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Volume 23 | Number 7715 | 2 RiyalsMonday 19 November 2018 | 11 Rabia I 1440 www.thepeninsula.qa

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Ronaldo still very much part of Portugal team, insists coach

Banks gear up to face

future risks

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrives at the Zagreb International Airport yesterday evening. H H the Amir was received by Croatian President’s Adviser for Foreign Affairs, Dario Mihelin, ambassadors of both countries and other dignitaries.

PM opens 5th Information Security ConferenceTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani has inaugurated the Fifth Information Security Conference for the Financial Sector organised by Qatar Central Bank (QCB) at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort and Convention Hotel yesterday. The opening session was attended by a number of their Excel-lencies ministers and senior officials from the banking sector.

The Prime Minister also toured the exhi-bition organised on the sidelines of the con-ference, where he took a look at the par-ticipating national and global companies showcasing the latest technologies in infor-mation security, the solutions to various sectors related to information security, information infrastructure and cybercrime.

Delivering the opening speech, H E Ali Shareef Al Emadi, Minister of Finance, has called for a unified legislative framework among the countries of the world for safe

electronic banking transactions and prevent organised electronic crimes.

A unified legislative framework will help the world from protecting themselves from the organised criminals who try to exploit the existing lacunae in the separate legislations. As cyber crimes are always a cross-border activity, there is an urgent need for a rapid coordination between countries. The Minister said that the State of Qatar has recognised the importance of information security in the financial sector since the sector plays an important role in the economy, and due to the important role played by this sector in the economy, several years ago.

The Minister of Finance said the Prime Minister and Interior Minister established the National Cyber Security Committee, specialised in the preparation of infor-mation security policies and programs.

Its members include representatives of all ministries and sectors in the country to coordinate and cooperate among it to implement policies and plans to provide a high level of information security and

contribute to tackling any attempts to hack the electronic systems of the state.

At the international level, the Gov-ernment of Qatar is also working in coordi-nation with international and regional organizations to enhance information security efforts and benefit from interna-tional expertise in this area and to apply the best international standards and practices, he added.

The Minister pointed out that the shift to digital banking has led to a variety of risks facing several levels of banking, including the payment and settlement system, customer data and the infra-structure of information networks within banks, which could threaten the loss of confidence in the banking system.

He stressed that this situation requires close cooperation between government agencies and the banking sector and infor-mation technology institutions to develop an integrated vision on how to coordinate efforts to address the electronic risks.

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Qatar elected next President of Global Public Diplomacy Network AMNA PERVAIZ RAO THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar has been elected the next President of the Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet) at its fifth General Assembly which began at the Katara Cultural Village yesterday.

Qatar will take over the presidency of the organisation next June from Turkey, the current President, for the next three-year term.

“The election was held after high level discussions, both on the cultural and dip-lomatic level. This time it was held in a new

format to cover everyone and this created a big challenge. Finally Qatar was unani-mously elected as the new President,” said Darwish S Ahmad, Director of Marketing and Cultural Affairs at Katara.

Representatives from nine countries, who are part of the 14 member organisation are attending the two-day conference.

The opening session began with a welcome speech by Prof Seref Ates of Turkey, the current president of GPDNet, who is also president of Yunus Emre Institute based in Ankara, Turkey.

He said the meeting will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between

member countries to promote public diplomacy and raise awareness in the global society through culture and civil society initiatives.

In his opening address, Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara Cultural Village said that Katara is striving to build a communication bridge between the Arabs and the rest of the world.

Al Sulaiti said Katara has made great strides in cultural diplomacy, through a variety of activities focusing on cultural dialogue and interaction between the East and the West.

“This is based on our belief that cul-tural diplomacy is the means to overcome conflicts and differences, through mutual respect, co-existence and acceptance of others and respecting their cultures. We hope the future would see more countries joining this network and joint cultural projects being imple-mented,” said Al Sulaiti.

Besides Qatar, other countries repre-sented in the meeting are Hungary, Phil-ippines, Nigeria, Singapore, Turkey, Mozambique, Taiwan and South Korea.

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Amir arrives in Zagreb on two-day visitTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived yesterday evening in Zagreb for a two-day state visit to Republic of Croatia

H H the Amir and the accompa-nying delegation were welcomed upon arrival at the International Zagreb Airport Franjo Tudman by Croatian President’s Adviser for Foreign Affairs Dario Mihelin, Ambas-sador of the State of Qatar to Croatia, Nasser bin Hamad Mubarak Al Khalifa, Croatia’s Ambassador to Qatar, Croatia’s Assistant Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Ivana Zivkovic, and members of the Qatari Embassy in Zagreb.

H H the Amir began the official visit yesterday to the Republic of Croatia fol-lowed by the Italian Republic, at the invitation of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

H H the Amir is expected to discuss with the leaders and senior officials of both countries the ways to boost and develop the bilateral relations between both countries in various fields, as well as a number of topics of mutual interest. A number of agreements and memoranda of understanding for different fields in both countries.

Qatar and Croatia have growing, unique strategic relations, which are continuously developing in all fields especially trade, economy and investment. Diplomatic relations between the two states were establish in December 1992 and the Qatari

Embassy in Zagreb was inaugurated in early 2013, after the opening of Croatia’s Embassy in Doha end of 2012, as its first embassy in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, in April 2017 paid an official visit to Qatar where she discussed with H H the Amir promoting the relations between both countries especially in the political, economic, investment and environment field.

At the end of the discussion, the President awarded H H the Amir with Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star, which is the highest state order of Croatia.

In 2009, Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser paid an official state visit to the Republic of Croatia.

In 2004, Former President of Croatia Stjepan Mesic visited Qatar for the first time and in 2008 visited it for the second time. In November 2012, Former President of Croatia Ivo Josipovic visited Qatar.

In February 2016, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic visited Qatar.

�SEE ALSO PAGE 2

H H the Amir began the

official visit yesterday to the

Republic of Croatia, which

will be followed by visit to

the Italian Republic.

'3839 Marangatu' School renamed 'State of Qatar'QNA

DOHA: Acting Charge d’Affaires at Qatar’s Embassy in the Republic of Paraguay Abdulrahman Ahmed Al Suwaidi participated in a ceremony to change the name of “3839 Marangatu” school to the “State of Qatar”, on the occasion of the state visit paid by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Paraguay last month, where students of the school participated in the welcome ceremony for H H the Amir.

The Principal of the school expressed gratitude to the State of Qatar to agree on changing their school’s name to the “State of Qatar”, and said that the flag of Qatar will remain high in the school next to the flag of Paraguay. She pledged to exert every effort to make the school an example for others.

Mayor of Villa Elisa City handed over the Qatari Acting Charge d’affaires the decision of the Municipal Board to change the name of the school.

The Acting Charge d’Affaires at Qatar’s Embassy in Paraguay expressed thanks to the Municipal Board and the school administration for the decision to name the school after Qatar.

The ceremony was attended by officials and Qatari Embassy staff.

All members to attend Riyadh GCC Summit: Kuwait

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al Jarallah affirmed yesterday that the next Gulf summit will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in December and will be attended by all Gulf countries. “I am opti-mistic that the level of represen-tation is expected to be high and reflects the keenness of GCC leaders to maintain this pioneering experience,” Al Jarallah said in press statements carried by Kuwait news agency.

The Ministerial Committees have been meeting in Kuwait and thus ensure that the GCC mech-anism is maintained, effective and continuous. He stressed that this summit represents a ray of hope in reviving the efforts aimed at con-taining the Gulf dispute.

QNA

02 MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018HOME

Amir congratulates King of MoroccoQNA

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent yesterday a cable of congratulations to King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco on the anniversary of his country’s Independence Day. Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani also sent a cable of congratulations to King Mohammed VI. Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani sent a cable of congratulations to the Head of the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, Dr Saadeddine Othmani on the anni-versary of his country’s Independence Day.

Amir greets President of Latvia on National DayQNA

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent yesterday a cable of congratulations to the President of the Republic of Latvia, Raimonds Vejonis, on the occasion of his coun-try’s National Day. Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani also sent a cable of congratulations to the President. Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani sent a cable of congratulations to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia, Maris Kucinskis, on the occasion of his country’s National Day.

Amir condoles withUS PresidentQNA

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent yesterday a cable of condolences to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, on the victims of the wildfires in California, wishing speedy recovery for the injured. Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani also sent a cable of condolences to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, on the victims of the wildfires in California, wishing speedy recovery for the injured. Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also sent a cable of condo-lences to the President on the victims of the wild-fires, wishing speedy recovery for the injured.

Amir, Iraq’s Parliament Speaker review fraternal relationsQNA

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met at Amiri Diwan yesterday with the Speaker of Iraqi Council of Representatives, Mohammed Al Halboosi, and his accompanying dele-gation, on the occasion of their visit to Qatar.

At the outset of the meeting, the

Speaker conveyed the greetings and wishes of further health and happiness of Iraq’s President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi to H H the Amir, and to the people of Qatar further progress and prosperity.

H H the Amir entrusted the Iraqi Parliament Speaker to convey his greetings and wishes of good health and happiness to Iraq’s President Barham

Salih and Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi, and more progress and pros-perity to the Iraqi people.

The meeting reviewed the fraternal relations between the two countries and means of developing them.

The meeting was attended by Speaker of the Advisory Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with the Speaker of Iraqi Council of Representatives, Mohammed Al Halboosi, at Amiri Diwan, yesterday.

Amir arrives in Croatia on two-day state visit

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived yesterday in Zagreb for a two-day state visit to Republic of Croatia.H H the Amir and the accompanying delegation were welcomed upon arrival at the International Zagreb Airport Franjo Tudman by the Croatian President’s Adviser for Foreign Affairs, Dario Mihelin; the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Croatia, Nasser bin Hamad Mubarak Al Khalifa; the Croatia’s Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Croatia’s Assistant Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Ivana Zivkovic; and members of the Qatari Embassy in Zagreb.

Ministry of Education follows up on curricula implementationTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education said it is keen to instil cooperation between all parties in the teaching process, to overcome difficulties and to provide support and training to teachers in order to achieve the best implemen-tation of the new curricula.

This came in a discussion panel held by the educational affairs with a number of mathematics teachers

and coordinators for early ele-mentary school classes. The dis-cussion is part of the detailed follow-up on the educational process and to support schools in terms of cur-ricula and sources of learning.

They discussed the new sourced of learning which began to be imple-mented in the current academic year of 2018-2019 as well as the chal-lenges facing the teaches and coor-dinators in schools in terms of teaching the new books and the

students’ and parents’ acceptance for the new curriculum.

Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs of the Ministry Fawzia Abdulaziz Al Khater said the new mathematics curriculum is of global standards and is the most ambitious . It also meets the aspira-tions of the State of Qatar to build a high quality education system in line with its Qatar National Vision 2030. She also demanded teachers to exert further efforts to prepare for a

different era, prepare children and provide them with new skills and competencies, for the 21st century.

Al Khater added the new cur-riculum is experimental and can be reconsidered or modified but there is no moving backwards, and if there were challenges it will be tackled.

The teachers and coordinators agreed that the curriculum and learning sources are excellent and provide the students with advanced skills in mathematics.

PM opens 5th Information Security ConferenceCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The world is currently wit-nessing an important devel-opment of electronic crimes of all kinds, as new and sophisti-cated methods have been developed as a result of the tre-mendous progress and devel-opment in the field of tech-nology and means of commu-nication and associated systems, which has doubled international efforts to reduce its spread and reduce the risks of surrounding information security.

Experts and specialists around the world have agreed on the need to find the best solutions in the area of infor-mation security to detect and deal with electronic risks in advance.

The Finance Minister said that the Information Security Conference for the financial sector is part of the efforts of the State of Qatar and the Central Bank of Qatar to safe-guard the security of infor-mation in the financial sector, in order to enable the financial institutions in the State to play their role in sustainable devel-opment, reaching the goals and objectives and realizing the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Addressing the opening session, Guillermo Chris-tensen, Partner in the White Collar Defense and Gov-ernment Investigation Group and Chair of the Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Practice at Brown Rudnick, said there are challenges facing vital infra-structure, especially in the information security for private sector companies.

He reiterated the impor-tance of the public sector to provide support to companies in that sector which helps in responding to cyber attacks and achieving the principle of protection and security of user information.

Christensen said govern-ments have come a long way in the field of information security in the last decade however, this does not rise to the required levels, especially with regard to information security in particular. He added that the world is cur-rently witnessing radical and important transformations, especially with regard to internet speeds and techno-logical development, which requires playing large roles in the public and private sectors in order to strengthen the infrastructure necessary to protect information security.

Christensen reiterated the importance of coordinating efforts between the public and private sectors, especially as

governments have more information than the private sector and therefore have to help the private sector com-panies to expand information security to ensure the privacy of users and customers and reduce vulnerability to cyber attacks.

Executive Director of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) Dr. Alfred Hannig said information security in the financial sector is one of the major challenges facing both governments and

institutions. Hannig high-lighted the importance of this conference as a platform for exchanging experiences and updates on the protection of information in the financial sector, which is a fundamental pillar in the local economies and the global economy in general. He stressed the need to create systems for the pro-tection of electronic sectors in the financial sector to achieve sustainability and provide greater guarantees and con-fidence in the financial sector,

especially in light of growing concerns about the break-throughs that are made by electronic devices which have become simple and avai lable to everyone.

Hannig high-lighted the impor-tance of finding solutions that limit the risks related to electronic uses, to protect the security of information from any threats espe-cially in view of the global trend towards enhancing

financial coverage in various developed and under developed countries.

He said the awareness amongst government agencies and private institu-tions on the increased risk of cyber attacks has heightened.

These entities are starting to take action to address the risks of information security in various aspects to ensure the security of the financial sector and help the use of modern methods under the breadth of institutions that provide financial services.

Founder and CEO of Allied Wallet Andy Khawaja also highlighted the impor-tance of cooperation between all parties in order to provide the best solutions in the field of information security and reduce cyber attacks by strengthening mechanisms of protection effectively, as hacking and piracy of banking data grew by about 33 percent in the past years.

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani and other dignitaries at the Fifth Information Security Conference for the Financial Sector (ISFS), held in Doha, yesterday.

Deputy Amir greets Sultan Qaboos of OmanQNA

DOHA: Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani sent yesterday a cable of congrat-ulations to H M Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman on the occasion of his country’s National Day. Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also sent a cable of congratulations to H M Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman on the occasion of his country’s National Day.

03MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018 HOME

Qatar, Iraq discuss bilateral tiesQNA

DOHA: Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani met yesterday with the Speaker of Iraqi Council of Repre-sentatives, Mohammed Al Halboosi, and his accompanying delegation, on the occasion of their visit to Qatar.

The meeting dealt with bilateral relations and means of developing them in addition to topics of mutual interest. The meeting was attended by Speaker of the Advisory Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud. Separately, Al

Mahmoud also met with the Speaker of Iraqi Council of Rep-resentatives Mohammed Al Hal-boosi and his accompanying delegation.

During the meeting they dis-cussed the bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and Republic of Iraq and ways to support and develop them in various fields, especially the par-liamentary sector. The meeting also reviewed a number of issues of common interest.

The Advisory Council Speaker expressed his content towards the development of relations between both countries. He reiterated the interest in everything that

supports Iraq’s stability, progress and recognising the hopes and aspirations of its people.

For his part, the Speaker of Iraqi Council of Representatives praised the cooperation between both countries and the desire to develop it further. He also expressed his appreciation for the stances of the State of Qatar in support of Iraq.

The meeting was attended by Advisory Council Deputy Speaker H E Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Sulaiti, a number of Their Excel-lencies advisory council members and Advisory Council Secretary-General H E Fahd bin Mubarak Al Khayareen.

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani met yesterday with the Speaker of Iraqi Council of Representatives, Mohammed Al Halboosi, and his accompanying delegation. The meeting was also attended by Speaker of the Advisory Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud.

PM meets Governor of Central Bank of KuwaitPrime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani met yesterday with the Governor of Central Bank of Kuwait, Mohammad Al Hashel, on the sidelines of The Fifth Information Security Conference for the Financial Sector (ISFS) held in Doha. They reviewed relations of cooperation between the two brotherly countries and ways of developing it in various fields in addition to a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Prime Minister meets number of senior officials at ISFSPrime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani met yesterday with CEO of Allied Wallet Company, Andy Khawaja; Executive Director of Financial Integration Alliance Organization, Alfred Hannig; Chair of the Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Practice at Brown Rudnic, Guillermo Christensen; Former Defence Advisor in the UK, Major General Arthur George Denaro; and President of Crest, Ian Glover, on the sidelines of the Fifth Information Security Conference for the Financial Sector (ISFS), in Doha. The meeting discussed relations of cooperation and ways of developing them in various fields, especially in the field of security and cyberspace, in addition to a number of topics of common interest.

Al Mahmoud describes relations with Iraq unique and strongTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Speaker of the Advisory Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud described the relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Iraq as unique, reiterating that the visit made by the Speaker of Iraqi Council of Representatives, Mohammed Al Halboosi, is positive, where discussions on a number of issues of interest to both countries took place.

In a press conference fol-lowing their meeting, Al Mahmoud said the discussion was fruitful regarding issues and mul-tilateral aspects in the parlia-mentary cooperation between both entities as well as parlia-mentary diplomacy in interna-tional conferences in terms of coordinating stances for the benefit of Qatar, Iraq and the

region. They also discussed strengthening the relations between Qatar and Iraq and the economic cooperation between both countries, Al Mahmoud said.

He said Iraq’s strength is important to Qatar and the sta-bility of the region, explaining that Qatar’s relation with Iraq has come from the idea that Iraq is an important country and its stability and development is of signifi-cance to all.

For his part, Al Halboosi said it was a fruitful meeting, where they discussed different topics that are of benefit to both coun-tries and their peoples.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Halboosi said his meetings touched on the ways to strengthen the ties between both countries and people, under the historic relations and the kinship that binds them. The

meetings also discussed the need to activate the economic relations between Qatar and Iraq explaining that committees from both governments will be formed to quickly implement what has been discussed and to positively be reflected in the relation between both countries.

He explained that he dis-cussed with Al Mahmoud topics that must be included in the pro-gramme of the Inter-Parlia-mentary Union conference which will be held in Doha in April 2019. They also discussed the method to produce decisions that will restore the stability in the regions and further development to the Arab region and to the world. In addition, they also discussed many issues led by strengthening relations between parliamen-tarians and the boosting of par-liamentary diplomacy.

Qatar flays attack in India’s Punjab stateDOHA: The State of Qatar has strongly condemned the explosion which targeted a gathering of a religious community in Punjab State in northwestern India, resulting in deaths and injuries.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar’s firm position on rejecting violence and terrorism, regardless of motives and reasons. The statement expressed the condolences of Qatar to the families of the victims, the government and people of India, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Qatar condemns bombing in TikritDOHA: The State of Qatar has strongly condemned the explosion which took place in the centre of Tikrit, northern Iraq, resulting in deaths and injuries. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar’s firm position on rejecting violence and terrorism, regardless of motives and reasons.

The statement affirmed Qatar’s sol-idarity with the Iraqi government and its support for any measures taken to preserve security. The statement expressed the condolences of Qatar to the families of the victims, the gov-ernment and people of Iraq, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Uruguay team learns aboutQatar’s experience in teaching students with special needsQNA

DOHA: An educational delegation from the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay is currently visiting Doha to learn about the experience of the State of Qatar in the integration and teaching of students with learning disabilities and people with special needs in various categories.

The visit also represents an opportunity to inform the concerned authorities at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of the experience of Uruguay in the men-tioned educational fields and the services available within it. A meeting between the delegation and Assistant Under-secretary for Educational Affairs at the Ministry of Edu-cation and Higher Education, Fawzia Al Khater offered a presentation on the mechanism of the integration in the public schools in Qatar and the services provided, in addition to the role of the Special Education and Gifted Education Department in the Ministry in this regard.

Al Khater said that the Ministry of Education and Higher Education will organise in the future a number of visits to countries with excellent educational experience, noting that a team from the Special Education and Gifted Edu-cation Department recently visited Finland and Sweden to learn about their experience in the integration process.

For his part, the Ambassador of Uruguay to Qatar, Dr Jorge Antonio Sere Sturzenegger, extended thanks to Qatar for receiving his country’s educational delegation, headed by Director of the National Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Uruguay. He praised the great support offered by Qatar under the leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to education for all citizens and residents, especially the interest in edu-cating the student with special needs and integrating them.


Deputy PM and FM meets Speaker of Iraqi Parliament

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met yesterday with Speaker of Iraqi Council of Representatives, Mohamed Al Halboosi, and his accompanying delegation on the occasion of their visit to Qatar. The meeting dealt with bilateral relations and means of developing them in addition to topics of mutual interest.

