Volume 24 | Number 7980 | 2 RiyalsSunday 11 August 2019 | 10 Dhul-Hijja 1440 www.thepeninsula.qa

QNA/DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has exchanged cables of greetings with Their Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies leaders of the Arab and Islamic countries, on the advent of the blessed Eid Al Adha.

H H the Amir also received

cables of greetings on the occasion from a number of leaders of friendly countries.

H H the Amir yesterday exchanged, in telephone con-versations, greetings with a number of leaders of sisterly Arab countries on the occasion of Eid Al Adha.

H H the Amir exchanged greetings with Amir of the State

of Kuwait, H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah; the President of the Republic of Iraq, Dr. Barham Salih; the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas; and the Pres-ident of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.

H H the Amir exchanged greetings with King Mohammed

VI of the Kingdom of Morocco and President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the advent of Eid Al Adha.

H H the Amir has also received a cable from the Speaker of the Shura Council,

H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, containing his greetings and greetings of members of the Shura Council on

the occasion of the advent of the blessed Eid Al Adha. H H the Amir responded with a reply cable of thanks.

Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani has exchanged cables of greetings with Highnesses, Crown Princes and Vice-Presi-dents of the sisterly Arab and Islamic countries, on the

occasion of the blessed Eid Al Adha.

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani has exchanged cables of greetings with Their Excllencies Heads of Government of the sis-terly Arab and Islamic countries on the occasion of the blessed Eid Al Adha.

MoI, Barwa to organisemega Eid celebrations for Asian communitiesTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) will organise today ‘Mega Eid Al Adha Cultural Celebration for Expat Communities’ at the Asian Town and Asian Accommodation City (Labour City) in Doha Indus-trial Area from 5pm to 10pm.

The celebration at the Asian Town will be held at the car parking area of the Cricket Stadium, where entry for the public is free, while the entry to the celebration at Asian Accom-modation City is restricted for the residents of the accommo-dation city.

The Eid celebrations will include musical and traditional thematic shows and cultural per-formances by community orchestra teams and school stu-dents, magic shows and safety and security related awareness pro-grammes by different departments of the MoI such as Traffic, Al Fazaa Police, Civil Defence, Community Policing Department, Search and Follow up Department, Drugs Enforcement Department and Human Rights Department.

Special prizes sponsored by Safari group and Grand Mall will be gifted for the audience throughout the event through raffle draw as well as through the security awareness quiz by t h e P u b l i c R e l a t i o n s

Department of the MoI. Popular Asian orchestra

teams will present musical shows in multiple languages including Hindi, Urdu, Sinhalese, Nepali, Malayalam, Tamil and Bangladeshi languages in Asian Town and Asian Accommo-dation City.

A variety of events from magic show and songs in Hindi, Bangladeshi, Nepalese and Bho-jpuri to thematic shows will be staged to entertain the people on Eid day along with educative awareness programmes. The organisers expect a huge turnout of the expatriate community members including the employees and workers of the companies in the both events.

The celebrations are organised in various locations of Qatar by the MoI with the aim of providing a safer environment in a closer location for the members of the expatriate com-munities residing in Qatar including the employees and workers of the companies to cel-ebrate Eid Al Adha and to enhance and strengthen coop-eration and communication between the MoI and expatriates in Qatar by providing safety and security tips during these events.

The MoI has invited all members of expatriate commu-nities to attend the events and urges the managements of the companies to make necessary arrangements for sending maximum numbers of the workers to different programmes arranged in various locations in order to get benefits of the awareness pro-grams on various subjects related with safety and security.

The MoI has been organising cultural events and awareness programs for the expatriate communities on various national occasions such as Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha and Qatar National Day for many years.

This year’s Eid Al Al Adha celebration is organized in col-laboration with Indian Cultural Centre and is sponsored by Ibn Ajyan projects, Naaas Group, Safari Mall, Grand Mall, Trsn-scind Group and Emco Qatar.

Travellers from Qatar exploring new holiday destinationsFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

Travellers from Qatar are exploring new destinations worldwide to spend summer and Eid holiday season. There has been a shift in prefer-ences among citizens and expa-triates depending on the demand for air tickets and visa availability to various destinations, according to travel industry sources.

Turkey is one of the newly-preferred and popular destina-tions among both citizens and expatriates.

Countries such as Australia, the US, Canada and Maldives have become favourite

destinations for citizens as they tend to diversify their trips, with introduction of several new flights to different cities. Citizens also choose Scandinavian coun-tries and Sweden is one of the popular places, say industry sources.

However, European cities such as London, Paris and Madrid traditionally remain the favourite holiday destinations of most Qataris. Some of them also go to Asian destinations like Bangkok, Singapore and Malaysia.

“We have seen a change in destinations people choose to travel for holiday. Europe remains the most preferred des-tination for Qataris. �P2

Qatar backs United Nation’s call for humanitarian truce in LibyaQNA DOHA

The State of Qatar has announced its support for the call, made by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), for a humanitarian truce on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, and welcomed the Government of National Accord’s acceptance to the truce.

In a statement on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry called on the international community as well as the regional and international actors, and the various compo-nents of the Libyan conflict, to join the initiative and make it a success.

The statement said that the Libyan people, which has suf-fered the scourge of war, deserve this truce especially since the militias of retired Major General

Khalifa Haftar launched their offensive on Tripoli. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs greeted the Libyan people on the occasion of Eid Al Adha, calling on the Almighty to bring security, peace and stability to all of Libya.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Council of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) yesterday announced accepting the human-itarian truce proposed by UNSMIL.

Head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, Ali Erbas, leads a prayer after pilgrims gathered on Mount Arafat, in Makkah yesterday. Muslims take part in the main rituals of Haj on the eve of Eid Al Adha today. Some 2.5 million people have arrived in Makkah for the annual pilgrimage.

The celebrations will include musical and traditional thematic shows and cultural performances by community orchestra teams and school students, magic shows and safety and security related awareness programmes by different departments of the Ministry of Interior.

Pilgrims gather on Mount Arafat

Traffic moves at Al Gharrafa Interchange (known as Immigration Interchange) which was fully opened on Friday following the completion of works to convert Al Gharrafa Roundabout into a signalised junction, in addition to developing parts of service roads on 22 February Street. The development of the interchange contributes significantly to improving traffic and increasing its capacity as this interchange connects Doha with the northern areas of the country and provides easy access to the surrounding areas such Al Luqta, Madinat Khalifa, Al Messila and Al Rayyan, in addition to many services such as educational, health, commercial and residential facilities.

Signalised Al Gharrafa Interchange opens

Amir exchanges Eid greetings with leaders

to all our readers

02 SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019HOME

Amir sends

congratulations to

President of Ecuador

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,

Deputy Amir H H Sheikh

Abdullah bin Hamad Al

Thani and Prime Minis-

ter and Interior Minister

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin

Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani

sent yesterday cables of

congratulations to the Pres-

ident of the Republic of

Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, on

the anniversary of his coun-

try’s Independence Day.

QNA

OFFICIAL NEWS

Qatar strongly

condemns attack on

UN convoy in Libya

DOHA: The State of Qatar

has strongly condemned

the attack on a UN mission

convoy in Hawari, west of

Benghazi, Libya, killing two

people and injuring others.

In a statement issued yester-

day, the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs reiterated the State of

Qatar’s firm stance rejecting

violence and terrorism, what-

ever motives and reasons.

The statement expressed the

State of Qatar’s condolences

to the families of the two vic-

tims, wishing the injured a

speedy recovery. QNA

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum32oC 42oC

HIGH TIDE 15:04 – 00:00 LOW TIDE 07:36 – 22:46

Strong wind expected at some places by

afternoon. Hot daytime with slight dust to

blowing dust at times at some places and

some scattered clouds.

FAJRSHOROOK

03. 43 AM

05. 05 AM

11. 39 AM

03.08 PM

06. 15 PM

07. 45 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS Al Gharrafa Interchange fully open to trafficTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced the full opening of Al Gharrafa Interchange (known as Immi-gration Interchange) to traffic from Friday (August 9) following the completion of the works to convert Al Gharrafa Roundabout into a signalised junction, in addition to the development of parts of the service roads on 22 February Street.

Eng. Mohamed Arqoub Al Khaldi (pictured), Head of Doha City Section, Road Projects Department at Ashghal, said that the devel-opment of the interchange contributes significantly to improving traffic and increasing its capacity, as it is located in an area with high traffic density where large number of vehicles uses this intersection on a daily basis. This interchange connects Doha with the northern areas of the country and provides easy access to the sur-rounding areas, such Al Luqta, Madinat Khalifa, Al Messila and Al Rayyan, in addition to many service, educational, health, com-mercial and residential facilities.

Al Khaldi added that the project improved the

accesses of the roads sur-rounding the interchange and developing the service roads

on both sides, as well as adding new light poles at the intersection, in addition to the development of 22 Feb-ruary Street accesses in the area between Al Rayyan Intersection and Rashida Intersection, and constructing additional parking on the western side of 22 February Street. The project also included the development of a stormwater drainage system, and the protection of existing services of Ooredoo, Kahramaa and others.

Ashghal pointed out that Al Gharrafa interchange Bridge will be closed to traffic heading north towards Al Duhail for 4 days starting tomorrow. The closure is in coordination with the General Directorate of Traffic and aims to renew the asphalt layer of the bridge.

During the traffic closure, motorists heading north to Al Duhail will have to use the two-lane traffic signal already opened at the interchange.

Al Gharrafa Interchange after Ashghal opened it to traffic following the completion of its works.

Travellers from Qatar exploring new holiday destinationsFROM PAGE 1

However, there is an increase in the number of citizens choosing other countries, as they tend to explore new destinations and because new flights are introduced to some destinations. For example like in the US, pas-sengers choose different cities and states rather than going to the main places,” a travel adviser

told The Peninsula. He said that South East Asian destinations like Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have been traditionally popular among expatriates.

However, recently, Eastern European countries such as Georgia, Armenia, Bosnia and Azerbaijan are fast gaining pop-ularity, mainly due to less cost and easy visa processing.

According to travel industry sources, a three-day visit to Georgia including air fare would cost around QR 3500 and even less to Azerbaijan at around QR 2500.

Georgia has established visa-free regime for Qatar as well as for residents. An entry stamp upon arrival is enough to enter the country. “A travel package to

Georgia excluding airfare would start from QR2000 and the airfare would be an additional of QR1500 during the summer. The prices are similar to other East European countries as well. But it could be cheaper than traveling to their home countries during summer,” said a travel consultant.

Separately, air fares from

Doha to various destinations abroad have shot up as families travel for the summer school holidays and Eid. The summer vacation will end by the last week of August.

According to sources, flights to European cities including London and the Indian cities of Chennai, Mumbai and Kozhikode and other destinations like

Colombo would cost 75 percent to 100 percent more during the travel season compared to the off-peak fares.

“However flight fare varies depending on the destination, airline, date of travel and date of booking. Therefore most pas-sengers book their tickets in advance to avoid high rates,” said a travel consultant.

03SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019 HOME

04 SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019HOME

Texas A&M at Qatar hosts annual SEA THE PENINSULA/DOHA

The Summer Engineering Academy (SEA) introduces rising seniors, referred to as National Vision Scholars — to advanced topics in engineering and science while teaching important problem-solving skills.

Students work with faculty mentors and STEM experts Ben-jamin Cieslinski, Dr. Mohamed Gharib and Tala Katbeh to develop research projects and communicate their results through a presentation in front of judgesm, including research posters and a video.

Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd. (Oxy Qatar) sponsored the Summer Engineering Academy

presented by Texas A&M at Qatar. Oxy Qatar teamed up with Texas A&M to support Qatar’s efforts to attract young Qataris into STEM education and careers.

This year’s academy led stu-dents through a focused engi-neering project in one of Texas A&M at Qatar’s four engineering disci-plines. Participants worked with Texas A&M faculty and staff members on real-life, relevant, hands-on research projects related to Qatar’s grand research chal-lenges. This year’s projects focused on investigating the value-effi-ciency of alternative fuel sources (chemical engineering); testing a new design for robust, secure cloud storage (electrical and computer

engineering); experimenting with building durable, robust furniture out of recycled water bottles (mechanical engineering); and studying ways to maximize fuel recovery in complex reservoirs (petroleum engineering).

The petroleum engineering team of Abdulaziz Alderham, Dhruv

Anand, Ghalya Al-Emadi, Haya AlNaimi, Noor Al Banna and Ruba Yousif won the overall competition for their project. The team was mentored by Dr Nayef Alyafei and Dr Thomas Seers, as well as current Texas A&M at Qatar petroleum engineering sophomore Sara Albanna.

Participants at the annual Summer Engineering Academy.

Hotels line up enticing Eid Al Adha offersRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

Travellers who choose Doha as Eid Al Adha destination as well as residents who opt for an stay-cation during the holidays can take advantage of lavish buffet promotions and discounts in rooms and services hotels have prepared for their guests.

