Champions cover more Education City ... · 10/1/2019 · Saint-Sulpice in Paris. H H the Amir...

Volume 24 | Number 8031 | 2 RiyalsTuesday 1 October 2019 | 2 Safar 1441 www.thepeninsula.qa

Championscover more

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attended yesterday the funeral of former French president Jacques Chirac at the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris. H H the Amir extended his condolences to the French President Emmanuel Macron and to the family of the late president. Heads of State and government and senior officials also attended the funeral.

Amir attends funeral of former French presidentEducation City Stadium to host 2019 FIFA Club World Cup final

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Education City Stadium will offi-cially open on December 18, 2019 – Qatar National Day – when it hosts the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final, before hosting the tournament’s final three days later.

The 40,000-capacity arena, nicknamed the ‘Diamond in the Desert’, will become the third FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadium to open, following Khalifa International Stadium in 2017 and Al Janoub Stadium earlier this year, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy announced on its website.

Situated in the heart of Edu-cation City, in the Al Rayyan dis-trict of Qatar, the stadium shall host matches up to the quarter-finals stage in 2022. Fans will be able to access the stadium using the Doha Metro Green Line, which is set to open in the coming weeks.

The design of Education City Stadium draws on the rich history of Islamic architecture, blended with striking modernity. The façade features triangles that form complex, diamond-like geometrical pat-terns which appear to change colour depending on the sun’s position.

Hassan Al Thawadi, Sec-retary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery &

Legacy (SC), said unveiling the stadium on Qatar National Day would be a proud moment for the entire country.

“The inauguration of Edu-cation City Stadium will mark another major milestone on the road to delivering international football’s showpiece event,” said Al Thawadi. “Everyone in Qatar will feel immense pride when this architectural masterpiece is unveiled on our country’s National Day, during the pres-tigious FIFA Club World Cup, and exactly three years before the Qatar 2022 final takes place.”

Al Thawadi added: “Hosting the FIFA Club World Cup is a golden opportunity to boost preparation for 2022 while giving thousands of fans from across the globe a taste of what to expect in three years’ time. We are immensely excited about hosting this tournament for the next two instalments, as we con-tinue to finalise our plans for the World Cup.”

It has already been con-firmed that European cham-pions Liverpool will contest the stadium’s inaugural fixture after they received a bye to the semi-finals of the tournament. The Reds qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup after winning the UEFA Champions League in June. Liverpool’s opponents in the semi-final will be decided during the tournament, which kicks off on December 11. �P3

5G: Vodafone unveils extensive coverageMOHAMMAD SHOEB THE PENINSULA

Vodafone Qatar has achieved a remarkable milestone in terms of building world-class infra-structure in just one year after the roll-out of 5G network in Qatar. The telecom service provider yesterday unveiled the extensive reach of its 5G network that covers key locations across the country including 70 percent of Doha.

The company also announced that its 5G network coverage will be available almost across the country (pop-ulated areas) before the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The company’s leading role in the rapid roll-out of this advanced technology in Qatar was announced by Vodafone Qatar CEO Sheikh Hamad Abdulla Al Thani at an exclusive event, which also witnessed the launch of Qatar’s first ‘Unlimited 5G Plans’. �P2

Sheikh Hamad Abdullah Al Thani, CEO, Vodafone Qatar; with Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari, Brand Ambassador, Vodafone Qatar; launching the ‘Unlimited 5G Plans’ at the Bin Jelmood House, Msheireb Downtown Doha, yesterday. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

MME launches waste sorting, recycling program

MoCI launches first phase of single window servicesTHE PENINSULA/ DOHA

Upon the directives of Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) launched yesterday the first phase of the single window services at the Ministry’s headquarters in Lusail City.

These services include the incorporation of businesses and factories by enabling investors and businessmen to file and sign applications online and pay fees electronically to obtain a license.

The launch is line with Qatar’s efforts to provide a smart platform that enables Qatari and foreign investors to easily and quickly establish companies.

Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari said these services falls

in line with the leadership’s wise directives to optimise the use of digital technology, enhance the operational per-formance of the government and lay the foundations of the digital infrastructure necessary to develop the business envi-ronment, positioning Qatar as an investment hub in the region.

This leading national initi-ative is the fruit a collaborative effort between the MoCI and a number of government agencies and bodies, in order to create a unified and inte-grated electronic platform for investors and to streamline approval and licensing proce-dures for the establishment of businesses in Qatar, which will contribute to the promotion of local and foreign investments and ease the flow of invest-ments into sectors that serve national priorities at the devel-opment level. �P19

The 40,000-capacity arena, nicknamed the ‘Diamond in the Desert’, which will host the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final on December 18, and the tournament’s final three days later, will become the third FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadium to open.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Under the directives of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) yesterday launched the first phase of an integrated waste sorting and recycling program in Qatar. The program will be implemented in four phases until 2022.

Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie yes-terday was briefed on the progress of the program by the Assistant Undersecretary for General Services Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment,

Safar Mubarak Al Shafi. Al Shafi stressed that the

implementation of the pro-gramme comes within the framework of the great attention paid by the MME to develop its services in order to preserve the environment and achieve sus-tainable development, and in implementation of the MME’s sustainable strategic plan.

He said that the program aims to reduce the amount of waste and maintain the integrity of the environment and to benefit economically from recycling waste and achieve sustainable development and support the private sector and contribute to the realisation of Qatar National Vision 2030. �P5

Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, and the Assistant Undersecretary for General Services Affairs at the MME, Safar Mubarak Al Shafi, with other officials during the launch.

GROUP AReal Madrid vs Club Bruges

Galatasaray vs Paris Saint Germain

GROUP BRed Star Belgrade vs Olympiakos

Tottenham Hotspur vs Bayern Munich

GROUP CAtalanta vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Manchester City vs Dinamo Zagreb

GROUP DJuventus vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Lokomotiv Moscow vs Atlético Madrid

TODAY'S FIXTURES

Fuel prices for OctoberQatar Petroleum (QP) yesterday announced the diesel and petrol prices for October. QP has set the price of diesel to QR1.85 a litre, the same price set for September. The price of super petrol was set at QR1.85 a litre. The price of premium petrol stabilised for the second month in a row at QR1.7 a litre. QNA

SPORT | 01Abderrahman Samba clinches first medal for Qatar

02 TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019HOME

Al Hammadi meets

delegation from

Australian Parliament

DOHA: The Secretary-

General of the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs, H E Dr.

Ahmed bin Hassan Al Ham-

madi, met yesterday with

a delegation from the Aus-

tralian Parliament. During

the meeting, bilateral coop-

eration relations were

reviewed, in addition to

topics of common inter-

est. QNA

OFFICIAL NEWS

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the funeral of former French president, Jacques Chirac, at the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, yesterday.

Amir attends funeral of former French president

PM meets envoys of Sweden, Romania

The Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, met yesterday with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Qatar, Anders Bengtsson. During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways of developing them in various fields. H E the Prime Minister also met with Ambassador of Romania to Qatar, Cristian Tudor, on the occasion of the end of his tenure in the country.

Amir sends

condolences to

President of Indonesia

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,

Deputy Amir H H Sheikh

Abdullah bin Hamad Al

Thani and Prime Minister

and Interior Minister H E

Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser

bin Khalifa Al Thani sent

yesterday cables of con-

dolences to the President

of the Republic of Indone-

sia, Joko Widodo, on the

victims of the earthquake

that struck eastern Indo-

nesia, wishing the injured a

speedy recovery. QNA

Minister of Culture

and Sports receives

Ambassador of Cuba

DOHA: The Minister of Cul-

ture and Sports, H E Salah

bin Ghanem Al Ali, received

yesterday the Ambassa-

dor of Cuba to Qatar, Emilio

Caballero Rodriguez.

During the meeting, they

discussed aspects of coop-

eration between the two

countries in the cultural and

sports fields and ways to

develop them. QNA

Transport Minister

holds meetings on

sidelines of ICAO meet

DOHA: The Minister of

Transport and Communi-

cations, H E Jassim bin Saif

Al Sulaiti, met separately

with the Executive Presi-

dent of the Public Authority

for Civil Aviation (PACA) of

the Sultanate of Oman, Dr.

Mohammed Bin Nasser Al

Zaabi; Minister of Trans-

port and Communications

of the Republic of Zam-

bia, Mutotwe Kafwaya, and

Assistant Vice-Minister for

International Aviation of

Japan, Jotaro Horiuchi, on

the sidelines of the 40th

General Assembly of the

International Civil Avia-

tion Organization (ICAO)

in Canada. The meetings

discussed a number of

issues of common interest

between Qatar and these

countries, especially those

related to enhancing coop-

eration in civil aviation

fields. QNA

Qatari-Thai Joint

Committee meets

DOHA: The Qatari-Thai

Joint Committee met in

Doha to discuss an agree-

ment regulating the

employment of Thai man-

power in Qatar. The Qatari

side was headed by Assist-

ant Under-secretary for

Labor Affairs at the Ministry

of Administrative Devel-

opment Labour and Social

Affairs, Mohammed Hassan

Al Obaidli, while the Thai

side was headed by deputy

permanent secretary at the

Ministry of Labor Romayong

Surakitbunharn.

During the meeting, they

discussed aspects of joint

cooperation in programs

and projects, in addition to

the procedures for bring-

ing Thai specialised workers

to work in Qatar according

to the needs of the Qatari

labor market. QNA

Ministry of Education launches ‘Procedural Manual for Crises, Emergencies & Safe Evacuation’ in schoolsQNA DOHA

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education launched yesterday the ‘Procedural Manual for Crises, Emergencies and Safe Evacuation’, which was prepared to enhance awareness on the requirements of security and safety in the school envi-ronment, and to introduce the necessary precautionary measures in case of crises and emergencies in public and private schools.