Qatar pledges $30m to GFFTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The State of Qatar has pledged, $30m through the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), to contribute to the Global Financing Facility (GFF), to contribute to the Fund’s program to support the health and nutrition of women, children and adoles-cents for the next five years.

The Qatari pledge came during the participation of the State of Qatar in the Global Financing Facility (GFF) replen-ishment conference held in Oslo on November 6 with a delegation headed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi.

During his speech, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi said: “Through its partnership with GFF, the Qatar Fund For Devel-opment aims at contributing effectively to the global strategy for women’s, children’s and ado-lescents’ heath.”

He added: “GFF represents a unique platform to address global health challenges and secure additional funding for health and nutrition by blending grants with the World Bank’s IDA and IBRD financing.”

Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari, Director General of QFFD said: “This contribution in line with the State of Qatar’s principles under the leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in helping the needy and vulnerable populations around the world and focusing on the development of their countries.”

He added: “The Qatar Fund

for Development’s strategy focuses on achieving sustainable and comprehensive development through project financing in human development, especially in the health sector. This is in line with the objective of the Global Financing Facility to achieve Sus-tainable Development Goal number 3 by 2030.”

Mariam Claeson, Director of the Global Financing Facility, said: “Today we are on the cusp of transformative change in global health when no woman, child or adolescent will be left behind. The generous contribution of the gov-ernment of Qatar will support the GFF partnership to help countries to transform the futures of their people by embedding the prior-itization of health culturally, polit-ically and financially. Sup-porting leaders around the world to make these changes is vital and we are thrilled today to have the support of Qatar to make this vision a reality,”

MoI marks road traffic victims daySIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The General Directorate of Traffic yesterday commemo-rated the World Day of Remem-brance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) under the slogan ‘Roads Have Stories’.

The event was held at the General Directorate of Traffic Auditorium in the participation of a number of entities such as the National Traffic Safety Committee, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Transport and Com-munications and Qatar Transpor-tation and Traffic Safety Center at Qatar University took part in the event. Major General Mohamed Saad Al Kharji, Director General of Traffic and Vice Chairman of the NTSC, said: “We must remember the millions of victims of road acci-dents in the world and the suffering of their families and friends, in addition to the great loss of eco-nomic resources due to the big eco-nomic cost of treating injuries

resulting from these accidents. Besides that, the efforts of the police, ambulance, civil defense, and others who lost their lives to prevent the recurrence of such incidents have to be appreciated as well.”

Al Kharji stressed that the danger caused by road accidents led the United Nations to adopt collective international action aimed at reducing the seriousness of the situation, under Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.

Dr. Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health, pointed out that the State has paid great attention to providing safety for all road users. “Therefore, the National Strategy for Traffic Safety was launched and all governmental and non-govern-mental sectors participated in efforts to reduce the road accident mortality rate in 2017 by 75% lower than that of 2006.”

Rashid Taleb Al Nabit, Assistant Undersecretary for Land Transport at Ministry of Transport & Communications, said that traffic accidents are transconti-nental to all countries of the world and are in a steady increase despite the efforts exerted by countries to reduce them.

He pointed out that the sta-tistics indicate that the GCC coun-tries loose more than $19bn a year as a result of traffic accidents on the road, which is equivalent to 3.7percent of the total losses glo-bally, and that the mortality rate

tops the list globally, reaching 24 cases per 100,000 people.

Brigadier Mohammed Abdullah Al Maliki, Secretary of the National Traffic Safety Committee, pointed out that the aim of com-memorating the victims of road accidents was to demonstrate our determination and strength to avoid repeating these painful trag-edies, and to work with all force to reduce road accidents that cause casualties, through the developing plans and programs that achieve security and safety for road users and pedestrians.

Dr. Hassan Al Thani, the Head of Trauma and Vascular Surgery at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), said that the accident database in Qatar shows that more than 2000 people suffer from injuries, most of them due to traffic accidents.

On the sidelines of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Accident Victims, an awareness exhibition was opened at General Directorate of Traffic.

Major General Mohamed Saad Al Kharji

Ooredoo serves as Gold Sponsor for QCB’s 5th Information Security Conference THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Ooredoo, the region’s leading enabler of digital b u s i n e s s i n n o v a t i o n , announced yesterday that it is serving as the Gold Sponsor for Qatar Central Bank’s 5th Infor-mation Security Conference for the Financial Sector, which started yesterday and ends today.

Held under the patronage of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Information Security Con-ference for the Financial Sector aims to create, manage, and protect information flows across financial services.

As Gold Sponsor, Ooredoo is showcasing how its digital solutions enable secure digital transformation for the financial and public sectors, and protect critical national infrastructure.

Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi, Chief Operating Officer, Ooredoo, said: “We’re dedi-cated to combining global security and data protection innovations with local expertise to provide a safe environment for Qatar National Vision 2030’s nationwide digital transfor-mation. The Information Security Conference for the Financial Sector provides an ideal platform to showcase our portfolio of Qatar’s leading cloud-based managed security solutions and services running on our Qatar Data Centre.”

Visitors to the Ooredoo stand can experience the Ooredoo’s portfolio of infor-mation security services, including Cloud Email Security, Cloud Web Security, Distributed Denial of Service

(DDoS) mitigation suite, and also BlackBerry Enterprise Mobility Suite enabling cus-tomers to secure smart devices. In addition, the latest Data Centre solutions such as Disaster Recovery and data back-up that enable business c o n t i n u i t y a r e a l s o demonstrated.

Al Kubaisi added: “Qatar’s public and financial sectors are at the front line of fending off cyber-attacks. At the Information Security Conference for the Financial Sector, we will exchange best practices in preventing cyber-threats and highlight how we provide the safest and secure network and solutions that can ensure business continuity and data management.”

During the conference, Ooredoo’s senior executives presented and shared thought leadership and case studies on security challenges and oppor-tunities. Ooredoo speakers included Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani, Chief Business Officer; and Sachin Singh, Senior Manager, S e c u r i t y P r o d u c t Development.

Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani, Chief Business Officer at Ooredoo Qatar, speaking at the ISFS.

MOTC conducts survey to update Transport Masterplan of QatarTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) is carrying out a Field Survey Program that started in Year 2017 and will continue until the end of year 2019, throughout the country to update the Transport Masterplan of Qatar (TMPQ).

In the coming period, the Ministry will start collecting data through roadside interviews. The Ministry, in cooperation with the Traffic Department of MOI, are installing roadside stations to facilitate conducting surveys with road commuters.

In addition, the MOTC is still conducting a range of question-naires and surveys on members of the public, including house-holds, parking users, public transport passengers, pedestrians and cyclists, airport passengers, hotel guests and traffic counts to understand the travel behavior of the people of Qatar and their ‘activity-based travel trips’ over a period of time. Questions will include the timing and locations of activities, transport mode, and whether people were able to perform any activity at home or not. Accordingly, the Ministry invites all citizens and residents to

cooperate with the staff and inter-viewers of the consulting company assigned by the Ministry to conduct the surveys, and participate in its countrywide field survey program.

Data obtained from the surveys will assist MOTC in further development and update of the TMPQ, taking into the people of Qatar’s aspirations in the development and moderni-zation of land transport plans.

It is worth noting that strict privacy provisions will apply. All information, whether related to personal identity or travel and activities, will remain confidential.

Qatar elected next President of Global Public Diplomacy Network

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Giving a presentation on Katara projects, Darwish S Ahmad, Director of Marketing and Cultural Affairs at Katara said that Katara has an experienced team, 50 percent of whom are nationals, who are experts in culture and tradi-tions and capable of engaging with the young generation as well as new technologies.

Katara held 572 events last year in diverse areas such as culture, tradition, education, diplomacy including major international events.

Katara is one of the top five in the country in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility.

It supports ministries and cultural

and educational institutes with best content and ideas and help in the delivery of projects and programmes. It also works in partnership with several international organisations such as Unesco, Isesco and Alliance of Civiliza-tions. “As a member, we have only one year experience with GPDNet, and we are capable of taking it to further heights,” said Darwish Ahmed.

“Qatar hosts expatriates from about 151 nationalities. Public diplomacy will help us reach out to the world, and to different communities. We can benefit and contribute a lot by working together with other members of GPD Net,” Darwish told media.

The GPDnet, founded in 2014 aims to enable exchange of knowledge and

experience between member countries and establish bilateral or multilateral

projects among cultural and public diplomacy institutions around the world.

Representatives from eight countries with Darwish S Ahmad, Director of Marketing and Director of Cultural Affairs at the Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet), at its fifth General Assembly held at Katara yesterday.

Zakat Fund provides QR22m assistance in October

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Zakat Fund of the Ministry of Awqaf and I s l a m i c A f f a i r s h a s extended assistance worth over QR22m during last October to the beneficiaries of the families registered with it.

The Fund provided QR22,778,514 in October, including cyclical assistance, one-time aid, tuition fees, and treatment. This was paid for those entitled to in accordance with the Shariah regulations.

It pointed out that it pro-vided QR 10,971,612 as cyclical assistance to eligible families, QR 2,992,593 as onetime aid to those in spe-cific needs, and QR 8,397,246 for those in fam-ilies eligible for assistance who have students enrolled in different education stages, as well as QR 388,662 for patients who are eligible for assistance in cooperation with Hamad Medical Corpo-ration, along with QR 22,400 in other assistance to families.

Zakat donors can pay their Zakat through 30 offices spread throughout the country. They can also make their Zakat through the ATMs of Masraf Al Rayan and Qatar Islamic Bank, which are spread throughout the country’s vital areas.

The Qatari pledge came

during the participation

of the State of

Qatar in the Global

Financing Facility

(GFF) replenishment

conference held in Oslo

on November 6.


Qatar University launches Artificial Intelligence National CompetitionTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG) launched the Artificial Intelligence National Competition (AINC) that is challenging students, devel-opers, professionals and researchers to develop and demonstrate how humans can collaborate with powerful Arti-ficial Intelligence (AI) technologies to tackle some challenges and relevant problems related to 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

This competition is also an opportunity to raise awareness of AI technology in Qatar and pro-vides a platform for participants to share AI ideas and applications.

AI national competition began accepting submissions from yesterday (November 18, 2018) and will continue until

March 15, 2019. The competition consists of two levels and partic-ipants are required to submit either a “Concept & Design” or “Proof of Concept & Demo”.

Only one submission will be considered later in the evaluation stage and it is encouraged that participants register early in order to plan and build their

solution and demos. In his comment, CENG Dean Prof Abdelmagid Hammuda said, “The competition will recognize the developers who are paving the path for future innovative AI technologies which can be deployed to support infra-structure and address challenges in Qatar 2022 World Cup”.

“The ideas and solutions will be evaluated based on innovation, complexity and feasibility for imple-mentation and cost,” he added.

On the benefits of partici-pating, CENG Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Prof Abbes Amira said, “The top three ideas for both competition options will each receive prizes plus an opportunity to present the idea and present demos at an AI workshop taking place on April 15, 2019 at Qatar University, College of Engineering.”

General Authority for Minors Affairs honours 550 outstanding studentsQNA

DOHA: Under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the General Authority for Minors Affairs (GAMA) has honoured 550 outstanding students under its care at a ceremony held at the Qatar National Convention Centre.

The Chairman of GAMA, Saad Nahar Al Nuaimi thanked Prime Minister and Interior Minister for patronising the honoring cer-emony, and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs for his support to the Authority.

He stressed that this care reflects the keenness of of Qatar for all segments of society by

developing their abilities to be active members in advancing the development of the country.

Al Nuaimi pointed to the Authority’s continuous efforts to improve the level of services offered to whom under its aus-pices and their families as the transition strategy adopted for the period 2016 to 2021 which aims to developing and modernising the working methods and focusing on enhancing the role of technology in facilitating the services for all who deals with it, as well as integrating with the unified government service gateway.

The Chairman of GAMA, pointed out that the project of technological transformation works to achieve electronic

integration with government agencies in the country, which ensures the speed and confiden-tiality of the exchange of infor-mation related to sponsors which currently exceed 4,000 minors.

He said that they are working on building an electronic financial model, to monitor the funds of the minor and his property, follow up, provide information about it , as to ensure the minor can track the movement of his money until he reaches the age of majority.

On community partnerships, Al Nuaimi said the organisation is seeking through a “new section of community partnerships” to build and partner with various institutions ensuring the provision of social, educational and health services to their children.

Survey finds more youth quitting smoking in QatarFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

DOHA: In a positive devel-opment, habit of smoking has reduced among the youth in Qatar according to the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). The survey has revealed that 12.1% of youth from ages 13 to 15 years smoke tobacco in Qatar. The prevalence of smoking among youth in Qatar was 15 % in 2013 and 17.9% in 2007. It was 20% in 2004. “We are working harder to reduce the prevalence of smoking. We are looking to see a 90 percent non smoking population,” said Dr Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of Public Health Department at MoPH addressing a press conference yesterday.

“The Public Health Department is committed to continue reduce the smoking habit among youth, encourage more youth to seek quitting service, enhance family and community support when it comes to implementing the law and do more researches,” he added.

He also said that once the tax on tobacco products is increased it will become harder for the youth to get the products as the prices become high. Also with more inspections the shops will be under steady surveillance.

GYTS, a component of the Global Tobacco Surveillance system (GTSS), is a global standard for systematically monitoring youth tobacco use (smoking and smokeless) and tracking key tobacco control indicators.

GYTS was conducted in Qatar this year by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). A total of 2,328 Qatari and non Qatari stu-dents in grades 7 to 9 responded to the survey, of which 1,608 were aged 13 -15 years.

Dr Kholod Al Mutawa, Con-sultant Public Health, Head of Non Communicable Diseases, MoPH and Dr Amani Elkhat-hatim, Specialist Physician, Non Communicable Diseases also explained about the trends of reflected by the survey.

Among the respondents to the survey, 15.7 % of boys and 8.7% of girls use any tobacco

products. It reveals that 6.6% of students smoked cigarettes, while 4.5% used smokeless tobacco.

The survey has also indi-cated that quitting rate is less than previous years. According to the law in Qatar tobacco can be sold to only to those above the age of 18. But Among the respondents to the survey 69.1% cigarette smokers who tried to buy cigarettes were not pre-vented from buying them because of their age.

“We have regular inspec-tions at the shops but they won’t be able to reach all the super-markets and small shops regu-larly. Although, the minimum age to get tobacco products is 18 but some people get it through illegal practices as some of the small shop still keep selling it,” said Dr Elkhathatim.

“Any violation to the law can be reported the hotline 50302001. Anyone who sells tobacco products to those below the age of 18 will have to go through the legal process,” she added. GYTS is conducted in every five years and it was held for the fourth time in Qatar this year.

QU-CENG Dean Prof Abdelmagid Hammuda.

FROM LEFT: Dr Khlood Al Mutawaa, Consultant, Public Health, Head of Non-Communicable Disease at MoPH; Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al Thani, Director of Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health; and Dr Amani Al Khatim, Specialist Physician, during a press conference to announce the latest findings of tobacco control survey held at the Ministry of Public Health yesterday.PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA


Stars of Science ‘battle of four’ beginsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The final six innovators on Season 10 of Stars of Science, Q a t a r ’ s F o u n d a t i o n ’ s edutainment TV show, took their place in the hot-seat once again during its two customer validation episodes.

Conducting market research on new products from potential users, buyers, and experts is a crucial piece of the innovation puzzle and has been the focus of the show’s most recent two episodes. Four finalists have now landed a spot in the Grand Final, where they will stop at nothing to take home the Stars of Science trophy – and voting has now started.

The first customer vali-dation episode featured the all-male team of Abdallah Al Sairafi, Walid Al Banna, and Salim Al Kaabi. Abdallah’s inno-vation, the customizable ‘Sports

Performance Patch System’, impressed athletes and practi-tioners, but fell short of winning the experts’ votes.

With the finishing line in sight, neurosurgeon Walid and artist Salim celebrated their customer validation victory. Walid’s innovation, the ‘Neu-rovascular Retina Analyzer’ is a time-efficient, non-intrusive optical device, with its portable scanner analyzing a patients’

brain through the eyes, pro-viding medical practitioners with vital data and information that could protect people from the risk of recurring strokes.

Meanwhile, Salim’s inno-vation, ‘Safe Frankincense Varnish for Artists’, is proving to be an exciting and creative addition to this season. The environmental ly-friendly natural paint is made from Omani Frankincense and has demonstrated its capacity to be an organic, cost-effective solution.

The three female innovators vigorously defended their inno-vations during the second cus-tomer validation episode. Sadly, the show had to bid farewell to Rooda Al Qebaisi and her inno-vation, ‘Dynamic VIP Seating Manager’, while Noor Majbour and Sylia Khecheni advanced to the Grand Final.

Noor’s innovation, the

‘Parkinson’s Early Detection Kit’, uses novel antibodies taken from blood samples to detect early stages of the disease. The innovation can help patients seek medical advice as early as possible and benefit from early detection. Sylia’s project, the ‘Home Privacy Drone Blocker’, effectively and precisely detects intruding drones and blocks them from transmitting within just three seconds. The device

is intended for families to use and aims to safeguard people’s privacy.

The public’s say will make all the difference in the upcoming Grand Final as voters, along with the jury, decide the winner of Stars of Science Season 10 in the next and final episode - and change the future of the region’s top innovators. Online voting is now open on www.starsofscience.com and

ends on Thursday, November 22 at 9am GMT.

For a full broadcast guide to Stars of Science Season 10, visit www.starsofscience.com

And if you believe you have what it takes to be successful on Stars of Science Season 11, the show is accepting applica-tions for its next season until the end of December 2018. Visit www.starsofscience. info/applynow/sos.html to register.

Conducting market

research on new

products from

potential users,

buyers, and experts is

a crucial piece of the

innovation puzzle and

has been the focus

of the show’s most

recent two episodes.

Georgetown announces disaster management degree info sessionTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Knowing how to handle an emergency or disaster situ-ation is critical for the success of every organization. Addressing this need, Geor-getown University is presenting an information session about their unique one-year disaster management master’s degree for working professionals today at 7pm at the Marriott Marquis City Center Hotel in Doha.

Offered by Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies, the International Executive Master’s in Emergency and Dis-aster Management (IEDM) program helps the next gener-ation of global leaders prepare for and respond to a wide variety of natural, techno-logical, and man-made dis-asters. The information session will provide insights about the program’s on-site residences around the world, curriculum, requirements, fees, career outlook, and more.

Next year’s cohort will be the third group of students to take this unique master’s degree, joining a diverse group of professionals from fields such as medicine, human and social services, military, humanitarian aid, first response, and all levels of gov-ernment. “Graduates of our program gain strong critical

thinking and problem-solving abilities in order to assess the situation and deploy responses under stress and in times of uncertainty, and go on to serve in important leadership roles in this field,” said Dr Tim Frazier, faculty director, Georgetown.

The November 19 infor-mation session is open to the public and no reservations are required, but visitors are encouraged to register online through the Georgetown School of Continuing Studies website. The application deadline for the IEDM degree fall term is May 1, 2019. Interested applicants can learn more about the program on the website: https://scs.geor-getown.edu/iedm.

Dr Tim Frazier.

QU alumni and current staff member creates art gallery titled ‘Rhizomes’THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Media Chapter in Qatar University’s Alumni Association creates the art exhibition entitled “Rhizomes,” which showcases a compilation of art by artist Amna Abdulkarim, a graduate of QU who is currently working as a Media Relations Specialist at QU.

The focus of the gallery is the depiction of war and its after-effects.

The exhibition was officially opened by Dr. Darwish Al-Emadi, QU’s Chief Strategy & Development Officer; Mohamed Al-Mohannadi, Director of Out-reach and Engagement; Nasser Al-Marri, Director of Commu-nications & Public Relations; Dr.

Ahmed Al Emadi, Dean of the College of Education and the Qatari cartoonist Abdulaziz Sadeq.

The exhibition was notably attended by a number of QU alumni, staff and faculty, as well as guests from outside the uni-versity, including a handful of Qatari artists, a delegation from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and exchange students from Korean universities.

The art exhibition comprised of 17 pieces that depict pain of the contemporary human being and the effects of war, but also how hope and love emerge from this destruction. The artist, Amna, used a number of techniques to carry out her work including lead, ink, and metallic watercolor.

Commenting on her work and the name “Rhizomes” Amna says, “This label emerged from my belief that roots are always able to connect what, to us on the surface, seems divided. I was looking for my roots and I found them intertwined deep in pain. For me, that was the pain of war, although I did not experience it first-hand because I do not live in my country Syria, I lived it through my heart.”

she added: “ I thought I was spared the harms of war, but when I was drawing, I looked closer and saw the wounds in my paintings, which looked like explosions. I realize now that geography can be an illusion, proximity is not necessarily measured by distance.”