On the first day of Eid, Oryx Rotana Doha’s guests and vis-itors can enjoy a wide selection of cuisines at Choices restau-rant’s Eid lunch buffet at prices starting from QR189 per adult inclusive of soft drinks with special discounts for kids.

In addition to breakfast and lunch buffet for two, guests can avail 50 percent discount on massage, complimentary usage of Bodylines Fitness & Wellness

Club facility and hotel’s amen-ities. Guests will also be given free voucher for a one-day pool pass, which can be used during their next visit. The hotel also offers special discount of 50% on memberships at the Bod-ylines Fitness & Wellness Club for its two months and six months packages.

At The Westin Doha Hotel and Spa visitors can book a deluxe room for QR600 for single occupancy and QR700 for double inclusive of breakfast and lunch at Seasonal Tastes. Children under 12 can enjoy their meals complimentary throughout the hotel venues.

Seasonal Tastes Restaurant will host a special brunch on the first day of Eid in a traditional ambience with a lavish buffet featuring a wide array of flavors

from international cuisine along with an area dedicated for kids. In addition, Heavenly Spa is offering treatments through the luxurious Hammam treatment from deep exfoliation, to hair treatment completed with full body mask and massage topped with nourishing body butter for only QR1395.

The Ritz-Carlton, Doha’s Lagoon Restaurant will serve its

popular Eid Brunch on the second and third day of Eid Al Adha priced at QR299 per person inclusive of soft bev-erages and QR399 per person for the enhanced package. Mar-riott Bonvoy Members will receive 30% savings on the soft package while children from 5 to 11 years old are charged 50 percent and children under 5 years old eat complimentary.

Ritz-Carlton, Spa has created The Summer Rejuve-nation package, a 90-minute treatment including refreshing back scrub, cooling algae body wrap, cooling eye treatment and facial cleanse, and back massage and moisturizer application at QR500 per person available until August 31.

The Ritz-Carlton, Doha has also launched ‘Summer Sale’

package vailable during Eid hol-idays, starting at QR880 per night in a Deluxe Room and includes 15% savings on all rooms and suites, optional breakfast at Lagoon restaurant and a wide range of kids’ activities.

Visitors and guests of City Centre Rotana Doha can indulge in wide selection of interna-tional oriental and international delicacies at “Olive Oil” res-taurant from 12.30pm to 4pm on the first day of Eid with prices starting from QR269 per adult inclusive of soft drinks and special discounts for kids.

Guests can also avail one of the multiple “Escape” packages available to ensure a great and special stay in the distinct Eid atmosphere.

Doha Marriott Hotel visitors

and guests can enjoy a festive brunch on the first day of Eid with wide variety of traditional Arabic dishes, live cooking sta-tions, seafood, and all-time favorite desserts for the price of QR245 per person including soft beverages and QR375 net per person including selected beverages.

On the second day of Eid, Corniche Restaurant will offer a Mediterranean selection of dishes from 12pm until 3pm for QR198 per person including soft beverages and QR333 per person including selected beverages.

As part of ‘Summer in Qatar’ which runs until August 16, many hotels are offering up to 25% discounts on their daily rates and premium food and beverage offerings.

As part of ‘Summer in Qatar’ which runs until August 16, many hotels are offering up to 25% discounts on their daily rates and premium food and beverage offerings.

MoI, Barwa to hold mega Eidcelebration for communities

FROM PAGE 1

Also the Barwa Group in association with Waseef and in collaboration with Ministry of Interior will be con-ducting two mega cultural events on the occasion tar-geting the expatriate communities’ members today at Barwa Al Baraha in Doha Industrial Area and Barwa Workers Recreation Complex in Al Khor Industrial Area from 5pm to 9pm. During the event, orchestra troupes and community artists will perform in both venues, where the audience will get enough chances for showcasing their cultural talents on the stage in front of a huge crowd. In addition to the cultural events, various departments of the Ministry of Interior will present awareness tips on safety and security during the celebration.

Partial closure on Al Khaleej Streetand The Centre IntersectionTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced that it will implement a partial closure of the northbound lanes of Al Khaleej Street, leading from Wadi Mushireb Intersection (known as Al Jaidah Bridge R/A) towards Al Khaleej Intersection (known as Al Mannai R/A).

This is in addition to closing the access from Al Mannai Roundabout to Al Khaleej Street. The closure will start on Wednesday (August 14) and will last for four months, in coordi-nation with the General

Directorate of Traffic. During this period, a new traffic signal will also be installed at the inter-section of Ibn Mahmoud Street with Al Rayyan Road.

Accordingly, traffic coming from the White Palace Inter-section towards Al Mannai R/A can use Ibn Mahmoud Street to reach Al Jaidah Bridge R/A. Traffic coming from Al Diwan Intersection towards Al Mannai R/A can turn right towards Qasr Al Marmar R/A and take a u-turn towards Al Mannai underpass leading to Al Jaidah Bridge R/A.

Traffic heading from Al Kah-rabaa Intersection to Al Mannai R/A will have to use Al Diwan

Street, then turn left at Al Diwan Intersection. Those coming from the B-Ring Road or Ibn Seena Street towards Al Jaidah Bridge R/A, can use Bin Mahmoud Street to reach Al Mannai Bridge.

During the same period, a partial closure will be imple-mented at the intersection known as The “Center Inter-section” on Salwa Road, where the main lanes will be kept open between Ramada Intersection and Al Jaidah Bridge R/A. Those coming from Al Kandi Street can only turn right into Salwa Road.

The closure aims to allow the installation of a bridge deck at Al Mannai Roundabout.

Beauty salons witness huge rush ahead of Eid AYESHA MUZAFFAR THE PENINSULA

On the eve of Eid Al Adha, customers’ rush at different beauty salons witnessed a huge rise pushing the salons to extend their working hours.

The beauty salons, which are particularly for women in the country, received more clients due to Eid Al Adha.

The Peninsula visited a number of beauty salons to see the increased activity due to Eid celebrations. Layla, a worker at a local beauty salon in a hypermarket, said that they wanted to satisfy their cus-tomers for which they were giving their 100%. The working times at

various salons are slightly different from one another in normal days but on the occasion of Eid they operate late at night to cater increased number of customers.

Doha Beauty Center and Rehab Beauty Salon remained open till 2:30am. Tina, owner of Doha Beauty Center at Lulu Hypermarket, said for the convenience of cus-tomers her salon had extended working hours to provide services to growing number of customers.

Different salons offered a variety of services to their customers like facials, cleansing, manicure, ped-icure, haircut, haircolour, henna among others. A lady customer at the salon said that she was satisfied with the services. Most of the

women visit salons for threading, haircut, hair colour, facial manicure, pedicure & henna. Sameera, a cus-tomer at Monalisa Beauty Saloon, was happy to get her services on the given time.

Nora, another customer at Rehab Beauty Salon, told The Peninsula that the salon also used to provide services at home on cus-tomers’ demand.

The fees of different services vary from one salon to another. There are different prices for dif-ferent services as facial services start from QR170 to QR450; waxing from QR30 to QR360; manicure& ped-icure from QR50 to QR180, haircut from QR70 to QR100, hair styling & treatments & colours start from QR150 to QR2200.

Purnema, an employee at a local saloon, in her message to all women said that booking an appointment a few days in advance was helpful in receiving better service.

BPS Summer Camp ends THE PENINSULA DOHA

The Birla Public School Summer Camp of fun frolic and learning came to an end on August 8, 2019 with the final presentation by the students. It was the second presen-tation in the 6 weeks Summer Camp.

Children were divided into different categories as per their classes and they were taught various skills from a wide array of skills like art, craft, dance, personality development, yoga, swimming and vedic maths, abacus and robotics. Vice-Principal (Co-Scholastic), Rajesh Pillai; Finance Manager, Vinod Kumar; Construction Manager, Jackson Solomon and a large number of parents were present to observe the one hour long closing ceremony. There were dances, yoga, speech, songs etc. which the children learnt during six weeks of Chill The Summer 2019. Robotics projects were displayed and were greatly appreciated by the audience. They also presented the Art and Craft work they made out of various materials which were of fine quality.

Parents highly appreciated the work done by the stu-dents as well as teachers. The celebration ended with the presentation of participation certificates to all the children.

Hamad International Airport (HIA) witnessed rush ahead of Eid. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT / THE PENINSULA

Rush at HIA

The valedictory function of the Summer Camp at BPS.

05SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019 MIDDLE EAST

Separatists seize control of allgovt military camps in AdenREUTERS ADEN

Yemen’s southern separatists have taken effective control of Aden, seat of the internationally recognised government, frac-turing the Saudi-led coalition which is trying to break the grip of the Iran-aligned Houthi movement on the country.

In a move that complicates efforts by the United Nations to end a four-year war, the sepa-ratists seized control of all gov-ernment military camps in the southern port city yesterday and surrounded the all-but empty presidential palace, officials said.

“What is happening in the temporary (government) capital of Aden by the Southern Transi-tional Council is a coup against institutions of the internationally recognised government,” the foreign ministry said in a Twitter post. The separatists had been part of the Saudi-led pro-gov-ernment coalition that has been battling the Houthis since March 2015.

The war has killed tens of thousands and pushed the poorest Arabian Peninsula nation to the brink of famine.

Four days of clashes between the separatists and government forces have killed at least nine civilians and more than 20 com-batants, according to medical sources. The fighting, which has trapped civilians in their homes with dwindling supplies of water, resumed at dawn yesterday but has since abated.

“It is all over, the (Southern Transitional Council) forces are

in control of all the military camps,” an official in Hadi’s gov-ernment said.

He said the two sides had agreed the separatist forces would not try to seize the palace, located in the predominantly residential Crater district, while government forces would refrain from attacking them.

The separatists also took over the house of Interior Min-ister Ahmed Al Mayssari after he was evacuated with the help of coalition forces, government officials said. President Hadi is based in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Foreign Minister Sheikh

Abdullah bin Zayed urged UN special envoy Martin Griffiths, who is trying to de-escalate ten-sions across Yemen, “to deploy efforts and exert pressure” to that purpose. The clashes between government forces and separatists began on Wednesday after the latter accused an Islamist party allied to Hadi of

complicity in a missile attack on a southern forces military parade in Aden, which was claimed by the Houthis.

The UN is trying to implement a stalled peace deal in the main port city of Hodeidah, further to the north, to pave the way for wider political negotia-tions to end the war.

Clashes leave 55 dead in northwest Syria AFP BEIRUT

Clashes between regime loyalists and insurgents in northwest Syria killed 55 combatants yesterday, as government forces continued to nibble away at territory held by its opponents, a war monitor said.

Fighting in various parts of the region yesterday claimed the lives of 23 pro-government forces as well as 32 militants and allied rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The regime also launched

dozens of air strikes against northern Hama and southern Idlib, the Britain-based monitor added.

The latest violence came as forces loyal to Damascus pushed a days-long advance towards a strip straddling the provinces of Hama and Idlib, it said. They aim to capture Kafr Zita — one of the largest towns in northern Hama — and the nearby village of Al Latamneh from militants and rebels, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Both lie on the southern edge of the militant-run bastion of Idlib, one of the last centres of

opposition to President Bashar Al Assad after eight years of civil war.

Regime forces have closed in Kfar Zeita and Latamneh over the past week, after capturing a string of nearby towns and villages, the Observatory said. They are also trying to surround the nearby town of Khan Sheikoun in order to wrest it from the militants, Abdel Rahman said. The latest advances come after the Syrian government on Monday scrapped a brief three-day ceasefire for the Idlib region, accusing its opponents of refusing to abide by the truce.

Erdogan reiteratesvow to fightattacks on TurkeyANATOLIA ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) yesterday reiterated determination to fight against those targeting Turkey’s development.

“We will continue to let those down who use many methods from terrorist attacks to economic traps to stop Turkey in the period ahead of us,” Erdogan said in a video message to mark the Eid Al Adha.

The President said Turkey performed positive progress in very matter compared the agenda of the Eid Al Adha last year.

Turkey gains its power from unity, solidarity, and broth-erhood, he stated.

The country has experienced many victories in August throughout its history, he said, referring to the Victory Day, the 1922 defeat of Greek forces, which falls on August 30 and Turkey’s counter-terrorism operation Euphrates Shield which was launched in August 2016 in Syria.

“I hope we will add a new circle to our chain of victories in this August,” Erdogan said.

He wished Eid Al Adha to bring goodness to Turkish nation, the entire Muslim world and humanity.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the main opposition leader of Republican People’s Party (CHP), in a written statement said that Eid holiday is special

as the “feelings of brotherhood are reinforced” and the “desire to live in peace” is refreshed.

