Volume 24 | Number 8050 | 2 RiyalsSunday 20 October 2019 | 21 Safar 1441 www.thepeninsula.qa

BUSINESS | 01 SPORT | 08

QNB Stars League: Five-star Al Rayyan crush Qatar SC

Qatar-Italy trade up 16%: QC

Chairman

Qatar, Turkey discuss boosting ties

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the sisterly Republic of Turkey met yesterday with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Huber Palace in Istanbul. H E the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs conveyed greetings of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to the President of Turkey and wishes of further progress and prosperity to the brotherly Turkish people. The Turkish President entrusted H E the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to convey his greetings to H H the Amir and best wishes for the Qatari people of more development and progress. They reviewed bilateral relations and a number of issues of mutual interest. H E the Deputy Prime Minister tweeted: “Delighted to be in #Istanbul and meet President @RTErdogan to convey the greetings of HH @TamimBinHamad and his wishes for prosperity, and to discuss the latest developments in #Syria and the region & ways of enhancing cooperation and coordination in topics of mutual interest.”

US a strategic partner of Qatar: QCB GovernorTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar is expected to attract specialised US FinTech companies to help improve the quality and efficiency of the country’s banking system.

While reviewing the latest developments in the country’s financial sector, during a special dinner hosted by the Qatar-US Business Council and the American Chamber of Com-merce on the eve of the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held in Washington, Qatar Central Bank Governor H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Saoud Al Thani noted “the State of Qatar will be able to attract specialised American financial technology companies to come to Qatar and help banks improve the quality and efficiency of their offerings in this area”, QNA reported.

In his speech, Sheikh Abdullah also highlighted the Qatari-US economic relations, and the increasing volume of US trade and imports in Qatar,

touching on the main part-nership areas between the State of Qatar and the United States. He also stressed the importance of the United States as a strategic partner to the State of Qatar, pointing out that all economic indicators confirm the improvement of economic rela-tions between the two sides.

The QCB Governor explained that the unjust embargo imposed on the State of Qatar, has obliged the State to reconsider its

international trade relations, and thus, the state has become more open, diverse and more self-reliant than it was before the blockade.

He pointed out that the State of Qatar has become more ambi-tious, independent, and focusing on globalism, while insisting on strengthening and expanding its relations with important partners.

“With regard to bilateral relations with the United States, Qatar is looking ahead to the future and is committed to finding more ways and alterna-tives to encourage stronger rela-tions between the financial sector in Qatar and its coun-terpart in the United States,” he said.

During the function, attended by companies from all sectors related to financial tech-nology (FinTec) and banking sectors, H E the Governor of Qatar Central Bank was also involved in bilateral discussions with the participating companies to learn about their best prac-tices and prospects of benefiting from them in the financial and banking sectors in Qatar.

Qatar affirms rejection of dictation to undermine sovereigntyQNA NEW YORK

The State of Qatar reiterated its rejection of any attempt to use policies of dictation and inter-vention to undermine the sover-eignty of other countries, and expressed its keenness on resolving disputes peacefully with the support of the relevant organs of the United Nations.

This came in the statement of the State of Qatar delivered by Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani, member of the Qatari del-egation taking part in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, before the Sixth Com-mittee on the Report of the

Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organisation.

Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani said that the United Nations is an indispensable and inclusive international forum for addressing issues related to international cooperation, peace and security, sustainable devel-opment, human rights and the rule of law, which places the Special Committee with a major responsibility to promote inter-national law and to abide by the Charter of the United Nations.

On the basis of the provisions of the Charter that have defined the responsibilities of the

principal organs of the United Nations, it is critical that efforts be focused on achieving the balance envisaged in the Charter between the mandates of all the principal organs, in particular between the mandate of the General Assembly, as the prin-cipal deliberative and represent-ative organ of the organisation, and the mandate of the Security Council as the organ in charge of the maintenance of interna-tional peace and security, he said.

He also pointed to the Char-ter’s emphasis on the principles of multi-lateralism, international cooperation, equality between States, noninterference in internal

affairs, and respect for interna-tional law, which gives States the duty to act in good faith in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and work to prevent conflicts.

He noted that the prohibition of the use or threat of the use of force is one of the main pillars of the multilateral international system, but it is disturbing that some countries are resorting to justify illegal acts that violate the UN Charter and are rejected by the international law and undermine the system of the collective security system, which requires concerted efforts to curb such trends and to ensure respect for the Charter and its basic purposes and principles.

He referred to the illegal uni-lateral actions and the unjust blockade imposed on the State of Qatar for more than two years, in a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international law, and undermining the efforts of the Special Committee to abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter and to respect international law.

He said that the dangers of such policies to regional and inter-national peace and security, and their flagrant violation of the rights of peoples, must be addressed, in line with the purposes and prin-ciples of the Charter and strength-ening the role of the organization in the international arena. �P2

No reconciliation for driving without licence�SIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

Colonel Jaber Mohamed Rashid Odaiba, Assistant Director of the Media and Traffic Awareness Department, said that the Department never reconciles with violation of driving without a licence for children under 18 and the violators will be referred to the public prosecution.

“Such violations are com-mitted more around schools and it is a violation of the law that prohibits driving without a licence. The violator is referred to Juvenile Police, where he is transferred to the Public Prosecution,” said Colonel Odaiba.

Driving without a license for those under 18 is one of the irreg-ularities in which the violators

cannot avail reconciliation and the children’s parents can also be investigated as in some cases they are responsible for giving vehicles to their children, the official said.

Speaking to The Peninsula, Colonel Odaiba pointed out that Major General Mohamed Saad Al Kharji, the Director General of the Traffic Department, had recently stated that there are many vehicles which are registered under children’s names putting a big question on the phenomenon.

Some parents are allowing their children to drive in the small streets and in short dis-tances claiming that there is no traffic density in these areas, which puts lives of residents and road users in the danger. �P2

QNTC topromotesportstourismSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) has kept a special focus on sport tourism to attract tourists from all over the world to Qatar which has emerged as one of the largest hub for sport activities.

“QNTC focused on 10 world markets to bring tourists to Qatar like the US, the UK, Turkey, India, China among others. In the coming days, the focus will be on the countries like the Scandinavian ones,” said Ali Al Muhannadi, Head of Tourism Control at QNTC.

Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe, which covers the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Speaking at a panel dis-cussion on ‘The Future of Work in Tourism in Qatar’ Al Muhannadi said: “QNTC issued 250 licences for tour guides and safari drivers under a major programme to raise the standard of tourism service providers and further regulate the sector.”

He said that QNTC part-nered with the World Feder-ation of Tourist Guide Associ-ations and opened first tourist academy to train local tour guides.

“Qatar attached great importance on sport tourism and its sustainability in collab-oration with its partners as the country is known for interna-tional sport events,” said Al Muhannadi. �P2

Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Director of Qatar International Islamic Bank (QIIB); Dr. Abdulbasit Ahmad Al Shaibei, QIIB Chief Executive Officer; and Sheikh Turki bin Khalid bin Thani Al Thani, member, QIIB Board of Directors, during the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 2019 in Washington, DC. The Bank officials also participated in the reception held by Qatari banks on the sidelines of the meeting.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Saoud Al Thani said that the unjust embargo imposed on the State of Qatar, has obliged the State to reconsider its international trade relations, and thus, the state has become more open, diverse and more self-reliant than it was before the blockade.

02 SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019HOME

Al Hammadi meets Russian Deputy FM

The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, met yesterday with the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Bogdanov, who is currently visiting the country. During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation relations between the two friendly countries as well as issues of common concern.

Msheireb Museums & Barahat Msheireb turn pink for breast cancer awareness THE PENINSULA DOHA

Msheireb Properties, the national real estate developer and subsidiary of Qatar Foundation, announced a series of internal and external activations as the company participates in the nationwide efforts to raise awareness on breast cancer during the month of October.

Last week, Msheireb Prop-erties lit up the facades of Barahat Msheireb and Msheireb Museums in pink in recognition of the cause. Company employees also received an informative card on breast cancer. On October 28, the company is hosting a dedicated internal session for its female staff, steered by Qatar Cancer Society to further elaborate on the topic and answer any questions.

According to many cancer societies around the world, there is a global decrease in the numbers of deaths by breast cancer due to early detection and treatment.

Therefore, knowledge and understanding are crucial for protection and cure. Msheireb Museums, the four heritage houses in the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha, are also the permanent home of the DNA Exhibition by Qatar Genome and Qatar Biobank, titled: “A Journey to the Heart of Life”.

The exhibition demonstrates the relevance of modern DNA studies for many fields, chief among

them the fight against hereditary diseases, which Breast Cancer is considered part of.

Barahat Msheireb and (top) Bin Jelmoud House - Msheireb Museums are seen lit up pink in the bid to raise breast cancer awareness.

Ashghal reviews preparations for rainy season

THE PENINSULA DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) held an informative workshop titled ‘Rainy Season 2019-2020’, headed by its President, Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi (pictured), and attended by a number of officials and senior engineers from Ashghal, as well as a large number of drainage frameworks contractors.

The workshop aimed to highlight the progress of the latest projects done by Ashghal to eliminate the effects of rain-water accumulations in dif-ferent parts of the country. It also discussed Ashghal’s prep-arations for the rainy season and briefing all employees and partners on the work plan, whether from contractors or consultants.

The workshop also shed light on climate change and increase in rainfall, as well as the proposed solutions to deal with this phenomenon. During the workshop, participants dis-cussed future and permanent projects to help deal with rain-water, as well as urgent solu-tions that serve the highways and main roads.

Ashghal’s officials pre-sented the main procedures and processes developed to deal

with rainwater during the important upcoming sports events, such as the Gulf Cup and FIFA Club World Cup which will take place in November and December 2019.

Ashghal ’s President instructed contractors and all concerned authority officials to take all the important precau-tions and measure in order to ensure that highways, main roads, and tunnels are free of rainwater accumulation, putting the road-users safety as the first priority. He stressed the need to implement all drainage projects according to the schedule. It is worthy of men-tioning that Ashghal continues to implement infrastructure projects in certain areas according to the development plan, to include drainage net-works or temporary operational solutions.

Major projects are pro-gressing to complete permanent systems for the discharge of surface water, such as Mesaimeer Outfall Tunnel Project that aims to discharge surface water and rainwater, in addition to permanent drainage networks in various areas.

This is in addition to 20 completed temporary solutions that helps reduce the accumu-lation of rainwater in most vul-nerable areas in Doha to enhance operational readiness. These include the installation of overland pipes with pumps to clear water from the streets and pump it into lagoons away from residential areas.

The recently completed solutions includes Education City, Umm Ebairiya, Al Wakrah, Al Wukair, Arabian Gulf Street and University Street. These areas were heavily impacted by rainwater accumulation last year.

No reconciliation for driving without licence

FROM PAGE 1

Commenting on this practice, Colonel Jaber Mohamed Rashid Odaiba (pic-tured), Assistant Director of the Media and Traffic Awareness Department, said that regarding the responsi-bility of the parents, there are some parents that allow their children to drive without a license, and even buy vehicles and register them in their children names.

On the other hand, he said there are some parents who do not allow their kids but their children take the vehicles without their knowledge or consent. “In both cases, the police investigates the matter and takes the necessary measures,” he stressed.

To a question about the mechanism of stopping such violators on the roads, he said, “Because some children are afraid of the police and can escape in speed therefore the patrols do not follow them in the streets but only notes the vehicle number to arrest them latter because immediate response from the police may put children’s life and the lives of others in danger,” he said.

The Traffic Awareness Department educates schools and has a partnership with schools to create an awareness about this violation.

QNTC eyes Scandinavian countries to attract touristsFROM PAGE 1

He said that Qatar has great international professional expe-rience in sport sector in organ-ising various sport events. “QNTC made partners in Doha to boost tourism sector including sport, heritage and culture offering various tourism products to the visitors and cre-ating opportunities to explore

tourism places of the country including heritage sties, coastal and desert areas,” said Al Muhannadi.

The panel discussion was organised by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs in cooperation with ILO and other stockholders under a theme ‘The Future of Work in Qatar’ to

celebrate the 100th anniversary of ILO. Salma Ahmad Al Hammadi, a panellist from Legal Department of Katara Hospi-tality highlighted the role of Katra in attracting tourism. Mamadou Diallo, Deputy General Secretary of the Inter-national Trade Union Confeder-ation (ITUC) moderated the discussion.

Qatar affirms rejection of dictation to undermine sovereignty

FROM PAGE 1The statement of the State

of Qatar also stressed that the peaceful settlement of disputes is an important instrument for the maintenance of interna-tional peace and security and the promotion of the rule of law, and a fundamental prin-ciple applicable to all Member States in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 3, and Article 33 of the Charter, which emphasize the means of solution available to the parties to the conflict.

The statement added that

the International Court of Justice, as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, also plays an important role in promoting international law, through the Court’s rulings and advisory opinions, which help to settle disputes by peaceful means, and promote and clarify international law as an irre-placeable option towards peace and stability in international relations.

The statement pointed out that the State of Qatar, based on its consistent policy of set-tling disputes by peaceful

means, has taken the initiative to settle disputes by peaceful means with the support of the concerned organs of the United Nations. He underlined that the State of Qatar, in com-pliance with its international obligations, rejected any attempt to use dictation and intervention policies to undermine the sovereignty of other States, which constituted a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law and human rights, as well as a threat to the multilateral inter-national system.

HEYA exhibition returns with participation of 250 brandsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Heya Arabian Fashion Exhi-bition, Qatar’s most popular showcase of abayas and tradi-tional Arabian attire, will return for its 16th edition this month with a rich programme of more than 20 fashion shows, seminars, designer workshops and 250+ brands participating in this exciting array of fashion.

Held under the patronage of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the exhibition will be held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) between October 25 and 29, 2019. The event is delivered by Design Creationz, with the support of the Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC), as part of its effort to empower the private sector to attract and host global events.

The exhibition continues to be the go-to platform for Qatari designers to showcase their designs, with Qatari brands rep-resenting 75% of participants, the highest percentage of local par-ticipation ever recorded to date. This year’s edition also features international brands from 11 countries, representing 4 conti-nents including neighboring Kuwait and Oman as well as India, Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco, China, Indonesia, Italy and Georgia.

Offering a unique flavour of Arabian heritage, the Autumn/Winter 2019 show will see returning brands including Debaj, Harlienz, the Hammadies, Al Dukan and Maryam Al Darwish, as well as Zoogha from Kuwait, Samar Secrets from Lebanon, Endemage from Oman, Beenas from India and Bocan from Turkey. Heya 16

also features a number of new exhibitors including UVA, Sig-nature design, A’s Qatar, Kyra collection, Atelier Zuhra and Malo to name a few.

Jawaher Al-khuzaei from Qatar National Tourism Council said: “Haya Arabian Fashion Exhibition is a vibrant event that enriches our calendar of local events, especially business events, which is one of the most important tourism sub sectors. It also provides an excellent platform for local entrepreneurs to showcase their talent and introduce themselves to inter-national markets.”

This year’s exhibition has partnered with the Italian Embassy which will offer guests a dedicated Italian pavilion curated by Valeria Mangani, former Vice President of the Italian Chamber for High Fashion. The Italian pavilion will feature 4 unique luxury brands namely Positivity Couture, Malo, Faggioli atelier and Atelier.C Firenze who will also take part of the grand opening with a special fashion show.

Design Creationz spokes-person, Esraa Abel, said: “The exhibition this season offers the most diverse range of brands. Heya has proved once again this

year its stance as the most visited Arabian fashion event in Qatar, registering more than 11,800 visits at the October 2018 Autumn/Winter Fashion Edition.”

This edition will also see the Ministry of Commerce and Industry participating for the first time at Heya through a variety of workshops.

Numerous fashion shows, workshops and conversations with fashion icons are woven through the program to ensure Heya continues with its tradition of supporting entrepreneurs. Virginia Commonwealth Uni-versity in Qatar (VCUQ), Istituto di Moda Burgo from Italy, Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC), and Bedaya center will offer young talent valuable advice related to the industry.

Hamad Al-Qahtani, General Manager of Qatar Business Incu-bation Center (QBIC), said: “QBIC is fully dedicated to the devel-opment of the local fashion scene, and Heya is the perfect partner to achieve this vision. For this edition we’re proudly participating in the form of several entrepreneurs from our novel Lean Fashion Program, and we look forward to empow-ering a growing number of tal-ented fashion entrepreneurs in Qatar.” In partnership with Heya, IDAM, the 3 Michelin star Alain Ducasse restaurant at MIA will unveil specially designed Heya menu inspired by haute couture. The menu will only be available during the 5 days exhibition.

Heya is open for women only except on the opening day (25 October), during which men can accompany family members. Children below the age of the 13 cannot enter the exhibition.

Held under the patronage of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the exhibition will be held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) between October 25 and 29, 2019.

03SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019 HOME

Qatar affirms cybercrime and piracy threat to global peaceQNA NEW YORK

The State of Qatar underlined that cybercrime and piracy constitute a significant proportion of crimes that threaten the international peace and security, calling for greater efforts to promote policies that ensure all segments of society can enjoy equal access to the opportunities offered by new technologies.

This came in the statement of the State of Qatar delivered by Nayef Majid Al Qahtani, member of the Qatari delegation taking part in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, before the Second Committee on Item 16: Information and Communications Technologies for Development.

The statement said that

innovation and technology have great potential to accelerate the achievement of the sustainable development goals and stim-ulate the economic growth.

The statement underlined that the State of Qatar pays par-ticular attention to taking advantage of the tremendous potential offered by and investing in ICT, and views it as

a key enabler for moving t o w a r d s s u s t a i n a b l e development.

The State of Qatar, recog-nising the key role that ICTs play in facilitating access to key information, knowledge and services, has pursued policies in various fields to develop and enhance its role, the statement noted.

Within this direction, the Ministry of Transport and Com-munications of the State of Qatar plays an important role and seeks to build an active, dynamic and secure sector that contributes to the promotion of a diversified national economy that benefits all segments of the society by promoting initiatives of digital government and cybersecurity, it said.

In light of the development of cybersecurity challenges

globally, the Ministry has launched several cybersecurity initiatives aimed at protecting Qatar’s ICT systems and infrastructure.

In this context, the statement pointed out that the Ministry of Transport and Communications will organize the fifth edition of Qatar Information Technology and Communication Conference and Exhibition (QITCOM 2019), under the theme “Safe Smart Cities”, from October 29 to November1. The event attracts many companies, innovators and entrepreneurs, and provides an opportunity to showcase smart technology solutions and exchange advanced knowledge.

In order to invest ICTs in unlocking the potential of persons with disabilities and helping them to achieve inde-pendence and self-reliance, the

State of Qatar launched the Digital Inclusion Strategy and Mada Assistive Technology Centre in order to help people with disabilities to achieve their goals and attain equal opportu-nities in education and employment to enable them live independently, the statement noted.

Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), a member of the Research and Development sector at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Com-munity Development, is the primary platform for innovative technology projects and seeks to support research, innovation and entrepreneurship, the statement noted.

In light of the threat posed by the high proportion of cyber-crime and piracy crimes on the international peace and security,

the State of Qatar said that it is critical to deal with this phe-nomenon in a manner commen-surate with its gravity by taking measures and actions not only by prohibiting and punishing those involved in piracy for political or personal gains but to deal with as a major source of threat to international peace and security.

The statement said that the Doha Declaration on Integrating Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice into the Wider United Nations Agenda, which was adopted by the Thirteenth Con-gress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, notes the importance of exploring special measures aimed at providing a secure and robust electronic environment and preventing and combating criminal activ-ities carried out online.

FIFA World Cup 2022 will bring rewardingopportunities for designers: VCUarts Qatar Dean FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

With Qatar’s design industry having room for further growth, the FIFA World Cup 2022 will undoubtedly bring many rewarding opportunities for designers, said Amir Berbić, the newly appointed Dean of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar).

Berbić also expressed hope that VCUarts Qatar alumni will play a pivotal role in the way that the design profession will continue to evolve in Qatar.

“FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will undoubtedly bring many rewarding opportunities for designers, but what comes after that, between 2023 and 2030, and after 2030, will be just as

interesting because it is when we will see how this generation of designers makes a long-lasting impact on Qatar’s future,” Berbić told The Peninsula.

“I have no doubt that sus-tainability will play a major part in design thinking and I am certain that any designer with an entrepreneurial spirit who has sustainability as a core tenet will go far. I am also confident that it will bring communities together because people will realize that they have a common cause in working together on designs that have far-reaching, but mutual benefits,” he added.

Berbić with immense expe-rience in the Europe and Middle East has joined the VCUarts Qatar at a time when the campus is entering into the third

decade. To mention, VCUarts Qatar is the first Qatar Foun-dation partner campus to open in education City.

“I am starting from a position of respect and recog-nition of the enormous efforts and successful work that has been done at VCUarts Qatar by everyone who has participated in its life throughout the years, but at the same time I am in a position to participate in helping the University evolve,” he said.

“I believe that we should respond to evolving discourses and developments in art and design, to the developing social and cultural conditions here and in the world in general, to pro-fessional demands, to techno-logical developments and emerging trends and we should constantly refine the ways in

which we engage with the world. We are responsible for that as academics, and as designers and artists,” he added.

VCUarts Qatar being the only design campus in Qatar is also aiming to further expand its study programs to cater the need of the country.

“We want to offer more cross-disciplinary courses for our students and other students from across Education City. That is very high on our agenda for the future of the University. We have already developed courses in an effort to articulate the value and significance of the importance of the arts to the wider population, and one of them is a course in health and wellbeing which is one of the first multiversity courses. We are also looking to expand our

undergraduate offerings,” said Berbić.

“A fashion merchandising minor is being introduced, and we are considering a minor in Film in collaboration with Northwestern University in Qatar and Doha Film Institute. We are in discussions with Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar on possible academic

program initiatives regarding collaborations between com-puter science and the arts. We are also in discussion with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU),” he added.

Some of these exciting plans will come to fruition soon, while others will require more time and planning, according to Berbić.

Amir Berbić, the newly appointed dean of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar).

Expansion works to meet demand continue at The Cuban HospitalTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) The Cuban Hospital has embarked on a 24-month-long construction programme as part of a major expansion effort.

It is aimed at enhancing the patient experience and improving access to specialised medical care for the population living in Dukhan and the western districts of Qatar. The expansion works, which commenced earlier this year, are expected to continue until late 2020 and will help the hospital meet the increased demand for current and future services.

“The ongoing work is part of HMC’s overall expansion pro-gramme aimed at enhancing the experience of our patients. These renovations will allow us to provide faster access to high-quality specialist services and will see significant enhance-ments to several key service areas,” said Dr. Angel Mario Felipe Garmendia, Medical Director, The Cuban Hospital.

“This is both an exciting and challenging time and there may be a temporary disruption to some existing public and patient areas. While we are making every effort to minimise disrup-tions, our community will notice some temporary changes, spe-cifically to entrances, parking areas, and patient drop off zones, and we ask patients and the public to bear with us. This con-struction and renovation project is extensive and is an essential part of helping ensure we can continue to meet the healthcare needs of our community,” said Garmendia.

The Cuban Hospital was offi-cially opened in January 2012 as a joint project between the

governments of Qatar and Cuba. It functions in collaboration with HMC and has more than 450 Cuban staff. Dr Garmendia noted that the hospital has seen a sharp rise in patient visits in recent years, recording over 85,000 outpatient visits and nearly 6,500 inpatients in 2018, compared to 63,000 outpatient visits and 4,700 inpatient visits in 2016. He said the expansion work is necessary to meet the demands of the rapidly growing community.

“Once completed, this expansion work will result in a 30 percent increase in outpatient clinic capacity, and specifically new obstetric clinics that will be integrated into the maternity wing and upgrades to our Bone and Joint Unit that will include additional consultation clinics, outpatient x-ray, and a satellite

pharmacy,” added Dr Garmendia.

The expansion works also includes upgrades to some inpa-tient rooms, operating theaters, and imaging equipment, as well as replacement of car park can-opies, fire and safety system improvements, and enhance-ments to the hospital’s security camera systems. The works will also see the construction of a mosque on the hospital grounds and a purpose-built chemical decontamination unit, which will be the first of its kind in the western region of Qatar and is part of efforts to support World Cup 2022 readiness.

The Cuban Hospital provides all medical and surgical services in more than 25 specialties and plays an important role in helping to relieve pressure on other HMC hospitals.

Dr. Angel Mario Felipe Garmendia, Medical Director, The Cuban Hospital, inspects the ongoing expansion works.

The statement said that innovation and technology have great potential to accelerate the achievement of the sustainable development goals and stimulate the economic growth.

Winners of ‘Endowment and Picture Competition’ to be announced tomorrowTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs will announce the winners of the second edition of ‘Endowment and Picture Competition’.

The winners will bag prizes worth QR108,000 tomorrow in a ceremony.

A total of 30 contestants won the prizes of the second competition which was organised by the General Endowment Department at the Ministry in collaboration with Qatar Photographic Society.

The honouring ceremony will be held at 4pm at the

headquarters of the General Endowment Department in Al Waab area. The event will be attended by Head of the G e n e r a l E n d o w m e n t Department, Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Mohamad Al Thani and Deputy Director of Qatar Pho-tographic Society, Abdur-rahman bin Ahmad Al Ubaidan.

In its second edition, the competition aimed at intro-ducing the endowment fund for the management of mosques as mosques are one of the oldest endowments in Islamic history and the world.

The people of Qatar have contributed in supporting this endowment fund since a long

time, which helped build mosques across the country. The Department of Mosques Management at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is the official body responsible for supervising mosques, and exerting considerable efforts to fulfil this role to the fullest.

The second edition of the context included three cate-gories, heritage mosque, new mosque and Eid Al Fitr Prayer. The winner of first prize will get QR10,000, the second prize holder will bag QR7,000 and third prize winners will get QR5,000. The winners from fourth to 10 places will get QR2,000 each.

04 SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019HOME

Qatar affirms international development assistance to LDCsNEW YORK QNA

The State of Qatar affirmed the allocation of a large part of its international development assistance to the least developed countries, and expressed its aspi-ration to host the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in March 2021.

This came in the statement of the State of Qatar, delivered by Tamim Khalid Al Mansouri, member of the Qatari delegation taking part in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, before the Second Committee on Item 21: Groups of Countries in Special Situations.

Al Mansouri said that the least developed countries (LDCs) rep-resent a tremendous human and natural resource capacity for global economic growth,

well-being, prosperity and food security, as pointed out by the Istanbul Program of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020, which con-stitutes an important framework for overcoming the structural challenges faced by LDCs.

He noted the report of the UN Secretary-General under this item which stressed the importance of redoubling efforts to accelerate progress towards the goals and objectives of the Program of Action and to enhance synergies with the 2030 Agenda for Sus-tainable Development and its goals.

He added that the State of Qatar has a proven track record in supporting the LDCs with much of its international development assistance being allocated to these countries. In line with this belief, and in line with its belief in the need to pay the utmost attention

to respond to the needs and pri-orities of the LDCs and to achieve inclusive and sustainable devel-opment, the State of Qatar looks forward to host the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in March 2021, and ensuring that this Con-ference builds on the experience gained and provides a positive momentum for the sustainable development of the least developed countries.

In this regard, the State of Qatar looks forward to cooper-ating with all partners to make

this conference a success, which will be an important contribution to the common endeavors to identify new challenges, oppor-tunities and means to address them.

Given the global nature of climate change and the need for effective international cooper-ation and response, the State of Qatar announced at the Climate Action Summit, held in Doha in September, the contribution of $100 million to support LDCs and the Small Island Developing States SIDS to cope with climate

change, Al Mansouri noted, stressing that this contribution stems from the belief of the State of Qatar that there is a role for all to address this phenomenon, which is an obstacle to moving forward in the process of achieving the Sustainable Devel-opment Goals.

He explained that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Devel-opment paid attention to Land-locked Developing Countries (LLDC) and highlighted the par-ticular challenges faced in the pursuit of sustainable devel-opment, and also stressed the importance of implementing the Vienna Program of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the decade 2014 to 2024.

He noted that Qatar looks forward to participating in the comprehensive high-level midterm review on the imple-mentation of the Vienna Program

of Action for Landlocked Devel-oping Countries, due to be held in December 2019, which would be an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment to strengthen coop-eration and support for land-locked developing countries in the context of sustainable development.

He underlined that the State of Qatar will continue its efforts to remain a platform for coop-eration between all countries and parties that believe in the importance of joint action to meet the challenges. He com-mended the efforts made by the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Land-locked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) in raising the awareness and highlighting the special challenges facing these countries.

Al Mansouri said that the State of Qatar is looking forward to host the 5th UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries in March 2021, and ensuring that this Conference builds on the experience gained and provides a positive momentum for the sustainable development of the least developed countries.

QSTP helping Qatar retain its brightest high-tech entrepreneursTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Recognising the value of an innovative idea even before it matures into a viable commercialised product is the vision behind the ecosystem at Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), part of Qatar Foundation Research, Development, and Innovation (QF RDI). For high-tech startup ADGS, it was the recognition they earned from QSTP, and the mentorship and support that followed, that made all the difference during their research & devel-opment (R&D) stage. The startup now sells a suite of software products that uses artificial intelligence (AI), behavioural biometrics, and emergent behavior, in countries all over the world.

ADGS has been the recipient of several awards from QSTP, receiving the Product Development Fund (PDF) twice; in April 2017 and again in November 2018, which is still in progress. The team went on to

participate in QSTP’s two accelerator programs, XLR8 and MENA Dojo, receiving support from QSTP’s network of mentors and coaches to commer-cialize their cutting-edge software. This year, ADGS was the first recipient of the Innovation Coupon from QF RDI, which is a new funding initiative designed to benefit Qatar-based SMEs or startups that are engaged in the development of new technology-rich products and services, and have the needed capacity and technical knowledge to develop their product or service but require more support to resolve a specific technical or business problem.

Christophe Billiottet, CEO of ADGS, said, “This field of research is not always fully understood as it can seem abstract and complex, but the applica-tions in tomorrow’s world are huge. QSTP understood this, thanks to some well-prepared and brilliant minds in their management. Otherwise, it is probable that the team would have had to move to a place like the Silicon Valley to find investors.” Billiottet explains that during the PDF programme, the team received a percentage of the annual costs of developing their technologies: “These funds allowed us to boost the quality of our team by recruiting the very best specialists from Qatar, Russia and Argentina.”

Considering the complexity of their technology, ADGS has a relatively small team of nine, who are exclusively ded-icated to creating products based on new concepts that only large US and European companies have been able to develop so far. Billiottet, along with Hassan Al Ansari from Qatar, as ADGS President, and Nahuel Gonzalez from Argentina, as CTO, lead the multina-tional team of entrepreneurs.

Their cyber security product STROKK is a behavioral biometric software that improves password security by a factor of 10,000 while sim-plifying the login process for users and companies. STROKK is being purchased by customers in highly cyber security sensitive industries such as finance, banks, defense, the armed forces, and intelligence services in several coun-tries. Their other software product is “TASMO”, a business intelligence tool, which has attracted the attention of Chinese giant Alibaba, the intelligence community and military, and has been deployed in several banks in Qatar.

“Understanding the huge potential of our company, and how to handle such potential to grow the company at global levels has been one of the major learning outcomes of MENA Dojo, which links MENA startups with the most advanced entrepreneurship culture in the world.”

After their participation in the MENA Dojo program, which is organized in collaboration with global venture capital seed fund, 500 Startups, ADGS was able to secure an investment from 500 Startups.

“MENA Dojo gave us opportunities that would have been impossible without participating, including press exposure, and the support to enter the very exclusive Silicon Valley “500 Startups” club,” said Billiottet.

Yosouf Abdulrahman Saleh, Exec-utive Director, QSTP, said, “At QSTP, our startups have access to some of the best technology experts and growth mentors in the world because we rec-ognize that the achievements of these startups help position Qatar as a global competitor in technology development

and innovation. Through the vibrant ecosystem of R&D, innovation, and entrepreneurship we foster, QSTP is also contributing to the economic diversification of Qatar and the wider MENA region. QSTP takes pride in its 10 years of impactful achievements for Qatar and is committed to continue extending every form of support to other Qatari startups like ADGS, to translate their highly-specialized capa-bilities and technologies into com-mercial success.”

Following the award of an Inno-vation Coupon from QF RDI earlier this year, ADGS now has the funding to con-tinue expanding STROKK into the regional market, which requires exporting their security solution from a Windows to a Unix environment.

ADGS’ cutting-edge software positioning Qatar to be globally competitive.

MME educates students on healthy dietTHE PENINSULA/DOHA

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment, repre-sented by the Agriculture and Fisheries Affairs Sector, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health, organised a field visit to a number of students in various schools as part of the celebration of World Food Day.

The day which falls on October 16 was marked under a theme of healthy diets to fight hunger. A number of health specialists also gave an awareness lecture on healthy food and its importance in human health for students of Newton Laguna School and Newton International Academy.

The event included inter-active sessions for students to make them aware of the need to rely on healthy foods that contain nutrients important to human health in addition to the importance of sports and physical activity to build healthy bodies.

Competitions were also held on healthy food for stu-dents to encourage them to eat healthy, and distributed a number of healthy answers and souvenirs to them.

05SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019 HOME

‘Broken Wings’ musical set to perform in DohaTHE PENINSULA DOHA

‘Broken Wings’, a West End Musical composed by Dana Al Fardan, a notable Qatari female musician, composer, songwriter and artist, will be in Qatar this November.

Dana will be accompanied by West End star Nadim Naaman, also the co-writer of ‘Broken Wings’. The musical will be per-formed for two days from November 8 to 9, 2019 at Doha’s prestigious Opera House, located at Katara Cultural Village.

‘Broken Wings’ is the first Middle Eastern to hit West End. It made its first debut in London in August 2018 to sold-out shows, followed by a stellar performance which took place in Lebanon at the famous Beiteddine Festival in July 2019, home to Khalil Gibran of which this musical production pays tribute to.

The ‘Broken Wings’ cast will be led by co-writer Nadim Naaman as Gibran, Hanna Qureshi as Selma, and Soophia Foroughi

(Spamalot) as Mother. It is directed by Bronagh Lagan and features orchestrations and musical direction by Joe Davison. And will be performed by the world-renowned Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.

‘Broken Wings’ is a piece of Arab-influenced contemporary music written to showcase the rich Arab literature and philosophy by Gibran Khalil Gibran, allowing international audience access to the complexity and beauty of Arab art.

“We chose Broken Wings

primarily because of its themes; immigration; gender relations and identity, which deal with culti-vating a sense of belonging in an ever-changing environment. Gibran Khalil Gibran masterfully demonstrates how loss and dislo-cation are fundamental pillars of life. This is a powerful portrait in a world that is seen as a significant increase in the number of refugees in the past few years. For so many displacements is a reality of life; a sensation that Gibran was familiar with,” said Dana Al Fardan, writer and composer of ‘Broken Wings.’

Nadim Naaman, the co-writer of ‘Broken Wings’ added: “The Middle East has, for many years, received touring productions of many popular Western musicals and plays. But it is now time for it to create and enjoy its heritage and culture on the stage. And more importantly, it is time for the rest of the world to enjoy artistic creations from this beau-tiful and historic region. Gibran himself was an international man, living between Mount Lebanon, Boston, Beirut, Paris and New

York in his all-too-short life.”“Gibran has sold ten million

books in North America alone. He is currently the third best-selling poet of all time; meaning a Middle-Eastern, a feminist immigrant who outsold Whitman, Angelou, Byron, Dickinson and Poe in North America. He broke so many moulds. He captured so many hearts and minds,” explained Dana.

Dana Alfardan is an interna-tional iconic musician and was recently announced as the official

ambassador of Qatar Philhar-monic Orchestra and the Official Composer of Qatar Airways.

“We are proud to be bringing ‘Broken Wings’ to the people of Doha, this internationally acclaimed Arab masterpiece must gain recognition in its home ground. We are very pleased as Katara Village to provide Broken Wings with a platform to showcase this masterpiece on stage for the people of Qatar,” said Darwish Ahmad Al Shaibani, Director of Marketing and Cultural Affairs at Katara.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is delighted to be the official airline sponsor of the ‘Broken Wings’ musical, allowing the multinational audience in Qatar to revel at the beauty of Arab art. Participating in such events highlights our commitment to nur-turing the arts and culture scene in Qatar, and reflects our firm belief in the unifying power of the arts and the pivotal role it plays in bringing people from all over the world together.”

A photo shows Dana Al Fardan during the musical’s debut at the famous Beiteddine Festival, in Lebanon, in July.

‘Broken Wings’ is a piece of Arab-influenced contemporary music written to showcase the rich Arab literature and philosophy, allowing international audience access to the complexity and beauty of Arab art.

Ooredoo launches secure cloud infrastructure packagesTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Ooredoo, the region’s leading enabler of digital business inno-vation, launched yesterday a new secure and scalable cloud infra-structure packages for SMEs, enabling Qatar’s organisations to accelerate their digital trans-formation and to optimise their IT costs.

With Ooredoo’s new Infra-structure as a Service (IaaS) packages, business customers can

find state-of-the-art virtualised servers, operating systems, and cybersecurity. As a result, Qatar’s organisations can enhance costs

by running their business appli-cations on the Cloud, which can scale up as business grows, and provide strict security thanks to

the Qatar Data Centre.Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi,

Chief Operating Officer, Ooredoo, said: “As Qatar’s organ-isations expand, they need highly-available, secure, and scalable cloud infrastructure. Our Infrastructure as a Service portfolio and our highly-skilled personnel can enable our business customers to accelerate their digital transformation. By offloading IT hardware to our secure cloud, Qatar’s organisa-tions can optimise their costs,

time, and resources, and focus on business innovation.”

To prevent cyber-threats, Ooredoo’s business customers can rest assured that Ooredoo IaaS can encrypt sensitive data, protect virtual machines from viruses and malware, and secure network traffic. Qatar’s organi-sations can also meet regulatory and compliance requirements, with default services such as Managed VPN Encryption, Managed IPS, and Firewall.

Ooredoo IaaS is available in

four different tiers. The top-most package providing 100 GB of disk space, 250 GB of incoming and outgoing traffic, 8 vCPU, 16 GB of RAM, and 100 GB of backup space. Customers can benefit from convenient monthly billing.

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 port-folio of ICT services and solutions, and trusted partner for 60 years.

06 SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019HOME

Science Majlis at QEERI introduces community to key energy researchTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) recently hosted the second in a series of Science Majlis, to promote greater awareness about relevant science and technology topics affecting the world today, and to showcase its research projects to the wider community.

The Science Majlis, which included the attendance of professionals, families and students, featured a talk by Dr Veronica Ber-mudez, senior research director at QEERI’s Energy Center, who discussed the possi-bility of renewable energy replacing the oil and gas industry, and the current paradigm shift in the energy market.

The event provides a platform for experts from QEERI and members of the community in Qatar to engage in informal discussions on energy, water and envi-ronment topics relevant to the country. The Science Majlis is designed to actively engage attendees of all ages, by offering them an insight into the research carried out at QEERI, making it more accessible

and better understood. Dr Marc Vermeersch, executive director

at QEERI, said, “The Paris Agreement sent out a clear and urgent message: climate change is a serious threat to the envi-ronment and one that needs urgent attention. We can only hope to contribute to impactful action by engaging all players across science, technology, development, government, and, most importantly, the wider community. It’s imperative that the younger population have a keen awareness and understanding of the pressing environ-mental challenges facing the world today, so they are able to assume an active role in safeguarding their future.”

“At QEERI, we truly believe in the mutually beneficial process of a two-way

dialogue with the community. Not only does it provide a greater understanding of the work that we are doing, but these events also help raise awareness about the energy, water and environment challenges in Qatar, and across the world. And in turn, we are able to gain perspective on how the com-munity perceives the impact of research in the country, which can further help us con-tribute to building and nurturing a research culture in Qatar.”