The manual includes many cases such as preparedness, power outages, water and gas leaks, weapons presence in schools, brawl and violence, vandalism, fire, earthquakes, landslides, storms and heavy rains, safe evictions, an uniden-tified person in the school building and global response measures in emergencies, and other anticipated situations, and the necessary preventive measures in this regard.

The Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi, said that this manual represents a ref-erence frame to be used in crises

and emergencies that occur in schools and educational institu-tions in Qatar. He described it as comprehensive and adequate, and represents a clear road map showing how to respond to all crises that occur in the state schools, including medical emer-gencies, fire, disease outbreaks, mass poisoning, cases of violence and death, building collapse, power outages and other crisis in accordance with international standards in this regard.

Al Nuaimi praised the efforts exerted in the preparation of the

manual until it came out in its current form, expressing hope that it will be activated in schools and the school community. He also commended the active role played by Qatari Energy and Industrial Services and its spon-sorship in the preparation of awareness film for safe evacu-ation, which constituted a qual-itative and practical addition to school security.

He explained that the prep-aration of the manual is in line with the pillar of social devel-opment in Qatar National Vision

2030, which considers public safety and security as one of the most important factors of social stability, and an important requirement for prosperity and social welfare.

He pointed out that the manual comes from the vision of the ministry and its will-ingness to promote a safe and supportive school environment for academic achievement, in which the student, teacher and all members of the school family are reassured about their lives and properties.

The officials of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education announcing the details of the ‘Procedural Manual for Crises, Emergencies and Safe Evacuation’ during the launch.

New Kahramaainitiative topreserveelectricity, waterTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa), represented by the National Program for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed), has launched a new initiative titled ‘Ask Tarsheed’ within the 2nd National Strategy 2018-22 related to preserving the State’s electricity and water resources, diversifying energy sources and reducing harmful carbon emis-sions.

It comes within the National Program Tarsheed’s keeness to raise awareness of efficient usage of electricity and water among society and contribute in reducing per capita con-sumption of electricity and water in Qatar. It also works on responding to all inquiries regarding preserving resources and encouraging the usage of high-quality devices and tech-niques by the community.

The initiative targets all sectors, especially residential sector, via adopting and imple-menting specific approach of the available tools at Qatari Market. Moreover, Ask Tar-sheed Initiative works to raise the Qatari Market’s level which has high-quality products and invites the public to buy the saving-energy devices as well as renewable energy tech-niques. Direct communication between Tarsheed and public will be via replying to their inquiries send by WhatsApp phone number 77728600 and e-mail [email protected].

Kahramaa urged all cus-tomers to participate in this ini-tiative via WhatsApp and e-mail for enquiries.

Vodafone unveils extensive coverage of 5G networkFROM PAGE 1

Among the locations where Vodafone Qatar’s 5G network is live are Al Rayyan, Al Aziziya, Al Hilal, Al Gharaffa, Al Sadd, Al Wakrah, Abu Hamour, Nuaija, Education City, Khartiyat, Mamoura, Msheireb, Old Airport, The Pearl, Thumama, Umm Salal and West Bay.

With its new 5G coverage map unveiled at the event by Vodafone Qatar’s brand ambas-sador, Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari, the Company also shared the details of the

‘Unlimited 5G Plans’ to give mobile users the full 5G expe-rience, and allow them to take advantage of its unprecedented speed.

Sheikh Hamad, said: “Vodafone Qatar has demon-strated an unwavering com-mitment to building a world-class infrastructure in support of the realisation of the Qatar National Vision 2030. Since switching on our 5G network just over a year ago, our coverage map highlights our rapid progress in deploying 5G across

Qatar. “With expansion con-tinuing, Qatar will undoubtedly be placed among the ranks of the world’s most connected coun-tries. ”

Vodafone Qatar’s three new Unlimited 5G plans, available in both consumer and business var-iants - Unlimited 300, Unlimited 450, and Unlimited VIP - are designed to enable both con-sumer and business customers to use 5G speeds and never run out of data while in Qatar. On top of unlimited data, customers can enjoy unlimited local calls and

SMS, worry-free data roaming in up to 120 countries and up to 500 international calls, which in the business variant could also be used to receive roaming calls, at no extra cost. Exclusive rewards and privileges are addi-tional with each plan including Qmiles and Valet Parking.

Diego Camberos, Chief Oper-ating Officer, said: “Vodafone Qatar is proud to make the exceptional freedom of 5G con-nectivity available to more people, and in more homes and of f ices , through our

market-leading plans and services for consumers and busi-nesses, which set new standards for the industry.”

To celebrate the launch of their new ‘Unlimited 5G plans’, customers can now take advantage of a special offer and receive a QR50 discount on Unlimited 300 or Business Unlimited 300 and Unlimited 450 or Business Unlimited 450 for six months, valid until December 31, 2019. Vodafone Qatar first made 5G commer-cially available in April this year.

Qatar condemns attack in Pakistan

QNA DOHA

The State of Qatar has strongly condemned the attack in Paki-stan’s Balochistan province, which killed one policeman and wounded three others.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated the State of Qatar’s firm position on rejecting vio-lence and terrorism, regardless of the motives and causes.

The statement expressed the State of Qatar’s condolences to the families of the victim and the Government and people of Pakistan, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.

QC to hosts annual gathering of ‘Start Network’ todayTHE PENINSULA/DOHA

Qatar Charity (QC) will hold today the Start Network Assembly Meeting 2019, an annual gathering being organised for the first time in the Middle East, with the participation of over 87 dignitaries representing 42 organisations, which are among the major international and regional humanitarian NGOs.

The two-day meeting, Chaired by Christina Bennett, CEO of Start Network, will discuss the network strategy and the proposed action plan, as well as many issues related to its effectiveness, capabilities and cooperation among its members on humanitarian issues.

Yousuf bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO of QC, said: “The hosting of this significant event affirms its humanitarian role worldwide, the importance its global presence, and its major human-itarian interventions. It has presence on the ground in more than 50 countries through 28 field offices in 24 countries.”

He also underlined the importance of QC as an organi-zation playing a vital role in addressing issues affecting humanitarian work globally.

03TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019 HOME

Deputy Amir meets Ambassador of Romania

Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani met at the Amiri Diwan yesterday, with the Ambassador of Romania to Qatar, Cristian Tudor, who called on H H the Deputy Amir to greet him on the occasion of the end of his tenure in the country. H H the Deputy Amir honoured the Ambassador with Al Wajbah Decoration in recognition of his role in enhancing the bilateral relations, wishing him success in his future duties, and the relations between the two countries further progress and development. For his part, the Romanian Ambassador expressed his thanks and appreciation to H H the Amir, H H the Deputy Amir and the officials in the State for the cooperation accorded to him and contributed to the success of his tour of duty in the country.

Shura Council Speaker meets EU official

The Speaker of the Shura Council, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, met yesterday with the President of the European Union Delegation to the State of Qatar, Michele Cervone D’urso, on the occasion of the end of his tenure. During the meeting, relations between the State of Qatar and the European Union were reviewed and ways of supporting and developing them, especially in the parliamentary field. H E the Speaker wished the Ambassador success in the tasks entrusted to him in the future and for the relations between the two countries further progress and prosperity. A number of Shura Council officials attended the meeting.

Ooredoo launches ‘IoT Connect Single SIM’ to digitally manage mobilityTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Ooredoo launched yesterday a new Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled solution for Qatar’s organisations to manage their IoT device data usage, called ‘IoT Connect Single SIM’.

Ooredoo IoT Connect enables organisations to track and manage networked devices with an online portal, measure data consumption, and flag international roaming connections.

Now, with IoT Connect Single SIM, organisations can automatically set, monitor, and limit data allowances for individual IoT-connected devices, leading to full mobility cost control. In response to feedback from cus-tomers, IoT Connect Single SIM features real-time data usage dashboards and individualised reports, along with built-in rules for alerts, usage limits and compatibility with 5G.

Ooredoo expects strong interest from all industries. High-potential use cases include connected vehicle fleets, smart buildings and facilities management, digital pay-ments with banking and finance, connected construction sites, smart defence and security, IT services, connected manufacturing, digital oilfields, smart malls, and con-nected utilities.

Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi, Chief Operating Officer, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “Our IoT Connect Single SIM pro-vides our business customers with simple and scalable industry-leading IoT solutions to manage their mobile connectivity. Organisations can start small with a few SIMs, then easily scale up as their business grows. Extending our IoT portfolio can enhance Qatar’s digital transformation and competitiveness, and enable new digital services.”

Ooredoo’s IoT Connect customers can receive rug-gedised SIM cards for outdoor applications such as on oil rigs or in the desert. Organisations interested in signing up for IoT Connect can request a solution demonstration from Ooredoo or contact their Ooredoo account manager.

Business customers can leverage the Ooredoo Advantage, making Ooredoo “Best for Business”, thanks to its breadth and depth of talent, best fixed and mobile networks, broadest portfolio of ICT services and solu-tions, and trusted partner for 60 years.

Education City Stadium to host FIFA Club World Cup final

FROM PAGE 1

Engineer Yasir Al Jamal, Vice-Chairman of the SC’s Technical Delivery Office, said: “We are honoured that Liv-erpool — one of the most famous and pres-tigious clubs in the world — will contest the opening match at Education City Stadium.

