S’hail showcases Amir visits S'hail - Katara Hunting and Falcons … · 2019-09-07 · Amir...

Volume 24 | Number 8008 | 2 RiyalsSunday 8 September 2019 | 9 Muharram 1441 www.thepeninsula.qa

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BUSINESS | 01 SPORT | 08

US Open final: Nadal chases 19th Slam crown against Medvedev

QFC joins Islamic

Financial Services Board

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visiting S’hail - Katara Hunting and Falcons Exhibition 2019 yesterday. H H the Amir was acquainted with the various types of falcons, hunting equipment, accessories, sports and hunting supplies which were exhibited by participating local, Arab and international companies. �P2, 20

Amir visits S'hail - Katara Hunting and Falcons Exhibition

Amir sends cable of condolences to Kuwait AmirQNA DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the Deputy Amir, H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thanisent yesterday cables of condolences to the Amir of the sisterly State of Kuwait H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, on the death of Sheikha Anwar Faisal Al Saud Al Sabah.

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also sent a cable of condolences to the Amir of the sisterly State of Kuwait, on the death of Sheikha Anwar Faisal Al Saud Al Sabah.

President of Angola arrives in DohaQNA DOHA

The President of the Republic of Angola, Joao Manuel Lourenco, arrived in Doha yesterday evening, on an official three-day visit to the State of Qatar.

The President was greeted upon arrival at Hamad Inter-national Airport by Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Ambassador of Qatar to Angola, Abdullah Hussein Al Jaber, and Ambassador of Angola to Qatar, Jose De Lemos.

NCTC Chairman underscores Qatar’s leading role in countering extremismQNA DOHA

The Chairman of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, Major General Eng. Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ansari, stressed that the State of Qatar has a leading role in confronting the phenomenon of extremism and terrorism, adding that Qatar is moving forward to strengthen its bilateral, international and multilateral partnerships to address this phenomenon.

In a press statement on the sidelines of the conference “study the causes of extremism”, which began in Doha yesterday, Al Ansari said that Qatar has implemented many pro-grammes in the field of com-bating terrorism and its financing, in addition, it has concluded cooperation agree-ments in this regard, whether international, bilateral or multilateral.

He pointed out that the State of Qatar signed an agreement with the United Nations to

establish a centre in Doha to apply behavioural visions to violent extremism to study the behavioural roots of violent extremism and evidence-based global policies and programs inspired by behaviours to prevent and combat violent extremism leading to terrorism.

During the first session of the conference, Major General Al Ansari presented the experience of the State of Qatar in con-fronting terrorism and extremism and drying up its sources. He pointed out that the role of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee is to develop policies, plans, and pro-grams to combat terrorism.

He noted the convening of this conference, which will result in the launch of an international index to measure violent extremism in the world to be a global reference for researchers and decision-makers to study the issue of extremism and make sound evidence-based decisions to address this phenomenon.

“We believe that executive decision-making must be science-based and supported by scientific research in diverse fields,” he said.

He stressed the need to build a close relationship between decision-makers, institutions and research centres so that the policies adopted to confront the phenomenon of violent extremism are based on evi-dence to ensure its success and effectiveness in the face of this phenomenon.

With regard to educational curricula, media and civil society institutions as important axes and areas to counter extremism, Al Ansari called on scientific research institutions to take the lead in supporting decision-making centres by studying these areas with interest, and clarifying what may be overlooked by the decision-maker, especially in relation to sensitive phenomena that the committee specializes in combating their causes and consequences. �P2

Dimdex 2020 expected to attract record number of exhibitorsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Set to be bigger and more diverse than ever before, the seventh edition of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference (Dimdex 2020) will take place from March 16 to 18, 2020. With less than one year to go until key decision makers from the maritime defence and security industry meet in Qatar once again, Dimdex organisers say that demand for exhibition space is high and have already received requests for bookings for the upcoming edition.

The event held under the patronage of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and proudly hosted and organised by Qatar Armed Forces, Dimdex has grown each year since its launch in 2008 and is now interna-tionally recognised as a platform for businesses from

the global defence industry to showcase their latest technol-ogies to government entities and industry peers to form new partnerships.

Focused on ‘Connecting the World’s Maritime Defence and Security Community’, Dimdex 2020 will bring together the latest innovations and solu-tions under one roof. Partici-pants will have access to an established delegation man-agement system that offers a business matching service between the official VIP dele-g a t i o n s a n d D i m d e x exhibitors.

Strongly supported by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, and the attendance of other Qatari mil-itary officials and government representatives, Dimdex 2020 will continue to offer unprec-edented opportunities to its participants. �P3

Mega sports events to attract thousands of touristsSACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

A strong rush of tourists is expected in coming months as Qatar is all set to host several global sports events. The strong line-up of high-profile sports events will bring tourists from across the globe to Qatar. More than 20 major sports events will be hosted in Qatar in next four-month time, making country a

must-visit place for every sports enthusiast.

One of main highlights of this sport season is FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019. The much awaited soccer tournament will not only bring some big names in the world of football to Qatar but will also bring thousands of fans who will come here to cheer their sporting idols. The seven-team club tournament will run from December 11 to 21.

The IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 is another big event where world’s finest athletes will be competing for glory. Doha is all set to welcome over 3,500 athletes, coaches and officials to the sporting spectacle which will kick-off on September 28, and will run until October 6.

“Sports is a universal lan-guage that connects commu-nities and engages people while

eliminating barriers. Sporting events, such as the Olympic Games and World Cups have become powerful tourism attrac-tions making a very positive con-tribution to the tourism sector of the hosting destination and worldwide,” Aya Kassab, Head of Business Development Unit, QSports, told The Peninsula.

“Furthermore, sports is becoming a key element in tourism and a catalyst in the

development of tourism if suc-cessfully leveraged in terms of destination, infrastructure devel-opment and other economic and social benefits,” she added.

“Hospitality sector will be a big beneficiary of upcoming sporting events. These events will attract thousands of fans and tourists who will be staying in hotels and spending money food and other items,” a senior official tours and travels firm told The Peninsula.

S’hail showcases Qatar's heritageTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The third edition of S’hail - Katara International Hunting and Falcon Exhibition 2019 concluded yesterday after making remarkable achieve-ments by attracting more local, Arab and foreign companies and institutions specialised in the field of falcons, hunting tools and supplies.

The third edition of the exhibition has attracted huge public interest, in addition to official visits, where the exhi-bition succeeded in drawing attention to the heritage of Qatar, highlighting the most important hobbies related to hunting.

Wisdom Square and Katara Hall witnessed the closing of the exhibition with the participation of over 140 local, Arab and foreign companies from 20 countries, making its prominent position on the regional and international maps.

Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara Cultural Village and Chairman of the Organising

Committee of the exhibition, said that S’hail 2019 exhibition has been at the forefront of cul-tural and heritage events hosted by Katara throughout the year, embodying its important role in preserving the Qatari heritage.

The third edition witnessed a huge turnout in addition to high-profile visits.

He said that the exhibition reflected the interest of the Qatari leadership in the revival of heritage and folklore asso-ciated with the long tradition of hunting and falcons.

He highlighted the efforts exerted in preserving the authentic heritage hobby, noting that the exhibition was able to meet the different needs of fal-conry and hunting lovers and falcons from Qatar, the region and the world.

He thanked the organising committee for this great effort and the great work that lasted for five days, which was full of activity and inspiration and con-tinuous work to come out this wonderful picture, and thanked all the partners, supporters and sponsors. �P2

02 SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019HOME

Amir sends congratulations to President of BrazilDOHA: 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 Federative

Republic of Brazil, Jair Bol-

sonaro, on the occasion of

his country’s Independence

Day. QNA

OFFICIAL NEWS

Qatar strongly condemns bombing in northern IraqDOHA: The State of Qatar

has strongly condemned the

bombing in northern Iraq,

causing deaths and injuries.

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 the motives and causes.

The statement expressed

the State of Qatar’s condo-

lences to the families of the

victims and the government

and people of Iraq, wishing

the injured a speedy recov-

ery. QNA

Conference on studying causes of extremism beginsQNA DOHA

The international conference on studying the causes of extremism kicked off here yesterday, organised by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) at Qatar University.

The two-day conference gathers international experts, scientists and decision-makers from a number of countries around the world.

The conferences agenda includes five sessions, which are going to be on the role of evi-dence-based policy in combating extremism, assessing risk factors for this phenomenon, ways to control and combat it, processes of extremism and flexibility, with new approaches to measuring extremism and intolerance.

The organisers said that the

conference is the first-of-its-kind in the Middle East and is part of Qatar’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the fight against ter-rorism in bilateral and multi-lateral forums.

Dr. Hassan Rashid Al Derham, President of Qatar Uni-versity, said in a speech at the beginning of the conference that experts will discuss over two days the factors and risks of extremism and the mechanisms to address this phenomenon as well as assessment of the inter-national efforts to monitor and combat radicalism and violent extremism, noting that these sci-entific events are in line with the continuous efforts exerted by the State of Qatar to promote progress in combating extremism and terrorism in various inter-national forums.

He said that the conference is a platform for launching an

important new research project by the Institute of Social and Economic Survey Research in partnership with a number of research centres and distin-guished policy institutes around the world to develop an interna-tional index to measure the level of extremism leading to violence and study its determinants and track them over time and space,with a view to having access to international data on the phenomenon to be available to researchers and policy makers.

Addressing the opening session also , Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ansari, Chairman of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, underscored the importance of this conference and its role in enhancing the State of Qatar’s efforts in confronting terrorism. This indicator will be an essential

reference for measuring this phenomenon. “

For her part, Michele Coninsx, Executive Director of the Executive Directorate of Counter-Terrorism at the UN

Security Council, commended the conference, which, she said it examines the causes of extremism, stressing the need for a practical and thoughtful approach to combating the

phenomenon of terrorism and studying the causes of some ten-dency towards this dangerous scourge and the real motives for their involvement in the ranks of terrorists.

A session during the international conference on studying the causes of extremism, organised by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, at Qatar University, yesterday.

NCTC Chairmanunderscores Qatar’s leadingrole in counteringextremism

FROM PAGE 1The Executive Director of the

Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, Michele Coninsx, said that research centres and related institutions should study the motives of extremism in some people, and study these cases in-depth, to reach results that will help to take preventive action in this regard. She added that there is certainly no single cause for extremism, therefore there are no single measures to counter it, as the motives are dif-ferent, so the actions must be different.

Former assistant secretary for the Private Sector at the US Department of Homeland Security, Douglas Andrew Smith, stressed the importance of adopting scien-tific mechanisms to understand the current situation and derive results. He said that this field is open for academics to contribute to the diagnosis and analysis of the phenomenon of extremism.

Senior Director of the National Security Studies Research Group at Royal United Services Institute, Andrew Glazzard, called for the inclusion of countering extremism in the general policy of any country in the world.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani viewing various exhibits of falcons and hunting equipment and accessories during a visit to S’hail 2019, yesterday.

HBKU Press and Art Omi to sponsor Arabic writer for residency programTHE PENINSULA DOHA

For the very first time, Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (Doha, Qatar) has part-nered with Art Omi in New York to sponsor one aspiring Arabic writer to participate in the 2020 Art Omi Writers’ Residency Program.

This annual residency provides writers with the space and time away from daily pressures to create, and to bring experts in the field to dialogue with the residents.

The retreat is held over four weeks in either the spring or fall seasons at the Art Omi residences located in Ghent, New York, on a 300 acres of rolling farmland with spectacular views of the Catskills and the Hudson River Valley.

“HBKU Press is committed to serving the wider community by sponsoring opportunities like the 2020 Art Omi Writers’ Residency Program that allow

for the exposure of local literary voices on a global stage,” said Rima Ismail, Out-reach and Special Project Manager at HBKU Press.

“This inaugural event reflects the spirit of cultural exchange that is essential to both HBKU Press’s and Art Omi’s mission.”

Residents are encouraged to select one written piece to focus on during the

residency. Daytime is reserved for writing and quiet activities, while evenings are more communal. Noted editors, agents and book scouts are invited to share dinner and conversation on both creative and practical subjects, offering insight into the workings of the publishing industry, and introductions to some of its key professionals.

“Art Omi is thrilled to be working with HBKU Press to bring an Arab writer to our beautiful campus in the Hudson Valley,” said DW Gibson, Director of Art Omi: Writers. “With our primary goal of sup-porting the work of writers working outside the U.S. this partnership helps us ensure that we will be able to include this important region of the world in our inter-national cohort. HBKU Press is the ideal partner for helping us identify some of the most exciting writers and we look forward to welcoming them to New York and promoting their work in the US.”

“This may very well be

once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to writers in Qatar and the Middle East,” said Ismail. “Not only are all of the living expenses for the selected resident covered for a month, but the chosen resident will receive inval-uable guidance and feedback on their work from noted American publishing industry professionals.”

HBKU Press has opened its application for the residency programme online on its website. This opportunity is open to all writers, though preference is given to mid-career writers.

Applicants must have an intermediate grasp of the English language as the res-idency and its workshops are all in English. A full application package includes the application (found on hbku-press.com), statement of purpose (1000 words), and CV to be submitted in English; and a writing sample (5000 words) that can be in Arabic. Only completed appli-cations emailed to [email protected] will be considered.

S’hail showcases Qatar’s heritageFROM PAGE 1

S’hail 2019 was able to book for itself a distinct and leading position in the map of international and international exhibitions specialised in hunting and falcons.

The exhibition was characterised by local, Arab and international participation, The number of pavilions participating in the exhibition reached over 140 pavilions, representing major local companies.

Qatar, Kuwait, Britain and Spain topped the participating countries, represented by a large number of pavilions, providing options and exhibitions that contributed significantly to meet the aspirations and needs of visitors and enable them to dis-cover the latest equipment, weapons and services provided in fishing.

It reflected the cultural, heritage and economic importance of the exhibition, and was able to meet the hopes of exhibitors and visitors to see what is new and inno-vative in the world of hunting, falcons and trips, highlighting the inherent values of Qatar, and all crafts, arts and sports asso-ciated with it. The third edition of S’hail was marked by the addition of the electronic auction, which held a large platform in the heart of the exhibition showcased by 18 birds of the best and most beautiful types of falcons, and was bidding open throughout the days of the exhibition from 9am to 10pm, allowed everyone to participate from through a special code for each participant to write the price.

03SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019 HOME

The Minister of Transport and Communications, H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, with the President of the Republic of Angola, Joao Manuel Lourenco, at the Hamad International Airport, yesterday.

President of Angola arrives in Doha

The Shura Council Speaker, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, during his visit to S’hail — Katara Hunting and Falcons Exhibition, yesterday.

Shura Council Speaker visits S’hailDimdex 2020 expected to attract record number of exhibitors

FROM PAGE 1

Thought leaders from around the globe will be sharing their expertise at the Middle East Naval Commanders Con-ference (MENC) and several international navies will display their warships at Hamad Port.

Dimdex has a proven track record of delivering commercial opportunities for members of the maritime defence and security community.

With less than one year to go until DIMDEX 2020, a new report by the Stockholm Inter-national Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that Qatar is ranked one of the top importers of major arms in the region. In addition, global defence spending — which reached a record of $1.78 trillion in 2018 – is expected to grow by 2% per year from 2019 to 2023 according to Jane’s Defence Budget.

DIMDEX 2020 is expected to attract record numbers of exhibitors than in previous years. Organisers say that a diverse range of prime suppliers

and manufacturers are requesting to book space, among which are new exhib-itors in growing areas of the defence industry like cyberse-curity and artificial intelligence, adding to the range of products and technologies that will be showcased.

Staff Brigadier (Sea) Abdulbaqi S Al Ansari, Chairman of DIMDEX, said: “The seventh edition of DIMDEX is set to be one of the most exciting to date and we are seeing high levels of interest from a wider range of industry players. It will provide an opportunity for key decision makers to learn about the latest industry trends and technol-ogies, as nations continue to invest in their militaries to maintain stability and security. At DIMDEX 2020, I expect to see many new developments in the cybersecurity field, which is an emerging technology in the defence industry and an essential part of the defence ecosystem.”

“Growing each year since its inception, DIMDEX has become

a firm fixture in the maritime defence and security industry calendar and I look forward to welcoming delegates to Doha next year. Besides meeting with previous edition’s exhibitors, I hope to see many new partici-pants from a larger number of countries as DIMDEX widens its offering and expands into new areas.”

DIMDEX 2020 will serve as a platform for businesses to network with high-level defence industry stakeholders not only from Qatar but across the globe. Qatar’s increase in military spending to record levels is likely to act as a draw for deal-makers looking for new opportunities in the region.

Staff Brigadier (Sea) Abdulbaqi S. Al-Ansari con-cluded: “I very much look forward to this landmark event, which promises to deliver an outstanding experience for all.”

In 2018, DIMDEX attracted 13,000 visitors from 69 coun-tries and witnessed the signing of more than 35 agreements, partnerships, and memo-randums of understanding.

Qatar’s efforts to curb corruption highlighted at UN

THE PENINSULA DOHA

The President of the Adminis-trative Control and Transparency Authority (ACTA), H E Hamad bin Nasser Al Missned, has presented at the United Nations the efforts of the State of Qatar in preventing and combating corruption at the national and international levels

H E Hamad bin Nasser Al Missned, headed the Qatari del-egation which participated in a number of UN events including First resumed tenth session of the Implementation Review Group in Vienna from September 2-4 and the Tenth Intersessional Meeting Open-ended Intergov-ernmental Working Group on Prevention in Vienna from Sep-tember 4-6.

An invitation received from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to present best practices and ini-tiatives of the State of Qatar in the field of preventing and c o m b a t i n g c o r r u p t i o n nationally and internationally, with a focus on the national strategy to promote integrity and transparency, adopted

recently by the State of Qatar.Through his speech to the

Prevention Meeting, on Sep-tember 5, H E the President of ACTA stated that the State of Qatar is witnessing a compre-hensive renaissance in all political, economic and social fields, supported by advanced legislative and institutional frameworks, including in the areas of transparency, integrity and preventing and combating corruption. This is reflected pos-itively on the position of the State of Qatar regionally and internationally.

Moreover, H E the President sheds light on the international efforts of the State of Qatar in the above-mentioned areas, in par-ticular Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Anti-corruption Inter-national Excellence Award.

In addition to hosting the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Doha in 2015. At the national level, HE spoke about steps taken by the state of Qatar to strengthen the national legal and institutional framework for transparency and integrity including enacting legislation regulating public officials,

tenders and auctions, draft laws on transparency and conflict of interest, the National Framework for Institutional Transparency and Integrity and the National Strategy to Promote Integrity and Transparency.

Additionally, the President of ACTA held a number of bilateral meetings, which began with a meeting Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, where HE President of ACTA thanked him for the technical support pro-vided by UNODC in the devel-opment of the Qatari National Strategy for promoting Integrity and Transparency. He also invited Feditov to attend the

launch of the National Strategy and the accompanying Forum to be held in December 2019 in Doha.

The aforementioned meeting discussed enhancing cooperation between Qatar and UNODC and Qatar’s offer to host the 10th session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Cor-ruption, which will be held in 2023.

H E the President of ACTA explained that the State of Qatar’s interest in hosting this conference comes in context of its keenness to enhance the part-nership with UNODC and all

States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Con-vention (UNCAC), contributing to the implementation of the Convention and achieving its objectives, and supporting inter-national efforts to prevent and combat corruption.

H E the President of ACTA stressed on the fact that the State of Qatar has all the technical, financial and intellectual poten-tials to successfully organise the 10th session of the Conference of States Parties.

The President of ACTA held another meeting with John Bran-dolino, Director of the Division of Treaty Affairs of UNODC,

Brigitte Strobel Shaw, Head of Corruption and Economic Crime Branch and a number of UNODC’s experts. The meeting dealt with existing and future joint cooperation projects between ACTA and UNODC in the field of preventing and com-bating corruption and ways to enhance them.

He then held side meetings with a number of heads of anti-corruption authorities, who par-ticipated in the above-men-tioned UN meetings, including states of Serbia and Thailand, where enhancing bilateral coop-eration exchanging expertise dis-cussed, and coordinating inter-national efforts between the two countries.

He also extended an invi-tation to UNODC and the par-ticipating countries to attend the launching of the National Strategy to promote Integrity, Transparency and the accom-panying forum to be held in Doha in December this year. He also invited all countries to follow the announcement of the fourth edition of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani Interna-tional Excellence Award on the International Anti-corruption Day on December 9, 2019.

At his side meetings, His Excellency discussed sup-porting the Qatar’s proposal to host the 10th session of UNCAC Conference of States Parties to be held in 2023. He announced that the State of Qatar will submit a draft decision in this regard at the next session of the Conference, which will be held end of this year in Abu Dhabi.

The President of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority, H E Hamad bin Nasser Al Missned, has presented at the United Nations the efforts of the State of Qatar in preventing and combating corruption at the national and international levels.

H E the President of ACTA stated that Qatar is witnessing a comprehensive renaissance in all political, economic and social fields, supported by advanced legislative and institutional frameworks, including in the areas of transparency, integrity and preventing and combating corruption. This is reflected positively on the position of Qatar regionally and internationally.

QICCA participates in East Africa International Arbitration Conference in KenyaQNA NAIROBI

The Qatar International Center for Conciliation and Arbitration (QICCA) has participated in the 7th East Africa International Arbitration Conference (EAIAC) held on August 29 - 30 2019 in Nairobi.

The conference which was held under the theme “Gov-ernment Contracting and Investment Disputes: Lessons for States and Investors” saw a par-ticipation of more than 250 attendees from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and Ghana.

H E Sheikh Thani bin Ali bin Saud Al Thani, QICCA’s Board Member for International Rela-tions at QICCA and Qatar Rep-resentative in ICC Court of Arbi-tration attended the event and delivered a research paper on

Islamic finance, types, nature, characteristics and how to avoid disputes that arising from as well as ways of settlement according to Islamic Shariah.