Commenting on her presentation at the event, Dr Bermudez, said, “It is always exciting to discuss how the energy sector across the world is constantly evolving, and how we in Qatar are tackling these chal-lenges. Creating awareness and education

on individual impact and responsibilities and sharing scien-tific facts with the com-munity - especially the youth – will con-tribute to building a better informed pop-ulation, who will take this paradigm shift forward in a positive manner.”

Aileen Haleem, one of the students who attended the event said, “The one aspect that I really appreciated was the mix of people here – there were people of all ages, and backgrounds; there were students, researchers, engineers, architects and even people from the oil and gas industry. All are genuinely concerned and willing to bring about change; they are keen on making the world a better place for us, and that gives me a lot of hope for the future.”

QEERI, part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, recently held the second edition of its Science Majlis to address non-renewable energy topics.

QC launches fourth edition of ‘Future’s Writers’ programmeTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Charity has launched the fourth edition of ‘Future’s Writers’, a programme aimed at developing the writing skills of students and nurturing talents in them.

The launch took place in a ceremony attended by represent-atives of key partners, officials of Qatar Charity, judges, many writers, media persons, and those interested in the cultural arena.

Significantly, the programme will allow, for the first time, stu-dents with special needs and Qatar University’s male and female students to take part in the competitive activities of the this edition to discover their hidden creative talents. The students belonging to primary and prepar-atory schools in Qatar can par-ticipate in the programme as usual. The inauguration cer-emony was attended by Mariam Al Hammadi, Director General of the Qatari Authors’ Forum and

representative of the Ministry of Culture and Sports; Ali Al Kuwari, Director of the School Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education; Hamad Al Khulaki, Events Spe-cialist at Qatar University; Khalid Al Dulaimi, Managing Director of Lusail Publishing and Distribution

House; and Jasim Al Emadi, Director of the Local Devel-opment Department at Qatar Charity.

Speaking at the ceremony, Jasim Al Emadi, Director of the Local Development Department at Qatar Charity, said, “The Future’s Writers” programme

moves ahead constantly and con-fidently, improving its upcoming editions in terms of quantity and quality to reach new students and nurture talents in them.”

He also emphasized that the programme, in the continuous cooperation with its partners, would take a quantum leap

forward in its fourth season, allowing university students, rep-resented by Qatar University’ stu-dents, and students with special needs to take part in its compet-itive activities for the first time to discover hidden writing talents in them and develop them.

Mariam Al Hammadi,

Director General of the Qatari Authors’ Forum of the Ministry of Culture and Sports said: “Qatar Charity works to make a dif-ference in the cultural field through this programme, as it believes in the importance of writing to promote thinking, cre-ativity, innovation and the devel-opment of nations, as well as, to spread ideas, values and morals.”

Ali Al Kuwari, Director of the School Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said: “The Ministry is honoured to sponsor this program, which aims to discover students’ literary talents in writing.”

Hamad Al Khulaki, Events Specialist at Qatar University said: “The programme contributes to supporting some extra-curricular activities of the university and enhancing the personality of the student, said Al Khulaki, noting that the programme also helps students acquire a variety of lead-ership skills and instills the value of social responsibility.”

A click during the launch of the fourth edition of QC’s ‘Future’s Writers’ programme.

Ooredoo sponsors Angry Birds World CarnivalTHE PENINSULA/DOHA

Ooredoo announced its spon-sorship to the Angry Birds World Carnival being held at Doha Festival City. The event, which runs until November 16, 2019 is held at Angry Birds World, the first venue of its kind in the world.

Visitors can look forward to live entertainment, food & bev-erage kiosks an outdoor cinema, family activities and all the attractions at Angry Birds World, Doha Festival City as well as meet and greet sessions with favourite characters.

Exciting attractions at Angry Birds World including Stella’s Edutainment Tree, a multi-level indoor and outdoor karting track, a slingshot ride, multi-level obstacle course and zip lines along with Trampoline Universe.

The Angry Birds World Car-nival is open from 4pm-10pm weekdays and from 4pm-12am weekends, and access is free for all. Speaking of the sponsorship, Manar Khalifa Al-Muraikhi – Director PR and Corporate Com-munications at Ooredoo – said:” Sponsoring events such as these gives us the perfect opportunity to encourage everyone to enjoy time with friends and family. We encourage everyone to come along and enjoy the Angry Birds World Carnival.”

At the event, Ooredoo is hosting a booth featuring a pop-up Ooredoo shop, and cus-tomers can visit the booth to sign up for the upcoming Ooredoo Doha Marathon 2020.

WCM-Q’s periodonticstraining courseon October 25-26THE PENINSULA/DOHA

Dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants are invited to attend a two-day periodontics training course at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) on October 25 and 26, 2019.

The course, which runs from 12.50pm to 6pm on Friday and 9am till 5pm on Saturday, will explain how to implement the new worldwide periodontal and implant classification system, how to assess and screen patients with periodontal disease, and how to co-ordinate and execute a successful treatment plan. The event, which features didactic lectures and practical lab ses-sions, will also discuss issues related to diabetic patients with periodontal disease.

Renowned author engages aspiring Qatari writers at QNL

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatari authors and literary figures discussed the newest developments and standards in novel and story writing in Qatar during the second Qatari Writers Forum held at Qatar National Library on October 16 and 17.

As part of the two-day event, Jamal Fayez, an established Qatari author, engaged aspiring Qatari writers during a hands-on workshop, which explored the foundations of a short story and how to craft creative stories.

Mona Al-Hajri, who attended the event, said: “I attended the forum because I want to develop a profes-sional literary career. The Library has

a major role in encouraging new writers and inspiring us to be creative. I plan to attend the upcoming forums at the Library to help my writing career.”

The Library’s Qatari Writers Forum aims to connect new and experienced Qatari writers to exchange expertise and promote Arabic writing and literature.

Another participant, Sayed Mohamed Abetat, said: “I participated in the forum in order to further develop my writing talent and skills and build on my experience in literary writings. I was delighted to see the Library’s announcement for this forum, so I decided to come and take advantage of the experiences of the writers and learn from them.”

A lecture during the second Qatari Writers Forum held at Qatar National Library.

The Science Majlis is designed to actively engage attendees of all ages, by offering them an insight into the research carried out at QEERI, making it more accessible and better understood.

07SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019 HOME

QLC’s Rising Leaders Program participants explore innovation in trip to JapanTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Leadership Centre’s (QLC) Rising Leaders Program sent its participants on a week-long learning journey to Japan to engage with some of the coun-try’s most prominent corpora-tions, in cooperation with ITOCHU Corporation in Japan, which is one of the largest Japanese companies and has strong economic ties with major energy companies in Qatar.

They also met with experts to discern how the country cul-tivated a world-renowned drive for innovation in products and business practices.

The annual Learning Journey reinforces the Rising Leaders Program curriculum by imbuing its participants with special insights into how leaders manage and grow their organizations in the public, private, and gov-ernment sectors, bolstering their

leadership skillsets as they return to Qatar’s market. These journeys are supplemented by an in-depth look into the coun-

try’s history and culture to con-textualise these insights.

“Japan’s economy is one of the strongest in the world, acquiring a reputation as the birthplace of ground-breaking technologies and revolutionary business practices, both of which have propelled its corpo-rations to stand out on the global stage. This unique environment provides an ideal example which our Rising Leaders Program participants can analyse, specifically how they can facilitate innovation at every level of an organization’s operations,” said Dr. Ali J. Al Kubaisi, Acting Managing Director at QLC.

The Journey’s agenda gave participants the chance to engage with some of Japan’s largest private and government com-panies to gain an all-inclusive view of how innovation mani-fests in a variety of business practices. In addition, they

engaged in thoughtful knowledge exchanges with leaders at these companies, sharing insights they gained from Qatar’s market.

The program participants visited Fujitsu’s headquarters in Tokyo, where they attended a lecture on artificial intelligence, the evolution of super computers and Fujitsu’s role in the 2020 Summer Olympics. The partici-pants also toured the Edo-Tokyo Museum, where they dove into Japanese history and culture to

ponder how they influence the country ’s at t i tude to innovation.

In a separate lecture, Ken Kusonoki, Professor at Hitotsu-bashi University, explained how innovation can be fostered in the workplace, outlining how an environment of problem-solving can be nurtured from executive positions.

They also networked with local academic partners, including Hitotsubashi

University, where the group par-ticipated in a joint session and mingled with the university’s MBA students to exchange insights in knowledge creation and exchange.

On the last day of their trip to Japan, Hassan bin Mohammed Rafei Al Emadi, Ambassador of Qatar to Japan, attended the participants’ final presentations and closing ceremony, which concluded their Learning Journey.

Qatar Leadership Centre’s Rising Leaders Program participants pose for a group photo during their trip to Japan.

The annual Learning Journey reinforces the Rising Leaders Program curriculum by imbuing its participants with special insights into how leaders manage and grow their organizations in the public, private, and government sectors, bolstering their leadership skillsets as they return to Qatar’s market.

Ezdan Hotel honours guests, participants of ANOC World Beach GamesTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Ezdan Hotel West Bay, managed by Ezdan Hotels Company, held an honourary farewell ceremony for the athletes who participated in the ANOC World Beach Games on the closing day of the tour-nament, which was attended by a large number of guests participating in the compe-tition, representing 97 sports teams.

During the farewell cer-emony organised under the s l o g a n ‘ M a a S a l a m a (Goodbye)’, Wael El Telbani, Ezdan Group Hotels General Manager, delivered a speech during which he communi-cated his delight that Ezdan Hotel - West Bay hosted 2,000 international athletes who competed in the ANOC World Beach Games started on October 12 and wrapped up on October 16.

In sum, the hotel managed to host nearly 4,000 interna-tional athletes accommodated

in 1,300 hotel rooms in two tournaments organised

successively in Qatar during a period less than one month,

namely the IAAF World Ath-letics Championships from ( September 27 to October 6) and ANOC World Beach Games.

The rooms were equipped to the highest international hotel standards, manifesting once more - its readiness and ability to host large numbers in international sports tourna-ments known as back-to back preparations in cooperation with various sports authorities in the country.

El Telbani also declared a flat 25 percent off discount on accommodation for the athletes and sports representatives should they visit Doha again during 2020.

“Ezdan Hotel features a capacity of 3,000 hotel rooms, high-quality support services and professional staff, in addition to the long experience in hospitality industry, where it boasts receiving various teams, delegations in sports e v e n t s , f o r u m s a n d

international conferences hosted by the State of Qatar, which became over a short period of time an international hub for dialogue and athletic competition.”

“We are proud of the con-fidence we receive from all sports organizations in the country, especially Qatar Olympic Committee,” Telbani said, assuring that Ezdan Hotels has the capabilities and expertise to host and serve delegations partici-pating in the sporting events organized Qatar. The Hotel is also eyeing to host visitors and guests taking part in the most prominent event in the world, the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Ezdan Hotel has a record of achievements in welcoming and lodging guests various international events, including the 2006 Asian Games, 2015 AIBA World Boxing Champion-ships, and other tournaments and other events.

The participants in the ANOC World Beach Games with the representatives of Ezdan Hotel West Bay during the honouring ceremony.

Stars of Science broadcasts historic double eliminationTHE PENINSULA/DOHA

For the first time in the history of Stars of Science, Qatar Foundation’s edutainment reality TV show, the jury dismissed two innovators in last night’s engineering prototyping episode – displaying the show’s first-ever double-elimination. Imadeddine Azzouz and Mohamed Kharrat both failed to prove the functionality of their prototypes, consequently leading to their exit from Season 11.

“When you create technological innovations that can impact lives, you have no margin for error,” said Professor Fouad Mrad, Stars of Science jury member. “Although there’s no guarantee in the outcomes of the experimental innovation, an inventor must be ready to tackle any challenge at any stage of their product’s creation, and that is why we uphold the highest standards in sci-entific expertise and integrity.”

Contestants were given four weeks prior to the episode to produce an engi-neering prototype that would demon-strate the viability of their project’s com-puter-aided design plans and algorithm flowcharts; proving the product func-tionality and the prototype performance.

Imadeddine’s Health Breath Scanner was designed to identify cancer through a person’s breath. However, it still requires long scientific research to be conducted to identify the biological markers of a person’s breath that would indicate the presence of the disease, a project Imadeddine has to undertake

outside of the show. Comparatively, Mohamed’s Smart Swimming Shorts were created to detect and prevent imminent drowning incidents, but did not pass simple tests and failed to inflate in a mock emergency situation as intended. In the end, the jury felt they had no choice but to eliminate them both from the competition.

Other contestants in the show kept their Stars of Science dream alive. Nuha Abu Yousef’s Active Lazy Eyelid Sticker - which stimulates muscles in the eyelid to help mitigate the effects of Bell’s palsy on patients - caught the eye of the jury after passing its tests with flying colors. Meanwhile, Youssef El Azouzi proudly defended his Flow Modulator Stent, declaring that seeing his device in oper-ation for the first time was the happiest day of his Stars of Science journey.

Anwar Al-Mujarkesh, who

competed during Season 5 in 2013, returned to co-host the episode alongside the show’s longtime presenter, Khaled Al Jumaily. He took the oppor-tunity to encourage them to continue to persevere in their innovation journeys and enjoyed his return to the show from a new perspective. “The show chal-lenges innovators for good reason, as putting a new product on the market requires serious dedication and expertise. But I am glad I didn’t have to face the jury today,” he said.

The remaining contestants, Nuha Abu Yousef, Abdulrahman Saleh Khamis, Husam Sameer, Anfal Al Hamdani, and Youssef El Azouzi will proceed to the production prototyping phase in the last prototyping episode of the season, which will air on Friday on Qatar TV and Saturday on eight channels across the region .

Five contestants move on to the final prototyping round after meeting the jury’s strict scientific standards.

The current events are the culmination of more than a decade of escalating tensions around the status of Catalan nationhood within Spain. This issue was left unresolved by the artful ambiguity of the 1978 Constitution, the bedrock of the post-Franco political settlement.

ELISA MARTINUZZI BLOOMBERG

08 SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019VIEWS

The Spanish constitutional settlement is in crisis

Despite two decades of deep-ening entrenchment on both sides of the Catalan question, Spaniards would

be mistaken if they were to welcome the clampdown on the region’s self-determination movement. For, in the fight currently unfolding in the streets of Catalonia, the quality and integrity of Spanish democracy is also at stake.

After two years of pre-trial impris-onment, on Monday the Spanish Supreme Court sentenced the political and civic leaders of Catalonia’s recent bid for self-determination to between nine and 13 years in prison. The harshness of the court’s decision has been justified on the grounds that the actions of the accused amounted to “sedition” -an ambiguous legal notion that targets any form of “public and tumultuous uprising” against the state, whether violent or not. The court’s broad interpretation of what amounts to sedition sets a dark precedent for the right to protest in Spain, already under erosion by the highly repressive “Gag Law” of 2015.

Catalans have not lost their resolve. The long-awaited sentence has been met with a wave of civil disobedience. Responding to the call of an anon-ymous group, masses of protesters

have taken to the streets to stage a “dem-ocratic tsunami” that has disrupted critical infra-structure, from highways to high-speed rail lines to Barcelona’s El Prat airport.

Catalan nationhood

The current events are the culmination of more than a decade of escalating tensions around the status of Catalan

nationhood within Spain. This issue was left unresolved by the artful ambi-guity of the 1978 Constitution, the bedrock of the post-Franco political settlement. However, the meaning of Catalan nationhood was put to the test by the conflict that unfolded around the region’s 2006 statute of devolution, the “estatut”. That year, the Catalan par-liament approved a new self-gov-ernment charter that included a series

of preambular references to Catalan nationhood.

It was around the same time that the Partido Popular (PP), the main conserv-ative party in Spain, began to rehearse an electoral strategy premised on polar-ising relations with the country’s cultural minorities. This strategy involved a tac-tical retreat from Catalonia and Basque Country, regions where the party’s Francoist origins do not harvest them many votes anyway, to instead gal-vanise their Spanish nationalist base elsewhere. It was in this context that the PP staged an aggressive campaign against “the estatut” and challenged it in the Constitutional Court.

The Constitutional Court reached its verdict in 2010: it struck down large parts of the Catalan statute, rewriting it almost completely and purging it of all references to Catalan nationhood, however symbolic. In Catalonia, this decision was perceived as nothing short of a breach of the federal settlement that was once foundational to the constitu-tional order. The reaction was a million-strong protest in Barcelona under the banner: “We are a nation, we decide.” This sentiment was then exacerbated by the financial crisis. In 2011, mass protests against austerity and corruption swept the country, hailing the values of direct democracy against a detached political class. In Catalonia, these protests com-bined with pre-existing grievances around “the estatut” and morphed into widespread calls for an independence referendum against an unrepresentative government in Madrid.

The figures are damning: when the infamous statute was first passed in 2006, only 13 percent of Catalans expressed their preference for an inde-pendent state. By 2013, this figure had surged to a critical 48 percent.

Escalating tensionsOutside observers are sometimes

perplexed by the inability to reach a political solution to the Catalan deadlock, most likely in the form of a negotiated binding referendum like those held in Scotland or Quebec. This is because, over the last decade, Spanish-Catalan relations have become locked in an escalating

dynamic from which the elites of neither side can climb down without facing electoral suicide.

The PP government of Mariano Rajoy opted for digging itself in an intransigent stance, in an effort to wait out the storm while blowing the occa-sional dog whistle to the far-right section of their base. For example, in 2012 the conservative education min-ister made explicit his intention to “his-panicise” (españolizar) Catalan stu-dents, conjuring up memories of lin-guistic repression under Franco’s dictatorship. However, far from appeasing Spanish nationalists, this approach simply emboldened them and made them impatient at Rajoy’s hesitance to act against the revolt brewing in Catalonia. Eventually, Rajoy’s inaction spawned him a com-petitor in the form of the staunch unionist party Ciudadanos, which began to push the PP into a harder line.

Starting in 2014, the Catalan gov-ernment began to drift towards open insubordination, engaging in a series of escalating actions to force Madrid into referendum negotiations. These included unorthodox plebiscites on the question of independence, steam-rolling through parliamentary norms, or passing laws laying down the juridical transition towards an inde-pendent republic. The moment of truth came in October 2017, when the Catalan government organised an illegal referendum of self-determi-nation and announced its intention to declare independence unilaterally if need be. The Spanish government did not flinch - instead, they sent a detachment of 10,000 police officers to suppress the democratic revolt.

In the morning of the much-awaited referendum, millions of Cat-alans turned out amid brutal charges from Spanish security forces. Remi-niscent of a not-so-distant authori-tarian past, riot police stormed polling stations and yanked the ballot boxes from the hands of those barricaded inside. Shortly after, the Spanish gov-ernment proceeded to suspend Catalan devolution and round up the organisers of the referendum.

JAVIER MORENO ZACARES AL JAZEERA

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Peace and stability in the Middle East is

extremely important for the international

society, including Japan.

Yoshihide Suga Chief Cabinet Secretary

of Japan

Which is scarier, climate change or CLOs?

Call it the Greta effect. Global finance titans gathered at the annual International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington

this week identified climate change as a key risk to the long-term health of the world economy. It was one of the hot topics discussed, perhaps partly inspired by the teenage activist who has made saving the environment a cause celebre. But a more immediate concern within bankers’ wheelhouses was also prom-inent on their worry list: Record levels of corporate borrowings, tucked away in hidden pockets of the financial system, have the potential to do great damage.

The IMF warned that as much as $19 trillion of corporate debt - or nearly 40% of total borrowings by companies in major economies - may be at risk of default in the event of a severe economic slowdown. Since 2009, corporate specu-lative-grade debt as a percentage of gross domestic product has soared in

China and risen in the US, and with rates low, investors have been taking on more risks to boost returns. While banks may not have much of this risky debt on their own books, 80% of non-bank financial institutions are now as vulnerable as during the global financial crisis, according to the IMF. That number is up from 60% in April.

