamabad to head the country’s premier intelligence agency.

He assumed the office of ISI director general on December 11, 2016.

After doing away with the district government, the remaining two tiers the tehsil and the village and neighbourhood governments would be further empowered, sources said. They said that major changes were under consideration in the remaining two tiers of the LG system.

15MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 ASIA

Indonesia toll tops 800;mass burials to begin AFP

PALU, INDONESIA: The death toll from Indonesia’s quake and tsunami disaster nearly doubled to 832 yesterday and was expected to rise further, prompting authorities to announce mass burials in a desperate attempt to stave off disease.

As shattered survivors scoured make-shift morgues for loved ones, and authorities struggled to dig out the living or assess the scale of the devas-tation beyond the city of Palu, grim warnings came that the eventual toll could reach thousands.

“The casualties will keep increasing,” said national dis-aster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, whose agency announced the jump in the toll from 420 earlier.

“Today we will start the mass burial of victims, to avoid the spread of disease.”

Rescuers on Sulawesi island raced against the clock and a lack of equipment to save those still trapped in the rubble, with up to 60 people feared to be under-neath one Palu hotel alone. Res-cuers said they heard voices and a child’s cries from under the rubble.

Desperate survivors, now facing a third straight night

sleeping outdoors, turned to looting shops for basics like food, water and fuel as police looked on, unwilling or unable to intervene.

The government was left with little option but to promise it would reimburse owners.

“Record everything taken, inventorise it. We will pay for it all,” said security minister Wiranto, who like many Indo-nesians goes by one name.

One survivor, Adi, was hugging his wife by the beach when the tsunami struck on Friday. Like countless others he has no idea where she is now, or whether she is alive.

“When the wave came, I lost her,” he said. “I was carried about 50 metres. I couldn’t hold any-thing. The water was spinning

me around,” he said.“This morning I went back to

the beach, I found my motorbike and my wife’s wallet.” Others have centred their search around open-air morgues, where the dead lay in the baking sun -- waiting to be claimed, waiting to be named.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the region Sunday afternoon, urging a “day and night” effort to save all those who can be saved.

But disaster agency spokesman Nugroho indicated sheer power of will may not be enough. “Commu-nication is limited, heavy machinery is limited... it’s not enough for the numbers of buildings that collapsed,” he said.

Still, as dire as the situation in Palu was, it was at least clear. In outlying areas, the fate of thousands is still unknown.

Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said the final death toll in the north of Sulawesi island could be in the “thou-sands” since many regions have still not been reached.

Indonesia’s Metro TV yes-terday broadcast aerial footage from a coastal community in Donggala, close to the epicentre of the quake. Some waterfront homes appeared crushed but a resident said most people fled to higher ground after the quake struck.

“When it shook really hard, we all ran up into the hills,” a man identified as Iswan told the TV.

The 7.5-magnitude quake struck Friday, sparking a tsunami that ripped apart Palu’s coastline.

Save The Children program director Tom Howells said access was a “huge issue” hampering relief efforts.

“Aid agencies and local authorities are struggling to reach several communities around Donggala, where we are expecting there to be major damage and potential large-scale loss of life,” Howells said.

The national disaster agency said it believed about 71

foreigners were in Palu when the quake struck, with most safe.

Three French nationals and a South Korean, who may have been staying at a flattened hotel, had not yet been accounted for, it added.

Getting enough aid in may prove a problem.

Satellite imagery provided by regional relief teams showed severe damage at some of the area’s major ports, with large ships tossed on land, quays and bridges trashed and shipping containers thrown around.

A double-arched yellow bridge had collapsed, its ribs twisted as cars bobbed in the water below.

A key access road had been badly damaged and was partially blocked by landslides.

“People here need aid -- food, drink, clean water,” said Anser Bachmid, a 39-year-old Palu resident.

Friday’s tremor was also felt in the far south of the island in its largest city Makassar and on neighbouring Kalimantan, Indo-nesia’s portion of Borneo island.

As many as 2.4 million people could have felt the quake, it is believed.

The initial quake struck as evening prayers were about to begin in the world’s biggest Muslim majority country on the holiest day of the week.

Search and rescue workers evacuate an earthquake and tsunami survivor trapped in a collapsed restaurant, in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, yesterday.

Vietnam seizes nearly a tonne of pangolin scales and ivoryAFP

HANOI: Vietnam has seized around a tonne of pangolin scales and ivory hidden inside airline cargo packages, state media reported, as the country struggles to rein in wildlife smuggling across its borders.

Both the ivory and pan-golin trade have been banned in Vietnam but weak law enforcement in the com-munist state has allowed a black market to flourish and feed into a global multibillion dollar industry in animal parts and exotic pets.

Southeast Asian countries have become a busy thor-oughfare for tusks trafficked from Africa and destined for other parts of Asia, mainly China. Pangolins are treasured in Vietnam and the region for their meat and the alleged medicinal properties of their scales.

Authorities at Hanoi’s airport found 805kg of pan-golin scales as well as 193kg of ivory and ivory-derived products in two dozen cargo boxes on Friday, said a report in the official newspaper of the customs department.

The goods were sent from two companies based in Nigeria, according to the labelling on the packages. They had arrived on a Sep-tember 21 flight but were never picked up.

“The (intended) recipients of the cargo package have refused to receive the goods,” the article said.

The tiny and shy pan-golin, which resembles a scaly anteater, is the world’s most heavily trafficked mammal and despite bans the trade remains rampant.

Vietnam outlawed the ivory trade in 1992 but illegal trade still persists and shops sell ivory pre-dating the ban for decorative and medicinal purposes.

The haul is the latest to make headlines in Vietnam, where seizures are infrequent but usually large.

N Korea FM: Peace possible, but only if US ends hostilityAP

UNITED NATIONS: Calling for more trust, North Korea’s foreign minister urged the United States on Saturday to keep moving past what he called seven decades of entrenched hostility if Wash-ington wants to restart stalled negotiations meant to rid Pyongyang of its nuclear bombs.

Boiling the rivals’ diplomatic standoff down to the North’s deepening feeling of mistrust, Ri Yong Ho sought to lay out a vision of peace on the troubled Korean Peninsula — provided

the North gets what it wants from the United States.

Ri, standing at a podium at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, said North Korea is ready to implement the points that his leader, Kim Jong Un, and US President Donald Trump agreed to in June during a summit in Singapore.

But his comments were infused with what came across as impa-tience at the slow pace of progress in a process the world hopes will cause Pyongyang to abandon an arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles that aims to accurately target the

entire US mainland.In recent weeks, Kim Jong

Un has said he would perma-nently dismantle North Korea’s main nuclear complex, but only if the United States takes unspec-ified corresponding measures. Kim has also promised to accept international inspectors to monitor the closing of a key missile test site and launch pad.

The North, however, doesn’t “see any corresponding response” from Washington. On the contrary, Ri said, the United States is increasing pressure and sanctions.

“The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant of us,” Ri said, adding that the continued sanctions are “deep-ening our mistrust” and dead-locking the current diplomacy.

“Without any trust in the US, there will be no confidence in our national security,” he said, “and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilat-erally disarm ourselves first.” There was no immediate response from Washington. Sec-retary of State Mike Pompeo said last week he would return to

Pyongyang to set up a sequel to the Singapore meeting between Kim and Trump.

Despite the muscular tone, Ri’s high-profile speech was downright mild and balanced compared to the florid vows of nuclear strikes and claims of US perfidiousness that have been typical fare from the country’s propaganda services.

The tenor of Ri’s comments was clearly meant to push a wary United States to agree to a dec-laration formally ending the Korean War, which ended with a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.

Passersby using umbrellas struggle against strong wind and rain caused by Typhoon Trami in Nagoya, central Japan, yesterday.

Typhoon Trami batters Japan, many injuredAFP

KAGOSHIMA, JAPAN: A powerful typhoon lashed Japan’s mainland yesterday after injuring dozens on outlying islands, bringing transport grinding to a halt and triggering warnings of fierce winds, torrential rain, land-slides and floods.

Typhoon Trami has already snarled travel in the world’s third-biggest economy, with bullet train services suspended, more than 1,000 flights can-celled and Tokyo’s evening train services scrapped.

The storm made landfall at Tanabe city, south of the western city of Osaka, around

8pm (1100 GMT), according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency.

Trami, with maximum gusts of 216km per hour, was expected to pass over most of the archipelago, weakening slightly but causing extreme weather into today, forecasters said.

In total, 75 people have sus-tained minor injuries — mainly cuts from shattered glass — and one woman was reported missing in the Miyazaki region, which was drenched by record rainfall and suffered localised flooding.

According to local media, the woman in her 60s was swept away by gusts in a gutter while working with her husband in their ricefield.

US warship sails near disputed South China Sea islandsREUTERS

WASHINGTON: A US Navy destroyer sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea yesterday, a US official said, potentially angering Beijing at a time of tense relations between the two countries.

Beijing and Washington are locked in a trade war that has seen them impose increasingly severe rounds of tariffs on each

other’s imports. The official, speaking on condition of ano-nymity, said the destroyer Decatur travelled within 12 nau-tical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the Spratly Islands.

The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Wash-ington sees as Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters, where Chinese, Japanese and some Southeast Asian navies operate.

China’s claims in the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes each year, are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philip-pines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

“We conduct routine and regular freedom-of-navigation operations, as we have done in the past and will continue to do in the future,” the US official added.

China’s foreign ministry did

not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The United States has criti-cised China’s construction of islands and military facilities in the area and is concerned they could be used to restrict free nautical movement.

The US military has a long-standing position that its operations are carried out throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and are separate from

political considerations. The latest move comes at a particularly tense time in relations between the United States and China.

Friction between the world’s two biggest economies is now moving beyond trade, with US President Donald Trump accusing Beijing this week of seeking to interfere in congressional elec-tions, marking a new phase in an escalating campaign by Wash-ington to put pressure on China.

As shattered survivors scoured make-shift morgues for loved ones, and authorities struggled to dig out the living or assess the scale of the devastation beyond the city of Palu, grim warnings came that the eventual toll could reach thousands.

Just six months before Britain is due to leave the EU in the country’s biggest shift in foreign and trade policy in more than 40 years, the debate over how to leave the bloc is still raging in the centre-right Conservative Party, and even in government.

16 MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018EUROPE

‘Let’s come together’, May challenges Brexit criticsREUTERS

BIRMINGHAM: Prime Minister Theresa May called on her party yesterday to unite behind her plan to leave the European Union, making a direct appeal to critics by saying their desire for a free trade deal was at the heart of her Brexit proposals.

At the start of what is set to be one of the Conservative Party’s stormiest annual confer-ences, May’s plans were once again attacked by two former ministers, with former foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, calling them “deranged”.

Just six months before Britain is due to leave the EU in the country’s biggest shift in foreign and trade policy in more than 40 years, the debate over how to leave the bloc is still raging in the centre-right Conservative Party, and even in government.

May’s already fragile lead-ership was put under further pressure this month when the EU rejected parts of the so-called Chequers plan. But she put a pos-itive spin on those talks, saying she was ready to consider the EU’s concerns.

“My message to my party is let’s come together and get the best deal for Britain,” May told the BBC in the central English city of Birmingham.

“At the heart of the Chequers plan is a free trade deal, a free trade area and frictionless trade...

Chequers at the moment is the only plan on the table that delivers on the Brexit vote... and also delivers for the people of Northern Ireland.”

May has shown little sign of shifting away from her Chequers plan, named after her country residence where she hashed out an agreement on Brexit with her ministers in July, despite growing criticism that her proposals offer the worst of all worlds.

Johnson, who quit May’s cabinet after Chequers was agreed, called her plans “deranged” and attacked the prime minister for not believing in Brexit. He, and the former Brexit minister David Davis, are pushing for a Canada-style free trade deal with the EU — a proposal May says will split Northern Ireland from mainland Britain by making the British province adhere to dif-

ferent customs rules. Greg Clark, May’s business

minister, said such a trade deal would also hurt businesses by clogging up international supply chains that are crucial to com-panies, such as car manufac-turers. But Johnson was unre-pentant, keen to portray himself as the defender of a clean break with the EU.

“Unlike the prime minister I fought for this, I believe in it, I think it’s the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016,” Johnson, the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed May, told the Sunday Times newspaper.

Davis, who like Johnson resigned in protest said her plan was “just wrong”, but he added he thought it was 80-90 percent likely that the government would strike an exit deal with the EU.

May’s team had hoped the party’s conference would give her a platform to renew her pledge to help those people who are “just about managing”, trying to pull the focus away from Brexit and on to a domestic agenda.

But her first announcement — for an additional levy on foreign home buyers — did little to reset the conversation, with the session dominated again with Brexit, a possible leadership campaign and the prospect of an early election.

A report by a research group

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May reacts as she listens from her seat in the audience in the main hall on the first day of the Conservative Party Conference 2018 at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, yesterday.

suggested Britain’s decision to leave the EU has cost the gov-ernment £500m ($650m) a week, wiping out for the moment any future savings from stopping payments to the bloc.

Ian Lavery, chairman of the opposition Labour Party, said the Conservatives were “clearly too busy fighting amongst them-selves and have neither the ideas nor the desire to offer real solu-tions to the problems they have caused”.

Johnson’s interview in the Sunday Times was seen by many in the party to be the start of a campaign to unseat May — something that angered some Conservatives who are critical of the former foreign minister.

May refused to be drawn on

his comments, and did not refer to him by name in a lengthy interview with the BBC. But her response was sharp. “I do believe in Brexit,” she said.

“But crucially I believe in delivering Brexit in a way that respects the vote and delivers on the vote of the British people while also protecting our union, protecting jobs and ensuring that we make a success of Brexit for the future.”

In the central English city of Birmingham, where her party’s conference will run until Wednesday, May faces watching potential rivals parade in front of Conservative members, aware that some in the party believe that she should step aside.

May’s team hoped the party’s

conference would give her a platform to renew her pledge to help those people who are “just about managing”, trying to pull the focus away from Brexit and on to a domestic agenda.

And May did find some support. Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said she still believed May could still manage to win a deal with the EU, and her party chairman, Brandon Lewis, said he believed she could lead into the next election, due in 2022.

Davidson told Sky News that the EU summit in Salzburg had actually “slightly cleared the air actually, we know that officials are working very closely together.” “I think there is still a basis there for a deal to be done.”

British ministers’ phone numbers leaked in app flawAFP

LONDON: Phone numbers and other personal details of senior ministers from Britain’s Conserv-ative party were made public by an app security flaw on Saturday, including those of top Brexiteers Michael Gove and Boris Johnson.

Several top MPs reportedly received nuisance calls after their profiles were accessed on the official mobile application for the annual party conference.

The security breach saw members of the public able to enter the profiles using just the politicians’ email addresses

— easily available online — to view and edit the data stored within. Former foreign secretary Johnson had his profile picture briefly swapped for pornography and his job title changed to an profane insult, according to several Twitter users.

Meanwhile Environment Secretary Gove’s picture was changed to one of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, his former employer when he was a jour-nalist. Among the first to report the flaw was Dawn Foster, a col-umnist for daily The Guardian.

“The Tory conference app allows you to log in as other

people and view their contact details just with their email address, no emailed security links, and post comments as them,” she wrote on Twitter, using a collo-quial name for the party.

“They’ve essentially made every journalist, politician and attendee’s mobile number public. Fantastic.” A Conserv-ative party spokesperson apol-ogised for the breach, saying the technical issue had “been resolved and the app is now functioning securely”.

Britain’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), said it was

investigating the data breach related to the app, which was developed by an Australian firm called Crown Comms.

The opposition Labour Party said the blunder showed the ruling party could not be trusted in matters of security.

“They can’t even build a con-ference app that keeps the data of their members, MPs and others attending safe and secure,” said shadow cabinet office minister Jon Trickett.

The breach is the latest embarrassment for Prime Min-ister Theresa May’s embattled party, whose yearly gathering

began yesterday in Birmingham. Last year’s conference was pep-pered with mishaps, with May’s attempt to move past Brexit splits marred by a protest, a collapsing set and a coughing fit.

During the 2017 event, a prankster interrupted the leader’s address by handing her a P45 — a form given to those leaving a job.

No sooner had she resumed, May began coughing uncontrol-lably and continued to struggle on and off throughout the rest of the speech, as two letters fell off the slogan on the wall behind her.

Three missing after storm pounds Greece with heavy rainAGENCIES

ATHENS: Greek authorities are looking for three missing people on a Greek island after a rare and powerful Mediterranean storm dumped heavy rain on the region.

The storm has been moving slowly in a northeasterly direction, affecting Aegean Sea islands as well as Greece’s central mainland. It is expected to hit parts of northern and northeast Greece soon.