Sheikh Thani said that the value of contracts of Islamic finance is estimated to $2.5 trillion at the end of the Year 2019, noting that these figures are expected to reach $3.8 trillion in 2022. He also noted that other means can have a pos-itive impact on decreasing dis-putes such as resolution and reconciliation.

He said that Qatar has recently joined the United Nations Convention on Interna-tional Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, known as the Singapore Con-vention on Mediation.

Sheikh Thani informed attendees on the expertise of Qatar in Islamic finance as well

as Malaysia’s experiment, in addition to experiments of the non-Islamic country such as Sin-gapore. He also stressed the importance of Islamic banking which represented 75 percent of transactions, while the Islamic instruments represented 15 percent and Islamic takaful con-tracts 10 percent.

Delegates included private investors, government depart-ments, legal practitioners, judi-ciaries and arbitration profes-sionals. Expert speakers have included Attorney Generals, Government Ministers, and arbi-tration professionals (both regional and international).

General Counsel of the Qatar International Centre for Concil-iation and Arbitration Dr. Minas Khatchadourian delivered a presentation on “Investment by Sovereign Wealth Funds and International Arbitration”.


Qatari athlete praises HMC for recovery from severe spinal cord injuryTHE PENINSULA DOHA

A Qatari triathlon athlete, who made a full recovery after sustaining severe injuries as a result of a traffic accident, has praised Hamad Medical Corpo-ration’s (HMC) Qatar Rehabili-tation Institute (QRI) for the care he received after undergoing two extensive surgeries to repair his spine and shoulder.

Last year, Muath Al Qasimi, a 30-year-old Qatari national, was preparing to participate in Ironman Austria, an annual event that attracts 3,000 athletes from over 60 countries and con-sists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride, and a marathon 26.22-mile run. While riding his bike in preparation for the event he was struck by a car. Al Qasimi, has been a member of the QTRI Triathlon Club since 2017.

Al Qasimi was rushed to Hamad General Hospital (HGH)

by ambulance and diagnosed with a severe spinal fracture and a complete dislocation of his right shoulder. A team of sur-geons, led by Dr. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, performed urgent surgery on his spine, followed by a second surgery to repair his shoulder. Al Qasimi remained in the hospital for one month before being transferred to QRI, where

he began an intensive two-month, inpatient rehabilitation programme.

“I was so confused. I felt dev-astated at the thought of losing my ability to practice my sport and accomplish my hopes and dreams. Thankfully, with the support of my family and friends and the medical teams at HMC, I regained my confidence and my

health,” said Al Qasimi.“After undergoing surgery at

HGH, I was transferred to QRI. This was a major milestone in my treatment journey. The first week was very hard, as I could not walk or stand. My therapists sup-ported me with easy exercises that helped me re-learn how to walk. One of my therapists rec-ommended I wear my training

outfits while completing my rehabilitation exercises because he knew how much I loved my sport. I think he knew that seeing myself as an athlete again would help create a more positive, mindful experience,” said Al Qasimi. “I thank God that I have recovered and that I did not choose to have my treatment abroad,” added Al Qasimi.

Bassam Abdelmaged Esmail, a Physiotherapy Specialist at QRI, said the rehabilitation facility uses a model that is patient-centred, team-based, and multifaceted.

“When Muath came to QRI’s inpatient rehabilitation care unit he was experiencing severe pain that restricted his range of motion and overall function. We started the physiotherapy pro-gramme by introducing simple manual physical therapy exer-cises that are designed to promote movement in the joints and improve overall flexibility.

As his condition improved, we incorporated resistant bands, exercise balls, and other forms of rehabilitation equipment,” said Esmail, who was Al Qasimi’s case supervisor.

Manoj Kumar Ranabhat, Occupational Therapy Specialist at QRI, said Al Qasimi’s rehabil-itation programme consisted of physiotherapy, which focused on improving mobility and function, and occupational therapy, which focused on helping him live as independently as possible. His care team also used hydro-therapy to improve muscle strength and endurance. Today Al Qasimi has fully recovered and has resumed training for his favourite sport . He has com-peted in several local races and currently trains five days a week. He still dreams of competing in an Ironman triathlon and says he will realise this dream and will be proud to represent Qatar on the international stage.

FROM LEFT: Muath Al Qasimi, a Qatari triathlon athlete; Bassam Abdelmaged Esmail, Physiotherapy Specialist at QRI, and Manoj Kumar Ranabhat, Occupational Therapy Specialist at QRI.

Ooredoo wins ‘Fortinet’s Best Managed Security Services Partner of the Year’ awardTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Ooredoo, the region’s leading enabler of digital business inno-vation, announced yesterday that it was named Fortinet’s Best Managed Security Services Partner of the Year in Qatar.

Ooredoo was honoured during the Fortinet Partner SYNC event, annual conference for partners in Doha, Qatar and the award was received by Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani, Chief Business Officer, Ooredoo Qatar, on behalf of the company. This Fortinet award recognises the company’s strength in enabling secure

nationwide digital transfor-mation. In the face of rising global cyber-threats, Ooredoo has collaborated with Fortinet to provide business customers with industry-leading opex-based cloud solutions across cloud email security, endpoint detection and response, firewall, managed firewall, managed intrusion prevention systems, unified threat management, web application firewall as a service.

Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani, said: “Winning Fortinet’s award for Best Managed Security Services Partner of the Year in Qatar is a major milestone for Ooredoo, and recognition as the largest

and best managed security solu-tions provider in Qatar. With Fortinet, we aim to protect our customers’ information security and help organisations to defend against cyber-threats, reduce risk, and comply with regulation.”

As more Qatar organisations expand their network connec-tivity on the cloud, Fortinet rec-ognised Ooredoo for providing multi-cloud solutions that can provide business customers with full security visibility and control across a variety of cloud infrastructures.

Alain Penel, Vice-President of Fortinet, Middle East, said: “Ooredoo receiving the award is

a testament to Ooredoo’s strength in delivering the best security solutions. Ooredoo has been a major partner in Qatar’s secure digital transformation, and has helped Fortinet to

expand in one of the Middle East’s most high-profile and con-tinually growing markets.”

Business customers can lev-erage the Ooredoo Advantage, making Ooredoo “Best for

Business,” thanks to its breadth and depth of talent, best fixed and mobile networks, broadest portfolio of ICT services and solutions, and trusted partner for 60 years.

Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani, Chief Business Officer of Ooredoo Qatar, receiving the award during the ‘Fortinet Partner SYNC’ event in Doha.

The Managing Director of Indian Spices, Badarudheen; Store Manager, Lathish Lal, and Abdul Razik inaugurating the Indian Spices Restaurant at Bin Mahmoud in Doha.

Indian Spices Restaurant inaugurated The key handover ceremony pertaining to ‘Lulu Mercedes Benz Car Promotion’, organised by the Lulu Hypermarket Group, was held last Thursday at the regional office of Lulu Hypermarket Qatar on D-Ring Road. The twelve winners of the promotion collected the key of their prized Mercedes Benz Car, E200, Model 2019, from Shaijan M O, Regional Director of Lulu Hypermarket, and Shanavas P M, Regional Manager, in the presence of other Lulu officials. The winners are: Gomaa Ahmed Ibrahim Mohamed (Coupon No.1787682), Egyptian National; Khalid Mohd A H Al Muhannadi (No.1888466), Qatari

Winners of ‘Lulu Mercedes Benz Car Promotion’

National; Josina Desamito Ulep (0705605), Filipino National; Fiyona Stella Jean Dsouza (0298770), Indian National; Abdualla Salem J B Al Mansoori (0427521), Qatari National; Mohammed Albptin (0709035), Irani National; John Pious Nigel Vadakethala (0993171), Indian National; Frenzie Castillo Cuizon (2117615), Filipino National; Noushad Attavayalil (0129471), Indian National; Christopher Paul Langston (0254024), UK National; Jebin Mathews Varghese (0257621), Indian National; and Jhoanalyn Antonio Baruzo (0078755), Filipino National.


Qatar’s future doctors at WMC-Q don the white coatFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

Qatar’s future doctors have taken the symbolic first step towards their chosen career by donning the white coat of the physician on Thursday.

The Class of 2023 at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q), comprising 40 stu-dents including eight Qataris were inducted at the annual White Coat Ceremony held at Grand Hyatt Doha.

The event marked the tra-ditional rite of passage where the fresh doctors-in-training first don the white coat and receive stethoscopes, the sym-bolic emblems of their new roles.

Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q, said that the White Coat Ceremony is one of the highlights of the college’s academic year and is a memorable and signif-icant milestone for the trainee doctors.

“The white coat is recognised throughout the world as a symbol of compassion and healing and it gives me great pleasure to present them to our new medical students. These young people are the very future of medicine in Qatar. During their careers, they will learn new medical techniques and use technology that physicians today can only dream about,” said Dr Sheikh.

“They will innovate, they will conduct new research, and they will gain new knowledge, but some things will always remain the same; they will save lives and they will bring hope and relief to those in distress. Together with Weill Cornell’s other alumni, they will be the backbone of Qatar’s medical system, delivering world-class healthcare to all of the country’s citizens for decades

to come,” he added.The students will follow the

same curriculum as that operated in Weill Cornell Med-icine — New York and will be taught by both faculty at WCM-Q, and faculty in New York via video link.

As they become more expe-rienced, they will begin training in partner institutions and will

also have the opportunity to work under the guidance of experienced doctors at New York-Presbyterian Hospital – one of the world’s foremost teaching hospitals. If successful in their training, they will then receive a Cornell University medical degree.

“I’m looking forward for challenging years of learning

from experienced faculty and doctors in Doha and New York,” said Hiba Naveed, who has just joined WCM-Q on the six-year medical programme, so will spend the first two years on the pre-medical curriculum.

She also said that been raised in Doha and her father being a doctor encouraged her to choose the medical profession and study at WCM-C.

Malik Mushannen who is originally hailing from Syria chose to join WCM-Q following his siblings. “I was brought up in the Gulf region and I’m very much attached to the area. WCM-Q gives a big opportunity to earn a medical degree from a reputed US medical college in the Middle East,” he said.

“I would like to serve in

Qatar and give back to the society after graduating,” said Malik, who intends to become an orthopedic surgeon.

The White Coat Ceremony of WCM-Q is an opportunity to for-mally welcome students onto the six-year medical program, which integrates two years of pre-medical training with the four-year medical curriculum.

During the event 46 students, who have completed the two year pre-medical training were inducted, with each being pre-sented with an ‘Ibn Sina Pin’ as Ibn Sina being one of the most significant physicians of the Islamic Golden Age.

“The two years of pre-medical training were not easy but worth it. We had the great experience of learning from

experts with a high caliber. In the next four years I look forward gaining hospital experience,” said Latifa Mahmoud, a Qatari student who received the Ibn Sina Pin.

Talking about the reasons made her to choose the pro-fession as a doctor, she said, “It gives the opportunity to make a commitment to serve people and touch their lives.”

The students and assembled audience at the White Coat Cer-emony also heard from the keynote speaker, WCM-Q alumna Dr. Sarah Al Khawaja, who holds the position of chief resident, dermatology and venereology, at Hamad Medical Corporation, and is a clinical associate in dermatology at WCM-Q.

Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar’s Class of 2023, with Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q (centre), and other faculty members during the White Coat Ceremony held on Thursday.

They will innovate, they will conduct new research, and they will gain new knowledge, but some things will always remain the same; they will save lives and they will bring hope and relief to those in distress: Dr. Javaid Sheikh


UN climate change expert to speak atQF’s Education City Speaker SeriesTHE PENINSULA DOHA

An international figurehead in the battle against climate change will explain why there is no time to waste if the future of our planet is to be secured, as he becomes the latest global thought-leader to participate in Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Education City Speaker Series.

Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Exec-utive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will deliver a lecture entitled ‘Why Are We Waiting? The Urgency For Tackling The Climate Crisis’ at Qatar National Library, in Education City, on September 11.

In his talk – which takes place from 12.30-1.30pm, is open to the public, and will be fol-lowed by a question-and-answer

session - Sarmad will discuss the compelling need for the world to take purposeful action to combat the climate crisis it faces. The UNFCCC, an international environmental treaty, which came into force in 1994 and has been ratified by 197 countries, has the ultimate aim of “pre-venting ‘dangerous’ human interference with the climate system”.

Designed to provide Qatar’s community with opportunities to listen to, learn from, and interact with experts on a wide range of topics that shape lives

and societies, the Education City Speaker Series reflects QF’s commitment to fostering dia-logue and the exchange of knowledge. Previous speakers have included António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; US Olympic fencer, Ibtihaj Muhammad; Google’s former Chief Health Strategist,

Roni Zeiger; and fashion entre-preneur Dame Natalie Massenet.

Sarmad’s lecture has been organised in collaboration with the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar — a platform which enables young people in Qatar to collaborate in taking action to protect the envi-ronment, raising awareness of climate change issues, and pro-moting sustainable lifestyle choices — as part of its Earth Talks series.

Appointed to his current position in May 2017, Sarmad previously served as Chief of Staff to the Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), playing an instrumental role in establishing its Ethics and Conduct Office and negotiating an agreement which brought the IOM into the United Nations system.

Ovais Sarmad

British Council welcomes applications for ‘Study UK Alumni Awards’THE PENINSULA/DOHA

The British Council has recently launched prestigious awards cele-brating the outstanding achieve-ments of the UK’s international alumni in Qatar and around the world. The Study UK Alumni Awards celebrate and showcase the impact and value of UK higher education and raise the interna-tional profile of alumni who studied in the UK.

Award winners and finalists are leaders in their fields who have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a pos-itive contribution to their commu-nities, industries and countries. For the second time in Qatar, the awards are celebrated at a national level to celebrate the achieve-ments of alumni in Qatar. National awards winners will then be put forward for the global awards.

The national awards are open to UK alumni currently based in Qatar. UK alumni have either studied in the UK at an officially recognised provider of UK uni-versity degree-level study for a minimum of a term or semester, or have been awarded a full UK degree-level qualification (or higher) by a UK university through a local institution overseas, within the last 15 years.

To mark the occasion, Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al Thani, Board Member of Qatar-UK Alumni Network, and Man-aging Director of Business Devel-opment at the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), said: “The Alumni Awards provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the sig-nificant contributions alumni

have made to their communities and to Qatar’s economy as a whole - in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030. I would therefore encourage eligible alumni to apply to the second cycle of the Awards as their achievements can help inspire the next generat ion of professionals.”

One of the global winners of last year’s Study UK Alumni Awards was from Qatar. Dr. Noha Aboueldahab, a graduate from SOAS university and Durham Law School, is a transitional justice spe-cialist, author, a fellow at the Brookings Doha Center and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University Qatar. She is a leading expert on justice, accountability and politics in the Arab region. “This award is not only serves as recognition of the impact of years of hard work, but it also recognises the centrality of an issue that is close to my heart: justice. I believe this award will help draw more attention to the importance of critical research for informed policymaking, especially in contexts of war and authori-tarian rule,” said Dr. Noha Abouel-dahab, Global Winner 2018-19, Professional Achievement Award.

UK university alumni can submit an application no later than September 15, 2019, 23:59 BST. Finalists and winners of the awards will be announced during the annual Qatar-UK Alumni Net-working Gala Dinner, as part of the Qatar British Festival 2019. Award winners have the opportunity to raise their international profile, expand their professional net-works, and enhance their careers.

The Study UK Alumni Awards are celebrated to mark the achievements of alumni in Qatar.

In his talk, Sarmad will discuss the compelling need for the world to take purposeful action to combat the climate crisis it faces.

2020 Hyundai Kona, Santa Fe andTucson get 5-Star Safety Rating THE PENINSULA DOHA

The 2020 Hyundai Kona, Santa Fe, and Tucson were all awarded 5-Star Overall Safety Ratings, the highest available overall safety rating issued by the government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as a facet of its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Skyline Automotive W.L.L., is the official distribution partner of the Hyundai Motor Company in the State of Qatar.

Kona, Santa Fe and Tucson exem-plified exceptional safety in crashwor-thiness and collision avoidance—due to the new Hyundai SmartSense safety technologies available in these 2020 models.

Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), uses the car’s front-facing camera and radar to help detect an imminent collision and avoid impact or minimize damage by braking autonomously. Sensing road markings, Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) helps to prevent accidental

lane departure and may automatically steer the car if required.

Driver Attention Warning (DAW) monitors ones’ driving patterns—detecting drowsy or inattentive driving. Once detected, it alerts the driver with a sound cue and warning message on the instrument panel. Additional safety technologies in these vehicles include Blind Spot Collision Warning (BCW) and Rear Cross Traffic Warning (RCCW).

NHTSA conducts vehicle testing and ratings each year to give consumers information about crashworthiness, col-lision avoidance and other areas that improve the safety of new vehicles.

Hyundai praised NHTSA, IIHS, and the automotive industry for working together to make rear seat reminder systems standard features on new vehicles in the future. Making these systems standard equipment will help prevent child deaths from heatstroke in vehicles. In August 2019, Hyundai announced that they will be making Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) door-logic system standard on most new vehicles by 2022.

QAC’s ‘Back-to-School’ offer on Mitsubishi vehiclesTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Automobiles Company (QAC), the authorised distributor of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in Qatar, launched the Back-to-School offer to enable parents to buy Mitsubishi cars and leverage from a wide range of benefits.

Valid until the September 30 2019, the offer includes Montero Sports and Eclipse Cross. Montero Sport price starts from QR89,000 or QR1,888 per month, while Eclipse Cross price starts from QR69,000 or QR1,460 per month, with inhouse financing options with special interest through NBK Financial Services. Benefits of the offer on both vehicles include one year free insurance, free regis-tration, five-year extended war-ranty for unlimited mileage, and a complementary voucher worth 1,000 from Jarir bookstore.

Hesham Al Sahn, General Manager, Qatar Automobiles Company, said: “We are pleased to present this offer on two of our family vehicles to give families better options to take their fam-ilies to schools. With these special prices and benefits, we give back

to our community and reduce the pressures on parents at the beginning of the new academic year.”

Montero Sport is ideal for fam-ilies, adventure and speed. Adventure calls from the well-appointed cockpit, which sur-rounds you with solid crafts-manship, supportive comfort, intelligent features and a wide-open view.

From refined meters to sophisticated floor console, every feature is fine-tuned to enhance driving pleasure and keep you in

confident control. Whether passing vehicles on highways or traveling up steep slopes, you need powerful response you can depend on. The 3.0-liter V6 MIVEC gasoline engine generates all the power you demand of a rugged SUV to accomplish every mission with smooth, efficient ease.

The Eclipse Cross’s beautiful, dynamic form creates the same sense of excitement and inspi-ration as the diamond ring effect during a total eclipse. While stylish like a coupé, it’s unquestionably a Mitsubishi Motors SUV.

The dynamic, sculpted form projects the explosive power of an athlete from sporty face to high-tech rear lamps. All harmonize in a strong personality that drives you to explore. The fresh surprise of the body persists in the cabin where engineering passion cul-minates in sporty, dynamic refinement.

From distinctive horizontal instrument panel to shining silver trim and monotone color scheme, the cockpit welcomes you to a bold new experience with Display Audio and Head Up Display keeping you stimulated and informed. The newly developed 1.5L petrol turbo engine, it pro-vides a pleasing response, high revolutions and strong acceleration.

The two vehicles and other Mitsubishi cars are available now in Mitsubishi Motors Showroom on Salwa Road and Alkhor. Cus-tomers can visit the showroom at Salwa Road from Saturday to Thursday from 8am to 9pm, and on Friday from 5pm to 9pm. Al Khor Showroom opens from Sat-urday to Wednesday from 8 am to 8pm, and on Thursdays from 8am to 3pm.

Montero Sport is ideal for families, adventure and speed.

Da’wa and Religious Guidance concludes second semester examinationsQNA DOHA

The Department of Da’wa and Religious Guidance at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has concluded the second semester exams for 2019, at the Holy Quran Education Centers of the Holy Quran Department.

The exam was held last August with the participation of 139 morning and evening centres, covering all areas of the country, under the supervision of 13 technical supervisors and 139 heads of centres and test committees approved and selected by the Department.

Malallah Abdulrahman Al-Jaber, Director of the Department of Da’wa and Religious Guidance, said that the number of partici-pants in the exams reached 5,969 students from 139 centres for the 12 morning and 127 evening periods. The participants were tested before (466) committees, including (17) morning com-mittees and (449) evening committees.

Al Jaber stressed the great interest of officials and teachers of the centres in these tests as they show the levels of students of the Holy Quran, which helps to strengthen all students in their levels of memorisation and study of the holy Quran by assessing the students’ performance after each test conducted by the department.


QNL experts lead conservation workshop in GreeceTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar National Library (QNL), in its role as the International Federation of Library Associa-tions and Institutions (IFLA) Regional Center for Preservation and Conservation for Arab Coun-tries and the Middle East, organised a scientific session titled “Collections and Science” at the 85th IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2019 held in Athens, Greece.

During the session, held in partnership with the Library of Congress, the QNL experts pre-sented a variety of topics, including the scientific tech-niques for studying heritage items, the importance of the results obtained for preserving these objects and a better under-standing of the nature of the materials being conserved.

Jeanne Drewes, Director of the IFLA’s Regional Preservation and Conservation Center for North America, hosted by the

Library of Congress in Wash-ington DC, delivered the opening remarks at the session and touched on its importance to the overall theme of the congress, “Libraries: Dialogue for Change.”

Stephane Ipert, Preservation and Conservation Manager at

QNL, then highlighted the “USB Microscope in Infrared (IR), Ultraviolet (UV) and Visible Wavelengths,” a method that enables conservators to check the critical characteristics of manuscripts such as ink types and underlying drawings or text.