The risk is that losses could cascade through the banking and non-banking financial sectors, amplifying the shock of any downturn, said the IMF. And so it’s rightly calling on regulators to toughen and intensify their supervision of banks and non-bank financial institutions. Reviewing banks’ lending practices and carrying out targeted stress tests is already within supervisors’ remit and they should heighten their guard. Mapping out as much of the interconnectedness as pos-sible should be a priority for supervisors.Of particular concern is the leveraged-loan market, which has grown to more than $1.2 trillion, and where there are signs that investors are already becoming anxious. This includes collateralized loan

obligations, or CLOs, pools of risky loans that are bundled and sold in tranches. The Financial Stability Board is conducting a review of CLOs, with the aim of mapping out the owners of the securities and examining the potential implications of clients pulling out money in a downturn in a market now totaling more than $600 billion. The results can’t come soon enough.

That isn’t to say looking after the planet isn’t important. The IMF’s new chief, Kristalina Georgieva, who pio-neered green bonds in 2008 while at the World Bank, is setting an ambitious agenda and provoking debate on climate change. Discussing whether assigning different risk weightings to assets that are more or less green fosters an important discussion that engages the financial community. Unsurprisingly, bankers are all too keen for green incen-tives that would lighten their capital demands. For now, though, the focus should be on setting common standards and definitions, and on a push toward mandatory disclosures.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

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

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ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Another sporting milestone

Qatar reached another major milestone on the road to the world’s greatest sporting events by unveiling on Friday the Official Emblem of the upcoming FIFA

Club World Cup Qatar 2019 which will take place from December 11 to 21.

Last month on September 3, the Official Emblem of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was unveiled and a number of major cities around the world were also celebrated the milestone, with images of the emblem.

The designs of the two emblems reflect cultural elements of the host country and regional Arab culture and allusions to the beautiful game.

The two designs were inspired by the heritage and cul-tural history of the State of Qatar which affirm its position and significance on the world’s sports map. With these suc-cessive achievements, Qatar has placed itself in a privileged position having always achieved impressive success in hosting major sporting events for the first time in the Arab region.

The Official Emblem of the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 embodies the pinnacle of global club football while

highlighting the cultural history of the host country.

According to a statement the most striking element of the emblem reimagines a football as a pearl, in recognition of one of Qatar’s earliest industries. The decoration of the iridescent sphere is inspired by mashrabiyas, traditional architectural elements found in residences across the Middle East.

Mashrabiya latticework like pearl diving has deep roots, with examples dating back to as early as the Middle Ages added noting that the delicate screens are both decorative and functional, serving the dual purpose of cooling homes and providing an elegant deco-

ration both inside and outside.The colours featured in the emblem are the burgundy

that is so characteristic of the Qatari nation and the deep turquoise of Doha Bay. The striking pearl is held aloft by shapes reminiscent of sweeping desert sand and accented with diacritics, a fundamental element of the Arabic alphabet.

The design of the Official Emblem of the 2022 FIFA World Cup featured striking elements of the local culture and envi-ronment such as desert, the eight stadiums that will host 2020 World Cup matches and a traditional woollen shawl.

Qatar was the first to dedicate a day to sport, in a unique initiative in the world, and its achievement is not limited to hosting international sports events but its sports men and women are also contributing to the most popular sports. FIFA has selected Qatari refereeing team to officiate the FIFA Club World Cup finals in Doha in December. The team officiated several major tournaments including the FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The unveiling of emblems is just one example of the bold achievements of the State of Qatar and its readiness not only to host the biggest football event ever like the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, but to become one of the top hub for sporting activities and education in the near future.

The Official Emblem of the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 embodies the pinnacle of global club football while highlighting the cultural history of the host country.

Protesters during a pro-Amnesty demonstration called by Madrid’s Anti-repression Movement and demanding total amnesty and the defence of democratic rights and freedoms, in Madrid yesterday.

The United Nations and the US Embassy have called on all candidates to respect the electoral process and wait official results before declaring victory.

In total election-related attacks killed 85 and wounded 373 civilians, according to the United Nations. Casualties were fewer than Afghanistan’s 2018 election, but the low turnout figures suggest that the Taliban’s campaign in the lead up to the election succeeded in keeping people home. The Taliban views the Afghan government as a puppet of the United States and considers its elections to be illegitimate.

09SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019 OPINION

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Alone in Greece, refugee and migrant minors fightagainst despair

Afghan presidential election remains in limbo

MARINA RAFENBERG AFP

SUSANNAH GEORGE & SAYED SALAHUDDIN

THE WASHINGTON POST

At the notoriously over-crowded Greek island camp of Moria, Ezzatolah Sole-imani admits he cries often

amid despair, scenes of violence and interminable waits for food and basic sanitation.

The young Afghan is just 16, one of over 4,000 unaccompanied minors

trapped in Greece by closed European borders and bureaucratic hurdles, and facing an uncertain future.

“I sleep on a blanket, I do not have a tent as winter approaches,” says the teenager who made the trip alone from Iran, leaving his family behind. “At night, fights often break out. To go to the bathroom, take a shower, have a meal, I have to wait for hours,” he told AFP during a phone interview.

As an unaccompanied minor, Ezzatolah should have a bed in a Moria section B caravan, where only children are accommodated under the super-vision of specialised staff. But in a camp filled to nearly five times its nominal capacity, there are only 160 safe places for more than 500 young people without families currently in Moria, according to UNICEF.

“Making the journey on my own was very difficult. In Turkey I was beaten several times by the police, I did not always have money to buy

food and now I have to face these dif-ficult conditions and wait, always wait,” the boy sighs. He says that his attempts to see a doctor at the camp have been in vain so far.

Some 8,300 children — 1,600 of them unaccompanied — have been accommodated in overcrowded Aegean islands, the largest number since the beginning of 2016 from January to the end of September, according to the UN High Commis-sioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called on European countries to share some of the burden.

“It wouldn’t be very difficult for European countries to divide this number and take some of the burden from Greece in managing this problem,” Mitsotakis told AFP in an interview this week.

In May, the Council of Europe urged Athens to ensure that unaccom-panied minors are not accommodated in camps or centres unsuitable for vul-nerable people. But five months later, out of 4,600 unaccompanied minors in Greece, only 26 percent live in safe conditions according to UNHCR.

Most minors are held in camps, detention centres, or are homeless, according to the National Center for Social Solidarity, which oversees the management of these minors.

The main danger for these young people is to get caught in criminal net-works of sexual exploitation, forced begging, pickpocketing or drug trafficking.

“Neglect and unsanitary condi-tions in the (camps) push some towards illegality,” says Iraklis Moskoff, the Greek national rap-porteur for the fight against human trafficking.

With the help of NGOs and camp staff, Moskoff is trying to identify the victims of these networks so that they

can be protected. “But it’s still very difficult to count them,” he says.

In the camp of Skaramangas near Athens, 17-year-old Ahmed from Syria is losing hope.

For a year and a half, he has tried to reach Sweden where his father and his two brothers live.

But family reunification proce-dures are too long, he says.

“When you’re a minor, you cannot work legally and it’s very hard to survive. I know some who were tempted to make money in small-scale cannabis smuggling or by selling stolen goods,” he said.

Some children are more fortunate. Tayebe, a 17-year-old Afghan girl, has been welcomed into a home for young girls and mothers, operated under the care of the NGO Home Project. The NGO has so far welcomed 400 young people over the past three years in the 11 homes it operates for minors. In her eight months in Greece, Tayebe has already received a scholarship to study at one of the best private high schools in Athens and dreams of becoming a psychologist.

She says she wants “to help women to emancipate themselves and be free to make their own choices.”

The organisation’s homes super-visor Fotis Parthenides says the girls have fled war, poverty and forced marriages.

“Others have been beaten, raped, they are often depressed when they arrive here, we try to give them a fresh start,” he says.

“These children have had to deal with so much violence that they can-not be left to their fate,” says Sofia Kouvelaki, director of Home Project.

And with hundreds of new arriv-als in Greece per day, the situation is the worst it has been since 2016, she notes.

Afghanistan’s election com-mission said it will miss the Saturday deadline for announcing initial results

from the country’s presidential election last month. The commission attributed the delays to the time-con-suming process of weeding out fraud-ulent votes and “slow data entry.”

Hawa Alam Nuristani, head of the Independent Election Commission, apologized for the commission’s failure to announce the results on time.

“Regrettably, the commission due to technical issues and for the sake of transparency could not announce the presidential election initial poll results,” she said. She gave no time-table for when the results would be announced, but said she hopes it will be “as soon as possible.”

The delay comes amid deepening political uncertainty following the Sept. 28 vote. Both front-runners, President Ashraf Ghani and the country’s chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, said they expect to win and indicated they will not accept defeat because of suspected flaws in the voting process.

Inconclusive election results marred by fraud in the last presidential election in 2014 nearly tore the country apart. A political crisis was only averted after the United States brokered a power-sharing deal between Ghani and Abdullah.

Both men have said securing a peace deal to end the country’s 18-year war is a top priority. But a heavily con-tested vote would undercut any Afghan government’s standing in peace talks with the Taliban. While talks with the Taliban were scuttled by Trump in early September, the US special repre-sentative for Afghanistan met with Taliban leaders in Pakistan earlier this month. Officials in Washington and Kabul assert that the US-Taliban talks are on hold and could be resumed.

The United Nations and the US Embassy have called on all candidates to respect the electoral process and wait official results before declaring victory.

Ever since Afghanistan began holding elections following the ouster of the Taliban in 2001, the voting has been riddled with fraud. The most recent election aimed to change that

with the use of biometric devices that collected voter data. The devices required a photograph and fingerprint from each voter and would only accept votes during the hours when the polling station was supposed to be open. The technology appears to have compli-cated the vote-counting process, but it has the potential to result in a cleaner vote. Hundreds of thousands of votes that were cast without biometric infor-mation are expected to be disqualified.

One Afghan election official said as many as 500,000 votes from hun-dreds of polling stations are expected to be discarded because they lack cor-responding biometric information. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Officials from Ghani and Abdul-lah’s campaigns say a transparent, clean vote is what is most important to them. Najib Danesh, an official from Ghani’s campaign, said he hopes the commission doesn’t “sacrifice accuracy and transparency over speed.”

Younus Nawandesh, an official in Abdullah’s campaign, said the “fault-lessness” of the results is most important, not the timing of the announcement.

Both campaigns say they have referred several cases of fraud to the election commission.

In an interview with The Wash-ington Post before the election, Abdullah warned that a fraud-marred election result “will be contested” and that his supporters would not be willing to “sacrifice” a legitimate victory at the polls.

Afghanistan has seen steadily declining turnout since the country first held national elections in 2004 following the Taliban’s ouster. Ini-tially, numbers announced by the election commission suggested less than a third of registered voters cast a vote on Sept. 28.

However, if hundreds of thou-sands of votes are discarded, that turnout figure could drop lower. In the first election after the Taliban were ousted from power, turnout was about 70%.

Afghans interviewed by The Post cited violence and fears of fraud as the main reasons they were staying away from the polls. The vote was marred by violence, although not to the degree that many feared. The Taliban pledged violence to disrupt the vote and carried out several large

Some 8,300 children — 1,600 of them unaccompanied — have been accommodated in overcrowded Aegean islands, the largest number since the beginning of 2016 from January to the end of September, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

attacks in the lead up to Sept. 28.In total election-related attacks

killed 85 and wounded 373 civilians, according to the United Nations. Casualties were fewer than Afghanistan’s 2018 election, but the low turnout figures suggest that the Taliban’s campaign in the lead up to the election succeeded in keeping people home.

The Taliban views the Afghan government as a puppet of the United States and considers its elections to be illegitimate.

10 SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019HOME

11SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Turkey to resume Syria operation if deal falters ANATOLIA ANKARA

Turkey’s 120-hour pause on counter-terrorism operation in northern Syria would be over and army would restart targeting terror elements if agreement with the US is not implemented, the Turkish President said yesterday.

Speaking at a mass opening ceremony held in central Kayseri province of Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said: “[If agreement with the US] is not implemented, then we will con-tinue crushing heads of terrorists a minute after 120 hours (oper-ational pause).” “If promises given to Turkey are not kept as in the past, we will resume the operation after pause,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan went on to say that Bashar Al Assad regime forces under protection of Russia were present at some areas of Turkey’s counter-terrorism operation, he said: “We will discuss the issue with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. We need to find a solution.”

He criticised the smear cam-paigns against Turkey’s oper-ation, which attaches great importance to civilians, and

called on the international com-munity to support Turkey.

Erdogan added Turkey’s stance in the establishment of a safe-zone in northern Syria has always been same and it has not changed. On October 9, Turkey had launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria in order to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.

On Thursday, Turkey agreed to pause its Operation Peace Spring for 120 hours to allow the withdrawal of terrorist YPG/PKK forces from the planned safe

zone. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US Vice-President Mike Pence also agreed on Turkey having 20 miles (32km) of safe zone south of the Turkish border in Syria.

Ankara wants to clear northern Syria east of the Euphrates River of the terrorist PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG/PKK.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the European Union — has been responsible for deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

Meanwhile, reports have come out that terrorist YPG/PKK attacked Syrian National Army (SNA) soldiers in Turkey-Syria border city of Ras Al Ayn, despite an ongoing agreement between Turkey and the US on Friday.

Terrorists targeted SNA sol-diers despite the Turkey-U.S. deal on pausing Operation Peace Spring for withdrawal of ter-rorists from safe zone area within 120 hours. Turkey’s decision to pause the operation had come on Thursday.

Terrorist YPG/PKK attacked SNA soldiers with snipers and wounded three of them.

Wounded soldiers were brought to Akcakale district of Sanliurfa province of Turkey for treatment.

YPG/PKK terrorists carried out 14 attacks in last 36 hours, while Turkish Armed Forces have fully complied with the deal on establishment of safe zone, said Turkish National Defense

Ministry yesterday on Twitter.A large amount of ammu-

nition and arsenal were seized from YPG/PKK terrorists in Ras Al Ayn district of northern Syria, said the Turkish Ministry of Defence yesterday. The Ministry of Defence stated on Twitter that a large amount of weapons and

ammunition belonging to ter-rorist YPG/PKK were found in Syria’s Ras Al Ayn district.

The image shared by the ministry included camouflage materials, assault vests, military equipment, as well as ammu-nition boxes for heavy machine guns.

Erdogan went on to say that Bashar Al Assad regime forces under protection of Russia were present at some areas of Turkey’s counter-terrorism operation, he said: “We will discuss the issue with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. We need to find a solution.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan salutes during a gathering in Kayseri, Turkey, yesterday.

Abiy Ahmed launches million-copy book of his ideology AP ADDIS ABABA

Ethiopia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister is launching a book of his ideology, with one million copies already printed.

Yesterday’s launch again raised concerns among some in the East African nation that a cult of personality could spring up

around Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who announced sweeping political reforms after taking office last year.

The book called “Medemer” aims at inclusivity and consensus in a country with scores of ethnic groups and a rising problem of ethnic unrest. The book comes as the country faces a national election next year that Abiy has pledged will be free and fair.

Exhibitors in the capital, Addis Ababa, told The Associated Press they were forced out of a conference hall for the launch. “We were told to evacuate,” said Bethlehem Bahran, a communi-cations director for the event.

Abiy’s book is launching both in Ethiopia and the United States, which has a large diaspora com-munity. The press secretary for the prime minister’s office,

Nigussu Tilahun, told the AP no state money was involved in pro-moting the book. “And all pro-ceeds from the book will be used to build schools across Ethiopia,” he said. The Nobel committee awarded Abiy the prize for making peace with neighbouring Eritrea and ending one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts, and for his political reforms. “No doubt some people will think this

year’s prize is being awarded too early,” the Nobel committee said. But “it is now that Abiy Ahmed’s efforts deserve recognition and need encouragement.” Human rights groups and others have urged the prime minister to con-tinue with reforms and resist the urge to return to repressive con-trols of the past such as wide-spread arrests and Internet shutdowns.

Lebanon braces for third day of unrestREUTERS BEIRUT

Lebanon braced for a third day of unrest yesterday after anti-government protests fuelled by rising fury over an economic crisis erupted across the country and descended into riots on the streets of Beirut.

Small groups of demon-strators gathered in central Beirut in an effort to keep the protests going, with storefronts of banks and upmarket retailers in the capital’s commercial dis-trict smashed in and fires still

smouldering from the night before. Prime Minister Saad Al Hariri gave his government partners a 72-hour deadline on Friday to agree on reforms that could ward off economic crisis, hinting he may otherwise resign.

The latest unrest erupted out of anger over the rising cost of living and new tax plans, including a fee on WhatsApp calls, which was quickly retracted after protests — the biggest in decades — broke out.

In a televised speech addressing the protests yes-terday, Hezbollah leader Sayyed

Hassan Nasrallah said the group opposed the government’s res-ignation, and that the country did not have enough time for such a move given the acute financial crisis.

“Everyone should take responsibility rather than being preoccupied with settling political scores while leaving the fate of the country unknown,” said Nasrallah, adding that Lebanon could face “financial collapse”. “All of us have to shoulder the responsibility of the current situation that we arrived at in Lebanon.”

Demonstrators carry national flags during an anti-government protest in the port city of Sidon, Lebanon, yesterday.

Mozambique’s Renamo calls for vote to be annulledAFP MAPUTO

Mozambique’s main opposition party Renamo yesterday called for this week’s election to be annulled, accusing the government of breaching a peace deal by using violence and intimidation on voting day.

Partial results from Tues-day’s election show President Filipe Nyusi and his ruling Frelimo party headed for a major victory but the poll was marred by claims of fraud and irregularities.

Renamo accused Frelimo of violating a “cessation of hostil-ities agreement” under the August peace deal which states no party should “commit acts of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political objectives”.

The party said some of its delegates were arrested after they caught poll organisers handing out more than one Frelimo ballot paper to voters.

“There were arbitrary arrests of agents... and voters who tried to complain about anything, ballot box stuffing, being unable to exercise the right to vote,” Renamo said.

It called for a cancellation of

the vote and asked for “new elections that must be super-vised by reputable entities”.

The vote was seen as a test of the fragile peace deal between Frelimo and Renamo, a former rebel group. The two sides fought a brutal civil war from 1975-1992, devastating the economy and leaving almost one million people dead.

They picked up arms again from 2013 to 2016, although ten-sions continued until the peace deal was sealed.

As part of the accord, Frelimo had also agreed to allow voters to elect governors for the country’s 10 provinces.

Renamo had been tipped to win control of at least three of those provinces, but partial results have cast doubt on that prediction.

While most international observers agreed the vote was relatively well conducted, the opposition has decried fraud since the start of campaigning.

Civil society groups have said they found evidence of sus-pected election rigging, including several attempts to stuff ballots and election observers being kicked out of polling stations.

Iraqi pilgrims protest corruption during Arbaeen marchAFP KARBALA, IRAQ

Thousands of Iraqis chanted anti-corruption slogans during the Shia Arbaeen pilgrimage to the holy city of Karbala yesterday, responding to firebrand cleric Muqtada Al Sadr’s call to keep up anti-government protests.

Amid the throngs of

black-clad pilgrims mourning the seventh-century death of Imam Hussein, Sadr supporters dressed in white demanded “No, to cor-ruption!” and “Yes, to reform!”.

Waving Iraqi flags, they chanted “Baghdad free, corrupt ones out!” Sadr, whose list emerged as the largest bloc in parliamentary elections last year, helped Prime Minister Adel Abdel

Mahdi to form his government. But on Tuesday he called on Twitter for his supporters to march in shrouds.

Iraq — the second-largest Opec oil producer — is “a rich country where the people are poor,” Khedheir Naim said.

The grey-bearded man came from the southern oil city of Basra to join the world’s largest Shia

pilgrimage, which culminated Saturday. He denounced corrupt leaders, who according to official figures pocketed ¤410bn over the past 16 years.

“Unfortunately, tyrants and criminals live handsomely at the expense of the people,” Naim said. Denouncing corruption has been a primary theme of the protest movement shaking Iraq,

alongside demands for jobs and functional services.