The “Rhizomes” exhibition featuring art pieces depicting pain and the effects of war at Art Gallery.

MEA Grand Master from Qatar now LG Global No. 1THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Joby Davis, a technician at Jumbo Electronics who specializes in home entertainment products recently won a Gold Medal at the 1st ever LG Global Skill Olympics that was held in the republic of South Korea from November 6 to 9. The competition brought together the best technicians from all of LG’s regional offices in the world to test their technical knowledge and skills of LG products.

Previously, Davis won the ‘Grand Master’ title for premium products at the 8th LG MEA Service Skill Olympiad in October after fiercely competing amongst his peers from other countries in the Middle East and Africa region. There, apart from the Skill Olympiad he also visited LG’s research center at the LG Twin Towers in Seoul and also a sightseeing tour of the city to experience Korean culture.

Joby Davis on returning to Qatar was felicitated by Video Home & Electronic Center’s Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Sajed Jassim Mohammed Sulaiman, and Director & CEO CV Rappai along with other company officials.

“Joby’s achievement at the international level serves as a testimony to some of the fine talents that come to Qatar and Jumbo Electronics a leader in the elec-tronics retail space is proud to attract such good talents.” said CV Rappai.

Video Home & Electronic Center with one of the largest service centers in Qatar regularly undertakes training

workshops and skill upgradation pro-grams for its technicians and also par-ticipates in similar competitions in the region organized by various brands. These trainings equip the service tech-nicians with the latest technical knowhow which enables them to address any product complaint promptly.

Joby Davis (fourth right) posing for a group photo with officials after winning a Gold Medal.

La Villa Restaurant The team at La Villa Restaurant (12th floor) at Mercure Hotel is geared up to give you a most unique experience with the panoramic view of Msheireb Downtown. Lunch daily from 1 pm onwards. You can enjoy a crunchy, chunky, crispy and spicy platter of appetizer for just QR20. A wide selection is available on the A La Carte menu.

PHCC warns of the dangers of poor oral hygieneDOHA: In efforts to raise awareness on the importance of oral health and its impact, Primary Health Care Corpo-ration’s (PHCC) Department of Oral and Dental Health, launched ‘Asnani School Oral Health Program’.

This new program is a replacement of a previous one and is designed to decrease the prevalence of dental caries suffered by up to 89% of school children in Qatar.

Asnani program, has been implemented in schools from November 2018, and is led by Najat Alyafei, the Head of the Preventative Oral Health Services at PHCC as well as the Asnani School Oral Health Program Manager. The Asnani Program is a five-year plan to cover 130,000 students in governmental schools.

Najat Alyafei commented, “Everyone should be aware of the consequences of not taking good care of their oral hygiene. Poor oral health can lead to dental caries and gin-gival inflammation to teeth loss, so to keep teeth life longer, it is important that everyone takes oral hygiene into consideration, along with regular dental check-ups which can help to avoid dental health issues and keep harmful bacteria under control.”


HMC urges elderly residents to get influenza vaccineTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Physicians at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and the Primary Health Care Corpo-ration (PHCC) are cautioning elderly residents who have not yet received the influenza vaccine that they may be at higher risk of complications from flu.

Dr Mahmoud Ahmed Refaee, a Geriatric Medicine Specialist at HMC, said the influenza vaccine, or flu shot, has been available in Qatar since October. He said the influenza vaccine is recom-mended for senior’s age 65 years and above, adding it is a safe and effective way to help stay healthy, prevent illness, and even save lives.

“As the weather begins to

change and the cooler winter months move in, we see an increase in the number of patients with the common cold, influenza, and other viral infec-tions of the respiratory tract. As people age, they are at higher risk of complications from influenza and for this reason, it is strongly recommended that those aged 65 years and above get the influenza vaccine,” said Dr Rafaee.

He added that elderly resi-dents who contract the flu are especially vulnerable to compli-cations and may be more suscep-tible to pneumonia and the wors-ening of existing chronic medical conditions like congestive heart failure, asthma, and diabetes.

For the best protection, it is advisable to get the flu vaccine

as soon as possible. Dr Rafaee said it takes about two weeks to build immunity to the influenza virus and says immunity typically lasts through the flu season.

Dr Rafaee said the flu shot is

safe for most people, but he rec-ommends elderly residents who have existing medical conditions talk to their doctor before getting the vaccine. He adds that most healthy adults will not experience any side effects from the vaccine.

“The most common side effect of the flu shot is arm soreness, and sometimes redness at the injection site. People do however sometimes report body aches, fever, or a cough. For most people, these symptoms will dis-appear after 24 hours,” said Dr Rafaee.

Dr Khalid Elawad, Health Protection Manager, with PHCC, said the Ministry of Public Health, HMC, and PHCC, have joined forces to launch a national influenza vaccination campaign because the vaccination does

reduce the spread of the infec-tious disease and can save lives.

According to Dr Elawad, while both the common cold and the flu generally impact the res-piratory system and produce many of the same symptoms, they are caused by different viruses. He says the flu can be very dangerous, particularly for

older adults, because they may be at increased risk of falls, injuries, and complications.

The flu vaccination is free of charge to all residents of Qatar and is available at all PHCC Health Centers, some private health facilities, and government facilities.

Dr Mahmoud Ahmed Refaee, Geriatric Medicine Specialist at HMC.

The most common side

effect of the flu shot

is arm soreness, and

sometimes redness

at the injection site.

People do however

sometimes report

body aches, fever, or a

cough.

Qatar Charity participates in 3rd International NGO Fair in IstanbulTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Charity partici-pated in the 3rd International NGO Fair, which was held in Istanbul on November 17 and 18 and attended by 170 organiza-tions from 40 countries.

QC’s participation, through its pavilion at the fair, reflected a bright picture of the humani-tarian role played by Qatar, said a release. The pavilion also dis-tributed QC’s publications in Arabic and English to visitors, and presented a video clip on QC’s different achievements and activities across the globe.

Qatar Charity, through its participation in the fair, which is the second of its kind, aims to strengthen its relationship with the various organizations oper-

ating in the world.This will contribute to unify

and organise the humanitarian effort in order to alleviate the severe suffering of the peoples in the world and upgrade the humanitarian roles. QC’s pavilion has provided information on the humanitarian roles played by the philanthropists and benefactors from Qatar. It has also given information on the outstanding efforts made by Qatar Charity in partnership with international organizations.

A great number of people visited QC’s pavilion at the fair to know its humanitarian activ-ities across the world. The pavilion was also visited by Ali Kurt, President of the Union of NGOs, Hussein Tauran, a Turkish MP and former Pres-

ident of the Union.Ahmet Selim Köroğlu, chief

advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, opened the Third International NGO Fair on Saturday. He welcomed the participants and stressed that it would contribute to enhancing cooperation, coordination and building humanitarian partner-ships with the organizations operating in the world.

The two-day exhibition, which concluded yesterday, included several workshops, training sessions, and capacity building of the participating organizations.

The Union of NGOs of the Islamic World was established in Turkey in 2005, and to date, it has 312 NGO members from 63 countries.

Officials at Qatar Charity’s pavilion at the 3rd International NGO Fair in Istanbul.

UCL Qatar students win international awardTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Students from UCL Qatar (University College London Qatar) have won top awards for their submissions to the global UCL ‘ChangeMakers’ scheme. The recognition has come for projects that are improving the academic and education landscape in Qatar.

The ChageMakers evalu-ation team in the UK singled out two winning initiatives in Qatar. The first is a project to maximise the benefits of libraries for Qatar’s schoolchildren and teachers in unaccredited schools, with the final aim of helping the schools obtain full accreditation.

The second project is designed to encourage the cre-ation of a wider community of academics and staff in the cul-tural heritage field, by raising the profile of the research work being produced in the country.

The ChangeMakers initiative was launched by UCL’s main

campus in 2014 and the award to the two UCL Qatar projects, initially won in 2017, has recently been renewed for the academic year 2018-19.

The initiative invites the tens of thousands of UCL students from all over the world to put forward ideas for how to improve the learning experience at UCL and the local and international communities the university touches through its courses.

Master’s students on UCL Qatar’s Library and Information Studies programme were rec-ognised for partnering with a non-accredited Doha-based school to introduce reforms to ensure its library is fully com-pliant with the Qatar National School Accreditation (QNSA) standards, to help the school move a step forward in the process of obtaining full accreditation.

The educational benefits of the reforms being suggested to the schools will be shared with the Ministry of Education and

Higher Education of the State of Qatar. The team involved, which includes students from Qatar, Ghana, Canada and Zambia, now plans to extend the project to more unaccredited schools in Qatar, ensuring their libraries are up to the required standards needed for accreditation.

Students on UCL Qatar’s Museum and Gallery Practice programme won the second award for their “Make our Research Visible” project. The purpose of the project is to develop a strong museums and cultural heritage academic com-munity in Qatar, the wider GCC and beyond by create a learning and research forum for students, staff and alumni.

Describing UCL Qatar’s involvement in the Change-Makers programme, Sam Evans, Director of UCL Qatar, said, “This is an international scheme, open to tens of thousands of stu-dents – so winning these awards is a huge achievement! Congrat-ulations to all involved.”

Seventh Qatar University ExxonMobil Teachers Academy to take place this monthTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Qatar University ExxonMobil Teachers Academy is due to take place in Doha later this month.

Now in its seventh year, the academy was established in 2012 by ExxonMobil Qatar and Qatar University’s National Center for Educator Devel-opment. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, it provides science and math teachers from Qatar’s government schools with an opportunity to acquire new teaching strategies and improve their skills.

The academy also helps teachers to inspire students so that they’re motivated to study math, science, technology, and engineering (STEM) subjects at school and get them excited about the prospect of pursuing careers in STEM fields. In doing so, the Qatar ExxonMobil Teachers Academy is directly supporting national efforts towards preparing a capable

workforce that can create a sustainable future for the country.

More than 55 teachers are expected to take part in this year’s program. Around 40 of these teachers are grade 7-9 math and science teachers from Qatar’s government schools; 10 are Teach For Qatar (TFQ) fellows, and the remaining are representatives from the Min-istry of Education and Higher Education.

All participating teachers have been carefully selected by Qatar University (QU), TFQ and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and are strong, effective and dedicated individuals who are committed to providing students with the highest possible quality education.

By the end of this year’s academy, more than 310 teachers would have taken part in the program. These teachers are expected to reach and engage over 13,000 students through their classrooms.

“We look forward to co-hosting the Qatar University ExxonMobil Teachers Academy later this month with our partner ExxonMobil Qatar,” said Ahmed Al Emadi, Dean of Qatar University’s College of Edu-cation. “The academy has suc-cessfully produced well-pre-pared teachers who are pas-sionate about their subjects, have a positive attitude and who teach effectively. As a result, we have students who are pas-sionate about science and math, and who understand the ben-efits and opportunities that working in science-related sub-jects can bring to their futures and to their communities,” he added.

“The Qatar University Exx-onMobil Teachers Academy is our leading education program thanks to our partnership with Qatar University, and the con-tinuous support of the Ministry of Education and Higher Edu-cation,” said Alistair Routledge, President and General Manager for ExxonMobil Qatar.

09MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

A member of the Yemeni pro-government forces walks through a destruction in an industrial district in the eastern outskirts of the port city of Hodeida, yesterday.

Washington Post: Trump defending Bin Salman’s ‘lies’ANATOLIA

ISTANBUL: The Trump admin-istration is helping Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is “brazenly seeking to lie his way out of accounta-bility” for the killing of Saudi jour-nalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, according to the Washington Post.

In an unsigned editorial yes-terday, the paper’s editorial board wrote: “On Thursday, a state prosecutor in Riyadh advanced an account of the killing blatantly at odds with established facts, excusing the crown prince from all blame.

“Rather than reject this con-temptible cover-up, President Trump, who had pledged to ‘get to the bottom’ of the case, went along with it.”The editorial said the US Treasury Department “imposed sanctions on 17 mostly low-level suspects already implicated by the Saudis, while excusing both Mohammed bin Salman and top intelligence officials.”

“Now we learn that Mr. Trump backed the Saudi leader despite a conclusion by the CIA that the prince was, in fact, responsible for ordering Khashoggi’s assassination,” it added, referring to a leaked intelligence assessment reported last week by the Post.

The Post reported that intel-ligence officials have “high con-fidence” in their assessment and have briefed the president on their evidence, which includes an audio recording of the killing and phone calls by the leader of

the “kill team” as well as the Saudi ambassador in Washington.

“Mr. Trump nevertheless has refused to accept Mohammed bin Salman’s responsibility,

perhaps because that would mean acknowledging that the White House’s outsize bet on the 33-year-old prince as a strategic ally was badly mistaken.”

A number of legislators from

both parties have spoken up in rejection of the Saudi cover-up and the administration’s response, the article said.

“Three Republican senators — Lindsay O. Graham (S.C.), Todd C. Young (Ind.) and Susan Collins (Maine) — have joined three Democrats, including Robert Menendez (N.J.), the ranking minority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Com-mittee, to back legislation that would require the adminis-tration to sanction within 30 days ‘any official of the gov-ernment of Saudi Arabia or member of the royal family’ tied to the Khashoggi murder by ‘credible evidence.’

“Given the CIA conclusion,

that would cover Mohammed bin Salman. The bill would also suspend most US arms sales and deliveries to Saudi Arabia until it ‘honored a complete cessation of hostilities in the Yemen war’ and stopped interfering with deliveries of humanitarian aid.”

The Post wrote that Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker is “giving Mr. Trump a chance to tell the truth about Mohammed bin Salman and adjust his policies accordingly, a correction that is essential to a rational and workable US strategy in the Middle East.”

“If the White House instead continues to abet the crown prince in his lies,” the Post said Congress must act “swiftly and decisively.”

CIA assessment premature but possible: TrumpREUTERS

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump called a CIA assessment blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi “very premature” and said he will receive a complete report on the case tomorrow.

Trump, on a trip to California, said the killing “should never have happened.” The report on Tuesday will explain who the US gov-ernment believes killed Khashoggi and what the overall impact of his murder is, Trump said. It was unclear who is producing the report.

Trump also said the CIA finding that bin Salman was responsible for the killing was “possible.”

Trump made the remarks hours after the State Department said the government was still working on determining respon-sibility for the death of Khashoggi, a US-based Washington Post columnist.

“Recent reports indicating that the US government has made a final conclusion are inaccurate,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. “There remain numerous unanswered questions with respect to the murder of Mr. Khashoggi.”

AP

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said there is no reason for him to listen to a recording of the “very violent, very vicious” killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which has put him in a diplo-matic bind: how to admonish Riyadh for the slaying yet maintain strong ties with a close ally.

Trump, in an interview that aired yes-terday, made clear that the audio recording, supplied by the Turkish government, would not affect his response to the October 2 killing of Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who had been critical of the Saudi royal family.

“It’s a suffering tape, it’s a terrible tape. I’ve been fully briefed on it, there’s no

reason for me to hear it,” Trump said in the interview with “Fox News Sunday.” ‘’I know everything that went on in the tape without having to hear it.”

On Saturday, Trump said his adminis-tration will “be having a very full report over the next two days, probably Monday or Tuesday.” He said the report will include “who did it.” It was unclear if the report would be made public.

American intelligence agencies have concluded that the crown prince ordered the killing in the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, according to a U.S. official familiar with the assessment. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Others familiar with the case caution that while it’s likely the crown prince was involved in the death,

there continue to be questions about what role he played. Trump noted to “Fox News Sunday” that the crown prince has repeatedly denied being involved in the killing inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

“Will anybody really know?” Trump asked. “At the same time, we do have an ally, and I want to stick with an ally that in many ways has been very good.”

A Republican member of the Senate intelligence committee said that so far, there is no “smoking gun” linking the crown prince to the killing. Sen. Roy Blunt of Mis-souri, who has received a confidential intel-ligence briefing on the matter, told ABC that “it’s hard to imagine” that the crown prince didn’t know about the killing, but he said, “I don’t know that we absolutely know that yet.”

Trump on Khashoggi death tape: ‘No reason for me to hear it’

CAR war crimes suspect Rambo handed to ICCREUTERS

AMSTERDAM: A war crimes suspect wanted for alleged murder, deportation and torture of Muslims in the Central African Republic has been handed over to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the tribunal said.

CAR officials transferred Alfred Yekatom on Saturday to officials from the global court, which is investigating six years of violence that has destabilised a region at the heart of the con-tinent. Yekatom, a sitting MP once nicknamed “Rambo”, had been under arrest in Central

African Republic since October 29, when during a parliamentary session he first pointed a gun at a fellow lawmaker and then shot twice at the ceiling.

CAR government officials did not respond to requests for comment, but the country’s justice minister was expected to make a statement on Monday.

Yekatom was handed over to ICC officials on Saturday and arrived in the court’s detention centre in the Hague in the early hours of Sunday, the ICC regis-try’s spokesman said.

There was no immediate comment from Yekatom or any

lawyers representing him. A UN commission of inquiry

found that Christian militias under Yekatom had carried out war crimes and crimes against humanity by targeting Muslims.

The International Criminal Court - set up to prosecute the worst crimes when member countries can not or will not do so — issued a sealed arrest warrant for Yekatom on Nov. 11.

“We allege Mr. Yekatom is criminally responsible for several counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the Central African Republic between 5 December 2013 and August

2014,” International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said. “Now, he must answer in court for his actions.”

Bensouda is carrying out two separate investigations into conflicts in the Central African Republic. Yekatom’s arrest is the first in the more recent conflict.

A pre-trial chamber found reason to suspect Yekatom of commanding around 3,000 members of an armed group operating within the Anti-Balaka movement, which was carrying out systematic attacks against the Muslim population.

22 migrants missing off Morocco after boat capsizesAFP

R A B A T : Twenty-two migrants have gone missing in the waters off Morocco’s Atlantic coast after their boat capsized.

Three people, all with Moroccan nationality, managed to swim to shore and alert the authorities after the vessel hit trouble off the southern province of Tiznit. Local media said the migrants had been aiming to reach the Canary Islands about 100km west of the Moroccan coast.

Houthis mobilise to fight ahead of envoy visitAFP

SANA’A: Yemeni rebels have said they are ready to mobilise more fighters to the frontline despite a lull in battleground Hodeida, as the UN envoy prepares to visit the country to boost peace efforts.

Dozens of Houthi rebels put on a show of strength on the outskirts of the capital Sanaa on Saturday, appar-ently getting ready to head towards Hodeida, a Red Sea

city home to a vital port. Men, some of whom looked

very young, were lining up with bandoliers around their shoulders and rifles in their hands, chanting the Huthi slogan: “God is greatest. Death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory to Islam.”

Residents said by telephone on Sunday that relative calm had held in Hodeida city since pro-government forces — backed by a Saudi-led military coalition

— announced a pause in their offensive last week amid interna-tional calls for a ceasefire and UN-led peace efforts. They added however that they remain on edge as the sound of coalition jets can constantly be heard overhead.

UN special envoy Martin Griffiths said on Friday that he plans to travel to rebel-held Sanaa in the coming week to finalise arrangements for peace talks to take place in Sweden soon.

Security situation not good for polls: NetanyahuBLOOMBERG

TEL AVIV: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday Israel is facing one of the most complex security chal-lenges since its founding and can’t afford to go to early elec-tions, making a last appeal to keep his tottering government intact.

In a speech, Netanyahu stressed his long security back-ground as he made the case for why he would keep the defense portfolio in his own hands, after the defense minister’s resignation last week brought his gov-ernment to the brink of collapse. The appeal appeared aimed at Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who has threatened to withdraw his eight person Jewish Home party — toppling the coa-lition — if he’s not put in charge of defence.

“We are in one of the most complicated security situations ever, and in a situation like that you don’t overthrow a gov-ernment, you don’t go to elec-tions,” Netanyahu said, referring to challenges from Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and Iran and Hezbollah in the north. “It’s irresponsible.”

Netanyahu came to the news conference from a

meeting with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who has urged him to go to early elections. Earlier in the day, Netanyahu announced a multimillion dollar program benefiting security and police veterans —something that required an across-the-board cut from other ministries, and was seen as bolstering the finance min-ister’s popularity.

The crisis was triggered on November 14 when Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman quit and pulled his Yisrael Beitenu party’s five legislators out of the government, saying it wasn’t responding forcefully enough to rockets fired into Israel by Palestinian militants in Gaza. That left Netanyahu with the support of just 61 members of the 120-seat parliament.

Netanyahu has managed to paint himself as the mature adult in the room amid bickering children, said Mitchell Barak, a public opinion expert who served as an adviser to Netanyahu in the 1990s. Commentators noted that Netanyahu’s plea against early elections sounded like a campaign stump speech, as he reeled off a list of his security economic and diplo-matic accomplishments.