“We are also immensely proud that Education City Stadium will be the third tournament-ready venue for Qatar 2022 and the second, after Al Janoub Stadium, to be built from scratch. I would like to pay tribute to the entire project team, along with Qatar Foundation, one of our key stakeholders. They have collaborated brilliantly to deliver this magnificent structure three years before the FIFA World Cup is held right here in Qatar.”

Sustainability lies at the heart of the Education City Stadium project. Post-2022, the stadium’s seating capacity will be reduced to 20,000, with the modular upper tier donated to create sporting facil-ities overseas. The stadium will eventually provide sporting facilities for the numerous educational, research and inno-vation establishments at Education City.

The stadium was delivered by ASTAD Project Management, with FIA Fenwick Iribarren Architects serving as the lead designer. The JPAC joint venture has served as the design and build contractor, while Pattern were appointed as the lead design architect and BuroHappold appointed for engineering design.

The FIFA Club World Cup 2019 will be held in Qatar from December 11-21. The matches will be played at three venues: Jassin Bin Hamad Stadium, Khalifa Inter-national Stadium and Education City Stadium.

Five teams have qualified to-date: Al Sadd SC (host country representative*), Liverpool FC (UEFA), CF Monterrey (CON-CACAF), ES Tunis (CAF) and Hienghène Sport (OFC). The AFC and CONMEBOL rep-resentatives will be confirmed in November.

HMC expert warns public against using e-cigarettesFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

In light of increasing reports of e-cigarette-associated lung illnesses in the US, the Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Tobacco Control Center has urged the public to avoid the use of e-cigarette products.

E-cigarettes and vaping devices contain harmful chem-icals and substances that can cause serious health problems, said Dr, Jamal Abdualla Basuhai, Smoking Cessation Specialist at the Tobacco Control Center.

“Apart from nicotine, e-cig-arettes contain additional harmful substances that can adversely affect the respiratory system and cause serious deadly lung diseases. The sub-stances can also cause high

blood pressure, seizures, coma and death. E- cigarettes are banned in Qatar. Sale, distri-bution and advertising of e-cig-arettes in the country is an offence. But some use e-ciga-rettes, which are bought ille-gally into the country,” he said yesterday.

Dr. Basuhai, warned that e-cigarette smoking adoles-cents are highly likely to con-tinue to regular cigarettes later.

E-cigarettes use a battery-powered device that heats a liquid to form vapours. These devices heat up various poten-tially harmful substances.

“Many think that e-ciga-rettes are thought to be safer than traditional cigarettes. But e-cigarettes kill up to half of all lifetime users, according to the World Health Organization,” said Noor El Nakib, Health

Awareness and Quality Man-agement Coordinator at the Tobacco Control Center.

She urged people not to start smoking e-cigarettes for fun or for quitting any tobacco products. “At recent times we see an increase in people using e-cigarettes. Thought they are not in big numbers we see it as a merging trend especially among the adolescents. During our awareness programs and at clinics we come across many who have the misconception that e-cigarettes are ‘healthy’ and can be an alternative to the traditional cigarettes,” said El Nakib.

She also emphasised that in order to stop cigarette smoking or consumption of tobacco, it is essential to visit the smoking secession clinics at the Tobacco Control Center.

14,973 students enrolled in schools for this yearQNA DOHA

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has said that 14,973 students were enrolled for the academic year 2019-20, including 4,885 students through early registration, 10,088 of them through schools.

The Head of Admissions and

Registration Department, Warda Mohamed Al Aqeel, said the department has completed the registration procedures at the registration centres in Al Ahnaf Bin Qais School and Abu Hanifa for the current academic year, taking into account the conti-nuity of registration for students coming from private schools and from outside the country until

the end of January 2020, con-firming in this regard the depart-ment’s commitment to the Com-pulsory Education Law No. 25 adopted in 2001.

She also noted that inter-school transfers have been closed, while enrolment for schools continues until the end of next week to complete any outstanding cases.


Deputy Prime Minister visits Oman’s Military Technical CollegeQNA/MUSCAT

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah visited the Military Technical College in the Sultanate of Oman. During the visit, His Excellency was accom-panied by Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman and Chairman of the Board of

Directors of the Military Tech-nical College Air Vice Marshal Matar Bin Ali Bin Matar Al Obaidani. H E the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs toured the college’s departments, educa-tional and training facilities and services.

He also visited the Maritime Security Center at Al Murtafa Camp, where he was

accompanied by Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman and Chairman of the Maritime Security Committee Rear Admiral Abdullah Bin Khamis Al Raisi. H E the Deputy Prime Min-ister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs and his accom-panying delegation toured the center and its facilities. He was also briefed on its main mecha-nisms of work.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, during his visit to the Military Technical College in the Sultanate of Oman.

Deputy Prime Minister meets Oman’s Royal Office MinisterDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah (left) met yesterday with the Minister of the Royal Office in the Sultanate of Oman, Sultan bin Mohammed Al Numani. During the meeting, they exchanged views on the latest developments in the region, as well as on the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and ways of enhancing them.

QTTSC workshopaddresses Traffic Safety in Work ZonesTHE PENINSULA DOHA

As part of the continuous efforts to implement the National Traffic Safety Action Plan (2018-2022), the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC) at Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG) hosted a training workshop on ‘Traffic Safety in Work Zones’ from 24 to 26 September 2019.

The workshop aimed to provide information on best procedures and practices in designing work zones along roads to ensure safe and efficient traffic operations.

The event was organized in collaboration with the International Road Federation.

This course discusses the requirements for planning work zone areas following the Qatar Work Zone Traffic Management Guide and other well-known international guidelines. Common safety problems and challenges in work zone areas were presented at the training with real world examples.

Senior engineers from the General Directorate of Traffic, Ministry of Municipality and Environment,

as well as many other engi-neering consultation companies and contractors participated in this workshop.

Commenting on the workshop, QTTSC Director Prof Dr. Faris Tarlochan said, “Traffic Safety in work zones is a critical issue in Qatar therefore QTTSC is working actively to contribute in improving the traffic safety status in collaboration with local authorities and interna-t ional partners . This workshop is one of a number of forums that address best engineering practices in road safety, in line with the efforts by the center and the College of Engineering to raise public awareness and responsibility in road safety.”

QTTSC workshop coordi-nator, Assistant Professor Dr. Wael Alhajyaseen said that with the vast development and upgrade of the road network in the State of Qatar, work zones become common and frequent. Work zones are crash prone areas due to the unexpected change in road layout and environment.

The careful layout of these areas and the consideration of local site conditions and driver behaviour is vital for the success in providing efficient and safe operations.

The course offers different policies and strategies to provide safer design of work zones following current local and international guidelines not only for vehicular traffic but also for vulnerable road users, he added.


MME launches waste sorting, recycling program

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Under the directives of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) yesterday launched the first phase of an integrated waste sorting and recycling program in Qatar. The program will be imple-mented in four phases until 2022.

Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie was briefed on the progress of the program, its objectives, stages and implementation mechanism during a visit to vehicles and con-tainers used for sorting waste.

On this occasion, the Assistant Undersecretary for General Services Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment Safar Mubarak Al Shafi stressed that the implementation of the program of sorting and recycling waste comes within the framework of the great attention paid by the Ministry to develop its services in order to preserve the environment and achieve sus-tainable development, and in

implementation of the Ministry’s sustainable strategic plan.

He said that the program aims to reduce the amount of waste and maintain the integrity of the envi-ronment and to benefit econom-ically from recycling waste and achieve sustainable development and support the private sector and contribute to the realization of Qatar National Vision 2030.

He explained that the program includes four stages from 2019 to 2022. The first phase, which started yesterday, includes 581 schools, where 1,624 new containers were distributed in cooperation and coordination with specialists in the

Ministry of Edu-cation and Higher Education, as well as covering health centers, hospitals, banks and financial institutions.

He said that the second phase, which will start next year, covers gov-ernment agencies, commercial com-plexes, malls, uni-versities, Karwa bus stops, hotels and parks, the third phase will start in 2021 in the Corniche

area and the city of Doha, where an electronic service will be launched to collect recyclable materials from all houses in the country. Al Shafi said that the fourth phase will begin in 2022.

Al Shafi affirmed the minis-try’s commitment to the envi-ronment, preservation and reduction of environmental damage, stressing that the program of sorting and recycling waste, con-tributes to the conservation of natural resources and support the private sector companies.

Al Shafi added that the success of the program was directly linked to public cooperation and there

would be accompanying awareness programs.

Al Shafi praised the important role of officials in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, especially school administrations, to make such programs a success.

He said that competitions on sorting waste will be held during April next year and the winning schools will be honoured in special ceremony.

Al Shafi said that there will also be a comprehensive assessment of the efforts of the school administration in the appli-cation of the waste sorting program, the extent of its com-mitment to sorting of waste, maintain safety of containers and their optimal use, where all these elements are included in the eval-uation process.

He explained that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment represented by the Public Services Sector will involve the working teams and 25 vehicles to collect the sorted waste and to transport waste to sorting plants, from where it will be delivered to private sector companies according to the regulations fol-lowed in the ministry, to support these companies and local fac-tories in the recycling of waste and strengthen environmental sustainability.

Al Shafi revealed a program to place special containers for sorting waste in the school campus which would be unloaded every evening to maintain nec-essary hygiene for the health of students.

Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, is briefed about the program by Safar Mubarak Al Shafi, Assistant Undersecretary for General Services Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, during an inspection visit to vehicles and containers used for sorting waste under the program. BELOW: Officials posing for a group picture with H E the Minister.