Ipert also highlighted best prac-tices on “Reflectance Transfor-mation Imaging,” a computa-tional imaging technique used to capture and visualize specific features of the objects’ surfaces.

“This was an interesting

opportunity to share the Library’s efforts in the field of digitisation and raise awareness of the best practices in maintaining rare books, documents and manu-scripts in our role as IFLA’s Regional Preservation and Con-servation Center for Arab Coun-tries and the Middle East,” he said.

In his presentation, Ipert explained that for nearly 50 years, forensic techniques have been used to understand the composition of library materials to determine the most appro-priate conservation treatment, storage and exhibition methods for these old, often fragile items.

Until recently, only the largest, highly funded programs could afford this expensive equipment, but today there are new devices that are available at much lower cost.

As a result of these advances, “Forensic discovery of material composition is no longer for an elite group, but available to a broader community, which allows libraries and conservation laboratories to share and add value to their documentation of collections. We are delighted to have access to some of the newest technologies for conservation of historical books and manuscripts at the Library,” Ipert added.

Antonino Cosentino, Director of Cultural Heritage Science Open Source, shared insights on “Tech-nical Photography,” an advanced skill that allows conservators to use a modified digital camera with different lighting sources and filters to acquire a selection of technical images, each providing different information regarding the object under examination.

Panellists at the session ‘Collections and Science’ which was organised by Qatar National Library as part of the 85th IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2019 held in Athens, Greece.

QRCS unit holds courses for 117,000 beneficiariesTHE PENINSULA/DOHA

Qatar Red Crescent Society’s (QRCS) Training, Research, and Development Center (TRDC) has offered diverse services for ministries, government organisations, private companies, schools, universities, hotels, banks, and youth clubs. Over a year, its courses, programmes, and activities were attended by 115,601 bene-ficiaries, as well as over 1,830 health profes-sionals.

Inspired by QRCS’s objectives and prin-ciples as an auxiliary to Qatar, TRDC seeks to develop humanitarian services, particularly health care, in harmony with the country’s recent advancements. It is a training and qual-ification facility that offers diverse training and education services. Using state-of-the-art training equipment and techniques, the center holds many courses internationally accredited by global training organisations, in compliance with the highest quality standards.

It serves a wide range of medical workers in Qatar, including physicians, nurses, first responders, and technicians. It also covers dis-aster preparedness and relief workers both in and out of Qatar, under the world’s best health and administrative practices.

TRDC aims at improving the quality and efficiency of services, paying great attention to government and private-sector employees, construction and infrastructure workers, and all social groups. The public first-aid courses

cover many topics such as first aid, cardiopul-monary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED), Heartsaver, and oxygen administration.

In relation to continuing medical education (CME)/continuing professional development (CPD), the courses include IPCCE, evaluation of direct observation skills at wound care clinic, nursing leadership, understanding of patient safety fields, basic life support, and advanced cardiac life support.

TRDC holds health day at companies and hotels, Weqaya (field awareness sessions for workers), health education lectures, public health exhibitions, and the QRCS School Program health component.

All the programmes offered are accredited by the Ministry of Public Health’s Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners, American Heart Association, European Society of Cardiology, and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Participants of a QRCS training programme learn how to resuscitate a person.

Porsche presents first fully-electric sports car THE PENINSULA DOHA

Porsche presented its first fully-electric sports car to the public yesterday with a spectacular world premiere held simultaneously on three continents.

“The Taycan links our heritage to the future. It carries forward the success story of our brand – a brand that has fascinated and thrilled people the world over for more than 70 years,” said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Exec-utive Board of Porsche AG, who opened the world premiere in Berlin.

This day marks the start of a new era.The four-door sports saloon is a unique package, offering typical Porsche performance and connectivity with everyday usability. At the same time, highly advanced production methods and the features of the Taycan are setting new standards in the fields of sustainability and digitalisation.

“We promised a true Porsche for the age of electromobility – a fasci-nating sports car that not only excites in terms of its technology and driving dynamics, but also sparks a passion in people all over the world, just like its legendary predecessors have done. Now we are delivering on this promise,” emphasises Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board of Porsche AG – Research and Development.

The first models in the new series are the Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo. They are at the cutting edge of Porsche E-Performance and are among the most powerful production models that the sports car manufacturer cur-rently has in its product range. Less powerful variants of these all-wheel drive vehicles will follow this year. The

first derivative to be added will be the Taycan Cross Turismo at the end of next year. By 2022, Porsche will have invested more than six billion euros in electromobility.

The flagship Turbo S version of the Taycan can generate up to 761 hp (560 kW) overboost power in combination with Launch Control, and the Taycan Turbo up to 680 hp (500 kW). The Taycan Turbo S accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, while the Taycan Turbo completes this sprint in 3.2 seconds. The Turbo S has a range of up to 412 kilometres, and the Turbo a range of up to 450 kilometres (according to WLTP in each case). The top speed of both all-wheel-drive models is 260 km/h.

The Taycan is the first production vehicle with a system voltage of 800 volts instead of the usual 400 volts for electric cars. This is a particular advantage for Taycan drivers on the road: in just over five minutes, the battery can be recharged using direct current (DC) from the high-power charging network for a range of up to 100 kilometres (according to WLTP).

The charging time for five to 80

percent SoC (state of charge) is 22.5 minutes for charging under ideal con-ditions, and the maximum charging power (peak) is 270 kW. The overall capacity of the Performance Battery Plus is 93.4 kWh. Taycan drivers can comfortably charge their cars with up to eleven kW of alternating current (AC) at home.

With its clean, puristic design, the Taycan signals the beginning of a new era. At the same time, it retains the unmistakable Porsche design DNA. From the front it looks particularly wide and flat with highly contoured wings. The silhouette is shaped by the sporty roofline sloping downward to the rear. The highly sculpted side sections are also characteristic.

The sleek cabin, the drawn-in rear C-pillar and the pronounced shoulders of the wings result in a sharply empha-sised rear, typical of the brand. There are also innovative elements such as the glass-effect Porsche logo, which has been integrated into the light bar at the rear. With a Cd value from 0.22, the aerody-namically optimised basic shape makes a significant contribution to low energy consumption and thus long range.

The first models in the new series are the Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo.

Cleaning campaign implemented in Al Daayen, Al Sheehaniya municipalities

THE PENINSULA DOHA

The cleanliness section of the Department of Services Affairs at Al Daayen Municipality implemented a campaign to combat insects and rodents within the administrative boundaries of the municipality.

The campaign included spraying mosques, parks, public streets, garbage con-tainers and residues with pes-ticides intended for combating insects, rodents and flying insects with smoke during the

evening periods. Al Sheehaniya Municipality,

represented by Cleanliness Section provided many services in the field of public hygiene at various public facilities in the municipal boundaries during the month of August.

During the month, the department implemented 72 applications for insect and rodent control and 42 applica-tions for manholes, in addition to providing a number of con-tainers for commercial estab-lishments and residential complexes.

A municipality worker sprays to eradicate insects.

Stephane Ipert, Preservation and Conservation Manager at QNL, said QNL has access to some of the newest technologies for conservation of historical books and manuscripts.

The question is: What happens to the Irish border if Britain leaves the EU? If the border stays open, a US-UK trade deal won’t work. That is because an open border would allow goods from the remaining 27 EU countries to slip into Britain via the Republic of Ireland.

08 SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019VIEWS

US-UK trade deal won’t be so easy post-Brexit

Britain hasn’t even divorced the European Union yet, and already a new suitor has come calling: the United States.

During a visit this week to the United Kingdom, Vice-President Mike Pence brought word from his boss, President Donald Trump: The United States is eager to reach a new trade pact - one that won’t be possible until Britain completes Brexit and moves out of the 28-country EU trading bloc.

“Our message is clear: The minute the UK is out, America is in,” Vice President Mike Pence said in a visit with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street on Thursday.

Not so fast.Building a new US-UK trading

relationship atop the wreckage of Brexit won’t be easy. British officials

are already vowing to resist an agreement that is lop-sided in favor of the more powerful United States, creating potential for disputes over matters such as chlorinated chicken and the divisive Scottish dish haggis. “I know that you guys are pretty tough negotiators,” Johnson told

Pence. “So, we’re going to work very hard to make sure that that free trade deal is one that works for all sides.”

As a member of the EU, Britain outsourced its trade policy to the bloc’s bureaucrats in Brussels. Before it can pursue an independent course and reach a brand-new trade pact with Washington, London will have to negotiate a divorce with the EU- or crash out of the bloc without a deal

and risk damaging its own economy.“Until that gets resolved, this is all

speculation,” said Christine McDaniel, senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center.

And the terms of the UK-EU split will complicate any deal with the Americans, which will have to be approved by Congress.

No obstacle looms larger than the fate of the border between the inde-pendent Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

Currently, people and goods can freely cross the Irish border without encountering immigration or customs checkpoints because both the UK and Ireland belong to the EU, which allows free trade and travel among its members.

The question is: What happens to the Irish border if Britain leaves the EU? If the border stays open, a US-UK trade deal won’t work. That is because an open border would allow goods from the remaining 27 EU countries to slip into Britain via the Republic of Ireland. Those goods could then be exported to the United States under the favorable terms of what is sup-posed to be an exclusive deal between the UK and the US

But creating a hard border between the two Irelands would risk conjuring up old animosities and undermining the historic Good Friday accord of 1998 that brought peace to

an island long torn by violence.What’s more, House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly said there is “no chance” the US Congress will approve a trade pact with Britain if Brexit closes the Irish border. Still, there are reasons for optimism if the Brexit issues can be resolved. Trump has a friendlier relationship with Johnson than he does with many other leaders. So it’s possible that US-UK trade talks can proceed more smoothly and quickly than American negotiations with, say, China.

Some issues are likely to prove thorny. Britain’s farmers have been shielded from export competition under the EU’s protectionist agricul-tural policies. The US intends to demand more access to Britain’s agri-culture market post-Brexit, according to a list of negotiating objectives the Office of the US Trade Representative published in February. Accepting more competition from American farmers could prove a tough sell in Britain.

And there are other sensitive issues. In June, Trump caused a stir when he said that “everything” - including Brit-ain’s National Health Service - would “be on the table” in US-UK trade talks. The British are fiercely protective of the state-run health system, which delivers free medical care to everyone. Although Trump later walked back the idea, Johnson reiterated this week that “the National Health Service is not on the table.”

PAUL WISEMAN AP

QUOTE OF THE DAY

If the EU dishonors the pledge of support

to Turkey regarding the refugees, Turkey

has no other way but opening its doors to

let Syrian refugees to cross into Europe.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkish President

Working for the win-win game

Americans feels proud as their head-head competitor; China is not a communist state economi-cally. It is only the communist

state politically but had adopted western market oriented economy with high level of state craft manner that even the west cite example of Chinese model in their academic and political work. For them, China to rise so abundantly is because of Chinese adoption of a western oriented capitalism. American thinkers say; this makes the western civilization exception. Without adopting or assimilate with the western civilization, none of the country can survive or thrive. From Chinese side, they follow the Deng Xiaoping quote “It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice”. They are con-ceited as their goods and services had conquered the US market so concretely. China’s GDP (nominal) is $14.2 trillion whereas the US’s GDP (nominal) is $21.3 trillion in 2019. Chinese know very clearly; de-valuate currency (1 USD=7.14 CNY) which makes Chinese goods and services around 7 times cheaper than US manufactured products in the US. This automatically forced the US consumer to rely on the Chinese products. It has been the great lessons for the developing world, whose policymaker’s wants to

work for connectivity without preparing their country’s manufacturing system for international market. When country’s manufacturing system is weak, foreign goods and services automatically cap-tures the market and create a dumping killing every potential product of the home market. In case of the US, it has sophisticated manufacturing system but goods and services aren’t as cheaper as Chinese products. This had result the American market captured by the Chinese business. This was due to the USD & Chinese Yuan exchange rate. If there would have been the Chinese Yuan equals to USD, no one would have bought the Chinese product. But, exchange rates maters for the com-moners. The US trade deficit with the China was $419 billion in 2018. This is because the US had exported $120 billion while imported $540 billion from China in 2018. It is all due to Chinese goods and services are in high demand in the US by the consumer because it is cheaper whereas the American goods and services are comparatively expensive in the China making the US exports dis-aster. For the developing world if the proper preparation is not made before opening the market to the outside, what could happen to the economy? It will accelerate import. This grimmer picture shows, globalization is only working for those who can produce abundantly in cheaper rates as well as had established some sort of ‘protection’ for the Interna-tional business community.

So, the fundamental flaw of global economic system had made politics much more reactionary-----Public

outcry, the growing mass of globalization looser and winner, demands of re-adjustment of immigration policies, stra-tegic alliance formation are all time high. Trumpian approach has led the world to re-think on the Multilaterism. The US being the world’s dominant market; Trump’s felt that, globalization which was the US grand design is now not paying enough for the US effectively whereas the Xi whose country took the ‘juice’ of this system so effectively is in the mode to re-establish new interna-tional order with or without the US.

At last, it is not a time of ‘boosting oneself’ as China followed Western foot steps for its development as well as China devalued her currency just as to survive in the ongoing trade war. It is the time for the US presidency to work on the funda-mental flaw of the economy such as working for the benefit of the lower income families, working strategically on the cyber warfare and intellectual property rights issues, relieving from high debt burden and increasing trade engage-ments with its allies. The US foreign policy experts should able to harness their nego-tiating skills with China for a win-win game not solely working for the zero-sum game. This is the age of integrated supply chain. One side engagement could be tragedy. The presidency should work to avoid any pitfall in the economy. Pro-ductive engagement with the allies and building constructive vigilance with the China is much more needed to avoid any Thucydides trap at this time.

Author is a Research Associate in the Washington D.C based Think Tank known as Nepal Matters for America

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM [email protected]

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI [email protected]

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL A victory of dialogue in Sudan

At the time when parties of the war in Yemen are going too far as part of a proxy war which is drowning the country in a seemingly endless conflict, the sponsors

and supporters of this war are also diverging and the fis-sures in their differences over the fate of Yemen are wid-ening day by day.

UAE-backed separatists in August controlled Aden and other southern cities driving out Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s forces which the coalition is supposed to support until restoring of power of the legitimate authority. Saudi Arabia and the UAE established the coalition in 2015 to fight the Houthis after they managed to seize the capital Sana’a and large parts of the country in a coup against President Hadi.

Now fighting between the allies of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in southern Yemen has created a crack in the coalition against the Houthis making the two major members of the coalition move against each other’s desire.

Saudis only rushed to support Hadi’s forces to drive the separatists back when they moved to expand their areas of control to include oil-rich province of Shabwa.

Thus the coalition was established in the pretext of saving unity of Yemen and restoring its legitimate power but it began

to pose a threat to the country’s unity and its sovereignty creating widespread fears that it will tear Yemen apart into even smaller warring pieces.

This is happening in Yemen while the Sudanese people have managed to move successfully towards peace and stability after going through a lot of meandering and obstacles raised fear that the country slide into instability. But thanks to Allah after signing a deal brokered by the African Union and Ethiopia, by the military council and the pro-democracy movement, the newly appointed Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok has formed a new cabinet. The move is part of a transitional power-sharing agreement between the military and pro-democracy demonstrators.

The formation of the new government in Sudan has come amid growing concerns the political crisis could ignite a civil war or fear to lead into another phase of military dictatorship, therefore, we believe it is a significant step towards achieving the aspirations of the Sudanese people for freedom, peace and justice and building the state of institutions and law.

The State of Qatar congratulated the Republic of Sudan and its people on the formation of the new government headed by Dr Abdullah Hamdok, and the successful and wise measure of the parties.

Qatar considers this achievement not only victory for the Sudanese people but also success for all Arab and Muslim nations aspiring for freedom, democracy and looking towards state of laws and institutions. Thus Qatar reaffirmed its full support to the Sudanese people and its firm stand in sup-porting their national unity, stability and sovereignty of the state. The spirit of dialogue, consensus and national interest has overcome all political agendas, a spirit that we hope to see prevailing among warring parties in Libya and Yemen.

Qatar considers this achievement not only victory for the Sudanese people but also success for all Arab and Muslim nations aspiring for freedom, democracy and looking towards state of laws and institutions.

SAURAV RAJ PANT

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) greeting US Vice-President Mike Pence at 10 Downing Street, in London.

The Tunisian presidential race is heating up. With several frontrunners, the 26-candidate lineup for the

early elections to be held on Sep-tember 15th reflects a great deal of party and “party family” fragmen-tation. This article examines the tra-vails and the challenges of the North African country’s second demo-cratic presidential elections since the 2011 revolution. It shows how the presidential race is unfolding more as a personal political contest rather than a clash between com-peting political visions for a country weighed down by steep unem-ployment, deep socio-political mar-ginalization, and massive foreign debt in a conflict-ridden region.

Many parties but three com-peting political currents:

These elections come at a time when the country’s political parties are experiencing political strife. From sitting Prime Minister Youcef Chahed’s departure from Nidaa Tounis (the late President Essebsi’s party) and forming of his new Tahyaa Tounes party, to intensi-fying factionalism within the Ennahda, these internal divisions have expanded the field of candi-dates in a wildly dynamic polity, including several independents.

The political scene is a far cry from the 2014 race, dominated by veteran politician Sebssi who, from within the state machinery stood head and shoulders above the other candidates, and the fuloul, rem-nants of Ben Ali’s regime were still shaken to the core by the 2011 revolution.

Over the next two weeks, the wide field of candidates will vie to win over voters from Tunisia’s main three political bases: The fulool or azlam of the former Tajammu’ and Destourians (remnants and loyalists of Ben Ali’s regime, now claimants to Bourguiba’s legacy), Islamists, and leftist-leaning voters.

The struggle over the votes of these various blocs brings to the fore some seeming contradictions that may or may not revitalize an increasingly politically apathetic Tunisian populace. For many, the hope was that the presidential cam-paign would produce some level of consensus, narrowing down the field to one candidate per party “current”. In fact, the opposite has happened.

The candidates and the cam-paign’s political melee

Ennahda candidate Abdelfattah Morou is challenged by now inde-pendent candidate (and former post-2011 Prime Minister) Hamad Jbali, possibly splitting the Islamist vote. Boasting few political accom-plishments, Moncef Marzouki, first president of the Second Republic who counted on Ennahda voters in his advance to second round of the 2014 elections, may have exhausted his political capital. The so-called Destourian “family” offers not only Chahed, but also former Defense Minister (and Ben Ali insider) Abdelkarim Ezbidi, and ex-Nidaa member Mohsen Marzouk. Lawyer

Ben Abbo, unionist Obeid Albarki, and former communist Hamma Hammami do not appear to be strong contenders.

The cacophony induces a sort of political schizophrenia replete with claims, counter-claims, and contra-dictions in the candidates’ rhetoric. It is no longer clear that parties are a clear frame of reference with respect to either political identity or programs. Oft-repeated among candidates is the promise to be a “president for all Tunisians,” an almost unrealistic pledge given the polarization of Tunisia’s political scene.

The 2014 constitution outlines the Presidency as a non-partisan role. Yet it is almost as if candidates are speaking in two tongues, at once seeking to win over their political bases and appealing to “all Tuni-sians.” The result is a sort of dis-comfort with political identity and membership during this first round.

The race brings with it the element of money and attendant drama. Football mogul Selim Riahi (owner of Club Africain), now with Nidaa, has been dogged by questions over the source of his wealth. The wealthy Nabil Karoui is serious com-petition for both Chahed and, thanks to his charity work with the margin-alized in the country’s interior regions, maybe even Ennahda. The Nassma TV owner whose candidacy would have been denied had the modified election law that Essebssi failed to sign before his death gone into effect, is in custody since last week on charges of tax evasion and money laundering.

Yet the leader of Qalb Tounes remains in the race. In a democra-tizing political system where judicial independence still leaves much to be desired, Prime Minister Chahed fails to convince in his insistence that the arrest (duly con-demned by fellow candidates) is not politically motivated. A candidate is more or less using another can-didate to build steam for a failed anti-corruption “crusade”.

Then there is Abeer Moussi of the Free Dustour party. Una-bashedly hearkenng back to the days of Ben Ali, she considers “revo-lution” a misnomer for the transfor-mation set in motion in 2011. Moussi has made an entire campaign out of attacking Islamists (referring to Ennahda only as “al-Ikhwan”) as a putative threat to democracy and the Tunisian way of life, vowing to chase them out of politics through restored presidential powers.

Abdelkarim Zbidi is perhaps the least eloquent candidate whose stumbling during interviews has drawn attention. This communi-cation ineptitude has not prevented the post-2011 defense minister (and former health minister under Ben Ali) from becoming a frontrunner. Depending on what verdict the Tunisians hand down, he may end up occupying the presidential palace at Carthage. Zbidi might be closest to the Western preference for leadership in Tunisia, having overseen defense and been privy to security operations. He can probably be labeled the quasi-American candidate who stands between the Islamists and key min-istries, overseeing the intelligence and security portfolios in close contact with Western military and political elites. Departing from those who consider the 2014 constitution a crowning achievement of the rev-olution, he has promised constitu-tional amendments to consolidate the powers of the presidency.

Candidates from Zbidi to Morou to Chahed attempt to channel Bour-guiba, vowing to uphold Tunisia’s foreign policy “neutrality.” Without fail, they rail against siyasat al-mahawir “axis politics” tearing the region asunder. What that means in practice is unclear.