“Thanks to Eid, we recall the importance of a moral under-standing that does not discrim-inate people, fights without compromise to overcome poverty, rules with justice, and which is also reliable and tol-erant for everyone,” Kilicdaroglu said.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli also shared an Eid message wishing Eid Al Adha to strengthen the unity and solidarity of Turkish people.

“We are experiencing a deep and immense sense of reaching an exceptional period in which the enthusiasm of Eid is experi-enced spiritually, at heart and morally,” Bahceli said.

Yemeni supporters of the southern separatist movement pose for a picture in Khor Maksar, in the Yemeni southern port city of Aden yesterday.

Iran unveils homegrown radar air defence systemREUTERS DUBAI

Iran unveiled yesterday what authorities said was a locally upgraded radar system with a range of 400km that could help defend against cruise and ballistic missiles and drones.

The announcement comes at a time of rising tension between Iran and United States. Iran shot down a US military surveillance drone in the Gulf with a surface-to-air missile in June. Tehran

says the drone was over its ter-ritory, but Washington says it was in international airspace.

State television showed the Falaq, a mobile radar and a vehicle housing a control room, which it said was an improved version of the Gamma, a system that military experts said was of Russian origin.

“This system has high capa-bilities and can detect all types of cruise and ballistic missiles and drones,” Brigadier General Alireza Sabahifard, commander

of the regular army’s air defences, was quoted as saying by semi-official news agency Mehr.

Sabahifard said the Falaq was a locally overhauled version of a system which had been out of operation for a long time, Mehr reported. He did not give the system’s country of origin.

The Falaq is a phased-array radar system which can be incorporated into Iran’s larger integrated air defence, which i n c l u d e s a n S - 3 0 0

surface-to-air missile system that Russia delivered in 2016, state-run Press TV said.

“The (Falaq) system was developed in order to counter sanctions restricting access to spare parts of a previously foreign-developed system,” Press TV said on its website.

US President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Tehran after pulling out of the nuclear deal, which its other signatories are struggling to maintain as Washington also lobbies to

establish a maritime security coalition to safeguard shipping in the Gulf in a related standoff with Iran over oil supplies.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday condemned a US blueprint to end the conflict between Israel and the Pales-tinians and called on Haj pilgrims to oppose it, Iranian state media reported. “We call upon eve-ryone to take an active part in defeating this deceit by the enemy,” Khamenei said.

Israeli forces shoot dead 4 Palestinians near Gaza fenceANATOLIA GAZA CITY

Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinians near a security fence with the Gaza Strip, according to the army yesterday.

In a statement, the army said the four men were allegedly armed with AK-47 assault rifles, hand grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

The army said the remains of the four men are in Israeli custody.

There was no comment from Palestinian authorities in Gaza on the Israeli claim.

Israel and Palestinian group Hamas reached an informal cease-fire in May after the worst bout of violence since 2014.

Palestinians have been staging weekly protests near Gaza border to demand an end to a 12-year Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has shat-tered the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its two million inhabitants of many basic amenities.

Since the Gaza rallies began last year, nearly 270 protesters have been martyred — and thousands more wounded — by Israeli troops deployed near the buffer zone.

Palestinian President visits refugee camp in West BankAFP RAMALLAH, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday toured the Jalazone camp in the occupied West Bank, official media announced, in a rare visit to a refugee camp.

He was flanked by prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Sec-retary-General, Saeb Erekat, official news agency Wafa said.

Abbas reportedly met with local res-idents and officials, and posted several pictures.

His office said it was his first visit to a refugee camp in several years.

Analysts say that Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) is unpopular in several camps, where other Palestinian factions

often have significant influence, due to his administration’s perceived inability to improve residents’ lives.

His tour follows a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the nearby Beit El settlement on Thursday after the murder of an off duty Israeli soldier close to the West Bank settlement of Migdal Oz.

Netanyahu again talked about the possibility of officially annexing settle-ments, a policy that critics say would effectively kill remaining hopes for a two-state solution.

Mahmoud Mubarak, head of the popular committee in Jalazone camp, said the visit was a “first political response to the Netanyahu visit to Beit El two days ago.” “The visit was greatly welcomed by the camp’s residents,” he added.

In a move that complicates efforts by the United Nations to end a four-year war, the separatists seized control of all government military camps in the southern port city yesterday and surrounded the all-but empty presidential palace, officials said.

06 SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019AFRICA

64 dead in Tanzania fueltanker blast, many injured AFP MOROGORO, TANZANIA

Sixty-four people perished in Tanzania yesterday when a fuel tanker overturned and then exploded as crowds of people rushed to syphon off leaking fuel.

The deadly blast, which took place near the town of Morogoro, west of the economic capital Dar es Salaam, is the latest in a series of similar disasters in Africa.

“At the moment, there are 64 dead after two of the 72 people who were injured died from their wounds,” the governor of Morogoro, Stephen Kebwe, told reporters at the scene in Msamvu, about 200km west of Dar es Salaam.

Footage from the scene showed the truck engulfed in fierce flames and huge clouds of black smoke, with charred bodies and the burnt-out remains of motorcycle taxis scat-tered on the ground among scorched trees.

Regional police chief Wilbrod Mtafungwa described a “huge explosion” and said the dead

were mainly drivers of the taxis known as “boda-boda” and locals who flocked to the scene for the fuel.

A video posted on social media showed dozens of people carrying yellow jerricans around the truck.

The tragedy has also trig-gered an outpouring of grief across the country, with Pres-ident John Magufuli and ordinary citizens sending messages of condolences.

Magufuli also called for people to stop the dangerous practice of stealing fuel in such a way, something that is common in many poor parts of Africa.

“The Morogoro region had never experienced a disaster of such magnitude,” Kebwe said,

explaining that the explosion was triggered when a man tried to retrieve the truck’s battery.

“We arrived at the scene with two neighbours just after the truck was overturned. While some good Samaritans were trying to get the driver and the other two people out of the truck, others were jostling each other, equipped with jerricans, to collect petrol,” teacher January Michael said.

“At the same time, someone was trying to pull the battery out of the vehicle. We warned that the truck could explode at any moment but no one wanted to listen, so we went on our way, but we had barely turned on our heels when we heard the explosion.”

Police managed to put out the flames and cordoned off the area.

Magufuli said in a statement he was “very shocked” by looting of fuel from damaged vehicles.

“There are vehicles that carry dangerous fuel oil, as in this case in Morogoro, there are others that carry toxic chemicals or

explosives, let’s stop this practice, please,” he said.

Governor Kebwe said that all doctors at the regional hospital had been mobilised and patients not in a critical condition had been moved to other sites to make room for blast victims.

A small crowd, mostly women, had gathered in front of

the hospital, trying to get news of family and friends who had gone missing. “I haven’t heard anything from my brother,” said one woman, Aisha Ramazan.

“He was in his kiosk on the side of the road. I got a phone calling saying no one had heard from him after the explosion. I’ve been trying to reach him on his

phone, but I can’t get him,” she told local media. Last month, at least 45 people were killed and more than 100 injured in central Nigeria when a petrol tanker crashed and then exploded as people tried to gather fuel.

In May, a similar incident occurred in Niger leaving almost 80 people dead.

Police and rescuers work at the scene of explosion, in Morogoro, eastern Tanzania, yesterday.

Rival Libya forces agree to Eid truce; two dead in blastAFP TRIPOLI

Forces battling for control of Libya’s capital agreed to a truce yesterday, on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid Al Adha, but a car bomb killed two UN staff in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Military strongman Khalifa Haftar’s forces announced that they would implement a ceasefire, after the unity gov-ernment conditionally accepted the truce for the three-day holiday which starts today.

Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) has been fighting since early April to seize Tripoli from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.

The United Nations had called on both sides to commit to a humanitarian truce by mid-night on Friday.

Haftar’s spokesman Ahmad a l - M e s m a r i y e s t e r d a y announced “a halt to all military operations... in the suburbs of Tripoli”.

Mesmari said the truce had gone into effect at 3:00pm (1300

GMT) yesterday and would last until the same time on Monday afternoon.

The GNA had said late Friday it was keen to “ease the suffering of the citizens and allow rescue workers to accomplish their mission” and would accept “a humanitarian truce for Eid Al Adha”.

But it listed several condi-tions, saying the ceasefire must

be observed “in all combat zones, with a cessation of direct and indirect fire and movement of troops”.

It also said the truce must include “a ban on flights and reconnaissance overflights” across the country’s entire airspace.

The GNA also called on the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to “ensure the implementation

of the truce and note any breaches”.

Haftar’s spokesman said the ceasefire was “out of respect for this occasion’s place in our spirits... so that Libyan citizens can celebrate this Eid in peace”.

But in Haftar-controlled Benghazi, a car bombing killed two UN staff — a Libyan and a Fijian — as a UN convoy passed through a shopping area, a security official said.

At least eight other people, including a child, were wounded in the attack.

Thick black smoke rose from the area and firefighters rushed to put out the flames that gutted two cars.

No side had claimed respon-sibility for the attack, and the UN did not immediately comment.

The blast came just months after the UN reopened its offices in Benghazi, which had been closed for security consideration, and less than a month after a car bombing at the funeral of an ex-army commander killed at least four people and wounded more than 30 others.

Haftar’s forces have

controlled Libya’s second city since 2017, when he drove mil-itants out after a three-year battle.

But Benghazi, the cradle of the NATO-backed 2011 uprising that overthrew and killed dic-tator Moamer Kadhafi, has seen repeated attacks both before and since.

One attack on the US con-sulate on September 11, 2012, killed US ambassador Chris-topher Stevens and three other Americans.

A May 2018 attack left seven people dead.

A Libyan lawmaker is also feared to have been abducted by an armed group in the eastern city, the UN and lawmakers said in July.

Haftar, who backs an eastern-based administration that opposes the Tripoli-based unity government, advanced into the country’s desert south this year before turning his sights on Tripoli. Over the past four months, 1,093 people have been killed in the fighting and 5,752 wounded, according to the World Health Organization.

Security officials gather at the site of a car bomb attack in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi, yesterday.

10 Turkish sailors abducted off Nigeria freed

AFP ISTANBUL

Ten Turkish sailors on a cargo ship who were kidnapped by “pirates” off the coast of Nigeria last month have been freed, Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu reported Friday.

The sailors, who Anadolu says are in good health, were seized by armed men who attacked the Turkish-flagged Paksoy-1 cargo vessel, operated by shipping company Kadioglu Denizcilik.

No details were immedi-ately available on the release of the captives.

A company statement cited by Turkish media last month said the ship was attacked by “pirates” on its way from Cam-eroon to the Ivory Coast. It was carrying no freight.

Pirates normally seize sailors for ransom. Nigeria reported 14 pirate attacks in the first quarter of 2019 compared with 22 in the same period in 2018.

An International Maritime Bureau (IMB) report in April attributed the drop to the Nigerian navy’s increased efforts to “actively respond to reported incidents by dis-patching patrol boats.”

80 more migrants rescued in the Mediterranean AFP ON BOARD THE OCEAN VIKING

More than 80 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean yesterday as Hollywood star Richard Gere highlighted the plight of those stranded after boarding a charity ship.

The migrants, mainly Sudanese men and adolescents, were picked up by the Ocean Viking ship from a rubber dinghy off the coast of Libya, according to Doctors without Borders (MSF), which operates the vessel along with the French charity SOS Mediterranee.

The rescue operation comes as a dispute escalates over who will take in migrants rescued by another charity ship, with mild Mediterranean weather increasing the number of people trying to make their way to Europe from Africa.

Malta said yesterday it would take in 39 migrants picked up by the Open Arms ship in the coun-try’s rescue zone the day before, but refused entry to 121 others who have been on board the ship for nine days.

However Spanish charity Proactiva, which operates the ship, rejected the offer, insisting Malta also take the 121 migrants, including 30 children.

Proactiva founder Oscar Camps said the decision not to take in all the migrants “caused a serious security problem on board” the Open Arms.

“The anxiety levels of these people is unbearable,” he tweeted.

Malta said the 121 migrants “were intercepted in an area where Malta is neither respon-sible nor the competent coordi-nating authority”.

The Ocean Viking rescued 85 people including four children on Friday, so the latest group means a total of around 170 are now on board, all from sub-Saharan Africa.

An AFP journalist is also on the ship, which left Marseille on Sunday. The Ocean Viking is reg-istered in Norway, and Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo

Salvini sent a warning to Oslo this week.

“Italy is not legally bound, nor disposed to take in clan-destine, unidentified migrants from on board the Ocean Viking,” wrote Salvini, who has taken a hard line against migrants and this week sparked a political crisis by pulling his support from Italy’s governing coalition.

Salvini has said the same about the Open Arms migrants.

Norway’s minister of justice and immigration, Joran Kallmyr, said on television that the migrants should be “transported back to Africa, either to Tunisia

or Libya”. “They should not be sent to Europe because then this action will be an extension of the refugee route instead of a rescue operation.”