In a single week of protests at the start of the month, 110 people were killed and 6,000 injured, according to official figures. Calls have been made for fresh marches on October 25, to mark the anniversary of the gov-ernment that is the focus of public anger.

Five soldiers dead in Burkina Faso attacks AFP OUAGADOUGOU

Five soldiers were killed and 11 more injured in twin attacks early yesterday in the north of Burkina Faso, the army said in a statement. “Military units in Bahn (Loroum province) and Yense (Yatenga province) were targeted by almost simulta-neous terrorist attacks,” at around 3:00 am, killing five soldiers, the statement said.

Six dead in attack on Mali pro-govt forcesAFP/BAMAKO

Six people were killed late on Friday when unknown assailants attacked a post held by armed pro-government groups in strife-torn north-eastern Mali, the groups said in a statement.

Four more people were missing after the attack in Aguelhok, an alliance of pro-government forces calling itself Platform of the June 2014 Movements said. The security situation in Mali has been dete-riorating steadily with separa-tists, salafists and militants mounting deadly insurrections since 2012.

South Sudan oppn leader returns to meet with PresidentAP JUBA

South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar returned to the country yesterday to meet with President Salva Kiir less than a month before their deadline to form a unity government after a five-year civil war.

Machar last met face-to-face with Kiir in September, when they discussed out-standing issues in a fragile peace deal. His two-day visit includes a meeting with the US ambassador to the United Nations, who arrives today with a UN Security Council dele-gation. The delegation is expected to encourage progress in the peace deal signed a year ago but fraught with delays.

12 SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019ASIA

Muslim litigants not to build mosque if verdict in favourIANS AYODHYA

Concerned over the possible post-verdict situation in the Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid dispute case, Muslim litigants have said that they will not build the mosque for the sake of coun-try’s peace and harmony.

“The first priority is to maintain harmony. If the verdict is in favour of Muslims then, in the greater interest of peace and communal harmony, we should not build a mosque on Babri land. We should just build a boundary (around) the piece of land,” said Muslim Litigant Haji Mehboob.

“This is my personal opinion. Keeping in view the present situ-ation of the country, I will take my proposal to the other litigants to discuss it further,” added Mehboob.

Mufti Hasbullah Baadshah Khan, a litigant from the Muslim side and local President of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, reacting to Haji Mehboob’s statement said, “it is correct that we must have to take care of communal harmony first. We will discuss the situation with senior Muslim religious leaders. In the present scenario, we should postpone the construction of the mosque if a verdict comes in our favour.”

Mohammad Umar, another Muslim litigant, said, “I agree, if we have to postpone the construction of a mosque, we must (do so) to take care of peace and communal harmony and peace in the society.”

Iqbal Ansari, one of the main Muslim litigants, who supported the peaceful settlement of the dispute, however, declined to react on the issue.

“Let the verdict be pro-nounced. We will not allow any breach in the communal fabric of the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Hindu and Muslim parties yesterday gave their written submission on moulding of relief in the Ayodhya title dispute in the Supreme Court. The apex court on Wednesday reserved the verdict after 40 days of intense hearing in the matter.

The moulding of relief in civil disputes is usually nature of relief parties seek from the court, and it can be resorted to at the time of consideration of final relief in the main suit and not at an interlocutory stage.

The Muslim parties have jointly submitted the documents in connection with the relief they seek in a sealed cover. This move by Muslim parties assumes sig-nificance especially in the

backdrop of a prominent rift between the factions in the UP Sunni Waqf Board has come to the fore in connection with the settlement of Ayodhya dispute.

The Muslim parties, on the last day of hearing, have clearly told the apex court that they seek the restoration of the Babri Masjid as it was before its dem-olition. The counsels of Muslim side did not respond to phone calls and text messages.

Ram Lalla Virajman has sub-mitted a strongly worded note seeking the court should give the land to the devotees. “The Muslim parties are not entitled to any equi-table, more so when the structure is no longer existent. To pray for reconstructing the mosque at the disputed site is inequitable and unjust. It is contrary to Hindu dharma, Islamic law and all prin-ciples of justice, equity and good conscience. The small area which is the subject matter of the suit is one integral unit and it is indi-visible,” said the note.

Ram Lalla said disputing the suit and its locus standi have dis-entitled Nirmohi Akhara from any relief. The Akhara had set up a claim adverse to the deity and questioned the status of the Ram Janambhoomi as a juristic entity, subject to law. The Akhara, in its note, said since it is the ‘Shebait’ — devotee taking care of the deity — therefore it is entitled to possession and management of the disputed site in Ayodhya.

Getting a feel of being visually impairedBlindfolded volunteers participate in a visual impairment awareness raising event about eye donations during the World Sight Day in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, yesterday.

Amid tension, Assam set to hold Indo-Bangla Stakeholders meetIANS GUWAHATI

Amid recent hostilities along the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, Assam is all set to hold a two-day Indo-Bangladesh Stakeholders meet from Tuesday.

Officials of the Assam gov-ernment said that Minister of Commerce of the neighbouring country Tipu Munshi, has con-firmed participation in the summit with a 90 member del-egation including bureaucrats and senior members of the

business fraternity of Bangladesh.

Ministers from Central gov-ernment in New Delhi and top officials of Ministry of Com-merce, External Affairs, Road Transport and Shipping are also likely to attend this meet, offi-cials said yesterday.

However, tension has gripped both sides of the Indo-Bangla border after one Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was killed and another injured in firing by a soldier of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) at Murshidabad in West

Bengal on Thursday.Although the BSF and BGB

had maintained a cordial atmos-phere along the borders without even firing of a single bullet in the past one decade, yet the incident on Thursday has dampened the spirit ahead of the meet.

BSF chief VK Johri had called up BGB Chief over hotline for a detailed probe.

The incident took place when a BSF team entered the Bangladesh territory responding to a call for a flag meeting the same day.

Rebels may spoil NDA, grand alliance plans in BiharIANS PATNA

Five Bihar Assembly by-elections have created a queer situation for both political groupings — ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the oppo-sition grand alliance — as official candidates are being opposed by party members.

Ahead of the October 21 Assembly by-elections, rebels

are out to spoil their game plans.JD(U) leader and Siwan MP

Kavita Singh’s husband Ajay Singh is the NDA candidate for the Daraunda Assembly seat in the Siwan district. He is facing a tough fight from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Karnajeet Singh allies Vyas who filed his papers as an Independent.

While senior BJP leaders along with Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi is campaigning for

Ajay Singh, Vyas is seeking votes in the name of the BJP. To prevent any misunderstanding, the BJP has suspended Vyas from the party.

Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal said, the party leaders and workers were campaigning for Ajay Singh, who would win the seat with thumping majority.

While the campaigning came to end yesterday, the confusion and infighting continue to dog the opposition grand alliance.

There is lack of coordination among grand alliance members.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has fielded Rabiya Khatoon from Nathnagar Assembly seat in the Bhagalpur district, as authorised NDA candidate, but the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) has fielded Ajay Rai.

Similarly, in Simri Bakhti-yapur seat two member parties of the grand alliance have fielded candidates.

Court rejects Kerala serial killer Jolly’s bail pleaIANS KOZHIKODE

A court yesterday rejected the bail application of serial killer Jolly Thomas and her two accomplices, and remanded them to judicial custody till November 2.

The bail plea was heard at Thamarassery Chief Judicial Mag-istrate Court, near Kozhikode.

The three were arrested on October 5 in connection with the case of the murder of Jolly’s husband, Roy Thomas.

According to police, Jolly has also confessed to killing five other members of her family between 2002-16.

Following her confession, the police have registered five cases of murder against the three accused in connection with the other deaths.

According to police sources, they are likely to arrest the third accused in the second case — the murder of Sily, the first wife of Jolly’s current husband Shaju.

The first to die an unnatural death was Jolly’s mother-in-law Annamma, a retired teacher in 2002. She was fol-lowed by Jolly’s father-in-law, Tom Thomas, in 2008. In 2011, their son and Jolly’s husband, Roy Thomas, died. It was fol-lowed by three others

Indian in FBI’s top 10 most wanted list; biggest hunt launchedIANS NEW YORK/NEW DELHI

Considered as one of the biggest ever simultaneous chases in the US and India, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is hunting for an Indian fugitive, Bhadresh Kumar Patel, for the past four years.

Patel, who hails from Viramgam in Ahmedabad, figures in the FBI’s top 10 list of most wanted fugitives and carries an award of $100,000.

FBI considers Patel as a cold-blooded murderer and an ‘extremely dangerous’ criminal who killed his young wife at a Dunkin’ Donuts store in Hanover, Maryland, in a most bizarre way.

Though the top 10 list of most wanted fugitives is con-stantly updated and changed, as Bhadresh Patel continues to run from one place to another, his name continues to figure in the latest FBI list (2019), which includes some of the most dreaded fugitives. Patel’s name first figured in the top 10 list in 2017.

Assisting the FBI in its inves-tigation, County police detective Kally Harding said, “Patel’s wife Palak was young and the scene was very brutal... She was killed in a horrible way, that’s the kind of person (killer) we are dealing

with.” Palak (21) and Patel (then 24) were working in night shift in the Dunkin’ Donuts store.

T he C C T V f oo t a g e retrieved from the store shows Bhadresh and Palak walking together towards the kitchen before disappearing behind the racks.

Moments later, Patel reap-pears. He then shuts off the kitchen oven and walks out of the store, as if nothing had hap-pened. His body language and facial impression seem to be very normal.

The FBI investigation into the brutal murder, which sent shock waves in Maryland, dis-closed that the body of Palak, found hours later in the night of April 12, 2015, carried multiple stab wounds.

After brutally beating and stabbing Palak to death, Patel left the store and returned to his nearby apartment by foot. He then picked up some per-sonal items and hired a cab to a hotel near an airport in Newark.

The taxi driver later reported that Patel was looking normal during the ride. CCTV footage revealed that Patel later checked into a hotel in Newark and was seen at the counter paying in cash for a room. He slept over the night and left the hotel in the morning.

Detention centre for illegal foreigners near Bengaluru soonIANS BENGALURU

A detention centre to keep illegal foreigners till they are deported is coming up at Nelamangala in Karnataka’s Bengaluru Rural district, a police official said yesterday.

“A state-run hostel is being converted into a detention centre to keep illegal foreign nationals

for deportation to their respective countries,” Bengaluru Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohan Kumar said on phone.

Nelamangala is about 40km northwest of Bengaluru towards Tumakuru on the national highway #4 towards Pune and Mumbai.

“The 8-room ground floor building with open space in the compound will be modified to suit the needs of a detention

centre and fortified for fool-proof security, with closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs), floodlights, barbed fence and a surveillance system to monitor the movement of detainees and their activity,” Kumar said.

To be the first of its kind in the southern state, the centre is stra-tegically located, as it is nearer to the Bengaluru international airport at Devanahalli in the same

district for early deportation.“It is early to say when it will

be ready for making it operational and housing the illegal foreign nationals. For security reasons and space constraints, the gov-ernment has decided to locate the detention centre at Nelamangala, which is closer to Bengaluru,” a district official said.

State Home Minister Basa-varaj Bommai, however, told

reporters here on Thursday that the detention centre would be made operational soon.

Bommai favoured having a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Karnataka on the lines of it in Assam to detect, identify and deport foreign nationals like Bangladeshis, overstaying in the state, especially in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Gulbarga and Bidar.

The Hindu and Muslim parties yesterday gave their written submission on moulding of relief in the Ayodhya title dispute in the Supreme Court.

Bollywood star Anil Kapoor inaugurating Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ latest showroom in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, in the presence of MP Ahammed, Chairman, Malabar Group; Abdul Salam KP, Group Executive Director, Malabar Group; Asher O, Managing Director, India Operations, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, and other management team members.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds opens Aurangabad showroom

13SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019 ASIA

Govt to seal two cities with containers to stop opposition marchINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

Pakistani federal capital Islamabad and its adjacent city Rawalpindi will be sealed from October 31 onwards by either the police or the opposition Jamiat Ulema Islam-F as preparations on both sides for the Azadi March gain momentum.

According to police officers, the Islamabad police have demanded more than 550 shipping containers to intercept the march before it enters the city. The demand was made by zonal superintendents of police City, Saddar, Industrial Area and Rural to the police’s logistics division, they said.

The city zone has demanded 250 containers while the other three zones have sought 100 each. The logistics department has ordered a vendor to arrange 450 containers, they said, with the request that they be ready for further requirements.

According to the officers, each container costs more than Rs5,000 a day to rent.

Around 100 containers will be needed in around 10 locations in and around the Red Zone, including on PTV Chowk, Ayub Chowk, Aga Khan Road, Secre-tariat Chowk and France Chowk on Constitution Avenue, Radio Pakistan Chowk on Shahrah-i-Jamhuriat, Serena Chowk on Khayaban-i-Suhrawardy, Con-vention Centre on Murree Road and Margalla Road.

The police have decided to block each of the Expressway’s connecting roads from both sides from Faizabad to the Koral flyover, they said, as this area becomes ‘Waterloo’ for them during protests and law and order problems.

All the connecting roads of Rawalpindi to I J Principal Road will also likely be sealed, the officers said, and steps will be taken to intercept people trying to join the march or gather in the capital.

The police have more than 1,000 gas masks, 200 teargas launchers and 13,000 shells available in the logistics division armoury, they said, along with enough batons, plastic helmets, riot jackets, riot shields, shin guards and arms, if needed.

More riot gear was demanded to cope with a dete-riorating situation, if it arises.

The police have also threatened local traders with legal action if they do business with the organisers or

participants of the Azadi March, the officers said.

These traders include catering services, tent services, hotels, motels, guest-houses and inns, generators, workshops, hardware stores, welding workshops, sound system services, excavator owners and crane owners.

The warning was issued in writing by station house officers to traders running businesses in their limits. It said traders will not deal with or provide services, assistance or items to protesters during the sit-in or strict action will be taken against them.

The police have also pre-pared a contingency plan under which 120 freight containers will be used to seal the garrison city and Rangers and Punjab Con-stabulary (PC) personnel will assist the police if the law and order situation deteriorates during the Azadi March.

Although the government has not yet told the district administration or the police whether the march is to be allowed, the police have begun giving squads riot training.

Punjab police chief Arif Nawaz Khan met the Rawalpindi regional police officer (RPO) during his visit to the city on Thursday and reviewed the law and order situation, including the upcoming march.

A senior police official said that the government was expected to communicate a final policy and strategy for the march tomorrow.

Supporters of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) gather for an anti-government rally in Karachi.

Imran Khan may summon armyto tackle Azadi MarchINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

The Imran Khan government has started devising its strategy to deal with ‘Azadi March’ of oppo-sition Jamiat Ulema Islam-F chief Fazlur Rehman and is weighing the option of calling in armed forces in Islamabad.

Rehman will march on Islamabad on October 31 to “topple the government”, accusing it of coming into power through rigged elections. All major oppo-sition parties including Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N, Bilawal Bhutto’s PPP, Asfandyar Wali’s ANP and Mahmood Achakzai’s PMAP have already announced their support for the protests.

According to sources, if the talks between a government committee and Rehman remain unsuccessful, Prime Minister Imran Khan may call the army under Article 245 of the Consti-tution in aid of civilian forces.

Sources said yesterday a meeting held at Prime Minister Imran Khan’s personal residence in Bani Gala on law and order situation discussed different options to counter the march.

The participants agreed that peaceful protest is everyone’s right, but no one can be allowed to besiege Islamabad. The state will perform its duty to protect the public life and property. The meeting also discussed security of sensitive government

buildings and foreign embassies.It decided that the gov-

ernment will hold talks with all opposition parties including Rehman. If the talks fail, army troops will be deployed to protect the government buildings and important installations.

However, the Ministry of Interior will make the final decision if the armed forces are to be called.

Ironically, army troops were also called during Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf’s 2014 and Tehrik Labaik Pakistan’s November 2017 sit-ins. According to Article 245, acts of armed forces cannot be challenged in court when called in to support the civil administration.

Taliban abduct six peace marchers in AfghanistanANATOLIA KABUL

The Taliban in Afghanistan abducted six members of the celebrated Peoples’ Peace Movement, the group said yesterday.

The PPM member Bismillah Watandost has been quoted by the local Shamshad TV saying that the group has been busy in encouraging people for peace in southeastern Logar province for the past some days now. Expressing concerns over safety of six of his fellow peace marchers, Watandost said the motives behind this abduction are not known yet.

Spokesman for the provincial governor, Dedar Ahmad Lawang, said the peace marchers held a large public gathering for peace after Friday prayers in the Khoshi district, and wished to hold another peace moot in the pro-vincial capital, Pul-e-Alam, but the Taliban abducted six of its members. He vowed efforts have been expedited to ensure swift and safe release of the peace marchers.

Originated as the Helmand Peace March when a suicide bomber killed scores of civilians in Helmand province, the PPM grabbed attention last year when its members walked the 700 km distance up to Kabul under scorching sun on the treacherous, insecure and barren highway.

Afghans bury victims after 66 dead in mosque blastAP KABUL

Hundreds of villagers attended the funerals held yesterday in eastern Afghanistan for the victims of a deadly bomb that killed 66 people during prayers at a local mosque.

Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, said that the explosion also wounded 36 people when it went off as dozens of people gathered for Friday prayers in the village of Jodari.

He said it was not immedi-ately clear if the mosque was attacked by a suicide bomber or by some other type of bombing.

He said the “latest” figure for the death toll was 66. He added that ten wounded were so far discharged from hospital after treatment.

Villagers from the sur-rounding Haskamena district said that there were more than one hundred worshippers at the time of the bombing in the mosque.

Gulab Shinwari, a villager, said that when he reached the

site of the blast with other locals, they found “a heartbreaking scene.”

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially Nan-garhar province.

However, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesman in a statement con-demned the attack in Nangarhar and called it a serious crime.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “strongly” con-demned the attack and said those

responsible must be held accountable, his office’s spokesman said.

Amnesty International’s deputy South Asia director, Omar Waraich, said the attack “demands the world’s attention.”

“Flagrant violations of inter-national humanitarian law such as deliberate targeting of civilians are not something anyone should get used to or learn to ignore,” he said.

The violence comes just after a United Nations report said that Afghan civilians are dying in

record numbers in the country’s increasingly brutal war, noting that more civilians died in July than in any previous one-month period since the UN began keeping statistics.

“Civilian casualties at record-high levels clearly show the need for all parties con-cerned to pay much more attention to protecting the civilian population, including through a review of conduct during combat operations,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN secretary-general’s special rep-resentative for Afghanistan.

Following the herdA herd of cows walks on a road in Elephant Pass in northern Sri Lanka, yesterday.

High court to decide fate of 3 ruling party legislators next monthINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

After keeping a verdict on peti-tions seeking disqualification of three lawmakers belonging to the ruling party of Prime Minister Imran Khan reserved for over two and a half months, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has allowed a few more weeks to both sides to answer some legal questions related to filing and scrutiny of their nomination papers.

Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC had reserved a judgement on July 31 on the petitions chal-lenging the eligibility of MNAs [members of National Assembly] Maleeka Bokhari, Tashfeen Safdar and Kanwal Shauzab on the basis of allegedly holding ‘dual nationality’.

The petitions had been filed by Abdullah Khan from Islamabad and Chaudhry Mehmood Hashim from Gujarat.

The court was supposed to pronounce the judgement, but since the counsel for the respondents and the petitioners were not ready to submit their replies to the legal questions

raised by the judge, the court adjourned the case till November 15.

In March 2018, Shauzab had contested the Senate election on a general seat from the federal capital and provided details of her registration as a voter. She did not win the election.

The petition said that Shauzab’s permanent and present addresses were in Rawalpindi and Sargodha, but she had misled the ECP about her residence and registration of vote and was, therefore, ineligible for contesting the elections for the National Assembly.

About Bokhari, the prose-cutor argued that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had identified her as a UK passport holder.