Absence of vision and substance Equally vague is the well-worn

promise to rejuvenate the country’s “economic diplomacy.” Chahed, running on a “pragmatic” platform of anti-corruption and paying lip service to the untapped potential of the country’s (largely unemployed), restive youth, insists that he will renegotiate Tunisia’s agreements with the EU. (He also just dropped

his French citizenship, per the con-stitutional mandate for presidential contenders, surprising Tunisians unaware that he has been a dual citizen all along.) Yet the candidate attempting to model himself after Bourguiba-era Prime Minister Hadi Noueira has over the last three years administered Tunisia’s $2.9 billion loan from the IMF, austerity strings attached.

His unpopular policies have sparked recurring protests in the capital as well as the country’s West and South. Construction workers and doctors are the latest to threaten an impending strike.

This record does not inspire confidence that he will reverse Tunisia’s descent into economic dependency, or limit profiteering by foreign corporations at the expense of local economic gains. His con-stant spouting of numbers (hun-dreds of thousands of families receiving aid from the state, a growth rate slowly inching toward 3%) does not mask the over 15% unemployment rate in the country—more than twice that in some gov-ernorates— skyrocketing prices, and public debt that has soared to over 70%. Tunisia’s exacerbating marginalization has prompted many “revolutionaries” of 2011 to opt out of formal politics altogether.

Islamists for presidential elec-tions not for the presidency

Unlike the 2014 elections, the Islamists have thrown their hat into the presidential ring. Notably, their candidate is not party leader Rached Ghannouchi, but co-founder of the movement and Vice President of Parliament Abdelfattah Morou, “the best Ennahda has to offer,” according to the election slogan. Morou may possibly, given Ennahda’s 500,000-strong base, advance to round two.

But for those drawing inevitable comparisons with Egypt in 2012, some important differences emerge. Morou is not a candidate to win the presidential elections. Landing the presidency would be a real predic-ament for Tunisian democracy and Ennahda itself, which could sweep the board in the November parlia-mentary elections. Democratization will buckle under a concentration of power. Here lies the secret of the durability of the Tunisian exper-iment: it continually produces and reproduces some kind of political equilibrium and balance. This does not allow any one political force to prevail. This continues to be Tuni-sia’s most important specificity: the state will be shared as a function of political partnership, in a model

closet to consociational democracy. There are winners all around, but no losers, almost.

Perhaps Ennahda has reached the political maturity as it competes for the presidency, with an eye on the the bartering to come (muqayadah). Competing with a strong presidential candidate short of winning will give it an edge in the wheeling and dealing of the 2nd round that moderates the tempo of democracy to distribute shares within the Tunisian (quasi-share holding) political system.

So it may be said that Rached Ghannouchi remains true to his word by staying out of the presi-dential race. He can enjoy the status of the sole political elder after Essebsi. That is, if he stays out of the next race for Parliament (and Prime Minister), too. That would be a better position, lofty and distant from the travails of the most dif-ficult post in Tunisia politics.

Tunisia Premiers have since the 2011 revolution left behind car-casses of battered heads of gov-ernment. All with varying degrees have failed to deliver the promised goods of development and even political stability. Plus, Ghannouchi has never tried his hand at civil service or government posts. A late-comer to executive politics at a time of political strife, Ghannouchi would face socio economic chal-lenges that would swiftly end his career on a low note. Ghannouchi has never served in the civil service and what he would offer very little in terms of technocratic know-how for running the business of gov-ernment. Perhaps better for Tuni-sia’s democratization would be Ghannouchi as a seasoned inter-locutor politician, a moderator who may be needed to negotiate bar-gains that keep an entire country and democratic experiment on track.

Beyond the election ‘fetish’All candidates for the presi-

dency need to transcend the election fetish of turning Tunisia’s fledglingly durable democratization. Politicians need to find shared spaces to work in parallel, to con-tribute to democratic success, social success, and knowledge transfer. At the end of the day, even if Tunisia is democratic, it is still a poor country. It needs more than periodic elec-tions. Here none of the candidates have offered convincing attempts to answer the most pressing question.

How can they harvest all the human and knowledge capital in the country to take advantage of the democratic moment?

Those looking for a leader to rekindle Tunisia’s revolutionary flame, and more importantly, its twin aims of huriyyah and karamah will be hard-pressed to find him or her among this year’s lineup. Instead, candidates clamor to prove their “stability” credentials, whether in Morou’s claim that he will be the “affectionate father” Tunisians are looking for, or Zbidi’s emphasis on strong states, which he extends so far as to pledge restoring full diplo-matic ties with Damascus. Are we back to the all-too-familiar political discourse of patrimonialism? Whether or not such discourse still resonates with a (divided) public is

The political scene is a far cry from the 2014 race, dominated by veteran politician Sebssi who, from within the state machinery stood head and shoulders above the other candidates, and the fuloul, remnants of Ben Ali’s regime were still shaken to the core by the 2011 revolution.

For the first time in Tunisian history, will we see a quasi-deep state candidate (Zbidi) face off against an Islamist (Morou)? Stay tuned for more twists and turns. Nothing stays the same for long in Tunisia’s democratizing politics.

09SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019 OPINION

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Tunisia’s presidential elections: A fragmented field

LARBI SADIKI

for Tunisians to decide as they watch the upcoming televised pres-idential debates, a first in Tunisia and the Arab world, before they cast their ballots in mid-September.

For the first time in Tunisian history, will we see a quasi-deep state candidate (Zbidi) face off against an Islamist (Morou)? Stay tuned for more twists and turns. Nothing stays the same for long in Tunisia’s democratizing politics.

Larbi Sadiki, Professor, International Affairs Department, Qatar Univer-sity, Non-Resident Scholar Brookings Doha Centre

Electoral billboards are pictured along a road in Tunisia’s capital Tunis, yesterday.

10 SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019GULF / MIDDLE EAST

Iran says no longer abiding by uranium enrichment limitBLOOMBERG TEHRAN

Iran said it was no longer abiding by limits imposed on its uranium enrichment and centrifuge research by the 2015 nuclear accord.

The country will forge ahead with plans to develop its advanced centrifuges and has started injecting them with gas, B e h r o u z K a m a l v a n d i , spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said yesterday at a press conference.

He said that while Iran will “set aside” restrictions on uranium enrichment, it has no need as yet to enrich uranium beyond 20%, a level limited by the nuclear accord and required for research reactors.

Weapons-grade uranium needs to have an enrichment level of 90% or more. Injecting

advanced “IR-6” centrifuges — a chain of 20 of which Iran installed in April — with gas is a step Iran is allowed to take 11 years into the implementation of the nuclear deal, Kamalvandi said.

Iran’s stockpiles of low-enriched uranium are likely to see a “high jump” in coming weeks as a result of the measures announced yesterday, Kamal-vandi said. Iran breached a

300-kg limit on stockpiles of the material in early July.

“I’m not surprised that Iran has announced that it’s going to violate” the nuclear deal, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at a press conference with his French counterpart Florence Parly in Paris shortly after Iran’s announcement.

Parly said diplomatic efforts will continue in order to “get Iran to come back into compliance”.

Kamalvandi said that while its latest actions may amount to Iran ceasing compliance to tech-nical aspects of the accord, they were “reversible within a day” and the agreement itself remained intact.

Russia, a signatory of the original deal along with the US, France, the UK, China and Germany, played down concerns over Iran’s move. “The decision of Iran to use more advanced centrifuges shouldn’t be over-dramatised,” the Russian ambas-sador to international organisa-tions in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said on Twitter. While conceding that it marks “another deviation” from the Iran nuclear deal, the Russian diplomat said it isn’t a proliferation threat but “a strong signal” that the agreement must be revived.

Iran will not take any action against international nuclear inspections or the work of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Kamal-vandi said, adding that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the head of Iran’s atomic organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, will meet with the acting Director General of the IAEA, Cornel Feruta, today.

An image grab shows a ship of an alleged fuel-smuggling ring in the Strait of Hormuz that Iran seized and arrested the Filipino crew on board, at Bandar Abbas port, yesterday.

Tehran seizes ship over fuel smuggling AFP TEHRAN

Iran seized a ship and arrested 12 Filipino crewmen as it busted a suspected fuel-smuggling ring in the Strait of Hormuz waterway yesterday, state media reported.

State television aired footage of an orange and white tugboat docked at Bandar Abbas port, with at least three armed guards on board.

“Coast guards successfully seized a foreign ship in the Strait of Hormuz,” said Major Hossein Dehaki, the coast guard chief in the southern province of Hormozgan.

The boat allegedly carrying contraband fuel had 12 Filipino crew on board, and all of them were arrested, he told the tele-vision station.

Dehaki said the group was suspected of operating a fuel-smuggling ring and the confis-cated shipment had been inter-cepted close to Sirik county in the Strait of Hormuz.

The seizure comes amid ten-sions in the Gulf after the United States unilaterally withdrew from a nuclear deal putting curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme in return for relief from sanctions.

The escalation has seen ships mysteriously attacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized in the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for a third of world’s seaborne oil.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps detained a “foreign tanker” in Gulf waters on July 14 for allegedly smuggling con-traband fuel. “With a capacity of

two million litres and 12 foreign crew on board, the vessel was en route to deliver contraband fuel received from Iranian boats to foreign ships,” the Guards said at the time.

Maritime tracking service TankerTrackers reported the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, used in the strait for fuelling other vessels, had crossed into Iranian waters, and at that point its automatic identification system stopped sending signals.

In the most high-profile seizure, the Guards impounded the British-flagged Stena Impero tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19 for breaking “interna-tional maritime rules”.

Iran also seized another ship on July 31 with seven foreign crew onboard over fuel smuggling.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman, Behrouz Kamalvandi, speaking during a press conference in Tehran, yesterday.

Yemeni medics say 130 bodies pulled after deadly air strikeAP CAIRO

Yemeni medics said yesterday that they had pulled at least 130 bodies from the rubble of a rebel-run detention centre that was hit earlier this month by Saudi-led coalition air strikes in the country’s southwest.

The attack was one of the deadliest in more than four years of war in Yemen that have claimed tens of thousands of lives, thrust millions to the brink of famine and spawned the

world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The Saudi-led coalition, which has fought the Houthis since 2015, has faced interna-tional criticism for air strikes that have hit schools, hospitals and wedding parties, killing thou-sands of civilians.

Bashir Al-Dawrani, a spokesman for the Yemeni Red Crescent, said that the death toll has yet to be confirmed as search efforts are ongoing for more bodies at the site in the Dhamar province.

The complex of buildings was part of the local community college before Houthi rebels turned it into a detention centre, one of dozens in areas under their control.

Families have begun to take the bodies from a hospital in Dhamar, Al-Dawrani said.

The Saudi-led coalition said it had bombed a “legitimate mil-itary target,” and blamed the Houthis for using the former college as a detention centre for forcibly disappeared Yemenis.

Houthi and medical officials

have said the detention centre was holding at least 170 people when it was hit. The detainees were captured from forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally rec-ognised government as well as civilians who had been arrested for criticising the Houthis in recent years.

The International Committee for the Red Cross, which inspects detention centres as part of its global mission, said earlier this week that 40 wounded were being treated for injuries while the rest were presumed dead,

and that it would likely take days to recover all the bodies.

Yemen’s civil war started in 2014 when the Houthis overran the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 to try and restore the inter-nationally recognised gov-ernment of President Mansour Abed Rabbo Hadi to power.

The fighting has killed more than 94,000 people including over 16,000 in 2019, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED.

People carry the body of a 14-year-old Palestinian who was martyred by Israeli forces during a demonstration at the Gaza Border, during his funeral ceremony in Gaza City, Gaza, yesterday.

Syria: Rebel drone strikerepelled in northwestAP BEIRUT

The Syrian army’s air defences repelled a drone attack by insur-gents in the country’s northwest, an area that until recently witnessed intense fighting, state news agency SANA said yesterday.

SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying that two of the drones were destroyed while the third was brought down and dismantled by soldiers on the ground.

It said the drones were rigged with explosives and that Friday night’s attack targeted an army position in the Ghab Plain area in the central Hama province. The attack did not inflict casualties.

Syrian government forces declared a unilateral cease-fire on August 31 following a wide four-month offensive on Idlib province, the last remaining rebel stronghold in the country.

According to the UN, the government offensive has killed at least 1,000 civilians and dis-placed more than half a million people since it began April 30.

Activists reported sporadic violations of the cease-fire on Saturday, with some shells hitting rebel-held areas. In

Washington, the Pentagon announced that Denmark will deploy troops in northeast Syria to help in the fight against the Islamic State group. The expected Danish troop deployment comes as hundreds of US troops have withdrawn from Syria since President Donald Trump announced plans late last year to pull out of the country.

Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan R. Hoffman said Wash-ington welcomes Denmark’s deployment “to continue to share the burden and responsi-bilities of this important mission” against IS militants.

“Our Danish partners will work with the residual US mil-itary force in northeast Syria to support stability and security,” said Hoffman in a statement released late Friday, adding that the deployment demonstrates Denmark’s continued com-mitment to supporting the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces that played instrumental role in the fight against IS.

Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said the “new mil-itary contributions” to fighting IS in Syria are not limited to combat operations. It was not immediately clear how many Danish troops will be deployed.

Iraqi civilian among 4 dead in attacksREUTERS/MOSUL, IRAQ

At least three members of Iraq’s security forces and one civilian were killed yesterday in three separate attacks by militants, security sources said.

An army officer and soldier were killed when an explosive went off inside a house they

were de-mining in the Sinjar dis-trict west of Mosul, and another soldier was injured.

In Diyala province a sniper shot dead an intelligence official in an area northeast of provincial capital Baquba, and a civilian was killed when a bomb went off inside his car in an area west of the city of Samara in

Salahuddin province. Islamic State has not claimed responsi-bility for any of the attacks but the group is active in all three areas. Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017, but the militants have since switched to hit-and-run attacks aimed at undermining the government.

Turkey to sort out Syria safe zone: ErdoganANATOLIA ANKARA

Turkey will sort out the formation of a safe zone in the east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria in few weeks, the Turkish president said yesterday.

“Now there is the east of the Euphrates on our agenda. I hope that in a few weeks, one way or another, but surely we will sort it out,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during an event with his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party’s members in central Eskisehir province.

Turkish and US military offi-cials reached an agreement on August 7 that a planned safe zone in northern Syria will serve as a “peace corridor” for dis-placed Syrians wanting to return home and that a Joint Opera-tions Center in Turkey will be set up to coordinate its establishment.

Erdogan also said that if the EU dishonours the pledge of support to Turkey regarding the refugees, Turkey has no other way but “opening its doors” to let Syrian refugees to cross into Europe.

The 2016 refugee deal with the EU aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traf-fickers and improving the con-ditions for the 3 million — now 3.6 million – Syrian refugees in Turkey. Turkey has complained that the EU failed to uphold its side of the deal, including mil-lions of euros in aid for the Syrian refugees.

He also stressed that Turkey will not remain silent to over 30,000 weapon, equipment and ammunition-laden trucks sent by the US to the northern Syria area [to the PKK/YPG] as Turkey is the only country in the region to fight with.

The YPG is the Syrian off-shoot of terror group PKK.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and head of the country’s atomic organisation, Ali Akbar Salehi, will meet the acting chief of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Cornel Feruta, today.

Palestinian martyred in Israeli fire laid to rest

11SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019 AFRICA

Bashir gave over $5m to paramilitary force, court hears AFP KHARTOUM

Sudan’s ousted leader Omar Al Bashir gave more than $5m to a paramilitary group, a defence witness said yesterday, appar-ently backing claims made by the autocrat at a previous session of his graft trial.

Bashir was deposed by the army in April following months of protests against his iron-fisted rule.

In August, he was charged with the illegal acquisition and use of foreign funds — offences that could land him behind bars for more than a decade.

Authorities had seized 6.9 million euros, $351,770 and 5.7m Sudanese pounds (around $128,000) from Bashir’s home “which he acquired and used illegally”, a judge told the court on August 31.

But Bashir said the seized funds were the remainder of the equivalent of $25m received from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The funds, he said, were part of Sudan’s strategic relations with Saudi Arabia and were “not used for private interests but as donations”.

At the trial’s fourth session yesterday, the defence team pre-sented two witnesses, including a former aide, who appeared to back the ousted leader’s claim.

General Yasser Bashir told the court Bashir gave “five million euros” ($5.6m) to the country’s Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.

He said the funds were picked up in cash by Abdelrahim Daglo, the brother of RSF com-mander Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the deputy head of the military council that took over after Bashir’s ouster. “They did not give me a receipt,” he added.

The aide said Bashir always had the key to the room where the money was kept with him.

“I had no access to this room,” he said, as the 75-year-old veteran leader listened to the testimony from a black metal cage. A second defence witness, Abdelmoneim Mohamed, a rep-resentative of Khartoum-based African International University, also told the court he received funds from Bashir’s office for his institution.

Zimbabwe in mourning over Mugabe’s deathAP ABWE

Robert Mugabe will be buried at a hilltop shrine reserved exclu-sively for Zimbabwe’s ruling elite, an official said yesterday, as the southern African nation began several days of official mourning.

Mugabe, who was 95 when he died on Friday in Singapore, will be laid to rest in Harare at the National Heroes Acre, which has been set aside for Zimba-bweans who have made huge sacrifices during the war against white-minority rule and who dedicated themselves to the nation, which emerged from the ashes of colonial Rhodesia.

“Comrade Mugabe will be buried at the Heroes Acre,” Deputy Information Minister Energy Mutodi said. “That is where he deserves to rest.”

Leo Mugabe, a nephew of Robert Mugabe and a family spokesman, said that the date of the funeral and other details, including when Mugabe’s body will arrive in Zimbabwe, weren’t yet available.

“Arrangements are not in place yet,” he said in a text message.

Located on a hilltop, and built with the help of North Korean architects, the plot has a commanding view of Harare, features a huge bronze statue of three guerrilla fighters and boasts black marble and granite flourishes.

Mugabe is viewed by many as a national hero despite decades of rule that left the

country struggling. He was an ex-guerrilla chief who took power in 1980 when Zimbabwe shook off white minority rule and presided for decades while economic turmoil and human rights violations eroded its early promise.

Mugabe had been forced to relinquish power by a previously loyal military in November 2017.

Flags flew at half-staff yes-terday, but there were no public activities to mark the death of a man who singularly shaped the once-prosperous country in his own image and created a repressive system that some say remains even today.

Reaction to his death was mixed, although praise ironically came mostly from ruling party officials and military leaders.

The state-run Herald news-paper, which vilified Mugabe when he was forced to resign and when he subsequently voiced support for the oppo-sition, carried glowing tributes.

In a “commemorative edition,” the newspaper, which often acts as a mouthpiece of the government, carried a montage of his pictures with the headline: “Robert Mugabe-1924-2019” on its front page and glowing reports throughout.

In an editorial page, the newspaper praised Mugabe for “his uncompromising stance when it came to the rights of Africans.” “Whatever happened towards the end of his leadership should not be used to rubbish the good things that he did during his life,” the commander of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces and

one of the commanders who led the military campaign to oust Mugabe after years of propping his rule, was quoted as saying in a separate story in the newspaper.

Others were less charitable. “95 and out,” read the privately-owned Newsday newspaper.

“Despite his intellectual prowess, Mugabe’s failure to let go of power when it was time was his major undoing. In short, he was a liberator who turned villain. Leaders need to know when to draw the line,” said the newspaper in an editorial.

“End of an era as Mugabe dies, leaves Zim poor, divided,” read the front page headline of another privately-owned news-paper, the Daily News.

“Notwithstanding the many

mistakes that he made, many Zimbabweans will probably agree that had he not held on to power beyond the 1990s, he would today be largely remem-bered as one of Africa’s best leaders in history,” the paper said in an editorial.

Both newspapers were major targets of Mugabe’s vitriol, with editors and reporters routinely arrested during Mugabe’s rule.

On the streets of the capital, Harare, few seemed bothered as people struggled to cope with biting economic problems largely blamed by critics on Mugabe’s rule and perpetuated by his successor and an ally who later turned foe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mnan-gagwa took power in 2017 with the help of the military.

Zimbabwe’s national flag flies at half mast outside the country’s Parliament as Zimbabweans mourn the death of their founding father Robert Mugabe in Harare, Zimbabwe, yesterday.

African Union lifts suspension of SudanAFP ADDIS ABABA

The African Union (AU) has lifted its suspension of Sudan three months after freezing its membership following Khar-toum’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

The AU’s Peace and Security Council said on Friday that the decision followed the announcement of Sudan’s first cabinet since the ousting of veteran leader Omar Al-Bashir.

Handing down its suspension in June, the AU’s conflict-reso-lution body had said transferring power to a civilian-led authority was “the only way to allow the Sudan to exit the current crisis”.

Sudan’s new premier Abdalla Hamdok on Thursday unveiled a new 18-member cabinet, a major step in the transition toward civilian rule after decades of authoritarianism.

The move was hailed by AU Commission Chairperson

Moussa Faki as “the beginning of a new era” for Sudan.

The cabinet formation fol-lowed the signing of a power-sharing deal last month between the movement that led the months-long protests against Bashir, and the generals who seized power after ousting him.

A joint civilian-military ruling body was sworn in and tasked with overseeing the tran-sition. Part of the deal was that legislative body be formed within 90 days.

The AU’s Peace and Security Council said in a tweet on Friday it had decided “to lift the sus-pension of the participation of #Sudan in the activities of the #AU, now that #Sudan estab-l ished a c iv i l ian-led Government”.

Demonstrations over a wors-ening economic crisis in Sudan escalated into a months-long nationwide protest movement against Bashir’s three-decade rule, which ended in April. Bashir was later arrested and is on trial

on charges of illegal acquisition and use of foreign funds.

In early June, security forces broke up a protest-sit in outside military headquarters in Khartoum. Doctors linked to the protest movement said at least

127 people died in the violence.Sudan’s membership from

the AU was suspended on June 6 pending a transition to civilian rule. A number of African nations have been suspended in recent years.