Safar Mubarak Al Shafi, Assistant Undersecretary for General Services Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment

The program aims to reduce the amount of waste and maintain the integrity of the environment and to benefit economically from recycling waste and achieve sustainable development and support the private sector and contribute to the realization of Qatar National Vision 2030.

The program will be implemented in four phases until 2022.

Recycling bins and trucks to be used under the program.




CCQ students hone ICT skills at Huawei’s ‘Seeds for the Future’ programTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Students enrolled in the Community College of Qatar’s (CCQ) Cybersecurity program recently travelled to China to participate in Huawei’s annual ‘Seeds for the Future’ program.

Against a cultural backdrop, the Chinese tech giant’s two-week event aims to develop the Information and Communica-tions Technology (ICT) skills of university students from across the globe through an immersive learning experience.

Led by Dr. Mohammed Al-Dorani, CCQ’s Chair of the Infor-mation Technology (IT) Program, and IT Instructor Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghushami, the team of 10 visited Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, where they got up-close and personal with the experts of the telecom leader, and had the chance to learn, develop, and enhance their ICT skills, as well as gain insights that can help them effectively con-tribute to the tech-driven future

of the world. At Huawei’s cutting-edge training center and labs, the students also engaged in hands-on learning activities and received up-to-date ICT solution demonstrations from the organization’s experts.

The delegation expressed their appreciation for the efforts of the Huawei man-agement team, engineers, and faculty in bringing the annual ‘Seeds for the Future’ program to light.

Commenting on the occasion, CCQ President Dr. Mohamed Al-Naemi said: “CCQ is honored to have Huawei among its community partners, a global leader in ICT and a vital player in shaping the future of the world. We can only imagine the possibilities that we can explore together and how they can translate into a more empowered, skilled, and tech-aware generation of IT profes-sionals that continue to progress our nation towards our 2030 vision and beyond. On behalf of everyone at CCQ, thank you to

the Huawei team behind this brilliant initiative and we are certainly looking forward to future collaborations.”

Following up on the Presi-dent’s remarks, Dr. Mohammed Al-Dorani noted: “Huawei’s worldwide CSR initiative is a wonderful platform to bring together IT-minded academics and students from all around the world in a place where the latest cutting-edge technologies are being tested, developed and introduced to the market. Not only did our students broaden their horizons and gain new insights in the field, they also got to be a part of a border-tran-scending program that promotes a greater understanding of and interest in the telecommunica-tions sector.”

Huawei Qatar’s CEO Frank Fan commented: “We are proud of the CCQ students and their vision, which aligns with our own – to empower this region’s generation and develop the nec-essary talents and skills that will help them accelerate their

country’s digital transformation. Huawei is committed to deploying the most advanced technologies that will help implement Qatar’s 2030 vision.”

Huawei Qatar’s VP Farhan J Khan said: “Knowledge transfer

and nurturing future ICT talent has always been a core pillar of the Huawei way. ICT is vital to the success of the region and we are committed to supporting the region’s journey of digital trans-formation. The future of ICT

progress lies in the hands of our students, and by developing plat-forms and programs that allow them to grow and mature into experts, we can better equip the next generation of technology leaders.”

CCQ delegation during their trip to Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China.

QCDC hosts latest edition of ‘Career Village’SIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

In order to help youth choose a career path that falls in line with their aspirations and skills, Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC), a member of Qatar Foun-dation, hosted yesterday the latest edition of its ‘Career Village’ at Education City Student Center.

The three-day event is being organised in cooperation with the Social Development Center, ‘Nama’ to provide support to pre-paratory and secondary school students.

“Twenty-five main entities and companies are participating in the event representing eight sectors including aviation, trans-portation, education, energy, industry, nursing and medicine,” said Kholoud Al Mannai, Director of Programs and Professional Services at Qatar Career Devel-opment Center.

She also said that we are organizing this event for the second time this year, and it came as request from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to introduce students to the required specialties and available jobs.

Al Mannai pointed out that more than 4000 students visited the last edition expecting that the number will be much more because QCDC have communi-cated with many schools.

For his part Saleh Al Jawf, rep-resenting Qatar National Bank,

said that the aim of the partici-pation is to identify the students when they want to specialize in the university which specialization is required more, adding that the bank has about 18 specialties.

In conjunction with the inau-guration of the Career Village, the Social Development Center - Nama launched the first edition of the “Tamakan” awareness cam-paign which will run until the end of October 2019.

The campaign aims to raise awareness among the youth about the importance of professional development in line with the needs of the Qatari labor market by motivating them to develop their personal skills and guiding them towards career distinction in order to fulfill the aspirations of the State of Qatar.

The campaign targets young citizens and residents of both genders (18-30 years old) and includes high school graduates, university graduates, and new employees. It includes a number of activities that seek to motivate young people to develop their

personal skills and to educate them on the fact that professional development leads to career advancement.

The campaign also guides young people on how to be dis-tinguished in their professional performance in addition to raising their awareness on the impor-tance of career counseling and consulting with individuals with a long history of professional experience and with retired pro-fessionals as well.

Hamad Al-Marri, Director of the Community Awareness Department at the Social Devel-opment Center-Nama, expressed his delight at the participation of Nama in the Career Village, noting the importance of this partici-pation, which came to express the

Center’s pride in the launch of the “Tamakan” aimed at promoting community awareness of the importance professional devel-opment in line with the needs of the target age group, mainly the youth. He pointed out that the project is one of the outputs of the “Sama-Nama” program for the development of social entre-preneur. The program was launched in 2018 with the technical and financial support of Nama.

Al Marri added that the cam-paign aims to raise awareness and motivate young people to develop their personal abilities and skills, to guide them to identify their career paths consciously and proficiently, and introduce them to the available means for career advancement and professional excellence.

The QCDC ‘Career Village’ and ‘Thamakan’ launch held at Education City Student Center yesterday. PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

The three-day event is being organised in cooperation with the Social Development Center, ‘Nama’ to provide support to preparatory and secondary school students.

QFFD to join SDGia platform as new partnerQNA DOHA

Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) announced QFFD’s decision to join the SDGia platform as a new partner. The SDGia was launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey together with UNDP. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Food Programme, as well as Limak Group and Eczacibasi Group,Turkish conglomerates with global investments have also joined the platform as partners.

Director General of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari announced QFFD’s decision to join the SDGia platform at a high-level side event co-organized by the Gov-ernment of Turkey and UNDP on the occasion of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly. The event was hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey,

Mevlut Cavusoglu and Mourad Wahba, UNDP Associate Administrator.

Thanks to the SDG Impact Accelerator (SDGia) programme, launched in July 2019 in Istanbul, entrepreneurs developed solutions for refugees to have access to livelihood opportunities through Digital ID systems and portable non-sewage san-itation through reinvented toilets.

Mevlut Cavusoglu stated at the side event that “Companies are now expected to align their business models with SDGs. They develop business models for the low-income groups. This is why we initiated the SDG Impact Accelerator. We hope that SDG Impact Accelerator will inspire all of us to put our words into action. To achieve SDGs, we need to accelerate our efforts.”

For his part, Mourad Wahba, stated that “Bringing together cohorts of cor-porations, regulators and other gov-ernment bodies to explore, discover and

work together towards addressing the development challenges could lead to market-creating innovations by systems entrepreneurs. The successful initiatives, as well as the collaborations between private and public bodies for acceler-ation will bring out unique innovative activities towards the SDGs.”

From his side Al Kuwari said, “We believe that such dedicated initiative towards the refugees within Turkey and LDCs, such as SDGia, will harness the collective intelligence that involves com-bining knowledge from citizens, big data from the private sector and govern-ments, and human expertise to create effective solutions addressing the devel-opment challenges faced by the ref-ugees.” “Such innovative way to address these challenges is much needed today. It combines wisdom, cleverness, and creativity from those actors to create better solutions,” he added.

Qatar, Jordan discuss education cooperation

Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr Mohammed bin Abdul Wahed Ali Al Hammadi, met yesterday with the Jordanian Minister of Labour, Nidal Bataineh, and his accompanying delegation. During the meeting, they discussed the most important issues of common concern and ways to support them, especially in the educational field.

QNA DOHA

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi received yesterday a copy of the credentials of Ambas-sador of the Kingdom of Norway (non-resident) to Qatar Sten Arne Rosnes.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs wished the Ambassador success in his mission, assuring him of all support to promote bilateral relations between the two friendly countries to closer coop-eration in all fields.

A number of the Foreign Ministry officials attended the copy of credentials presentation ceremony.

H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, receiving a copy of the credentials of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway (non-resident) to Qatar, Sten Arne Rosnes, yesterday.

Al Muraikhi receives copy of credentials of Norway’s envoy

QNA/DOHA

Qatar Parliamentary Friendship Group with the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the Shura Council, chaired by H E Nasser bin

Khalil Al Jaida, Member of the Council, met yesterday with an Australian parliamentary delegation visiting Qatar. During the meeting, they reviewed the distinguished relations

between the two friendly countries, especially in the parliamentary field between the Shura Council and the Australian Parliament, and ways of enhancing cooperation between them.

Shura Council receives Australian Parliament delegation


QU-IEI congress puts spotlight on latest innovations THE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG) and the Institution of Engineers, India (IEI) launched the Centenary International Engi-neering Congress (CIEC) at Qatar University (QU) to discuss several topics related to ‘Smart Engineering - State of the Art Technologies in Oil & Gas and Infrastructure Development’.