General Secretary for Civil Protection Yiannis Tafyllis told reporters yesterday that the hardest-hit areas so far have been around the cities of Corinth and Argos in the Pelo-ponnese peninsula, which was hit by the storm on Saturday, and the northern part of the island of Evia, off central Greece, where the three people went missing yesterday.

The storm also flooded roads in Athens and forced evacuations from the Pelo-ponnese seaside village of Nea Kios.

The storm’s heavy rainfall and strong winds knocked down trees and flooded houses and workplaces. Train service was cancelled in southern Greece.

Poland’s freedom hero Lech Walesa turns 75AFP

WARSAW: Polish freedom hero Lech Walesa, shunned by the current right-wing government, on Saturday celebrated his 75th birthday and the 35th anniversary of his Nobel Peace Prize in the presence of 500 guests including EU President Donald Tusk.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had so many people around me, such illustrious people, so many ambassadors,” the visibly emo-tional former Polish president said at the event held at the opera house in the northern city of Gdansk.

It was there in 1980 that Walesa, working as a shipyard electrician, stunned the world when he led a 1980 strike by 17,000 shipyard workers.

The strike forced authorities to grudgingly recognise the com-munist bloc’s first and only inde-pendent trade union, Solidarity. “A hundred years,” chanted the crowd, among them friends, pol-iticians, trade unionists and entertainment figures.

Tusk, who was born in Gdansk and in 1980 founded the Independent Students’ Associ-ation which was part of the Sol-idarity movement, paid tribute to the 1983 Nobel laureate.

“What you have done was

the most beautiful thing for all Poles,” he said. “Without bloodshed, Solidarity and freedom triumphed,” he added, handing Walesa a letter signed by all the EU heads of state except Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Walesa received a gift of a Fiat 126p, a tiny car which was tremendously popular in Poland in the 1970s.

Outside in a public square in Gdansk an installation of thousands of ribbons, in the red and white of the Polish flag, formed an image of Walesa.

The ruling conservative party, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has since 2015 sought to downplay Walesa’s role in the fight for Poland’s escape from the shadow of the Soviet Union.

Although both men fought Poland’s communist regime, they later became bitter foes amid power struggles in the early years of Poland’s democracy.

Walesa has faced accusa-tions that he collaborated with the communist secret police in the early 1970s, something he has strongly denied. Poland’s conservative PiS government has also altered school texts to minimise Walesa’s historical importance and to stress that of Lech Kaczynski, Jaroslaw’s twin brother who died in a plane crash in Russia in 2010.

Paris names its first street after fashion designerAFP

PARIS: In a city yet to name a back alley after Coco Chanel, Parisians stepped out yesterday to do their organic shopping at a street market named after fashion designer Sonia Rykiel.

Hours earlier the city’s mayor Anne Hidalgo — some-thing of a fashionista herself — had declared Allee Sonya Rykiel open, with her label staging its Paris fashion week show between the twinkling lights of the market stalls.

The “allee” is in the middle of a grand Left Bank boulevard where the late designer, who died in 2016, did her fruit and vegetable shopping. It is the first time the French capital has named any kind of thoroughfare after a fashion designer.

To celebrate, Rykiel’s suc-cessor Julie de Libran staged a chi-chi Parisian market-themed show, with her models carrying baguettes or popping out for a bit of broccoli in lace nighties and a techno trenchcoats.

“Sonia Rykiel gave us a taste for freedom, she was the most Parisian of Parisians,” said Hidalgo.

Indeed the designer opened her first shop a stone’s throw away in Saint Germain des Pres just as French students rose up in revolt in May 1968.

But the authorities in the French capital would not be drawn on whether there were any plans for a Boulevard Karl Lagerfeld or Avenue Christian Dior.

A street named after Chanel would be politically tricky in a city which mostly votes for the left because of the designer’s “horizontal col-laboration” during the Nazi occupation.

Chanel spent much of the war in the Ritz hotel with her lover, German intelligence officer Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage.

A flooded sailing ship is seen after a storm in Palaia Epidavros, Greece, yesterday.

Firefighters also said that they got 640 calls for help in the Peloponnesian region alone.

Some ships at ports around Athens are confined to dock, while flights from Athens Inter-national Airport saw delays.

“Once again we’re feeling hell,” Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor

of the central Greek town of Karpenisi, told Greek news agency AMNA. “We fought rain and mud all night long night. There’s a lot of damage.”

Bakoyannis added that a state of emergency was declared in regions worst hit by the storm.

While the Macedonian government is likely to call any significant majority in favour of the deal a success, the rightwing opposition may well question the vote’s credibility if turnout is below 50 percent.

17MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 EUROPE

Low turnout as Macedonia votes on new nameAFP

SKOPJE: Macedonia’s vote on whether to re-name the country and end a decades-long spat with Greece was marred by low turnout yesterday, despite the promise of unlocking a path to EU and Nato membership.

At 1700 GMT, turnout stood at just 29 percent, the electoral commission said. Opponents of the change, who had called for a boycott of the name-change referendum, announced plans for a celebration outside par-liament, where they had set up a stage during the afternoon.

Throughout the day, Mace-donian officials, who asked not to be named, did not hide their concern that turnout might not exceed 50 percent, a goal they had set two days earlier.

While the Macedonian gov-ernment is likely to call any sig-nificant majority in favour of the deal a success, the rightwing opposition may well question the vote’s credibility if turnout is below 50 percent.

The vote is an emotional moment for a country that has struggled for recognition of its name since 1991, when the former Yugoslav republic declared independence.

At the time, Athens kicked up a major fuss, accusing Skopje of stealing the name of its own northern province, which is also called Macedonia.

The dispute dives deep into history with both countries vying to lay claim to Alexander the Great’s ancient empire of Macedon, which spanned their territories. But in June, Macedo-nia’s new premier Zoran Zaev and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras reached a landmark compromise under which Athens would drop its objections to Mac-edonia joining the EU and Nato

in return for a change of name.Zaev has billed the refer-

endum as a painful but “historic” opportunity to break the 27-year-old stalemate. But the deal has been openly opposed by President Gjorge Ivanov, who is allied with the nationalist opposition and has supported calls for a boycott.

“I hope that the result will be positive. This referendum will change something if it opens the door to Europe and Nato,” said Olivera Argirovska, a 74-year-old retired nurse, after casting her ballot in a high school in the capital Skopje. “It will change things for the youth,” she said.

Few Macedonians are enthused about the new name, saying they have been unfairly bullied by Greece. “I am not happy and I do not know anyone who likes this deal,” said 55-year old Danica Taneska, who admitted voting ‘no’ to the change.

But a desire to anchor their future to the West — and the eco-nomic prosperity that it could bring — has been a driving force behind the ‘yes’ vote in one of Europe’s poorest nations.

The referendum is not binding, but a ‘yes’ majority would give parliament a political mandate to change the consti-tution. If the deal is backed in the referendum and ratified by two-thirds of MPs, the Greek

parliament will be called on to give it the final stamp of approval.

The vote is being closely watched across the border in Greece, where nationalists staged a protest against the deal earlier this month. “We hope for a positive outcome for the pro-ceedings to progress with the constitutional review,” Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on the radio. “Any other result would create a disturbance.”

Europe and the US have campaigned hard for the deal, with many leaders passing through Skopje this month to urge Macedonians to seize the “historic” opportunity.

Nato has already issued an invite — on hold until the deal passes — while EU accession talks are scheduled to begin next year. The West is keen to have another foothold in the Western Balkans, a region where Russia, which is opposed to Nato expansion, has historically had influence. At home, those in favour of the deal say a desire for an EU future is helping bind ethnic Macedonians with the Albanian minority, who are broadly pro-West.

While Macedonia avoided the full-scale inter-ethnic wars that rippled across the region during the collapse of Yugo-slavia, it was roiled by an Albanian insurgency in 2001 that left more than 100 dead.

A peace deal was reached later that year granting Alba-nians more political rights, but tensions have remained.

“This is the first time I am seeing Macedonians and Alba-nians campaigning together for common goals,” Besa Arifi, a law professor, said. “This will give us more opportunities to unite all citizens around shared values,” he added.

Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, his son Dushko and wife Zorica cast their ballot for a referendum to rename their country North Macedonia in a bid to settle a long-running row with Greece and unlock its path to Nato and EU membership, in Strumica, yesterday.

Naming names: Countries that made a changeAFP

PARIS: As Macedonian citizens voted yesterday on whether to rename their country “The Republic of North Macedonia”, here is a look at other nations that have changed their names. Many countries changed their names at independence, most often from ones imposed by their colonisers.

At their independence, for example, Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), Botswana (Bechuanaland), Ghana (Gold Coast), Indonesia (Dutch East Indies), Malawi (Nyasaland) and Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) were created. The 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union saw changes to the names of its now separate republics, such as Belarus (Belorussia), as happened with the disintegration of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Here are some recent examples:

Swaziland reverts to eSwatini: Fifty years after Swaziland’s independence from Britain, King Mswati III announced in April 2018 that the tiny country would “revert to its original name”, eSwatini, which means “land of the Swazi”.

Congo: to Zaire and back: At independence

from Belgium in 1960, the central African country became the Republic of Congo, confusingly taking the same name as its neighbour. A few years later the name was tweaked, and the country became the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But in 1971 there was a change to Zaire. , imposed by general Joseph-Desire Mobutu who took power in a 1965 coup. In 1997, Laurent-Desire Kabila captured the capital and reinstated the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Burma chooses Myanmar: In 1989 Burma’s military government renamed the Southeast Asian country the “Republic of the Union of Myanmar”, to draw a line under its past as a British colony.

From Upper Volta to Burkina Faso:Keeping the name Upper Volta for years after its inde-pendence from France in 1958, the landlocked west Africa nation was rebaptised Burkina Faso, or “land of upright men”, in 1984.

Dahomey becomes Benin: Fifteen years after its independence from France and a year after adopting Marxist policies, Dahomey renamed itself the People’s Republic of Benin in 1975.

A group of 58 migrants picked up from small boats by the migrant ship Aquarius and transferred to an Armed Forces of Malta patrol boat arrives at Hay Wharf maritime base in Floriana, Malta, yesterday.

After standoff, Aquarius migrants finally disembark in MaltaAFP

VALLETTA: The Maltese author-ities yesterday finally allowed 58 migrants from the Aquarius ashore after days waiting in rough seas on board the rescue ship that can no longer go to port after its flag was pulled.

The group, which includes 35 women and children, was transferred to a Maltese patrol boat in international waters and then brought to shore.

The UN’s refugee agency said the migrants — among them Libyans, Afghans and people from sub-Saharan Africa — would be sent on to four European countries following a deal struck earlier this week, ending the latest tense standoff over people rescued at sea.

Among the group are 18

children, 17 women — one of whom is five-months pregnant, 23 men and a dog called Bella, the first animal rescued with migrants in the Mediterranean. “We hope that they will leave Malta in a few days,” UNHCR rep-resentative Paolo Biondi said.

France will take in 18 of them, Germany and Spain will each accept 15 and Portugal will re-home 10.

The rescue ship has been operating under a Panamanian flag but last weekend, Panama said it would revoke its regis-tration following a request from Italy’s populist government. Deflagging a vessel leaves it unregistered and unable to set sail. Last month, the Aquarius spent 19 days docked in the French port of Marseille after Gibraltar revoked its flag, only

setting sail again last week after first acquiring Panamanian recognition.

Several other rescue vessels impounded in Valletta are locked in protracted legal battles. The latest group of migrants were rescued last Monday from two boats plying the perilous route between North Africa and Europe.

UNHCR hailed the deal which allowed the migrants ashore, saying it happened in a climate of “growing uncer-tainty over future search and rescue capacities” in the Mediterranean.

And it urged European nations to “rapidly accelerate” their efforts to improve the arrangements for those rescued at sea to come ashore. “Doing so will save lives.”

Nobel Prizes still struggle with wide gender disparityAP

STAVANGER: Nobel Prizes are the most prestigious awards on the planet but the aura of this year’s announcements has been dulled by questions over why so few women have entered the pantheon, particularly in the sciences. The march of Nobel announcements begins today with the physiology/medicine prize.

Since the first prizes were awarded in 1901, 892 indi-viduals have received one, but just 48 of them have been women. Thirty of those women won either the literature or peace prize, highlighting the wide gender gap in the lau-reates for physics, chemistry and physiology/medicine. In addition, only one woman has won for the economics prize, which is not technically a Nobel but is associated with the prizes.

Some of the disparity likely can be attributed to underlying structural reasons, such as the low representation of women in high-level science. The American Institute of Physics, for example, says in 2014, only 10 percent of full physics professorships were held by women. But critics suggest that gender bias per-vades the process of nomina-tions, which come largely from tenured professors.

“The problem is the whole nomination process, you have these tenured professors who feel like they are untouchable. They can get away with every-thing from harassment to micro-aggressions like assuming the woman in the room will take the notes, or be leaving soon to have babies,” said Anne-Marie Imafidon, the

head of Stemettes, a British group that encourages girls and young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engi-neering and mathematics.

Powerful men taking credit for the ideas and elbow grease of their female colleagues was turned on its head in 1903 when Pierre Curie made it clear he would not accept the physics prize unless his wife and fellow researcher Marie Curie was jointly honored. She was the first female winner of any Nobel prize, but only one other woman has won the physics prize since then.

More than 70 years later, Jocelyn Bell, a post-graduate student at Cambridge, was overlooked for the physics prize despite her crucial contribution to the discovery of pulsars. Her supervisor, Antony Hewish, took all of the Nobel credit.

Brian Keating, a physics professor at the University of California San Diego and author of the book “Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Sci-ence’s Highest Honor,” says the Nobel Foundation should lift its restrictions on re-awarding for a breakthrough if an individual has been overlooked.

Since 2000, six women have won the peace prize. After the medicine prize today, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sci-ences will announce the Nobel in physics tomorrow and in chemistry on Wednesday, while the Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded on Friday by the Nor-wegian Nobel Committee. On October 8, Sweden’s Central Bank announces the winner of the economics prize, given in honor of Alfred Nobel.

UK site leads way in Skripal case with online savvyAFP

LONDON: Bellingcat, the investigative website unmasking the Skripal affair suspects, grew out of one man’s efforts to track the origin of Syrian civil war weapons — from the comfort of his sofa.

The latest revelations from the UK-based citizen jour-nalism group on the nerve agent attack on Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal have made global headlines — and they are promising more to come.

Bellingcat reported that Ruslan Boshirov, one of the two Russian suspects wanted by British police, was actually Anatoly Chepiga, a military intelligence colonel decorated in 2014 with the nation’s top award, the Hero of Russia.

Previous major Bellingcat investigations have included a report claiming flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine by a Russian missile system, as well as others on the wars in Syria and Yemen.

The driving force behind Bellingcat is 39-year-old founder Eliot Higgins, who came to prominence for his investigations into the Syrian civil war as the blogger “Brown Moses”. An unemployed office worker, he launched Bellingcat in 2014 and it made its name almost immediately with investigations into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine.

Operating from a small office in Leicester, central England, Bellingcat’s website lists four staff led by Higgins, 11 members of its investi-gation team and 60 contrib-utors. They have 82,000 Twitter followers but their reach goes far further.

According to the latest opinion poll by Datafolha, Bolsonaro leads with 28 percent support to 22 percent for his nearest rival, Workers’ Party candidate Fernando Haddad.

18 MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018AMERICAS

An aerial view of a demonstration in support of Brazilian right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro at Paulista Avenue, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, yesterday.

Brazilian women rally in force against BolsonaroAFP

RIO DE JANEIRO: Hundreds of thousands of women turned out for a wave of nationwide protests in Brazil late on Saturday against the candidacy of the right-wing frontrunner in next week’s pres-idential election, Jair Bolsonaro.

The controversial Bolsonaro, who was released from hospital on Saturday after being stabbed and seriously wounded by a left-wing activist during a rally on September 6, is currently leading in opinion polls.

Marches organized by a social media campaign under the hashtag #EleNao (Not Him) began in dozens of cities including Rio de Janeiro, where thousands of women converged at vast Cine-landia square, to be joined by a column of others marching from the Avenida Rio Branco, a major thoroughfare, witnesses reported.

Small groups took to the streets even earlier in Sao Paulo and other locations. Demonstra-tions also took from Dublin and Paris to Budapest and Beirut. Superstar Madonna proclaimed her solidarity with the cause in an Instagram post that included the hashtag #endfascism.

The Time’s Up movement which supports victims of abuse tweeted its support: “To our sisters in Brazil: We are all in this together. We see you and hear you. We are with you.”