European parliament speaker David Sassoli wrote to EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Thursday urging immediate aide for the migrants and a quick deal between the member states to take them in.

However a commission spokesperson admitted Friday that no mediation effort was under way in Brussels to allow the Open Arms group to dis-embark on dry land in Europe.

Migrants stand on an inflatable boat during the second rescue operation of crew members of the ‘Ocean Viking’ rescue ship in the Mediterranean Sea, yesterday.

Dozens dead in fresh Chad ethnic fightingAFP N’DJAMENA

At least 37 people have been killed in fresh fighting this week between farmers and herders from rival ethnic groups in Chad, President Idriss Deby said on Friday.

The violence broke out over three days in the province of Ouaddai, a strategic area on the eastern border with Sudan, he said.

“The intercommunal con-flict has become a national concern,” Deby told a press conference to mark the coun-try’s independence day. “We are witnessing a terrible phe-nomenon.” Eastern Chad is in the grip of a cycle of violence between nomadic camel herders — many from the Zaghawa ethnic group — and sedentary farmers from the Ouaddian community.

Drought and population growth have aggravated the conflict. The latest fighting erupted on Monday in the Wadi Hamra district.

Nigeria: Atiku’s lawyer charged with money laundering AFP LAGOS

Nigerian anti-corruption inves-tigators have charged the lawyer of defeated presidential challenger Atiku Abubakar with money laundering.

Legal adviser Uyi Giwa Osagie is accused of handling $2m without going through a “financial institution”, a lawyer for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said.

Election runner-up Abu-bakar has launched a legal challenge against the result of the fiercely contested poll in February that saw him lose out to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.

Several people close to the defeated candidate have been targeted by the anti-graft agency since the vote, in what Abubakar’s supporters have described as a witch hunt.

Osagie was first detained in February after his house was raided in Lagos but released from custody several weeks later. Boladale Adekoya, a spokesman for Abubakar’s campaign accused anti-cor-ruption investigators of being “more dedicated to partisanship than rule of law”.

Officials and eye witnesses said the explosion was triggered when a man tried to retrieve the overturned truck’s battery.

07SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019 ASIA

India floods: At least 95 dead; thousands evacuatedREUTERS/IANS KOCHI/BENGALURU

The death toll from floods in Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra rose to 95, official figures showed yesterday, as heavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes.

Seasonal monsoon rains from June to September are a crucial lifeline for agrarian Indian society, delivering 70% of the country’s rainfall, but they also bring in their wake death and destruction every year.

“Our entire village is under water for the last eight days but still we haven’t got any assistance from the government,” said farmer Prashant Lathe, 35, from a village in one of the flood-hit districts of the western state of Maharashtra.

The district has lost access to all basic amenities such as drinking water, power supply, cooking gas cylinder and petrol for running vehicles, Lathe said.

Excessively strong rains can also harm India’s farming sector,

which employs nearly half of its 1.3 billion people.

Lathe said his sugar cane plantation of around four acres was submerged.

In the southwestern state of Kerala, floods death toll has reached 55 and over 1.5 lakh people have been shifted to around 1,300 camps across the rain-battered state.

The maximum deaths — 15 — were reported from Wayanad, while Malappuram, Palakkad, Idukki, Kozhikode were other worse-hit districts, officials said yesterday.

A red alert for today has been issued in Kasargode, Kannur and Wayanad. More rain is predicted in a few other districts.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan yesterday took stock of the situation. Officials informed him that the maximum

number of relief camps had been set up in Kozhikode, followed by Wayanad.

Vijayan had earlier said 80 landslides had been reported from eight worst-hit districts. “Authorities are yet to ascertain the actual number of missing in the landslides at Meppadi in Wayanad district and Kavalapara in Malappuram district.

According to unconfirmed reports, 41 were missing in Kav-alapara, he added.

The state was opening the gates of Banasurasagar dam in Wayanad district yesterday to manage water levels and avoid serious damage.

Last year, more than 200 people were killed and over five million affected in one of Ker-ala’s worst floods in 100 years.

Some residents said the sudden opening of dam gates without proper warnings to those living downstream was a big factor in the devastation.

The state’s busiest airport, Cochin International Airport, closed since Friday as the taxiway was water-logged, will

resume operations from 0630 GMT today, the airport man-agement said. In neighbouring Karnataka, home to India’s tech hub Bengaluru, some 24 people

have died in what chief minister BS Yeddyurappa said yesterday were the worst floods in 45 years.

Around 1,024 villages have been inundated due to the rains,

several dams were reaching their full capacity, and over 200,000 people had been evacuated, he added. In Maharashtra, 29 people have died this week.

Volunteers, local residents and members of National Disaster Response Force search for survivors in the debris left by a landslide at Meppadi in Wayanad district of Kerala, yesterday.

Some signs of normality return to J&K, but clampdown still strictREUTERS SRINAGAR

For the first time in six days, India eased travel restrictions in some parts of Srinagar yesterday, and people flooded the streets of Kashmir’s summer capital to buy provisions ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid Al Adha tomorrow.

But with public mobile, landline telephone and Internet connections still severed by the authorities in most of Jammu and Kashmir state, many people were still struggling to make contact with relatives to plan the holiday.

On Friday, police used tear gas and fired pellets to control a protest after Friday prayers.

Seeking to tighten its grip on the region, New Delhi on Monday scrapped the state’s right to frame its own laws and allowed non-residents to buy property there. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government also locked down the revolt-torn region, cutting off communica-tions, detaining more than 500 political leaders and activists, and putting a ‘virtual curfew’ into force with numerous police and army roadblocks stopping movement by many residents.

Signs of Friday’s protest were visible in the Soura area of Srinagar yesterday.

Large rocks, wooden plat-forms, poles and boulders blocked the main street, and shops were shut. At least 10,000 people were involved in Friday’s protest. In a tweeted statement yesterday, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that the estimate of 10,000 was “completely fabri-cated & incorrect”. There had been a few “stray protests” in the area but “none involved a crowd of more than 20 ppl”, the min-istry said. Many people sought

out the few policemen who have been provided with mobile phones. At a crossroads in Sri-nagar’s Nowhatta area, a police official said around 78 people had used his phone yesterday to contact relatives outside Kashmir.

Inside a second-floor meeting room at Srinagar’s dis-trict administration office, more than 100 people crowded around two mobile phones to make calls outside the valley.

An official said 354 people had registered their names to use the phones.

People purchase food and vegetables in Srinagar, yesterday.

Six petitions filed in SC over Article 370IANS NEW DELHI

Half-a-dozen petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court — four in the past 24 hours —opposing the Centre’s decision revoking Article 370 and the curfew imposed to curb attempts at disturbing law and order in Jammu and Kashmir.

Three of the petitions chal-lenge the presidential order making Article 370 a dead letter in the Constitution and the others are connected with the imposition of curfew and its consequences in the region.

The National Conference petition, leading the lot, underpins the genesis and evo-lution of Article 370 and its pro-vision Article 35A. The petition contended that framers of the Constitution advocated for a pluralistic federal model.

Article 370 was extensively considered and carefully drafted in order to ensure the peaceful and democratic accession of the formerly princely state of Jammu and Kashmir to the Indian Union, drawing out the significance of Article 370, which defines and regulates the relationship between J&K and the Union of India, it said.

Citing ‘Swaraj’ or self-gov-ernance, the petition said the right to autonomous self-gov-ernment within a federal framework is an essential fun-damental right. These valuable rights have been taken away without the “procedure estab-lished by law” in a manner that violates every canon of Consti-tutional morality.

Similarly, two other petitions filed by advocates, one of Kashmiri origin, challenge the Centre’s decision making Article 370 redundant.

Executive Editor of Kashmir Times, Anuradha Bhasin, moved the top court seeking its direction to relax the movement of media personnel as well as photojournalists for free reporting on the situation.

A law graduate in Delhi has also filed a petition in the top court seeking information on the whereabouts of his family in Kashmir. Raising issue of lockdown in the region, Tehseen Poonawalla, a social activist, claimed the imposition of unde-clared curfew/restrictions, arbi-trary arrests, shutdown of phone services and snapping of Internet and TV, amounts to sus-pension of Article 19 and 21 of the Constitution.

Govt signs peace pact with Tripura terror outfitIANS NEW DELHI

In a major development, a tripartite Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) was signed in New Delhi yesterday between the Central and Tripura govern-ments and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) facili-tating the surrender of 88 terrorists of the banned outfit,

an official release said.After the signing of the MoS,

the NLFT (SD) representatives called on Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. According to the official release, the MoS was signed by Union Home Ministry’s Joint Secretary (North-East) Satyendra Garg, Tripura govern-ment’s Additional Chief Sec-retary (Home) Kumar Alok and Sabir Kumar Debbarma and

Kajal Debbarma on behalf of the NLFT (SD faction).

“NLFT (SD faction) has agreed to abjure the path of vio-lence, join the mainstream and abide by the Indian Constitution. It has agreed that the 88 NLFT cadres would surrender soon with their arms and ammu-nition,” the release said.

The government also told the NLFT (SD) leaders that

surrendered members of the outfit would be given surrender benefits as per the Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme, 2018 of the Union Home Min-istry. “The Tripura Government would help the surrendered cadres in construction of their houses, recruitment in gov-ernment jobs, and educational facilities to their children, the release added.

Livestock vendors sell animals at a make-shift market set up ahead of Eid Al Adha in Kolkata, India, yesterday.

Sengar not named in death case of Unnao victim’s father IANS NEW DELHI

A Delhi court yesterday reserved its order on the framing of charges in the alleged assault and framing of the Unnao victim’s father in an Arms Act case.

District and Sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma reserved its order on the framing of charges for August 13.

The court also heard the death case of the victim’s father who died in custody last year. However, the Central Bureau of Inves-tigation (CBI) has not made BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his brother accused in the case. In this case, eight people have been named as accused, including three police officers, but not Kuldeep Sengar. Shashi Singh, Vineet Mishra,

Birendra Singh, Shailendra Singh and Ram Sharan Singh are the other accused.

A special hearing was conducted yes-terday after permission from the Delhi High Court in order to complete the trial in 45 days as per the orders of the apex court.

Ten people, including expelled Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his brother Atul Singh Sengar, are accused in the Arms Act case.

The counsel appearing for the survivor told the court that the CBI has deliberately not named Kuldeep Sengar and his brother in the murder case of the victim’s father.

A public prosecutor said investigation was still underway and so far nothing has come before the investigators which sug-gests Kuldeep Sengar’s involvement in the death of the victim’s father.

CM: 8 TMCft Krishna water to reach Chennai soonIANS CHENNAI

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami said yesterday that 8 TMCft (thousand million cubic feet ) Krishna river water will soon reach the city.

Speaking to reporters after naming three lion and four tiger cubs at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Palaniswami said two ministers had recently met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and requested for release of water.

Reddy agreed to release 8 TMC feet water for Chennai, which would reach the state capital soon, he said.

On the AIADMK’s loss in the Vellore Lok Sabha elections, the result of which was declared on Friday, Palaniswami said in the six Assembly constituencies the party had polled more votes than the DMK.

He said DMK leader M.K. Stalin had claimed the victory margin in Vellore would be in lakhs, but it was just over 8,000 votes.

Cochin International Airport will resume operations from 0630 GMT today, the airport management said.

IANS NEW DELHI

After day-long deliberations, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) yesterday appointed Sonia Gandhi as the interim Congress President and accepted Rahul’s resignation.

With all the five party sub-groups unitedly proposing Rahul Gandhi’s name as party chief, and Rahul refusing to go back on his decision, the mantle fell on Sonia Gandhi again to shepherd the party as an interim measure.

Randeep Singh Surjewala, the Congress communications in-charge and CWC member, said the party decided on Sonia Gandhi’s name as it wanted a strong leadership, one whose command would be accepted by all.

Congress leader KC Venugopal, said the CWC “unanimously resolved to request Sonia Gandhi to take over as the interim president, pending the election of a regular president by the AICC.”

Earlier, the CWC decided that Rahul Gandhi “should con-tinue as Congress president, as desired by all who were con-sulted today, and requested him to accept this decision”. However, Rahul “declined to withdraw his resignation”.

The CWC also put on record “its profound sense of appreci-ation and gratitude for the exceptional leadership pro-vided by Rahul Gandhi as president”.

It said that Rahul gave the Congress “a new sense of aggression and modernity to the party organisation and opened up numerous opportu-nities to the younger generation”.

Sonia named interim chief of Congress

Eid cattle market

For all the talk about promoting investment and economic development in Kashmir, the real goal is to change the demography of the state,” said Sumit Ganguly, a political science professor at Indiana University at Bloomington who specializes in South Asia.