Sudan’s new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok speaking during a press conference unveiling his Cabinet in Khartoum on September 5.

Tunisia airs first‘great debate’ahead of pollsAFP TUNIS

Days before the first round of Tunisia’s presidential election, the country is holding three nights of televised debates between the candidates.

The showdown between the 26 hopefuls, starting yesterday, is seen as the highlight of the campaign and a turning point in Tunisian politics ahead of the vote.

Called “The road to Carthage: Tunisia makes its choice”, the programmes will be broadcast on 11 TV channels, two of them public, and some 20 radio stations.

“We won’t be able to escape it,” said a smiling Belabbes Benk-redda, founder of the Munathara Initiative which promotes open debate in the Arab world and helped organise the event.

The first hour-and-a-half debate yesterday night was to

include several “heavyweight” candidates, pitting Abdelfattah Mourou of Ennahda party against Abir Moussi, head of a group with roots in the party of former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

There will also be an empty space for the controversial media mogul Nabil Karoui, cur-rently detained on money laun-dering charges.

Organisers considered

having him take part in the debate by phone from his cell, but whether or not he will be able to is up to the courts.

The stage, at the studios of public TV channel Wataniya, places candidates in a semi-circle with two journalist mod-erators at the centre.

The questions were set by the journalists and will be ran-domly selected and allocated to candidates on Friday.

Electoral posters of presidential candidates Nabil Karoui (left), and Youssef Chahed, are pictured along a road in Tunis, yesterday.

UN: 78 dead in Sudan floodsAP CAIRO

A UN humanitarian agency said flooding triggered by heavy rains in Sudan have killed a total of 78 people across the country in the past two months.

Mary Keller, head of mon-itoring and reporting at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said yes-terday that the deaths were mainly because of collapsed roofs and electrocution.

She said that over 41,000 homes have been destroyed, and that the floods have affected 346,300 people in 16 of Sudan’s 18 provinces.

She has warned that the death toll may increase due to the high risk of waterborne illnesses.

Authorities had said in August that more than 3,600 cattle died as large swathes of agricultural land flooded.

Three dead in renewed Libya fightingREUTERS TRIPOLI

At least three fighters aligned with Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) were killed in an offensive yesterday aimed at pushing back eastern forces led by commander Khalifa Haftar, a witness said.

The clashes between the GNA forces and Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) on Sat-urday morning came after nearly a month of calm.

LNA forces launched a sur-prise offensive in early April to attempt to take control of the capital Tripoli, where UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Seraj and his GNA are based.

“Three fighters allied to GNA from Misrata were killed in the offensive in Tripoli this morning,” the witness from the coastal city, some 200 km (124 miles) east of Tripoli, told Reuters. An LNA military source said the offensive was repelled and the LNA maintained its positions. The source added five LNA troops were injured. Neither side claimed significant advances.

Nigerian soldier dead, 3 injured in militant attackAFP KANO, NIGERIA

At least one soldier was killed and three others injured when suspected IS-affiliated militants ambushed a military convoy in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, according to security sources.

Militants believed to be from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Friday opened fire on the convoy in Kamuya village, close to the family home of Nigeria’s army chief, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, a military officer and a vigilante said.

“The convoy came under fire from the terrorists near Kamuya at around 11:30am (1030 GMT), killing one soldier and injuring three others,” said the military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A military pickup truck was “burnt in the attack”, said vigi-lante Mustapha Karimbe who confirmed the casualties.

Kamuya has been repeatedly hit by militants since 2015 when Buratai was appointed army chief. In January this year, six soldiers were killed and 14 injured when ISWAP sacked a base in Kamuya, stealing weapons and burning military vehicles. The IS-backed faction has repeatedly targeted military installations and troops since mid-2018. Late on Thursday the convoy of Borno state governor was attacked by militants from rival Boko Haram faction near Kawuya village, south east of the state capital Maiduguri, but no one was hurt.

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum was returning from a tour of some districts around 2000 GMT when the militants opened fire on his motorcade, two civilian militias who spoke anonymously said.

“Police escorts in the convoy returned fire and thwarted the ambush, forcing the insurgents to retreat,” one of the militias said.

Former Angolan president’s son to face trialAFP LUANDA

The trial of the son of former Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos for allegedly trying to steal $1.5bn from the coun-try’s sovereign wealth fund will start on September 25, a court said yesterday.

This is the first time that a member of the former presi-dent’s family, which controlled the southern African nation for nearly four decades, will be in the dock.

Jose Filomeno dos Santos was arrested last year for allegedly attempting to embezzle fund.

Bashir says the funds authorities seized at his home were the remainder of the equivalent of $25m received from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

12 SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019ASIA

Over 200 fighters trying to cross into Kashmir from Pakistan: IndiaREUTERS NEW DELHI

More than 200 suspected mili-tants are trying to cross into Indian Kashmir from Pakistan, India’s national security adviser said yesterday, accusing Islamabad of trying to stoke violence in the region.

Pakistan condemned India’s decision last month to revoke the constitutional autonomy of Kashmir and Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday vowed the fullest possible response to India’s actions in the disputed territory.

“There are about 230 persons ready to infiltrate from different parts of Kashmir,” Ajit Kumar Doval, National Security Adviser to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, told reporters.

The number is based on radio intercepts and intelligence from the ground, military offi-cials said, adding that some mil-itants had already been caught by Indian security forces.

“A large number of weapons are being smuggled and people in Kashmir are being told to create trouble,” said Doval, who is considered one of the archi-tects of the policy to withdraw Kashmir’s special status and integrate it fully into India.

India imposed a clampdown in India Kashmir in early August to prevent large scale violent protests. Some curbs have been eased, but mobile phone and Internet services are still cur-tailed because they may be used

to spark unrest, Doval said.“We would like to see all

restrictions go, but it depends on how Pakistan behaves. It’s a stimulant and response situ-ation,” Doval said.

“If Pakistan starts behaving, terrorists don’t intimidate and infiltrate,” he added. “Pakistan stops sending signals through its towers to operatives, then we can lift restrictions.”

India has long accused Pakistan of training, arming and sending militants to Muslim majority Kashmir where it is fighting a nearly 30-year revolt.

Pakistan denies direct support but says it gives moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their struggle for self-determination.

Doval cited an attack on a major apple merchant in Indian

Kashmir as an example of Pakistan encouraging violence against people who are carrying on their businesses.

The merchant operated from Sopore, the fruit basket of the region and about 45 kms from Srinagar, and from where 700 truck deliveries of produce had been made in recent days.

Doval said Pakistan and groups based there have frowned upon such signs of normalcy and rebuked militants inside Kashmir for failing to stop the trucks.

“After the trucks moved, there were repeated messages from Pakistan asking for this to stop,” Doval said.

On Friday, two suspected militants attacked the merchant’s home near Sopore, wounding his 25-year-old son and two-year-old granddaughter.

The assailants spoke the Punjabi language, suggesting they had come from Pakistan, and were on the run, Doval said.

Last month, suspected mili-tants killed a 65-year-old grocer for keeping his shop open on the outskirts of Kashmir’s main city Srinagar, police said.

Indian officials have vowed a strong response if a major militant attack is traced back to any Pakistan-based militant group.

In February, the countries engaged in an aerial clash after Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsi-bility for a deadly attack on an Indian paramilitary convoy in Kashmir.

A paramilitary trooper frisks a Kashmiri motorcyclist in Srinagar, yesterday.

It’s ‘pineapple’, not ‘two leaves’ symbol for Pala candidateIANS KOTTAYAM

The infighting in the Kerala Congress-Mani, a part of the Congress-led UDF, was complete when yesterday its candidate decided to contest as an Independent with the symbol ‘pineapple’ and not the party’s traditional ‘two leaves’ from their most prestigious seat Pala.

The by-election will take place on September 23. It was necessitated by the death of Kerala Congress-Mani founder K. M. Mani in April, who repre-sented the constituency since 1967.

The Kerala Congress-Mani is the third biggest party in the United Democratic Front and has been facing trouble since the death of Mani, with a power struggle between veteran party legislator P J Joseph and Mani’s son Jose K Mani for the post of party Chairman.

The tussle between the two saw Joseph putting his foot down and as the working chairman, refused to budge when it came to candidate selection. Jose K Mani took the call and named his closest aide Jose Tom Pulikunnel as the candidate.

With Joseph refusing to issue a letter nominating Pulikunnel as the party can-didate, he had to file his papers as an independent candidate, which was accepted.

This means that the tradi-tional ‘two leaves’ symbol was not allotted to Pulikunnel who had to settle for the ‘pineapple’ symbol as an independent candidate.

Reacting to it, Pulikunnel said it was a non-issue as the “pineapple is sweet and that’s enough”.

PM consoles ISRO chief after Moon landing setbackIANS BENGALURU

Hours after India lost contact with its moon lander Vikram while descending on early yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cheered hundreds of Indian space scien-tists and engineers for their hard work and told them not to lose heart over the setback in the ambitious Chandrayaan-2 mission.

“India is with you! You are exceptional professionals who have made an incredible contri-bution to national progress. We are proud of our scientists who gave their best to make our country proud,” said Modi in English and Hindi, while addressing the nation from the lunar mission control centre of the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in this tech hub.

Earlier, ISRO Chairman K Sivan announced that the 1,471kg Vikram descent was as planned and normal per-formance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1km from the moon’s surface.

“Subsequently, communi-cation from the lander to the ground stations was lost. Data is being analysed,” Sivan said from the space agency’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (Istrac) in the city’s northern suburb after Vikram broke off from the lunar orbit and was descending to land between two craters near the

moon’s south pole.Exhorting the scientists to rise

above the occasion and scale newer heights of success, the Prime Minister said resilience and tenacity were central to India’s ethos.

“In our glorious history, we have faced moments that may have slowed us but they have

never crushed our spirit. We have bounced back again and gone on to do spectacular things. This is why our civilisation stands tall,” asserted Modi.

Though the space agency is waiting for Vikram to re-establish contact and hoping it landed “safely” on the lunar surface at the designated spot, the mission’s main spacecraft Orbiter is spinning around the Moon over its north and south poles and is communicating with its ground stations from about 100km above the planet.

Boosting the morale of Team Chandrayaan-2, Modi inspired it to march on, saying “you came as close as you could. Stay steady and look ahead.”

When Sivan came to see off the Prime Minister at the centre’s portico and broke down in an emotional outburst, Modi hugged him and consoled him by patting on his back repeatedly.

“You should not lose heart. Do not worry. Be bold and do your best,” Modi is said to have told Sivan in English.

All was going well with the 1,471 kg Vikram that had begun its descent at about 1.38am yesterday

from an altitude of 30 km at a velocity of 1,680 metres per second.

The lander was coming down smoothly, making the Isro officials applaud at regular intervals with their faces beaming with pride, as they were glued to their computer monitors.

The lander successfully com-pleted its rough braking phase with its descent speed going down well.

On the Istrac, it was noticed that Vikram had slightly veered away from its plotted path but had immediately come back.

Soon after, Vikram again shifted from its planned path and then the communication link got snapped.

The lander could commu-nicate with the orbiter and also with the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) in Byalu near Bengaluru.

“Just before the loss of commu-nication link, the lander tumbled but recovered immediately. And after that the communication signals snapped. That means the lander in its trajectory lost its position,” an ISRO official said on the condition of anonymity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) speaks with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru, yesterday.

Kerala braveheart Sifiya Haneef conferred Neerja Bhanot AwardIANS CHANDIGARH

A young braveheart from Kerala, Sifiya Haneef, was conferred with the Neerja Bhanot Award in a solemn ceremony here yesterday.

The award was presented to her by Wendy Sue Knecht, who also worked with the Pan American World Airways in the ‘80s and had trained Neerja Bhanot in 1986. Knecht specially came here from Los Angeles for the award function. The award consists of Rs 1.50 lakh, a citation and a trophy.

The award was instituted in

1990 in memory of Neerja Bhanot, who saved hundreds of lives while sacrificing her own when a Pan Am flight from Mumbai to New York was hijacked at the Karachi airport on September 5, 1986.

A jury selected Sifiya for the honour after she met the criteria laid down by the Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust, which stipulates that the awardee has to be an Indian woman who when faced with social injustice, overcomes it with guts and grit.

Akhil Bhanot, managing trustee at Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust, said: “Sifiya got married when she was

16 and her studies were stopped. Unfortunately, her husband died when she was 20. She had two children by then. Sifiya wished to continue her studies, but did not get any support. She took on a part-time job and resumed her studies.

“After a lot of struggle and real-ising that life was very tough not only for her, but also for other widows as well, she started spending her salary on helping widows.” Today, she is helping more than 300 families by pro-viding them shelters, distributing medicines and giving them pension, Bhanot said.

Bengal House passes resolutionagainst NRC in AssamIANS KOLKATA

The West Bengal Assembly on Friday passed a resolution opposing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and ruling out any such exercise in Bengal.

The Resolution tabled under Rule 185 of Rules of Procedures of Conduct of Business of the House got the backing of members ruling Trinamool Con-gress and opposition Left Front and the Congress. The BJP was the only party that opposed the resolution that sailed through after a three-hour debate.

On August 31, the final NRC

list in Assam was published, from which over 19 lakh people were excluded.

Participating in the debate, Chief Minister Mamata Baenrjee said the NRC has no acceptance in her state.

“We do not accept the NRC. This exercise will never take place in Bengal.

Banerjee said she has spoken on the issue with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has opposed any such exercise in his state.

Banerjee said the NRC was a fallout of the Assam Accord of 1985, but there were no such agreement in Bengal.

“There are about 230 persons ready to infiltrate from different parts of Kashmir,” Ajit Kumar Doval said. The number is based on radio intercepts and intelligence from the ground, military officials said, adding that some militants had already been caught by security forces.

India terms Pakistan’s denial of overflight clearance futile actionIANS NEW DELHI

India has expressed its displeasure at Pakistan’s unilateral decision to disallow President Ram Nath Kovind’s plane over its airspace.

Responding to a query on denial of overflight clearance to a VVIP special flight by Pakistan, Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson for Ministry of External Affair, said: “We regret the decision of the government of Pakistan to deny overflight clearance for the VVIP special flight which is otherwise granted routinely by any other country. We call upon Pakistan to recognise the futility of such unilateral actions”.

Pakistan yesterday rejected

a request made by New Delhi to let the airplane of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind fly over its airspace. Islamabad turned down the request based on the “alarming human rights situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK)”, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan had approved of the decision to reject the request and added that “the Indian aggression in IoK” was respon-sible for Pakistan’s move.

The Minister added that Pakistan had shown “restraint” in reacting to India’s move on Kashmir, but New Delhi was “refusing to budge from its stub-bornness and was denying basic facilities to the residents of

occupied Kashmir”.“In view of this, we have

decided to not allow the Indian President to use our airspace,” he told PTV.

In August, it was reported that Khan was considering shutting down Pakistani airspace for India. A complete ban on Indian trade to Afghanistan through Pakistani land routes was also under dis-cussion, reports say.

Pakistan’s Minister for Avi-ation Ghulam Sarwar Khan had told a press conference earlier this week that their government had so far not taken any decision to close the eastern air-space to commercial flights from India; however “we have reserved the right to do so and it would be utilized at an appro-priate time”.

13SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019 ASIA

Pentagon delegation to visit Pakistan next weekINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

A high-level delegation of the US Department of Defence will be in Islamabad next week to meet Pakistan’s civilian and military officials, Assistant Secretary of Defence, Randall Schriver, announced.

During an event organised by the Pakistani Embassy to commemorate ‘Defence and Martys Day’, Schriver acknowl-edged the country’s sacrifices and hoped that the renewed relations between the two nations would create “opportu-nities that we can capitalise on.” In his remarks, Schriver also expressed that ties between the armed forces was one of the strongest pillars and foundations for the relationship.

“We are appreciative of Pakistani leadership in its coop-eration in achieving the objective of peace in the region,” he said.

Referring to Pakistan’s efforts in bringing political set-tlement in Afghanistan, he said that the US is not across the finish line yet, but still wants to be Pakistan’s partner and achieve peaceful outcomes.

“We appreciate everything Pakistan has done to get us to this point, and we appreciate the cooperation that we know we will continue over that very important work,” he said adding: “Our intent is to be aspirational and talk about where we can go on the future and how we can even strengthen and improve coop-eration, all the challenges that

we have notwithstanding.” This year ‘Defence Day’ was

also observed along with ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ to express solidarity with Kashmiri brothers and sisters who are cur-rently suffering under the repressive lockdown by the Indian occupation forces for the last one month.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan said that throughout history, Pakistan confronted and overcome external aggression as well as terrorism and extremism.

“This has only been possible because of the sacrifices made by the armed forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan,” Khan said while paying tribute to the armed forces.

He told his audience: “We commemorate this day, we pledge to continue to promote the ideals of peace, respect for human life and freedom not only at the domestic front but also at the regional and global level.”

The ambassador said that some 13 million Kashmiris have remained imprisoned in their homes and cut off from the rest of the world. To remind the Kashmiri people that they are not alone, Pakistan was also observing the day as Kashmir Solidarity Day.

“We have acted with great restraint and responsibility. However, there should be no doubt. Pakistan and its armed forces stand ready to give a befitting response and defend the homeland if anyone dares to breach our sovereignty or terri-torial integrity,” he said.

Regarding bilateral relations between Pakistan and the US, Ambassador Khan said that strong and robust bilateral defence relations have been a hallmark of Pakistan-US relations.

“Our defence cooperation and collaboration has always been a factor for regional peace and the promotion of our shared security interests,” he said.

While speaking on the occasion, Defence Attaché Brig Kamal Anwar Chaudhry said that the nation shall always remember supreme sacrifices of the sons and daughters of the nation who laid their lives for prosperous tomorrow.

Pakistan has turned a tide against terrorism at a great cost including the loss of more than 82,000 human lives.

“Pakistan remains com-mitted to peace in the region and beyond,” he said and added that Pakistan’s Armed Forces stand with Kashmiris in the fight for right to self-determination.

Students of the Jamiat Talba Arbia take part in a protest against India, in Karachi, yesterday.

Pakistan PM, Army Chief visitKashmir border to meet troopsANATOLIA KARACHI

Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Army Chief on Friday visited the Kashmir border to meet troops and people affected by cross-border gunfire amid rising tensions with India after New Delhi last month revoked the Jammu and Kashmir region’s special status.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit was to mark Defence Day — the anniversary of a 1965 war against India, also called Kashmir Solidarity Day to reit-erate Islamabad’s support to the pro-freedom struggle in Jammu and Kashmir.

Khan was briefed on the ongoing situation at the Line of

Control — the de facto border that splits the Himalayan valley between the two countries — said a statement from the army, adding that he lauded the state of military readiness and effective response to “Indian ceasefire violations.”

Accusing Indian forces of deliberately targeting civilians on the Pakistani side of the border, Khan said: “The con-tinued siege of innocent Kash-miris in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are the worst examples of human rights violations.

“Pakistan firmly stands with Kashmiris for their right of self-determination,” he said, adding: “Our armed forces remain fully capable and prepared to thwart

any Indian misadventure or aggression.” Accompanying Khan were Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

From 1954 until August 5, Jammu and Kashmir had special provisions under which it enacted its own laws. The pro-visions also protected the region’s citizenship law, which barred outsiders from settling in and owning land in the territory.

India and Pakistan both hold Kashmir in parts and claim it in full. China also controls part of the contested region, but it is India and Pakistan who have fought two wars over Kashmir.

Pakistan denies use of airspace to Indian PresidentAFP ISLAMABAD

Pakistan yesterday said it had denied India’s President Ram Nath Kovind permission to fly through its airspace — access to which is usually granted — due to New Delhi’s recent “behaviour”.

The decision comes at a time of high tension between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours over the dis-puted Himalayan region of Kashmir.

“The decision has been taken in view of India’s behaviour,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said in a statement.

“The Indian President had sought permission to use Paki-stan’s airspace to travel to Iceland, but we decided not to permit him,” Qureshi added, without giving further details.

Pakistan had closed its air-space to Indian traffic in Feb-ruary after a suicide bomb attack killed dozens of Indian troops in Kashmir ratcheted up tensions between the two neighbours and prompted tit-for-tat aerial dogfights.

It reopened its skies for all civilian traffic in July, ending months of restrictions that had affected major international routes. Yesterday’s decision came a day after Pakistan marked Defence Day, which commemorates a brief 1965 war with India over Kashmir.

“Pakistan firmly stands with Kashmiris for their right to self-determination,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said Friday during a visit to military posts and fam-ilies of fallen soldiers in Paki-stan’s portion of the territory.

India stripped the Hima-layan region of its seven-decade-long semi-autonomous status through a controversial presidential decree in August.

PTI’s election manifesto embarrasses leadershipINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

“Police reforms have been neglected by successive govern-ments to continue using the force as a political tool,” the PTI’s election manifesto reads in an embarrassing ridicule for the party’s government that has utterly failed to honour its promise of depoliticising and reforming the police.

Amid growing incidents of police brutalities and department’s further politicisation during the last one year, the PTI manifesto

shows how badly the Tehreek-e-Insaf government failed to deliver what before coming into power has been its topmost promise.

The PTI in its manifesto had promised: “We will enforce depoliticisation of police by building upon KP’s successful police reform model, which will be replicated nationally. Police in Pakistan is ill-equipped, poorly trained, deeply politi-cised, and chronically corrupt.

Police reforms have been neglected by successive govern-ments to continue using the force

as a political tool.” The PTI com-mitted that in order to reform the police, it will: “Replicate the KP Police Act of 2017 across other prov-inces and appoint professional inspector generals to lead the depo-liticisation of police similar to KP.

“Professionalise police hiring and career management, ensuring no political influence on policing in all matters from hiring, posting, and transferring of personnel.