Iran arrests four workers protesting unpaid salariesAP

TEHRAN: Iran’s state-run Irna news agency is reporting that the country’s authorities have detained four workers protesting not having been paid their salaries for months in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.

The report says that in recent days many people have attended the demonstrations at the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Mill in solidarity with striking workers there. Irna quotes Khuzestan governor, Gholamreza Shariati as saying, “workers have rights, we are looking into their issues and demands.” The factory is about half a century old and began seeing labor problems when it was priva-tized almost 10 years ago.

Iran is in the grip of an economic crisis and has seen sporadic protests in recent months as officials have tried to downplay the effects of the US’s restored sanctions.

“Now we learn that

Mr. Trump backed the

Saudi leader despite a

conclusion by the CIA

that the prince was, in

fact, responsible for

ordering Khashoggi’s

assassination,” The Washington Post editorial said.

Car bomb in Tikrit leaves at least two deadANATOLIA

TIKRIT: At least two people were killed and 17 injured yesterday by a car bomb attack in Tikrit, Iraq, northwest of Baghdad.

Police 1st Lt. Numan Al Jabouri said that the bomb had gone off in a neighborhood in the center of the town, which is the capital of Iraq’s northern Salahuddin province. He went on to say that the remnants of the Daesh terrorist group —which overran much of Iraq in 2014 before being crushed by the army last year — were likely behind the attack, though none had assumed responsibility. Recent months have seen frequent attacks on security personnel deployed in northern and eastern Iraq, especially in the provinces of Diyala, Kirkuk, and Saladin.

Donal Trump

Qatar and Croatia

have growing,

unique strategic

relations, which

are continuously

developing in all

fields especially

trade, economy

and investment.

Diplomatic

relations between

the two states

were established

in December

1992 and the

Qatari Embassy

in Zagreb was

inaugurated in

early 2013.

TUGCENUR YILMAZ & ZUHAL DEMIRCI ANATOLIA

10 MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018VIEWS

Qatar and Croatia: Advanced strategic relations in all fields

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani continues the foreign tours, calls and meetings with various state

leaders, to reiterate Qatar’s inde-pendent approach, in continuation of its path to build and fortify the nation, strengthen its structure in all sectors and open new areas to the Qatari economy. In this context, H H the Amir begins the official visit yesterday to the Republic of Croatia followed by the Italian Republic, at the invitation of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

H H the Amir is expected to discuss with the leaders and senior officials of both countries the ways to boost and develop the bilateral relations between both countries in various fields, as well as a number of topics of mutual interest. A number of agree-ments and memoranda of under-standing for different fields in both countries. Qatar and Croatia have growing, unique strategic relations, which are continuously developing in all fields especially trade, economy and investment. Diplomatic relations between the two states were establish in December 1992 and the Qatari Embassy in Zagreb was inaugurated in early 2013, after the opening of Croatia’s Embassy in Doha end of 2012, as its first embassy in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Croatian

President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, in April 2017 paid an official visit to Qatar where she discussed with H H the Amir pro-moting the relations between both countries especially in the political, economic, investment and envi-ronment field. The dis-cussion also touched on the most prominent issues regionally and interna-tionally and each coun-

try’s stance towards it. At the end of the discussion, the President awarded H H the Amir with Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star, which is the highest state order of Croatia.

During her visit, the President wit-nessed the Qatari-Croatian Business Forum, where she hoped that

economic and trade cooperation grew to the level of political relations between the two friendly countries, noting that it has nevertheless doubled several times since 2002. President Kitarovic called on Qatari businessmen to invest in her country, stressing that Croatia is an open country for business, welcoming Qatari investments and provides many investment incentives.

In 2009, H H the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser paid an official state visit to the Republic of Croatia. In addition, a number of Qatari ministers and officials visited Croatia and held discussion that touched on promoting and developing the relations between both countries, each in their specialty. In October 2009, the corner-stone of Islamic center in Rijeka was laid, funded by Qatar. In 2004, Former President of Croatia Stjepan Mesic visited Qatar for the first time and in 2008 visited it for the second time. In November 2012, Former President of Croatia Ivo Josipovic visited Qatar. In February 2016, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic visited Qatar. Over the recent years many Croatian ministers, members of the Croatian Government, including ministers of foreign affairs, interior and justice, the President of the Croatian Parliament and the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces visited Qatar.

Since the declaration of the estab-lishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, several agreements and memorandums of understanding have been signed to regulate bilateral relations, including the promotion and protection of investments, tourism, economic and banking cooperation, in the area of human resources development, coop-eration in environmental protection and a memorandum of understanding between the Qatar Chamber and the Croatian Economic Chamber , prevent double taxation and evasion of income

tax, as well as in the air transport sector, and energy technology .

The Croatian Economic Chamber also organized several visits to the State of Qatar since 2003, through which it worked to strengthen rela-tions with Qatari partners ,and several agreements and memorandums of understanding are being studied to develop cooperation between Doha and Zagreb in many fields and sectors.

In May 2012, Qatar Airways began operating direct flights to Zagreb, which reached 10 flights a week, The Rijeka Islamic Centre was built with an amount of 8 million Euros funded by the State of Qatar, in addition to donations to the Islamic Organization in the Republic of Croatia, with the aim of granting scholarships to Croatian students to study in the State of Qatar and granting pilgrimage to the Muslims of the Republic of Croatia.

The Republic of Croatia is located in central Europe and overlooks the west on the Adriatic Sea, which sepa-rates it from Italy, it consists of more than a thousand large and small islands varying in size, of which 48 islands are permanently inhabited, in addition to the existence of huge water areas and large lakes.

The population of Croatia about four and a half million people, its area is more than fifty-six thousand square kilometers. Croatia, which is located in the European Union and a member of the European Union, is making great efforts to attract foreign investments in its ongoing attempts to move the economy and create new jobs, where Zagreb is making great efforts in this area to establish a LNG plant on the island of Krk, which is considered by Croatia as a strategic project allows it to diversify energy sources, especially as it seeks to be an important player in supplying the Central and South-Eastern Europe With gas that is the most important source of energy for the foreseeable future.

QNA

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Europe, and within it the Franco-German

couple, have the obligation not to let

the world slip into chaos and to guide it on the road to peace.

Emmanuel Macron

French President

Saudi account of Khashoggi murder ‘unsatisfying’

Remarks by the Saudi Chief Prose-cutor’s Office on last month’s killing of journalist Jamal

Khashoggi present an unbelievable scenario and leave some questions unanswered, an analysis of the statement shows. The Saudi office’s announcement on Thursday that it had charged 11 out of 21 suspects in relation to the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul was defi-cient and satisfied neither Turkey nor the international community. Turkey is “unsatisfied” by the prosecutors’ state-ments, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

After Khashoggi disappeared, camera footage and other evidence revealed that a 15-member hit squad came from Saudi Arabia to Turkey on the same day as the killing.

Now Saudi prosecutors have indicted 11 people over the killing,

including five for whom it has recom-mended the death penalty for ordering and committing the killing.

According to the Saudi account, a team of negotiators at the consulate was unable to persuade Khashoggi to return to the kingdom, so they used a poisonous injection to kill him, and then dismembered the body. Under this account, while the intelligence officers waited on the sidelines, the negotiators did the actual killing, which requires professional skills and tools, one of the points that makes it unbelievable.

Apparently the Saudis are pushing this unlikely scenario in order to clear the name of Ahmed Al Assiri, a former Saudi deputy head of intelligence. If they succeed, it will strengthen the claim that the incident took place independently of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The fact that Khashoggi was killed within minutes after he entered the consulate is more proof that the hit squad did not take part in any

negotiations. All this suggest that the members of the 15-member hit squad the Saudi prosecutors paint as negoti-ators were actually executioners.

Shaalan al-Shaalan, the Saudi deputy public prosecutor, said an operation was ordered to either per-suade or force Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia. Al Assiri, a former deputy head of intelligence, issued an order for Khashoggi’s return on Sept. 29, a day after the journalist first visited the consulate building to do paperwork for his marriage.

It was Al Assiri who put together the 15-member team, according to the pros-ecutor. He contacted a forensics expert to join it for the purpose of removing evidence from the scene should force have to be used. The Saudi prosecutors are trying to present the killing as “a uni-lateral improvised decision” that was taken at the last minute, but bringing in this forensics expert from Riyadh indi-cates that the decision to kill Khashoggi was not taken in Istanbul but rather planned in Saudi Arabia.

Qatar, under the

wise leadership

of Amir H H

Sheikh Tamim bin

Hamad Al Thani,

and its various

institutions has

been making

huge strides

to nourish its

diverse culture.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM [email protected]

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI [email protected]

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Embracing cultural diversity

People differ in their language, race, nationality, class, religion and all. This is what makes people unique. A culture is collectively influenced by these factors

and is the way people live. It is a lens with which people evaluate everything around them.

Today, with the advancement of technology and glo-balisation, it is impossible to stay isolated and it creates a platform for the global communities to exchange their cultures. When cultures join together, people tend to learn from one another and it helps to understand different perspectives. After all, it helps to dispel various negative stereotypes and personal biases on various issues, ideas, concepts etc. It provides an atmosphere conducive for personal, societal and national development.

When we take a look at the societies of the most developed nations, it is clear that they are culturally diverse; a key reason for development. Qatar is one of the most powerful and economically rich nations in the world. Its society is culturally diverse; it embraces cultural diversity much closer as it’s important for sustainable development. Qatar, under the wise leadership of Amir

H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and its various insti-tutions has been making huge strides to nourish its diverse culture. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Qatar signed in 2011 with Unesco, to promote the diversity of cul-tural expressions and a dia-logue among cultures, is one among the many measures in this regard.

Going by the words of the Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali at the 7th St Petersburg Inter-national Cultural Forum in Russia, Qatar has a unique culture and that all its indi-viduals believe in the value of diversity and multiculturalism, pointing out that there are

more than 150 nationalities in Qatar, which reflects the culture of coexistence among nations.

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert held at the St Petersburg Forum under the theme “28 different cultures, one tune”, reflected the cultural diversity and contributed to the creation of a single cultural edifice rep-resenting common values and one human civilisation.

The Minister pointed out that the issue of cultural diversity in Qatar is not a slogan but a reality that is being promoted, adding that Qatar is hosting the Doha Inter-national Center for Interfaith Dialogue, which contributes to building dialogue among different civilisations and cultures.

The Ajyal Film Festival organised by the Doha Film Institute is a noble move to enrich its rich cultural diversity as it provides an opportunity to exchange cultures among all film professionals around the world to produce and showcase their films.

All in all, culture matters. A culturally diverse society is a national asset, for which Qatar can ever be proud of.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani receiving the Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Star, the highest state order of the Republic of Croatia, from President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, at Amiri Diwan, during her visit to Qatar in April 2017.

Part of our elite

came to terms with

the “loss” of empire

and saw Britain’s

future as being

part of Europe. But

others, taught from

the cradle that they

were born to run the

world, cannot accept

a reduction in British

power.

11MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018 OPINION

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There’s hope for an endto the war in Yemen

Amid Brexit chaos, Britain’s political system finally implodes

HUSSEIN IBISH BLOOMBERG

NICK DEARDEN AL JAZEERA

The war in Yemen, and the humanitarian crisis it has inflamed, is usually thought of as Saudi-led and controlled.

But the reality is more complicated, and involves a major role by the United Arab Emirates.

That’s why a meeting in Abu Dhabi this week between the leader of

the UAE and the heads of the main Sunni Islamist political party in Yemen is a dramatic development, and could be a crucial step toward ending the war.

The conflict has killed at least 10,000 people, put millions under threat of starvation, worsened the global refugee crisis, and divided Arab governments from each other and from their allies in the West.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE inter-vened jointly in Yemen in 2015 in response to the takeover by Iran-backed Houthi rebels of the capital, Sana’a, along with large amounts of territory. Since then, though, the con-flict has diverged into two separate but overlapping campaigns.

The Saudis and their Yemeni allies are concentrating their efforts in the north of the country and are mainly opposing the Houthis. That’s where the war has turned into a desperate quagmire.

But in the south, the UAE and its more effective Yemeni allies have largely driven out Houthi forces and have been concentrating on a coun-terinsurgency against terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and Islamic State, often in coordination with US special forces.

A key ideological division has emerged between the UAEand Saudi Arabia in how to end the conflict. The UAE is categorically opposed to all forms of political Islam. Saudi Arabia detests the terrorist groups and is wary of most Islamist parties, but is not as rigid as the Emirates.

In particular, Riyadh has been willing to work with the Yemeni party Al Islah, which is associated with the oldest and most established Islamist network in the Middle East, the Muslim Brotherhood, because they share an uncompromising antipathy towards the Houthis and their Iranian backers.

The Saudis think Al Islah’s cooper-ation can help stabilize the situation, especially in the northern parts of the country where the kingdom is most influential. And they’re optimistic about Al Islah’s claim to be part of a post-Islamist wave of religiously-ori-ented political groups that are getting rid of the revolutionary, conspiratorial and transnational aspects of Islamism and re-emerging as law-abiding con-servative nationalists.

The UAE, by contrast, has con-tinued to view Al Islah and all Broth-erhood-oriented parties with sus-picion, and dismisses any claims about a post-Islamist tendency as opportunistic hypocrisy.

But as pressure from the West increases on Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the coalition’s leaders are clearly trying to think through an exit strategy. Saudi Arabia has been

pressing the UAE to join Riyadh in putting aside doubts about Al Islah and working with the group to craft a domestic political alternative to Houthi domination.

So when Al Islah Chairman Mohammed Abdullah Al Yidoumi and Secretary-General Abdulwahab Ahmad al-Anisi suddenly appeared in Abu Dhabi this week to meet with the de facto ruler of the UAE, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, something significant was going on.

After all, bin Zayed could have met Al Islah leaders quietly if he wanted to. Indeed, relatively senior Emirati officials have sat down with Yemeni Islamists in Saudi Arabia on more than one occasion over the past two years in response to prodding by Riyadh.

But on this occasion, the senior UAE leader met publicly in his own capital with the heads of the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood group and publi-cized it aggressively on all forms of media, including through his own Twitter account, complete with pic-tures and mainly in Arabic.

The message was not primarily aimed at Washington, but at regional neighbors and his own domestic audience. It was intended to show Saudi Arabia that the UAE is serious about helping Riyadh work with Al Islah to stabilize those parts of Yemen in which its influence predominates, and possibly to signal a willingness to cooperate with the group in Emirati areas of influence as well.

There’s every reason to hope that this is a signal that both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are seeking a way to get out of Yemen, as Washington and most of the world are increasingly demanding.

Theresa May surely by now symbolises the phrase “bad day at the office”. On Wednesday night, having

spent months negotiating the deal by which Britain will leave the European Union next March, May had a gruelling five-hour meeting with her cabinet. That evening, she told the nation that agreement had been reached, though with reservations.

Those reservations burst into the open the next morning when the minister responsible for negotiating the said deal, Dominic Raab, led a wave of resignations, as May sat for three hours in front of parliament lis-tening to MP after MP from her own party telling her they would oppose the deal. Some called for her to resign.

Britain is now in its deepest political crisis since the World War II. May’s deal seems all but dead, as there is no viable way for it to pass through parliament. She herself still refuses to accept this. With just four months to go till “Brexit day”, and a matter of weeks before the gov-ernment must initiate emergency measures in preparation for “no deal” Brexit shortages, what happens next is anyone’s guess. But a general election, a new referendum or a new Tory leader and fresh negotiations are all very serious possibilities.

How did it come to this? The British establishment has always been deeply divided on the EU. Part of our elite came to terms with the “loss” of empire and saw Britain’s future as being part of Europe. But others, taught from the cradle that they were born to run the world, cannot accept a reduction in British power. To them, Europe is an affront, a protectionist, bureaucratic nightmare, and they are desperate to reclaim their birthright, in alliance with the United States, to use Britain’s financial muscle to rule the world once more.

This issue has torn the Conserv-ative Party apart since the fall of Mar-garet Thatcher, but it came to a head in David Cameron’s government. He promised a referendum to appease the anti-EU part of his party, and with typical arrogance assumed he’d easily win. He failed.

Today, with no majority in par-liament, dependent on a group of far-right ultra-Brexiteers from the north of Ireland, May is unable to ignore any one faction of her party. The daughter of a vicar, she assumes hard work will pay off. But it doesn’t, because the problem is insoluble.

She cannot move forward, but she also cannot be replaced, because her party’s warring factions will not be able to agree on a successor.

That’s why this week’s

withdrawal deal, laying out the terms of Brexit, and the “political decla-ration” setting out objectives for a future relationship with the EU, in fact, leave us in the dark about our post-Brexit relationship with the EU. It attempts both to say that we will have full sovereignty over trade, reg-ulations and money, and also to keep so close to the EU that we will be effectively inside the customs union. It attempts to take full control over borders, without creating any borders (at least for capital - people without significant wealth must keep their distance).

Unsurprisingly, this doesn’t please those who wanted to remain in the EU. But it also doesn’t please the Brexiteers who want to use Brexit to unleash a wave of deregulation and liberalisation, most notably through trade deals.

On Thursday, May was attacked by remainers who want a second ref-erendum, and from so-called “hard Brexiteers” who want to drop out of the EU with no deal at all.

But there is another element to the Brexit debate which has made it peculiarly toxic and difficult to nav-igate. In order to win the referendum, the Brexiteers needed to do more than mobilise right-wing voters who hate foreigners.

They also had to tap into a deep dissatisfaction in post-industrial parts of England and Wales, areas which have been marginalised and hollowed out by four decades of free-market economic policy. Communities fed up with being ignored, and who feel they were sold out by the previous Labour Party governments, individuals who wanted to stick two fingers up at the centre-right politicians which ran the “remain” campaign.

It’s this aspect of Brexit which makes it more than a peculiarly British problem, and which locates the crisis firmly within the much broader and deeper crisis which has gripped capitalism since the financial crash of 2008.

It should be unsurprising that this political crisis, which has spread to the US, southern and now central Europe, saw its first flash-point in Britain, which practically invented neoliberalism.

This is a crisis of inequality, poverty, the gradual abolition of democracy, of a corporate economy out of control. When frustration and anger like this have no outlet, no obvious means of remedy, then migrants and for-

A key ideological

division has emerged

between the UAE and

Saudi Arabia in how to

end the conflict. The

UAE is categorically

opposed to all forms

of political Islam.

Saudi Arabia detests

the terrorist groups

and is wary of most

Islamist parties.

eigners become easy targets.The British crisis reflects, in this

way, a global crisis with an elite torn apart about the best way forward. On the one hand, there are the Tony Blairs and Hillary Clintons who want to reverse Brexit, impeach Donald Trump, and get back to the old policies which served them so well. On the other, there are those who see in the rise of populist authoritari-anism a “plan b” for capitalism not unlike those capitalists who sup-ported fascism in Europe in the 1930s.

Needless to say, neither option will lead us to a better world. While leaving the EU could create a serious shock which empowers the far right, simply reversing the ref-erendum will not undo the damage that’s been done over many decades either. A second refer-endum which offers people the chance to remain could certainly be part of the solution. But that must be accompanied - in Britain as in so many other places - by a radical transformation of the economy in which governments constrain the power of corpora-tions and finance, rewrite the rules of global trade, remove the power of the market altogether over big swaths of our society.

This will not be easy, and it will not come from above. But there is a chance we can use the divisions among political elites to build around this vision for a better, fairer world. Political chaos can certainly be frightening, but really big change rarely comes without it. Perhaps another bad day for Theresa May is one step closer to creating a better Britain in a better world.

12 MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018ASIA

Grenade attackin Amritsarclaims 3 livesAGENCIES

AMRITSAR: A blast at a religious ceremony in India’s Punjab state yesterday killed at least three people and injured 20, police said.

Media reports said two armed men on a motorcycle forced their way into a building where the Nirankari spiritual group was meeting. They brandished a pistol at a woman at the gate before throwing a hand grenade at the crowd, the Tribune newspaper said.

All the victims were sect fol-lowers from nearby villages who had gathered for the weekly reli-gious meeting.

Punjab Director General of Police Suresh Arora, who rushed to the spot along with senior Punjab Police officers, admitted that it was a “terror act”.

“We are taking it as a terror act. This incident is against a group and not an individual.

That’s why we are taking it as a terror act. We did not have any specific input of a strike against any particular group,” he told the media in Adliwal village.

Describing it as an unfor-tunate incident, Arora said that further investigations will reveal details about who was behind the attack. Witnesses told the police that two youths on a motorcycle, their faces covered, forced entry to the sect campus by pointing a pistol at a woman

India’s first elephant hospital cheers animal activistsREUTERS

MATHURA, UTTAR PRADESH: At India’s first hospital for elephants, opened last week in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, 49-year old Asha placed her left foreleg on a stool for a doctor to attend to an injury while visitors filmed it all on their mobile phones.