“Women of Brazil, women

outside Brazil, all women, it’s time to join in,” said Ludimilla Teixeira, one of the march organizers. “Either we join now to fight or we’re going to gather to mourn later.” By the time the women headed home, organizers said that at least a half million took part. Police did not offer figures.

Bolsonaro, a 63-year-old former army captain, has been branded racist and misogynist by his detractors. He has specif-ically angered women by seeking to justify a yawning gender wage gap, and has argued against employing women if it was likely they would become pregnant.

Bolsonaro further inflamed his opponents on Friday by saying he would accept no outcome in the October 7 bal-loting but his own victory. “From what I see on the streets, I do not accept any election result that is not my election,” he said in an interview with a local television network. That drew a withering response from opponents.

Center-left candidate Ciro

Gomes said that Bolsonaro would be “striking a blow against our democracy” and that the best antidote was “not to vote Bol-sonaro in the first round in order to protect Brazil from a leap into the abyss.” The women’s cam-paign, launched on Facebook in early September, called on women of all political persuasions to come together “against the advancement and strengthening of machismo, misogyny, racism, and other prejudice.” “We cannot allow fascism to advance in Brazil,” Teixeira said, calling Bol-sonaro a “disastrous” candidate.

Yet Bolsonaro’s supporters laud both his tough stance on tackling Brazil’s rising crime rate and his pledge to protect tradi-tional family values.

Hundreds of his female sup-porters staged pro-Bolsonaro rallies on Rio’s Copacabana beach and in Sao Paulo. “I support Bolsonaro because he has a clean record,” Elizabeth Resende, a regional candidate with Bolsonaro’s Social Liberal Party, said in Sao Paulo.

“I’m with him because I’m not a feminist — I’m female — and want respect for my children and a better country,” she said.

According to the latest opinion poll released on Friday by Datafolha, Bolsonaro leads with 28 percent support to 22 percent for his nearest rival, Workers’ Party candidate Fernando Haddad.

Immigrants in Quebec: Needed but often unwanted as election nearsAFP

SAINT-GEORGES: Anti-immi-grant sentiment is butting up against an acute labor shortage in Canada’s mostly French-speaking Quebec province ahead of a general election today.

Two of the province’s four major political parties have vowed to cut immigration despite employers saying they need more than 100,000 skilled workers, amid record-low rates of unemployment. Francois Legault, leader of the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ), which is leading in the polls, has

suggested that immigration threatens Quebec’s cultural identity. He has vowed to cut it by 20 percent in 2019, if elected.

He also said he would deport any immigrants who failed a “Quebec values” test or who did not learn French within three years of arriving in the province.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, whose Liberals face an uphill re-election battle after almost 15 years in office, accused the CAQ leader of “scaremon-gering.” But polls show there is substantial popular support in Quebec for curbs on immigration. A recent Leger survey for the

Huffington Post found that 48 percent of Quebecers support immigration while 38 percent see it as a growing problem.

A surge in asylum seekers from the United States since Donald Trump was elected pres-ident in 2016 has strained gov-ernment services, fueling the anti-migrant views.

In the city of Saint-Georges, about 300km northeast of Mon-treal, “hiring” signs hang outside most businesses. “I can under-stand that people want Que-becers to be hired first and foremost, which we try to do, but there’s none or few available,”

said Louise Couture, a human resources official at semitrailer manufacturer Manac.

The regional development organization estimates that 5,000 positions for welders, machinists, cargo handlers and programmers in the area are going unfilled. “We need to bring in a new workforce. We feel the same need in all regions of Quebec. That’s why immigration is one of the solutions,” the agency’s Melanie Poulin said.

The local unemployment rate is 2.6 percent, compared with 5.6 percent for the province and 6.0 percent for all of Canada.

A sign outside Couture’s office proudly notes Manac’s 82 hires since January. The company offers a starting salary that is 40 percent higher than the minimum wage — yet that is not enough.

“Hiring foreign workers helps to meet our delivery dead-lines,” said Couture.

“Without immigration, we could not have the growth we cur-rently have,” said Sylvain Bernard, human resources director at OSI Machinery. “The shortage of man-power is a handicap for Quebec.” His company decided in 2012 to recruit directly from abroad and now employs six workers from

Costa Rica, one from China and nine recently hired Tunisians, four of whom are still awaiting visas.

The immigration process is “so long and painful,” Bernard com-plained. If immigration procedures were simpler and faster, Couture said, 22 foreign workers, including a first group from Cameroon, could “start tomorrow” at Manac.

Demographer Yves Carriere said that politicians have turned immigration into a wedge issue in the coming election. The Lib-erals hope to solidify their base, which includes immigrants and Quebec’s anglophone minority in Montreal.

New York festival urges aid, equality amid security panicAFP

NEW YORK: The music and political worlds joined together late on Saturday to press for development aid, gender equality and voter participation, with a festival in New York’s Central Park marred by a security scare.

An unofficial closing event following a week of hectic diplomacy at the UN General Assembly, the Global Citizen festival hands out free tickets to fans who pledge to take actions such as petitioning their governments to support efforts to end the most extreme global poverty.

Halfway through an evening headlined by The Weeknd and Janet Jackson, panic erupted as fans shouted, “Gunshots!” after hearing what was later revealed to be a falling barricade. Hundreds of spectators raced to leave, trampling over one another as they tried to squeeze through fences. Many lost their shoes and bags and some, including at least one child, were briefly separated from their companions, wit-nesses at the scene said.

“We were trying to tell people to get up, get up, because we were crushing people under us,” said Paris Anthony, one of the fans. Fifteen people were hurt but all injuries were minor, a police spokesman said.

As Coldplay frontman Chris Martin took the microphone to encourage calm, numerous fans were in tears and others left entirely, with the audience notably thinner when the music resumed.

The scare came almost one year to the day after a massacre of 58 people at a country music festival in Las Vegas.

In its seventh year at Central Park, Global Citizen — like this year’s General Assembly — paid tribute to anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who would have turned 100 in 2018. Global Citizen plans a major festival dedicated to Mandela and his anti-poverty vision on December 2 in Johannesburg head-lined by Beyonce and Jay-Z.

While primarily focused on the devel-oping world, the latest Central Park festival also zeroed in on the United States — encour-aging voters to turn out for November 6 midterm elections, in which President Donald Trump’s Republican Party risks losing control of Congress.

Cardi B, the fast-rising rapper who was performing her first concert since giving birth in June, urged young people to pay attention. “Last election, everybody took it as a joke — even me, I’m not gonna front. Because I thought, man, that person ain’t gonna win. And look where we’re at,” the 25-year-old Bronx native said in reference to Trump.

Also rallying voters were screen legend Robert De Niro and, through a video message, former first lady Michelle Obama.

“Voting is how we tell our government what we want, and what we don’t want. Put it another way — voting is how we hire and we fire our leaders!” De Niro said.

Officials attending Global Citizen put a priority on promoting equality for women and girls — seen as a critical front in the battle to eradicate extreme poverty. Norway said it would contribute a much-needed $360m to the Global Financing Facility, a World Bank-backed fund to support maternal and children’s health.

Kanye West is now Ye, but unchanged on backing TrumpAFP

NEW YORK: Kanye West has decided that he now wants to be called Ye. But on political matters, nothing has changed for the pro-Trump rapper.

“The being formally (sic) known as Kanye West. I am Ye,” he wrote on Twitter. Ye has long been a nickname for West, along with Yeezy, and he chose “Ye” as the title of his last album. West — or, rather, Ye — announced the name change shortly before he appeared on “Saturday Night Live.”

After the show ended, West gave an impromptu speech about politics, again voicing his support for the President. “So many times I talk to a white person about this and they say, ‘How could you like Trump? He’s racist,’” West said.

“Well, if I was concerned about racism, I would have moved out of America a long time ago.” He also accused the rival Democratic Party of seeking to keep people dependent on welfare payments and repeated his interest in running for president himself in 2020 — when Trump would face re-election.

Media outlets including NBC News, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the White House was controlling the investigation, giving the FBI a list of witnesses and limiting its parameters.

19MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 AMERICAS

White House not ‘micromanaging’ Kavanaugh probeREUTERS

WASHINGTON: The FBI is free to investigate any misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that it deems credible, two White House spokeswomen said yesterday, rebuffing reports that the administration has tried to limit the probe.

“The White House is not micromanaging this process,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday”. “The Senate is dictating the terms,” she said. “The FBI, this is what they do. And we’re out of the way and letting them do exactly that.” However, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway added, “It’s not meant to be a fishing expedition.”

Trump bowed to pressure from moderate Senate Repub-licans and ordered an FBI inves-tigation after Christine Blasey Ford, a California university pro-fessor, detailed her claims at a Senate hearing on Thursday that Kavanaugh tried to molest her in 1982 when the two were high school teenagers.

Kavanaugh has denied Ford’s accusation, as well as those of two other women that emerged afterward. In a stunning reversal on Friday, the Senate Judiciary Committee asked the Trump adminis-tration to order the FBI to investigate the misconduct alle-gations — but only after the panel sent Kavanaugh’s

nomination to the full Senate for a final vote. The move fol-lowed emotional testimony from Ford and Kavanaugh at a committee hearing on Thursday that further roiled emotions and outrage surrounding the nom-ination for a l ifetime appointment to the high court.

Senate Republicans, who hold a narrow 51-49 majority, were forced by dissent within their ranks to slow down the confirmation process.

As a result, the Supreme Court will begin a new term today with the court ideologically deadlocked with four conserva-tives and four liberals.

Republicans, who are trying to retain control of the US Con-gress in November elections, seek to balance their desire to have a conservative judge on the Supreme Court with sensitivity in how they handle the mis-conduct allegations amid the reverberations of the #MeToo movement.

Media outlets including NBC

News, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the White House was controlling the inves-tigation, giving the FBI a list of witnesses and limiting its parameters.

Trump said the NBC report was incorrect. “Actually, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their dis-cretion. Please correct your reporting!” he wrote on Twitter.

The FBI and a spokesman for the Senate Judiciary Committee did not immediately return requests for comment about the Times report. The New York Times said the FBI planned to question four witnesses about three assault allegations against Kavanaugh.

The FBI will question Deborah Ramirez, who said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party when both were students at Yale University. The others include Mark Judge, a friend of Kavanaugh who Ford said wit-nessed the assault and Leland Keyser and P J Smyth, who she said were at the gathering.

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for a third Kavanaugh accuser, Julie Swetnick, said yesterday that his client has not been con-tacted by the FBI. The Times and the Journal reported that inves-tigators did not intend to question Swetnick.

The White House asked the FBI to share its findings after the four initial interviews, then Trump and his advisers will decide whether the accusations

should be investigated further, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

A senior administration official told the Times that Don McGahn was leading the White House effort to help direct the scope of the background check.

Senate Democrats expressed concern about the reports of White House control of the FBI probe, including Judiciary Com-mittee member Amy Klobuchar, who said she believed the FBI should interview Swetnick.

“The White House should not be allowed to micromanage a FBI investigation,” Klobuchar said on CNN. “I just want this conducted in a fair way.

Sanders said she was “not aware” whether McGahn had given the FBI directions on who to interview or what to inves-tigate. White House adviser Kel-lyanne Conway also said she had not discussed the matter with McGahn.

Conway told CNN’s “State of the Union” that she was only aware of the parameters the Senate set on the probe. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday said the FBI’s supple-mental background investigation “would be limited to current credible allegations” and must be completed in a week.

“The White House is not getting involved in the FBI inves-tigation in that way,” she added. “They should be looking at any-thing they think is credible within this limited scope.”

Activists participate in the ‘Believe Survivors. STOP Kavanaugh.’ rally hosted by TIME’S UP & Partners at Los Angeles City Hall, in Los Angeles, California.

Pentagon’s immigrant recruit program stymiedAP

WASHINGTON: Stricter Trump administration immigration policies have stymied Pentagon plans to restart a program that allowed thousands of people with critical medical or Asian and African language skills to join the military and become American citizens, according to several US officials.

The decade-old program has been on hold since 2016 amid concerns that immigrant recruits were not being screened well enough, and security threats were slipping through the system. Defence officials shored up the vetting process, and planned to relaunch the program earlier this month.

But there was an unexpected barrier when Homeland Security officials said they would not be able to protect new immigrant recruits from being deported when their temporary visas expired after they signed a

contract to join the military, the US officials said.

The program is called Mil-itary Accessions Vital to the National Interest program, or MAVNI. The plan to restart it was backed by Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, who believes that nonci-tizens can bring key skills, lan-guage abilities, and cultural knowledge to the military.

Mattis, a combat veteran of multiple war tours, has fought with and commanded foreign nationals, and he believes their service adds to the lethality of America’s fighting force, according to the officials.

The Pentagon chief told reporters late last month that the program is designed to enlist immigrants with needed skills. “We need and want every qual-ified patriot willing to serve and able to serve,” Mattis said. At the time, he said the department was working diligently to address the security screening problems.

When asked about the latest

developments, Air Force Maj. Carla Gleason, a Pentagon spokes-woman, said, “the unique skill sets these individuals bring is one of the reasons the US military is the world’s premier fighting force.”

In previous years, the US Cit-izenship and Immigration Service used an informal process to give MAVNI recruits protection when their temporary or student visas expired because they were entering military service. In addition, Congress included new restrictions in the 2019 defence bill that limit each military service to 1,000 such recruits per year.

President Donald Trump has made tighter controls on immi-gration, both legal and illegal, an important element of his admin-istration. Asked about the issue, a Homeland Security official said recruits without legal immi-gration status would be subject to deportation, but each case is reviewed individually.

Over the past 10 years, the military services have recruited

more than 10,000 immigrants through the program.

In recent years, however, the program has been mired in con-troversy amid growing concerns about security threats and struggles to develop a proper screening process. According to court documents, more than 20 people in the program have been the subject of FBI or Pentagon counterintelligence or criminal investigations since 2013.

Since the program’s sus-pension in 2016, hundreds of immigrants have been stalled in the intake process, waiting a year or more to get through the updated screening.

Dozens of the immigrant recruits were discharged or had their contracts canceled as the background checks dragged on, leading to complaints and law-suits. Defence officials said the delays were likely because the remaining applicants required more complicated security checks that take longer to complete. In

response to the suits, the Army stopped processing discharges last month and reinstated at least three dozen recruits who had been thrown out of the service.

Officials said the Pentagon is exploring other ways to adjust or replace the program in order to bring immigrants with those skills into the military. But the officials said it will be difficult and that it probably will take a good deal of time. The struggle with the program comes as the administration has imposed more stringent rules for immi-gration, aimed largely at the country’s border with Mexico.

The MAVNI program, however, is not targeted at Spanish speakers, because the military has a large number of those. Instead, according to the Pentagon, the top languages spoken by recruits brought in through the program are Korean, Chinese Mandarin, Nepalese, Hindi, Swahili, Tagalog, French, Yoruba, Russian and Por-tuguese Brazilian.

Trump helps publishers sell millions of booksAFP

NEW YORK: “Fire and Fury,” “A Higher Loyalty,” “Fear”: three books about Donald Trump have each sold more than a million copies in the United States, a first that reflects Americans’ fasci-nation with their ever-surprising president.

The great majority of suc-cessful books on politics have been written by politicians them-selves — or by ghostwriters working with them.

Barack Obama set the standard in the genre, selling a combined 4.6 million copies of his autobiographical books “Dreams From My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope.” In their time, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton and even Sarah Palin all topped the best-seller lists at least for a few weeks, while not reaching Obama’s lofty level.

And in 1976, Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward sold 630,000 copies of his “The Final Days,” chronicling the

dramatic unwinding of the Nixon presidency. After that, however, there have been no chart-toppers about a president.

But in just nine months, “Fire and Fury” by journalist and author Michael Wolff, “A Higher Loyalty” by former FBI chief James Comey, and Wood-ward’s “Fear” have sold a com-bined total of more than five million copies. “I’m not surprised,” said David Corn, co-author of “Russian Roulette,” a book about Russian interference in the American presidential campaign.

“There is deep desire on the part of many Americans for an understanding of what happened in this country” during the 2016 presidential campaign, he said, and also of “what’s going on now within the Trump White House.” In the past, books about a pres-idency were generally published only after it was over, leaving sources freer to talk and allowing greater historical perspective.

But, “as ever, Trump has sped everything up,” Jon Meacham, the author of several best-selling

political and historical books, told MSNBC. “It’s almost as if we had a webcam” providing live coverage of events inside the White House.

Trump himself has, however unintentionally, helped promote these books — all of which paint an apocalyptic picture of his administration — by firing off highly critical Twitter messages about them.

“The Woodward book is a Joke,” he tweeted shortly before “Fear” was published, “just another assault against me”. “I guess people want to see how bad it really is” in the White House, said Marianne Elliott, who is on a long waiting list at the New York public library to read “Fear.”