“Replicate KP’s success in creating specialised training institutions. We will also invest in new policing systems and

processes by tracking per-formance, equipping districts with modern surveillance/command and control centres.

“Make public outreach to police easier through new and enhanced policing apps, SMS systems, online FIRsand call centres.

“Establish Women police sta-tions and desks at all levels to facilitate women empowerment. We will scale up the existing KP model of Alternate Dispute Res-olution (ADR) Councils at tehsil levels, by rolling out the KP DRC

model nationally to allow con-flict resolution for small crimes right down at the tehsil level and police station level.”

Unfortunately, hardly any of the above commitment in regard to police reforms has been ful-filled by the PTI government either at the center or in any of the provinces that the PTI rules.

The recent incidents of death of Salahuddin in the Punjab police custody and the misbe-haviour of a policeman with an old lady are the latest shameful incidents of brutality.

Municipal workers use a vehicle to fumigate a residential area in Karachi. Swarms of flies, water-borne illnesses, and rivers of sewage have brought Pakistan’s Karachi to its knees this rainy season as decades of mismanagement have turned the country’s commercial capital into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Smoking out flies

Taliban kidnap six Afghan journalistsREUTERS KABUL

Taliban kidnapped six Afghan journalists working for private and government media organ-isations in eastern Paktia province, government officials and Taliban said yesterday.

The reporters, working for radio and TV news companies that broadcast news in the Pashto and Dari languages, were abducted while travelling together from neighbouring Paktika province to Paktia to attend a media workshop on Friday.

“We are trying to negotiate their release with the Taliban,” said Abdullah Hasrat, a spokesman for Paktia’s governor.

A Taliban spokesman con-firmed the abduction of six jour-nalists by their fighters but said they will be released soon.

“Yes, our mujahideens (fighters) have mistakenly kid-napped them,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the hardline insurgent group.

“Right now mobile services are not working, but they will be released as soon as we establish contact with the local

commander,” he said.Afghanistan was the dead-

liest country in the world to be a journalist in 2018, with 13 deaths according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The International Federation of Journalists said 16 journalists were killed last year.

In June, the Taliban issued a threat to Afghan media, saying journalists will be targeted unless news outlets stop broad-casting what they describe as government propaganda against the insurgents.

Media organisations were given one week to stop trans-mitting “anti-Taliban advertise-ments” by the group’s military commission, a warning that was denounced by the Afghan gov-ernment and western diplomats.

In 2016, a Taliban suicide bomber rammed his car into a bus carrying employees of Tolo TV, the country’s largest private broad-caster, killing seven journalists.

The Taliban said it killed the employees because Tolo was pro-ducing propaganda that sup-ported the occupation of Afghan-istan by the US and its allies in their war against the insurgents.

Pakistan hosts Afghanistan, China for talksAP/ISLAMABAD

Pakistan is hosting the third round of trilateral talks with Afghanistan and China to cover trade, counterterrorism and ending Afghanistan’s 18-year war.

Pakistani Foreign Minister

Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Saturday that talks are hap-pening at a key moment in the US-led effort to negotiate peace in Afghanistan. Qureshi said regional and Pakistani security will rely on ending the fighting in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office

said in a statement that the foreign ministers of the three countries will also discuss coop-erat ing in economic development.

The forum was established in two years ago, and earlier meetings were held in Beijing and Kabul in 2017 and 2018

During an event, Assistant Secretary of Defence, Randall Schriver, acknowledged the country’s sacrifices and hoped that the renewed relations between the two nations would create “opportunities that we can capitalise on”.

14 SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019ASIA

Riot police thwart latest Hong Kong airport protestAFP HONG KONG

Riot police fanned out across Hong Kong yesterday and thwarted plans by pro-democracy protesters to target the airport, days after the city’s leader made a surprise concession which was rejected by the movement as too little, too late.

Millions of pro-democracy supporters have taken to Hong Kong’s streets for the past three months in the biggest challenge to China’s rule since the city’s handover from Britain in 1997.

On Wednesday, the city’s pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam surprised many by announcing she was scrapping a hugely unpopular extradition law that sparked the widespread and sometimes violent rallies.

The withdrawal was one of the protesters’ key demands and both she and Beijing had previ-ously refused to budge on the issue. Lam, who was not directly elected but appointed by a

committee, portrayed the move as a bid to de-escalate tensions and start a dialogue. But it has been widely dismissed by pro-testers as an empty gesture after 14 weeks of clashes with more than 1,100 arrests and many facing lengthy jail sentences.

Online messaging forums used by the largely leaderless movement had called for pro-testers to “stress test” the airport yesterday afternoon, filling up with suggestions for how to disrupt the road and rail links leading to the terminals.

But a large deployment of police at key bus, ferry and rail terminals across the city appeared to deter protesters from arriving en masse.

Some train and bus services

to the airport were running a more restricted service while police performed multiple stop and searches, largely against young people.

At the airport itself, the atmosphere was calm but pas-sengers had to queue to have bags searched and boarding passes checked before being allowed to enter. In recent weeks, the airport — the world’s eighth busiest — has become a

repeated target of pro-democracy protesters as they try to ramp up pressure on Beijing and city leaders by denting Hong Kong’s reputation as a stable business hub.

But the tactic is controversial because of the travel misery it causes — and the fact that the target is not the state but ordinary people. Last month hundreds of flights were can-celled over two days when huge

crowds of protesters staged a sit-in at the airport, with ugly scenes playing out as two men suspected of being Chinese spies were beaten.

Previous protests at the airport had been non-disruptive and peaceful. Since the violent scenes, security has been ramped up around the sprawling hub and access to the terminals has been restricted to those with boarding passes.

Riot police personnel walk at Tung Chung station, in Hong Kong, yesterday.

Merkel urgespeaceful resolution ofunrest in HKREUTERS WUHAN, CHINA

German Chancellor Angela Merkel renewed calls for a peaceful solution to unrest in Hong Kong yesterday during her trip to China.

The Hong Kong protests have overshadowed a three-day visit Merkel had planned to use to press for greater access to Chinese markets for German businesses suffering a slowdown at home.

“I have advocated that con-flicts be resolved without vio-lence and that anything else would be a catastrophe from my point of view,” Merkel said.

After talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, Merkel said Beijing had listened to her views.

“This is important,” she added.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced concessions this week to try to end the pro-tests, including formally scrapping a hugely unpopular extradition bill, but many said these were too little, too late.

Joshua Wong, a leader of pro-democracy protests in 2014 that were the precursor to the current unrest, thanked Merkel for addressing the topic with Beijing but said her comments fell short.

“Germany’s business interest should not override the universal values in which we believe,” Wong said in an interview with Germany’s mass-circulation Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

“If the Chancellor wants to do something, she must help to urge President Xi to respond to the demand for free elections.”

MILF fighters hand over guns in Philippine peace dealAFP SULTAN KUDARAT, PHILIPPINES

Muslim rebels in the mainly Catholic Philippines began handing over their guns to inde-pendent foreign monitors yesterday, as part of a treaty aimed at ending a decades-long separatist insurgency that has left about 150,000 people dead.

Just over a thousand guer-rillas in the country’s restive south were turning in 940 weapons in a single day, the start of a graduated decommissioning process that aims to turn the country’s largest rebel force into a regular political party.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters who were demobilised yesterday represent a symbolic first step towards retiring what MILF says is a force of 40,000 in the coming years.

“The war is over... I have no firearms left,” Paisal Abdullah Bagundang, 56, a self-described veteran of more than 100 fire-fights with government security

forces since the 1970s, said.The decommissioning

process “should not lead to expectations that it is going to result in a major deceleration in attacks”, said Francisco Lara, senior conflict adviser for Asia at watchdog International Alert,

noting that the general public in the region are also armed.

Acquiring a gun is “like buying fish in the market” in the southwestern provinces where most of the Philippines’ Muslim minority live, MILF commander Murad Ebrahim told reporters.

But “if people no longer feel they need firearms to survive then they will easily give them up”, added Ebrahim, who is also chief minister of the area that has its own regional parliament, but no separate police force or mil-itary. About a third of MILF com-batants and their weapons are to be initially retired over the coming eight months.

Each retired fighter will receive a million pesos’ ($19,000) worth of cash, scholarships, health insurance, and training to become productive civilians.

Rebels facing criminal cases related to the insurgency will be granted amnesty, while those qualified can train to join the security forces, President Rodrigo Duterte’s peace adviser Carlito Galvez told reporters.

“Let me assure our MILF combatants that the government will assist you as you re-inte-grate into society and enjoy fruitful and productive civilian lives,” Duterte told the ex-rebels in a speech yesterday.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels wait for transportation to a weapons decommissioning ceremony at Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, yesterday.

Fire and Emergency crew battle bushfire near a house in the rural town of Canungra in the Scenic Rim region of South East Queensland in Australia, on Friday.

Wildfires destroy homes in AustraliaBLOOMBERG MELBOURNE

As many as 69 active fires are burning throughout Queensland state in Eastern Australia, authorities said.

“We know at this stage we have 17 homes lost,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said at a press conference in Brisbane. The main area of concern is around the Stan-thorpe, and particularly Applethorpe in the Granite Belt. Bruce Gunn, the state’s manager for the Bureau of Meteorology, said the danger remains very high despite cool, dry air flowing in from the west.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the bushfires at the NSW Liberal Party Conference yesterday.

“Wherever you are in Australia today, I know you are standing with those who are facing that adversity in what is still a very tense situation,” he said.

Typhoon claims 3 lives in South Korea, thousands without powerAP SEOUL

One of the most powerful typhoons to ever hit South Korea swept along the country’s coast yesterday, toppling trees, grounding planes and causing at least three deaths before moving on to North Korea.

Typhoon Lingling knocked out power to more than 127,000

homes across South Korea, including on the southern island of Jeju, which was lashed by the storm overnight, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.

After hitting Jeju, the storm remained offshore as it moved up South Korea’s west coast yes-terday morning before making landfall in North Korea in the afternoon.

A 75-year-old woman in the

central South Korean town of Boryeong was killed after strong winds blew her off her feet and crashed her into a wall 30 metres away, South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.

A 39-year-old was killed in the western city of Incheon after being crushed by a collapsed wall at a hospital parking lot, while a 61-year-old Chinese national died in the border town

of Paju after being hit by a blown-off roof tile.

The South Korean gov-ernment said at least 10 people were being treated for injuries, including an elderly couple from Boryeong who were injured after steel scaffolding collapsed on their home. South Korea’s weather agency said the storm was moving north at 48km per hour yesterday evening while

passing over North Korea. Its strength was weakening, with winds measured up to 115km per hour, according to the agency.

Lingling packed winds of 196km per hour at around 6:30am on South Korea’s southern coast, making the typhoon the fifth strongest to hit the country since 1959.

The storm also toppled hun-dreds of trees and streetlamps.

Seven injured in Philippine market blastREUTERS MANILA

An explosion at a public market in the southern Philippines wounded at least seven people early yesterday, the fourth blast in that area in 13 months, the military said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but a militant group oper-ating in the mostly Christian city of Isulan in the province of Sultan Kudarat was among the suspects, military said.

The latest blast comes at a time of heightened tensions in the volatile southern Philip-pines after three incidents in the past year authorities said were suicide bombings by militants linked to the Islamic State.

Video footage showed the blast yesterday occurred in a parking space for motorcycles. A suspected improvised explosive device was placed beside a parked motorcycle, Major Arvin Encinas, a regional military spokesman, told reporters. In April, a bombing by suspected members of a mil-itant group injured at least 18 people in a restaurant in Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao region.

North Korea appoints new military chiefAFP SEOUL

Pyongyang has named an army general with expertise in artillery as its new military commander, North Korean state media reported, in a move that an analyst said could signal plans for the development of new weapons.

Pak Jong Chon was appointed the “chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army,” KCNA said late Friday, adding that the decision was announced during a meeting attended by leader Kim Jong Un.

Pak succeeds Ri Yong Gil, an expert on military operations who has served in the position on two separate occasions since 2013.

His promotion from head of the Korean People’s Army’s Artillery Command may suggest a new military focus on weapons development, said Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean defector and researcher in Seoul.

The North was particularly threatened by the South’s acquisition of cutting-edge American F-35 stealth fighter jets — known for their ability to evade radar detection — earlier this year, Ahn said.

Thailand seeks $251m in palace budgetAFP BANGKOK

Thailand plans to allocate more than $251 million for monarchy “security” in the 2020 budget, according to government figures, a hike of more than 13 percent year-on-year.

The proposal, which still needs parliamentary approval, comes four months after 67-year-old King Maha Vaji-ralongkorn was crowned in an elaborate ceremony.

It is also the first budget under the staunchly pro-roy-alist administration of Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former coup maker turned civilian premier after a disputed poll.

The funds for the palace were included in a proposal released by the budget bureau.

Disrupting airport by the protesters is controversial because of the travel misery it causes for the ordinary people.

15SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019 EUROPE

Russia, Ukraine swap prisoners in landmark dealAFP KIEV

Russia and Ukraine carried out a long-awaited swap of 70 pris-oners yesterday, in a deal hailed by President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “first step” towards ending their conflict.

Planes carrying 35 prisoners from each side landed simulta-neously in Moscow and Kiev, where the passengers emerged under sunny skies.

“We have taken the first step,” Zelensky said on the tarmac after greeting and hugging former prisoners. “We have to take all the steps to finish this horrible war.”

In emotional scenes at Kiev’s Boryspil irport, family members embraced and handed flowers to the former prisoners, many weeping with joy.

Among those swapped were 24 Ukrainian sailors, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and Russian-Ukrainian journalist Kyrylo Vyshynsky.

Russian state television showed the Russian prisoners emerging from the plane at Mos-cow’s Vnukovo-2 airport used for government flights.

Ukraine’s SBU security service confirmed that Vladimir Tsemakh — a fighter with Moscow-backed separatists con-sidered a key witness in the downing of flight MH17 — was handed over to Russia despite pleas from the Netherlands.

Anticipation had been building for days for the exchange, which involved weeks o f b e h i n d - t h e - s c e n e s negotiations.

Relations between Kiev and Moscow nose-dived in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and Moscow backed separatists in the eastern industrial regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. Fighting there has claimed more than 13,000 lives over the past five years.

Zelensky’s election in April has raised hopes that a stalled peace process could be revived.

The comedian-turned-poli-tician vowed during his cam-paign to have Ukrainian pris-oners in Russia returned and has said ending the conflict with Russia is his top priority.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that the exchange would be “a huge step towards normalising relations” with Kiev.

Yesterday’s exchange was “a

very important step”, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. “It’s nec-essary to maintain this drive to solve problems as much as pos-sible,” she said on Twitter.

The release of Sentsov will be seen as a major victory for Kiev. The 43-year-old was Ukraine’s most famous political prisoner and the subject of a star-studded international cam-paign calling for his release.

He was arrested in 2014 and had been serving a 20-year sen-tence in an Arctic penal colony for planning “terrorist attacks” in Crimea.

“I thank all the people who have fought for us,” Sentsov said at the airport in Kiev, where he was greeted by his teenage daughter who wept and smiled.

The sailors, including two members of Ukraine’s SBU security services, were detained last year when Russia seized

three Ukrainian vessels off Crimea.

Moscow had wanted to put them on trial for violating Rus-sia’s maritime borders.

Among those handed over to Russia was Vyshynsky, a 52-year-old journalist at Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency.

The Russian-Ukrainian dual national was facing charges of “high treason” but was released on bail ahead of the swap.

The release of Tsemakh, who was reportedly in charge of air defence in the area where the MH17 came down, was denounced by the Netherlands.

The Dutch government con-tacted Ukraine “several times and at the very highest level” in an effort to prevent Tsemakh’s handover, Foreign Minister Stef Blok said after his release.

The Malaysia Airlines pas-senger plane travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur

was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile in 2014 over eastern Ukraine, with the loss of all 298 people on board.

Most of those killed were Dutch and a Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is inves-tigating the tragedy.

A recently exchanged Ukrainian prisoner is greeted by his relatives upon arrival at Boryspil International Airport, outside Kiev, yesterday.

We have taken the first step. We have to take all the steps to finish this ‘horrible war’: Ukraine President

A step toward peace: TrumpAFP/WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump welcomed the Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange yesterday as a potential step toward peace.

“Russia and Ukraine just swapped large numbers of pris-oners. Very good news, perhaps a first giant step to peace. Con-gratulations to both countries!” Trump tweeted.

Earlier, the US special

envoy for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, said he hoped the swap would lead to more exchanges, a renewed ceasefire and full implementation of a peace accord signed by Russia and Ukraine in 2015 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

“We are encouraged to see signs of a more robust dialogue between Russia and Ukraine,” a US State Department official said.

Merkel says exchange ofprisoners a ‘sign of hopeAFP BERLIN

German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday hailed a swap of 70 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine as a “sign of hope” and called for the implemen-tation of a 2015 ceasefire deal that Paris and Berlin helped broker.

“This exchange of

prisoners between Russia and Ukraine is a sign of hope... it’s worth continuing the hard work to implement the Minsk accord,” Merkel said in a statement put out by her spokesman Steffen Seibert on Twitter.

“I am happy for the Ukrainian sailors and Oleg Sentsov who can finally return home,” she said.

France urges ‘new advances’AFP PARIS

France’s foreign minister welcomed a breakthrough prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine, while urging “concrete new advances” by each side to end their five-year conflict.

“It’s a gesture that demon-strates the willingness of Russia and Ukraine to renew their dia-logue,” Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement. “France, alongside Germany, will support

efforts by both sides with the aim of making concrete new advances in the coming weeks.”

Le Drian and French Defence Minister Florence Parly head to Moscow tomorrow for the first high-level “2+2” talks with their Russian counterparts since Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. He also called for fresh efforts to implement the 2015 Minsk ceasefire deal, “in order to secure the liber-ation of all prisoners taken in this conflict.”

Activists storm red carpet at Venice Film FestivalREUTERS VENICE

Several hundred demonstrators took over the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival yesterday, demanding action to fight climate change and a ban on cruise ships entering the lagoon city.

Wearing white boiler suits over their clothes, the roughly 300 protesters sat on the red carpet where Hollywood stars such as Brad Pitt, Scarlett

Johansson and Joaquin Phoenix have premiered their latest films during the 11-day event.

Waving banners that read ‘Our home is on fire’ and ‘No to cruise ships’, the protesters sat outside the main festival venue and chanted slogans, surrounded by police.

“We want to address the topic of the climate crisis, we think that it is more important than anything that we can see in the world now,” said Chiara Buratti, a member of the Venice

anti-cruise ship committee. “And we also ask (celeb-

rities) to take a position. We are on the red carpet today, we will stay here (and) ask them to join us on the red carpet,” she said.

The protesters, who belong to Italian and foreign groups, were taking part in a five-day Venice Climate Camp event.

Venice and its lagoon are on Unesco’s list of World Heritage Sites and protests groups have long called for cruise ships to be banned there.

Members of “No Big Ships” Committee (No Grandi Navi) stage a protest on the red carpet access during the 76th Venice Film Festival outside the Festival Palace at Venice Lido, yesterday.

Journalist evokes chances of Salvini committing suicideAFP ROME

A public radio journalist evoked the chances of far-right leader Matteo Salvini committing suicide, local media reported, prompting Salvini opponents to come to his defence.

The public radio network RAI has opened an investigation into the incident and the Facebook post by Fabio San-filippo has since been removed.

Sanfilippo posted the com-ments after Salvini, leader of the far-right League, pulled his party out of a government coalition with the 5 Star Movement (M5S) in August.

“You’ve hanged yourself, you’re going to lose 20-25 percent of your support, you know that? What are you going to do? You have no work, you do not know how to do anything, you do not have a deputy seat, you lost the minister post,” La Repubblica newspaper quoted Sanfilippo as having said on Facebook.

“It is true you are in Par-liament (Salvini is now a senator) but with the life that you are used to leading, in six months you will shoot yourself, my enemy.

“I am sorry for your

daughter but she will recover in time,” Sanfilippo was quoted as saying.

Salvini’s political rival, the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), who replaced the League in a new coalition government, came out in support of him.

“These attacks against Salvini are serious and unac-ceptable,” said Michele Anzaldi, a PD member of the National Assembly.

Matteo Renzi, former head of the left-wing Italian gov-ernment, said: “A limit of decency and human respect should have been respected by this RAI journalist”, and added that someone “paid with Italian’s money should be ashamed of evoking an opponent’s suicide.”

The journalist defended himself on local media.

“I would write this message again but without mentioning the girl and by better specifying the reference to suicide by the leader of the League,” he was quoted by several media organ-isations as saying. This reference “is not an invitation to shoot oneself but a statement that he has eliminated himself politi-cally,” Sanfilippo said.

“The League’s media machine seized upon my words to use them for its own purpose.”

Prince Harry set to visit Diana’s Angola landmine clearance projectREUTERS LONDON

Britain’s Prince Harry will make a poignant visit to Angola this month to visit the landmine clearance project that featured in some of the most famous photographs of his late mother Princess Diana.

Diana died a few months before the international treaty to ban the weapons was signed later that year.

“(Harry) will visit the location where his mother was photographed. He will see how an area that was a dangerous minefield in 1997 is now a busy street with schools, shops and houses,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement released on Friday.

Harry, his wife Meghan and their baby son Archie will start their 10-day tour in Cape Town, South Africa, while Harry will also go to Malawi and Botswana at the request of the Foreign Office, the palace added.

The trip will be the first official tour as a family for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The trip will take place between September 23 and October 2.

Prosecutors appeal dropping of Air France charges over 2009 crashREUTERS PARIS

French prosecutors appealed on against a decision by magistrates not to prosecute Air France over the 2009 crash of a passenger aircraft flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris in which all 228 on board died.

Prosecutors had recom-mended that Air France stand trial over the crash but magis-trates overruled the prosecutors and dropped the charges.