IEI also celebrated Engi-neer’s Day on September 27 at Al Dana Club, West Bay, which is observed worldwide on Sep-tember 15 annually.

The opening session fea-tured speeches by QU Pres-ident, Dr. Hassan Al Derham; Ambassador of India to Qatar, P Kumaran; IEI President, Dr. Engr. T M Gunaraja, and Chief Advisor Partnerships, Dr. Nabeel Al Salem, from Qatar Foundation Research, Devel-opment, and Innovation (QF RDI).

In his speech, QU President,

said, “It is an honour to attend today’s International Engi-neering Congress in part-nership with the Institution of Engineers, India, which has been active in promoting pro-fessional activities, supporting students and spreading tech-nological activities across India since its inception in 1920. The conference will shed light on the latest innovations and tech-nology in the engineering sector in the presence of experts and professionals from Qatar, India and other coun-tries across the world.”

P Kumaran, said: “It is a

moment of pride for the entire engineering community in India and in Qatar, as we cel-ebrate the 100th year of the IEI. The IEI is the largest multidis-ciplinary professional body encompassing 15 engineering

disciplines, and provides a robust platform for sharing and exchanging professional ideas and knowledge. It has a vast membership base and operates through its 123 centers located across India and six overseas

chapters, including Qatar.”CENG Dean Dr. Khalid

Kamal Naji said: “The con-ference will discuss different advanced and state-of-the-art technologies and technological innovations of integrated

engineering processes for the development of petrochemical and civil infrastructure.” QF RDI Chief Advisor Partnerships, Dr. Nabeel Al Salem, delivered an insightful talk highlighting Qatar Foundation’s leading role in establishing a nation-wide culture of research, and fos-tering a vibrant ecosystem of research, development, and innovation in Qatar.

IEI President Dr. Er. T M Gunaraja, said: “Since its inception, the Qatar Chapter of the Institution of Engineers (India) has been rendering ded-icated and uninterrupted pro-fessional services to the engi-neering community of Qatar, consistent with the vision and objectives of the IEI, for the last 29 years. Key activities include regular technical seminars and workshops, promoting the general advancement of engi-neering and technology, while also providing a platform for rich technical interactions that support the continuous profes-sional development of the engi-neering community of Qatar.”

QU President Dr. Hassan Al Derham and Ambassador of India to Qatar, P Kumaran, opening the Centenary International Engineering Congress at Qatar University.

Ambassador of India to Qatar, P Kumaran, said: “It is a moment of pride for the entire engineering community in India and in Qatar, as we celebrate the 100th year of the IEI.

PHCC hosts 12th Patient Forum at Al Khor Health CenterTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Primary Health Care Corpo-ration (PHCC) hosted the 12th Patient Forum at Al Khor Health Center, recently.

The forum examined topics including, family medicine and smart clinic and mental health model and also hosted discus-sions on referral system of Al Khor Health Center.

Dr. Samya Al Abdulla, Exec-utive Director of Operations, delivered a presentation which included the significance of Family Medicine model and early screening, addressing patient participation in ensuring that they take the lead in their one health by attending screening should they be a high-risk patient.

Discussion also highlighted the impact of mental health, stating that depression and anxiety can heaving leading impact in diseases such as obesity and high blood pressure, encouraging patient to attend their local health center to com-plete checks.

Dr. Al Abdulla, said, “We recognise that the more patients we engage as partners and co-designers, the higher the level of outcomes for our services, in this forum we focused on the demands around family med-icine model and how to ensure best delivery, the aim is to ensure that we are improving quality of care, governance and service delivery across the board.”

Dr. Neale Darwish Saad, Al Khor Health Centre’s Manager, presented an overview of the development of Al Khor Health Centre since its establishment

in 1973. She said “Al Khor centre has witnessed progress across all clinic and services, including pre-marital and smart clinic to name a few. These services have been developed to drive forward an integrated, comprehensive health care in our local communities.”

Also attending the patient forum, Engineer Aisha Khalil, architectural designer, shared details of the future for the new Al Khor Health Center. She mentioned that among the PHCC corporate priorities is the enhancement of existing health centres in terms of capacity, sustainability and compliance to codes to respond to the rapidly growing demand of health services for the community of the State of Qatar.

Lana Azhari Obaidalla, Risk Management Specialist, highlighted in her presen-tation the significance of shared accountably where the patient can play a key role in ensuring their own patient safety.

The Khor forum highlighted that the active engagement of patients can inform education, tools, planning and policy, and enhance health care service delivery and governance.

The participants at the 12th Patient Forum, at Al Khor Health Center, paying attention to a discussion.

QNL’s Science Book Forum sheds light on the theory of evolutionTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar National Library’s (QNL)regular meeting of the Science Book Forum focused on the multifaceted topic of evolution, yesterday.

The forum discussed the foundations of the theory of evolution, which seeks to explain the origin and devel-opment of all species. Presen-tations by Dr. Michael Habib, Assistant Professor of Inte-grative Anatomical Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern Cali-fornia; Dr. Ehab Abouheif, Pro-fessor in the Department of Biology at McGill University; and Dr. Salman Hameed, Charles Taylor Chair and Associate Pro-fessor of Integrated Science and Humanities at the School of Cog-nitive Science, shed light on the principles of evolution in nature and the scientific questions that it attempts to address.

Fielding questions and com-ments from participants, the speakers also discussed the public perceptions of evolution and tackled several common

misconceptions of this topic.Noof Al Bader, a high school

student who participated in the event, said: “Science is important to almost everything around us, so the more we can learn, the better off we are. It is therefore crucial that we engage in plat-forms such as the Science Book Forum to help us gain a greater understanding of scientific con-cepts and their impact on our day-to-day lives and the world in general.”

Yasser Mohammed, who also attended, said, “My children sometimes ask difficult ques-tions when I talk to them about important scientific topics such as global warming, solar energy, storms and others. It can be chal-lenging to give factual but easily understandable answers, so I always encourage them to ask the experts directly at these lec-tures, and also explore the sci-entific resources available at the Library.”

An expert delivers a lecture during the Science Book Forum on evolution at QNL yesterday.

DIFI to host one-day event on child well-being at QNCC tomorrow THE PENINSULA DOHA

The Doha International Family Institute (DIFI), a member of Qatar Foundation, is set to host a one-day event titled ‘Family Policy Symposium: Child Well-being in Qatar’ tomorrow, at Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC).

The event, which is open to the public, is being held in col-laboration with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs in Qatar and the Unicef in the Gulf Area Office.

Dr. Sharifa Noaman Al Emadi, Executive Director of DIFI, said, “Our symposium is timely due to the increased awareness and interest of prac-titioners, researchers, and policy makers at a national, regional, and global level in understanding children’s physical, psychological, social, emotional, cognitive, spiritual, and cultural well-being.

“The event will explore pol-icies and programmes that address a range of aspects, including early childhood, child development, safety, social relationships, psychological and cognitive well-being, empow-erment and agency, as well as their synergy in examining the well-being of children.

“The symposium aims to build on the success of DIFI’s previous activities and events, such as its international con-ference titled ‘Parenting, Child Well-being and Development’ which, held in 2018, was organized in partnership with UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, and was in alignment and support of Qatar’s Second National Devel-opment Strategy 2018-2022.”

DIFI will present its study on child well-being in the Gulf during the event. The report provides a contextually appro-priate approach and framework for child well-being and a sys-tematic evidence review of wide-range indicators, policies, and programs to promote child well-being. The topics covered on the day will focus on child well-being at school, child health, and protection from abuse and neglect, as well as the associated challenges. Also, the role of research in shaping policy and practice and pro-moting positive well-being among children in Qatar will be addressed. DIFI is a global policy and advocacy institute working to advance knowledge on Arab families.

The forum examined topics including, family medicine and smart clinic and mental health model and also hosted discussions on referral system of Al Khor Health Center. Ariston perfect partners for fresher food

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Ariston new upright fridge and freezer – is a beautifully matched pair of innovative appliances for a more elegant kitchen and more enjoyable, fresher food.

Combined together, the SA8F2D XI EX and UA8 F2D XI EX fridge and freezer, create a seamlessly aligned and symmet-rical side-by-side pair – a sleek contemporary design that is set apart by authentic aesthetics

and craftsmanship from Ariston that matches seamlessly with modern, contemporary kitchens.

The Freezer has a capacity of 260 liters and the refrigerator comes with 363 liters of space totalling to 623 liters. This sym-metrical pair can be placed side by side or apart from each other based on your kitchen space. When the doors open, a range of innovative technologies is revealed, including Active Oxygen and Humidity Control that ensure optimal food pres-ervation conditions to keep food

fresher for longer. The Ariston fridge and freezer supports you everyday to take care of those you care for most and provide healthy, nutritious meals.

Whether cooling or freezing – the new Ariston upright fridge and freezer makes it effortless to preserve all the freshness, flavour and nutritional value of the stored food.

The appliances feature an innovative air circulation system that makes it easy to precisely create the conditions needed to care best for different food types.

In the Ariston upright freezer, cold air circulation enables a No Frost system that prevents frost build up for an easy defrost of the freezer – saving time and effort. No Frost also actively cares for food by creating the best preserve storage conditions.

The Ariston upright fridge also has a Food Care Zone that is kept at a lower temperature than the rest of the interior.

This dedicated compartment maintains the ideal temperature for the storage of the most del-icate foods, such as meat, fish and dairy products. This simple and elegant approach makes it easier to keep food safe and fresh for longer.

The SA8F2D XI EX and UA8 F2D XI EX fridge and freezer, create a seamlessly aligned and symmetrical side-by-side pair – a sleek contemporary design that is set apart by authentic aesthetics.