Many opposition Democrats, though repelled by Trump, his politics and his blustering per-sonality, have been eager to read anything they can find about him. “They want more bad infor-mation, to make you feel better because you know he’s terrible,” Elliott said.

A file picture shows veteran journalist Bob Woodward’s latest book “Fear: Trump in the White House” being displayed for sale upon release at a Costco store in Alhambra, California.

FBI begins probe into car blastAP

ALLENTOWN: A car exploded on a downtown street, killing at least one person and leading to a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents, and federal authorities are helping local officials in the investigation.

The blast happened in Allentown around 9:30pm on Saturday, Assistant Police Chief Gail Struss said early yesterday. “We can confirm that there is at least one fatality,” she said.

City and Lehigh County authorities are investigating along with state police, the FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explo-sives “There is not believed to be any remaining threat to public safety,” the FBI said in a message on Twitter. “We thank residents of the area for their patience as evidence is col-lected and secured.”

Resident Carlos Perodin told The Morning Call of Allentown that he was watching a movie with his wife when he heard a thun-derous explosion and went to the scene.

“The fire was crazy,” he said. “The car was pretty much split in half.” Another witness to the aftermath of the explosion, Stephanie Con-nelly, told The Morning Call that she saw body parts strewn across the street.

“This is real life and I’m shaking and freaking out while I’m running,” she said.

A bus station was turned into a makeshift command center with armored vehicles, dozens of police cruisers, mobile command units and even portable bathrooms, the paper reported.

Several portable tents were also erected for evi-dence processing. Residents were asked to avoid the area, and people who live nearby were asked to shelter in place. A shelter was set up at an ele-mentary school.

20 MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018MORNING BREAK

FAJRSHOROOK

04. 10 AM

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ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 09:30 – 20:00 LOW TIDE 02:00 – 16:15

Misty at places by early morning, becomes

hot daytime with local clouds may be

rainy at places by afternoon.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum 30oC 39oC

Panoramic view of Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne in Switzerland

A panoramic view of the iconic Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Katara Hospitality unveiled the legendary hotel that overlooks the turquoise waters of Lake Lucerne.

Hong Kong’s new fight against fast fashionAFP

HONG KONG: Despite Hong Kong’s reputation for rampant consumerism, a nascent movement against fast fashion is taking root in the city, with clothes-mending workshops and pop-up swaps growing in popularity, and designers parading recycled fabrics on the catwalk.

From broken umbrellas to discarded curtains, no material is too shabby for designer Jesse Lee, who showcased his creations at a recent sustainable fashion show in Hong Kong.

Lee realised that humble household goods could be the springboard for cre-ativity when his family was throwing out an old sofa. He turned the sofa’s leather cover into a jacket and has since made clothes from old curtains and bed linen, as well as a raincoat using umbrella fabric.

Lee also tries to make his designs unisex and adjustable so they can be easily shared. “If you don’t feel like wearing this, you can give it to others and it doesn’t matter if it is a boy or a girl,” Lee said.

Global consumers purchased 60 percent more clothing in 2016 than in 2000 and only kept each item half as long, a report by McKinsey consultancy found. Hong Kong alone sends 343 tonnes of textiles to the city’s overloaded landfills every day and a 2016 report by

Greenpeace found a sixth of clothes owned by residents were seldom or never worn after purchase.

But Lee and others like him are hoping to capitalise on rising consumer awareness as shoppers become more conscious of the human and envi-ronmental cost of fast fashion after high-profile scandals like the deadly

2013 collapse of a building in Bang-ladesh that housed several garment factories.

Christina Dean, founder of Redress, says the tide is slowly turning and describes the industry as at a tipping point. The Hong Kong-based charity works to reduce fashion waste and hosted the recent show where Lee

displayed his creations, alongside other designers who transformed vintage kimonos and bridalwear samples and even used silicone and rubber.

“Many people are turning their backs and saying ‘I have more clothes than I can possibly wear,” she said.

Shocked by the volume of clothing and the pollution produced by major brands, Hong Kong designers Kay Wong and Toby Crispy founded “Fashion Clinic” to help people mend garments.

They set up pop-up stalls at clothing stores providing repair and reshaping services and also hold workshops teaching basic needlework.

“Fast fashion makes people dispose of their clothes so easily, because clothes are too cheap and it seems to cost nothing to toss out the old ones,” Wong said. “After they learn stitching, they can repair many things, like worn-out shirts or socks,” Wong said.

Jack Lam, 31, was learning to sew patches onto his torn jeans at a recent workshop, as curious shoppers looked on. “The patches look like new embel-lishments,” he said, adding that the jeans were now more valuable to him because he had fixed them himself.

While repair clinics, clothes swaps and second-hand shops are all doing their bit, some want to address the waste problem on an industrial scale.

A cutting-edge “upcycling” spinning mill that turns discarded clothes into

new yarns will go into full operation in the city in October, developed by the Hong Kong Research Institute for Tex-tiles and Apparel (HKRITA).

The 1,765 square-metre factory will sterilise, sort and turn used textiles into fresh fibre, processing three tonnes of textile waste each day.

Six workers will remove zips and buttons and categorise the fabrics before machines carry out automated colour sorting and re-spinning.

Mixed-fibre clothing will go through a high-tech treatment to sep-arate the different elements. Edwin Keh, CEO of HKRITA, said the recycled yarn will be “as good as virgin mate-rials”, while the selling price will be 30 percent lower.

The factory launch comes as mainland China moves to ban the import of most solid waste, including textile scraps, putting pressure on Hong Kong to find new ways to deal with its trash.

“Whereas China doesn’t want to import other people’s rubbish, they are very happy with importing yarns and fibres, so that’s what we are going to do,” Keh said.

Keh hopes the new mill will serve as an inspiration for other cities. “If in a crowded city like Hong Kong we have come up with this solution to deal with our own waste, any city in the world should be able to have that kind of local solution.”

In praise of ‘slow art’, top US museum unveils expansion AFP

POTOMAC: It may be the greatest art collection you’ve never heard of — until now. With a sprawling gallery space opening on Thursday in a prosperous exurb of Washington, Glenstone has become one of the world’s biggest private art museums.

At a time when museums are courting Instagram-hungry crowds and visitors have to elbow each other to catch a glimpse, Glenstone has carefully choreographed a journey in the opposite direction as part of its $200m expansion.

Birdsong and crickets provide the soothing cadence to the 10-minute walk from the parking lot to the new building, along a gravel path carved into rolling hills dotted with wild-flowers, sycamore and oak trees.

“Split Rocker,” a giant flower-covered sculpture by the equally polarizing and famous Jeff Koons is perched atop a hill gazing toward the 204,000-square-foot Pavilions complex. A water court of aquatic plants ringed by walls of glass provides the beating heart of the

Thomas Phifer-designed building, flooded with natural light and shaped with individually poured blocks of gray concrete.

The Pavilions’ 11 intercon-nected structures are embedded into the 230 acres of this former foxhunting estate. “It’s all very carefully calibrated to allow for that prolonged experience,” said director Emily Rales, 42, who co-founded Glenstone with her husband Mitchell, a 62-year-old billionaire industrialist. In an interview, she spoke of their “per-sonal quest to find those quiet moments where you can really sit with a work of art and not feel rushed or pressured to move on.”

Glenstone’s collection of post-World War II art is con-sidered to be one of the best, including works by Louise Bour-geois, Roni Horn and Richard Serra, who has two torqued steel sculptures on the grounds.

In a radical departure from most other museums, the walls are barren of explanatory texts and some rooms have just a single work of art. Gray-uni-formed guides, many of them in a young professionals training

program, politely engage visitors in discussions about what lies before their eyes.

Lit through clerestory windows, the painting features four monochrome panels inspired by seasonal colours, while a larger one in the center reveals mossy green calligraphic squiggles typical of Marden’s later years.

The building’s largest room takes visitors on a trip through art history from 1943 to 1989 with 65 works by 52 artists. Pulled from Glenstone’s holdings of some 1,300 pieces, they feature many women artists as well as less familiar works.

In a separate gallery, visitors can take in a framed view of a hillside while sitting on a softly curved maple bench inviting quiet contemplation at nature’s altar. Glenstone has been open since 2006, but only received 10,000 visitors in its first seven years using a much smaller space designed by architect Charles Gwathmey. It can now accommodate up to 100,000 people a year, though it is ini-tially limiting visits to 400 per day four days a week.

‘Night School’ passes the test in North American theatersAFP

HOLLYWOOD: For once it was a comedy, not a superhero or horror flick, that topped North American box offices this weekend as Universal’s raucous new release “Night School” pulled in an estimated $28m, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations reported yesterday.

Kevin Hart stars as one of a group of misfits attending night school to earn their high school diplomas, under the firm tutelage of Tiffany Haddish. The film nearly paid off its $29m production costs over the three-day weekend, Variety reported.

In second was another new release, family animation “Smallfoot” from Warner Bros., which netted $23m. The comic tale about a group of Yeti who run into a human — to the amazement and consternation of both sides — features the voices of Channing Tatum, LeBron James, James Corden, Zendaya and Danny DeVito. Last week-end’s top attraction, Universal’s family film “The House With a Clock in Its Walls,” slipped to third spot, pulling in $12.5m. Jack Black and Cate Blanchett star alongside young Owen Vaccaro as Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan sent to live with his warlock uncle.

In fourth was “A Simple Favor,” Lionsgate’s drama about a mommy blogger (Anna Kendrick) who inves-tigates the mysterious disappearance of her friend (Blake Lively). It earned $6.6m. And fifth place went to horror film “The Nun” from Warner Bros, the latest fright fest in the popular “Conjuring” series. The story of a young nun, an exorcist and a guide stumbling onto a dark secret in Dracula country netted $5.4m.

Overall, the month brought smiles to Hollywood, ending as the second best September ever, trailing only last year’s record grosses.

Fashion designer Jesse Lee (left) wearing a jacket he designed and made with material from discarded umbrellas. RIGHT: A model on a catwalk wearing a similar jacket.

BUSINESSMonday 1 October 2018

PAGE | 23PAGE | 22Musk to resign as Tesla

Chairman, remain as CEO in SEC settlement

Welsh trade delegation keen to strengthen ties with Qatar

GCC bond performance fuels foreign investors’ appetiteSATISH KANADY THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The GCC bond market is witnessing an increasing interest from foreign investors. The regional bond market has seen a surge in foreign investment in the past two years.

Growing investments, impressive performance by bonds and improved structural reforms augur well for strong interest and a surging investor appetite for bond issuance from the GCC region, Marmore MENA Intelligence noted in its H2, 2018 report.

More than 75 percent of the issued bonds, mainly sovereign bonds, in 2017, were com-fortably absorbed by non-GCC investors. This can be seen when a $750m bonds issued by National Bank of Kuwait had 57 percent as US investors, 13 percent European and 4 percent Asian investors in May, 2017.

This is in stark contrast when the same bank issued a $700m bond which had 43 percent as Middle East investors and only 2 percent as US investors in 2015. The Oman bond also saw 93 percent of investors as non GCC.

The bond market in the GCC region saw the issuances to the tune of $70bn, an all-time high issued amount in the year 2017.The first quarter of 2018 has already seen issuances worth $16.8bn, mostly by Oman (39 percent approximately) and Qatar National Bank (22 percent approximately).

Oman has managed to sell its largest ever sovereign bond worth $6.5bn in face of multiple downgrades in credit ratings from companies like Moody’s and Fitch in 2018.

All of these show that although there exists certain challenges for GCC bonds, there

is growing demand for them from investors across emerging and developed markets.

Investors who couldn’t avail sovereign bonds due to non-availability caused by increased demand, subscribed to bonds issued by the regional banks and corporate issuers. This increase in investment is backed by improved macro fundamentals in the region supported by the gradual increase in the oil price, trans-lating into improved credit profiles of local companies and government.

With an approximate 12 percent share in Bloomberg

Emerging Market Investment Grade Bond Index, GCC bonds have occupied centre stage in debt market landscape. Further, the bonds are priced attractively with yields that are higher than that of their similarly rated peers.

For instance, Qatar debt due in 2028 has a yield of 4.45 percent as compared to 4.15 percent to a Mexico bond with same maturity period and having a lower rating compared to Qatar.

Similarly, Saudi Arabia 30-year bond maturing in 2047 yields 30bps higher at 5.07 percent than Indonesian bond (30-year, 4.78 percent) which has a lower credit profile com-pared to Saudi. The region also offers a mix of credit rating for w i d e r i n v e s t m e n t opportunities.

One primary reason for higher yield is due to the risk premium associated with the GCC bonds. Among major developed economies like Europe and Japan have negative yields and investors are looking for bonds with positive yields, which is driving the demand for GCC bonds.

With most countries in GCC having a decreasing or stable

CDS, the outlook on bond market looks positive.

A stable CDS spread shows that the investors are focusing more on the positives in the market including the rise in oil price, increased interest by foreign investors and diversifi-cation in non-oil economies instead of risks associated with GCC bonds especially the geo-political ones. This somewhat compensates for the increase in

the interest rates.Qatar, together with Saudi

Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, will enter JP Morgan’s emerging market government bond indexes next year, JP Morgan announced last week.

The move is expected to attract a total of around $30bn of new foreign investment into their debt. The inclusion will be phased in between January 31 and September 30, 2019.

Investment opportunities for SMEs at first Doha IPECTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Political and business leaders, government officials and entrepreneurs from across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia will gather in Qatar for the first International Products Exhibition and Conference (IPEC) from October 8 to 10, 2018.

Hosted at the Doha Exhi-bition and Conference Center under the patronage of H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Interior Minister of the State of Qatar, IPEC 2018 will offer a unique opportunity to celebrate Qatar’s strong ties with distinguished international partners.

Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al Thani, Director of the Gov-ernment Communications Office, said: “The inaugural IPEC 2018 conference in Doha will showcase diverse and exciting business prospects in Qatar. Investors will benefit from direct access to projects in Qatar and meetings with key decision-makers from the gov-ernment and the private sector.”

Spanning three days, IPEC

2018 will explore the global economic challenges of our time, while examining obstacles and opportunities facing the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.

The conference will focus on: managing sustainable eco-nomic growth, economic coop-eration between nations, the growth and innovation of global travel, and financing partner-ships to increase prosperity. It will also explore the possibility of visa-free travel for all, as well as ways to foster innovation across the region through start-ups and SMEs.

The event will welcome participants from Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan.

The bond market in the GCC region saw the issuances to the tune of $70bn, an all-time high issued amount in the year 2017. The first quarter of 2018 has already seen issuances worth $16.8bn, mostly by Oman (39%) and Qatar National Bank (22% ).

There is growing demand for GCC

bonds from investors across

emerging & developed markets.

Spanning three days, IPEC 2018 will explore the global economic challenges of our time, while examining obstacles and opportunities facing the Mena, and Central Asia.

China to cut import tariffs on wide range of productsREUTERS

BEIJING: China will cut import tariffs on textile products and metals, including steel products, to 8.4 percent from 11.5 percent, effective November 1, the finance ministry said yesterday.Beijing has pledged to take steps to increase imports this year amid rising tension with some of its biggest trade partners.

Import tariffs on wood and paper products, minerals and gemstones will be cut to 5.4 percent from 6.6 percent, the ministry also said in its statement. Average import tariffs on over fifteen hundred products will be lowered to 7.8 percent from 10.5 percent, the ministry said.

“Reducing tariffs is con-ducive to promoting the bal-anced development of foreign trade and promoting a higher level of opening up to the outside world,” the ministry said. The overall tariff level will be reduced to 7.5 percent in 2018 from 9.8 percent in 2017 as a result, the cabinet said.

ECB expects another year of interest rate stability: OfficialREUTERS

BERLIN: The European Central Bank (ECB) expects interest rates to stay at their current level through the summer of next year and the scaling back of economic stimulus measures to be gradual, board member Benoit Coeure (pictured) told Germany’s Taggespiegel.

The comments are in line with the bank’s previous assertion that it is comfortable with market expectations for an interest rate rise in the final quarter of 2019.

“We expect interest rates to stay at the current level at least through the summer of 2019. But we have already started to reduce our net asset purchases and anticipate them ending after the end of December,” Coeure told the newspaper in an interview released yesterday.

With inflation picking up, the ECB has been curbing stimulus for months and plans to end its ¤2.6trillion bond pur-chase scheme in December.

Coeure said that ample monetary stimulus would still be needed to achieve the bank’s euro zone inflation target of

below, but close to, 2 percent.“Price pressures are grad-

ually picking up. But this doesn’t happen in one day,” Coeure said, adding that the euro zone economy was proving very robust.

But for all its resilience, Coeure said that trade disputes and declining support for the multilateral order make strengthening Europe an urgent task.