Lawyers representing fam-ilies of victims had also signalled their intention to appeal after the magistrates decision this week.

In their conclusions, the

judges said the pilots of the Airbus A330 had failed to process all the warnings and instrument readings provided by the aircraft.

“The direct cause of the accident is the crew’s loss of control of the aircraft’s tra-jectory,” the judges determined. Other crews, faced with similar

situations, had successfully maintained control of their air-craft, their ruling said.

In their 2012 report, French civil accident investigators found the startled crew of AF447 mis-handled the loss of airspeed readings from pitot sensors blocked with ice and pushed the jet into a stall by holding the nose

too high. The report also cited poor training and the lack of a clear cockpit display for speed problems.

The accident was the dead-liest in the history of both Air France and the A330.

The plane plunged into the ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris after entering an

aerodynamic stall and falling from an altitude of 38,000 feet during a storm, its engines running but its wings losing lift.

It took salvage teams nearly two years to locate the A330’s flight recorders on the ocean floor. A decade later, the aviation industry is still implementing lessons learned from the crash.

16 SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019EUROPE

Brexit turmoil: Lawmakers prepare legal actionREUTERS LONDON

British lawmakers are preparing legal action in case Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to defy legislation compelling him to seek a further delay to Brexit, the BBC reported yesterday.

An opposition bill which would force Johnson to ask the European Union for an extension to Britain’s departure to avoid a no-deal exit on October 31 was approved by parliament’s appointed upper chamber, the House of Lords, on Friday.

Queen Elizabeth is expected to sign it into law tomorrow.

The government had no immediate comment on the BBC report, which said lawmakers,

including Conservatives expelled this week from Johnson’s ruling party, have lined up a legal team and are willing to go to court to enforce the legislation if necessary.

Johnson, a leader of the cam-paign to leave the EU during the 2016 Brexit referendum, took

office in July after his Conserv-ative party predecessor Theresa May quit following three failed attempts to get a deal with Brussels through parliament.

The new prime minister said he wants to take Britain out of the EU on October 31, with or without a deal with the bloc.

Johnson has said he has no intention of seeking an extension and would rather “die in a ditch” than delay Brexit.

Yesterday, the Daily Tele-graph reported that the prime minister is prepared to defy par-liament’s instruction to request an extension to the Brexit process if he fails to agree a new deal.

The newspaper quoted Johnson as saying he was only bound “in theory” by the new legislation.

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was aware of the lawmakers’ legal moves.

“The courts making a decision to try to make a prime minister abide by the law, made by a parliament, of which he is a member. These are strange times for democracy,” Corbyn said yesterday.

An opinion poll on voting intentions, carried out by Sur-vation for the Daily Mail, put the Conservatives on 29%, down 2% from the previous poll, with Labour unchanged on 24%.

The Liberal Democrats were on 18%, with the Brexit Party on 17%.

Former deputy prime min-ister David Lidington said obeying the rule of law was a

fundamental principle of the ministerial code.

“Defying any particular law sets a really really dangerous precedent.”

Lidington, who was May’s deputy, resigned before Johnson took office.

Johnson said the only solution to the Brexit deadlock is a new election, which he wants to take place on October 15, allowing him to win a new mandate with two weeks left to leave on time.

Two-thirds of parliament’s lawmakers need to back an early election, but opposition parties, including Labour, said they would either vote against or abstain on this until the law to force Johnson to seek a Brexit delay is implemented.

“We need a clear statement from the prime minister that he is going to abide by that act of parliament,” Corbyn said.

Johnson failed to win enough support in a vote on Wednesday for an election, with another vote scheduled for Monday.

Separately yesterday, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said a “concerningly high number” of firms in the country are not ready for a no-deal Brexit.

The BCC said its survey of 1,500 firms found 41% had not even done a Brexit risk assessment.

“Our evidence yet again rein-forces the importance of averting a chaotic exit on October 31,” director general Adam Marshall said.

US teen’s lawyer in Italy drops bid for releaseAP ROME

The lawyer for one of two American teenagers being held in the slaying of an Italian police officer said yesterday that he has dropped a request for his client to be released.

Finnegan Lee Elder’s lawyer, Renato Borzone, said in a statement that the defence still needs more time to get a full picture of what happened. He added that he is still working to clarify “key passages” in the investigation.

Elder and his friend, Gabriel Natale-Hjorth who is also in custody, were jailed in Rome in

July as authorities investigate their alleged roles in the fatal stabbing of Italian police officer Mario Cer-ciello Rega. Italian prosecutors say Elder confessed knifing the officer during a scuffle.

A hearing on Natale-Hjorth’s petition for release will be held on September 16.

In a family statement issued on Friday, Elder’s mother Leah said “she has been grateful to have been able to see her son” in Rome in the past two days and sent her thoughts to Cerciello Rega’s family.

“Finn is trying to stay hopeful but has suffered from severe depression since the incident,” the family said. “While in prison

he has seen the way the media has portrayed him and the cir-cumstances of the case and it has been difficult to hear the facts unfairly misrepresented.”

Cerciello Rega was stabbed to death while he was investi-gating with a colleague an alleged drug deal gone wrong involving the two teens.

Prosecutors contend that Elder stabbed Cerciello Rega while Natale-Hjorth scuffled with the officer’s partner during a rendezvous organised by the teens to obtain money and cocaine in exchange for a backpack they had snatched.

The backpack belonged to an Italian man suspected of being

an intermediary in the drug deal, who called the Carabinieri asking them to intervene.

Both teens have told inves-tigators that they didn’t know that the two officers were Cara-binieri as they were in plain-clothes and didn’t identify them-selves. But their version contra-dicts that of Cerciello Rega’s partner, who said they both showed their badges when they confronted the teens.

Elder’s US attorneys said in a separate statement that “the boys’ version of what happened that night has gained support from the objective incident and has become the only version that makes sense.”

Polish ruling party offers voters even more cashREUTERS/WARSAW

Poland’s ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party will offer pensioners regular annual cash bonuses and will almost double the minimum wage for workers, its leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said ahead of parliamentary elections next month.

“At the end of 2020 the minimum pay will amount to 3,000 zlotys, at the end of 2023 it will be 4,000 zlotys,” Kac-zynski told his party congress yesterday. At present the minimum wage is 2,250 zlotys a month.

“In 2021 most pensioners will get two thirteen pay (cash bonuses),” Kaczynski added. This year pensioners were paid a so-called thirteenth payment, as the extra cash handout is known.

Earlier Kaczynski, who has no formal government post but is seen as Poland’s de-facto leader, was also quoted as saying in an interview with tabloid Super Express that he expects Mateusz Morawiecki to remain as Prime Minister if PiS wins on October 13.

PiS, which is leading in opinion polls, faces a tough election campaign as its image as the party fighting for justice in Poland has been tarnished by political scandals.

Its parliamentary speaker resigned after Polish media revealed that he had used a gov-ernment jet for private trips with his family.

And Poland’s deputy justice minister quit after he sought to discredit judges critical of the government’s judicial reforms by

planting rumours about their private lives.

Against this background, PiS, which is targeting a majority in the new parliament, has decided to

increase handouts to voters, espe-cially its core electorate, including the elderly who this year received a one-off cash bonus.

The PiS also promised on

Saturday increased payments for farmers and a hike in the minimum pension to 1,200 from 1,100 zlotys, without giving more details.

Poland’s Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski speaks during a party convention ahead of parliamentary elections in October, in Lublin, Poland, yesterday.

Two die hiking in Austrian AlpsAP BERLIN

Austrian authorities said two German men have died in separate accidents while hiking in the Alps.

Austria’s APA news agency reported a 60-year-old man died while hiking near Nassereith in western Austria after falling as part of a three-man climbing team roped together.

The man was the lead climber and fell past the middle climber and ended up hanging upside down and suffering fatal injuries.

About 40km to the south near St. Leonhard im Pitztal, a 50-year-old climber fell into a crevasse at high altitude on Friday and suffered serious injuries.

Rescue members were able to get him to a hospital for treatment but APA reported he died yesterday morning.

Drone seized as soccer fans held in KosovoAP PRAGUE

Officials said police in Kosovo have arrested eight Czech soccer fans who were allegedly planning to fly a drone with a pro-Serbia banner during Saturday’s 2020 European Championship qualifier between Kosovo and the Czech Republic.

Michal Jurman, spokesman for the Czech soccer associ-ation, said six men and two women were arrested near the Kosovo capital of Pristina. Police seized a drone, a Serbian flag and a banner that read “Kosovo is Serbia,” and also fireworks and a knife.

Kosovo police said in a statement they had stopped two cars with Czech number plates and found a drone, banner, Serbian flag, six knives and two walkie-talkies.

The Czech Foreign Ministry confirmed the arrests.

Spokesman Robert Rehak said they took place on Friday and all eight people, one of whom also has Serbian citi-zenship, were released early yesterday.

There are tight security measures around the stadium ahead of the match starting at 1300 GMT. Fans can bring flags to the game but no other objects.

“Dardanet,” a group of Kosovo fans, called on sup-porters to show “maturity and self-restraint.”

“Any potential incident would harm Kosovo,” the group said in a Facebook statement.

French ‘yellow vest’ protesters look to revive movementAFP MONTPELLIER

Anti-government protesters turned out in several French cities yesterday, hoping to inject fresh momentum into weekly demonstrations calling for social justice and the ouster of Pres-ident Emmanuel Macron.

The so-called “yellow vest” movement had tapered off over the summer, but its leaders are hoping to galvanise support for a fresh wave of rallies as the gov-ernment embarks on a reform of France’s retirement system.

Police said around 1,500 people gathered in the southern city of Montpellier, where a police car was set aflame by a firebomb as officers used tear gas to try to disperse the crowd.

Several storefronts were also vandalised, and police said three people had been detained.

Rallies of several hundreds

of people were held in cities including Rouen, Strasbourg and Toulouse.

“We’re all together, we want the government to drastically change its policies... and radical change can only come when this government resigns,” said Alex-andre Chantry, a yellow vest organiser in Lille.

However only a few dozen people demonstrated in Paris, where the authorities have maintained a ban on protests on the Champs-Elysees.

The famous avenue was the scene of burning cars, smashed storefronts and violent clashes with police after the yellow vest protests erupted last November.

Triggered by anger over a fuel tax increase, they quickly bal-looned into a broad movement against Macron, accused of ignoring the day-to-day struggles of low-income earners in small-town and rural France.

The protests rocked Macron’s presidency, and he eventually unveiled nearly $18.8bn in wage boosts and tax cuts for low earners to quell the protests,

while vowing to better address voters’ grievances after months of town-hall debates.

But after attracting 282,000 people nationwide at the first

yellow vest marches on November 17, their numbers had fallen sharply by last spring, and only sporadic protests were seen over the summer.

A street medic uses a fire extinguisher on a burning French Municipal Police car on the sidelines of an anti-government demonstration called by the “yellow vests” (gilets jaunes) movement in Montpellier, southern France, yesterday.

Queen Elizabeth is expected to sign the bill which would force Boris Johnson to ask the European Union for an extension to Britain’s departure to avoid a no-deal exit on October 31, on Monday.

Germany ready to assist Greece in migrant arrivalsAP/BERLIN

The German government said it is closely watching as the number of migrants reaching the Greek islands has seen a jump.

Government spokeswoman Martina Fietz said the increase in migrants coming to the islands by sea “needs to be taken seriously.” But she also stressed that the latest arrival numbers are significantly lower than during 2015-2016 surge in mass migration to Europe.

Germany took in the biggest share of migrants from that influx. Fietz said Germany stands ready to assist Greece now through the EU and bilaterally.

17SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019 AMERICAS

House panel poised to spell out Trump impeachment probe REUTERS WASHINGTON

The Democratic-led US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, criticised for an impeachment probe of President Donald Trump, is poised to vote next week on a resolution to formalise the investigation, a person familiar with the matter said yesterday.

The panel has rebranded what was originally an oversight probe of Trump’s presidency as an “impeachment” investigation, with the aim of deciding by the end of the year on whether to recommend articles of impeachment to the full House.

As early as Wednesday, committee members could vote on a measure that would better define the investigation, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The committee’s current impeachment approach has been criticised by Republicans for avoiding a precedent set during impeachment inquiries against former President Richard Nixon and former President Bill Clinton.

In those cases, inquiries

were formally authorised by the full House. This time, Democrats have steered clear of a House vote that could prove risky for Democratic freshmen from swing districts where impeachment is unpopular with voters.

For much of the year, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler has focused on the findings of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inves-tigation into Russian election meddling in the 2016 presi-dential election and evidence that Trump sought to impede the probe.

Since Mueller’s testimony in July, Nadler has broadened the investigation to include allega-tions that Trump has improperly mixed his business interests with

his role as president, dangled pardons to encourage official misconduct and paid money during the 2016 campaign to silence women claiming to have had affairs with him.

Though the new measure is not expected to be introduced until tomorrow, the source said the resolution would allow staff attorneys to question hearing witnesses, set procedures for closed-door reviews of grand jury material, allow White House counsel to respond in writing to the committee and usher in other changes.

The new procedures could be in place for a September 17 hearing at which Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is scheduled to testify, along with former Trump White House aides Rob Porter and Rick Dearborn.

It was not clear whether the panel would recommend the new resolution for a full House vote.

A more formal investigation could strengthen separate com-mittee lawsuits seeking federal court orders to access Mueller grand jury material and compel testimony from former White House Counsel Don McGahn.

El Salvador launches anti-graft commissionREUTERS SAN SALVADOR

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele unveiled a new inde-pendent commission to tackle corruption, taking inspiration from a UN-backed body that toppled the previous president of neighboring Guatemala.

Bukele, who took office in June, has vowed to stamp out corruption that has implicated former presidents and said he had created the International Commission Against Impunity

in El Salvador (CICIES) through presidential decree.

The body’s name draws heavily on that of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, or CICIG, whose probes brought down dozens of senior officials and politicians there including Otto Perez, the prior Guatemalan president.

“There’s a clamor among the Salvadoran people to combat corruption,” said Bukele as he signed an agreement with the Organization of American States (OAS) to create the CICIES.

“The people aren’t just calling for corruption to be fought, it wants corruption to be fought with a CICIES.”

The United Nations is also considering a request from Bukele to join the OAS in backing the commission.

“Our biggest achievement would be that CICIES isn’t around in 10 years in El Salvador because democratic institutions have strengthened so much,” said Luis Porto, head of the OAS technical mission. “We didn’t come to stay; we came so that we can go.”

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele with Luis Porto, special envoy of the Organization of American States; and Foreign Affairs Minister Alexandra Hill to create the International Commission against Impunity in El Salvador, San Salvador, yesterday.

A man argues with a police officer during an evacuation operation at Marsh Harbour Government Port after Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands, in Bahamas yesterday.

Hurricane Dorian toll climbs to 43AFP MARSH HARBOUR

The death toll from Hurricane Dorian’s devastating rampage across the Bahamas rose to 43 and was likely to climb “signif-icantly,” officials said, with hundreds missing even as rescuers plucked desperate survivors from the debris.

More than 260 residents of the brutally damaged Abaco Islands arrived in the capital city of Nassau after spending more than seven hours on a gov-ernment-chartered ferry, a second of which was expected

to arrive overnight.Confirming the new toll of

43, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said 35 were killed on worst-hit Abaco and eight on Grand Bahama island.

“The loss of life we are expe-riencing is catastrophic and dev-astating,” he said in a statement quoted by The Tribune daily.

With many missing, “this number is expected to grow sig-nificantly,” his spokeswoman Erica Wells Cox said.

On the eventual death toll, Health Minister Duane Sands earlier said “the number will be staggering.”

“Literally hundreds, up to thousands, of people are still missing,” Joy Jibrilu, the director general of the Bahamian tourism and aviation ministry, said.

Thousands of people were left homeless on Grand Bahama and Abaco and many were becoming frustrated with the speed of relief and evacuation efforts.

According to UN relief offi-cials, more than 70,000 people — virtually the entire population of Grand Bahama and Abaco —are in need of assistance after the storm reduced homes to matchsticks and destroyed peo-ple’s livelihoods.

Agency reverses course on Trump’s hurricane claimAP WASHINGTON

A federal agency reversed course on the question of whether President Donald Trump tweeted stale infor-mation about Hurricane Dorian potentially hitting Alabama, upsetting meteorologists around the country.

Last week, Trump had warned that Alabama, along with the Carolinas and Georgia, was “most likely to be hit (much) harder than anticipated.”

The National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama, tweeted in response: “Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian. We repeat, no impacts from Hur-ricane #Dorian will be felt across Alabama. The system will remain too far east.”

But the president has been adamant throughout the week that he was correct, and the White House has deployed gov-ernment resources and staff to back him.

The latest defence came out on Friday, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a statement from an unidentified spokesman stating that infor-mation provided by NOAA and the National Hurricane Center to the president had demon-strated that “tropical-storm-force winds from Hurricane Dorian could impact Alabama.”

The advisories were dated from last Wednesday, August 28,

through Monday, the statement read.

The statement also said the Birmingham NWS tweet on Sunday morning “spoke in absolute terms that were incon-sistent with probabilities from the best forecast products available at the time.”

The statement from NOAA contrasts with comments the agency’s spokesman, Chris Vaccaro, made last Sunday. “The current forecast path of Dorian does not include Alabama,” Vaccaro said at the time.

NOAA statement, attributed to an unnamed spokesman and released just before 5pm on Friday, points to a few graphics issued by the National Hurricane Center to support Trump’s claims.

Alabama was not mentioned in any of the 75 forecast advi-sories the hurricane center sent out between August 27 and Sept-tember 2. Nor was any Alabama city mentioned in the charts that listed percentage chances of tropical storm force winds or hurricane force winds. Every state along the US East Coast - as well as Canada and inland places like Washington —was mentioned in those charts, but not Alabama.

Oklahoma University mete-orology professor Jason Furtado said NOAA’s statement and the president’s Twitter “war on weather” are undermining con-fidence in meteorologists, adding, “The job just got harder because of this issue.”

US government officials to discuss slashing refugee capAP WASHINGTON

Trump administration officials will meet next week to discuss whether to further restrict the number of refugees accepted into the US each year, according to a senior administration official.

Some administration officials believe that the cap should be smaller because of the number of asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border and other

protections afforded to migrants who live in war-torn countries or those devastated by natural disasters. Some have argued for the number to be 15,000 or fewer, according to two other administration officials. The offi-cials were not allowed to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Nothing has been decided. Senior leaders will meet in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss the cap, which is set by the president and must be

decided before the new fiscal year begins October 1.

Right now, the cap is set at 30,000, and 28,501 refugees were accepted between October 1, 2018, and September 6. Last budget year the cap was 45,000 and 22,491 were admitted. That’s one-quarter of the number allowed to enter two years ago and the lowest since Congress passed a law in 1980 creating the modern resettlement system.

Behind the reductions were more stringent security protocols

for citizens of 11 countries des-ignated by the administration as presenting the greatest potential threat.

The State Department acknowledged that the screening and vetting procedures have resulted in fewer refugee admis-sions in 2018.

The tighter screening of ref-ugees reflects one of Trump’s signature issues. He imposed a travel ban on people from seven majority Muslim countries as one of his first actions upon taking

office in January 2017.The Department of

Homeland Security has since made it harder to enter the US entirely, with more rigorous interviews and background checks. Administration officials say refugee applicants are now subject to the strictest, most comprehensive background check process for any group seeking to come to the US.

Officials collect more data on refugee applicants and conduct higher-level security vetting.

According to a source, as early as Wednesday, committee members could vote on a measure that would better define the investigation.

US hails Denmarkgovt’s military assistance in SyriaANATOLIA WASHINGTON

The US hailed Denmark’s decision to deploy troops in Syria to assist the global coalition fight against militants.

“The United States wel-comes the announcement by the Danish Government to make a military deployment to Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and to continue to share the burden and responsibilities of this important mission,” said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.

Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the country would send a 14-member medical team, combat battalion, warship and four fighter aircraft with support personnel.

“Our Danish partners will work with the residual US mil-itary force in northeast Syria to support stability and security,” said Hoffman. “We look forward to working with our Danish ally to continue our shared mission of achieving ISIS’s enduring defeat-in Syria and wherever else the group may operate,” he said.

Naval Academy probes alleged noose incidentAP/ANNAPOLIS

The US Naval Academy is inves-tigating a report that a noose was hung on academy property on the 56th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Naval Academy Superin-tendent Vice Adm. Sean Buck said in a statement that the noose was found in a con-struction zone off-limits to staff.

Buck said while it’s possible the noose was part of a hoisting system to complete ductwork, the academy will investigate it because it “takes all allegations of race hate very seriously.”

Carl Snowden, chairman of the Caucus of African-American Leaders, said the caucus was contacted anonymously about a noose being hung on August 28, the 56th anniversary of the March on Washington.

18 SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019AMERICAS

Brazil’s 197th Independence Day celebrationsBrazil President Jair Bolsonaro taking part in the Independence Day Parade in Brasilia yesterday. RIGHT: People holding banner that reads “In defense of the sovereignty of the Amazon”, to protest against Jair Bolsonaro’s government, during Brazil’s Independence Day celebrations, in Belo Horizonte, yesterday.

Maduro rejects talks with oppnAP CARACAS

President Nicolas Maduro said that he won’t resume talks with the opposition until it rejects calls by a top supporter in Britain to give up Venezuela’s long-standing claims to an oil-rich part of neighboring Guyana.

Maduro’s comments came after his chief prosecutor opened an investigation against Vanessa Neumann, the top envoy in London for opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is recognised as Venezuela’s rightful president by the US, United Kingdom and four dozen other nations.

“Until they rectify their position, they won’t see our faces,” Maduro said in a televised meeting with aides.