THE WASHINGTON POST

08 SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019VIEWS

Kashmir status could bring demographic change, drawing comparisons to West Bank

While India’s sudden decision to revoke Kash-mir’s autonomy has inflamed tensions with

neighboring Pakistan, critics say the move could also drastically alter the demographic composition of the dis-puted territory itself - and some have warned it could come to resemble Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

By stripping Kashmir of its special status, India’s government has done away with a law that allowed Kashmir to limit land ownership and per-manent residency to natives of the country’s only Muslim majority state. Analysts say the change could bring about a profound transformation of Kashmir’s population that would exac-erbate unrest there.

With Monday’s decision to down-grade Kashmir from a state with a degree of autonomy to a “union ter-ritory,” India has opened the door for Indians from anywhere in the country to settle in Kashmir.

Mihir Sharma, an Indian columnist for Bloomberg, wrote that such a met-amorphosis could mirror Jewish set-tlement in the West Bank or Beijing’s efforts to encourage Han Chinese to move to Xinjiang, a northwestern region home to Muslim ethnic groups.

“Whether Kashmir will end up looking like those restive, semiauton-omous provinces, or more like the

West Bank - with armed settlers living in highly pro-tected col-onies amid a larger, disen-franchised population subject to arbitrary justice - is not clear at the moment. Those are, however, the most likely options,” he wrote.

Rana Ayyub, an Indian jour-nalist, put it more bluntly in a Tweet Wednesday: “Kashmir is

now Westbank,” she wrote.The changes India announced

Monday overturned Article 370, a con-stitutional provision that gave what was previously the state of Jammu and Kashmir the ability to make many of its own laws. They also effectively struck down Article 35a, which granted Kashmir’s legislature juris-diction over residency and land ownership.

Under Article 35a, outsiders could

not permanently settle, buy land or hold government jobs in Kashmir. The provision also blocked female resi-dents of Kashmir who married out-siders - and the children of such unions - from owning property in Kashmir. The article had faced legal challenges on grounds that it was exclusionary and sexist.

The Indian government has described its rollback of Kashmir’s autonomy as an effort to promote development and quell a separatist insurgency in the region, where Pakistan and India have long vied for control. Separatist groups with ties to Pakistan have fought the Indian gov-ernment in the Kashmir Valley for decades.

“Recent decisions by the Gov-ernment and Parliament of India are driven by a commitment to extend to Jammu and Kashmir opportunities for development that were earlier denied by a temporary provision in the Con-stitution,” a Ministry of External Affairs news release said. “Its impact would also result in the removal of gender and socio-economic discrimination. It is also expected to result in an upswing of economic activity and improvement in the livelihood prospects of all people of Jammu and Kashmir.” In a speech Thursday, Indian Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi called the move to revoke Kashmir’s autonomy “a his-toric decision” and asked those who oppose it to “treat the national interest as paramount.” But critics have decried it as an attempt by India’s ruling party, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, to dilute the concentration of Muslims there and further its project to enshrine the Hindu identity of the nation.

“For all the talk about promoting investment and economic devel-opment in Kashmir, the real goal is to change the demography of the state,” said Sumit Ganguly, a political science professor at Indiana University at Bloomington who specializes in South Asia. Demographic change - particu-larly, bringing Hindus to the Kashmir Valley - would allow Modi’s party to consolidate political control over the area, Ganguly said.

The move is “designed to break the stranglehold of the politicians in the Valley” and establish India’s firm terri-torial grip, he added.

But it’s not yet clear that a mass

migration of Hindus to the region will materialize.

Ganguly said it could remain a dream of the BJP rather than a reality.

“Why would you move hearth and home from a distant part of India to a part of India where you don’t under-stand the language, where you will be met with hostility by the local popu-lation?” he said.

Still, the ethnic and religious undertones of India’s actions this week have breathed new life into analogies to the West Bank, the Palestinian region Israel has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The Israeli gov-ernment has built settlements there that the U.N. Security Council has con-demned as illegal. Israel encourages Jewish Israelis to move to the West Bank, and settlement expansion has boomed under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Obvious differences between Kashmir and the West Bank abound: Kashmir is not “occupied territory” but, rather, “disputed territory,” Ganguly said, rejecting the com-parison. Jammu and Kashmir has been part of India since 1947.

Moreover, residents of Kashmir hold Indian citizenship, unlike Pales-tinians living in the West Bank, who aren’t Israeli citizens.

While Ganguly said he does not find the occupation comparison valid, the situation in the West Bank offers some lessons for India, particularly if Kashmiris receive Hindu settlers that may arrive with violence.

“There is going to be hostility on the part of the local population, who will resent the coming in of settlers from different parts of India,” he said. “While Modi may be a great admirer of Benjamin Netanyahu and his policies, the significant difference is that the Indian state does not have the same kind of security forces that Israel can deploy.” Still, some analysts say, the means by which Kashmir found its legal status upended this week have rendered the analogy fitting.

“It’s an important comparison. It’s not one to be shrugged off,” said Rochona Majumdar, an associate pro-fessor at the University of Chicago.

“This is about the future of self-determination of the world that we live in,” she added. “The Kashmir problem, in some ways, it just became a global issue.”

CLAIRE PARKER THE WASHINGTON POST

QUOTE OF THE DAY

If it comes to a hard Brexit, that is in no

one’s interest, but the British would be the big losers. They are

acting as though that were not the case

but it is.

Jean-Claude Juncker European Commission

President

A grave threat to public safety

The time of mourning for the victims of mass shootings in America, including

those a week ago in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, may never end. The time for policy-making action, though, has definitely arrived. It is long overdue.

The United States faces a grave threat to public safety. The Post reports that mass shootings took place roughly twice a year between 1966 and the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999. Between Columbine and the slaughter at a predominantly African American church in Charleston, South Carolina, in June 2015, the pace was roughly five times a year. Since the white-supremacist attack in Charleston, there’s

been one almost every six weeks. And these data reflect a restrictive definition of mass shootings: those that claimed at least four lives, not including perpetrators, in public places or large private gatherings. GunViolenceAr-chive.org’s broader defi-nition, which encompasses a wider-range of multiple-victim shootings, fatal and nonfatal- including those tied to such crimes as robbery and domestic abuse- produces 254 just this year, through last Wednesday.

It is a measure of public outrage at this situation that President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McCo-nnell, R-Ky., now feel politi-cally constrained to mouth interest in Senate consider-ation of federal gun laws of the kind they have opposed or allowed to fail in the past. Trump says he supports

“very meaningful back-ground checks.” McConnell says such a proposal could be “front and center” at the Senate in September. Yet the president threatened to veto a bill providing for back-ground checks on private gun sales when the House passed it in February; McCo-nnell froze it out of the upper chamber. If the National Rifle Association’s ham-merlock on GOP politics has loosened, maybe the results will be different now. We’ll believe it when we see it.

Background checks and so-called red-flag laws, the subject of another bill backed by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blu-menthal, D-Conn., represent only the bare minimum of reform. To tackle the specific, acute problem of mass public shootings, Congress must address the actual hardware:

assault-style firearms, along with large-capacity maga-zines. Both should be banned, as assault weapons were at the federal level between 1994 and 2004, and as the law in several states already provides.

If anything, the large-capacity magazine ban may be the highest priority: Such devices, which augment the lethality of semiautomatic weapons, were involved in half of the 62 mass shootings between 1982 and 2012, according to a 2013 report for Mother Jones. A 100-round drum of bullets enabled the Dayton shooter to fire 41 shots in less than 30 seconds. “It is fundamentally problematic,” the city’s police chief observed, “to have that level of weaponry in a civilian environment, unregulated.” Could the pres-ident or McConnell look him in the eye and deny it?

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

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

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

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Another Haj sans Qataris

Around 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims gathered on Mount Arafat, which is also known as Jabal Al Rahma (Mount of Mercy), yesterday for an intense

day of worship and reflection of what is considered the climax of Haj pilgrimage.

The gathering which took place amid the summer heat and regional tensions, witnessed heavy rainfall yes-terday evening on the holy sites, including Mina, Mount Arafat and Muzdalifah.

This largest religious gathering on earth is taking place while Qatari pilgrims and residents have been deprived from performing Haj for the third year in a row.

The Haj is the fifth pillar of Islam which every Muslim is required to perform at least once in their lifetime if they are healthy enough and have the means to do so.

Since the outbreak of Gulf crisis in June 2017, Qataris have been unable to perform the Haj. The Saudi author-ities categorically reject the existence of an official Qatari Haj mission like the rest of the world, according to official statements while the Qatari national Haj mission is responsible of taking over the affairs of the pilgrims and

take care of their interests, safety and well being.

How can pilgrims from Qatar, whether they are cit-izens or residents, reach the Holy Land for Haj or Umrah under the continuing land, sea and air siege imposed on the country? The Saudi authorities are still pre-venting Qatar Airways from entering its airspace and landing at its airports, in addition to prevention of direct flights between the two countries.

The authority controlling the holy sites and exploiting it for political interests is also denying Qataris using their currency (Qatari Riyal) inside the Saudi territory, or

transfer money from home. At the same time, the Saudi authorities are indulging

in politicisation of this religious ritual. The State of Qatar is continuously exposing the violations committed against it including the blatant violation of the right to perform the rituals.

As the Saudi action faced wide international condem-nation, there is no response from the Saudi authorities and they have gone too far in disregarding the teachings of Islam and disrespecting international conventions and human rights laws.

Yesterday, after the sunset prayers, pilgrims made their way down Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, another holy site where they will sleep under the open sky to prepare for the final stage of Haj, the “stoning of the devil” ritual.

That marks the beginning of Eid Al Adha, the festival of sacrifice, being marked today which we hope will bring peace, prosperity and good for everyone including our readers.

This largest religious gathering on earth is taking place while Qatari pilgrims and residents have been deprived from performing Haj for the third year in a row.

Kashmiri Muslims shout pro-freedom slogans during a protest in Srinagar.

09SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019 ASIA

Pakistan formally suspendstrade relations with IndiaANATOLIA ISLAMABAD

Pakistan has formally suspended its trade relations with India after New Delhi’s move to scrap the special status of Indian-administered Kashmir, an official statement said yesterday.

A statement issued by the Commerce and Textile Ministry said the bilateral trade with India has been suspended immediately.

“The Federal Government has been pleased to suspend bilateral trade with India with immediate effect and until further order”, read the statement.

The ministry issued two dif-ferent statements amending the country’s import policy order 2016 and added “India” in the list from where import of goods is banned.

Islamabad also suspended all kinds of exports to India.

Earlier, this ban was only limited to Israel with which Pakistan has no diplomatic rela-tions and trade ties.

The statement issued after the federal cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday, endorsed the decision taken by the National Security Committee (NSC), a

body of top civilian and military leadership in the country.

On Wednesday, the NSC announced to downgrade dip-lomatic relations and suspend bilateral trade with India.

Later that evening, Islamabad asked India to withdraw its High Commissioner and announced that Islamabad would not be sending its High Commissioner-designate to New Delhi.

The move from Islamabad came days after New Delhi revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and divided the Muslim-majority state into two unions.

PM Imran constituted a high level committee on Kashmir, which will be led by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, to review “bilateral arrangements” with India and come up with recommendations on how to take up the Kashmir issue at the international level.

President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Masood

Khan, Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Raja Jalal Hussain, Federal Min-ister for Law Farogh Naseem, Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Senator Sirajul Haq, Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan, director general of Inter Services Intelli-gence (ISI), director general of Military Intelligence (MI) and, director general of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) are included in the committee.

Tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi have further escalated following India’s move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir — which allowed Kashmiri citizens to enact their own laws and pre-vented outsiders to settle and own land in the territory.

Kashmiri leaders and cit-izens fear this step is an attempt by the Indian government to change demography of the Muslim-majority state, where some groups have been fighting against Indian rule for inde-pendence, or for unification with neighbouring Pakistan.

The Himalayan region is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full.

According to several human rights organisations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.

Supporters of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party carry placards as they march during a rally to show solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, in Islamabad.

Kashmir issue: Pakistan to move UN Security Council

Pakistan opposition alliance to convene again after EidINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

Opposition alliance in Pakistan has decided to organise another all parties conference (APC) after Eid Al Adha, to be chaired by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, apparently in an attempt to send a message to the government that the alliance was still intact.

The development comes in

the wake of the misunder-standings that developed between the main component parties of the alliance, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), fol-lowing the joint opposition’s failure to unseat the Senate chairman through a no-confi-dence motion.

The opposition’s Rahbar Committee has agreed on iden-tifying the 14 opposition

senators who did not vote in favour of the no-trust motion and take action against them. It is also considering moving another no-confidence motion against the Senate chairman. The Rahbar committee met at the Parliament House.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, committee members Akram Durrani of the JUI-F, Ahsan Iqbal of the PML-N and Mian Iftikhar Hussain of the Awami National Party (ANP)

condemned the arrest of PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz.

“Corruption is at its peak in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and has swept away the Billion-Tree Tsunami and BRT projects,” said Durrani.

The JUI-F leader said the opposition parties were united and would consult with each other to set the date for the APC.