Through an affidavit, in support of her nomination papers, dated June 19, she stated that she had renounced her British nationality and surren-dered her passport, claiming that the UK Home Office had also acknowledged the renun-ciation of her British nationality.

Senate wants forensic audit of media regulatorINTERNEWS/ISLAMABAD

A parliamentary committee in Pakistan has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to assist its members in a forensic audit of the mobile phones of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regu-latory Authority’s (Pemra)

chairman as well as its officials for allegedly blacking out media coverage of opposition parties.

The Senate Committee on Human Rights confronted Pemra officials for being used as a vehicle and its powers as a tool to undermine the operation of Article 19 of the Constitution,

said officials of the committee yesterday.

Chairman of the committee Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Mustafa Khokhar said the forensic audit of mobile phones would help determine if Pemra officials had received and implemented illegal orders.

Two video clips were also played during the meeting in which a news channel and a renowned anchor complained of being pressured by Pemra not to air a press conference of an opposition leader.

A Pemra representative, however, denied the allegations.

According to police officers, the Islamabad police have demanded more than 550 shipping containers to intercept an anti-government march before it enters the city.

14 SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019ASIA

Seoul steps up security after rally at US envoy’s residenceAP SEOUL

South Korean police said yesterday that they beefed up security at the US ambassador’s residence in Seoul after a group of anti-American students used ladders to break into the compound.

They were protesting demands by the Trump admin-istration that South Korea pay more to help cover the costs of keeping US troops in the country.

Officials from three Seoul police stations didn’t

immediately say whether they will seek to formally arrest any of the 19 university students who were detained on Friday afternoon at the residence of Ambassador Harry Harris.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police agency said yesterday that the number of officers guarding the residence was more than tripled to 110.

The demonstrators, who broadcast parts of their protest on Facebook, used two steel ladders to climb over the com-pound’s wall. They shouted anti-US slogans and held up

signs that read “The United States has called for a five-fold increase in defense costs!” and “Harris, leave this land!” before police officers dragged them out.

At the time of the protest, Harris was at Seoul’s presidential Blue House attending a reception for foreign ambassadors hosted by President Moon Jae-in.

Harris tweeted about the incident yesterday, saying, “Big shout out to Embassy guards & Seoul Metro Police Agency for responding to protesters who breached perimeter around my residence. 2nd incident in 13

months in Heart of Seoul. This time they tried to forcibly enter my home itself. 19 arrested. Cats are OK. Thanks @polinlove!,” referring to the Twitter account of South Korea’s National Police Agency.

About a dozen leftist students rallied in front of Seoul’s Nam-daemun district police station yesterday calling for the imme-diate release of the “righteous” protesters.

A student said South Koreans would see the United States as “nothing but an invader” if it continues to “disrespect” the

country with excessive demands on defense costs.

The US State Department has expressed “strong concern” over the illegal entry and urged South Korea to strengthen its efforts to protect all diplomatic missions.

South Korea’s Foreign Min-istry criticised the protest, saying in a statement that “any attack or harm inflicted on foreign dip-lomatic missions cannot be jus-tified under any circumstances.” It said the government will take “every appropriate measure” to protect the facilities.

Philippine V-P widens lead in protest recountBLOOMBERG MANILA

The lead of Philippines’ Vice-President Leni Robredo over Ferdinand Marcos Jr widened in the results of the protest recount in three prov-inces chosen by the late dictator’s son, according to the electoral tribunal.

Robredo’s votes in the 2016 elections in the provinces of Cama-rines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental which Marcos said were where the most number of fraud were committed increased to 278,566 from the original tally of 263,473, the electoral tribunal said in a statement.

The results of the initial recount were released days after the top court, which in cases of vote protests acts as an electoral tri-bunal, asked the two camps to comment on Marcos’ plea to nullify votes in three other provinces on supposed irregularities.

Robredo, the leader of the opposition who’s already halfway through her six-year term, has been urging the Philippines top court to junk Marcos’ protest.

The vice-president weighs run to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte in 2022.

However Duterte, who has faced questions on his health, has repeatedly said Marcos is his preferred successor if he had to leave office before his single term ends in 2022.

Hong Kong activist injured in knife attackAFP HONG KONG

A man handing out leaflets for a Hong Kong pro-democracy protest was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant who slashed his neck and abdomen yesterday, days after a leading activist was left bloodied in another street attack.

The injured 19-year-old, wearing black clothes and a black face mask, was knifed near one of the large “Lennon Walls” that have sprung up around the city during months of demon-strations, police said.

Local media images showed the man had been severely injured, with his inner organs visible where his abdomen had been cut in the afternoon incident in northeastern Tai Po district.

Footage posted on social media showed another man holding a knife shortly after the attack and shouting: “Hong Kong is part of China... (You) messed up Hong Kong”.

Police confirmed a 22-year-old man had been arrested as well as giving the age of the

victim, who was conscious when he was rushed to hospital for surgery.

“The man suddenly rushed to my friend and slashed (him) in the neck. Then my friend ran away towards this direction. After that he fell down and was stabbed in the abdomen with a knife,” an associate of the injured man told media at the scene.

Plastered in colourful sticky-notes, posters and slogans, “Lennon Walls” have appeared in more than a hundred locations around Hong Kong, often in pedestrian tunnels or near subway stations.

Though the walls are seen as a peaceful protest method, they

have also become flashpoints for violence.

In recent months, fights have broken out when groups of men who support the Hong Kong gov-ernment have tried to tear the posters down, or between people with different political views.

On Wednesday, Jimmy Sham — a leading face of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement —was taken to hospital covered in blood after being attacked with hammers by unidentified thugs.

The Civil Human Rights Front, which Sham leads, had

applied for permission to hold a peaceful rally on Sunday calling for an independent inquiry into police brutality and universal suffrage, but their request was rejected by the police. However, the march is still expected to take place despite the ban.

Hong Kong’s more than four months of huge and increasingly violent protests were initially sparked by a now-scrapped bill that would have allowed extra-ditions to mainland China.

They have since snowballed into a wider movement calling

for greater democracy and police accountability after Beijing and local leaders took a hard line.

Multiple pro-democracy activists have been attacked by pro-Beijing supporters in recent months, and Sham was also assaulted in August.

As the violence has escalated, hardcore pro-democracy pro-testers have also begun meting out their own street justice, beating people who vocally dis-agree with their goals or are viewed to be government loyalists.

Huawei is prepared to be open and transparent: OfficialAP WASHINGTON

A top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei said that the company is prepared to be “open and transparent” as it looks to persuade the US government that it can be trusted and that national security concerns about its technology are unfounded.

“The first thing we need it do is we need to demystify this company,” Paul Scanlan, chief technology officer of Huawei’s carrier network business unit, said.

“We are a Chinese company, we are based in China, the

majority of the people are eth-nically Chinese, so there’s nothing to say we’re not a Chinese company,” he said. “But, that doesn’t mean we have ties to the Chinese government. It doesn’t mean we take money from the Chinese government in the form of investments. Those things are not true.”

Scanlan spoke as grievances between China and the US remain unresolved despite the announcement of a temporary truce in the countries’ trade war. US sanctions tied to national security concerns threaten to disrupt the company’s

smartphone and network equipment business, with Wash-ington pressuring allies to ban Huawei, the world’s biggest sup-plier of telecom gear, from new 5G networks.

Huawei has developed its own line of chips to power some of its phones. The company has also been removing US components from its smartphones and network gear and has created its own phone operating system to replace Google’s Android if necessary.

“If push comes to shove and you’re put in a corner, we’re a commercial company — and therefore commercial companies

will take commercial decisions,” Scanlan said, later adding, “It’s a welcome, perhaps, change to the world to have some alternative competition.”

He said Huawei is eager to “demystify” itself to sceptical US authorities and is prepared to invite American officials to review its software themselves to address any concerns. The company has done the same for the UK, where new software is inspected at a facility and reports are prepared for the government and telecom-munications operators.

“If this is what is required, give us examples of what you

think would be the rule book, and we’ll play by the rule book,” he added, referring to the US “But today the challenge is, what’s the rule book?”

“You fear what you don’t know. The first thing Huawei needs to do and what we’re trying to do this year, very spe-cifically, is be more open and more transparent — ask any question you’d like, every exec-utive will answer it honestly and openly. If you’d like to come to our facilities to have a look at what we do and how Huawei does, it you’re more than welcome. Anybody.”

Man arrested over deaths of 350 asylum seekers in 2001REUTERS MELBOURNE

The Australian Federal Police yesterday said that it had charged an Iraqi man for his part in allegedly organising a people smuggling venture that led to the deaths of more than 350 asylum seekers when their boat sank in 2001.

Maythem Radhi, 43, was taken into custody at Brisbane Airport late on Friday fol-lowing his extradition from New Zealand and has been charged with “organising groups of non-citizens to Aus-tralia,” the police said in a statement.

The suspect, if convicted, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Police claim he was part of a syndicate that charged 421 mostly Iraqi and Afghan ref-ugees for a place aboard an Indonesian fishing boat known by Australian authorities as SIEV-X in 2001.

The vessel sunk in the Indian Ocean while en route to Australia’s Christmas Island, leaving 353 people dead, 146 of them children.

“Let’s not lose sight of the fact that more than 350 people died in this tragedy,” the police cited Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw as saying in the statement.

“They are owed justice and we remain committed to deterring those who profit from this trade.”

Aceh Tsunami MuseumVisitors looking at the exhibits depicting temporary shelters at the Aceh Tsunami Museum, where it serves as a reminder of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 170,000 people in Aceh province, in Banda, Indonesia, yesterday.

People attending a prayer rally to show support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, yesterday.

Local media images showed the man had been severely injured, with his inner organs visible where his abdomen had been cut in the afternoon incident in northeastern Tai Po district.

Mosque shooting:New Zealandplans armed police patrols

REUTERS WELLINGTON

New Zealand officials said armed police will patrol parts of the country in a trial project following heightened security concerns after a mass shooting in Christchurch in March that killed 51 people.

New Zealand, like the United Kingdom and Norway, is one of the few countries where police do not carry guns while on general duty. However, hand guns, rifles and tasers are kept in their vehicles and can be used with a super-visor’s permission.

“Following the events of March 15 in Christchurch, our operating environment has changed,” Police Commissioner Mike Bush said in a statement.

“Police must ensure our people are equipped and enabled to perform their roles safely and to ensure our com-munities are, and feel, safe. This means having the right people with the right tools, skills and knowledge ready to respond at all times,” he said.

The Armed Response Teams will be rolled out in Manukau county in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, and Waikato and Canterbury on October 28 on a six-month trial.

They will be routinely armed, equipped, mobile and ready to support frontline police officers at incidents that require enhanced tactical capa-bilities, Bush said.

He said there was no imme-diate threat.

Australian national Brenton Tarrant has been charged over the attack in Christchurch, New Zealand’s worst peace-time shooting. Tarrant has pleaded not guilty to 92 charges against him and faces trial in May.

Threat levels have been heightened around the country since the Christchurch attack and 1,400 firearms have been seized from offenders since March.

15SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019 EUROPE

North Macedonia PM calls for snap electionAFP SKOPJE

North Macedonia’s Prime Minister yesterday proposed a snap election after the EU blocked the start of membership talks, which had been the key policy goal of his administration.

After hours of heated wran-gling, European Union leaders on Friday could not agree on opening Skopje’s accession negotiations, chiefly because of opposition from France.

The issue is now on hold until next spring.

The move triggered a wave of anger and disappointment, not just in North Macedonia and Albania — whose bid was also put on hold — but among EU offi-cials and leaders who had lobbied hard to open the talks.

“We are victims of the EU’s

historic mistake,” Zoran Zaev (pictured) said in a televised address, echoing the words of European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker a day earlier, who appeared deeply apologetic for the decision.

“This is what I’m proposing: organising quick snap elections where you, citizens, will decide the road we are going to take,” Zaev said, adding that he would meet with the president and other political leaders today to discuss the next steps.

“I have no date, all options

are open, we will agree on that all together,” he added.

In his address, Zaev said he shared the “anger and disap-pointment” of the people.

But he asked them to give him another chance to keep fighting for the EU membership bid.

“I love my country, so I am asking people to give me a

mandate to continue along this path.”

“We seek to be in the EU not in order to be in Europe, because we are already a part of the con-tinent, but for the values. We should not be discouraged,” he added.

A Social Democrat, Zaev came to power in 2017, ousting the right-wing party of former strongman Nikola Gruevski who had been in power for a decade.

Since then, his government has poured all of its political capital into putting North Mac-edonia on a path to EU membership.

That included embarking on a complicated and politically risky effort to change his coun-try’s name — which was previ-ously Macedonia — to resolve a long-running row with Greece which was seen as the major

stumbling block for any future EU integration.

Brussels had pushed hard for the name change and promised the Balkan state would be rewarded.

While the name-change allowed North Macedonia to get an invitation to join Nato, the larger goal of starting EU talks keeps sliding towards the horizon.

Apart from France, all the other EU states accepted that North Macedonia had made enough progress on reforms to start the negotiations, which can stretch on for years.

But French President Emmanuel Macron refused to budge from his position that the entire accession process must first be reformed before opening the door to new members.

“This is just not fair, what

France did, what the EU did,” said Vladimir Kostovski, a 28-year-old in Skopje.

Velko Velinov, a 29-year-old legal assistant, shared the frustration.

“They made us change our name for zero, for nothing. Zaev did that and now he is gonna lose elections,” he said.

All of the Western Balkan countries aspire to someday join the European Union, but progress has been slow and is increasingly threatened by the w a n i n g a p p e t i t e f o r enlargement among some member states.

The EU’s failure to follow through for North Macedonia is a “disastrous” blow to the bloc’s credibility in the region, said James Ker-Lindsay, a Balkans expert at the London School of Economics.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev asked citizens to give him another chance to keep fighting for the EU membership bid.

French trainstrike upsetsstart of holidayAP PARIS

A wildcat strike is disrupting train travel in France for a second day, leaving thousands of people in the lurch at the start of school holidays.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe during a sur-prise visit yesterday to the Gare de l’Est station in Paris asked the SNCF train authority to examine legal means to get workers back on the job.

Philippe called the walkout a “hijacking” of the law.

Unions said strikers were exercising their “right to withdraw,” which can be invoked in case of perceived danger.

Spain dismisses call for Catalan talks; police brace for more unrestREUTERS BARCELONA

Spain’s government dismissed calls yesterday from Catalonia’s pro-independence regional chief for talks over a wave of violence sparked by the jailing of sepa-ratist leaders, as police braced for fresh protests.

Barcelona saw its worst night of disturbances in decades on Friday as masked youths blocked roads with blazing garbage bins and hurled rocks at security forces, who responded by firing repeated rounds of smoke gre-nades and tear gas.

Catalonia’s President, Quim Torra, said the violence did not reflect the peaceful nature of the traditional Catalan inde-pendence movement and asked for discussions with Madrid.

“We urge the acting prime minister of the Spanish gov-ernment to sit at a negotiating table to talk,” he told reporters.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Torra must first unequivocally condemn the unrest.

“Mr Torra must strongly condemn the violence, which he has not done so far,” Sanchez

said in a statement, adding he also needed to build bridges with the many Catalans who do not want secession.

“The government of Spain reiterates that the problem of Catalonia is not independence, which will not occur because it is not legal and nor do the majority of Catalans want it, but rather coexistence,” he said.

Protests erupted this week after Spain’s Supreme Court handed down lengthy prison terms to nine Catalan leaders for their role in a failed inde-pendence bid in 2017, which included holding a referendum that courts had deemed illegal.

Radical youth group Arran called for a new demonstration against “police violence” and to demand the “freedom of all political prisoners”.

Police said they feared renewed confrontations and advised shopkeepers in the city centre to close during the protest.

Independence is a highly divisive issue in Catalonia, which is Spain’s wealthiest region and has some 7.5 million inhabitants and its own language, parliament and flag.

An opinion poll in July showed backing for secession at its lowest level in two years, with 48.3% of people against and 44% in favour.

Spain’s main parties have consistently refused to hold an independence referendum in the region, although Sanchez’s Socialists have said they are open to dialogue on other issues.

Torra said earlier this week said Catalonia should hold a new vote on self-determination within

two years. Yesterday, he said the will of the people would be respected: “We will go as far as the people of Catalonia want to go”.

Some 300 people have been arrested in clashes that have flared throughout the region since Monday’s court verdict.

Spain’s acting Interior Min-ister, Fernando Grande-Mar-laska, defended police from accusations they had been heavy-handed.

“The situation is under

control. There is serious, organised violence ... but I reit-erate that we are not being over-whelmed,” he said after visiting injured police in hospital.

Barcelona’s mayor Ada Colau, who does not support the secessionist movement, said her city “does not deserve what we are living through”.

Pavements had been torn up and hundreds of plastic garbage bins torched in the unrest, she added.

Spanish police officers and drivers standing as demonstrators block the motorway during Catalonia’s general strike, in Le Perthus near the Franco-Spanish border, yesterday.

Gorbachev urges Russia and US to hold nuclear talksREUTERS/MOSCOW

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, warned that the world was drifting into a dangerous era of militarised politics and appealed to Moscow and Washington to sit down for urgent nuclear arms control talks.

Gorbachev, whose 1980s arms control push and democracy-oriented reforms helped end the Cold War, made the comments to the daily news-paper Izvestia two months after the demise of a landmark

nuclear pact he signed in 1987.“There are dangerous trends

— they are all in plain sight. I would single out two. They are the disregard for international law and the militarisation of world politics,” Gorbachev said.

US President Donald Trump’s administration formally pulled out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in August, accusing Moscow of violating it, and then tested a missile with a range pre-viously banned under the treaty.

Moscow denies flouting the accord, but President Vladimir

Putin has said Russia now has no option but to produce previ-ously banned missiles to ensure its own security.

The last major nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States, the New START treaty, is due to expire in 2021.

Putin has said Moscow is ready to extend the pact, but has complained about what he sees as a US refusal to engage properly on the subject. US offi-cials have said it could be scrapped when it expires and replaced with something else.

Gorbachev, 88, said the col-lapse of the INF treaty made the need for US-Russia talks all the more urgent. Although Gor-bachev has no direct influence in Washington and Moscow these days, his views still carry weight with some policymakers given his role in helping craft the g lo b al ar ms co n tr o l architecture.

“...It turned out this treaty was the most important pillar of strategic stability. We need talks so that its destruction does not exacerbate the threat of war,” said Gorbachev.

Germany vows crackdown after synagogue attackAP BERLIN

Germany’s top security officials are backing calls for tougher measures to fight far-right extremism following a deadly anti-Semitic rampage last week.

Interior Minister Horst See-hofer and his counterparts from Germany’s 16 states said they support a series of measures including forcing Internet com-panies to report hate speech to police and extending require-ments to delete illegal content to online gaming platforms.

A 27-year-old German attempted to attack a syna-gogue in the eastern city of Halle on October 9, later killing two passers-by before being arrested.

The officials also backed faster prosecutions of far-right crimes, better information-sharing among security services and more protection for Jewish sites.

Azerbaijan police detain scores of protesters, oppn party leaderREUTERS BAKU

Police in Azerbaijan detained scores of protesters, including the leader of the main oppo-sition Popular Front, at the start of a planned rally against low salaries, corruption and a lack of democracy in the energy-rich ex-Soviet state.

The protesters have a wide range of demands, including higher salaries for state employees and fair and inde-pendent elections in a country long accused by human rights groups and Western govern-ments of a lack of transparency.

Popular Front leader Ali Kerimli told reporters before his own detention that some 50 people, mostly organisers of yesterday’s unauthorised rally, had already been detained earlier in the week.

“We demand our constitu-tional rights and freedoms to be protected,” Kerimli said. “We are not afraid of this gov-ernment and we will fight till the end.”

Police detained Kerimli soon after he began walking to the venue of the protest rally in central Baku. More than 80 other protesters were detained after him, a witness at the scene said.

Russian PM Medvedev attends military show in SerbiaAP BELGRADE

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev yesterday attended a military show in Balkan ally Serbia marking the 75th anni-versary of the liberation by Soviet and Yugoslav troops of the capital, Belgrade, from Nazi German occupation.