Talks on ending Venezuela’s political stalemate had been taking place under the spon-sorship of Norway since April. But Maduro last month broke off the talks taking place on the

Caribbean island of Barbados over the opposition’s support for tougher US sanctions to punish companies from third countries that do business in Venezuela.

On Thursday, Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez released months-old recordings in which Neumann can be heard urging a Guaido aide, Manuel Avendano, to give up the oppo-sition’s claim to the Essequibo region of Guyana.

In the purported recording, Neumann said that after speaking with the British Foreign Office, she recommends that the opposition “drop the topic” of Venezuela’s claim to Essequibo in order to secure London’s political support. Guyana is a member of the British Commonwealth.

The recording was made before Guaido, head of the oppo-sition-controlled congress, declared himself Venezuela’s president in January, arguing that Maduro’s re-election w a s f raudulent and unconstitutional.

But the recording none-theless appeared to have touched a nationalist nerve among Venezuelans — one shared by even Maduro’s fiercest opponents.

Venezuelans have long claimed a mineral-rich region west of the Essequibo River in Guyana, contending it was stolen from their country in the 19th century breakup of the former British colony, a view reflected since the 1970s in maps showing as much as 40% of Guyana as Venezuelan territory.

In announcing charges, Ven-ezuela’s chief prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, accused Neumann and Avendano of secretly nego-tiating a deal to drop Venezuela’s

claim to Essequibo in exchange for lucrative contracts with mul-tinational corporations.

Neumann had yet to respond. But hours later, Avendano entered the Chilean ambassador’s residence in Caracas, joining a long list of opposition activists who have sought protection at foreign embassies.

Guaido shrugged off Maduro’s heated comments.

“They aren’t going to confuse or distract us,” Guaido said at an event in eastern Anzoategui state, adding that Maduro has done far greater damage to Ven-ezuela’s sovereignty by pro-viding shelter to Colombian rebels and drug trafficking groups.

Maduro’s interest in the dis-puted Essequibo area has increased since ExxonMobil in 2015 made one of the world’s largest oil discoveries off the coast of sparsely populated Guyana.

S Carolina, Kansas GOP scrap 2020 presidential preference votesAP COLUMBIA

Republican leaders in South Carolina and Kansas have voted to scrap their presidential nomi-nating contests in 2020, while party officials Nevada were deciding whether to follow suit as the GOP erects more hurdles for the long shots challenging President Donald Trump.

Canceling primaries, cau-cuses and other voting is not an unusual move for the party of the White House incumbent seeking a second term, and allows Trump to try to consol-idate his support as Democrats work to winnow down their large field of candidates.

A spokesman for the South Carolina Republican Party, Joe Jackson, confirmed that the party voted yesterday against holding a presidential primary next year.

The Kansas GOP tweeted on Friday that it will not organise a caucus “because President Trump is an elected incumbent from the Republican Party.”

Its state committee planned to approve rules for an “internal party process” for selecting con-vention delegates, according to Kelly Arnold, the party’s former state chairman, and Helen Van Etten, a member of the Repub-lican National Committee from Topeka.

Officials in Nevada scheduled meetings to determine the fate of their contests.

Challengers have emerged to Trump, including Bill Weld , a former Massachusetts gov-ernor, and Joe Walsh, a former Illinois congressman. Others may join them.

Walsh said after the South Carolina vote that his campaign

would “fight South Carolina and any other state that considers doing this.” He also noted that Trump complained during the 2016 election “about how the Democrats were rigging the system to get Hillary (Clinton) elected. Well, look what he’s doing now. You talk about rigging a system.”

Primary challenges to incumbents are rarely successful, and Trump’s poll numbers among Republican voters have proved resilient. Nonetheless, Trump aides are looking to prevent a repeat of the con-vention discord that highlighted the electoral weaknesses of Pres-idents George H W Bush and Jimmy Carter in their failed ree-lection campaigns

Since last year, Trump’s campaign has worked to monitor and at times control the process by which delegates to next year’s Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, are selected. His cam-paign wants the convention to be a four-night “infomercial” for Trump by sidelining the presi-dent’s detractors within the party.

The effort is an acknowl-edgment that Trump hasn’t completely cemented his grip on the GOP and might not coast to the nomination without some opposition. To that end, the campaign has worked over the past year to scuttle any attempts at a Trump challenge by party dissidents, mindful that a serious primary opponent could weaken Trump heading into the general election.

In January, the Republican National Committee voted to express its “undivided support” for Trump and his “effective presidency.”

California boat fire victims likely died of smoke inhalationREUTERS LOS ANGELES

The 34 people killed when a dive boat caught fire and sank off the California coast likely died from smoke inhalation and may have been dead before flames consumed their bunk area, the local sheriff said.

The disclosure raised ques-tions over whether crew members, who told investigators they tried desperately to rescue the passengers in their below-decks sleeping quarters, were already too late to save them by the time they were alerted to the blaze.

Divers have so far recovered

the burned remains of 33 victims, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told a news conference. They hoped to find the final body when the 23 metre Conception was raised from the ocean floor as early as Friday.

“We will continue working tenaciously to recover all the victims, to determine how they died and investigate the cause of this terrible fire and loss of life with the hope that future such tragedies can be prevented,” Brown said.

The Conception erupted in fire at about 3:15 am (1015 GMT) on Monday off Santa Cruz Island, killing 33 passengers and a crew member in one of California’s

worst maritime disasters.The five surviving crew

members, who were above deck when the fire broke out, have told investigators the fierce flames kept them from climbing down a narrow ladder into the bunk room or gaining access through a window.

A coroner’s pathologist was “convinced” that the victims died due to smoke inhalation, Brown said, but his analysis was con-sidered preliminary pending tox-icology tests.

The sheriff stopped short of saying the findings meant the crew’s efforts would have been too late to save the victims, saying more investigation was required.

Officials have decided against conducting autopsies on the victims so the remains could be more quickly released to family members, some of whom had traveled to California from as far away as India.

The coroner’s office has identified 18 of the recovered bodies and officials released the names of nine victims, saying the rest awaited notifications of next of kin, who have been asked to provide DNA samples.

The FBI had been assisting in contacting loved ones of the dead. One victim’s mother was notified in Japan and another family was found in Singapore, Brown said.

Until they rectify their position, they won’t see our faces: Nicolas Maduro

People walk in a procession on the beach during a public vigil for victims of the Conception boat fire, in Santa Monica, California.

Kamala Harris backs mandatory buyback of assault weaponsBLOOMBERG WASHINGTON

Kamala Harris (pictured) said yesterday that she supports a mandatory buyback of military-style assault weapons, taking a more aggressive position than her main rivals for the Demo-cratic presidential nomination.

“I think it’s a good idea,” she told reporters after a campaign event in Londonderry, New Hampshire.

“We have to work out the details — there are a lot of details — but I do” support a forced buyback, Harris said when asked about the policy.

“We have to take those guns off the streets.”

Harris’s higher-polling rivals

Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren back banning sales of semi-automatic rifles like those used in recent mass shootings but stop short of calling for a forced buyback of guns already owned.

Beto O’Rourke has said he would require owners of such weapons to sell them to the government.

A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 49 percent of Amer-icans oppose a mandatory buyback of assault weapons while 46 percent favor the idea. But among Democrats, 71 percent support the idea while just 23 percent are against it.

Ex-reservist missing amid Canada probe

AP ROSEAU

Authorities in northern Minnesota and Canada are urging residents to avoid contact and call police if they see a former Canadian Armed Forces reservist with alleged ties to a hate group.

Patrik Mathews has been missing for two weeks and was last seen by family members in Beausejour, northeast of Win-nipeg. Canadian authorities found his truck Monday on rural property near the US-Canadian border.

Authorities on both sides of the border continued searching for him.


CROSSWORD

A woman and a young man fall in love with each other.

JUST A STRANGER

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

Porinju Mariyam Jose (2D/Malayalam) 2:00 & 11:30pm; Playmobil The Move (2D/Animation) 2:15pm; Saaho (2D/Tamil) 2:15pm; Trouble (2D/Animation) 5:15pm; Angel Has Fallen (2D/Action) 7:00pm; Welad Rizk 2 (2D/Arabic) 9;15pm; Mission Mangal (2D/Comedy) 4:00pm; IT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 8:00 & 11:00pm; Dora And The Lost City Of Gold (2D/Adventure) 5:00pm; Just A Stranger (2D/Tagalog) 7:00pm; Chhichhore (2D/Hindi) 9:00 & 11:30pm;

Chhichhore (2D/Hindi) 11:15am, 5:30 & 11:45pm; Saaho (2D/Hindi) 10:30am & 5:45pm; Ittymaani (2D/Malayalam) 12:00, 6:00pm & 12:00am; IT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 2:15 & 8:30pm; Brothers Day (2D/Malayalam) 3:00, 9:00 & 11:30pm;Playmobil The Move (2D/Animation) 3:30pm;Just A Stranger (2D/Tagalog) 9:00pm

LANDMARK

AL KHOR

Brothers Day (2D/Malayalam) 7:00, 9:00 & 11:15pm ; Chhichhore (2D/Hindi) 6:30pm; Magamuni (2D/Tamil) 6:30pm;Ittymaani (2D/Malayalam) 8:15, 10:00, 9:30pm & 12:00am;Porinju Mariyam Jose (2D/Malayalam) 10:00pm;

ASIAN TOWN

ROXY

FLIK Mirqab Mall

47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2D/Adventure) 10:30am, 1:10, 2:50, 4:40, 6:30, 8:20, 10:10 & 11:50pmDora And The Lost City Of Gold (2D/Adventure) 10:30am, 2:30, 4:40, 8:30 & 12:30pm; Angel Has Fallen (2D/Action) 4:40, 8:00, 10:00 & 11:30pm; Sesh’s Evaru (2D/Telugu) 10:30am, 1:20, 4:10, 7:00, 9:50, 9:10, 3:30, 6:20pm; Knnedy Club (2D/Tamil) 7:15, 9:00 & 10:40pm; Khayal Ma’ata (2D/Arabic) 12;30, 11:10, 11:00, 3:30 & 11:10pm; Ranarangam (2D/Telugu) 11:00am, 1:40, 4:30, 12:30, 3:20 & 6:10pm; Ready Or Not (2D/Horror) 6:00 & 7:10pmSheep And Wolves 2 (2D/Animation) 4:40, 6:30 & 6:50pmThe Angry Birds Movie 2 2:30 & 12:30pm

47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2D/Adventure) 0:30am; Angel Has Fallen (2D/Action) 11:20, 12:10,1:40, 2:30, 4:00, 4:50, 5:40, 7:10, 8:00, 9:30, 10:50 & 11:50pmDora And The Lost City Of Gold (2D/Adventure) 10;10am, 11:10am & 1:10pm; Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw 3:10; IT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 10;40am, 12:40, 1:50, 3:50, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:10, 9:10, 10:10 & 11:20pm; Just A Stranger (2D/Tagalog) 5:30, 7;45, 10;00 & 0:15am; Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2D/Comedy) 4:20pm, Playmobil The Move (2D/Animation) 10;20am, 11:30, 12:20, 1:30, 2:20 & 3:30pmReady or Not 10:20pm & 0:20am T-34 (2D/Action) 6:20 & 8:35pm; Welad Rizk 2 (2D/Arabic) 7;20, 9;50pm & 0:25am

Playmobil The Move (2D/Animation) 2:30pm;Ittymaani (2D/Malayalam) 2:15 & 4:15 & 8:15pm; Brothers Day (2D/Malayalam) 5:15 & 11:15pm; IT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 5:30, 8:30 & 11:00pm;The Lion King (2D/Drama) 5:30pm; Chhichhore (2D/Hindi) 3:00 & 9:00pm; The Lion King (2D/Animation) 4:15pm; Just A Stranger (2D/Tagalog) 7:00pm;T-34 (2D/Action) 11:30pm

ROYAL PLAZA

Magamuni (2D/Tamil) 2:00pm; Ittymaani (2D/Malayalam) 2:00, 6:30 & 11:30pm;Brothers Day (2D/Malayalam) 2:30 &11:30pm; Surkhi Bindi (2D/Punjabi) 4:45pmPlaymobil The Move (2D/Animation) 4:45pm; Chhichhore (2D/Hindi) 5:30 & 9:00pm; The Lion King (2D/Drama) 7:00pm; IT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 8:15 & 11:15pm;Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (2D/Action) 9:15pm

MALL

Auto Class Cars presents new offer on wide range of MG cars THE PENINSULA DOHA

Auto Class Cars, the authorized distributor of MG in Qatar, launched a new offer on MG vehicles that allow new buyers to leverage from wide range of benefits and get a new Liverpool Jersey.

Valid until September 30, 2019, the offer allows buyers to get one of the MG RX5 starting from QR1,099 per month, MG ZS starting from QR 999 per month, while the MG6 is available from QR1,199 per month.

Buyers can benefit from a package of added features including free car registration and comprehensive insurance for one year, and with the longest warranty period available in the market of 6 years warranty / 200,000 KMs (whichever comes first) and free service for 2 years / 30,000 KMs (whichever comes first). Any of these vehicles can be purchased with no down payment and with the option of inhouse financing with special rate interest through NBK Financial Services (Terms and conditions apply).

Commemorating the new deal between MG and Liverpool Football Club, all buyers will get a complementary official Liverpool jersey with a free voucher to print the name at GO Sports stores. MG Motor is the official Global Partner of Liverpool Football Club, following a signing ceremony that took place last summer at Liverpool Football Club’s Anfield Stadium.

Hesham Al Sahn, general manager of Auto Class Cars said: “We are pleased to launch this special offer on MG cars, including two of our bestselling SUVs and the amazing MG6. MG enthusiasts can now leverage from wide range of benefits that will reduce the cost of service on the medium on long term.

Besides, we are pleased to offer the Liv-erpool jersey, the champions league winners, to all buyers with the opportunity to customize at with their favourite name. Auto Class Cars will stay committed to the local community and offer best deals that reflect the strong rela-tions with our valued customers”. The sleek, dynamic profile of the all-new MG 6 is boosted by carbon fibre trim on the front bumper,

headlamps featuring a ‘London Eye’ design concept, twin chrome exhaust pipes and a ‘Star Rider’ front grille, which takes inspiration from the brand’s expressive design language.

The sporty, premium vibe continues inside the cabin with a smartly configured dashboard and central console, complemented by stylish leather-wrapped seats boasting a black and red interior on top-of-the-range models. In addition to offering the most interior space in its segment, the all-new MG 6 builds on MG’s reputation for providing extremely generous levels of equipment.

The MG 6 will be equipped with a 1.5-litre turbo engine, mated to a 7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DTC) with paddle shift option, for smooth, effortless performance. This effi-cient petrol unit delivers maximum power of 169hp and maximum torque of 250Nm.

The new MG RX5 will appeal to a range of customers in Qatar, especially younger buyers looking for value for money in a stylish, tech-nologically-advanced package that allows them to stand out from the crowd. Equipped with a 1.5T petrol engine and 7-speed auto-matic gearbox the MG RX5 is available as entry level standard or mid-range COM models.

Since its acquisition of MG Motor, SAIC MOTOR, as a Global Top 500 company, has opened a new chapter for this British-born brand. The introduction of the all-new MG 6 follows the launch of two SUV models earlier this year, the MG RX5 compact SUV and the MG ZS SUV, as well as the second-generation of MG GS. Together, these models join the existing MG 360 to complete the brand’s Middle East line-up.

The MG line up of cars are available now at Auto Class Cars showroom on Salwa Road. The showroom opens from Saturday to Thursday from 8am to 9pm, and on Friday from 5pm to 9pm.

The new models of MG cars.

The new MG RX5 will appeal to a range of customers in Qatar, especially younger buyers looking for value for money in a stylish, technologically-advanced package that allows them to stand out from the crowd. Equipped with a 1.5T petrol engine and 7-speed automatic gearbox the MG RX5 is available as entry level standard or mid-range COM models.

20 SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019MORNING BREAK

Hundreds of enthusiasts visited the S’hail - Katara Hunting and Falcons Exhibition, which came to a close yesterday, after five days of activities. More than 140 local and international companies specialising in hunting and falcon services were represented at the event.

Katara Hunting & Falcons Exhibition draws crowds

Apple to launch new iPhones on TuesdayBLOOMBERG LOS ANGELES

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook will take the stage in Cupertino, California on Tuesday to unveil the latest iPhones.

This is the company’s most important day of the year. The smartphone makes up almost half of Apple’s sales and new models juice other sources of revenue.

There will be three new models: “Pro” upgrades to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max and a replacement for the iPhone XR. The company is also readying new Apple Watches.

The high-end iPhone updates will be all about the cameras: These handsets will have three cameras on the back for wide-angle photography, higher-resolution pictures, and much-improved video recording.

There will be new AI-powered features for auto-cor-recting photos, putting people back into a frame when they’ve been chopped off, and live editing of video while it’s being recorded. Apple is also going to rival Google Pixel phones with a focus on improving pictures t a k e n i n l o w - l i g h t

environments. The Face ID camera will get

an upgrade, too, letting people unlock their phone even if it’s flat on a table. Wireless charging is

getting an upgrade: Devices like AirPods and the Apple Watch will be charged by laying them on the back of the phone. It’s a Samsung-like feature that is

more important since Apple scrapped its AirPower multi-device charger.

The Apple logo on the back of the new phones will be centred so users know where to put their AirPods and Watch for charging.

There’s been a lot of talk about Apple charging high prices for replacing shattered iPhones, but this year’s models are less likely to have that problem. The new handsets are said to with-stand many types of drops with more shatter-resistant glass and shock-resistance.

The devices will also be able to survive under water for several hours, up from the 30 minute rating of the iPhone XS line.

The iPhone XR’s replacement is getting a new camera too. Apple will add a second camera to the back of the lower-cost iPhone, giving it enhanced por-trait mode ability and optical zoom. It’ll also come in a new colour, green.

It will get a faster A13 chip, like the new high-end models.

This year’s Apple Watch updates will be software and casing-focused, with the company planning new versions in ceramic and titanium.

Film on ‘environmental racism’ to debut at TIFFREUTERS TORONTO

Hollywood star Ellen Page has returned to her native Nova Scotia on Canada’s Atlantic coast to direct her first film on “environmental racism”, debuting on Sunday at Toronto’s International Film Festival.

In “There’s Something in the Water”, the “Juno” Oscar nominee spotlights the practice of using economically marginalised communities of colour as a location for haz-ardous projects such as dumps.

Page, also known for her roles in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “Inception,” based her documentary on a book of the same name by Ingrid Waldron, a nursing professor at Canada’s Dal-housie University.

“It’s not just about physical harm and health impacts,” said Waldron of risky development projects.

“When you just impose yourself on communities... with no consultation, it’s a huge slap in the face and dis-respect,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation

in a phone interview. Page’s film follows stories in three historically black or indig-enous rural communities in Nova Scotia, a province with about one million residents, some 2.7% of Canada’s entire population.

It features communities battling to stop the con-struction of a new dump, while others push for the cleanup of a contaminated waterway or oppose the con-struction of a natural gas storage facility.

The documentary was filmed in less than two weeks

in April when Page traveled to interview activists and “water protectors”, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Page said she was “thrilled” the documentary had been accepted for the Toronto festival and was “hopeful that the large platform TIFF provides will help spark the change that is needed”. According to Waldron, one of the film’s producers, a lack of land rights belies some of the envi-ronmental problems featured in the documentary.

Wikipedia goes offline partially after attackAFP WASHINGTON

Popular online reference website Wikipedia went down in several countries after the website was targeted by what it described as a “malicious attack”.

The server of the Wiki-media Foundation, which hosts the site, suffered a “massive” Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, the organisa-tion’s German account said in a tweet late Friday.

In a separate statement the Wikimedia Foundation said that the attack on the encyclo-pedia was “ongoing” and teams were working to restore access.

DDoS attacks often involve legions of zombie computers -- machines infected with viruses and commanded to simultane-ously visit a website.

Wikimedia condemned the breach of its server, saying it threatened “everyone’s funda-mental rights to freely access and share information.” Similar cyber attacks have hammered other popular domains in recent years.

‘Joker’ wins top prize at Venice Film FestivalAFP VENICE

“Joker”, a daring take on the comic book villain starring Joaquin Phoenix, won the Golden Lion for best film at the Venice Film Festival yesterday with Roman Polanski contro-versially taking second prize.

His voice shaking emotion, US director Todd Phillips — best known up to now for the slap-stick comedy “Very Bad Trip” — paid tribute to Phoenix as “the fiercest and bravest and most open-minded lion that I know.

“Thank you for trusting me with your insane talents,” he said.

The movie, which The Guardian had described as “one of the boldest Hollywood pro-ductions for some time”, has already sparked a heated debate.

And there were audible gasps when director Roman Polanski was handed the Grand Prix second prize for his Dreyfus Affair drama, “An Officer and a Spy”.

Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson worried that it was “exhilarating in the most pru-rient of ways, a snuff film about the death of order, about the rot of a governing ethos.” He feared that it “may be irresponsible propaganda for the very men it pathologises”.

But most critics disagreed, with Variety’s Owen Gleiberman saying Phoenix has remade Batman’s arch-enemy as a “Method psycho, a trouble-maker so intense in his cuckoo hostility that even as you’re gawking at his violence, you still feel his pain.”

But almost as many head-lines are likely to be made, however, by Polanski’s win, even though a jury of interna-tional critics had earlier given his film their top prize.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum33oC 42oC

HIGH TIDE 13:41 – 00:00 LOW TIDE 05:49 – 21:58

Misty at places by early morning becomes

hot daytime with slight dust to blowing

dust at places at times and some clouds.

FAJRSHOROOK

04. 00 AM05. 17 AM

11. 32 AM03.00 PM

05. 48 PM07. 18 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

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