The facility, armed with facilities such as wireless digital X-Ray, thermal imaging, ultrasonography, tranquili-zation devices and quarantine facilities, has not only come as a respite to the elephants but is also attracting local and foreign tourists.

Elephants are an important part of India’s culture and are prominently dis-played in festivals and processions in the south of the country. They are also used as tourist attractions at several forts and palaces in the northern and western regions. The hospital, inaugurated on Friday in the town of Mathura, is spread over 12,000 sq feet and is designed to treat injured, sick or geriatric elephants.

“I think by building a hospital we are underlining the fact that elephants need welfare measures as much as any other

animal,” Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, the non-profit behind the hospital, said.

“That captive elephants are not meant to be used and abused but instead have to be given the respect which an animal

needs if you are going to be using the animal.”

While elephants are revered as a cul-tural and religious symbol in India, they are also ill-treated by their unschooled mahouts and often fall victim to electro-cution, poaching, train accidents and poi-soning, animal rights activists say.

India’s elephant population fell to 27,312 in 2017 from 29,391-30,711 in 2012, government data shows.

Hundreds of elephants across India, which accounts for more than half of Asia’s elephant population, are held in captivity and sharp metal hooks are often used to pinch and tease them into subor-dination. The hospital, on the banks of the Yamuna River, is close to an elephant conservation and care centre run by Wildlife SOS that is home to 22 elephants. Elizabeth Ritson, a tourist from Australia, said she was glad there was now a dedi-cated hospital for elephants in India.

“Look at them, they are so much happier and when you see the abuse that they have been through, the horrible shackles that were put on their feet and to see them all healed up, it’s just really nice,” she said.

Relatives and brothers of Sukhdev Singh, who was killed in a grenade attack at the Nirankari Satsang Bhawan, weep at a hospital on the outskirts of Amritsar, yesterday.

Vets take an X-ray of a leg of Phoolkali, a female elephant, at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital, India’s first hospital for elephants run by a non-governmental organisation in the northern town of Mathura, in Uttar Pradesh, yesterday.

Tamil Nadu cyclone toll rises to 45IANS

CHENNAI: The death toll due to the severe cyclone Gaja that devastated several districts in Tamil Nadu two days ago has risen to 45 and damaged 117,624 houses, Chief Minister K. Palan-iswami said yesterday.

Opposition leaders have crit-icised what they say was the government’s apathy in reaching out relief materials like food, drinking water and other

material to the cyclone affected areas.

In Pudukottai district, people complained about not getting relief materials and protested on the roads. They also set fire to five government vehicles.

Speaking to reporters at Salem, about 350 km from here, Palaniswami said 45 persons have died in the cyclone and the loss of live-stock was put at 735.

He added that 88,102

hectare of crop and 39,938 elec-tricity poles were damaged in the cyclone.

The central government has been asked to depute a team from the National Disaster Man-agement to assess the destruction. To a query about dropping relief materials by hel-icopters, Palaniswami said removal of trees from the roads would be completed fully yesterday.

Palaniswami said he would

visit the affected areas on Tuesday. DMK President M.K. Stalin in a letter to the party cadres wondered whether Pal-aniswami’s heart was made of iron as he appeared to be more interested with inaugurating projects rather than visiting the cyclone battered areas.

Stalin, who toured the areas, accused the government of failing to provide sufficient food, clothing and drinking water for the people at the relief centres.

volunteer at the gate.Nirankari followers are at

odds with many Sikhs who dominate in Punjab and con-sider the group heretics.

“Everything happened within a couple of minutes. They got in, threw the grenade and fled,” one man told the police.

Punjab Chief Minister Ama-rinder Singh directed the police

to immediately enhance security arrangements at all sensitive places, terming it as “the first such indiscriminate attack on innocent people in recent past”.

“The possibility of involvement of ISI-based Kha-listani/Kashmiri terror groups cannot be ruled out. Police teams are investigating various angles,” the Chief Minister said

in a statement. Punjab, which was divided between India and Pakistan when they split after independence in 1947, has a history of sectarian violence.

In 1984, the Indian military launched an assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar aimed at flushing out militants inside who were demanding an independent Sikh homeland.

Cow vigilantes attack two in GujaratIANS

AHMEDABAD: Two persons were attacked by alleged cow vigilantes when they were transporting cattle near Ahmedabad early yesterday, leaving one of them with a stab wound, police said.

Zaheer, 23, was rushed to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital with a stab wound and was injected several units of blood.

His accomplice, Mustafa, ran away from the spot and hid behind a police van nearby, Danish Khan, an activist attending on Zaheer at the hospital, said.

Zaheer and Mustafa were travelling in a tempo van with eight buffalo calves from Deesa in North Gujarat when they were intercepted near Ramol in Ahmedabad by six people believed to be cow vigilantes and attacked by knives and batons.

Ahmedabad Deputy Commissioner Himkar Singh said: “The two persons were intercepted by six people, including two motorcycle-borne youths, from the nearby R a b a r i c o l o n y , a n d attacked around 12.30 am.”

Zaheer is out of danger, he said, adding he sus-tained one stab wound. The police officer said an FIR had been registered against unidentified accused under Section 326 of the Indian Penal Code for causing grievous injuries.

Himkar Singh said: “We have rounded up some persons and finding out more details. We will soon get the assailants.”

Congress releases third list of candidates in Rajasthan IANS

NEW DELHI: The Congress yesterday released its third list of candidates for 13 constitu-encies, leaving five seats to its allies in the December 7 Rajasthan Assembly polls.

Among the 13, three candi-dates have been named as replacements.

B D Kalia has been fielded from Bikaner West, replacing Yashpal Gehlot who will now contest from Bikaner East. The party had earlier named Kan-haiyalal Jhawar in Bikaner East.

In Keshoraipatan, C.L. Premi

has been replaced by Rakesh Boyat.

The Congress left the seats of Bali to the Nationalist Con-gress Party, Mundawar and Kushalgarh to the Loktantrik Janata Dal and Bharatpur and Malpura for Rashtriya Lok Dal.

On Saturday, the Congress released its second list of 32 candidates, pitting Manvendra Singh, son of BJP veteran and former Union Minister Jaswant Singh, against Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in her tradi-tional Jhalrapatan seat.

The Congress, in its first list of 152 candidates released on

November 16, fielded both its Chief Ministerial aspirants — Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot.

While the two-time Chief Minister Gehlot is contesting from his traditional Sardarpura seat, Pilot is in the fray from Tonk.

The party has also fielded former Union Ministers C.P. Joshi and Girija Vyas for the Nathdwara and Udaipur Assembly seats respectively.

Polls for the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly will be held on December 7 and the results will be declared on December 11.

Row over prayers in Taj MahalIANS

AGRA: The continuing tug-of-war between Hindutva and Muslim groups over conducting ‘puja-arti’ and offering ‘namaz’ inside the Taj Mahal premises is causing concern to tourism circles in Agra.

Industry leaders fear that the dispute could trigger communal a flare-up in Agra, India’s most popular desti-nation. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is in charge of security inside the complex, has come under fire for failing to stop a group of women on Saturday from performing ‘puja’ and ‘arti’ after sprinkling Ganga Jal around the monument.

Again yesterday, Rash-triya Bajrang Dal activists threatened to conduct ‘puja’ and ‘arti’ inside the Taj Mahal.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) pasted the Supreme court directive and notification on the gate of the 17th century Taj Mahal last week.

The original order of the Supreme Court allows local Muslims to offer prayers in the afternoon only on Fridays when the monument is closed to public. But the locals want this bar lifted so that they can offer prayers daily. ASI officials say security agencies have been told to deal firmly with the violators of the order.

IANS

JAIPUR: The All India Minorities Front (AIMF) yesterday decided to withdraw the nominations of its candidates in the upcoming Assembly polls in Rajasthan to help the “secular forces” defeat “communal elements” led by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

At a meeting of the party’s Parliamentary Board chaired by National President S M Asif, it was felt that fielding candidates may result in a division of secular votes. So, the party decided to extend support to the Congress. The AIMF chief appealed to the voters to defeat “fundamentalist and communal forces”.

The party underlined that minorities, SCs, STs and OBCs had suffered the most under the BJP government. It also cautioned the members of the SC and ST communities against the designs of the BJP that was aiming at splitting SC and ST votes in the reserved constituencies.

Rajasthan goes to polls on December 7 to elect a 200-member Assembly.

Counting of votes and the declaration of results are scheduled for December 11.

Minorities Front to support Congress

Kerala BJP protests following leader’s remandPATHANAMTHITTA: The Kerala unit of the BJP observed a protest yesterday by blocking highways across the state following the arrest and the subsequent remand of senior party leader K. Surendran.

Surendran was taken into custody on Saturday night after he got into a scuffle with the police while attempting to go to the Sabarimala temple despite police cordon in the area. After spending the night at Chittar police station, Surendran was produced before a magistrate near here in the morning which remanded him to a 14-day judicial custody.

BJP leaders and activists started to block traffic across the state on the highways since 10am. The BJP and the Sangh Parivar forces have decided to strengthen their presence in and around the temple town and have asked its cadres to arrive as pilgrims.

Two armed men on a

motorcycle brandished

a pistol at a woman

at the gate before

throwing a hand

grenade at the crowd

building where the

Nirankari spiritual

group was meeting.

Held for illegal fishing

13MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018 ASIA

Bangladesh: Rohingya repatriation, relocation plans pushed back to 2019REUTERS

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s plans to tackle the Rohingya refugee crisis have been stalled until the new year with repatriation and relocation programmes only likely to be revisited following year-end general elections, a top Bangladeshi official said yesterday.

Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, said “a new course of action” needed to be adopted on repatriation that took into account refugees’ key demands.

More than 720,000 Rohingya fled a sweeping army crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017, according to UN agencies.

The crackdown was launched in response to insurgent Rohingya attacks on security forces.

Rohingya refugees say sol-diers and Buddhist civilians killed families, burned many vil-lages and carried out gang rapes. U.N-mandated investigators have accused Myanmar’s army of “genocidal intent” and ethnic cleansing. Myanmar has denied

almost all the accusations, saying its forces engaged in a counter-insurgency operation against “terrorists”.

In late October, Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to begin to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled, but the plan has been opposed by the Rohingya ref-ugees in Bangladesh and the UN

refugee agency and aid groups, who fear for the safety of Rohingya in Myanmar.

The repatriation of the first batch of 2,200 refugees was to begin officially on Nov. 15, but it stalled amid protests at the refugee camps.

None of those on the list agreed to return if their demands for justice, citizenship

and the ability to go back to their original villages and lands were not met.

“I don’t think anyone’s agreeing to go back without these,” said Kalam, who last week called on the international community to pressure Myanmar to accept certain “logical and acceptable” demands in order for any repatriation to take place.

US Special Envoy for Peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, talks with local reporters at the US Embassy in Kabul, yesterday.

US envoy hopes for Afghan peace deal before April pollAFP

KABUL: US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said yesterday he hoped the Taliban and Afghan government would strike a peace deal within five months — even as the militants inflict record high casualties on security forces.

Back in Kabul after a second round of regional meetings that are believed to have included the Taliban, Afghan-born Khalilzad said he remained “cautiously optimistic” for an end to the 17-year conflict.

The former US ambassador to Kabul has been spearheading American efforts to convince the Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government.

His appointment as US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation in September was followed weeks later by a meeting with the group’s representatives. But there are growing fears that any progress towards peace could be derailed by the April 20 pres-idential election, which is expected to be fiercely contested and marred by violence. “I

remain cautiously optimistic,” Khalilzad told Afghan media at a briefing.

“I hope that the Taliban and other Afghans would use the (presidential) election as a deadline to achieve a peace agreement before then — that would be my hope.”

“The Taliban are saying that they don’t believe that they can succeed militarily... I think there’s an opportunity for reconciliation and peace.”

The US embassy in Kabul sent a recording of Khalilzad’s

remarks to foreign journalists based in Kabul, who had not been invited to attend the briefing.

Khalilzad’s comments come as the Taliban step up attacks on Afghanistan’s beleaguered security forces, which are suf-fering an unprecedented level of casualties. The death toll among Afghan soldiers and police is nearing 30,000 since the start of 2015, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani revealed this month — a figure far higher than anything previously acknowledged.

In a recent report, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) cited the Nato mission in Kabul as saying this summer’s toll had been worse than ever for Afghan forces.

Recent Taliban attacks on ethnic Hazara-dominated districts in the southeastern province of Ghazni have left hundreds dead, forced thousands of families to flee their homes, and raised fears of sectarian violence.

Most Hazaras belong to the Shiite branch of Islam, while the Taliban are Sunni and largely

ethnic Pashtuns. Khalilzad said he recog-

nised the “complexity” of the conflict, but insisted: “I would like to make as much progress as possible as soon as possible”. His comments underscore an apparent increasing sense of urgency in the White House and among American diplomats for a deal to be done quickly.

Washington is facing

competition from Moscow, which this month hosted an international gathering on Afghanistan that was attended by the Taliban. Khalilzad called for the selection of negotiating teams to enable talks between the militants and Kabul to start.

Meanwhile, a bomb blast yes-terday killed three paramilitary soldiers and wounded four others in Pakistan’s troubled southwest,

officials said. The incident hap-pened in Margat area on the out-skirts of Quetta, the capital of oil and gas-rich Balochistan province.

“An improvised explosive device planted along the road went off as a vehicle of Frontier Corps (FC) passed by, killing three soldiers and wounding four others,” an FC spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

Arrested Indian fishermen sit in a police lockup in Karachi, yesterday. Pakistani coast guards arrested 12 Indian fishermen and seized their tow boats for illegally fishing in Pakistan’s territorial waters.

Pakistan set to receive first tranche of Saudi financial aid INTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Amid hopes of reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a basic economic policy framework programme, Pakistan is likely to receive the first tranche of $1bn under the balance of payments support from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today, boosting the coun-try’s plummeting foreign currency reserves.

The money would hopefully reach the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) by today, Finance Minister Asad Umar said. He said, “My Saudi Arabian counterpart has given me an assurance in this regard.”

The second and third tranche will be received over the next two months. Last month Saudi Arabia had agreed to provide a $6bn package to Pakistan to support its ailing economy. The package included $3bn balance

of payments support and another $3bn in deferred payments on oil import.

Umar said the facility of deferred payment on oil import would mature by next month. However, the finance minister, who sounded very confident that an immediate balance of pay-ments crisis had been overcome with the help of bilateral assistance from Saudi Arabia and China, did not give any figure.

“This will be an

unprecedented help from China,” the minister said, adding that he had committed not to disclose details before it was finalised. “I will not divulge the details at this moment,” he reiterated.

He claimed that the only reason of going to the IMF was to accelerate the pace of eco-nomic growth and not to seek loan to fill any gap. He explained that he was not negotiating terms of a loan but of a ‘broader eco-nomic reforms package’. The

available IMF funding quota for Pakistan is approximately $6-6.5bn.

The government had taken several steps including reduction in expenditures to bring drastic cut in the current account deficit.

“We will reduce the current account deficit to $12bn by the end of June 2019, almost $7bn reduction,” the minister declared, explaining that this was the government target for the first year.

INTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) of Imran Khan may have something to defend in terms of its 100-day performance, but it has completely failed to deliver when it comes to legislative work.

The inordinate delay in the formation of the com-mittees by Speaker Asad Qaiser has almost made par-liament non-functional which is evident from the fact that so far the National Assembly during its four sessions since August 13 has not passed any legislation, except the Finance (Supplementary) Bill, 2018, known as a mini-budget.

And the government has managed to pull off this “achievement” because under the Constitution, the finance bill, which is also called a “money bill”, is not required to be sent to any committee or to the Senate for approval.

With no legislative work to do, almost all the previous sittings of the lower house of parliament witnessed debates and speeches on insignificant matters, with members con-tinuing their corruption tirades against each other, causing uproar and even scuffles.

Pakistan No.1 in Facebook content censorshipINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has emerged as No. 1 country in the world when it comes to censoring content on the Facebook, a new official report by the social media

giant revealed.According to an analysis of

the report released by the company on Friday, Pakistan has made 2,203 requests to Facebook for content restriction, the highest in the

world, during the first six months of 2018.

The country recorded more than 700 per cent increase in such requests as compared to corresponding period of the last year. Pakistan has about 36

million Facebook users, according to the company data.

Digital rights activists attributed this rise in content restriction to growing wave of censorship on traditional and social media in Pakistan.

Sri Lanka talks fail to end power struggleAFP

COLOMBO: Crucial talks to resolve a power struggle in Sri Lanka failed to break the political deadlock, officials said yesterday, as the three key players met for the first time since crisis erupted last month.

The Indian Ocean nation has been paralysed since October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena controver-sially sacked the prime minister and replaced him with a former rival, Mahinda Rajapakse.

Deposed premier Ranil Wickremesinghe insists he is still prime minister, and par-liament voted twice last week to reject Rajapakse as leader.

In a bid to resolve the crisis, Wickremesinghe and Rajapakse both went to meet the president at his office in the capital Sunday for what were widely regarded as crucial negotiations.

All three men were at the Presidential Secretariat building for nearly two hours with their aides and party seniors -- but failed to end the political deadlock.

Wickremesinghe has demanded his government be restored, challenging Rajapakse to demonstrate a majority in the 225-member assembly.

But brawling erupted in parliament Friday with Rajapakse loyalists smashing furniture, throwing chilli powder and launching projec-tiles at rivals in a bid to disrupt a no-confidence motion against him.

Rajapakse’s party has admitted that they lacked a simple majority in the legis-lature. Their rivals accuse them of delaying a vote because they do not yet have the required number of MPs.

“He (Rajapakse) must submit himself to a floor test,” said Lakshman Kiriella, an MP from Wickremesinghe’s United National Party.

“Otherwise he cannot run a government.”

Kiriella said the United National Party and their allies have twice demonstrated that they had 122 legislators -- nine more than the 113 required to demonstrate an absolute majority.

Imran’s govt completing first 100 days without legislative work

Back in Kabul after

a second round of

regional meetings that

are believed to have

included the Taliban,

Afghan-born Khalilzad

said he remained

“cautiously optimistic”

for an end to the

17-year conflict.

14 MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018ASIA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un visiting the Taegwan glass factory at an undisclosed location in North Korea.

US Vice-President Mike Pence talks to Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (right) as South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in (left) and Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha (third left) look on, during the Apec Summit in Port Moresby, yesterday.

Pacific summit ends

with no communiqueAP

PORT MORESBY: An acrimonious meeting of world leaders in Papua New Guinea failed to agree yesterday on a final communique, highlighting widening divisions between global powers China and the US.

The 21 nations at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Port Moresby struggled to bridge differences on the role of the World Trade Organization, which governs international trade, officials said. A statement was to be issued instead by the meeting’s chair, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

“The entire world is worried” about tensions between China and the US, O’Neill told a mob of reporters that surrounded him after he confirmed there was no communique from leaders.

It was the first time leaders had failed to agree on a

declaration in 29 years of the Pacific Rim summits that involve countries representing 60 percent of the world economy.

Draft versions of the commu-nique showed the US wanted strong language against unfair trade practices that it accuses China of. China, meanwhile, wanted a reaffirmation of oppo-sition to protectionism and uni-lateralism that it says the US is engaging in. The US has imposed additional tariffs of $250bn on Chinese goods this year and

Beijing has retaliated with its own tariffs on American exports.

“I don’t think it will come as a huge surprise that there are dif-fering visions” on trade, said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Those prevented there from being a full consensus on the communique.”

The two-day summit was punctuated by acrimony and also underlined a rising rivalry between China and the West for influence in the usually neglected South Pacific, where Beijing has been wooing impoverished island states with aid and loans.

US Vice-President Mike Pence and Chinese President Xi Jinping traded barbs in speeches on Sat-urday. Pence professed respect for Xi and China but also harshly crit-icized the world’s No. 2 economy for intellectual property theft, forced technology transfers and unfair trading practices. He accused China of luring

developing nations into a debt trap through the loans it offers for infrastructure.

The world, according to Xi’s speech, is facing a choice between cooperation and confrontation as protectionism and unilateralism grows. He said the rules of global institutions set up after World War

II such as the World Trade Organ-ization should not be bent for selfish agendas.

Pence told reporters that during the weekend he had two “candid” conversations with Xi, who is expected to meet President Donald Trump at a Group of 20 summit at the end of this month

in Argentina. “There are differ-ences today,” Pence said. “They begin with trade practices, with tariffs and quotas, forced tech-nology transfers, the theft of intel-lectual property. It goes beyond that to freedom of navigation in the seas, concerns about human rights.”

After ‘nap-gate’, Duterte skips Apec summit dinnerAFP

PORT MORESBY: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte passed on a gala dinner at a regional summit in Papua New Guinea, days after skipping key meetings in another gathering of world leaders for a “power nap”.