“The PTI government is responsible for the country’s

economic crisis because of its flawed policies and wants the blame to be pinned on the army as well,” PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said.

Mian Iftikhar of the ANP questioned as to why Maryam was arrested in such haste.

He also demanded that National Assembly speaker issue production orders for detained members National Assembly from Waziristan, Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir.

An overcrowded train approaches the station to carry passengers to their home to celebrate Eid Al Adha festival, at a railway station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, yesterday.

Myanmar landslide toll rises to 41, many still missingAFP MAWLAMYINE, MYANMAR

The death toll from a landslide triggered by monsoon rains in eastern Myanmar rose to at least 41, an official said late yesterday, as emergency workers continued for a second night their desperate search through thick mud for the scores feared missing.

A huge brown gash on the hillside marked where the deluge of mud flooded onto Ye Pyar Kone village in Mon state on Friday, wiping out 27 homes.

Search and rescue teams worked through Friday night and into late Saturday, using exca-vators and their bare hands to recover bodies from the deep sludge.

“The death toll has risen to 41,” township administrator Zaw Moe Aung said yesterday.

Some farm animals, like

cows and goats, were found alive, but “there are no humans left alive,” he said, adding that the search operations will push through for a second night.

So far, 47 people have been injured while officials believe that about 80 people could still be missing.

Myanmar is battered annually by a monsoon season which strikes countries across Southeast Asia, leaving tens of thousands displaced from flooded homes and setting off deadly landslides.

Aerial pictures of Ye Pyar Kone village showed shattered remnants of rooftops and other debris from the houses strewn next to trucks knocked over by the force of the onslaught.

Its hillside temple was left inundated, leaving the pagoda’s golden spire peeking out from beneath the mud.

Htay Htay Win, 32, said two of her daughters and five other relatives had still not been found.

She only survived because she had left her home minutes earlier to look at the flooding

nearby. “I heard a huge noise and turned round to see my home being hit by the mud,” she said, crying.

Rescue workers yesterday continued to carry out excavated

bodies wrapped in plastic to waiting ambulances, wading through pools of water and ankle-deep sludge.

Crying relatives of the missing watched on helpless under a steady torrent of rain, as nearby floodwaters edged closer to the village.

Tin Htay, who escaped with his family from their home, described his efforts to rescue others trapped by the mud.

“I dragged a woman and two children from a car but I could not reach two other people, so I had to leave them,” the 30-year-old said. Emergency crews had to unblock the main highway from Yangon to Mawlamyine, buried under six feet of sludge.

Torrential downpours have burst riverbanks across the country while coastal commu-nities have been warned of higher tides.

People watch rescue efforts after a landslide in Paung township, Mon state, Myanmar, yesterday.

Conjoined twins stableafter separation: DoctorsAFP DHAKA

Conjoined Bangladeshi twins who were separated last week are in a stable condition, the team of Hungarian and Bangla-deshi doctors who carried out the marathon operation said yesterday.

Three-year-old Rabeya and Rukaya who were joined at the head suffered from a rare embryological disorder affecting an estimated one in every five to six million births.

The girls were recovering after the 30-hour operation to separate their skulls and brains at the Combined Military Hos-pital in Dhaka. A surgical team of 35 Hungarians and more than 100 Bangladeshi doctors took

part in the delicate procedure which they dubbed “Operation Freedom”.

The girls were in stable con-dition after the final separation, the last phase in a lengthy series of surgeries since last year, said Gergely Pataki, founder of Action for Defenceless People Foundation (ADPF) which led the huge team of doctors.

“But keeping in mind that such rare complicated surgical procedures has its risks, com-plications might still occur,” he told reporters at a press con-ference. The girls have undergone two neurosurgical operations and 44 plastic sur-geries so far. Before the surgery doctors had said there was only a 50 percent chance of the twins surviving.

Uzbek reception for Taliban irks Afghan govtANATOLIA KABUL

Afghanistan government yesterday expressed disap-proval for the nature of “formal reception” Uzbekistan gave to the Taliban’s deputy chief earlier this week.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Afghanistan has always welcomed interna-tional and regional cooperation, particularly that of the neigh-bouring countries in the peace.

“However, the formal reception of the Taliban repre-sentatives and the dynamics of the talks (in Tashkent earlier this week) do not demonstrate as facilitating peace talks between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Taliban representatives, by the Republic of Uzbekistan”, it said. The statement called on all countries, particularly Afghanistan’s neighbours, to respect the leadership and ownership of the people and government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in the peace process.

On Thursday, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry hosted a del-egation of the Taliban led by their deputy leader Mullah Baradar Akhund.

Taliban chief was received by Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Khafizovich Kemalov during his visit.

The Taliban insist that after a proposed deal with the Amer-icans, the intra-Afghan peace dialogue with the Afghans would begin in which the gov-ernment officials can partic-ipate only in personal capacity and not represent the government.

This remains the bone of contention in the peace process.

Remittances to Pakistan grow by 24% in JulyINTERNEWS KARACHI

Pakistan’s remittances from overseas workers increased 24 percent to $2.039bn in the first month of the current fiscal year from $1.645bn in the previous month, central bank’s data showed.

However, July remittances were slightly higher than the same period last year, when Pakistani expatriates sent home $1.981bn.

A month-on-month increase in remittance flows reflects economic recovery in source markets and the govern-ment’s efforts to encourage overseas Pakistanis to remit through legal means.

Moreover, overseas Paki-stanis sent home more remit-tances to their families to buy sacrificial animals ahead of Eid Al Adha. The festival of sacrifice is due in Pakistan tomorrow.

The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) country specific data revealed that the major inflows came from the Gulf Cooper-ation Council (GCC) and the non-GCC corridors.

Pakistani workers living in the United States of America sent home $332.37m in July 2019. Remittances from the United Kingdom rose to $299.27m in July from $268.98m in June.

REUTERS/AP KARACHI

Pakistan has said it will move the United Nations Security Council with China’s support with a motion to condemn India for its decision to strip its portion of the Kashmir region of special status.

“I have shared with China that the Pakistan government has decided to take this issue to UN Security Council. We will be needing China’s help there,” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a press conference yesterday.

“China has assured full support to Pakistan.” Qureshi

said he planned to approach Indonesia and Poland, both non-permanent members of the 15-strong Security Council, for their support.

Qureshi said that while Pakistan is not planning to take any military action, it is ready to counter any potential aggression by India.

Islamabad has suspended all exports to India and banned imports from the neighbouring country.

Eid rush in Dhaka

10 SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019ASIA / EUROPE

US, China step up war of words over Hong KongAFP WASHINGTON

The United States and China have stepped up an increasingly harsh war of words over pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, as Beijing seeks to push its accusations that the mass demonstrations are being fuelled by foreign powers.

In the latest exchange, Wash-ington called out Beijing-backed news outlets for sharing “dan-gerous” reports after a news-paper revealed personal infor-mation about an American dip-lomat in Hong Kong who met with pro-democracy activists.

“Official Chinese media

reports on our diplomat in Hong Kong have gone from irrespon-sible to dangerous. This must stop,” State Department spokes-woman Morgan Ortagus posted on Twitter.

Beijing has increasingly pitched the anti-government protests in the semi-autonomous city as funded by the West, at one point describing violent unrest in the city as “the work of the US.”

But China has provided little evidence for the claim beyond supportive statements from some Western politicians.

The Hong Kong-based, pro-Beijing Ta Kung Pao reported that the political unit chief of the

US Consulate General in Hong Kong, Julie Eadeh, had met with members of the political party Demosisto — including prom-inent democracy activist Joshua Wong.

It shared details on Eadeh’s career as well as her family members’ names.

The Office of the Commis-sioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in Hong Kong denounced Ortagus’ remarks as “blatant slander against China” that had “again exposed US gangster logic.”

Ortagus, however, said that “Chinese authorities know full well, our accredited consular personnel are just doing their

jobs, just like diplomats from every other country.”

“Foreign diplomats in the United States, including Chinese ones, enjoy open access to all elements of American politics, civil society, academia, and business,” she added.

On Thursday, China demanded that US diplomats based in Hong Kong “stop inter-fering” in the city’s affairs.

In a statement, the Chinese foreign ministry urged the US diplomatic office in Hong Kong to “immediately make a clean break with various anti-China rioters” and “stop interfering in Hong Kong ’s a f fa i rs immediately.”

Ortagus responded at the time: “I don’t think that that’s a formal protest, that is what a thuggish regime would do. That is not how a responsible nation would behave.”

A State Department official said that representatives of the US government “meet regularly with a wide cross section of people across Hong Kong and Macau.”

Tensions are high in the Asian financial hub after two months of protests and clashes triggered by opposition to a planned extradition law that quickly evolved into a wider movement for democratic reforms.

At least 18 dead as TyphoonLekima slams eastern ChinaAFP SHANGHAI

At least 18 people were killed and 14 others missing as Typhoon Lekima lashed eastern China yesterday, downing thou-sands of trees and forcing more than a million people from their homes.

Waves several metres high hit the coastline as the storm made landfall in Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai.

The deaths were caused by a landslide triggered by the storm’s downpours in the municipality of Wenzhou, around 400km south of Shanghai, national television station CCTV reported.

“Torrential rains caused a

landslide on a mountain that blocked a river below,” it said, adding that the resulting “dam” created a lake which swept downstream when it burst.

More than a million people were evacuated from their homes ahead of the storm, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Some 110,000 people were housed in shelters.

The monster storm made landfall in the early hours in Wenling City, packing winds of 187kph, and was expected to churn up the east coast towards Shanghai, Xinhua added.

China issued a red alert as the storm approached on Friday, before downgrading the level to orange as winds eased yesterday morning.

Scooter rider dead in Paris motorway crashAFP VERSAILLES

The rider of an electric scooter was killed early yesterday on a Paris highway, one of the busiest in France, when he was in a collision with a motorcycle, rescue services said.

The man, aged about 30, was not wearing a crash helmet when the accident happened just after midnight on A86 Paris outer ring road, a fireman said.

There was no immediate explanation as to why the man was on the motorway where electric scooters are banned.

The rider of the motorcycle, which crashed into the back of the scooter, suffered multiple injuries and has been hospitalised.

Electric scooters are increasingly popular in major cities and especially Paris but there have been several acci-dents, some fatal, since their introduction.

In June, a man died when his scooter was in collision with a lorry in central Paris, the first fatal scooter accident in the French capital.

In April, an elderly pedes-trian died after being knocked down by a scooter in a Paris suburb.

Cars are damaged after typhoon Lekima made landfall in Wenling, Zhejiang province, in China, yesterday.

North Korea testsshort-range missilesto protest war gamesREUTERS SEOUL

North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles yesterday, South Korea said, in a “show of force” against US-South Korea joint military exercises.

More missile launches are highly probable, as the North Korean military is conducting its own summer drills, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The launch came a few hours after US President Donald Trump said he had received a “very beautiful letter” from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

North Korea has fired a series of missiles and rockets since Kim and Trump agreed at a June 30 meeting to revive stalled denuclearisation talks.

A US official said that at least one projectile was launched and that it appeared to be similar to previous short-range missiles fired by Pyongyang.

Two missiles flew about 400km at a height of around 48km, according to the South Korean military.

Trump played down the recent North Korean weapons launches when he spoke to reporters earlier on Friday,

saying: “I say it again: There have been no nuclear tests. The missile tests have all been short-range. No ballistic missile tests. No long-range missiles.”

North Korea’s state media has yet to confirm the launch, but in a commentary yesterday it blamed the South for “building up arms against dialogue”.

“All the facts prove that the South Korean authorities are hell-bent on arms buildup against their dialogue partner,” the state-run KCNA news agency said. “(South Korea is) the arch-criminal escalating tension in the Korean peninsula and the wrecker of its peace and stability.”

South Korea called for Pyongyang to stop such launches.

The launches yesterday were apparently testing capabilities of a new short-range missile Pyongyang is developing, South Korea’s presidential office said.

“Because of concerns that North Korea’s series of launches can raise military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, ministers

called for North Korea to stop it,” the Blue House said, citing a meeting of South Korea’s top security officials.

Kim has said the weapons tests were a response to US-South Korean military drills being held this month.

The United States and South Korea have kicked off largely computer-simulated exercises as an alternative to previous large-scale annual drills that were halted to expedite denu-clearisation talks.

North Korea decries such exercises as a rehearsal for war aimed at toppling its leadership.

The projectiles were fired at dawn yesterday from an area around the northeastern city of

Hamhung, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Large solid-fuel rocket engines for North Korea’s bal-listic missile programme are most likely being produced at a factory complex in Hamhung, monitoring group 38 North said last year. Hamhung also has a testing site for those engines.

Kim Dong-yup, a former naval officer who teaches at Seoul’s Kyungnam University, said the weapons tested yes-terday could be related to the completion of North Korea’s new rocket artillery system that required multiple launches of the same kind.