Responsible fiscal policies and economic reforms at

national level, completion of the banking union and capital market union are needed, he said.

Asked about Brexit, the ECB board member said that the ECB has to be prepared for all eventualities.

“Likewise, the financial sector should prepare for the worst: a no-deal Brexit,” he said, adding that he hopes the EU and Britain can reach a

deal that allows an orderly Brexit.

Coeure also said that, while the financial system is far safer than when the global financial crisis struck 10 years ago, more work has to be done.

He warned against compla-cency and said the next crisis might not come from the financial system. “At the ECB, we are currently looking closely at cybersecurity... We don’t want the next crisis to be triggered by a hacker,” he said.

22 MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018BUSINESS

9,813.32 +29.01 PTS0.30%

QSE FTSE100 DOW BRENT7,510.20 −35.24 PTS0.47%

26,458.31 +18.38 PTS0.070% Dow & Brent before going to press

$73.56 +1.44

MarketWatchChallenges faced by Qatari

citizens during siege discussedTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: A delegation from the Qatar International Court headed by Faisal bin Rashid Al Sahouti visited the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), a member of the World Bank Group, during which he met with the Secretary General of the centre, Meg Kenner.

The two parties discussed the organisation of joint events and the benefit of experiences, practices and applications for each side, especially in the tech-nological fields. The meeting also discussed the most important challenges faced by Qatari citizens during the siege on Qatar and the importance of setting up a platform in the state for the management of investment disputes in the region.

A delegation from the Qatar International Court also partic-ipated in the official delegation of the State of Qatar to attend the meetings of the States

members of the Washington Convention, which discuss the proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Center.

The Chief Executive Officer of the International Court of Qatar also met with the Head of the World Bank Group’s Doing Business Annual Report, which is designed to measure the com-petitiveness of the commercial and investment environment of each country according to various commercial, investment, legal and judicial frameworks.

During the meeting, Al Sahouti reviewed the vital and important role played by the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) by providing a global business environment in recent years that

has attracted many investors and international companies. He also noted the important role played by the Qatar Interna-tional Court in protecting the rights and property of investors, as well as the important role of the Court to promote and uphold the rule of law.

World Bank officials have valued Qatar’s success in rising to the top of the Doing Business report in many sectors in recent years.

In addition, it was high-lighted that to improve the State of Qatar’s advanced positions in the enforcement of contracts and the development of mech-anisms of judicial procedures required to shorten the length of litigation, which will have a positive impact in attracting more foreign investments to the State and to instill more confi-dence among investors.

Al Sahouti also stressed that the State attaches great impor-tance to the continuous devel-opment of judicial proceedings and enforcement.

Faisal bin Rashid Al Sahouti (centre) with other officials during the visit to ICSID.

Sudan’s central bank to print 100-pound bank notesREUTERS

KHARTOUM: Sudan’s central bank will start printing 100 pound bank notes for the first time as it struggles to deal with a liquidity crisis and rampant inflation, state news agency SUNA said yesterday.

In recent months local currency liquidity at com-mercial banks has dried up, with long queues outside of banks and daily withdrawal limits falling to as low as 500 Sudanese pounds ($17.06) in some places.

The previous largest ban-knote in Sudan was 50 pounds.

Restrictions on how much cash is available to com-mercial banks are among measures aimed at curbing rampant inflation and addressing an economic crisis.

Sudan’s economy has been struggling since the south of the sprawling northeast African country seceded in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of oil output and depriving Khartoum of a crucial source of foreign currency.

At over 60 percent, Sudan’s inflation rate is among the world’s highest, while its currency buys fewer than half as many dollars on the black market -- which has effectively replaced the formal banking system -- as it did a year ago.

Sudan’s central bank has devalued its pegged currency from 6.7 to about 29 pounds per dollar in the last year, but the black market rate is still lower, at about 45 pounds yesterday.

Qatar’s Producer Price Index up 4.1% in AugustTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar’s General Monthly Producer Price Index (PPI) is estimated at 73.2 points in August 2018, an increase by 4.1 percent when compared with previous month. On year-on-year, PPI of August 2018 showed a rise of 40.2 percent.

The PPI covers goods relating to three main sectors: Mining (weight: 72.7 percent), Manufacturing (weight: 26.8 percent), and Electricity and Water (weight: 0.5 percent).

With regard to the Mining Sector, the data of the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS) for August revealed that the sector showed an increase by 4.9 percent, when compared with PPI of July 2018, primarily due to the increase of crude petroleum and natural gas prices.

On y-o-y, the sector recorded a significant increase of 48 percent.

Meanwhile, the Manufac-turing Sector registered an increase of 2.2 percent com-pared to the month of July. The prices increase are seen in: juices by 3.3 percent, refined petroleum products by 3.2 percent, basic chemicals by 1.3 percent, and dairy products by 1.1 percent.

However, the decreasing prices are noticed in rubber and plastics products by 2.8 percent, basic metals by 1.3 percent,

grain mill and other products by 1 percent, beverages by 0.6 percent, and cement and other non-metallic products by 0.5 percent. No change noticed in paper and paper products and other chemical products and fibers.

On y-o-y, the Manufac-turing PPI of August showed a rise of 25.9 percent. The major groups which explain this price increase are refined petroleum products by 34.7 percent, fol-lowed by basic metals by 15.7 percent, basic chemicals by 14.6 percent, paper and paper products by 12.3 percent, dairy products by 11.9 percent, other chemical products and fibers by 5.5 percent, juices by 3.5 percent, and rubber and plastics products by 1.2 percent, and grain mill and other products by 0.2 percent.

However, prices fall also noticed in cement and other non-metallic products by 3.8 percent, and beverages by 1.7 percent.

The PPI of Electricity and Water showed a decrease of 2.5 percent compared to July 2018, resulting from an decreasing price in water by 3.6 percent, and electricity by 1.4 percent. When compared the PPI of August 2018 to the PPI of August 2017, the PPI showed an increase of 1.9 percent, affected by price rise in electricity by 5.1 percent, and a decrease in water by 1.3 percent.

Failure to reform global trade rules fuels tensions: ReportAFP

WASHINGTON: Long-delayed reforms to the global trading system have sparked an increase in tensions among major economies, and derailed the economic benefits most often felt by the poor, according to a new report released yesterday.

The failure to continue to adjust global trade rules in the last two decades, particularly in agriculture and services, has undermined the potential to boost growth and reduce poverty, according to the joint report by the International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization and World Bank.

The organizations are urging redoubled efforts to accelerate reforms, especially in the WTO, to salvage the eco-nomic benefits of trade, which have stalled, and ensure the prosperity is shared more widely.

“The system of global trade rules that has nurtured unprec-edented economic growth across multiple generations faces tensions,” the report said.

“Though only recently brought to the fore, those ten-sions are rooted in issues that have been left unresolved for too long.”

US President Donald Trump capitalised on the rising antagonism towards globali-zation in his campaign for the White House and since taking office has pursued a confron-tational trade policy that has imposed steep tariffs on allies and adversaries without distinction.

Trump also harshly criti-cized the WTO, saying it has allowed China to exploit the rules and been unfair to the United States.

The IMF has warned that the trade confrontations are a serious risk to the global economy that could undermine economic growth.

And a WTO report last week said global trade would be slower than previously expected, as escalating trade tensions “will slow trade growth for the rest of this year and in 2019.”

Despite raising living standards around the world since the end of World War II, trade reforms stalled in the early 2000s and remain incom-plete while domestic policies continue to impede trade, the joint report said.

Global trade volumes grew about seven percent annually in the 1990s -- double the rate of global GDP growth -- but slowed sharply in the years before the 2008 financial crisis.

A critical issue has been the failure to adjust rules to reflect the dominance in trade of services, including ecommerce, which now account for two-thirds of global GDP and employment, and half of global trade, the report said.

Services are key to trade in goods as well, since manufac-turing relies on many services to bring their products to market.

“The current focus on trade tensions threatens to obscure the great untapped benefits possible from further trade reform,” the report said.

Chinese manufacturing activity slows as trade war ragesAFP

BEIJING: Chinese factory activity slowed in September, official data showed yesterday, as the Asian giant’s trade war with the United States showed no sign of abating.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), a key gauge of factory conditions, came in at 50.8 for the month, down from 51.3 in August, the National Bureau of Statistics

said. The figure was below the 51.2 reading tipped in a Bloomberg News survey of economists.

Although the numbers indi-cated a slowdown, they remained above the 50-point mark that sep-arates expansion from contraction.

A separate manufacturing index, calculated independently by the Caixin media group, also showed a deceleration.

“Exports increasingly dragged down performance and continued softening demand began to have an impact on companies’ pro-duction,” said Caixin analyst Zhengsheng Zhong.

US President Donald Trump last week imposed a further $200bn in tariffs on Chinese goods and vowed to press on until Beijing buckles.

His latest volley against China,

which retaliated with more levies of its own, brings the amount of goods hit by duties to more than $250bn, roughly half of China’s US exports.

A brighter outlook could be found away from China’s fac-tories, however, with an official gauge of non-manufacturing activity showing the sector expanding to 54.9 in September from 54.2 in August.

Musk to resign as Tesla Chairman, remain as CEO in SEC settlementREUTERS

WASHINGTON/SAN FRAN-CISCO: Tesla Inc and Elon Musk have agreed to pay $20m each to financial regulators and the billionaire will step down as the company’s chairman but remain as chief executive, under a settlement that caps a tumul-tuous two months for the carmaker.

The securities fraud agreement, disclosed by the US Securities and Exchange Com-mission on Saturday, will come as a relief to investors, who had worried that a lengthy legal fight would only further hurt the loss-making electric car company.

The SEC on Thursday charged Elon Musk (pictured) with misleading investors with tweets on August 7 that said he was considering taking Tesla private at $420 a share and had secured funding. The tweets had no basis in fact, and the ensuring market chaos hurt investors, it claimed. Investors and corporate governance experts said the agreement could strengthen Tesla, which has been bruised by Musk’s recent behavior.

The settlement should place more oversight on Musk while not taking the “devastating” measure of forcing him out, said Steven Heim, a director at Boston Common Asset Man-agement, which owns shares in Tesla battery maker Panasonic Corp.

Tesla must appoint an inde-pendent chairman, two inde-pendent directors, and a board committee to set controls over Musk’s communications under the proposed agreement.

“The prompt resolution of this matter on the agreed terms is in the best interests of our markets and our investors, including the shareholders of Tesla,” SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said in a statement.

Thursday’s charges shaved about $7bn off high-flying Tesla, knocking its market value to $45.2bn on Friday, below General Motors Co’s $47.5bn.

In the settlement, the agency pulled back from its demand that Musk, who is synonymous with the Tesla brand, be barred from running Tesla, a sanction that many investors said would be disastrous. Neither Musk nor

Tesla admitted or denied the SEC’s findings as part of the set-tlement, which still must be approved by a court.

Musk had been directly involved in almost every detail of Tesla’s product design and technology strategy, and drove the company’s employees to extraordinary achievements - much as another Silicon Valley chief executive, Steve Jobs, did at Apple Inc.

The entrepreneur is now required to step down as chairman of Tesla within 45 days, and he is not permitted to be re-elected to the post for three years.

The SEC charged Tesla with failing to have required dis-closure controls and procedures for Musk’s tweets. The SEC said the company had no way to determine if his tweets con-tained information that must be disclosed in corporate filings, or if they contained complete and accurate information.

Musk walked away at the last minute from an earlier set-tlement with the SEC that would have required him to give up key leadership roles at the company

for two years and pay a nominal fine, according to media reports on Friday. Investors said on Friday that it has been a mistake for Musk to turn down that set-tlement, especially at a time when the company has been pushing hard to meet aggressive production targets for its Model 3 sedan.

The settlement tasks the Tesla board, which critics have accused of failing to rein in Musk, with the tricky challenge of finding an independent chairman able to work closely with the sometimes unpre-dictable chief executive.

It was not immediately clear who would be appointed to the role. Antonio Gracias, the current lead independent director and CEO of Valor Equity Partners, has been criticized as being too close to Musk and his companies.

World Bank officials have valued Qatar’s success in rising to the top of the ‘Doing Business’ report in many sectors in recent years.

23MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 BUSINESS

BREAK TIME

Welsh trade delegation keen to strengthen ties with QatarTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Welsh food and drink producers are set to strengthen and build ties with prospective partners and investors in Qatar during their current tour of the country as part of the Welsh Government’s Food and Drink Wales Trade Development Visit.

The visit which began on September 29 and last until October 3, will see some ten food and drink companies from Wales showcasing their products to a host of distributors and retail buyers, all looking to secure new business.

Qatar represents the second largest market in the Middle East for Welsh exports and is one of the top 20 markets worldwide for all Welsh exports, making it a key priority market of the Welsh and UK governments. The value of goods exports from Wales alone to Qatar in 2017 was over QR750m.

Representatives from Cardiff Airportare also among the dele-gation looking to capitalise on the new direct flight which operates up to seven times per week between Cardiff and Doha, opening up the prospect of further trade and investment between the two countries.

The goal of the Trade

Development Visit is to leverage networking and collaboration opportunities between the pro-ducers, Welsh Government and Qatar as well as strengthen business, trade and tourism relationships.

Speaking ahead of the visit, the Cabinet Secretary for Envi-ronment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths AM, said:“This trade visit to Qatar provides a great oppor-tunity for Welsh food and drink

producers seeking to build new contacts in overseas markets and is part of our overall drive to support Welsh exports which is vital for the Welsh economy as we look to leave the EU.”

“Exports for the sector have grown in the past decade and continue to grow. I am delighted we are supporting this group of producers going out to Doha to explore new markets first hand and develop further connections

with international businesses.” The Welsh companies taking

part in the Trade Development Visit include Daioni Organic, Dairy Partners, Dunbia Wales, Farmers Fresh Wales, Fayrefield Foods, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales, Mulrines & Sons Sales Uk Ltd, Prima Foods UK Ltd, Randall Parker Foods and Rhug Organic Farm.

During the visit delegates will take part in market briefings,

trade networking events, a store visit programme and Meet the Buyer event.

One of the companies, Mul-rines, manufactures a range of juices and smoothies has its processing plant in Deeside, North Wales where they produce a range of fruit flavoured milk products and organic soya and almond drinks.

John Bonner, Commercial Manager for Mulrines said,“The Middle East is an interesting export market for us. We don’t currently have a distribution network for our products in this area and see this visit as a great opportunity for us in a Key market such as Qatar.

“Hopefully what this visit will do will promote awareness of our range of juices, smoothies and other milk products that we have on offer. As well as give us the chance to form partnerships with distributors and buyers to stock our products boosting sales.”

Another company embarking on the trade visit is Pembrokshire based Daioni Organic, leading provider of premium quality organic milk products. Recently Daioni have partnered with a regional distributor and have launched initially into Carrefour with their Daioni Organic range.

“Qatar is an important market

with a growing population that offers huge opportunities for Welsh businesses in the food & drink sector. We have been in the region for a few years but mainly through UK consolidators, so this was an important step in moving the brand forwards and con-tinuing to grow in such a key market,” said Daniel Jones, Sales Export Manager, commented.

“Hopefully this visit will give us the chance to reinforce the ethics and passion behind our brand and that our products will prove to be as popular in Qatar as they are here in Wales and in other parts of the world.”

Huw Lewis, Finance Director at Cardiff Airport added: “We are delighted to see Food & Drink Wales using the great opportunity presented by the new Qatar Airways service to develop stronger trade links. The flight allows businesses from across Wales to export not only to Qatar but further afield to global desti-nations across Africa, Asia and Australasia.

“At Cardiff Airport, our mission is to generate significant economic benefit to Wales and we will continue to support industry by connecting Wales to the world and facilitating trade opportunities wherever possible.”

British Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Ajay Sharma (right), with the visiting delegation from the Food and Drink division of the Welsh Government.

Thyssenkrupp board backs split, confirms Kerkhoff as CEOREUTERS

FRANKFURT: Thyssenkrupp said yesterday that its supervisory board had unanimously approved plans to split the conglomerate in two, paving the way for the group’s largest restructuring in decades.

Approval for the move, first announced on Thursday, was widely expected after the com-pany’s two largest shareholders - the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach foundation and Cevian - and labour representa-tives expressed their support.

In addition, Guido Kerkhoff

(pictured) was appointed CEO on a five-year contract, confirming him in a role he had been filling on an acting basis, Thyssenkrupp said.

“Our solution is responsible and equally serves the interests of employees, customers and shareholders. We will now

decisively start implementation,” Kerkhoff said. Bernhard Pellens, a business school professor, was named as the group’s new super-visory board chairman.