Duterte, who has a well-known disdain for stiff diplo-matic gatherings, was a no-show on Saturday night, sending his trade minister instead to pose with heads of state donning bright yellow and red Papua New Guinean shirts.

His office had initially announced that the mercurial leader was cutting short his trip to Port Moresby even before the main meetings began but yes-terday he did show up at the convention centre. “This after I loudly and naggingly insisted he stay just one day. ONE DAY, I stressed,” Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin

tweeted yesterday.The absence of the 73-year-

old Duterte at diplomatic gath-erings has sparked criticism and speculation of ill health, which his spokesman denied, saying the president merely lacked sleep.

Duterte has said previously that he suffers from daily migraines and ailments including Buerger’s disease, an illness that affects the veins and the arteries of the limbs, and is usually due to smoking.

On Wednesday, the Phil-ippine leader missed four of the 11 meetings he was slated to attend and a gala dinner in Sin-gapore, which hosted a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders.

Observers have compared him unfavourably with Malay-sia’s 93-year-old Prime Min-ister Mahathir Mohamad, who has consistently attended summit meetings saying it was his “duty” to do so.

At least 12 dead in Vietnam floods and landslidesAFP

HANOI: Flash floods and land-slides killed at least 12 people in central Vietnam, officials said yesterday, as hundreds of troops were dispatched to clean up destroyed villages and washed out roads.

Heavy rains pounded the central Khanh Hoa province over the past few days as tropical depression Toraji blew in from the South China Sea, triggering landslides that wiped out houses and destroyed a small reservoir.

At least a dozen people have been killed so far while a search was ongoing for several others, an official from the

provincial disaster office said, refusing to be named.

“We have mobilised hun-dreds of army troops to help people restore lives and clean up damaged roads,” he said.

The main highway linking north and south Vietnam was temporarily blocked and some railway routes were inter-rupted, while images on state media showed destroyed houses buried under debris and vehicles submerged in floods.

Panicked residents told of running from their homes as landslides rumbled down nearby mountains.

“We ran away after hearing the huge sound of fallen rocks... When we returned a few hours

later, all our houses were destroyed,” said Nha Trang city resident Liem, quoted by Khanh Hoa province’s official online news site.

Khanh Hoa — home to the popular coastal resort city of Nha Trang — was ravaged by typhoon Damrey last year, which killed 27 people.

Vietnam is routinely hit by heavy rains during typhoon season from May to October.

At least 185 people have been killed in natural disasters across Vietnam since January.

Last year, 389 people were reported dead in natural dis-asters, causing damage worth $2.6bn, according to official figures.

Damaged houses and debris are seen following flash floods and landslides in the Phuoc Dong commune of central Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa province, yesterday.

N Korea’s ‘tactical’ weapon test highlights modernisationREUTERS

SEOUL: North Korea’s claim last week that it had tested an unidentified “ultramodern tactical weapon” highlighted its desire to upgrade its conven-tional arms and reassure its military even as talks are under way to end its nuclear programme, analysts said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un witnessed the test of a newly developed tactical weapon that could serve as a “steel wall”, state media reported on Friday, without giving details of the weapon.

It was Kim’s first obser-vation of a weapons test this year and could complicate already stalled nuclear talks with the United States, although Washington and Seoul down-played the development in an apparent effort not to derail negotiations.

Experts say the test was part of Kim’s initiative to shift the mainstay of the conventional military power from a nearly 1.3 million-strong army to high-tech weapons.

“This is sort of like the North Korean version of military reform,” said Choi Kang, Vice-President of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.

“If we have to find an under-lying message to the outside world, it’s ‘Don’t underestimate us, we are modernising too.’” New advanced weapons might be even more crucial if the country were to abandon at least some of its nuclear arsenal.

Although heavily-sanc-

tioned Pyongyang is easily out-spent in defence funding by Seoul and Washington, the North’s forward-deployed troops, guns and multiple-launch artillery rocket systems (MLRS) pose a significant threat to the allies.

The North Korean military has nearly 5,500 MLRS, 4,300 tanks, 2,500 armoured vehicles, 810 fighter jets, 430 combatant vessels and 70 submarines, according to a 2016 assessment by the South’s defence ministry.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies said last week it has identified at least 13 undeclared missile bases inside North Korea.

The Washington-based think tank has also said Pyongyang has been developing hovercraft units for its 200,000-strong special forces as part of the military

modernisation drive. Kim has been pushing to modernise pro-duction lines at munitions fac-tories and replace aging weapons and technology since he took power in late 2011.

“The defence industry should develop and manu-facture powerful strategic weapons and military hardware of our style, perfect its Juche-oriented production structure and modernise its production lines on the basis of cutting-edge science and technology,” he said in his 2018 New Year speech, referring to the long-held prin-ciple of self-reliance.

The two Koreas agreed during their September summit in Pyongyang to significantly reduce military tensions along the border, and the North has begun deactivating artillery deployed along the skirmish-prone western shore, Seoul’s defence ministry said.

US and allies to bring electricity to most of PNGAP

PORT MORESBY: The US, Japan, New Zealand and Australia said they’ll bring elec-tricity to 70 percent of Papua New Guinea’s people by 2030, boosting the West’s response to growing Chinese influence in the South Pacific.

The four countries and Papua New Guinea signed the electricification agreement yesterday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting behind held in the capital Port Moresby.

US Vice-President Mike Pence said it shows how strongly the US and its allies are committed to the region. “It’s remarkable to think of the impact this will have on peo-ple’s lives across this nation. Electricity will drive economic growth but as others have said, it will simply improve the quality of life for people across Papua New Guinea for gener-ations to come,” he said.

Only about 20 percent of Papua New Guinea’s 8 million people have electricity and for a significant proportion of them the supply is not reliable. Most Papua New Guineans live in the highlands and other remote areas.

Khmer Rouge tribunal’s work is done: Deputy PMAP

PHNOM PENH: A top Cambodian government official has reiterated his government’s intention to end the work of the UN-backed tribunal that last week convicted the last two surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng, speaking at a gov-ernment ceremony in the northern province of Oddar Meanchey, said the tribunal’s work had been completed and there would not be any addi-tional prosecutions for acts that led to the deaths of an esti-mated 1.7 million people in the 1970s. He cited the terms under which the tribunal, staffed jointly by Cambodian and international prosecutors and judges, had been established, limiting its targets to senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime that was in power from 1975 to 1979.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attends the retreat session of the Apec Summit in Port Moresby, yesterday.

It was the first time

leaders had failed to

agree on a declaration

in 29 years of the

Pacific Rim summits

that involve countries

representing 60

percent of the world

economy.

15MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018 EUROPE

Macron calls for greater European unityAFP

BERLIN: French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday urged a Franco-German push to make Europe a stronger and more confident global player that could prevent “chaos” on the world stage.

Macron and German Chan-cellor Angela Merkel have used a series of war anniversaries to project unity as they push back against populist and nationalist forces in Europe and Trump’s isolationist “America First” stance.

With half a year until European Parliament elections in which far-right forces look to make gains, Macron made a pas-sionate plea for stronger backing from Merkel on a range of reforms to strengthen Europe.

“Europe, and within it the Franco-German couple, have the obligation not to let the world slip into chaos and to guide it on the road to peace,” Macron told the German parliament.

“That’s why Europe must be stronger... and win more sover-eignty,” he said at a ceremony to honour the victims of past wars and dictatorships.

Macron said it was Europe that had led the drive for green

energy and against climate change and was now most strongly pushing multilateral approaches to trade, security, migration and environmental policy.

The first French president to address the Bundestag in 18 years, Macron called for greater European unity in order for the bloc to meet future challenges in an uncertain world.

He said Europe must not “become a plaything of great powers, must assume greater responsibility for its security and its defence, and must not accept a subordinate role in world politics”.

Merkel said she agreed with Macron’s assessment that Europe stands “at a crossroads”, before the two headed into a meeting

to discuss a range of policy chal-lenges — from a joint eurozone budget to migration policy and taxing Internet giants.

The German leader reit-erated that she backed Macron’s proposal for a future European army as a symbol of a united continent — an idea that has raised Trump’s hackles.

Last week the American president mocked the plan by tweeting that “it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France?” But German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen insisted yesterday that a joint military force would need not just common equipment and training but also “the political will to res-olutely defend European interests when a conflict breaks out”.

And France’s Minister for European Affairs, Nathalie Loiseau, told the Journal du Dimanche “it is not a question of being against the United States but of taking our destiny into our own hands to no longer count on others”.

Macron’s Berlin visit came a week after world leaders met in Paris to commemorate the end of World War I a century ago. Macron has repeatedly invoked

the war’s horrors to drive home the message that rising nation-alism is again destabilising the world. In a Berlin meeting with youths, Macron warned that for-getting history means “to repeat the mistakes of the past”.

While strong on symbolism,

the Franco-German partnership and European reform push have been plagued by policy differ-ences and the domestic troubles of the two leaders.

Since a Franco-German joint cabinet meeting on Europe in June, challenges have piled up

with Brexit nearing and a budget conflict escalating between Brussels and Italy.

Macron also addressed German hesitation on major reforms such as a large common budget for the eurozone, saying that “this new stage is scary”.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel shake hands after speaking to reporters ahead of their meeting in Berlin, Germany, yesterday.

Bavarian premier Soeder to run for CSU party leadershipREUTERS

BERLIN: Bavarian premier Markus Soeder said yesterday he would run to succeed Interior Minister Horst Seehofer as leader of the Bavarian CSU conserv-ative party.

“After careful consideration and in accordance with the desire of many members, I am ready to serve my party,” Soeder told Germany’s DPA news agency. “That is why I am running for the post of CSU party leader.” Seehofer announced on Monday that he would step

down after 10 years at the helm of the powerful Bavarian regional sister party to Chan-cellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), but stay on as interior minister. The party is due to elect a new leader at a special party congress on January 19.

Seehofer’s decision follows Merkel’s own declaration that her fourth term as chancellor will be her last, and that she will step down as leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU).

Soeder, a long-time rival in Bavaria, was widely expected to

seek the leadership role after the CSU suffered heavy losses in Bavarian regional elections last month. Manfred Weber, a CSU member and the European

People’s Party’s top candidate in European Parliament elections next May, has said he will not run for the position so he can focus on his European campaign.

‘Yellow vest’ protests spread; over 400 hurtAFP

PARIS: More than 400 people were hurt, 14 seriously, in a day and night of “yellow vest” protests over rising fuel price hikes around France that claimed one life, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said yesterday.

The injury toll, more than double the last tally provided on Saturday, followed what Castaner described as a “restive” night in 87 locations around the country where pro-testers had blocked roads to express their anger at a series of hikes in petrol tax. The injured, 409 in total, included 28 police, paramilitary police or firefighters.

Castaner told RTL radio that 288,000 people had taken part

in Saturday’s protests at 2,034 locations countrywide. About 3,500 stayed out overnight, he added. Police questioned 282 protesters in total, 73 during the

night, of whom 157 were taken into custody. “Last night was restive... There were assaults, fights, stabbings,” Castaner said. “There were fights among

‘yellow vest’ protesters. There was a lot of beverage at certain venues, which led to this idiotic behaviour.” Protest organisers have called for more demon-strations yesterday at about 150 locations countrywide, the min-ister added. Protests were reported yesterday in several regions across France.

On Saturday, groups blocked roundabouts, major highways and thoroughfares to express anger over increased taxes on fuel and their shrinking purchasing power under Pres-ident Emmanuel Macron.

Tempers flared at times as some drivers confronted the protesters or tried to force their way through the barricades. The protesters are nicknamed “yellow vests” for the high-vis-ibility jackets they wear.

Macron’s popularity dips as fuel tax revolt simmersREUTERS

PARIS: Emmanuel Macron’s popularity took a further hit in recent weeks, according to a poll yesterday, as fuel tax protests rumbled on across France in the latest sign of discontent with the president’s economic reforms.

Only 25 percent of those questioned in an Ifop poll between November 9 and 17 said they were satisfied with Macron, down from 29 percent in October, according to the survey of almost 2,000 people published in the Journal du Dimanche (JDD).

In a separate Ifop poll in the JDD, 62 percent of those sur-veyed said the government should prioritise policies to help

household incomes even if it meant advancing more slowly in an environmentally friendly energy transition plan.

Environment Minister Francois de Rugy said the gov-ernment, which last week sought to placate motorists with subsidies for the worst off, would not back down on its fuel tax plans. These are set for another hike in January including on diesel, the most commonly used fuel in France.

Macron’s popularity has sunk to as low as 21 percent in other polls recently, after a torrid summer marked by a scandal over the violent conduct of the president’s former security adviser and the departure of several ministers.

People block Caen’s circular road yesterday in Caen, Normandy, a day after a nationwide protest against high fuel prices.

Czech coalition partner leader backs embattled PMAFP

PRAGUE: The leader of the junior party in the Czech governing coalition said yesterday he saw no reason for a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who faces fraud charges.

The billionaire Czech premier faces the vote, which was triggered by allegations he hindered a fraud probe, on November 23. “I don’t see any reason” to endorse a no-confi-dence vote, Jan Hamacek, leader of the CSSD social democrats, told the CT24 public news channel. But it was still up to his

party to adopt a formal position, he added.

Hamacek was speaking after tens of thousands of Czechs rallied in Prague on Saturday calling for Babis to resign as the country marked the 29th anni-versary of the Velvet Revolution that toppled the communist regime. Opposition parties launched the no-confidence motion last week after media quoted Babis’s son as saying he was forcibly sent abroad to thwart a fraud inquiry into his father’s past business dealings.

Babis denies any wrong-doing and has vowed to “never resign”.

Finland President briefed Trump on forest monitoringAP

HELSINKI: Finland’s president says that he briefed US Pres-ident Donald Trump amid the California wildfires on how the Nordic country effectively monitors its substantial forest resources with a well-working surveillance system.

President Sauli Niinisto said in an interview published yes-terday in the Ilta-Sanomat newspaper that he told Trump during their brief meeting in Paris on Nov. 11 that “Finland is

a country covered by forests but we also have a good surveil-lance system and network” in case of wildfires.

Trump said Saturday in northern California that wild-fires weren’t a problem in Finland because the Finns “spend a lot of time on raking” leaves and “cleaning and doing things.” Niinisto said he told Trump “we take care of our forests,” but said that he can’t recall anything being men-tioned on raking.

Bavarian State Prime Minister Markus Soeder of the Christian Social Union during a campaign in Munich, Germany.

Demonstrators holding placards calling for the resignation of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis due to a subsidy fraud case at the Old Town Square in Prague.

The first French

president to address

the Bundestag in 18

years, Macron called

for greater European

unity in order for the

bloc to meet future

challenges in an

uncertain world.

Russia: No ‘automatic’ return of disputed islands to JapanMOSCOW: Russia said yesterday that upcoming talks about resolving a dispute with Japan over a group of islands claimed by Tokyo would not necessarily result in Moscow relinquishing them.

“Can you say that this means an automatic return of some ter-ritories? Certainly not,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The dispute over the Kuril chain goes back to the end of World War II, when their annexation by the Soviet Union was con-firmed in peace treaties between the victorious powers and

accepted by Japan. Tokyo claims however that some islands, which it refers to as its Northern Territories, were not covered in the agreement and should be handed back.

The dispute has been standing in the way of a peace treaty between the two nations that would officially end World War II hostilities. In September, Russian President suggested that both countries sign a peace treaty this year “without any preconditions”, but Tokyo said the territorial dispute should be settled first.

16 MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018EUROPE

Getting rid of me risks delaying Brexit: MayREUTERS

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured) said yesterday toppling her would risk delaying Brexit and she would not let talk of a leadership challenge distract her from a critical week of negotiations.

Since unveiling a draft divorce deal with the European Union on Wednesday, May’s pre-miership has been thrust into crisis by the resignation of several ministers, including her Brexit minister, and some law-makers from her own party seeking to oust her.

To trigger a confidence vote, 48 of her Conservative Party lawmakers must submit a letter

to the chairman of the so-called 1922 committee, Graham Brady.

More than 20 lawmakers have said publicly that they have submitted a letter, but others are expected to have done so confi-dentially. Brady said yesterday that the 48 threshold had not yet been reached.

“These next seven days are going to be critical, they are about the future of this country,” May said. “I am not going to be

distracted from the important job.

“A change of leadership at this point isn’t going to make the negotiations any easier ... what it will do is mean that there is a risk that actually we delay the negotiations and that is a risk that Brexit gets delayed or frustrated.”

May said negotiating teams were working “as we speak” and she intended to go to Brussels

and meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

She said she would also be speaking to other EU leaders ahead of an EU summit to discuss the deal on November 25.

Several British newspapers reported that five senior pro-Brexit ministers were working together to pressure May to change the deal, but writing in the Sun newspaper May said she saw no alternative plan on the table.

Former Brexit minister Dominic Raab, who resigned on Thursday in protest at the deal, said he supported May as leader but her deal was “fatally flawed” and he did not think it would be approved by parliament. He said May must change course.

“I still think a deal could be

done but it is very late in the day now and we need to change course,” Raab said.

“The biggest risk of no deal is taking a bad deal to the House of Commons ... it is very important to take the action now.”

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party would vote against May’s deal when it came to parliament, but distanced himself from calls for a so-called people’s vote on the final agreement.

“It’s an option for the future, but it’s not an option for today, because if we had a referendum tomorrow, what’s it going to be on? What’s the question going to be?” Corbyn told Sky News.

FROM LEFT: Estonia’s President Kersti Kaljulaid; Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto; Latvia’s President Raimonds Vejonis and Island’s President Gudni Johannesson walk at the Monument of Freedom during a ceremony to mark the 100 years of Latvia’s independence, in Riga, Latvia, yesterday.

Former prosecutor urges reform of UNAFP

GENEVA: Former war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, who for years was part of a UN commission probing rights abuses in Syria, is calling for reform of the UN “talk shop”.

She also argued that the upholding of human rights had reached a low point, ques-tioning if they still existed.

“The UN is a big disap-pointment to me,” she told Swiss weekly NZZ Am Sonntag in an interview yesterday, insisting that “the UN should be reorganised.”

Del Ponte, a 71-year-old Swiss national who came to prominence investigating war crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, was part of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria for five years, before slamming the door last year.

During her time working with the commission, which is tasked with investigating human rights violations and war crimes in Syria’s brutal civil war, Del Ponte said she was dis-appointed to find that the UN was basically a “talk shop”.

“There are lots of civil servants, too many. Only a few of them really do any work,” she lamented.

Del Ponte, known for her frankness, reiterated her frus-tration at the lack of account-ability for the horrendous crimes committed in Syria, where more than 360,000

people have been killed since the conflict erupted in 2011.

“We had hoped that the International Criminal Court or an ad hoc court would deal with the war crimes in Syria,” she said, criticising the blocked UN Security Council for standing in the way of such a process by “doing nothing”.

She also criticised the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Half of the 47 countries that currently hold rotating membership, including the likes of China, Saudi Arabia and Burundi, “are violating human rights on a daily basis”, she maintained.

“They should be thrown out. Immediately,” she said.

She joked that she had been asked at a recent event if she would consider becoming UN Secretary-General, a job she said she would gladly take.

“But I would probably not last in office for long.”

Del Ponte, who said she is planning to retire for good at the end of this year, warned that international justice as a whole was currently in a sorry state.

“We have reached a low point,” she told the paper. “Human rights are no longer valid. We have to ask ourselves today if they still exist.”

But she stressed that “we have no choice but to believe in human rights.”

“We must believe that an independent international court can bring justice.”

Russian official may become Interpol chief: ReportBLOOMBERG

MOSCOW: British officials expect Alexander Prokopchuk, a former major-general at the Russian Interior Ministry, to be elected as Interpol president as soon as Wednesday, The Times reported, without saying where it got the information.

The election would follow

the resignation of former pres-ident Meng Hongwei, who is now being investigated by Chinese authorities under sus-picion of accepting bribes and violating other state laws.

Meng’s election during a closed-door vote in the year 2016, seen as a coup for the Communist Party, was criti-cised by human rights groups

who warned Chinese gov-ernment might use the perch to facilitate the use of extraju-dicial practice — such as detention without charge.

Prokopchuk’s appointment may also raise similar concerns over Russia’s use of Interpol’s “red notice” — a request to arrest an individual pending extradition.

William Browder, for instance, a major investor in Russia before being barred entry in the year 2005, has been detained several times while Interpol in various countries sought to verify arrest warrants issued by the Russian government.

Prokopchuk is currently a vice-president at Interpol.