Japan’s ministry of defence said the projectiles did not pose an immediate security threat.

People watching a news showing the file footage of North Korea’s missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul, yesterday.

The launches were apparently testing capabilities of a new short-range missile Pyongyang is developing, South Korea’s presidential office said.

Trump says Kim wants to resume nuclear talks

AFP WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said yesterday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un wants to resume denucleari-sation talks after US-South Korean war games end.

Trump tweeted that in a letter to him, Kim issued “a small apology” for a recent spate of missile tests, the latest of which came at daybreak yes-terday Korean time, and said they were to protest these joint military drills.

Trump said he looks “forward to seeing Kim Jong-Un in the not too distant future!”

“In a letter to me sent by Kim Jong-Un, he stated, very

nicely, that he would like to meet and start negotiations as soon as the joint US/South Korea joint exercise are over,” Trump wrote. The exercises began on Monday and are due to end on August 20.

North Korea, which has furiously protested such exer-cises in the past, has said its recent short-range missile tests are designed to protest the war games.

“It was a long letter, much of it complaining about the ridiculous and expensive exer-cises. It was also a small apology for testing the short range mis-siles, and that this testing would stop when the exercises end,” Trump said.

Teen activist questions Germany’s 2038 fuel exit dateREUTERS FRANKFURT

Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, on her visit to a German anti-coal protest camp, questioned whether the country should continue to use the fuel to generate power for another 20 years as the government plans.

Thunberg, the most visible spokeswoman of the ‘Fridays for Future’ movement of students striking to demand climate action, was talking to reporters at the western German Hambach forest near Cologne.

The area has become a symbol of protest against the coal industry, prompting utility RWE to give assurances it would not touch the forest until late

2020, although it had hoped to clear it for brown coal mining and burning activities.

“If we are to stay below 1.5 degrees of temperature rise, then science says that Germany can probably not continue to burn coal. I mean, another 20 years,” Thunberg said. “That is not my opinion or what I think, that’s what science says.”

Plans to stop using coal by 2038, recommended by a gov-ernment-appointed commission in January, and to abandon nuclear by 2022 are part of Ger-many’s costly transition to renewables, known as the Energiewende.

While details still have to be worked out, critics of the schedule say the country is not moving quickly enough to ditch

fossil fuels, ham-pering progress in the reduction of greenhouse emissions that contribute to climate change.

T h u n b e r g called it “dis-turbing” that ecosystems and villages in the Hambach forest region should give way to coal-re lated activities and said the protest was “very admirable”.

She plans to cross the Atlantic to New York on a racing yacht next month, to avoid flying

there, in order to speak at a climate summit and join demonstrations.

Swedish teenage climate campaigner Greta Thunberg (left front) during her visit to the Hambacher Forst forest, in Kerpen, western Germany, yesterday.

Malaysia worried for survival of missing Irish girlREUTERS KUALA LUMPUR

Police in Malaysia said they were concerned about the survival of an Irish teenager who went missing on holiday as search efforts continued into their seventh day.

In a statement, police said they had narrowed the search area believing the girl could not have gone far, adding the search was focused on steep areas, shrubs and rocks as well as around the family’s holiday accommodation.

Search and rescue efforts involving more than 300 searchers thus far have not led to any clues, the police added.

Nora Anne Quoirin, a 15-year-old who has learning disabilities, was reported missing last Sunday, a day after her family had arrived at the Dusun resort in Seremban, about 70km south of Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur.

“We are very worried about (her) welfare and we don’t know how long (she) can survive,” Mohamad Mat Yusop, police chief of Negeri Sembilan state

where Seremban is located, said.Police also confirmed they

were looking into people with criminal backgrounds around the area and had searched the homes of hotel staff.

The family issued a statement through the Lucie Blackman Trust late on Friday saying Nora “is not like other teenagers. She is not inde-pendent and does not go any-where alone.”

The family said Nora had been to Asia and many European countries and had never wan-dered off or got lost.

11SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019 EUROPE

5 dead in blast at Russian N-agency test siteAFP MOSCOW

Russia said yesterday an explosion at an Arctic missile testing site killed five nuclear agency staff and involved radi-oactive isotopes after a nearby city reported a spike in radiation levels.

In a statement, Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom said the accident on Thursday at a secret military facility also left three staff with burns and other injuries.

The military had not previ-ously described the accident as involving nuclear fuel and said radiation levels were normal afterwards.

But officials in the nearby city of Severodvinsk reported

that radiation levels were briefly raised after the accident.

The accident occurred in the far northern Arkhangelsk region during testing of a liquid pro-pellant jet engine. An explosion sparked a fire, killing two, the defence ministry said in a brief statement.

Rosatom said its staff were providing engineering and tech-nical support for the “isotope power source” of the engine being tested.

The authorities have released few details of the accident at the Nyonoksa test site on the White Sea, used for testing missiles deployed in nuclear submarines and ships since the Soviet era.

The defence ministry said six defence ministry employees and a developer were injured while two “specialists” died of their wounds.

It was not immediately clear whether the death toll reported by Rosatom included the fatal-ities announced earlier by the defence ministry.

Russian state news agencies

quoted a defence ministry source as saying both defence ministry and Rosatom employees were killed.

The authorities in Severod-vinsk, 30km from the test site, said on their website on Thursday that automatic radi-ation detection sensors in the city “recorded a brief rise in radiation levels” around noon that day.

The post was later taken down and the defence ministry said that radiation levels were normal after the accident.

An official responsible for civil defence, Valentin Magomedov,said on Thursday that radiation levels rose to 2.0 microsieverts per hour for half an hour from 11:50am (0850 GMT), before falling sharply.

He said this exceeded the permitted limit of 0.6 micro-sieverts, TASS reported.

Greenpeace Russia published a letter from officials at a Moscow nuclear research centre giving the same figure, but saying higher radiation levels lasted for an hour. The officials said this did not present any significant risk to public health.

Russian online media pub-lished unattributed video that journalists said showed a line of ambulances speeding through Moscow to take the injured to a centre that specialises in the treatment of radiation victims.

Rosatom said that the injured were being treated at a “spe-cialised medical centre”.

An expert from Moscow’s

Institute for Nuclear Research, Boris Zhuikov, said that isotope power sources are mainly used in spacecraft and are not usually dangerous for people working with them.

“If they are damaged, people who are nearby could be hurt. Isotope sources use various types of fuel: plutonium, promethium or cerium,” Zhuikov said. The radioactivity levels involved are “absolutely not comparable with those during serious accidents at reactors.”

The news of the accident prompted residents of Severod-vinsk to rush to pharmacies on Thursday to stock up on iodine, which can be taken to stop the thyroid gland absorbing radiation.

Richard Gere, Italy’s Salvini clash over migrant shipREUTERS LAMPEDUSA

Hollywood star Richard Gere yesterday urged the Italian government to stop “demonising people” and instead help migrants who have been stranded on a Spanish charity boat in the Mediterranean for more than a week.

Gere, who visited the Open Arms ship in a show of support on Friday, joined a news con-ference on the Italian island of Lampedusa to call for the 160 migrants stuck on the boat to be allowed to disembark.

The actor compared the political situation in Italy, where League leader and Interior Min-ister Matteo Salvini has repeatedly refused requests by migrant ships to dock, to that of the US administration of Donald Trump.

“We have our problems with refugees coming from Honduras, Salavador, Nicaragua, Mexico... It’s very similar to what you are

going through here,” he said, accusing politicians in both Italy and the US of demonising migrants.

“This has to stop everywhere on this planet now. And it will stop if we say stop,” he said, adding that he only wanted to

help people and not get into a political fight.

Salvini, who this week pushed through parliament tougher sanctions on charity ships that seek to bring migrants rescued at sea to Italy, was quick to reply. “Given this generous

millionaire is voicing concern for the fate of the Open Arms migrants, we thank him: he can take back to Hollywood, on his private plane, all the people aboard and support them in his villas. Thank you Richard!” he said in a statement.

Standoffs with non-govern-mental organisation boats have become common in the last year as European states at odds over who should be responsible for accepting migrants have refused port to vessels carrying rescued people, often leaving them stranded at sea for days awaiting a solution.

The boat was at sea near Lampedusa with 121 people aboard from earlier rescues when, late Friday evening, Maltese authorities asked it to assist 39 people in a wooden raft.

Malta had offered to accept the 39 people from this rescue but not the 121 already aboard, among them 32 minors, they added, saying the NGO had refused the offer.

The authorities in Severodvinsk, 30km from the test site, said on their website that automatic radiation detection sensors in the city “recorded a brief rise in radiation levels” around noon that day.

US actor Richard Gere (centre) and Italian Chef Gabriele Rubini, also known as Chef Rubio, (right) and Proactiva Open Arms NGO officials attending a news conference, in Lampedusa, Italy, yesterday.

Man arrested in Greece after boat accidentAFP ATHENS

A French man was arrested in Greece yesterday after a boat accident that left two dead and another person seriously injured, the coastguard said.

The 44-year-old said he was the driver of a 10-metre speedboat which was in col-lision with a smaller wooden vessel on Friday evening near the Peloponnese resort of Porto Heli, 170km southwest of Athens, a coastguard spokes-woman said.

The collision killed two elderly Greek men on board. A 60-year-old Greek woman, reportedly their sister, was seri-ously injured and taken to Athens for treatment.

“The first indications point to excessive speed by the pow-erboat driver,” Merchant Marine Minister Yiannis Plaki-otakis said.

Officials could not imme-diately clarify when the French man, who had evaded arrest for several hours after the accident, would appear before a prose-cutor. He is expected to be arraigned tomorrow.

Ten other French nationals who were also on the speedboat — two men, three women and five children aged three to 14 —were initially taken to Porto Heli for questioning after helping to bring the injured woman and one of the bodies to shore, the coastguard officer said.

The minors were with their parents at the Porto Heli coast-guard offices. They were all released yesterday afternoon, the press officer said.

Also Friday, another speedboat injured a 32-year-old swimmer at the Athens coastal suburb of Glyfada. The driver was arrested.

Law enforcement officers detain protester during a rally in Moscow, yesterday.

No-deal Brexit will hurt UK the most: JunckerREUTERS VIENNA

A no-deal Brexit would hurt Britain more than the rest of Europe no matter how much Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government pretends otherwise, outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in remarks published yesterday.

Britain has been pressing the European Union to amend the terms of Britain’s withdrawal agreement, saying Brussels would have to take responsi-bility for a no-deal Brexit if it does not compromise.

But at the end of the day that would do the most harm to Britain, Juncker told a regional newspaper in the Austrian province of Tyrol, where he reg-ularly spends his summer holiday.

“If it comes to a hard Brexit, that is in no one’s interest, but the British would be the big losers. They are acting as though that were not the case but it is,” he told the Tiroler Tageszeitung newspaper.

“We are fully prepared even though some in Britain say we are not well set up for a ‘no deal’. But I am not taking part in these little summer games,” said Juncker, who is due to be suc-ceeded by German conservative Ursula von der Leyen once she

has put together her Commission.

The EU has said the with-drawal agreement negotiated by the previous British adminis-tration led by Theresa May will not be re-opened. Johnson said it wants a key element of that deal, the so-called Irish “backstop”, to be scrapped.

The backstop, agreed between Brussels and May’s government, aims to keep the border between the Republic of Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland open, and would effectively keep Northern Ireland within the EU’s single market if no alternative arrangement can be found.

“We have made clear that we are not prepared to hold new negotiations on the withdrawal agreement but only to make certain clarifications in the framework of the political dec-larations that regulate future relations between the United Kingdom and European Union,” Juncker said. “We are well pre-pared (for no deal) and I hope the British are too.”

On Thursday, Britain’s Foreign Minister Dominic Raab pressed the European Union to amend the terms of Britain’s EU withdrawal agreement, saying Brussels would have to take responsibility for a no-deal Brexit if it is not prepared to compromise.

Tens of thousands rally in MoscowAP MOSCOW

Tens of thousands of people rallied yesterday in one of Moscow’s biggest political protests in recent years, denouncing the exclusion of opposition and independent candidates from the Russian capital’s city council ballot.

The rally was the fourth con-secutive weekend demon-stration in Moscow over the local election. The determined oppo-sition has prompted protests in other cities, reflecting wide-spread frustration with Russia’s tightly controlled politics.

An arrest monitoring group said 70 people were arrested yesterday in St. Petersburg at an unsanctioned demonstration in support of Moscow protests.

OVD-Info said 10 people were detained in connection with the Moscow rally, but it was not immediately clear on what grounds. Unlike the previous two Moscow rallies, where police harshly dispersed the crowds and detained thousands of dem-onstrators, yesterday’s gathering in a neighbourhood with rela-tively few passers-by was offi-cially sanctioned.

It was held on a street flanked by high buildings and

sandwiched between two busy thoroughfares.