Under the planned new structure, Thyssenkrupp will spin off its capital goods business - ele-vators, car parts and plant

engineering - into a separate listed entity called Thyssenkrupp Industrials. Materials trading, shipbuilding and the group’s 50 percent stake in a planned joint steel venture with Tata Steel will remain part of Thyssenkrupp, which will be renamed Thys-senkrupp Materials.

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

Peppermint (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:15 & 11:30pm The Nun (2D/Horror) 10:00am 12:00noon, 12:30, 2:00, 2:45, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:15, 8:00, 9:30, 10:00, 11:45pm & 12:00midnight Alpha (2D/Drama) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnight MEG (2D/Action) 11:00am, 3:30 & 8:30pm Luis And The Aliens (2D) 10:00am 1:30 & 5:00pmEnchanted Princess (2D/Animation) 11:45am, 3:15 & 6:45pm Al Khourouj An Al Nas (2D/Arabic) 8:30, 10:30pm & 12:00midnightThe Equalizer 2 (2D/Action) 1:00, 6:00 & 11:00pm Christopher Robin (2D/Animation) 10:15am, 2:30, 6:45 & 11:00pmMile 22 (2D/Action) 12:30, 4:45 & 9:00pm Reprisal 10:00am, 2:00, 6:00 & 10:00pm Slender Man 12:00noon, 4:00, 8:00pm & 12:00midnight Al Badlah (2D/Arabic) 10:00am, 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:15 & 11:30pmThe Nun(2D/Horror/IMAX)11:00am, 1:00, 3:00, 500, 7:00, 9:00&11:00pm

Smallfoot (Animation) 2:00 & 5:45pm Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Tamil) 2:00, 6:00 & 11:30pm Devdas (2D/Telugu) 3:00 & 11:30pm Pataakha (2D/Hindi) 4:30pmThe House With A Clock In Its Wall (2D/Thriller) 3:45pm Varathan (Malayalam) 5:00 & 11:00pm Night School (2D/Comedy) 9:30pm Johnny English (2D/Action) 7:30pm El Diesel (2D/Arabic) 7:30pm Sui Dhaaga (2D/Hindi) 9:00pm The Bouncer (2D/Action) 9:15pm

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Tamil) 3:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm Smallfoot (Animation) 3:00 & 5:00pm Sui Dhaaga (2D/Hindi) 2:15pm Johnny English (2D/Action) 6:00pmThe House With A Clock In Its Wall (2D/Thriller) 6:15pm El Diesel (2D/Arabic) 7:00pm Devdas (2D/Telugu) 8:15pmVarathan (Malayalam) 9:00 & 11:30pm

Smallfoot (Animation) 2:30 & 4:30pm Varathan (Malayalam) 3:00 & 8:00pm Sui Dhaaga (Hindi) 5:45pm The House With A Clock In Its Wall (2D/Thriller) 6:30pm Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Tamil) 8:15pm El Diesel (2D/Arabic) 11:00pmNight School (2D/Comedy) 11:15pm

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Tamil) 5:15, 8:00, 10:45pm Varathan (Malayalam) 3:30, 6:00, 8:30 & 10:15pmSui Dhaaga (Hindi) 5:15pm Devdas (2D/Telugu) 6:00pm Saamy 2 (Tamil) 8:30pm Oru Kuttanadan Blog (Malayalam) 7:45 & 11:30pm

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Tamil) 10:30am, 3:45 & 9:00pmSmall Foot (2D/Comedy) 12:00noon & 7:00pmDevdas (2D/Telugu) 1:00 & 6:00pm The House With A Clock In Its Walls 2:15 & 9:15pm Night School (2D/Comedy) 3:45 & 11:30pm Oru Kuttanadan (Malayalam) 8:45pm Sui Dhaaga (Hindi) 4:30 & 11:30pm

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Tamil) 10:30am, 1:30, 4:30, 7:30 & 10:30pm Johnny English (2D/Action) 10:30, 11:00am, 2:45, 3:15, 7:00, 7:30, 9:00, 9:30, 11:30pm Devdas (2D/Telugu) 3:50 & 9:30pmSmallfoot (Animation) 10:30am, 12:40, 2:50, 5:00 & 7:20pm Sui Dhaaga (Hindi) 9:30pm & 12:10am The House With A Clock In Its Walls 1:00, 12:30. 4:45, 9:30, 11:00pm Varathan (Malayalam) 10:30am, 1:10. 6:50pm & 12:30am

A bouncer in his fifties who’s taken punches, literally and figuratively, and struggles to raise his 8-year-old daughter.

BOUNCER

ROYAL PLAZANOVO Pearl Qatar

MALL

CROSSWORD

LANDMARK

FLIK Mirqab

AL KHOR

ROXY

ASIAN TOWN

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Tamil) 8:50 & 10:20pm Johnny English Strikes Again 10:20, 11:15am, 12:15, 1:10, 2:15, 5:00, 6:30, 7:25, 8:30, 9:20 & 11:15pm Luis & The Aliens 12:00noon, 1:25 & 5:30pm Small Foot 11:10am, 1:50, 3:15, 4:05, 6:20, 7:30, 8:40, 10:35pm & 12:30am The House With A Clock In Its Walls 10:30am, 11:20, 12:20, 1:35, 2:35, 5:50, 7:00, 8:05, :15, 11:30pm & 12:10amThe Bouncer 8:40, 10:35pm & 12:30amThe How of Us 6:15 & 9:45pm The Nun 10:30pm & 12:40am Varan 12:40, 3:25 & 11:55pm

24 MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018BUSINESS

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*��+��..��D��*�+��!�"�#$�("�/'�"()�02� �� E��*� �� +� �� 3!�� %!�"�'&3!�%�#'!&� �4"�("� ��44)� 567829� 8;02� ??20 � ::<8� <=7>� � ::<7� <070� � :::2� =?;<� � :::0� ?=2;� �� "%�'4)� � ��*��=��@��REGENCY PEARL 2 (THE PEARL): Fully furnished 1 C�� -�� !�"�#$� �%"&'#'"()� (�� *�� +�� ..��D��*�+��!�"�#$�("�/'�"()�02��E��*�� +� �� 3!�� %!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)�567829�8;02�??20� �::<7�<070� �??;;�=>07� �::<:�;2=>��"%�'4)��*��=��@��REGENCY PEARL 1 (THE PEARL):�3��+�.��=��6��.G�� -��!�"�#$��%"&'#'"()�(��*��+��..�� D�� *�+� �� !�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� ��+��3!��%!�"�'&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)�567829�::<8�<=7>� �::<7�<070� �??;;�0>72� �??;;�0>:?��"%�'4)��*��=��@��REGENCY PEARL 2 (THE PEARL):�3��+�.��0�� -��!�"�#$��%"&'#'"()�(��*��+��..�� D�� *�+� �� !�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� ��+��3!��%!�"�'&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)�567829�8;02�??20� �::<7�<070� �??;;�0>72� �??;;�0>:?��"%�'4)��*��@��UMM BAB TOWER (WESTBAY):� 3��+� .�� 0��0�%��-�� !�"�#$� �%"&'#'"()�'��*��.��+��H��**��+��+��D��*�+�� *�� 3!�� %!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)�567829�>>072>0=� �:::0�?=2;� �::<7�:7:?� �::<7�;2?0��"%�'4)��+��@��UMM BAB TOWER (WESTBAY):� 3��+� .�� >�� 6� ��-� �� I��)� >� %��-�� !�"�#$��%"&'#'"()� '��*�� .��+��H��**��+�� +��D��*�+��*��3!��%!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&� �4"�("� ��44)� 567829� >>072>0= � ??;;�2?>?� � :::=� 08>2� ::<7� <070� �� "%�'4)� ��+��@�� BEVERLY HILLS GARDEN 10 (Al WAAB):� (��.�� 2� �� )� >� �� +�� *�� -�� !�"�#$��%"&'#'"()� (�� *�� C�� -�� *�+� ��J+�� !�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� �� +� ��3!��%!�"�'&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)�567829�>>:0� =8=>� � ??;;� =>07� � ::<:� ;2=>� � :::2� =?;<� �� "%�'4)��@�� AIN KHALID GATE:� 3��+� .�� 2� �� 0� %��-�� -�� +� �� 0� �� -��+�� *�� *�� !�"�#$� �%"&'#'"()� (�� A�� J+�� A�� H��H��*��+��*��+��!�"�#$�("�/'�"()�02��+��3!��%!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&� �4"�("��44)� 567829� ::?=�870?� �::<:�:08=� � � ::<7�:7:?� � � ::<7�;2?0� �� "%�'4)� ��@�� BEVERLY HILLS GARDEN 1 (AL WAAB):�(��.��2��)�0�%��-��C��.��+� �� *�� +�� -�� *��+��!�"�#$��%"&'#'"()� ( *�� +�� -��*�+��!�"�#$�("�/'�"()�02��+� �� 3!�� %!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&� �4"�("��44)�567829�>>:0�=8=>� �??;;�=>07� �::<:�;2=>� �:::2�=?;<� �??;;2?>?��"%�'4)��@��

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AIN KHALID COMPOUND (AIN KHALID): Fully .�� =� �� )� �� !�"�#$��%"&'#'"()�(��*��+��*�� -�� *�+� �� 3!�� %!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)�567829�>>2>�>=?<� �::<:�;2=>� �:::2�=?;<� �??;;�0>72��"%�'4)��@��AIN KHALID COMPOUND (AIN KHALID): Fully .�� 0� �� )� 0� �� !�"�#$� �%"&'#'"()� (�� *�� +�� *�� -�� *�+� �� 3!�� %!�"�'&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)�567829�??;;�0>:?� �:::0�?=2;� �::<7�:7:?��"%�'4)��@�� REGENCY RESIDENCE AL SADD 1 (AL SADD): Fully .�� =� �� )� %��-�� !�"�#$��%"&'#'"()�(��J+��(�� A��(�� !�"�#$�("�/'�"()�02�� +� �� 3!�� %!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("� ��44)� 567829� >>=;� 0?2?� � � ??;;� =>07� � >>77� 20??� �??;;2?>?��"%�'4)��@��REGENCY RESIDENCE AL SADD 1 (AL SADD): Fully f�� 0� �� )� %��-�� !�"�#$� �%"&'#'"()� (�� J+�� (�� A�� (�� !�"�#$�("�/'�"()� 02� �� +� �� 3!�� %!�"�'&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)�567829�>>=;�0?2?� �::<:�;2=>� �:::2�=?;<� �??;;�0>72� �??;;2?>?��"%�'4)��@��REGENCY RESIDENCE ALSADD 3 (AL SADD): Fully .�� >� �� )� %��-�� !�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� E��+��3!��%!�"�'&3!�%�#'!&��44)�567829�>>=;�0?2?� ??;;�0>:?� �:::0�?=2;� �::<7�:7:? �??;;2?>?��"%�'4)��@��REGENCY RESIDENCE AL SADD 10 (AL SADD): Fully .�� >� �� )� %��-�� 3!�� %!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("� ��44)� 567829� >>=;� 0?2?� ??;;� 0>:?� � :::0� ?=2;� �::<7� :7:?� �� "%�'4)� ��@��@��REGENCY RESIDENCE AL SADD 12 (AL SADD): Fully .�� =� �� )�� (*�� !�"�#$� �%"&'#'"()� 3��+� �H��**��+�� !�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� �� +� �� 3!��%!�"�'&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)�567829�>>=;�0?2?�� ??;;�=>07� �::<:�;2=>� �??;;2?>?��"%�'4)��@�� REGENCY RESIDENCE AL SADD 12 (AL SADD): 3��+�.��=��)�� (*�� !�"�#$� �%"&'#'"()� 3��+� �H��**��+�� !�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� �� +� �� 3!��%!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)� 567829� >>=;�0?2?� �??;;�=>07� �::<:�;2=>� �??;;2?>?��"%�'4)��@�� REGENCY RESIDENCE AL SADD 13 (AL SADD): 3��+�.��=��)�� !�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� ��+� �� 3!�� %!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&� �4"�("��44)�567829�>>=;�0?2?� �??;;�0>72� �::<7;0;8� �:::0�?=2; �??;;2?>?��"%�'4)��@��REGENCY RESIDENCE MUSHEIREB 1 (MUSHEIREB): 3��+�.��=�� !�"�#$� �%"&'#'"()� '��(��J+��(��A��C��!�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� �� +� �� 3!��%!�"�'&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)� 567829�::8;�=802� �::7>�?8:<� �>>77�20??� �::<7�:7:?��"%�'4)��@��REGENCY RESIDENCE MUSHEIREB 7 (MUSHEIREB): 3��+�.��=�� !�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� ��+� �� 3!�� %!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&� �4"�("��44)�567829�::8;�=802� �::7>�?8:<� �::<7�;2?0� �??;;�2?>?��"%�'4)��@��REGENCY RESIDENCE AIRPORT 1 (DOHA AREA): 3��+�.��=�� *��-��!�"�#$��%"&'#'"()�(��*��J+�� !�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� �� +� �� 3!��%!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)� 567829� >>:?�8=:?� �>;>7�:0<8� �??;;�2?>?� �:::=�08>2��"%�'4)��@��REGENCY RESIDENCE AIRPORT 1 (DOHA AREA): (��.��0�� *��-��!�"�#$��%"&'#'"()�(��*��J+�� !�"�#$� ("�/'�"()� 02� �� +� �� 3!��%!�"� '&3!�%�#'!&��4"�("��44)� 567829� >>:?�8=:?� �>;>7�:0<8� �::<7�<070� �??;;�=>07��"%�'4)��@��

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25MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018

I won my first Masters 1000, at Indian Wells, I got my

highest ranking ever this season and another Grand Slam final after nine years.

Martin Del Potro Tennis player

TO

DAY

’SA

CTIO

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Nishioka claims maiden ATP titleAFP

SHENZHEN, CHINA: Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka broke through for his maiden ATP singles title yesterday, outlasting seasoned Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in a grueling final of the Shenzhen Open.

“This is the dream for tennis players,” said Nishioka after-wards. “I believe this is the beginning.”

The 23-year-old Nishioka, ranked 171 in the world, in the end played seven matches in eight days at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Centre but his legs were full of running in a marathon final as he threw himself at everything Herbert could give.

As the match clock ticked towards two-and-a-half hours, Nishioka sealed the victory on his fifth match point - and looked as though he could hardly believe what had just happened.

Twelve months ago, the Jap-anese player was stuck at home pondering his future after tearing an ACL. He will now return to the world’s top 100 after that injury had seen his ranking plummet to as low as 362.

“It was a very long run to get here, seven matches,” said Nishioka.

“It’s not easy. I’m very tired right now. I think my strength is my mentality and stamina and [I] never give up. That’s my weapon.”

The 27-year-old Herbert

was never going to leave the southern Chinese city won-dering, rattling off 12 aces and helping his opponent’s cause with nine double faults and he poured on the power. But the Nishioka game plan -- waiting out the barrages and keeping his opponent moving -- worked a treat.

Both players came into the final unfancied and unseeded and both had yet to claim a ATP Tour singles title. Herbert had only made one final previously (losing in straight sets to South African Kevin Anderson at the

Winston-Salem Open in the US in 2015) while Nishioka had never before graced the big stage.

Before the final, Nishioka had put his run of form -- kick-started by title at the ATP Chal-lenger Tour stop in Gimcheon, South Korea, four months ago -- down to a change in attitude.

The 1.7-metre (five-foot-seven) Nishioka revealed he had previously been trying to play like “six footers” such as current world number one Rafael Nadal of Spain but had turned instead for inspiration to Chile’s former world number one Marcelo Rios, who stands around 1.75 metres (five-foot-nine).

“I think I’m the shortest player in the ATP tour,” said Nishioka. “It’s very tough. I need to play many long rallies. I have to run a lot.” It looked like he’d picked up some of Rios’ tenacity, too, fighting his way back to victory having dropped seven straight games after leading Herbert 7-5, 2-0.

“I was a little bit nervous because I almost won the trophy,” said Nishioka.

“I was a little bit tight and a little bit nervous. But after I lost [the] second set, I changed my mentality.” The odds were stacked in favour of Herbert, a three-time Grand Slam doubles title winner with partner and compatriot Nicolas Mahut who has vowed to focus more on singles in the near future, outside those Major tourna-ments. But Nishioka finally ful-filled the promise he had shown as one of Japan’s top juniors.

Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan celebrates after winning the men’s singles final against Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France at the ATP Shenzhen Open in Shenzhen, in south China’s Guangdong province, yesterday.

Tomic clinches first trophy in three yearsAFP

BEIJING: Controversial Australian Bernard Tomic won his first tournament in three years yesterday -- and in the most dramatic of circum-stances, saving four match points to triumph at the Chengdu Open.