Myanmar has done nothing to dismantle the system of violence and persecution and the Rohingya who remain in Rakhine live in the same dire circumstances that they did prior to the events of August 2017.

THE WASHINGTON POST

10 TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019VIEWS

Rohingya crisis can’t stay Bangladesh’s burden, Prime Minister says

About two years ago, Bang-ladesh let in some 750,000 Rohingya people fleeing a military-led campaign of

ethnic cleansing on the other side of the border. Authorities in Myanmar view the Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim minority, as interlopers and noncitizens - a position largely rejected by the international com-munity. Marooned in squalid camps, the Rohingya in Bangladesh face a hopeless situation. Do they contem-plate returning home to a country where their political rights will not be guaranteed and threats of violence remain? Or do they remain in limbo in the camps, eking out a bleak existence in a country that is straining under their presence?

In her speech last week from the dais of the UN General Assembly, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the international com-munity must “understand the untena-bility” of the status quo. Her nation, she added, is dealing with “a crisis which is Myanmar’s own making.”

Hasina is sympathetic to the Rohingya plight. “It’s a big burden for Bangladesh, no doubt about it. But what they faced was almost some kind of genocide,” she told this column at a midtown hotel in Manhattan on Friday, referring to the violence meted out on Rohingya communities in 2017.

“Killing, tor-turing, arson, rape, so many things happened. They were bound to run away from their country for their safety and security.”

Although there have been agree-ments with Myanmar, also known as Burma, to repatriate small numbers of refugees, the

overwhelming majority are too afraid to return. Rohingya rights advocates say the refugees fear returning to a precarious state in Myanmar, where they could be vulnerable to attacks from the sort of pro-government vigi-lante mobs and military forces who razed their villages and murdered and raped their loved ones.

They demand a guarantee of citi-zenship from state authorities, some-thing the government of Myanmar is hardly willing to oblige. A citizenship law enacted in 1982 stripped the Rohingya of the same privileges and

citizenship rights of other ethnic minority groups in the country. Offi-cials in Myanmar cast the Rohingya as a “Bengali” population and describe the violent campaign in 2017 as a counterterrorism operation against dangerous insurgents in Rakhine state, which borders Bangladesh.

Others are not so convinced. “The Myanmar government are unaffected and maintain that these were efforts to fight terrorists,” lamented Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad at the United Nations last week. “This is what we are disappointed with, because we know that what is truly happening is a genocide.”

That’s not exactly hyperbole. A recent UN-commissioned report warned that the same violent condi-tions that provoked the 2017 exodus persist in Rakhine state. “There is a strong inference of genocidal intent on the part of, there is a serious risk that genocidal actions may recur, and Myanmar is failing in its obligation to prevent genocide, to investigate gen-ocide and to enact effective legislation criminalizing and punishing gen-ocide,” the report concluded.

On the sidelines of UN meetings last week, the top US official for foreign aid, Mark Green, spoke to ABC News about what he saw on a fact-finding trip to western Myanmar and the refugee camps in Bangladesh: “I’ll never forget this: A young Rohingya father looked me in the eyes and said, ‘There are no teachers; my kids can’t go to school. We don’t have a mosque, so we can’t worship. I’m not allowed to leave without written permission, which I never get. And the only food I’ve got is what you give me. What do I tell my kids?’ “

“Myanmar has done nothing to dis-mantle the system of violence and per-secution and the Rohingya who remain in Rakhine live in the same dire cir-cumstances that they did prior to the events of August 2017,” Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on Myanmar, told reporters earlier this month.

The situation in Bangladesh is also grim. Hasina said that what is now her country’s burden could turn into a regional crisis. An increasingly disaf-fected, jobless refugee population is ripe for radicalization and extremism, she said. “If they stay longer, very easily they can be converted or join”

militant groups, Hasina said.Her government confirmed new

measures last week to build barbed-wire fences around Rohingya camps and to patrol their perimeters. Bangla-deshi authorities already have cut internet and cellphone access to the Rohingya and, in some instances, con-fiscated smartphones and SIM cards from refugees. It also plans to relocate possibly tens of thousands of refugees to large facilities erected on a low-lying silt island off the Bangladeshi coast known as Bhashan Char, which critics fear could be subject to flooding and other natural disasters.

A statement this month from Human Rights Watch warned that such moves “made matters worse by imposing restrictions on refugee com-munications and freedom of movement.” The organization earlier this year cited a local journalist who described the operation at Bhashan Char as potentially a kind of “prison.”

Hasina balked at the “talk” from nongovernmental organizations and international agencies and said her government is acting in the interests of the refugees’ “safety and security.” She pointed to reports of girls and young women falling prey to illicit human-trafficking networks that have reached into the ramshackle camps, home to more than 1 million Rohingya refugees.

“Through these mobile phones, they are doing drugs business, arms business, even women and child traf-ficking,” Hasina said.

The Bangladeshi prime minister says the Rohingya are welcome to stay for now. “They are in my soil,” she said. “What else can we do?”

She said she hopes the interna-tional community can apply more pressure on her neighbor. “The problem with Myanmar is that they don’t listen to anybody,” she said. When asked what more can be done to squeeze Myanmar - including a possible arms embargo and tougher sanctions than those already imposed by the United States on the country’s top brass - she demurred. “I don’t want to fight with anybody. I want a peaceful solution, because they are my next door neighbor,” Hasina told me. “But if the international community thinks that those kind of sanctions work, then fine, well and good. But I can’t suggest that.”

ISHAAN THAROOR THE WASHINGTON POST

QUOTE OF THE DAYDuring the moments of heightened tension we

must not lose sight of the big picture. We trade

€3bn a day with the United States and the

EU-US relationship remains the largest

and deepest economic relationship in the world.

Phil Hogan EU Trade Chief

Politicians can’t be above the law. Facebook’s rules are another story

Politicians may not be above the law, but apparently they are above Facebook’s rules. The company announced this week

that public officials’ posts will generally not be removed from the platform even if they break its community standards, and neither will they be sent to third-party fact-checkers responsible for helping reduce the spread of misinformation. Outrage ensued - much of it misplaced.

Facebook stresses that its carve-out is not a carte blanche for the elected to flagrantly violate its dictates. Ads that politicians pay to have promoted on the platform must still comply with its pol-icies, for example, and shares of previ-ously debunked posts will still get demoted in users’ feeds. Teams of country-specific experts will be reviewing relevant posts to weigh whether the public interest in people seeing them outweighs any harm they may do, with a particularly close eye on

incitements to violence. Still, the core of the proclamation remains the same: Poli-ticians deserve special treatment. The question is whether that is a bad thing.

Critics claim that officials ought to be subject to the same enforcement criteria as everyone else, if not stricter. What the powerful say from their bully pulpits is likely to have a bigger impact than what an average Joe says from his living-room couch, after all. Critics also contend that Facebook has a perverse incentive to treat politicians delicately - because they run expensive ad campaigns on the platform, and because they have the ability to launch, say, menacing antitrust inquiries with seemingly unlimited reach.

But it’s precisely because it comes from a bully pulpit that the worst of pol-iticians’ speech is usually newsworthy. Americans should want full information about the people they may vote for, and they should also want those representa-tives held to account for what they say. If the most repulsive comments

disappear from one of the world’s most powerful information intermediaries, accountability becomes that much harder. The same goes for the allegation that Facebook is catering to its most valued, and valuable, customers. If poli-ticians can work a referee that easily, why invite Facebook to call more games?

Still, there’s a lot Facebook could do better, most of all when it comes to transparency. Even as it leaves politi-cians’ posts up, for example, it could label them if, under any other authorship, they would have merited removal. And when officials are perpetuating hoaxes that Facebook’s fact-checkers are otherwise comfortable calling out as falsehoods, the company could restrict their reach just as it does when the lies are coming from plebeians, or at least add annotations offering context rather than throw up its arms. The key question is how a company with immense power can accept responsibility, too - without giving itself even more power in the process.

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

Aviation safety milestone

The State of Qatar has achieved many firsts in the field of civil aviation safety. Maintaining the trend, Qatar has now achieved a 91.16 percent compliance rate

according to the new standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which was implemented in 2018, making it the first country to receive such a high per-centage. Qatar is among 48 states that have made progress in overcoming deficiencies in safety control and improving the effective implementation of international rules and rec-ommendations related in the field. Qatar is also the first country in the Middle East to start implementing the latest European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Comprehensive Safety Program regulations.

Qatar occupies an advanced position in the field of security and safety of civil aviation in the world, applying the highest international standards and international requirements, thanks to the directives of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the efforts of all sectors related to aviation industry in the State. Qatar recently opened a permanent office in the ICAO in Montreal, Canada in addition to winning membership in the Executive Council

of the Arab Civil Aviation Authority.

The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), since 2015, has been focusing on updating all existing regulations to enhance aviation safety and security standards in civil aviation. In order to achieve this, the Authority took important steps such as signing a Memorandum of Understanding with EASA. The Authority developed new regulations for the airlines on how to operate the air-craft, in addition to the regulations concerning training of pilots, and the procedures to be followed for the issuance of aviation licenses from the Authority. Also, Qatar,

represented by QCAA, signed a memorandum of cooperation with the SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research).

Since the blockade in June 2017, Qatar was able to overcome difficulties and its effects by finding alternatives to ensure the continuation of operations of Qatar Airways and operations to and from Hamad International Airport. Qatar worked on the preparation of a comprehensive tech-nical file supported by arguments and legal data necessary to the ICAO to demand the opening of air corridors over the blockade countries and the implementation of the transit agreement, which is guaranteed by Chicago Convention.