A group that monitors attendance of public meetings, Beliy Schetchik, said it counted about 50,000 people at the dem-onstration; a police estimate put the crowd at 20,000.

Some opposition figures called for an unauthorised march to follow the permitted rally, but it was unclear if the action would materialise.

Lyubov Sobol, one of the city council candidates denied a place on the ballot and a spearhead of the election protest, was among those detained in Moscow yesterday.

UK energy firm says power cut was not caused by cyberattack

Tornado injures 19, damages up to 100 homes in LuxembourgAP BERLIN

A rare tornado injured 19 people, two of them severely, in Luxem-bourg, while 15 soccer players were injured by a lightning strike in southern Germany as unseasonal storms hit northern Europe late Friday.

The tornado in the south-western Luxembourg commu-nities of Pettingen and Kaerjeng left a path of destruction that made up to 100 homes uninhab-itable, local media reported yes-terday. Debris and damaged cars were left strewn around the area, while at least four power poles were destroyed.

“Architects are going to come and survey the damage. Mean-while, we will coordinate to cover the roofs,” Paul Schroeder, director general of Luxembourg’s fire and rescue service, told res-idents, according to Luxembourg newspaper L’Essentiel.

In nearby eastern France, the tornado was less severe, but

local media there reported that dozens of roofs were destroyed and cars were damaged in the communities of Longwy and Herserange. Tornadoes are a very rare weather condition in Europe, which is more typically hit by gales.

Southern Germany was also hit by severe thunderstorms late

Friday. Lightning struck a soccer field in Rosenfeld-Heiligenz-immern where 15 players were exercising. They were injured only slightly but were taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Severe weather warnings have already led to the cancel-lation of a number of outdoor events in Britain this weekend.

AP LONDON

A power cut that affected a million people and caused travel chaos was not the result of a cyberattack, operators of Brit-ain’s electricity network said.

National Grid operations director Duncan Burt said that Friday’s blackout was caused when two power stations failed almost simultaneously, leading the system to cut off power to some parts of the country in order to preserve the rest.

He said the company was “very confident that there was no malicious intent or cyber-attack involved,” adding that the loss of two power plants at once was a “very, very rare event” and something similar happened in 2008.

Tim Green of the Energy Futures Laboratory at Imperial College London said failures were at a gas-fired power plant in southern England and a wind

farm in the North Sea. He said it was unclear whether the two near-simultaneous outages were connected or was a coincidence.

Britain’s energy watchdog, Ofgem, said it has asked for “an urgent detailed report from National Grid so we can under-stand what went wrong and decide what further steps need to be taken. This could include enforcement action.”

The cut hit a large swath of England and Wales, knocking out traffic lights and railway signals and bringing electric-powered trains to a standstill. Electricity was restored within 90 minutes but many travellers were stuck for hours on trains.

Andrew Adonis, a former chairman of Britain’s National Infrastructure Commission, said National Grid had “some big questions to answer” about how a relatively brief power cut had caused nationwide mayhem on the railways.

12 SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2019AMERICAS

Democratic Presidential hopefuls seek action to curb gun violenceREUTERS DES MOINES, IOWA

Democratic presidential contenders urged Congress yesterday to take action to curb gun violence in the wake of mass shootings last weekend in Texas and Ohio that left 31 dead.

Speaking at a hastily con-vened forum in Iowa, they called for the imposition of universal background checks on gun buyers, so-called “red flag” laws, and ultimately a ban on military-style assault weapons.

They also said they believed the long-standing debate on gun violence in America was shifting in favour of stronger restrictions.

“We are going to make change. We are going to pass gun safety laws in this country,” said US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

“The heat’s been on like it’s never been on before,” said fellow Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

The candidates took ques-tions from gun-control advocates and shooting survivors at a program sponsored by Eve-rytown for Gun Safety, an

advocacy group founded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

In the shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, the gunmen used semi-automatic weapons with high-volume magazines.

Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, called for those weapons to be taken off the streets.

“They have no basis in our neighbourhoods in peacetime in the United States of America,” Buttigieg said.

Warren said if she wins the White House she would use executive powers to impose increased background check requirements and more

reporting on multiple gun pur-chases, and expand age restric-tions to limit teenage access to guns.

She said she would also push to do away with the filibuster, which would allow gun legis-lation to pass the Senate by a simple majority vote.

Iowa is a key focus of cam-paigning because in February the state will hold the first nomi-nating contest in the Democratic presidential primaries ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

Many have called for measures such as an assault weapon ban, universal back-ground checks and other gun control reforms long stymied by partisan fighting in Washington.

Democrats have criticised Republican President Donald Trump’s mixed messaging this week on possible support for some gun control measures.

Trump on Friday suggested that he could sway the nation’s powerful gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, to drop its opposition to gun restrictions.

Klobuchar suggested Trump would not stand up to the group, however. “We have a guy in the White House who is afraid, afraid

of the NRA,” she said.She and others also criticized

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, for refusing to bring a background check bill and other legislation to the floor for a vote.

US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont called on McConnell to immediately reconvene the Senate, which is in recess for a month, to debate gun legislation.

Former vice-president Joe Biden, the current Democratic

frontrunner, touted his work in the Senate in the 1990s passing an assault weapons ban that has since expired.

“I’ve taken on the NRA nationally, and I’ve beaten them,” Biden said. “Red flag” laws would allow the police to temporarily confiscate guns from people deemed by a judge to be a threat to themselves or others.

Candidates also want to close the so-called “boyfriend loophole,” which permits con-victed domestic abusers to

continue to purchase firearms if they were not married to their victims.

Media magnate Bloomberg has pledged to use his well-funded political action com-mittee in next year’s elections to defeat candidates who resist gun-reform legislation.

If the current push for new restrictions fails, as has hap-pened in the past, Bloomberg said, “We have make sure all those who stood in the way face the consequences.”

The Democratic presidential contenders called for the imposition of universal background checks on gun buyers, so-called “red flag” laws, and ultimately a ban on military-style assault weapons.

Pelosi sceptical on Trump migration plan for El SalvadorREUTERS SAN SALVADOR

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi raised concern about El Salvador’s ability to cope with a tough migration deal being pursued by the Trump Administration as she led a US congressional mission to the Central American country.

On the second leg of a bipar-tisan delegation to the region, Pelosi and other Democratic lawmakers criticised Donald Trump’s immigration agenda at a time when the Republican

president is pushing Mexico and Central America to clamp down on asylum-seekers.

The group raised scepticism about an agreement aimed at curbing migrant flows which the White House is seeking with El Salvador and Honduras, similar to one reached with Guatemala late last month under the threat of economic sanctions.

“I don’t consider it a solution,” Pelosi said. “When we were in Guatemala yesterday, we asked what the terms were of that agreement and they said it hasn’t really been written down, we haven’t seen what that is. So

I think it remains to be seen as to whether that is even a good idea and I would not encourage it.”

Under that deal, Guatemala agreed to become a so-called “safe third country,” meaning migrants would be required to seek asylum in Guatemala rather than in the United States.

Guatemala suffers from rampant poverty and violence, and critics question its capacity to handle a surge in asylum applications from its impover-ished, crime-wracked neigh-bours, El Salvador and Honduras, which Pelosi will visit today.

Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Texas, added: “We are of the opinion that it would be very difficult to do this, and for that reason we would like to do eve-rything ... to not have this type of deal.”

Pelosi and other members of the delegation denounced the Trump Administration’s policy of separating migrant families, which she called “totally com-pletely unacceptable.”

Some also criticised the administration’s efforts to remove 200,000 Salvadorans from the United States by

revoking their residency under a so-called Temporary Protected Status.

“El Salvador would not be able to absorb all those who are in the United States at this time,” said Lucille Roybal-Allard, a Democratic representative from California.

R e p r e s e n t a t i v e J i m McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, offered a stark assessment of US foreign policy around El Salvador’s 1980 to 1992 civil war, which pitted leftist rebels against a string of U S - b a c k e d m i l i t a r y governments.

Families of victims of gun violence holding up photos of their loved ones as 2020 Democratic US presidential candidates speak during the Presidential Gun Sense Forum in Des Moines, Iowa, yesterday.

Universal Pictures cancels release of ‘The Hunt’ after Trump pressureBLOOMBERG WASHINGTON

Universal Pictures cancelled the release of “The Hunt” after the movie’s liberals-hunting-conservatives storyline sparked backlash from critics, including President Donald Trump.

The film was accused by some of playing up the nar-rative of “deplorables” versus liberal “elites.” Democrat Hillary Clinton famously called Trump supporters “deplor-ables” during her 2016 presi-dential campaign.

Trump derided “Liberal Hollywood” and referred to an upcoming movie as “made in order to inflame and cause chaos.” He didn’t mention “The Hunt” by name, but commented after segments about the film had aired on Fox News.

“We stand by our film-makers and will continue to distribute films in partnership with bold and visionary cre-ators, like those associated with this satirical social thriller, but we understand that now is not the right time to release this film,” a Universal Pictures spokesperson said yesterday.

Universal had already halted its marketing campaign for the film following the El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, shootings last weekend.

The retailer Walmart Inc. said it would remove displays of violent video games and movies in its stores as part what it termed a “thoughtful and deliberate response” to recent incidents.

Germany to suspend aid to Brazil forest projectsAFP BERLIN

Germany said yesterday it would suspend Brazilian aid aimed at helping to protect the Amazon forest in light of data that showed deforestation had surged since President Jair Bolsonaro took office.

“Brazilian government pol-icies in the Amazon raise doubts about continued, sustained declines in the rate of deforest-ation,” Environment Minister Svenja Schulze told the tele-vision news show Tagesspiegel.

It said a first step would be to block payment of $40m for forest conservation and biodi-versity programmes until the rate of decline attained encour-aging levels once again.

From 2008 until this year, Berlin has paid 95 million euros in support of various

environmental protection pro-grammes in Brazil.

Germany nonetheless plans to continue supporting the Amazon Fund, a forest preser-vation initiative created in 2008.

Norway, which has con-tributed the most to the fund, has threatened to withdraw, and said last year that payments to Brazil would be cut in half and might be el iminated altogether.

Concern about the forest has grown since Bolsonaro took office in January. Brazil is home to more than 60 percent of the Amazon forest, which is being cleared at an increasing rate to create more cropland.

The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) said this week that roughly 2,254 sq km of the Amazon were cleared in July, a spike of 278 percent from a year earlier.

Woman pleads guilty in Minnesota smuggling caseAP MINNEAPOLIS

An Iranian woman pleaded guilty in Minnesota to conspiring to facilitate the illegal export of communications technology from the US to her home country.

Federal prosecutors said Negar Ghodskani, 40, and others established a front company in Malaysia to illegally obtain restricted technology from com-panies in Minnesota and Massa-chusetts, in violation of US law and international sanctions. She

was indicted in 2015 in Min-nesota and arrested in Australia in 2017, where she became the subject of a long extradition fight. She entered her plea before US District Judge Joan Ericksen in Minneapolis. A sentencing date was not set.

Her attorney, Robert Richman, said she accepted the plea agreement “because she wanted to accept responsibility and be sentenced.”

Richman indicated the toll of the long legal fight was why she decided to stop resisting

extradition. She arrived in the US last month.

Under the plea agreement filed Friday, Ghodskani agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the US, which carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and prosecutors agreed to dismiss the other charges. The plea agreement does not include a sentencing recommendation, but the nonbinding federal sen-tencing guidelines suggest a sen-tence of 46 to 57 months and a

fine up to $200,000.“We intend to ask the judge

to sentence her to time served,” Richman said. “She has already been in custody for over two years. ... By the time she gets sen-tenced it will be 2½ years in custody. She had a baby while she was in custody. She has gone through a huge amount. We believe the appropriate dispo-sition is to release her and send her on her way back to Iran.”

A co-defendant, Alireza Jalali, pleaded guilty in November 2017.

Guatemala run-off polls todayGuatemala’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal employees preparing the electoral material for its distribution in Guatemala City, yesterday. Guatemala holds a run-off election today between Guatemalan presidential candidate for the Vamos (Let’s Go) party Alejandro Giammattei and the presidential candidate for the Union Nacional de la Esperanza (National Union of Hope) party Sandra Torres.

‘US financier Epstein committed suicide in prison awaiting trial’AFP/NEW YORK

The wealthy US financier Jeffrey Epstein, indicted on charges he trafficked underage girls, committed suicide in prison, US news media reported yesterday.

Epstein, who had hob-nobbed with politicians and celebrities over the years and was already a convicted offender, hanged himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correc-tional Center and his body was found around 7:30 yesterday

morning, The New York Times and other media said, quoting officials.

Epstein, 66, had been found in his cell in late July with marks on his neck after an apparent suicide attempt.

The hedge fund manager was denied bail in late July after appearing at a New York court charged with one count of traf-ficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit traf-ficking of minors.

He denied the charges.