The 25-year-old defeated top seed Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) in a thrilling three-setter in southwest China, where he was a qualifier.

Tomic sank to his knees in celebration, kissed the court and then looked up to the sky as he milked the moment.

Tomic’s first ATP World Tour crown since Bogota in 2015 will propel the world-ranked 123 comfortably inside the top 100 and eyeing a spot at next year’s Aus-tralian Open.

It was double disap-pointment for Fognini, the number 13 who had been

attempting to become the first Italian man to win four titles in a season.

“I could have lost like five times this tournament,” said Tomic, for whom it was a welcome change to be making headlines for the right reasons.

“I was down in so many matches and faced match points against (Lloyd) Harris in the second round as well.

“It’s been a rollercoaster week.” Once seen as a rising star, Tomic has had a number of run-ins with authorities over the years, earning him the rep-utation as one of tennis’s bad boys.

In January he faced a backlash after boasting “I just count my millions” in response to failing to negotiate qualifying for the Australian Open.

In 2017, as his once-prom-ising career nosedived, Tomic admitted he was sometimes “bored” during matches and not always giving 100 percent.

Bernard Tomic of Australia celebrates after winning the men’s singles final against Fabio Fognini of Italy at the ATP Chengdu Open in Chengdu, in China’s southwest Sichuan province, yesterday.

Halep retires hurt from China OpenAFP

BEIJING: World number one Simona Halep said that she was “worried now” after a persistent back problem forced her out of the China Open after just 31 miserable minutes yesterday.

The Romanian never looked comfortable against Tunisian qualifier Ons Jabeur, losing the opening set of their first-round match 6-1 before calling it quits.

The 27-year-old Halep suf-fered a back injury a week ago in Wuhan and she cut a forlorn figure after it ended her Beijing adventure prematurely.

The top-ranked Halep’s

departure is another blow to organisers in the Chinese capital, with Serena Williams missing from the women’s draw and several big names also absent from the men’s event.

“There is a pain, I couldn’t move properly so that’s why I stopped,” Halep, who suffered a shock early exit from the recent US Open, said. “I don’t know exactly what it is. I will go home, I will have an MRI (scan) and I will see.”

“I’m just worried now, I feel sad that I couldn’t finish,” Halep added, saying that she feared playing was making the problem worse and she knew from the start of the match that she

was struggling. Halep believes it is a different back problem from the one that contributed to her early loss in Wuhan.

“I knew that there is pain, but

I thought if I warm up during the match, it’s going to be better, but it wasn’t,” she said. Holder Caroline Garcia survived a major scare before defeating wildcard Wang

Yafan 7-6 (12/10), 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 to open the defence of her crown.

The 24-year-old from France defied a rattling roof and a sur-prisingly stiff challenge from the home player to labour into round two on Beijing’s hard courts after more than three hours of nervy action.Garcia took the first set on a tie-break after 77 minutes during which the retractable roof -- which was closed -- banged noisily on occasion in the wind.

The fourth-ranked French player and Wang, 78th in the world, went to battle again in the second set and Garcia came back to force another tie-break.

Del Potro savours ‘amazing year’AFP

BEIJING: Juan Martin del Potro said yesterday he will go into this week’s China Open enjoying the “best moments” of a career that came perilously close to being destroyed by injury.

The strapping but softly spoken 30-year-old is the favourite in Beijing with reigning champion and world number one Rafael Nadal out injured and Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer also absent.

The man fondly known as “Delpo” is ranked fourth in the world behind that trio and while there has never been any doubt about his ability, his career has been blighted by wrist injuries.

Del Potro, the 2009 US Open winner, was beaten by Djokovic in the final at Flushing Meadows in early September.

But that did nothing to dispel the notion that Del Potro is a man enjoying his tennis again having painstak-ingly rebuilt his career.

“This could be one of the best seasons of my career,” Del Potro, a popular figure in the locker room, said ahead of his assault on the China Open.

“I won my first Masters 1000, at Indian Wells, I got my highest ranking ever this season (three) and another Grand Slam final after nine years.

“It’s an amazing year for me, but I also want to keep going because I like to pres-surise myself, and I’m excited about that.”

Del Potro, who faces Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas in his Beijing opener, will head to the Shanghai Masters immediately after the China Open and is also chasing a spot at the season-ending ATP Finals.

The Argentine, whose outsized 6ft 6in (1.98m) frame belies his gentle nature, is savouring being largely pain-free after multiple wrist surgeries.

He was unable to defend his US Open title in 2010 and reached a low point in 2015, playing just four ATP matches.He has previously admitted that he was close to quitting tennis. “You have to find deep in your body the strength to be with the pain and injuries,” Del Potro said of advice he would give to players struggling with injury.

Winning start for Kawhi Leonard with RaptorsAP

MIAMI: Kawhi Leonard is finally back on the court and the Toronto Raptors should be happy with the results.

Leonard scored 12 points in his first game with his new team and the Raptors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 122-104 on Saturday night in Van-couver, British Columbia, in the preseason opener for both teams.

Leonard played 19 minutes and didn’t shoot par-ticularly well, missing all four 3-pointers and going just 6 for 11 from the free throw line. But he played aggressively and moved well after being limited to just nine games last season

for San Antonio because of a thigh injury. The 2014 NBA Finals MVP hadn’t played in a game since January.

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum each played the first quarter for Portland. Lillard scored 12 points and McCollum had nine.

Raptors 122, Trail Blazers 104

Danny Green, who came from San Antonio with Leonard, was 1 for 6 and fin-ished with five points in Toronto’s first game under new coach Nick Nurse.

Meyers Leonard led Portland with 16 points.

Mavericks 116, Beijing Ducks 63

No. 3 overall pick Luka

Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. scored 16 points apiece for Dallas. Doncic, a 19-year-old who was named EuroLeague MVP and EuroLeague Final Four MVP while leading Real Madrid to the title, made 5 of 7 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, while grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots.

Smith was 6-of-10 shooting and had six assists with no turnovers. Maxi Kleber added 15 points for the Mavericks (1-0). Justin Ham-ilton, who appeared in 113 games and started 21 across three seasons in the NBA, led Beijing with 29 points and 13 rebounds. He shot 6 of 19 from the field but made 15 of 17

from the free throw line.Timberwolves 114, War-

riors 110 Jeff Teague scored 17 points and Derrick Rose added 16 for Minnesota, which was without All-Star Jimmy Butler, who requested a trade from the team last week.

Anthony Tolliver scored 15 points, hitting 5 of 10 from 3-point range. Karl-Anthony Towns had 12 points, Andrew Wiggins scored 11 and rookie Josh Okogie 10 for the Tim-berwolves (1-0).

Stephen Curry made 5-of-9 3-pointers and finished with 21 points in 19 minutes for Golden State (0-1). Klay Thompson scored 17, including three 3-pointers, and Kevin Durant added 16 points.

Toronto Raptors guard Lorenzo Brown (4)and Portland Trail Blazers forward Meyers Leonard (11) during the second half of their NBA game at Rogers Arena on Saturday.

Simona Halep (down) of Romania gets medical treatment during the WTA Wuhan Open in Wuhan.

26 MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018SPORT

I’m happy I got that point. I’m getting goosebumps talking about it. It wasn’t a fitting way for the match to end: Thomas

Europe win back Ryder CupAFP

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, FRANCE: Europe’s finest golfers recaptured the Ryder Cup yesterday, holding off a dramatic United States fightback to complete an emotional upset victory with Italy’s Francesco Molinari clinching the outcome.

Reigning British Open champion Molinari defeated five-time major winner Phil Mickelson 4 and 2 to give Europe an insurmountable 14 1/2-9 1/2 lead over the favoured Americans in the biennial team showdown at Le Golf National.

“It was amazing,” Molinari said. “It’s an incredible achievement. We did just an amazing job.”

In the process, Molinari -- who had been winless in six prior Ryder Cup matches -- became the first European and only the fourth player ever to go 5-for-5 in a Ryder Cup and did so just two months after hoisting the Claret Jug.

“It feels great but it’s not about me,” he said.

“It was about time to have them but it’s about the group not the individual.

“I couldn’t even dream of a summer like this.” Europe had seized a 10-6 edge in Saturday’s foursomes and fourballs matches and needed only 4 1/2 points from yesterday’s 12 singles matches to swipe the trophy.

The US team needed to match the greatest last-day comebacks in Ryder Cup history by taking eight singles points to keep the Cup, but there was no French magic like Europe’s 2012 ‘Miracle at Medinah’ or the Americans’ 1999 victory in the ‘Battle of Brookline’.

The Americans, who haven’t won in Europe since 1993, lead the all-time rivalry 26-14 with two drawn but the Europeans’ ninth victory in the past 12 attempts gave them an 11-8 with one drawn edge since expansion from a British-Irish squad after 1977.

Americans pulled within 10 1/2-9 1/2 Sunday before Europe’s first singles victory came from Danish rookie Thorbjorn Olesen, who beat three-time major winner Jordan Spieth 5 and 4. Spain’s Jon Rahm fol-lowed by downing Tiger Woods 2 and 1, keeping the 14-time major champion winless in four matches this week and snuffing out any US

momentum.Rahm, who led after all but one

hole, pumped his fists and screamed with joy after his winning four-foot birdie putt, which came after a three-putt bogey at the par-3 16th, left Europe two wins from victory.

“To beat Tiger, one of the greatest players of all time, for the pivotal point, it’s the best feeling of my life,” Rahm said.

England’s Ian Poulter, Europe’s wildcard talisman, birdied the 18th hole to beat world number one Dustin Johnson 2-up and put Europe on the brink of victory.

That set the stage for Molinari to clinch the win after Mickelson found water at 16 and conceded.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia, last year’s

Masters champion, followed that by beating Rickie Fowler 2 and 1, vaulting him to 25.5 career Ryder Cup points, breaking Nick Faldo’s old mark of 25.

Matches stood on a knife’s edge deep into the afternoon, the Amer-icans clinging to hopes as tension built across the back nine.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy endured a last-hole collapse and lost 1-up to American four-point rookie Justin Thomas in the opening match. McIlroy’s tee shot plugged in a right-side bunker, his second rolled back into the sand and his third found the water. He surrendered the hole and match after failing to sink his bogey bid from the drop zone with Thomas on the green in two.

“I’m happy I got that point. I’m getting goosebumps talking about it,” Thomas said. “It wasn’t a fitting way for the match to end.” Third-ranked Brooks Koepka, this year’s US Open and PGA Championship winner, halved with England’s Paul Casey in a match neither led by more than 1-up.

“I threw a lot at him,” Casey said. “It was a classic match. Very proud

to turn that match around and grab that half point.”

Garcia becomes leading Ryder Cup scorerAFP

S A I N T - Q U E N T I N - E N -YVELINES, FRANCE: Sergio Garcia became the leading points-scorer in Ryder Cup history as his 2 and 1 win over American Rickie Fowler helped Europe regain the trophy at Le Golf National yesterday.

The 38-year-old Spaniard, a controversial wildcard pick by captain Thomas Bjorn after a poor season, passed Nick Faldo’s pre-vious mark of 25 points, reaching 25.5 since making his debut in 1999.

“I don’t usually cry, but I couldn’t help it. What a week,” a tearful Garcia said.

“It means a lot but at the end of the day, I’ve always said it -- it’s about the team and I’m happy that I was able to help.

“I’m happy that I was able to help with some of the points. It’s a bonus.” Garcia had endured a difficult year, missing the cut at all four majors, but was still selected by Bjorn on the strength of his Ryder Cup performances down the years.

“It’s been a rough year, but we fought hard, I’m so thankful to Thomas Bjorn for believing in me,” he said.

“I’m so happy to get the Cup back and in Paris and to enjoy it as much I did.” The 2017 Masters champion arrived in France on 22.5 points from eight previous appearances, and combined with Alex Noren to thrash Phil Mick-elson and Bryson DeChambeau as Europe swept the Friday four-somes to get his Ryder Cup underway.

He added a dramatic fourball victory alongside Rory McIlroy over Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau on Saturday morning, curling home a long birdie putt on the 17th to secure the point.

Garcia missed out on the record in the penultimate session as he and Noren lost to Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson, but he broke Faldo’s record in style as Europe roared back to crush the Americans on the Albatros course despite some early Sunday resistance from the away team.

He said he felt good heading into the week after a morale-boosting top-10 finish at the Por-tugal Masters last Sunday.

“Felt like something was hap-pening. I played really well last week in Portugal and you know, I rested a little bit which was nice,” Garcia added.

“I needed that to play with the energy that the Ryder Cup deserved, and you know, I’m so happy that I was able to play -- not only myself -- but the whole team, as well as we did.”

Europe’s team members pose after winning the 42nd Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, France, yesterday. BOTTOM: Team Europe captain Thomas Bjorn with the trophy.

South Africa stutter before beating ZimbabweAFP

KIMBERLEY, SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa had some anxious moments before beating Zimbabwe by five wickets in the first one-day international at the Diamond Oval yesterday.

It looked like being an easy day for the hosts when Zim-babwe crashed to 117 all out, their lowest total in 39 one-day internationals between the two countries. But South Africa also struggled on a pitch of variable and occasionally steep bounce, losing their first four wickets for 58 runs before a hard-hit 44 by wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen took them most of the way to the win.

“It was a very indifferent wicket,” said stand-in South African captain JP Duminy.

“There was always some-thing in it for the bowlers. Even though we bowled well it was

quite a tough total to chase down.”

Opening bowler Lungi Ngidi took three for 19 to lead a potent South African bowling per-formance after Duminy sent Zimbabwe in to bat.

“It was about keeping it

simple, hitting your lengths and the wicket will do the rest,” said Ngidi, who was named man of the match. Duminy’s decision to bowl paid off almost immedi-ately when Solomon Mire was caught at second slip off Ngidi without scoring.

South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi (left) celebrates after dismissing Zimbabwe’s Kyle Jarvis during the first One-Day International match against Zimbabwe at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley, yesterday.

ZimbabweH. Masakadza c Hendricks b Phehlukwayo ... .... 25

S. Mire c Hendricks b Ngidi ............................... 0

C. Ervine c Klaasen b Mulder ............................ 7

B. Taylor c Hendricks b Rabada ....................... 9

S. Williams lbw b Phehlukwayo ...................... 4

P. Moor c Elgar b Rabada ............................... 13

E. Chigumbura c Rabada b Ngidi .................. 27

W. Masakadza lbw b Imran Tahir .................. 15

B. Mavuta lbw b Imran Tahir............................ 5

K. Jarvis b Ngidi ................................................. 8

T. Chatara not out 0

Extras (w4) ....................................................... 4

Total (34.1 overs) ............................. 117Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-28, 3-38, 4-44, 5-53, 6-62,

7-86, 8-96, 9-112, 10-117

Bowling: Rabada 8-2-34-2 (2w), Ngidi 8.1-1-19-3

(1w), Mulder 6-0-19-1 (1w), Phehlukwayo 7-2-22-2,

Imran Tahir 5-1-23-2

South Africa A. Markram c Chigumbura b Chatara ............ 27

D. Elgar c Moor b Chatara ................................ 2

R. Hendricks b W. Masakadza.......................... 5

H. Klaasen c Ervine b W. Masakadza ........... 44

C. Jonker c Williams b Mavuta ......................... 6

J. Duminy not out ............................................ 16

W. Mulder not out ........................................... 14

Extras (b1, lb1, nb1, w2) ................................. 5

Total (5 wkts, 26.1 overs) 119Did not bat: A. Phehlukwayo, K. Rabada, Imran Tahir,

L. Ngidi

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-25, 3-40, 4-58, 5-96

Bowling: Jarvis 7-0-36-0, Chatara 6-1-12-2 (1nb,

2w), W. Masakadza 5-1-26-2, Mavuta 4-0-24-1, Wil-

liams 4.1-0-19-0

Result: South Africa won by five wickets

SCOREBOARD

Tanigawa leads at Pebble BeachAP

CALIFORNIA: Ken Tanigawa made a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th at Poppy Hills on Saturday for a 5-under 66 and a two-stroke lead in the Pure Insurance Championship. Making his 18th PGA Tour Champions start after earning his tour card at Q-school, the 50-year-old Tanigawa rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 17th with the eagle.

“I was just trying to two-putt, hit it on the green and try to make 4 some

way, somehow,” Tanigawa said. “It just happened to go in. You don’t

expect to make those.” Gary Hallberg, Marco Dawson and

Tom Gillis were tied for second. Hallberg had a 5-under 67 at Pebble Beach, the site of the final round in the event that pairs players with juniors from The First Tee program. Dawson and Gillis shot 68s at Poppy Hills.

Tanigawa got through Q-school as a re-instated amateur and turned pro-fessional again at the start of the season.