Medvedev joined hundreds of people and top Serbian officials who converged at a military airport near Belgrade on a sunny day to watch an anti-terrorism drill followed by a parade of troops, battle vehicles and weapons, helicopters and jets.

Medvedev’s visit illustrates the close relations between Russia and Serbia, which share common cultural, religious and his-toric links. Russia has been helping Serbia

beef up its military, even as Belgrade for-mally seeks membership in the EU.

Serbia has pledged to stay out of Nato, partly because the alliance bombed the country in 1999 to end a conflict in Kosovo. President Aleksandar Vucic said at Satur-day’s military show that Serbia “will know how to protect on our own our sky, our land and our people.”

Moscow recently has stepped up efforts to restore its influence among the former communist nations in Eastern Europe, fueling concerns in the West, which has sought to push the volatile Balkan region toward EU and Nato integration following the 1990s wars in the former Yugoslavia.

Medvedev also holds talks with Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic before addressing the country’s lawmakers at a special session.

“Independence 2019” ceremony organised by Serbian Army marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade at Batajnica Military Airport near Belgrade, yesterday.

16 SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019EUROPE

Johnson defiant after Parliament votes to force Brexit delayREUTERS LONDON

A defiant Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would not nego-tiate a further delay to Britain’s departure from the European Union after losing a vote in Parliament yesterday that means he is obliged to request a post-ponement.

The move by parliament, on a day Johnson had pitched as a day of reckoning for Brexit, increases the chances that the divorce will be delayed and thus increases the opportunity for opponents of Brexit to frustrate the United Kingdom’s departure.

Parliament voted 322 to 306 in favour of a 26-word amendment that turned John-son’s Brexit finale on its head by leaving the prime minister exposed to a humiliating obli-gation to ask the EU for a delay until the end of January 2020.

“I will not negotiate a delay with the EU and neither does the law compel me to do so,” Johnson told parliament.

“I will tell our friends and colleagues in the EU exactly what I have told everyone else in the last 88 days that I have served as prime minister: that further delay would be bad for this country, bad for the European Union and

bad for democracy.”While Johnson did not

explicitly refuse to send a letter to the EU requesting the delay — as an earlier law passed by his opponents demands — he said he would not negotiate.

That opens up a path to a new Brexit drama over a delay that could pull in lawyers, courts, the European Union and the divided British parliament.

Yesterday’s amendment, put forward by former Conservative cabinet minister Oliver Letwin, deflated Johnson’s big Brexit day just as hundreds of thousands of people gathered to march on parliament demanding another r e f e r e n d u m o n E U membership.

The European Commission said Britain must now inform the EU executive of its next steps as soon as possible.

A French diplomatic source said another delay would be in nobody’s interest but the EU would be loath to propel the

United Kingdom towards a dis-orderly exit by refusing to delay.

In a move designed to prevent the United Kingdom slipping out of the EU without a deal by design or default, Letwin’s amendment delays par-liament’s ultimate decision on Johnson’s Brexit deal until the very end of the process.

By supporting Letwin, whom Johnson had expelled from the Conservative Party, parliament exposes the prime minister to another law passed by his oppo-nents which demands he ask for a delay until January 31, 2020 unless he had a deal approved by the end of Saturday.

Even if he is given an extension he doesn’t want by the EU, Johnson could still take the country out of the bloc on October 31 because the law allows him to if he can get all the legislation approved by that date.

House of Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said the gov-ernment planned to put John-son’s deal to a debate and vote on Monday, but the house speaker John Bercow said he would rule on Monday whether he would allow that.

Letwin said he hoped John-son’s deal would succeed, but he wanted “an insurance policy which prevents the UK from

crashing out on October 31 by mistake if something goes wrong during the passage of the imple-menting legislation”.

Three years after the country voted 52-48% to leave the European project, many Britons said they are bored with the whole Brexit argument and just want the process to end. But others demonstrating on Sat-urday remain angry that Britain is leaving the EU and want that reversed.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, backed a second referendum. “Voting for a deal today won’t end Brexit. It won’t deliver cer-tainty and the people should

have the final say,” he told parliament.

Protesters gathered outside the parliament building cheered as lawmakers voted in favour of Letwin’s amendment.

Brexit “Super Saturday” topped a frenetic week which saw Johnson confound his oppo-nents by clinching a new Brexit deal with the EU.

When it comes to a vote in a divided parliament where he has no majority, Johnson must win the support of 320 lawmakers to pass his deal.

If he wins, he will go down in history as the leader who delivered a Brexit — for good or bad — that pulls the United

Kingdom far out of the EU’s orbit.Should he fail, Johnson will

face the humiliation of Brexit unravelling after repeatedly prom-ising that he would get it done — “do or die” — by October 31.

Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May was forced to delay the departure date. Parliament rejected her deal three times, by margins of between 58 and 230 votes, earlier this year.

He says lawmakers face the option of either approving the deal or propelling the United Kingdom to a disorderly no-deal exit that could divide the West, hurt global growth and bring renewed violence to Northern Ireland.

Demonstrators holding placards and EU flags as they take part in a march to call for a final say in a second referendum on Brexit, in central London, yesterday.

Siberian mine dam collapse leaves 15 deadAFP MOSCOW

Fifteen people were killed and another six still missing after an illegally built dam collapsed at a gold mine in a remote Siberian settlement yesterday, in the latest deadly accident to hit Russia.

The dam on the Seiba River in the Siberian region of Kras-noyarsk burst and flooded several cabins where more than 70 workers lived, Russian authorities said.

Icy and muddy floodwaters hit the cabins located near the

village of Shchetinkino at around 6:00am as the workers were resting.

About 300 people, six heli-copters and six boats were involved in a search and rescue mission but the operation was to be suspended for the night, officials said.

Officials said the dam had been built in breach of safety rules and claimed that the authorities were not aware of its existence.

President Vladimir Putin ordered officials to provide assistance to the victims and identify the reasons for the

accident, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Investigators said they have opened a criminal probe into a breach of safety rules.

Six people were still missing, Alyona Aleksishina, spokes-woman for the regional branch of the emergencies ministry, said.

A total of 16 victims received medical aid, and four of them were airlifted to a regional hos-pital, authorities said.

A team of doctors including a neurosurgeon were dispatched to the scene from the city of Krasnoyarsk, which is located some 4,000km east of Moscow.

A flooding seen after a dam collapse in a gold miners village close to the town of Shchetinkino, about 250km from the city of Krasnoyarsk, in Siberia, yesterday.

Meghan says motherhood a ‘struggle’ under spotlightAFP LONDON

Meghan Markle (pictured) has admitted becoming a mother while living under an intense media spotlight has been a “struggle”.

The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to son Archie in May after marrying Prince Harry last year.

Britain’s aggressive press at first welcomed Markle, 38, into the royal fold but cov-erage has become increas-ingly hostile, with the tab-loids luxuriating in stories about Markle’s fractured American family and rumours of palace rifts.

Speaking to ITV during the couple’s recent tour of southern Africa, she said that: “Not many people have asked if I’m OK”.

“Look, any woman — espe-cially when they are pregnant — you’re really vulnerable and so that was made really chal-lenging, and then when you have a new born — you know?” she said, when asked how she was coping.

“And especially as a woman, it’s a lot.

She added: “And also, thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”

Asked if it would be fair to say it had “really been a

struggle”, Meghan said: “Yes.”Her comments come after

the couple launched legal action this month against British tabloid the Mail on Sunday for invasion of privacy, with Harry recalling the hounding of his later mother Diana.

Harry told ITV the memories of what happened to his mother was a “wound that festers”.

“I think being part of this family, in this role, in this job... every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash, it takes me straight back, so in that respect it’s the worst reminder of her life, as opposed to the best,” he said.

The Duke of Sussex is also suing two British tabloid news-paper publishers over alleged phone hacking.

Salvini’s right-wing party rallies to protest against Italian governmentREUTERS ROME

Tens of thousands of supporters of Italy’s right-wing opposition parties, spearheaded by Matteo Salvini’s League which was ousted from power two months ago, gathered in central Rome yesterday to protest against the new government.

The crowd waving League and Italian flags filled Piazza San Giovanni, traditionally a venue for leftist and trade union rallies, as Salvini and his allies spoke

from a stage against a huge backdrop reading “Italian Pride.”

“This is the Italy that works and suffers, that dreams and hopes,” said Salvini, who was deputy prime minister and interior minister in the previous coalition of the League and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement.

That government collapsed in August when Salvini, encouraged by surging poll ratings, pulled out in a failed bid to trigger elections he hoped would crown him as prime minister.

Instead, 5-Star formed a new coalition with the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), pushing the League into opposition.

“We are the people against the elite, we will change the history of this country,” said Salvini, adding that 200,000 people had turned out at the rally. The police estimated a figure closer to 50,000.

Opinions polls show the League has lost some support since Salvini brought down the previous government, but it remains easily Italy’s most

popular party, with around 30% of the vote.

However, the combined backing of the PD, 5-Star and other allied leftist and centrist groups is roughly the same as the support for the rightist parties gathered at Saturday’s rally.

Salvini was preceded on the stage by 83-year-old former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose conservative Forza Italia party has steadily lost support in recent years, and Giorgia Meloni, who heads the far-right Brothers of Italy party.

Salvini has eclipsed Ber-lusconi as leader of the right but still needs his support if he is to make a renewed bid for power, leading to an ambiguous and often tense relationship.

The League chief often says his national alliance with Ber-lusconi is over, only to revive it again when needed.

Meanwhile, the three rightist parties always join forces at local elections for mayors and regional governors.

“Thank you Silvio for the battles you have fought and the

battles we will fight,” Salvini said, promising the centre-right would remain united to “win together.”

Berlusconi, calling the new government “the most leftist in our history,” said he entered pol-itics 25 years ago to save Italy from “communists”, and now the threat was even greater.

The billionaire media tycoon, who was convicted of tax fraud in 2013, said he was particularly worried by the new coalition’s pledge to ensure prison sen-tences for large-scale tax dodgers.

Louvre gears up for da Vinci retrospectiveAFP/PARIS

The Louvre in Paris is putting the finishing touches to an ambitious Leonardo da Vinci retrospective opening on Thursday, which groups more than 160 of the artist’s works and has already attracted close to 200,000 advance visitor bookings.

Timed to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the famed artist’s death, the show, simply called “Leonardo da Vinci”, took a decade to put together and includes works on loan from Queen Elizabeth and Bill Gates.

“If you want to be amazed, you must come,” said Vincent Delieuvin, chief curator at the Louvre’s department of paintings, during a preview for staff at the Louvre.

“It’s almost as if we were bringing Leonardo da Vinci’s workshop back to life,” he said.

The Louvre itself owns five of the artist’s paintings, more than anybody else, including the Mona Lisa which is seen by 30,000 people every day.

“This unprecedented retro-spective of da Vinci’s painting career will illustrate how he placed utmost importance on painting,” the museum said. “The exhibition will paint the portrait of a man and an artist of extraordinary freedom.”

The exhibition runs until February.

“I will not negotiate a delay with the EU and neither does the law compel me to do so,” Boris Johnson told parliament.

The move marks the first time the company has recalled its iconic baby powder for possible asbestos contamination, and the first time US regulators have announced a finding of asbestos in the product.

17SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019 AMERICAS

J&J recalls 33,000 bottles of baby powderREUTERS NEW YORK

Johnson & Johnson said that it is recalling around 33,000 bottles of baby powder in the United States after US health regulators found trace amounts of asbestos in samples taken from a bottle purchased online.

The move marks the first time the company has recalled its iconic baby powder for pos-sible asbestos contamination, and the first time US regulators have announced a finding of asbestos in the product. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that has been linked to deadly mesothelioma.

The recall is the latest blow to the more than 130-year-old US healthcare conglomerate that is facing thousands of lawsuits over a variety of products, including baby powder, opioids, medical devices and the antip-sychotic Risperdal.

A jury last week ordered the company to pay $8bn to a plaintiff in a case claiming J&J downplayed the risks of Risp-erdal. That award is not expected

to stand, the company and legal experts have said. J&J faces more than 15,000 lawsuits from con-sumers claiming its talc products, including Johnson’s Baby Powder, caused their cancer.

Dr. Susan Nicholson, head of Women’s Health in the com-pany’s medical safety organi-zation, called the asbestos finding “extremely unusual”, adding that it was “inconsistent with our testing to date”.

The voluntary recall announced on Friday is limited to one lot of Johnson’s Baby Powder produced and shipped in the United States in 2018, the company said.

J&J in a news release said that testing by the US Food and Drug Administration as recently as a month ago found no asbestos in their talc.

The FDA said that the latest sampling took place during its testing for asbestos in talc-con-taining cosmetics that it began reporting this year. A second Johnson’s Baby Powder sample from a different lot tested negative

for asbestos, the agency said.The FDA said it stands by the

quality of its testing and results and recommended consumers stop using the product if it comes from the affected lot.

J&J said on the conference call that it received a report from the FDA on October 17 alerting the company about the asbestos finding. It said it has started an investigation and is reviewing

manufacturing records and col-lecting data on the distribution of the lot to determine where the product was shipped. J&J added that it is working with the FDA to determine the integrity of the tested sample as well as the validity of test results.

The type of asbestos dis-covered by FDA testing has not been found in the mine where the company sources its talc, J&J’s Nicholson said. She described it as an environmental contaminant most commonly found in building materials and industrial applications.

Since 2003, talc in Johnson’s Baby Powder sold in the United States has come from China through supplier Imerys Talc America, a unit of Paris-based Imerys SA and a co-defendant in much of the talc litigation. Imerys and J&J said the Chinese talc is safe. J&J has known for decades that asbestos lurked in its talc, Reuters reported last year. Internal company records, trial testimony and other evi-dence show that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, the

company’s raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested pos-itive for small amounts of asbestos.

Company executives, mine managers, scientists, doctors and lawyers fretted over the problem and how to address it, while failing to disclose it to regulators or the public, Reuters found.

J&J has repeatedly said that its talc products are safe, and that decades of studies have shown them to be asbestos-free and that they do not cause cancer. The FDA test indicated the presence of no greater than 0.00002% of chrysotile asbestos in the tested sample, J&J said.

The World Health Organi-zation and other authorities rec-ognise no safe level of exposure to asbestos. While most people exposed never develop cancer, for some, even small amounts of asbestos are enough to trigger the disease years later. The New Jersey-based healthcare-products maker considers its Baby Powder to be an essential facet of a carefully tended image as a caring company.

Containers of Johnson’s baby powder seen on a shelf at Jack’s Drug Store in San Anselmo, California.

Supporters of 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders hold signs during a campaign rally in New York City, yesterday.

Bernie Sanders to rally in New YorkREUTERS NEW YORK

US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is returning to the cam-paign trail in New York City, nearly three weeks after a heart attack that raised concerns about his viability in the Democratic race to pick a challenger to Pres-ident Donald Trump.

US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the leaders of the party’s progressives and a frequent target of Trump attacks, will join the “Bernie’s Back” rally

in Queensbridge Park and for-mally endorse Sanders for the White House, the campaign said. The rally will be Sanders’ first event on the campaign trail since his heart attack on October 1, when he had two stents inserted to open a blocked artery.

The heart attack threatened to derail the campaign of Sanders, 78, the oldest candidate in the crowded field seeking the Democratic nomination to face Trump in 2020. The US senator canceled campaign appearances and returned to his home in Bur-

lington, Vermont, to recover.But Sanders was back to par-

ticipate in Tuesday night’s three-hour Democratic debate, and he has vowed to resume a full-tilt campaign pushing signature progressive issues such as a gov-ernment-run healthcare program and a tax on the wealth of the richest Americans.

The backing of Ocasio-Cortez, who represents a New York dis-trict, is expected to boost Sanders in his efforts to fight off fellow pro-gressive White House candidate Elizabeth Warren.

Kasich supports impeachment of US PresidentAP WASHINGTON

Former Ohio Governor John Kasich, who ran against Pres-ident Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican primary, said that he supports impeaching the Pres-ident — but isn’t ready to call for his removal from office.

Kasich said he decided to back impeachment after hearing acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney acknowledge on Thursday that Trump’s decision to hold up military aid to Ukraine was linked to his demand that Ukraine investigate the Democratic National Com-mittee and the 2016 US presi-dential campaign. Mulvaney later claimed his remarks were misconstrued.

“This is an extremely serious matter,” Kasich told The Asso-ciated Press in an interview. “I wrestled with it for a very long time.” It marked a reversal for Kasich, who previously said he hadn’t seen evidence of a quid pro quo on Trump’s part.

Congress is conducting an impeachment inquiry sparked by a whistleblower’s allegation that Trump pressed Ukrainian Pres-ident Volodymyr Zelenskiy to dig up dirt on Trump’s potential 2020 Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden as Trump delayed military aid to the country.

“I can understand why exec-utives would withhold military aid if it was in the sense of public policy, but you don’t withhold military aid to anybody... for political reasons,” Kasich said.

He first announced his change of heart on CNN yesterday, calling

Mulvaney’s acknowledgement the “final straw” and saying: “The last 24 hours has really forced me to review all of this.”

In an interview later with the AP, he declined to call for Trump’s ouster, saying only, “Slow down, one thing at a time.” Kasich said he wanted to see the articles of impeachment and the process by which the Democrats conduct their investigation. “There’s a long way to go and a lot of witnesses to see,” he said.

Acknowledging that he’s the rare Republican to have broken with Trump, Kasich said it was “difficult to believe (Republicans) think they can look the other way on these things.” But he also declined to criticise his party, saying: “I’m not interested in berating them. I don’t think it helps.”

Kasich is touring the nation promoting his new book “It’s Up to Us,” which he says outlines ways in which individuals have “the power to bring about change.” The former Ohio gov-ernor said that he hasn’t yet ruled out a 2020 bid for pres-ident, and that he still gets requests from supporters daily asking him to run for president. He emerged as the last moderate Republican standing against Trump during the 2016 presi-dential primary and bowed out of the primary after winning only his home state.

Kasich doesn’t know who he’ll vote for in 2020 - and he declined to answer when asked whether he’d support a Dem-ocrat. He is certain of one thing, though. “I’m not going to vote for him!” he said.

Jury recommends death sentence for ‘Hollywood Ripper’AFP LOS ANGELES

A jury in California recom-mended the death sentence for a man dubbed the “Hollywood Ripper” who was earlier found guilty in the gruesome killings of two women at their homes.

Michael Gargiulo, 43, was convicted in August on two counts of first-degree murder

and one count of attempted murder by a Los Angeles jury. A judge is set to sentence Gargiulo, also described as the “boy next door killer,” on February 28.

Among his victims was 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin, who was found in her Hollywood home with 47 stab wounds in February 2001. On the night of her murder, Ellerin had been due to go on a date with actor Ashton

Kutcher, who testified at the trial.The second murder victim

was Maria Bruno, a 32-year-old mother of four and neighbour of Gargiulo who was attacked in her sleep in December 2005 and “quite literally butchered,” pros-ecutors said.

Those who testified at the trial included Gargiulo’s teenage son, who pleaded with the jury to spare his dad’s life, and Michelle Murphy.

She was stabbed eight times in her home by Gargiulo in April 2008 but survived.

Prosecutors during the trial described Gargiulo, an air-con-ditioning repairman, as a ruthless killer who targeted women who lived near him and waited for the perfect oppor-tunity to attack them at night in or near their homes in “totally planned killings”.

Bronx ‘step street’ becomes NY hot spot thanks to ‘Joker’REUTERS NEW YORK

Like most tourists, Patricio Osuna had a list of “must sees” on his trip to New York City: the Statue of Liberty, Times Square and, surprisingly, a steep flight of steps in an out-of-the-way neighbourhood of the Bronx that has become a cult-movie landmark.

This fall Osuna and a stream of fellow visitors have flocked to the stairway, known as a “step street,” to see the real-life backdrop to a memorable scene in “Joker”, the hit movie that tells the back-story of Batman’s deranged foe, the Joker.