The technical aspect of the Qatari file culminated in ICAO’s decision to open seven air corridors over interna-tional waters in the Arabian Gulf, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman to aircraft registered in Qatar, which con-tributed to reducing distances, flight time, and ensured the flow of air traffic.

Qatar attaches great importance to the safety and security of airports by keeping pace with the scientific and technological development in order to provide efficient services. The strong growth in the aviation sector in Qatar is reflected in the air traffic services and the efficient use of airspace in the country.

The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, since 2015, has been focusing on updating all existing regulations to enhance aviation safety and security standards in civil aviation.

Rohingya refugees gathering at a market inside a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Solidarity rally in Gaza

11TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019 MIDDLE EAST

Iraq and Syria open border crossing closed since 2012AP/QAIM, IRAQ

Iraq and Syria yesterday opened a key border crossing between the two neighbouring countries, seven years after it was closed during Syria’s civil war and the battle against the Islamic State group.

The opening of the crossing linking the Iraqi town of Qaim and Syria’s Boukamal is expected to strengthen trade between the two Arab countries.

But it is also a boost to Iran’s influence in the region, allowing Iran-backed militias in Iraq easier access to eastern Syria at a time of soaring tensions in the region between Tehran and Washington following the collapse of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers. The area has been a point of friction between US-backed Kurdish fighters, and Syrian gov-ernment troops and their Iranian-backed allies.

In a symbolic gesture, Syrian Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Mohammed Khaled Rahmoun, accompanied by Syrian troops, crossed onto the Iraqi side of the border, where troops from both countries hugged and took selfies. Scores of Iraqis and Syrians who live in the border towns also attended the ceremony.

“The opening of this border crossing is the result of victories achieved by our people in Syria and Iraq against terrorist organ-isations,” Rahmoun said.

The Boukamal crossing was closed in 2012 as rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad seized large parts of eastern Syria.

Qaim and Boukamal were then controlled by the Islamic State group until 2017, when Syrian and Iraqi troops captured the towns from the extremists. The group’s territorial defeat was announced in Syria earlier this year.

Kadhim Mohammed, who represented Iraq’s prime min-ister at the ceremony, said the opening of the border “opens a

new page that represents reconstruction.”

The border brings further relief to Assad’s government after border crossings with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights manned by UN peace-keepers were reopened last year. After eight years of war, Assad - with strong backing from Russia and Iran - has recaptured most of the country from rebels, and there is growing support within the Arab League for Damascus’ readmission.

Iraqi authorities had set up tents for yesterday’s ceremony amid tight security, with troops deployed around the crossing. Despite their official defeat, IS sleeper cells are still blamed for deadly attacks on both sides of the border.

“The opening of Boukamal-Qaim crossing is a victory for Syrian and Iraqi friendship against takfiri terrorism,” read a banner placed on the Syrian side of the border, a reference to the extremist ideology of the IS. The group once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq where its leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi declared a so-called caliphate in 2014. The group lost its last sliver of land in eastern Syria in March.

Opening the borders,

People and media flood the Syrian side of the border-crossing between Albu Kamal in Syria and Al Qaim in Iraq, yesterday, after the reopening of the crossing.

however, could benefit Iran as it tries to secure a land route to the Mediterranean through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Tehran enjoys wide influence through its allies in all three countries.

Omar Abu Laila, a Europe-based Syrian activist from the eastern province of Deir Al Zour that borders Iraq, said that the opening of the crossing will not chiefly benefit residents of the region, but Iran and the militias allied with it.

“The opening of the crossing

will be a means for Iranians, Shia militia and Hezbollah to boost their activities,” he said. “The opening of the crossing is an Iranian defiance to America and the international community.”

Some 800 freight trucks are expected to cross from Syria once the crossing has been opened, Syria’s state news agency said.

Qaim was once a thriving stopover on the highway linking Damascus and Baghdad. Long before a hard border

materialised in the latter half of the 20th century, tribes sent their grooms and brides across the frontier to marry, extending the branches of their families on both sides.

The opening of the crossing was postponed several times in recent weeks. Earlier in Sep-tember, Syria blamed Israel for a nighttime airstrike on an arms depot and posts of Iranian-backed militias in Boukamal that opposition activist said killed at least 18 fighters.

Yemen’s Houthis unilaterally release hundreds of detainees

REUTERS/SANA’A

The Houthi group in control of Yemen’s capital released hundreds of prisoners yesterday in a unilateral move, which the United Nations hoped would help revive a stalled peace process after months of failed efforts to push through a prisoner swap.

Dozens of men in clean, new, white clothing walked out of the central prison in the capital Sana’a and lined up outside, supervised by men in military uniforms.

“Our initiative proves our credibility in implementing the Sweden agreement and we call on the other party to take a comparable step,” the head of the Houthis’ prisoner affairs committee, Abdul Qader Al Murtada, told reporters assembled for the release.

The Houthis said yesterday they were releasing “350 pris-oners and detainees” drawn from the list prepared for the deal. The International Com-mittee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which facilitated the release, said 290 Yemeni nationals were transferred from the Houthi-controlled capital Sana’a to their homes.

The Iran-aligned Houthis agreed in Sweden in December with Yemen government to swap prisoners as a confidence-building step. But the arrangement has been stalled as the sides struggled to agree on implementation. Each side was meant to release around 7,000 prisoners.

The Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyah, speaks during a solidarity rally organised by Palestinian Authority’s Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs in front of Red Crescent office in Gaza City, yesterday. Haniyah holds Israel responsible for the life of Palestinian prisoner Samer Al Arbid who was hospitalised due to the serious deterioration of his health condition while being interrogated by Israel.

In first, Iraq PM points finger at Israel on base attacksAFP BAGHDAD

Iraq’s premier has said for the first time that his government had “indications” Israel was behind some attacks on paramil-itary bases this summer, but stopped short of making an explicit accusation.

The Hashed Al Shaabi force has blamed the series of explo-sions at its bases and arms depots on Israel and the US, but the central government had so far

said it was still investigating. In a first, Prime Minister Adel

Abdel Mahdi told Al Jazeera tel-evision in an interview aired Monday that those investigations were nearing a conclusion.

“Some of the investigations carried out by Iraqi authorities provided important indications that Israel was behind some of these attacks,” he said, in excerpts of the interview.

Abdel Mahdi said he had even “heard from the Americans” that Israel was involved but that

his government still lacked “tan-gible evidence”.

The blasts at five Hashed bases have been a threat to Baghdad’s precarious balancing act between its two main allies, Washington and Tehran.

Top Hashed officials said the US was broadly “responsible” but specifically blamed Israeli drones for an August 25 strike that killed a Hashed fighter near Iraq’s western border with Syria.

The Pentagon has denied responsibility and said

it is cooperating with Iraq’s investigations, while Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement. The Iraqi gov-ernment had thus far said it was studying evidence of foreign involvement, and even last week Abdel Mahdi told reporters there was no conclusive proof.

But MP Ahmad al-Assadi said Friday that he and fellow parliamentarians were briefed on Israeli involvement by Faleh al-Fayyadh, the premier’s national security advisor and

head of the Hashed. “He told us that the investigative committees proved that at least three of the incidents were external attacks, including two by Israel,” he said.

Assadi, who is also a leading Hashed official, said he did not know why the government had not made those results public.

The Hashed was established in 2014 from mostly-Shia armed groups and volunteers to fight the Islamic State group, and is now formally part of Iraq’s armed forces. The US and Israel

fear some units are an extension of their arch-foe Iran and have been equipped with precision-guided missiles.

Israel has admitted to car-rying out hundreds of strikes on pro-Iran paramilitary units in neighbouring Syria, which added fuel to suspicions it was behind those in Iraq.

Last month, Iraq’s foreign ministry threatened to submit a complaint to the United Nations once the investigations were complete.

Top Iran general says destroying Israel ‘achievable goal’AFP/TEHRAN

The commander of Iran’s Revo-lutionary Guards said yesterday that destroying arch-rival Israel has become an “achievable goal” thanks to his country’s techno-logical advances.

“This sinister regime must be wiped off the map and this is no longer... a dream (but) it is an achievable goal,” Major General Hossein Salami said, quoted by the Guards’ Sepah news site.

Four decades on from Iran’s Islamic revolution, “we have managed to obtain the capacity

to destroy the imposter Zionist regime”, he said.

Salami’s comments, while not unusual for Iranian officials, come amid particularly heightened international ten-sions over Iran’s nuclear pro-gramme and a series of incidents that have raised fears of a con-frontation between Tehran and its other main regional rival, Riyadh.

The United States, which withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in 2018, has imposed a campaign of

“maximum pressure” -- with vocal support from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The comments by the com-mander of Iran’s ideological army were given prominent coverage by the Tasnim and Fars news agencies, close to ultra-conservative political factions.

The official Irna agency also carried his remarks, but placed more emphasis on his assertion that Iran was growing stronger and would finally beat its foes despite “hostility” towards it.

Turkey vows to take new steps on Syria zone without hesitationBLOOMBERG ANKARA

Turkey vowed yesterday to take further steps to protect its national security and create a buffer zone inside Syria by pushing back US-backed Kurdish forces to enable the return of Syrian refugees, according to a statement.