The former UCLA player had a 10-under 133 total. He opened with a 67 at Pebble Beach on Friday.

“It would just be incredible,” Tan-igawa said about the chance to win at Pebble Beach.

“Pebble could be my favorite place to play golf. That’s what I was telling you yesterday. I’ve been playing here since amateur, our state am used to be up here. It’s just a magical place, espe-cially when the weather’s like this. I just love it here.” Hallberg closed with a

birdie on the par-4 ninth.“It was one of my best rounds,”

Hallberg said. “I’ve had some lower scores, but

today the wind was blowing this morning, so it was a little tricky. It’s firm, so when it’s firm, the greens are firm and it makes it a little bit harder.” The 50-year-old Gillis is making his fifth senior start after opening the season on the Web.com Tour. He tied for third in his first two Champions event and tied for sixth in his last.

27MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 SPORT

Ronaldo hat-trick of assists as Juventus beat NapoliAP

MILAN: Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo have been just perfect this season.

And the seven-time defending champion looks even more unstoppable in this Serie A after a 3-1 victory over 10-man Napoli, which again looks set to be its closest challenger.

Napoli pushed Juventus all the way last season in the most exciting title race in recent history but the Bianconeri clinched the title despite being beaten at home by Napoli late in the campaign.

On Saturday, Ronaldo set up all three of his side’s goals - two for Mario Mandzukic and one for Leonardo Bonucci - as Juventus opened up a six-point lead over Napoli. Massimiliano Allegri’s team has won all seven of its league matches.

It was the perfect way for

Ronaldo to sign off before his enforced rest in Tuesday’s Cham-pions League match against Young Boys following his red card at Valencia.

Napoli hosts Liverpool on Wednesday.

Napoli took only 10 minutes to take a deserved lead. Allan picked out Jose Callejon, who found Dries Mertens with a

delightful volleyed pass and the Belgium international slotted home.

Juventus leveled in the 26th as a great bit of skill from Ronaldo on the left saw him befuddle Elseid Hysaj and put in the perfect cross for a towering Mandzukic header.

Juventus completed the turn-around four minutes after the break. Ronaldo’s effort came off the left post and Mandzukic turned in the rebound.

Napoli’s night went from bad to worse in the 58th when defender Mario Rui was sent off for a second yellow card.

Juventus capped the match 14 minutes from time.

Ronaldo’s glancing header from a corner came to the far post where Bonucci was sliding in to score his first goal since his return from AC Milan in the offseason.

Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo (foreground) along with team-mates applauds the fans after the match against Napoli in Turin on Saturday.

Ronaldo set up all three of his side’s goals - two for Mario Mandzukic and one for Leonardo Bonucci - as Juventus opened up a six-point lead over Napoli

Hamilton wins Russian GP to go 50 points clearREUTERS

SOCHI: Valtteri Bottas moved aside to let Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton win the Russian Grand Prix and surge 50 points clear in the Formula One cham-pionship yesterday with five races remaining.

The victory was a landmark 70th for the Briton, who is well on his way to a fifth title and is now 21 wins behind the all-time record of 91 held by seven times c h a m p i o n M i c h a e l Schumacher.

Hamilton’s closest rival Sebastian Vettel finished third for Ferrari with Bottas, who led from pole position but was told to let Hamilton through after 25 of the 53 laps, securing the Mer-cedes one-two.

In a race with little other drama, Max Verstappen cele-brated his 21st birthday in style by steering his Red Bull from the back to the front, dropping back to fifth after finally pitting with

10 laps to go. Mercedes remain unbeaten in Russia, with yester-day’s title being their fifth win in Sochi since the Olympic Park Circuit first appeared on the cal-endar in 2014. Hamilton has now won eight races this season.

The Briton, who pulled off an impressive overtake on Vettel for fourth after he dropped behind the German at the pit-stops, stayed in the car for some time after he parked up at the finish.

He then went over to thank

Bottas and commiserate. At the podium ceremonies, with Russian president Vladimir Putin doing the honours, Hamilton

manoeuvred the Finn onto the top step alongside him.

“It’s actually quite a difficult day,” explained the Briton.

“He was a real gentleman to let me by. Usually I’d be elated but I can understand how dif-ficult it was for Valtteri.”

The Finn, without a win this season, had asked the team over the radio, more in hope than expectation, in the closing laps whether the order might change back.

“Is this how we are going to finish the race?” he asked, before the answer came back in the affirmative.

“Valtteri this is Toto. Difficult day for you and a difficult day for us,” said team boss Toto Wolff, whose finger had been captured by the world television feed hovering over the ‘tactics’ button before the order was given.

“Let’s discuss it afterwards when we come together and we’ll explain things.”

Second placed Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas (right) and first placed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrate with their trophies after the race in Sochi, yesterday.

Drivers1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) 306 pts, 2. Sebastian Vettel (GER) 256, 3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN) 189, 4. Kimi Raik-

konen (FIN) 186, 5. Max Verstappen (NED) 158, 6. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) 134, 7. Kevin Magnussen (DEN) 53,

8. Nico Hülkenberg (GER) 53, 9. Fernando Alonso (ESP) 50, 10. Sergio Perez (MEX) 47, 11. Estéban Ocon (FRA)

47, 12. Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) 38, 13. Pierre Gasly (FRA) 28, 14. Romain Grosjean (FRA) 27, 15. Charles Leclerc

(MON) 21, 16. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL) 8, 17. Lance Stroll (CAN) 6, 18. Marcus Ericsson (SWE) 6, 19. Brendon

Hartley (NZL) 2, 20. Sergey Sirotkin (RUS) 1

Constructors 1. Mercedes-AMG 495 pts, 2. Ferrari 442, 3. Red Bull 292, 4. Force India 94, 5. Renault 91, 6. Haas 80, 7.

McLaren-Renault 58, 8. Toro Rosso-Honda 30, 9. Sauber 27, 10. Williams 7

FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

The victory was a landmark 70th for the Briton, who is well on his way to a fifth title and is now 21 wins behind the all-time record of 91 held by seven times champion Michael Schumacher.

Africa to support Infantino bid for FIFA re-election

Mourinho not to blame for United mess, says Neville

REUTERS

SHARM-EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT: African football will support FIFA President Gianni Infantino in his re-election bid next year, the Confederation of African Football president Ahmad said yesterday.

CAF officially endorsed the can-didacy of Infantino at its Congress in Egypt yesterday with messages of support from the organisation itself and also on behalf of member associations read out by Morocco.

“We are not only backing you but we will be travelling with you to publicise your ideals and the great work you have done since you took over,” said Morocco football feder-ation president Fouzi Lekjaa.

But an official endorsement has previously proven no guarantee of votes with many African associa-tions breaking ranks in past elections.

Infantino announced in June he would run for re-election as head of soccer’s global governing body when elections are held in Paris in June 2019.

“I want another four years of it because I believe in what I do,” Infantino said at the FIFA Congress in Moscow.

“I believe in what I can do for FIFA and for football.” No other can-didate has yet declared an interest in standing against Infantino.

REUTERS

LONDON: Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville defended the club’s beleaguered manager Jose Mourinho yesterday but accused those above him of having no long-term plan to restore former glories.

Defeat at West Ham United on Sat-urday meant United have won only three of their opening seven Premier League games in their worst start to a season since 1989-90 and now sit 10th in the table. They are already nine points behind crosstown rivals and league c h a m p i o n s Manchester City, who went t o p t h i s weekend when Chelsea and Liverpool drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge.

“This mess started when United sacked David Moyes after 8 months and we lost all sense of the values that the club had been built on for 100 years,” he said on Twitter to his four million followers.

“It went into pinball, reactive mode and chasing it. No plan! “It’s not the manager it’s the lack of football leadership above him. They are bouncing all over the place with no plan!” Neville’s former team mates Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes also expressed dismay at the current sit-uation after the West Ham game.

Messi and Co ‘angry’ after Barcelona slip up againREUTERS

BARCELONA: Barcelona captain Lionel Messi says the La Liga cham-pions are “angry” about dropping seven points in their last three league games after he came off the bench to help his side scrape a 1-1 draw at home to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Messi was a surprise absentee from the starting line-up, along with Sergio Busquets, but he and the Spain midfielder were both called into action in the second half after Oscar de Marcos had put the visitors ahead.

The Argentinian hit the woodwork for the seventh time this season as Barca desperately chased an equaliser following their 2-1 defeat at lowly Leganes on Wednesday and 2-2 draw with Girona last weekend, eventually providing the cross for Munir El Haddadi’s 84th-minute leveller.

“We are not anxious because the season is long and has only just started, but we are angry about the last results,” Messi told reporters. “We didn’t expect them.

“Against Leganes we played well in the first half and lost, and today we created chances to win but couldn’t.”

De Marcos’s volley was the

eighth goal the La Liga champions have conceded in seven games this season and Messi said his side urgently needed to improve in defence.

“We are aware that we have to be much stronger defensively,” added Messi, who inherited the Barca captaincy from the departed Andres Iniesta this season.

“Last year we hardly conceded goals but now teams are scoring against us with their first attempt. We cannot afford to concede goals in every game.

“We have to improve and become stronger in defence, which

is the most important thing.” Messi’s strike partner, Luis

Suarez, also criticised the team’s display and said they needed to rid themselves of their dependence on their all-time top scorer.

“He is the best in the world but we can’t rely on Leo to always sort everything out for us,” Suarez said.

“The other players here are here on our own merits and we can’t depend on him or Busquets, we should have been winning when they came on to the pitch.” The Argentinian, asked about Sua-rez’s comments, said he agreed with his team-mate.

United have won only three of their opening seven Premier League games in their worst start to a season since 1989-90 and now sit 10th in the table.

SPORTMonday 1 October 2018

PAGE | 25 PAGE | 27Del Potro savours

‘amazing year’ after injury hell

Messi and co ‘angry’ after Barca slip up again

A bird’s eye view of the under construction Al Rayyan Stadium Arena, one of the venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The construction work is in full swing for the 40,000 capacity stadium, which will host the World Cup matches till the quarter-final stage. Its standout feature is the facade that incorporates various symbols of Qatari culture and is inspired by the sand dunes of the nearby desert. The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy will deliver the venue using environmentally- friendly building materials and practices. Every part of the stadium district has been designed with sustainability in mind. After the 2022 FIFA World Cup, almost half of the stadium’s modular seats will be removed and given to football development projects around the world. TOP: A computer-generated picture showing the pitch.

2022 FIFA World Cup: Al Rayyan Stadium moves towards completion

ACL semi-final: Al Sadd look to draw first blood against Iran’s PersepolisRIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Former champions Al Sadd will be looking to carry their rich goal-scoring form into their AFC Champions League semi-final against Iranian giants Perse-polis in the first leg to be played at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium tomorrow.

Last week Al Sadd - the 2011 AFC Champions League winners - crushed Al Rayyan 5-1 in their ‘Qatar Clasico’ clash and then fol-lowed the impressive show with another resounding win over Qatar SC winning the match with a 5-1 scorecard on Thursday.

Feared Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah has scored three goals last week while fast-improving winger Akram Afif - who is proving to be a terror for rivals in the QNB Stars League matches - scored a goal each against Al Rayyan and Qatar SC.

“I am satisfied to see the team continue winning both in Asia and domestically and not waste points. At Al Sadd, we have a strong squad and I am reassured by the team’s performances until now,” team coach Jesualdo Ferreira said after Al Sadd beat Qatar SC 5-1 at Suheim BIn Hamad Stadium.

“It is very important for us to have a strong strike force, as we have a crucial game coming up in the AFC Champions League. We should work towards scoring a big number of goals in the first leg, so that it can be of benefit in the second leg in Tehran,” the experience Portuguese added.

After watching Al Sadd take a com-manding 3-0 lead by the 29th minute, Fer-reira said he even asked his players save their energy for tomor-row’s crucial match.

“(When) we scored three goals, I asked the players to slow down the tempo of the game to endure through the game,” Fer-reira said.

“The temperature was very high, but the Al Sadd players were very impressive,” he added.

Afif, the 21-year-old left winger, has been the

talk of the season so far. The Aspire Academy graduate has pumped in eight goals in Al Sadd’s six QNB Stars

League matches, only

second behind team-mate Bounedjah who has a tally of 14.

“I am very happy with my success in the scoring, which was done with the help of my staff and my team,” Afif said earlier in the week.

“My performance in the AFC Champions League is improving in every game and I’m always trying to do my best,” he added.

Afif said Al Sadd is thrilled to be in the semi-finals of the ACL.

“We are happy to have reached the semi-finals though we had a tough time playing against Estaghlal,” he said. “Despite not having the full strength of players, we managed well and maintained top level in both legs,” he said.

“We are now fully concen-trating on our clash against Persepolis,” Afif said.

“We will continue to work hard to make our fans happy. Our goal is to do our best in every game we play,” Afif said.

Two weeks ago, a slick penalty in injury time by

Bounedjah sealed Al Sadd’s passage to the ACL semi-finals after a thrilling encounter with Iran’s Esteghlal.

Al Sadd, a two-time winners of the Asian club championship, drew 2-2 against Esteghlal to complete a 5-3 win on aggregate at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Al Sadd arrived for the return leg on home soil with a 3-1 cushion having beaten their Iranian rivals in the first leg at Azadi Stadium.

Al Sadd’s goals were scored by Afif (27) and Bounedjah (90 + 2). Esteghlal, who played most part of the second half with 10 men, were lifted by goals by Rouhollah Bagheri (32) and Morteza Tabrizi (49).

“It feels great to have reached the semi-finals of this prestigious championship,” regular skipper Hassan Al Haydos, who is uncertain for tomorrow’s clash, said after Al Sadd sealed their semis berth.

“We have worked extremely hard to reach thus far. The players have put in great efforts all through the AFC Champions League so far,” he added.

“I want to say ‘well done’ to the players and want to thank the fans for their support,” Al Haydos said.

The match kicks off at 6:15 pm at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

Al Sadd will travel to Tehran for the away fixture at the Azadi Stadium on October 23.

leg, so that it can be of benefit in the second leg in Tehran,” theexperience Portugueseadded.

After watching Al Sadd take a com-manding 3-0 lead by the 29th minute, Fer-reira said he even asked his players savetheir energy for tomor-row’s crucial match.

high, but the Al Sadd players were very impressive,” he added.

Afif, the 21-year-oldleft winger, has been the

talk of the season so far. The Aspire Academygraduate has pumpedin eight goals in Al Sadd’s six QNB Stars

League matches, only

Jesualdo Ferreira

Al Sadd captain Xavi (centre), winger Abdulkarem Hasan (second right) and striker Baghdad Bounedjah (right) during a team's training session, in this file photo.

First leg Tomorrow at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium; kick

off: 6:15pm

Facts Al Sadd are the only side left in the competition

to have won the AFC Champions League, while

they were also the last team from West Asia to

lift the coveted trophy when they defeated

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the 2011 final.

The Doha team have overcome Saudi Arabia’s

Al Ahli and Iran’s Esteghlal in the knockout

rounds and have not lost since the group stage

as they aim to repeat the feat of seven years

ago and end East Asian dominance.

ACL SEMI-FINAL

THE PENINSILA

KASHIMA: Kashima Antlers will compete in the AFC Champions League’s last four for the first time when they take on Suwon Samsung Bluewings at Kashima Soccer Stadium on Wednesday.

The teams twice met in the group stage, sharing a win apiece, before Kashima ousted Shanghai SIPG in the last 16 in what was their first ever knockout stage win and then eased past another Chinese s ide,Tianj in Quanjian, 5-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

Kashima, up 2-0 from the first leg, was in total control after first-half goals by Serginho and Hiroki Abe. Shoma Doi polished off the win in Macau, where the match was moved because Tianjin was hosting the World Economic Forum.

Suwon won the now defunct Asian Club Champi-onship twice in the early 2000s but have only once before, in 2011, reached the semi-finals.

But having eliminated domestic rivals Ulsan Hyundai in the last 16 and then edged past two-time winners Jeonbuk on penalties in the previous round, they have a chance to advance to the showpiece event for the first time.

They deefated Jeonbuk 4-2 on penalties at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, south of Seoul. The two K League 1 teams entered the penalty shootout after they were tied 3-3 on aggregate and went scoreless in extra time.

Kashima and Suwon gear up for first leg in Kashima

First leg Kashima Antlers (JPN) vs Suwon Samsung

Bluewings (KOR)

Venue: Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima

Kick-off: October 3, 1:00pm

ASIAN CL SEMI-FINAL

It is very important for us to have a strong strike force, as we have a crucial game coming up in the AFC Champions League. We should work towards scoring a big number of goals in the first leg, so that it can be of benefit in the second leg in Tehran: Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira

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