The scene captures the moment that the loner Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix, transforms into the Joker as he dances down the steps to Gary Glitter’s

anthem “Rock & Roll Part 2,” his hair dyed a menacing green and his face painted like a clown. “I’m visiting New York for the first time and I said that I have to come visit the stairs,” said Osuna, a 46-year-old bus company owner from Tijuana, Mexico. He then broke into a theatrical strut mimicking the Joker’s dance down the stairs.

Until recently not many tourists ven-tured into the Bronx, which has long sought to shake an unfair image as a crime-ridden backwater. The borough’s biggest draws are the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Gardens and the New York Yankees, the perennial baseball powerhouse that makes its home about a mile south of the steps, located on West 167th Street between Anderson and Shakespeare avenues.

But since the release of “Joker” two weeks ago, many New Yorkers and

out-of-towners travelled there to gawk, take selfies and, in the spirit of the Joker’s choreography, to ham it up.

“There’s something about his moves. He just killed it. It was in his soul,” said Jay Garcia, a 30-year-old radio host from the neighbouring borough of Queens.

For longtime Bronx residents like Laura Harry, step streets are a common feature in the borough’s hilly landscape. “I’ve lived around here for 30 years... people use them every day,” said Harry, as she stood at the top of the steep stairs with her groceries, gazing at the people below. “I’m fascinated, because they made the steps famous.”

“Joker”, directed by Todd Phillips and dis-tributed by Warner Bros Pictures, has domi-nated the box-office for two weeks. It broke the record for the largest October opening weekend in movie history, at $96.2m.

Jay Garcia, a radio host from Queens, dances down the “Joker Steps” in the Bronx borough of New York, US.

Zantac recalled from the US and CanadaREUTERS / NEW YORK

Sanofi SA said that it would recall popular heartburn med-icine Zantac in the United States and Canada, after the medicines were linked with a probable cancer-causing impurity.

The French drugmaker said it was working with health authorities to determine the level and extent of the recall, which it called a precautionary measure being taken due to possible con-tamination with a substance called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). Sanofi has sold over-the-counter Zantac in the US and Canada since 2017. It is pulling the drug off shelves after previous recalls by some man-ufacturers of generic versions of the drug.

US and European health reg-ulators said last month they were reviewing the safety of ranitidine, which is commonly sold as Zantac and its generic alterna-tives, after an online pharmacy called Valisure notified them that it had found impurities in the drugs. The US Food and Drug Administration said it found unacceptable levels of NDMA in drugs containing ranitidine.

Protesters again set buses on fire in Santiago. Clashes also erupted in Plaza Italia, which was ground zero of Friday’s violence, and outside the Presidential Palace.

18 SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019AMERICAS

Liberal leader and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau campaigns for the upcoming election in the Hamilton Fire Department in Hamilton, Ontario, yesterday.

Canada’s Trudeau, main rival tradebarbs ahead of polls tomorrowREUTERS HAMILTON, ONTARIO

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, facing the loss of his Parliamentary majority in an election next week, traded attacks with his main rival yes-terday as a bad-tempered cam-paign entered the last few days.

Trudeau came to power in 2015 promising “sunny ways” and a new way of doing politics but saw his popularity drop earlier this year amid an ethics scandal. Images of him in blackface emerged last month, further hurting his Liberal Party ahead of the October 21 election.

The 47-year-old prime min-ister, his voice increasingly hoarse, said Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer would slash spending and rip up Liberal plans to fight climate change.

Polls show the Liberals and the Conservatives in a dead heat, with neither able to capture a

majority of the 338 seats in the House of Commons. This would leave the winner in a vulnerable position, seeking to govern with smaller parties.

“I know Canadians want a strong progressive government that would stop Conservative cuts,” Trudeau told a rally in a fire station in the Ontario city of Hamilton, to the west of Toronto.

In the absence of an over-riding narrative, dirty tactics and awkward moments have char-acterized the campaign.

A Nanos Research poll for the Globe and Mail and CTV released yesterday put the Lib-erals at 32.6 percent public support and the main official Conservatives at 30.3 percent. The left-leaning New Democrats, who compete for the same voters as the Liberals, were at 18.4 percent.

Trudeau sidestepped ques-tions about his plans if he did not win a majority. Minority

governments in Canada rarely last more than two-and-a-half years. Scheer, speaking in Toronto, said Trudeau would spend his first 100 days negoti-ating a coalition with the New Democrats that would impose tax hikes.

“Justin Trudeau has made it clear he will pay any price to stay in power, and he will use your money to do it,” he told reporters. There has only been one coalition in Canadian history, in 1917 during World War One.

Trudeau and Scheer made multiple trips to Ontario, which accounts for 108 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons. The Liberals hold 76 of those seats.

Trudeau was scheduled to make four stops in Ontario before flying to the western provinces of Manitoba and Alberta, where anger against the Liberals is rising over government environmental measures that critics complain will hobble the energy industry.

Chilean firefighters extinguish burning buses during clashes between protesters and the riot police in Santiago, yesterday.

Protests rock Chile despite state of emergencyAFP SANTIAGO

Demonstrators in Chile clashed with police yesterday despite a state of emergency declared to deal with Santiago’s worst vio-lence years.

The day started with thou-sands of Chileans banging pots and pans in Santiago and other cities in the latest expression of anger over social and economic woes. But this gave way to clashes between hooded dem-onstrators and riot police and soldiers in several areas of the Chilean capital. Protesters again set buses on fire in downtown Santiago. Clashes also erupted in Plaza Italia, which was ground zero of Friday’s violence, and outside the presidential palace.

Chile’s President declared a state of emergency in Santiago late on Friday night and gave the military responsibility for security after a day of violent protests over an increase in the price of metro tickets.

Throughout Friday, protestors clashed with riot police in several parts of the capital and the subway system was shut after attacks on stations in some of the worst vio-lence the city has seen in years. At least 16 buses were torched and a dozen metro stations totally

destroyed. Around midnight President Sebastian Pinera declared a state of emergency and appointed Major General Javier Iturriaga del Campo as head of national defence.

“The objective of this state of emergency is very simple but very profound: To ensure public order and peace for the inhab-itants of Santiago,” Pinera said.

The state of emergency is initially for 15 days and restricts freedom of movement and assembly. Due to the emergency, the National Football Association has suspended matches this weekend. General Iturriaga said the military would patrol major trouble spots in the city of seven million but would not impose a curfew at present.

“We are not going to restrict any personal freedom for now,” he said. Violent clashes escalated as night fell and the

headquarters of the ENEL Chile power company and a Banco Chile branch, both in the city center, were set on fire and several metro stations hit with Molotov cocktails. The ENEL tower blaze was put out with no one injured, firefighters said.

Barricades were erected in several parts of the city and masked protestors armed with sticks and stones clashed with riot police, who repelled them with water cannon and tear gas.

Residents in many districts of Santiago banged their pots in a show of support for the protestors. The unrest started as a fare-dodging protest mainly by stu-dents against the hike in metro ticket prices, which increased from 800 to 830 peso ($1.13 to $1.17) for peak-hour travel, fol-lowing a 20 peso rise in January.

The fare hike was blamed on rising oil prices and a weaker peso. There had been several fare-dodging actions in recent days, organized on social media, but the protests escalated on Friday, tapping into general dis-content among many Chileans amid an economic slowdown and calls for reforms to labor and tax laws and the pension system.

Attacks on metro stations forced the closure of the entire subway system.

Mexico’s Culiacan seeks return to normalcyREUTERS CULIACAN

Stunned residents of the Mexican city of Culiacan gingerly ven-tured back into the streets on Friday as police cleared away shell casings and scorched cars from an eruption of gangland violence on the home turf of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.

Scores of cartel henchmen swarmed parts of the capital of the northwestern state of Sinaloa on Thursday when authorities briefly detained a son of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman at a house in an area packed with hotels, shops and restaurants.

Wielding assault rifles, torching cars and blocking roads

at various locations across town, the cartel footsoldiers unleashed a show of firepower that sent people scurrying for cover and prompted security forces to free the son, Ovidio Guzman.

A few locals attempted a return to normal life even though schools remained closed, busi-nesses shut behind metal grates and some roads blocked by charred vehicles.

“I saw scenes that I’ve only seen in war movies, cars in the street on fire, cars pulled over and abandoned,” said Tomas Guevara, a security expert who has lived for more than 30 years in the city. “I’ve never seen any-thing like it.”

Even people taking cover

behind the towering concrete walls of Culiacan’s main soccer stadium did not feel safe, panicked by the relentless patter of gunfire during the raid for the younger Guzman in the city’s Tres Rios area, a Reuters witness said.

Dozens took refuge in locker rooms and dropped to the floor. Two men hid behind seats. Some stayed for hours as gunmen fired round after round from high-caliber assault rifles. Children huddled with mothers and families.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended his decision to free the younger Guzman, saying it saved lives. Still, authorities had reports of at least eight people killed.

US targets Cuba tourism with tighter airline sanctionsAFP WASHINGTON

The US moved to further hurt Cuba’s vital tourism industry by tightening the ability of the country’s airlines to lease aircraft.

The US Department of Commerce said it was revoking existing licenses for US com-panies leasing aircraft to Cuban carriers, and will deny future applications for aircraft leases.

The move could make it harder for Cuba to service its rapidly growing tourism sector, a key source of foreign revenue for the poor country. Washington has stepped up pressure on Havana due to its support for the embattled regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“This action by the Commerce Department sends another clear message to the Cuban regime — that they must immediately cease their destructive behavior at home and abroad,” Secretary of Com-merce Wilbur Ross said.

It was not immediately clear how many aircraft the move would impact. In May 2018, 112 people died in the crash of a 39-year-old Boeing 737 leased by national carrier Cubana de Aviacion from a small Mexican firm, Global Air. In June of this year, US President Donald Trump announced a US ban on cruise ship stopovers by Americans on the island, forcing Havana to cut its 2019 tourism target by 15 percent to 4.3 million visitors.

Nearly 900,000 tourists visited the island on cruise ships last year, and almost 40 percent were American.

Some of Elizabeth Taylor’s personal treasures set for auction blockAFP NEW YORK

Internationally known for her lavish lifestyle and glam taste, silver screen siren Elizabeth Taylor also boasted a playful side, and now some of her per-sonal effects that bared it are hitting the auction block.

Items including a gold vermeil link belt, a sumptuous silk caftan and a studded black leather Versace biker jacket belonging to the late Hollywood legend will travel across the Atlantic on the famed Queen Mary 2 ocean liner, giving guests a first glimpse at Taylor’s treasures.

Following the actress’ death in 2011 at age 79, a week-long Christie’s auction in New York of her vast collection of luxury

dresses, jewels and fine art saw total sales topping $156m.

But this time the items antic-ipated to go for a wide range of price points show the side of a larger-than-life woman — known for starring roles in classics like “Cleopatra” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” — her closest friends and family knew. “The icon on screen isn’t the grandmother that I would hang out with around the house,” said her grandson Quinn Tivey, a 33-year-old artist who is an ambassador for The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

“I don’t really know Eliz-abeth Taylor the celebrity,” Tivey said aboard the enormous ocean liner his grandmother fre-quented, on which he will make the week-long journey with the preview of her items.

Martin Nolan — the exec-utive director of Julien’s Auc-tions, which is hosting the sale — says some items like Taylor’s scarves or costume jewelry carry pre-sale estimates of $200 to $400, meaning not only institu-tions and members of the upper crust will have a chance at taking something home.

“I think people will be sur-prised that they will be able to actually acquire and afford to have something from the amazing Eliz-abeth Taylor,” he said. After their voyage across the Atlantic and to the Newbridge Silverware’s Museum of Style Icons in Ireland, Taylor’s effects will be taken to California, with bidding on December 6-8 online and in person at a Beverly Hills exhibition.

Nestor downgraded, but tornado damages Florida homesAP TALLAHASSEE

Tropical Storm Nestor was downgraded yesterday after it spawned a tornado that damaged homes and a school in central Florida but spared an area of the Florida Panhandle devastated one year ago by Hur-ricane Michael.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said several homes were damaged and Kathleen Middle School had a large section of its roof torn off when the tornado hit late on Friday near Lakeland, about an hour’s drive southwest of Orlando.

Photos posted by The Ledger newspaper showed a home with a destroyed roof, downed trees, a large recreational vehicle thrown onto its side and vehicles

buried under debris. About 10,000 homes were without power yesterday.

“Thankfully, we have not had any reported serious injuries,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in a Saturday statement. “However, there are many people dealing with damage to their homes and property this morning, some of it severe.” In Mexico Beach, where a powerful October 2018 storm nearly wiped out the Panhandle town and left thousands homeless, the mayor said Saturday that Nestor brought some needed rain to a portion of the state suffering from drought, but no damage.

“There have been no issues,” said Mayor Al Cathey, whose city is still recovering. He said the sky yesterday was streaked with blue. “I would call us fortunate.”

View of a car with holes of bullets yesterday after heavily armed gunmen waged an all-out battle against Mexican security forces in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico.

19SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019 HOME

CROSSWORD MALL ROYAL PLAZA

University of Calgary holds teaching & learning symposiumTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The University of Calgary in Qatar and Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar recently co-hosted the Sixth Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning at Doha’s Rotana City Centre Hotel.

Organised around the theme of “Engaging Students through Experiential Learning”, this year’s symposium had over 50 presenters and 130 participants sharing information on different topics including simulation, edu-cational technology, service learning, curriculum, inter-pro-fessional education, students as partners, and active learning.

Presenters and attendees came from higher education institutions and organizations such as Qatar University, College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, Sultan Qaboos University (Oman), the University of Calgary (Canada), Sidra Medicine, and Hamad Medical Corporation.

The symposium was hon-oured to welcome its keynote speaker from Canada, Dr. Jen-nifer Lock, Professor and Vice Dean, Werklund School of Edu-cation at the University of Calgary. “The symposium pro-vided a great opportunity for practitioners and medical health educators to engage in rich

conversation about the work of teaching and learning,” said Dr. Lock. “Through the sessions, participants learned of various innovative teaching practices and current research. The sym-posium was an excellent forum for learning.”

Presentations focused on how students become engaged in learning when learning is meaningful and relevant to their lives and how important it is for educators to foster student engagement in the health sci-ences classroom.

According to Dr. Frances Kalu, Teaching and Learning Specialist at the University of Calgary in Qatar and co-chair of the symposium, the intent of the event was to create a space for presenters and attendees to engage in discussions on how to

engage our students in the classroom through experiential learning. “It turned out to be a wonderful day with an amazing keynote speech, conversation cafes, concurrent sessions and a student panel. Knowledge was co-created and networks created,” Dr. Kalu remarked.

Dr. Mohamud Verjee, Assistant Dean of Medical Student Affairs, Associate Pro-fessor of Family Medicine at Weil Cornell Medicine – Qatar, and co-chair of the symposium, reported that the collaboration between nursing and medical professions yielded much food for thought at this event. “Inno-vative disruption may be a key, by moving forward with learning, to attain better healthcare delivery,” said Dr. Verjee.

UCQ and WCM-Q officials during the symposium on Teaching and Learning at Doha’s Rotana City Centre Hotel.

Collaboration needed to achieve water securityTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Experts have aired their belief that organisations need to work together to diversify their resources and strategies if Qatar and the region are to achieve water security, at a panel

discussion hosted by Qatar Foun-dation and Science Magazine.

With the sustainability of future water supplies being seen as a key global challenge in need of solutions, the panellists – who are all experts within the water security field – agreed that urgent solutions need to be

applied by adapting existing technologies to address the issue of water crises.

The event, titled ‘Water in a Dry Land: Can innovation drive water security?’, was held at Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) as part of the ‘Catalyzing The Future’ campaign, which is

highlighting QSTP’s efforts and achievements over the past decade and the importance of research, development, and inno-vation to Qatar.

The webinar will air on https://www.sciencemag.org/custom-publishing/webinars, on November 13.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum28oC 35oC

HIGH TIDE 09:01 – 19:09 LOW TIDE 02:05 – 16:31

Relatively hot daytime with slight dust and

scattered clouds with a chance of thun-

dery rain by afternoon.

FAJRSHOROOK

04. 18 AM05. 35 AM

11. 19 AM02.36 PM

05. 04 PM06. 34 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

Abduction is a strange movie that won’t appeal to all of Scott’s fans and feels like a step backward after Triple Threat and Avengement but the fight scenes are decent.

ABDUCTION

Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 2:15, 4:30, 6:45 & 9:00pmAbominable (2D/Animation) 2:30pmAdhya Rathri (2D/Malayalam) 2:30 & 11:00pm; Joker (2D/Crime) 5:00, 7:15 & 11:15pm; Zombieland: Double Tap (2D/Action) 9:30pmGanagandharvan (2D/Malayalam) 11:15pmJallikattu (2D/Malayalam) 5:00 & 9:00pm; Abduction (2D/Action) 7:00pm

Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 11:15am, 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15 & 11:45pmJallikattu (2D/Malayalam) 10;45, 4:00 & 9:15pmJoker (2D/Crime) 12:15 & 9:00pmLaal Kaptaan (2D/Hindi) 1:00, 3:00, 6:15 & 11:30pmWar (2D/Hindi) 6:00 & 11:45pm

LANDMARK

AL KHOR

Laal Kaptaan (2D/Hindi) 5:30 & 10;15pmJallikattu (2D/Malayalam) 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, & 11:00pmWar (2D/Hindi) 5:30pmAdhya Rathri (2D/Malayalam) 10:30pm

ASIAN TOWN

FLIK Mirqab Mall

ROXY

Abominable (2D/Animation) 10:30am, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30, 4:40 Gemini Man (2D/Action) 10:30am, 12:30, 3:30, 5:30 & 10:30pm Jallikattu (2D/Malayalam) 10:30am, 3:20, 5:30, 8:30, 12:30& 10:30pmLaal Kaptaan (2D/Hindi) 12:30, 5:40, 2:40, 7:40 & 11:00pmMaleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 10:30am, 11:00am, 12:30,1:00, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30, 4:00,5:30, 6:00, 6:30, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 10:40, 11:00, & 11:30pmZombieland: Double Tap (2D/Action) 9:20, 9:30 & 11:30 & 11:40pm; Joker (2D/Crime) 1:00, 3:00, 6:00, 8:00 & 8:30pm

Abduction (2D/Action) 10:20am, 2:15, 6:10 & 8:10pmAbominable (2D/Animation) 11:50am, 1:50 & 5:20pmGemini Man (2D/Action) 10:20am, 11:20am, 1:40, 3:00, 4:00, 6:20, 8:40, 9:40, 11:00pm & 0:20am; Jallikattu (2D/Malayalam) 10:10pmJoker (2D/Crime) 1:10, 3:35, 6:00, 8:25 & 10:50pmKiller Anonymous (2D/Action) 12:20 & 4:45pmMaleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 10:40, 11:40, 12:40, 1:00, 2:00, 3:20, 4:20, 5:40, 6:40, 8:00, 10;20, 7:20, 9:00, 11:20pm & 12:00 midnight.Zombieland: Double Tap (2D/Action) 3:50, 5:50, 7:50, 9:50 & 11:55pm

Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 2:15, 4:30, 5:15, 7:00

& 9:15pm, War (2D/Hindi) 2:15pm;

Jallikattu (2D/Malayalam) 2:30 & 11:30pm;

Zombieland: Double Tap (2D/Action) 7:30 & 9:30pm

Laal Kaptaan (2D/Hindi) 11:15pm;

Joker (2D/Crime) 5:00, 9:00 & 11:30pm

Abduction (2D/Action) 7:15pm

War (2D/Hindi) 2:00, 4:45 & 8:45pm Jallikattu (2D/Malayalam) 2:30, 5:00 & 11:30pmMaleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 2:30, 4:45, 7:30 & 9:30pm; Laal Kaptaan (2D/Hindi) 11:30pm; Zombieland: Double Tap (2D/Action) 7:00pmJoker (2D/Crime) 7:00, 9:15 & 11:30pm

20 SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2019HOME