Anti-poverty protest in BulgariaAFP

SOFIA: Thousands of Bulgarians blocked major roads and border checkpoints to Turkey and Greece yesterday as weekend protests against high fuel prices widened to reflect general discontent over low living standards in the EU’s poorest country.

Protesters blocked traffic for hours at various points along major highways before

paramilitary police dispersed the crowds, public radio BNR reported, a day after similar pro-tests across France.

About 2,000 security officers were deployed as a second day of rallies were held in dozens of towns yesterday.

In the capital Sofia several dozen protesters marched along major boulevards shouting “Mafia!” and “Resign!”, bringing traffic to a standstill.

The weekend demonstrations

started three weeks ago over a hike in fuel prices and planned increase in taxes on older vehicles.

But they grew to decry low wages and pensions and falling living standards in the EU’s poorest country, where pur-chasing power is barely half of the EU average.

Some protesters called for the resignation of the coalition government of conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

Bulgarian citizens block the roads as they gather to stage a protest against government on life standards in their country, in Sofia, yesterday.

Latvia marks centenary of independence

Several British newspapers reported that

five senior pro-Brexit ministers were working

together to pressure Theresa May to change the

deal, but May said she saw no alternative plan

on the table.

Malta identifies masterminds in journalist’s deathAFP

VALLETTA: The masterminds behind the 2017 car-bomb murder of Maltese journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia have been identified according to unnamed police sources quoted by The Sunday Times of Malta.

The report quoted high-ranking officers as saying that a group of “more than two” Maltese nationals had been identified as having ordered her killing.

Three suspects are under arrest for having carried out the murder and facing trial, but the identity of whoever ordered it remained a mystery.

Caruana Galizia, who died on October 16 last year, sought to expose scandals from petrol smuggling to money laun-dering, implicating members of the government and organised crime.

Stolen Picasso painting possibly found in RomaniaAFP

BUCHAREST: One of seven paintings stolen six years ago from a museum in The Neth-erlands as part of a spec-tacular art heist may have been found in Romania, the public prosector in Bucharest said yesterday.

Seven masterpieces by Picasso, Monet, Gauguin, and Lucian Freud were stolen from the Kunsthal Museum in Rotterdam in 2012 in a raid that lasted only three minutes.

Dutch media at the time called it “the theft of the century”.

Public prosecutor Augustin Lazar confirmed that Romanian authorities were in possession of a painting that “might be” one of those stolen from the Kun-sthal Museum, adding it needs to be further examined.

Sources said that experts are checking if the canvas is Picasso’s “Harlequin Head”.

A Dutch foreign affairs ministry spokesperson said the painting’s “authenticity must now be established”.

Former Ukraine leader to miss treason trialAP

MOSCOW: Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych (pictured) won’t be able to appear before a Kiev court today because of injuries sustained on a Moscow tennis court, his lawyer said yesterday.

Yanukovych “cannot appear in court seeing as he has been hospitalised” and is unable to move due to spinal and knee injuries, lawyer Aleksandr Goroshinsky told Russian news agencies.

Yanukovych fled Ukraine in 2014 as tensions in the capital flared up following a brutal and deadly police crackdown on protesters calling for the pres-ident to follow through with an association agreement signed with the European Union.

Shortly after disappearing from Kiev, he surfaced safely in Russia.

Prosecutors told a Kiev court in August that Yanuk-ovych abandoned the nation to fate and “fled into the arms of the aggressor,” referring to Rus-sia’s swift annexation of Crimea from Ukraine following his flight from the capital.

Yanukovych, who so far has been absent from court pro-ceedings against him, faces charges of treason, complicity in a war against Ukraine and premeditated actions to alter Ukraine’s borders.

Prosecutors in August asked for a sentence of 15 years in prison.

In September, the court invited Yanukovych to appear and make a final statement. Goroshinsky said at the time that his client was only inter-ested in doing so by Skype.

Yesterday, he told Russian journalists that, given Yanoko-vych’s current condition, they would ask to reschedule the date of the hearing.

17MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018 AMERICAS

Trump hints at

replacing five

senior advisersAFP

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is thinking of replacing up to five senior advisers but insists that his administration is “running like a well-oiled machine,” according to an interview aired yesterday.

“I have three or four or five positions that I’m thinking (to replace) about,” he said. “Maybe it’s going to end up being two. But I need flexibility.”

Denying recurrent reports of a White House in turmoil — with pressure growing from the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election — he said that some staff turnover was normal.

He declined, however, to repeat an earlier assurance that John Kelly would remain his chief of staff through 2020.

“There are certain things I love what he does and certain things I don’t like that he does. At that aren’t his strength,” he said, referring to Kelly.

While crediting Kelly with “doing an excellent job in many ways,” Trump said that “at some point he’s going to want to move on. John will move on.”

He also said that “there’s a chance” that Kirstjen Nielsen might be replaced as homeland security secretary.

“I like her very much, I respect her very much,” he said, before adding, “I would like her to be much tougher on the border (with Mexico). Much tougher.”

Trump also defended the decision on Wednesday by the office of his wife Melania to issue a highly unusual statement suggesting that deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel be replaced.

Ricardel left that post the following day for assignment to an unspecified new position.

The First Lady was reportedly peeved with Ricardel’s involvement in her recent Africa trip.

“I thought it was fine,” the president said of his wife’s intervention, adding of Ricardel, “She was with me for a long time, although I don’t know her.”

Over 1,200 missing in California wildfires

Florida recount wraps up, Democrat concedes defeat

I have three or four

or five positions

that I’m thinking

(to replace) about.

Maybe it’s going to

end up being two.

But I need flexibility:

Trump

WWII-era fighter plane crashes in Texas; 2 deadAP

F R E D E R I C K S B U R G : A privately-owned vintage World War II Mustang fighter airplane that had participated in a flyover for a museum event crashed into the parking lot of a Texas apartment complex yesterday, killing the pilot and a passenger, author-ities said.

Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Orlando Moreno confirmed the two people on board had died in the crash in Fredericksburg, about 113 km north of San Antonio, but he did not identify them.

The aircraft was destroyed and several vehicles in the parking lot damaged, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said yesterday.

Photos from the crash site showed pieces of the plane on top of parked vehicles. There were no immediate reports of

injuries or deaths on the ground.

The P-51D Mustang fighter was returning after performing a flyover during a living history show at the National Museum of the Pacific War, museum director Rorie Cartier said in an email. Fredericksburg is home to the museum.

The museum said on Twitter that one of those in the plane was a military veteran.

“We are extremely sad-dened by the unfortunate accident this afternoon that claimed the lives of two won-derful people. We express our deepest condolences to the families of both on board,” Cartier said.

The Mustang was first built by North American Aviation in 1940 and was used by the US military in World War II and the Korean War.

The National Transpor-tation Safety Board and the FAA said they would investigate.

AP

CHICO: Nearly 1,300 people remain unaccounted for and the death toll from the country’s deadliest wildfire in a century climbed to 76, authorities said yesterday, hours after President Donald Trump surveyed what remained of a decimated Northern California community.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea pleaded with fire evacuees to check the roster of people reported as unreachable by family and friends and to call in if they are safe. Deputies have located hundreds of people to date, but the overall number keeps growing because officials are adding names, including those reported as missing during the disaster’s chaotic early hours, Honea said.

“It’s really very important for you to take a look at the list and call us if you’re on the list,” he said.

The remains of five more people were found on Saturday, including four in the decimated town of Paradise and one in nearby Concow, bringing the number of dead to 76.

Honea said among the dead was Lolene Rios, 56, whose son Jed tearfully told KXTV in Sac-ramento that his mother “had endless amount of love for me.”

Trump toured the area, joined by California’s outgoing and incoming governors, both Democrats who have traded sharp barbs with the Republican administration. He also visited Southern California, where fire-fighters were making progress on a wildfire that tore through communities west of Los Angeles from Thousand Oaks to Malibu, killing three people.

The president pledged the

full support of the federal gov-ernment. Governor Jerry Brown and governor-elect Gavin Newsom thanked him for coming out.

“We’ve never seen anything like this in California, we’ve never seen anything like this yet. It’s like total devastation,” Trump said as he stood amid the ruins of Paradise.

Firefighters are racing to get ahead of strong winds and low humidity expected overnight and into Sunday afternoon. Rain was forecast for midweek, which could help firefighters but also complicate the search for remains.

Northern California’s Camp Fire has destroyed nearly

10,000 homes and torched 600 sq km. It is 55 percent contained.

The fire zone in Northern California is to some extent Trump country, and that enthu-siasm was on display as dozens of people cheered and waved flags as his motorcade went by.

Kevin Cory, a wildfire evacuee who lost his home in Paradise, praised Trump for coming to a state that is often at odds with the White House.

“I think that California’s been really horrible to him and the fights. I mean they’re suing him,” he said. “It’s back and forth between the state and the feds. It’s not right.”

But for the most part,

survivors, some who had barely escaped and no longer had homes, were too busy packing up what little they had left or seeking help to pay much attention to the president’s visit.

Michelle Mack Couch, 49, waited in line to get into a Federal Emergency Man-agement Agency center in the city of Chico. She needed a walker for her elderly mother and tags for her car.

“Let’s hope he gets us some help,” said Couch, who voted for Trump and whose house was among those burned down last week. But as far as taking time out to watch the president, she said wryly, “We don’t have a TV anymore.”

US President Donald Trump (third right), California Governor Jerry Brown (right); Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long (second right); and Governor-elect Gavin Newsom (third left), during the assessment of damage from wildfires, in Malibu, California, yesterday.

Latest group of US Rhodes scholars includes more women than everAP

WASHINGTON: The latest group of US Rhodes scholars includes 21 women, the most ever in a single Rhodes class, and almost half of the 32 winners are immigrants or first-generation Americans.

The Rhodes Trust yes-terday announced the 32 men and women chosen from a group of 880 applicants endorsed by 281 US colleges and universities for studies beginning next fall at Oxford University in England.

The organization said this is the first year of eligibility for the scholarship for those covered by an Obama-era DACA program.

AP

TALLAHASSEE: Democrat Andrew Gillum (pictured) ended his hard-fought campaign for Florida governor yesterday with just hours remaining for counties to turn in official recount results, conceding to a Republican whose party has held that office since 1999.

Gillum, in a video he posted on Facebook, congratulated Republican Ron DeSantis and also vowed to remain politically active even though his term as mayor of the Florida capital of Tallahassee ends next week. Of his future plans, Florida’s first African-American nominee for governor said: “stay tuned.”

The announcement came just hours before Florida’s counties must turn in their

official results after tense days of recounting ballots in both the gubernatorial and a US Senate contest — two nationally watched midterm elections that have keep the presidential swing state on edge since Election Day.

“This has been the journey of our lives,” said Gillum, appearing in the video with his

wife, R. Jai Gillum. “Although nobody wanted to be governor more than me, this was not just about an election cycle. This was about creating the kind of change in this state that really allows the voices of everyday people to show up again in our government.”

Gillum’s brief remarks came hours after President Donald Trump, who at one point in the campaign had sharply criticized Gillum, praised him for running a tough race.

“He will be a strong Dem-ocrat warrior long into the future — a force to reckon with!” said Trump in a Twitter post.

Gillum had initially conceded to DeSantis on election night, but he retracted it as the razor-thin margin between the two candi-dates narrowed. But he still

trailed DeSantis by more than 30,000 votes following a legally required machine recount. Counties are wrapping up a hand recount this weekend and must submit their official results by noon Sunday.

Gillum’s concession assures Florida Republicans will retain their grasp on the governor’s office since Jeb Bush’s term starting in 1999.

DeSantis, 40, was considered an underdog before Trump tweeted his support for DeSantis in December, a month before DeSantis even entered the race. Trump campaigned to help push DeSantis to a primary victory in August and visited Florida two more times to help the Repub-lican in the final days of the election.

DeSantis stumbled out of the

gate after winning the Aug. 28 primary, telling Fox News that voters shouldn’t “monkey this up” by electing Gillum.

Despite implications that DeSantis is racially insensitive - an idea he angrily disputed during a debate - he is poised to officially win the state that Trump carried in 2016.

DeSantis ran as a political outsider despite serving three terms in Congress and running for US Senate in 2016 before dropping out of the race when Republican Sen. Marco Rubio decided to run for re-election. The race was the third office he’s run for in two years: his re-election, Senate and governor.

DeSantis is a former Navy officer who graduated from Yale University before getting his law degree at Harvard University.

Barack Obamasurprises wifeat book showAP

WASHINGTON: Former President Barack Obama practically brought the house down at Michelle Obama’s book show in Washington.

The former first lady is currently touring the country promoting her memoir, “Becoming,” and participated in a conversation yesterday moderated by her longtime friend and former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.

When the conversation shifted toward Mrs. Obama’s feelings about her husband, Jarrett announced a “special guest” and Barack Obama came on stage carrying a bouquet of pink roses for his wife.

Barack Obama said during the show that Michelle is “one of a kind,” strong and honest, and someone he knew he could always count on.

Unrest in PennsylvaniaLaw enforcement protecting supporters of the right-wing “We Are The People” rally from counter-demonstrators, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, yesterday.

18 MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018AMERICAS

New caravan formed as

hundreds wait at border

Argentine submarine find ‘first step’ to learning disaster’s causeAFP

BUENOS AIRES: The discovery of the wreckage of an Argentine submarine lost a year ago has revived a stalled probe into the cause of the undersea disaster that took the lives of 44 crew members.

Families of the victims have called for the ARA San Juan to be refloated, an enormous undertaking that authorities cautioned was likely beyond their means.

“We’re talking about a vessel that, filled with water, weighs 2,500 tons,” said the judge in charge of the investigation, Marta Yanez.

Yanez said she would not risk raising the submarine “if that

means causing it to break up.”“I prefer to preserve the evi-

dence in place,” she said.But she has issued sum-

monses to the Argentine naval officers who were aboard the Seabed Constructor when it found the submarine on Friday, a year and a day after it van-ished in the South Atlantic with all aboard.

Although an official investi-gation was opened a year ago, investigators have had little to go on until now.

Nonetheless, Argentine navy chief Marcel Srur was removed from his post in December.

Seabed Constructor, a jewel in the fleet of US-based explo-ration company Ocean Infinity, was headed yesterday for

Capetown, South Africa for maintenance, the Argentine navy said.

When that is completed, it will return to the area where the submarine was located.

According to preliminary information released on Sat-urday by the Argentine navy, the San Juan imploded two hours after its last communication with the Mar del Plata naval base, its home port, on November 15, 2017.

The sound of the explosion was recorded and traced to the general area where the sub-marine was found.

In a message, Macri promised to get to “the truth needed to honor and respect our heroes and their families.”

A part of the wreckage of the ARA San Juan submarine was located one year after it vanished into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

Brazil blocks airing of documents in activist’s murderAFP

RIO DE JANEIRO: A Brazilian judge has forbidden the coun-try’s biggest TV channel from broadcasting the contents of investigative documents about the killing of black rights activist Marielle Franco.

Franco, a charismatic city council member in Rio de Janeiro and a champion of black rights, was shot dead along with her driver on March 14.

The murder bore the hall-marks of a professional hit and triggered an international outcry.

The TV Globo channel gained access to extracts from investigative reports last week, and said it had aired reports on two subjects though “without showing elements that can pose a risk to witnesses and to the investigation” — in keeping with its editorial guidelines.

Rio’s prosecutor and the Civil Police, in charge of the Franco investigation, went to court to stop the channel pub-lishing more.

“Diffusion of contents linked to the investigation is prejudicial, in so far as it exposes personal data of wit-nesses and harms the investi-gation,” Judge Gustavo Gomes Kalil in Rio said in a ruling pub-lished late Saturday on the O Globo newspaper website.

The newspaper is part of the same corporate group as

TV Globo. The channel said that it

would respect the order, but would lodge an appeal as it believed the ruling “seriously violated freedom of the press and the right of the population to information, especially on a case that has elicited great interest in Brazil and abroad.”

Brazil’s Association of Investigative Journalists (ABRAJI) condemned what it termed “censorship.”

In early November, Public Security Minister Raul Jungmann said the government had received “serious accusa-tions” from two witnesses of “a criminal organization” trying to obstruct the Franco investigation.

It allegedly involves “public agents from various state entities, militia members and figures from the world of organized crime,” he told a press conference, adding that the witnesses were given police protection.

Franco was an outspoken critic of police brutality in Rio, and what she said was the tar-geting of blacks in its teeming, poverty-stricken slums, or favelas.

The latest developments in the murky case come after the presidential election victory of far-right, former army captain Jair Bolsonaro, who has out-raged many in Brazil and beyond with his derogatory comments.

REUTERS

SAN SALVADOR: At least 150 Salvadorans set off yesterday from their impoverished Central American country in a US-bound caravan, ignoring their likely rejection at the US-Mexico border where a larger caravan of mostly Hondurans has been stalled for days.

Guarded by police officers, the men, women and children of the gathering caravan marched through San Salvador’s streets to Guatemala-bound buses, loaded with heavy backpacks, water and the knowledge of an arduous 4,300km trek ahead to the US border.

The group from El Salvador was at least the fourth caravan to set off since a first, large-scale mobilization in neighboring Honduras, which departed on October 13 from the crime-wracked northern city of San Pedro Sula.

That caravan quickly grew to thousands as it moved north on daily 50km treks. Many of its members were still winding their way yesterday through Mexico

toward the US border, where hundreds of early arrivals have been waiting since last week to cross.

Ahead of the November 6 midterm US congressional elec-tions, President Donald Trump denounced the large caravan as an “invasion” that threatened American national security and sent thousands of active-duty US troops to the border with Mexico.

Trump has not publicly focused on the caravan since the election.

Inspired by the public spot-light on the larger caravan, Sal-vadorans organised themselves on social networks and the

WhatsApp application to launch the latest effort.

Among them was Manuel Umana, a 53-year-old farmer from the town of San Pedro Masahuat, who said he decided to join yesterday’s caravan to escape MS-13, a brutal criminal gang that controls large parts of El Salvador and neighboring Honduras.

“We are already threatened by the gangs where we live,” said Umana, pointing to scars on his face he said gang members had inflicted five years ago. “We no longer can live with these people.”

His motives echoed dozens of migrants in the earlier car-avans who said they were aban-doning their homes to escape a toxic mixture of violence, cor-ruption and economic insecurity.

El Salvador and Honduras compete for the highest hom-icide rates in the world, according to official figures. Both countries rank among the poorest in the Americas.

“It is very dangerous but we have no other alternative. We are

determined to do what we need to do,” said Umana, before leaving with the rest of the caravan from the Salvadoran capital’s central Plaza Salvador del Mundo.

Far to the north yesterday, in the city of Tijuana that abuts

California, hundreds of people from the larger caravan braced for planned protests from local Mexicans both in favor and against them.

Just over the northern border, nearly 6,000 US troops in recent days have stretched barbed wire

to dissuade illegal entries.US immigration authorities,

meanwhile, barred passage to dozens of the migrants who in recent days formed orderly lines to enter through the San Ysidro Port of Entry connecting Mexico to San Diego.

Central American migrants heading in caravan towards the United States, seen at a shelter in Mexicali, Baja California state, Mexico, yesterday.

The group from El

Salvador was at

least the fourth

caravan to set off

since a first, large-

scale mobilization in

neighboring Honduras.

Illinois prison inmate’s death after run-in with staff ruled homicideAP

SPRINGFIELD: The death of an inmate following an “altercation with correctional staff” at Western Illinois Correctional Center in May has been ruled a homicide, according to an autopsy report provided under a Freedom of Information request.

Larry Earvin died from blunt trauma to the chest and abdomen, the death certificate from Clinton County in southern Illinois said. The 65-year-old Earvin sustained 15 rib fractures

and two dozen or more abra-sions, hemorrhages and lacera-tions. Surgery to remove a portion of his bowel appears to have followed the injury, the report says.

The FBI is investigating the May 17 incident at the prison in Mount Sterling, about 400km southwest of Chicago. Illinois Department of Corrections offi-cials declined to disclose details of the altercation.

At least four Western Illinois employees were placed on administrative leave with pay on May 22, according to documents

provided under the Freedom of Information Act. Suspended for allegedly violating conduct standards were correctional Sgt Willie Hedden, 40, of Mount Sterling; correctional Lts Ben-jamin Burnett, 33, of Winchester, and Blake Haubrich, 30, of Quincy and correctional officer Alex Banta, 27, of Quincy.

Earvin was black. The race of the officers allegedly involved in the altercation is uncertain.

Earvin, serving a six-year sentence for a Cook County robbery and scheduled for release in September, was

airlifted to a regional hospital after the incident , Corrections spokeswoman Lindsey Hess said in July. He died six weeks after he was airlifted, on June 26, at Centralia Correctional Center, according to the death certificate signed by Clinton County Coroner Phillip Moss.

Moss declined comment. So did Dr. Gershom Norfleet, the St. Louis forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy with special agents from the FBI and Illinois State Police and a state police crime scene investigator attending.

Neither FBI spokesman Brad Ware nor Hess would comment on the autopsy.

“The IDOC (corrections department) has cooperated fully with federal authorities and, as per FBI policy, we are not allowed to discuss details regarding an investigation,” Hess said in an email.

In addition to the broken ribs and multiple abrasions which showed signs of healing at the time of death, Earvin had pneu-monia, a tracheostomy tube and a chest tube to drain fluids, all associated with chest trauma,

according to Norfleet’s findings. Under the heading “blunt abdominal trauma,” the report says that a portion of Earvin’s colon had been removed surgi-cally and an ileostomy bag installed for waste removal.

In Earvin’s system were mor-phine and Hydrocodone for pain and drugs used for anxiety and depression. He also had severe narrowing of the aorta, high blood pressure, cirrhosis and Hepatitis C.

The death certificate indi-cates that Earvin was born in an unknown Mississippi city.

Marilyn Monroe’s Golden Globe Award fetches $250,000 at California auctionREUTERS

WASHINGTON: Marilyn Monroe’s Golden Globe Award sold for a record-breaking $250,000 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California, auction officials said late Saturday.

The 1961 award statue for World Film Favorite Female from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association made history as the highest selling Golden Globe sold at auction.

Monroe’s raven black two-seater, 1956 Ford Thun-derbird, which was auctioned for the first time, fetched $490,000 at Icons & Idols: Hollywood, which took place on Friday and Saturday.

Monroe, one of the most collectible celebrities, was pictured driving in the car with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, shortly after their June 1956 wedding.

The movie star owned the vehicle for six years until shortly before her death in 1962.

Darren Julien, president of Julien’s Auctions, said the car was “not only part of automotive history but comes with an aura of glamour, romance and tragedy of a true Hollywood legend.”

Monroe gifted the Thun-derbird to the son of her acting coach, Lee Strasberg, in 1962.

The current owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, tracked the vehicle down through registration and other documents.


BELGIUM

Belgium mission celebrates King’s Day RAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

IT was a festive celebration punc-tuated by scrumptious gastronomic feast and breathtaking jazz performances as the Belgian

Embassy and the community marked Belgium’s King’s Day on Thursday.

Ever since 1866, the King’s Day has been observed in honour of the Belgian monarch with celebrations and last week’s event was no exception as a big number of guests and dignitaries filled Grand Hyatt Doha’s lawns to join the annual occasion.

In his elaborate speech, Belgium Ambassador to Qatar Bart De Groof praised Qatar’s steadfastness in its engagements with the international community amid the Gulf crisis as well as its openness to the world with its many initiatives.

The Ambassador also hailed the out-standing ties between Belgium and Qatar highlighting the visit to Belgium of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during which a number of memorandums of understanding were signed and two major Qatari Belgian business forums were held.

De Groof also touched on the various fields of cooperation between the two countries from politics, trade and economy to education, culture and sport as well as other areas of mutual interest.

The King’s Day was one of the high-lights of the Belgian Cultural Autumn launched by the Embassy last month to acquaint Qatar with Belgium’s vibrant cultural scene.

“What we want to do is to showcase Belgium as a country which does not

only have a lot of economic, commercial and political ties with Qatar but also have a lot to offer in the cultural field. Culture brings people together, some-times even more than trade and com-merce,” De Groof told The Peninsula.

He stressed the series of Belgian events in the last two months were geared towards introducing important elements of Belgian culture and provide

the host country a taste of what Belgium has to offer.

“We see culture as an extension of the official relations. We have a lot of dialogues with Qatar but this political and economic dimension has to be com-plemented by cultural dimension because culture tells a lot about coun-tries. It tells a lot about what you stand for as a country and what you want to

do with your country,” he added.From film and fashion to visual art

and music, the cluster of events provided a glimpse of the dynamic culture of Belgium despite its small size geographically.

The events kicked off on October 24 with the successful screening of the film “Flying Home” by Academy Award-nominated Belgian director Dominique Deruddere at the Museum of Islamic Art Auditorium as part of the first ever European Film Festival Doha.

It was followed by a fashion show at opening of the 14th Heya Arabian

Fashion Exhibition at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre on October 26 featuring the latest creations of two famous Belgian fashion designers Alicia Declerck and Zhanna Belskaya. The duo who are the founders of the Alter Era fashion house based in Antwerp, a world fashion capital, also held a forum at Heya.

On November 7, two Belgian events took place at Katara Cultural Village including the opening of ‘Mimesis, the travelling landscape’ by renowned Belgian contemporary artist Nadine Fievet at Katara Art Centre and the well-received jazz concert of famous jazz musicians Jef Neve and Nicolas Kummert at Katara Esplanade as part of the fifth annual Katara European Jazz Festival.

“Jazz is a musical form that is very popular in Belgium to which Belgium has also contributed in a major way. The major instrument in jazz is saxophone which was invented by a Belgian so many years ago by the name of Adolphe Sax, so jazz is, for us, an element of our national culture.”

The Cultural Autumn concludes with a four-day Belgian Chocolate Festival which opens tomorrow at The Torch Doha featuring chocolate tasting and making workshops by celebrity chef Laurent Gerbaud and exhibition of leading Belgian chocolate brands present in Doha.

There are about 600 to 700 Belgians registered in the Belgian Embassy in Doha who are engaged in various sectors such as construction, aviation and health.

“We are people who like to come together every once in a while. Belgians like to have this community feeling. We are a rather young community but a community that comes together quite often and celebrate things together,” said the envoy.

Belgium Ambassador to Qatar, Bart De Groof, delivers a speech on the occasion of King’s Day as Minister of Commerce and Industry, H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari; Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh bin Khalifa Al Nuaimi; Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Ibrahim Fakhroo and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, look on. PICS: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

A large number of people attending King’s Day celebrations on Thursday at Grand Hyatt Doha.

Belgian chocolate indulgence

Arguably nowhere else in the world will one discover an immense variety of delicious chocolate flavours and combi-

nations than in Belgium.With more than 500 chocolatiers

and above 2,000 chocolate shops, Belgium produces almost 220,000 tons of chocolate every year, most of which for export. Brussels airport is the world’s biggest shop, with over 800 tons sold annually.

“It would not be an exaggeration to say that just as many Italian villages have a specialty olive oil supplier and many French villages have a local vineyard, so it is true that every Belgian village has its own small chocolate shop,” said Myrto Spentza (pictured), Cluster Director of PR& Communica-tions at The Torch Doha.

She was speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the second edition of Belgian Chocolate Festival (BCF) which opens tomorrow at The Torch in coop-eration with the Belgian Embassy in Doha.

Belgium is quite famous for its choc-olate; the best in the world as connois-seurs often say. While the raw mate-rials do not originate from Belgium, the country has developed over the years an unbeatable savoir-faire for the pleasure of our tasting buds. Using only top quality ingredients – in particular pure cocoa butter – Belgian chocolate

is associated with high-quality gourmet specialties. Recipes have been passed down through families for generations. This culture extends to both the quality of ingredients used and the care that is taken when making the chocolate.

“Belgian Chocolates are one of the most famous in the world, if not the most. Their high quality and exquisite craftsmanship have made them very popular in Doha, with their demand con-stantly rising,” said Spentza, adding some of the famous brands which are present in Doha will be taking part in the festival.

The success of the inaugural BCF last

year also speaks of the popularity of Belgian chocolates in the local scene.

“Last year’s Festival was sold out almost two weeks in advance of the opening day. It was an amazing response and every day was a real party at Sky Lounge! This year, we decided to organize the second edition of BCF, because of its previous success and because we were receiving constant inquiries about its repetition from our guests and people who had attended it,” she said.

It will be a treat for enthusiasts who wish to learn how to make their own favourite chocolates as Chef Chocolatier Laurent Gerbaud, one of the best choc-olate makers in Brussels, will facilitate the workshops familiarizing them with different varieties and training them how to prepare their own Belgian pralines.

“Our celebrity Chef Chocolatier Laurent Gerbaud is using high cocoa content chocolate, with fruity taste. Ecuador, Peru or Vietnam varieties, dark chocolate varieties of around 65 - 72 % cocoa, fresh and slightly acidic, all pow-erful varieties with a long lasting finish, will be used during the workshop. Dif-ferent toppings like dried nuts and fruits, as well as more rare ingredients will be available for the lucky attendants, ena-bling them to create unique pralines according to their own preference and taste,” she explained.

Acclaimed Belgian artist

exhibits in Qatar for the first time

‘My country which dreams of my colours’ says the caption of the cover for ‘Mimesis, the travelling landscape’ – the first solo exhibition in Qatar of internationally acclaimed Belgian artist Nadine Fievet (pictured, below).

For five decades the septuagenarian artist, who makes nature her muse, has mastered the colours and textures of natural landscapes of her country which is very much evident in the pieces on display she created especially for her exhibition at Katara Art Centre. And she did much more, capturing the beauty and splendour of Qatar’s falcons on canvas in her own unique way no artist has ever done.

In her long career as a professional artist, Fievet boasts over 60 solo exhi-bitions and 130 group shows in her native country Belgium and other parts of the world such as France, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, the Netherlands, Portugal, Morocco, Hong Kong and Germany.

Speaking to The Peninsula, literary and art critic and curator Cecilia Burtica said if there’s one thing that makes this artist distinctly exceptional, it’s her vast experience in painting.

“Painting is her life. She has her own technique which can’t be observed in works by other painters in the same league as her. When you see her paintings you can say they’re Nadine’s, they’re her colours,” explained Burtica.

Mimesis refers to the imitation of nature in art and literature which is the essence of the entire exhibition in which the artist provides art connoisseurs and enthusiasts here a juxtaposition of Belgian and Qatari landscape and explores the importance of nature in finding and promoting the identity of a country.

“Landscape, in a way, depicts the identity of a nation. It unites the people and comprises the collective memory of a country,” said the curator.

Landscape painting has been an important and distinctive element in Belgian art. Many Belgian painters like Nadine have found their identity as artists and made it on world stage by depicting the panoramic beauty of their country and their natural heritage.

Nadine’s prolific oeuvre is displayed in museums and art galleries and featured in private and public acquisitions in several countries. The exhibition inspires both artists and art enthusiasts to enjoy and ponder.

The Ambassador hailed the outstanding ties

between Belgium and Qatar highlighting the

visit to Belgium of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin

Hamad Al Thani during which a number of

memorandums of understanding were signed.

The King’s Day was one of the

highlights of the Belgian Cultural

Autumn launched by the Embassy

last month to acquaint Qatar with

Belgium’s vibrant cultural scene.


FAJRSHOROOK

04. 34 AM

05. 53 AM

11. 19 AM

02. 24 PM

04. 47 PM

06. 17 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 03:00 – 13:30 LOW TIDE 07:15 – 20:45

Moderate temperature daytime with slight

dust at places at times and some clouds,

Mild by night.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum 20oC 30oC

St Petersburg Forum strengthens cultural tiesTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The seventh St Petersburg International Cultural Forum in Russia concluded on Saturday with the partic-ipation of 35 foreign delegations.

The State of Qatar was the guest of honour at this forum for the first time. It was within the context of the Qatar Russia 2018 Year of Culture, during which many joint events will be held throughout the year in order to strengthen the future partnership and ties between the two countries and their peoples.

Several activities were held on the final day including a panel discussion on ‘future of libraries and libraries of the future’, during which the Executive Director of Qatar National Library, Dr.

Sohair Wastawy, stressed that the role of traditional libraries will continue despite the progress of digital libraries, noting that the task of libraries and their presence in societies is to gather people to learn whether through the Internet or the place, as the existence of a particular place, facilitates the process of collective learning.

During a discussion at the Saint Petersburg State University, musician Dana Al Fardan spoke about how the Qatari marine art influenced her music and its interaction with classical music.

The CEO of Qatar Business Incu-bation Center (QBIC), Aysha Al Mudahka, spoke, during the forum, about entrepreneurship in cultural companies and how individuals and artists can establish successful

partnerships.Also, Qatar Contemporary: Art and

Photography exhibition attracted many visitors. The exhibition will continue until December 10.

The exhibition, which is the largest of its kind from Qatar to be hosted in Russia, is divided into two parts. Building a Vision: Photography from Qatar features over 250 photographs from 60 photographers of 28 different nationalities living in Qatar. It is curated by Dr. Giles Hudson and Sheikha Maryam Al Thani. It show-cases 200 photographs from Qatar Museums’ historical collections, exhibited for the first time.

States of Transformation, the second part of the exhibition, is curated by Dr. Bahaa Abudaya. It features 100

contemporary works from 46 artists of different nationalities.

The forum was inaugurated on November 15 by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister for Sport, Tourism, and Cul-tural Development Olga Golodets and Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, who chaired Qatar’s delegation at the forum.

The St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum aims to discuss ways to support cultural cooperation between countries and their peoples around the world as well as to promote knowledge exchange on cultural and artistic issues through holding sem-inars, lectures, roundtables, and theatre, film and musical shows in addition to supporting and developing youth initiatives.

Eight ‘Made in Qatar’ shortfilms to compete at AjyalTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ajyal Film Festival compe-tition, this year, will showcase 33 shorts from over 18 countries, including eight ‘Made in Qatar.’

From the first hand-drawn ani-mated film to be produced by Dream-Works Animation since over 15 years to searing tales from the region as well as inspiring ones on hope, resilience and courage, the short films will be evaluated by the young Ajyal Jurors in each of the three categories.

The Ajyal Film Festival compe-tition, which honours the Best Film in each category, is central to the annual cinema event hosted by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) to be held this year from November 28 to December 3 at Katara.

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Officer of DFI, said: “The diversity of the short films in our com-petition section highlights the bold new faces of emerging cinema, with tal-ented young people pushing the

boundaries of storytelling techniques. The films selected reflect the themes of the festival that celebrates the values of courage, hope and resilience.

In each of the short films, a genre that requires a strong command over the medium, the filmmakers present insights that will surely inspire audi-ences to reflect on their own lives, communities and the world in ways they may not have done before. We are confident that the short films, including a proud showcase of national films made by Qatari talents, will res-onate with our audiences and jurors alike.”

Jurors aged 8 to 12 will watch and discuss films under the Mohaq cat-egory which has 12 short films this year, while Hilal Jurors aged 13 to 17 will watch 10 short films. The Bader Jurors, aged 18 to 21, will evaluate 11 shorts. The directors of the Best Film will receive funding support for their next film. The short films in the Mohaq category are Antouni, Bachir in

Wonderland, Gubgub, Gummy Gas Crisis, Nasser Goes to Space, Odd is an Egg, Post No Bills, Sh’hab, Siblings, The Elephant’s Song, Two Balloons, and Two Trams. The short films in the Hilal category are As My Father Was, Bird Karma, Changyou’s Journey, Drop by Drop, Killing Hope, Last Stop is the Moon, Millennials, One in 50 Million, Radiance, and Sirocco.

The short films in the Bader cat-egory are Amphitheater, Brotherhood, Carlotta’s Face, Commodity City, I

Don’t Believe In You But Then There is Gravity, Inanimate, Negative Space, The Bleaching Syndrome, The Craft, The Reason, July 2017, and Transformation.

Tickets for Ajyal Film Festival screenings are priced at QR25 for general screening and are available online or in-person at Ajyal FNAC Ticket Outlets (located at Doha Fes-tival City and Lagoona Mall) or from the Ajyal Katara Main Box Office in Katara Building 12.

A scene from the film ‘Bachir in Wonderland’, which will be showcased at the Ajyal Film Festival.

WISE@Paris to be held under the patronage of MacronTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), has received the high patronage of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, for its next regional forum, which will be held in Paris on February 20 -21, 2019.

WISE@Paris will explore future sce-narios of education under the theme ‘Education Futures: Fostering Learning Societies.’ Over the forum, WISE will engage 800 French, European, and

international education stakeholders, among them political decision-makers, entrepreneurs, business and NGO leaders, and students.

Stavros Yiannouka, CEO, WISE, said, “Building on the success of previous WISE@ events, we hope that this par-ticular forum will inspire leaders and stakeholders to embrace policies and practices that promote quality education. WISE is honoured to receive the high patronage of President Emmanuel Macron, and we thank him for his support.”

WISE@Paris will begin on February 20 with a broad range of activities taking place across Paris at partner sites such as the Centre for Research and Interdis-ciplinarity (CRI) and Unesco. These activ-ities will include workshops, panel dis-cussions, and roundtables.

The main forum will take place on February 21 at the Palais de Tokyo. Par-ticipants will be able to explore, through a variety of formats, the journey of a learner, starting from early childhood development and ending with lifelong learning. The topics highlighted by

WISE@Paris will be rethinking early education; empowering teachers and education leaders; decrypting the future of work; and cultivating global citizenship.

These regional events are grounded in partnership with stakeholders to drive transformation in education with major change-makers and influencers, with the aim of generating tangible global educational impact. WISE@Paris will be the final regional forum before the next edition of WISE’s global Summit takes place in Doha from October 28-29, 2019.

Know chocolate secrets at Belgian festTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Torch Doha and the Embassy of Belgium in Qatar have teamed up to organise a second edition of the Belgian Chocolate Festival with the participation of Belgian celebrity chef chocolatier Laurent Gerbaud.

The event will take place at Sky Lounge of The Torch Doha from tomorrow to November 23.

Unique “Making and Tasting Workshops” will be held for chocolate lovers who want to know all the secrets about choc-olate. Under the professional guidance of Laurent Gerbaud, they will have the opportunity to make their own chocolate and learn how to taste and appre-ciate the different varieties.

The raw material used will be a balanced semi-sweet choc-olate, with velvet texture and satin finish, ideal for the wellness-minded who are leaning towards a low sugar intake.

Laurent Gerbaud is one of the best chocolate makers in Brussels whose creations are a must-try. He belongs to the new generation of Belgian chocolate makers. He studied History while taking evening classes on

chocolate making. After a long trip to China, he returned to Belgium and started experi-menting with new flavours and ingredients, like spices, exotic fruits and sugar substitutes. His journey to China is also reflected in his logo and beautiful pack-aging – a red seal depicting the word “chocolate” in Chinese.

The festival will be launched tomorrow by Bart De Groof, Ambassador of Belgium to Qatar, and Sherif Sabry, General Manager of The Torch Doha, in the presence of Belgian chef chocolatier Laurent Gerbaud. A vivid crowd of VIPs, media, bloggers and valued guests from both parties will be invited to the

opening of the event. Using only top quality ingre-

dients — in particular pure cocoa butter — Belgian chocolate is associated with high-quality gourmet specialties. With more than 500 chocolatiers and above 2,000 chocolate shops, Belgium produces almost 220,000 tons of chocolate every year, most of it for export. Brussels airport is the world’s biggest shop, with over 800 tons sold annually. Many Belgian chocolate brands are available on the Qatari market.

Sabry stated, “We are delighted to host such an event, especially after last year’s remarkable success. It was greatly anticipated and through the valuable collaboration with the Embassy of Belgium, we have organized a festival which will entertain and educate our guests equally”.

“Such an event has been requested by many in Doha. I am therefore pleased that we could launch such a festival to cele-brate Belgian chocolate by giving an opportunity to the chocolate-lovers in Qatar to learn. I am convinced that the workshops will be an unforgettable expe-rience for all participants” Ambassador De Groof said.

Education Above All hosts two workshops for teachers in QatarTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, through its programme Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), kicked off the Interna-tional Education and Resource Network (iEARN) Qatar Programme by hosting two workshops for teachers in Qatar.

The first workshop took place on October 4, 2018, and the second on October 13, 2018, both at Qatar University, the official partner of the iEARN-Qatar Programme.

A group of 40 teachers from 13 governmental and private schools attended the iEARN teacher’ training workshop, pro-viding the opportunity for teachers and students in Qatar to collaborate with an online network of educators and learners across 140 countries.

EAA views education as a right, and a tool for community development. iEARN addresses both: improving the quality of education, while enabling youth to take action addressing local or global issues. The main role of

the iEARN-Qatar Programme is to connect schools and youth organisations worldwide via a virtual network to empower young people, encourage inter-scholastic collaboration, and debate world issues in real time, with the ultimate objective of enhancing learning and making a difference in their own com-munities and around the world.

The workshops are an ideal platform for teachers’ devel-opment which build on the basic principle of Project-based Learning (PBL), allowing teachers to share their best practices, in addition to providing them with opportunities to create and work on their projects using the ROTA Knowledge Network.

Furthermore, an Open House is organised as part of the iEARN programme, which gives stu-dents the chance to display their work and showcase their projects for an audience of educators, parents and seniors from various organisations. This year’s iEARN-Qatar programme will com-mence with the Open house event in April 2019.

Chef Sham preparing chocolate.

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