The statement came after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chaired a 3 1/2-hour security meeting that gathered the nation’s top brass and civilian leaders, his deadline for a threatened incursion into Syria that’s stri-dently opposed by the US

Overshadowing the National Security Council meeting were lingering tensions with Wash-ington, which has warned against a unilateral operation to retake border areas from an American-backed Kurdish force, regarded by Turkey as a threat to its territorial integrity.

Turkey “won’t hesitate to display necessary will to protect the national security,” the Council said in a statement, adding that the struggle against Kurdish and Islamic State “ter-rorists” will be doggedly main-tained at home and abroad. Turkey will take “further steps and strengthen the safe zone project to enable the return of Syrian refugees to their home as soon as possible.”

Erdogan has repeatedly called on the US to jointly expand a previously agreed upon security zone in Syria -- designed to be off-limits to

American-backed Kurdish YPG forces -- while threatening an incursion if he doesn’t get his way by month’s end. The Turkish pres-ident’s impatience only grew after he failed to nail down a meeting with President Donald Trump in New York last week.

Trump’s top Syrian envoy, James Jeffrey, said on Thursday that “any unilateral operation is not going to lead to an improvement in anyone’s security,” as it could derail the fight by Kurdish forces against Islamic State, a top priority for the US in Syria.

The YPG, which played a leading role in defeating Islamic State, has been at the heart of Turkey-US tensions. Turkey sees the fighters as a top threat given their link to the separatist PKK, an autonomy-seeking Kurdish group Turkey has battled for decades. It’s considered a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union. Russia Urges Syria Political Progress Despite Split With Turkey For Turkey to achieve its goal of a larger “safe zone” that extends over as much as half of its 900km border with Syria, the Kurdish militia need to be pushed farther south.

Erdogan wants to resettle some of the more than 3.6 million Syrians who fled their country’s civil war in the buffer area to alleviate the burden on Turkey’s economy and social tensions over hosting the world’s largest refugee population amid fears of a new wave fleeing from the northwestern province of Idlib.

The opening of the crossing linking the Iraqi town of Qaim and Syria’s Boukamal is expected to strengthen trade between the two Arab countries. But it is also a boost to Iran’s influence in the region.

Protest in Kenya

12 TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019AFRICA

Uganda bans wearing of red beret, the oppn trademarkAFP/KAMPALA

Uganda yesterday designated the red beret and tunic as official military clothing that could land civilians who wear them in jail, essentially banning the uniform of opposition leader Bobi Wine and his supporters.

The pop star turned leading opposition figure, who has announced he is running for president against longtime leader Yoweri Museveni in 2021, has made the red beret his signature, calling it a “symbol of resistance”.

However the beret, also worn by some soldiers, was included in Uganda’s first ever gazette of all military clothing, which states that any member of the public found in possession of the items “is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.”

“The dress code for the UPDF (Uganda People’s Defence Forces) has been gazetted. The action was endorsed by the top organs of the army which also commended the dress committee for concluding the task assigned to it years back,” army spokesman Richard Karemire said in a statement. “It manifests the commitment to define identity and outlook of a pro-fessional army as well as adhering to the EAC (East African Community) protocols,” he added.

Nigeria tech industry slams arrestsAFP/LAGOS

Nigeria’s tech industry yesterday slammed security agencies for the “illegal arrests” of web developers in the country, where author-ities often accuse them of being internet fraudsters.

Outrage erupted from the tech community and on social media in Africa’s most populous country over the weekend after Lagos-based software engineer Toni Astor said he was arrested, beaten and extorted for money by a notorious police unit.

Astor said officers from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) — a force widely accused of human rights abuses —assaulted him after discovering him with laptop and made him withdraw money from his accounts to pay them. “Policemen there said you’re the one spoiling the economy,” Astor wrote on Twitter.

The incident brought together some 30 companies, investors and media outlets in Nigeria’s budding tech industry to threaten a “class action lawsuit” under the banner #StopRobbingUs.

“SARS officers, Nigeria Police and all tactical units, targeting software engineers is a frequent occurrence in Lagos and this is the latest in a string of attacks,” they said in a statement.

Al Shabaab attacks US base, EU convoy in SomaliaAFP MOGADISHU

The Al Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility for an attack on a US base in Somalia yesterday, as the European Union confirmed a separate strike against a convoy of Italian advisers.

The militants struck the US base at Baledogle, about 110km northwest of the capital Mogadishu, with explosives before gunmen opened fire on the compound.

In a statement, Al Shabaab said: “In the early hours of Monday morning, an elite unit of soldiers... launched a daring raid on the US military base”.

“After breaching the perim-eters of the heavily fortified base, the Mujahideen (holy fighters) stormed the military complex, engaging the crusaders in an intense firefight.”

The Shabaab claimed they had killed dozens in the attack, however the US Mission to Somalia and a Somali military official said there were no casu-alties. “We already had the information about the attackers and simply repelled them before they reached our defence bar-riers. There was no casualty inflicted on our soldiers or on the US soldiers in the base,” the mil-itary official said on condition of anonymity.

Witnesses in the Baledogle area said that a heavy exchange

of gunfire after the initial explosion had ended.

“We cannot hear any fighting for some hours now but... the whole area around the base is being patrolled by American military helicopters,” said Abdullahi Osman, a witness.

The US Mission to Somalia denied Al-Shabaab fighters pen-etrated the camp’s defences, saying that Somali security forces repelled the attack.

“The security forces stopped this ultimately failed attack due to their alertness and swift response, not allowing the attackers to breach the outer defensive perimeters of the base,” the mission said in a statement. “We are thankful that there were no SNA (Somali National Army) casualties between the multiple attacks.”

Baledogle is a major launching site for US drone oper-ations against Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-linked group which con-trols large parts of Somalia, and the Islamic State in Somalia outfit. “Two heavy explosions

occurred, the first one bigger than the other. There was also a heavy exchange of gunfire after the blasts but we don’t know about the details,” Mohamed Adan, a Somali elder close to the scene of the attack, told AFP by phone.

In a separate incident on Monday, a security official said EU advisers training the Somali National Army were attacked by

a car bomb in Mogadishu. “There was a car bomb tar-

geting the EU military advisors along the industrial road. A vehicle loaded with explosives was rammed into one of the convoy vehicles,” said Omar Abikar, a Somali security officer.

A statement from the EU Training Mission in Somalia con-firmed the convoy had been “hit by an explosion” while returning

from the army headquarters. “No EUTM-S soldiers were

injured in the explosion. Two vehicles sustained damage,” read the statement.

The mission offers military advice and provides training to Somalia’s army, still propped up by some 20,000 African peace-keepers as the country recovers from decades of civil war and an Islamist insurgency. Italy’s

defence ministry confirmed that two armoured vehicles in an Italian convoy “were involved in an explosion,” adding that so far “there have been no conse-quences for Italian soldiers”.

SITE Intelligence, which monitors jihadist activities worldwide, said Al-Shabaab had claimed responsibility for both attacks. The US Africa Command, AFRICOM, said in a brief statement that it was “mon-itoring the situation. We are working to confirm details on the incident.” Baledogle is a Soviet-built base which, despite secrecy surrounding US operations in Somalia, has emerged as one of the bases from where they carry out their strikes.

US strikes in Somalia surged in April 2017, after President Donald Trump declared the south of the country an “area of active hostilities”. The rate of air strikes has risen sharply this year. In an April statement AFRICOM said it had killed more than 800 people in 110 air strikes in Somalia since April 2017.

Yesterday’s attacks are the latest in a long line of bombing and assaults claimed by Al Shabaab. The militants were driven out of Mogadishu by gov-ernment forces backed by 20,000 African Union peace-keepers in 2011. But they still carry out attacks including suicide bombings against gov-ernment and international targets.

Bystanders gather at the site of a suicide car bomb explosion which targeted a European Union vehicle convoy in Mogadishu, Somalia, yesterday. The Al Shabaab militant group also claimed responsibility for an attack on a US base in Somalia, as the European Union confirmed a separate strike against a convoy of Italian advisers.

Nigeria court remands opposition activist on treason chargeAFP/ABUJA

Nigeria’s high court yesterday ordered a former presidential candidate remanded in custody after he was charged with plotting treason over calls for a “revo-lution” in the West African nation.

Omoyele Sowore (pictured), a fierce critic of President Muhammadu Buhari, has been held since August by the Department of State Services (DSS) secret police after urging protests under the online banner “#RevolutionNow”.

Last week a judge in the capital Abuja ordered him released from detention but the

authorities ignored the ruling and kept him locked up.

Sowore, who runs news website Sahara Reporters, was officially charged at the hearing on Monday on seven counts,

including “treasonable felony”, “cyberstalking” the president and money laundering. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The judge set a bail hearing for Friday. Sowore, whose outlet regularly reports on official graft, had called for the protest campaign to demon-strate against misrule in Nigeria.

The authorities’ handling of this case has sparked criticism from rights activists and prom-inent Nigerians, including Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. Sowore came tenth at elections in February that saw Buhari claim a second term, but he sparked interest with his anti-establishment message.

IS claims attack on soldiers in northeast NigeriaREUTERS MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA

Militants in northeastern Nigeria killed at least nine people in an attack on Sunday, sources said yesterday.

It was the latest in a series of attacks in the northeast that has coincided with the Nigerian military’s implementation of a new strategy of withdrawing to “super camps” that the military says can be more easily defended against Islamist insurgents.

Some security experts have

expressed concerns that the areas vacated under the strategy announced by President Muhammadu Buhari in July are being filled by insurgents, leaving civilians vulnerable in a region that is grappling with a decade-long insurgency that has killed more than 30,000 people.

One military source and one resident in the town of Gubio, in Borno state, said the attack on the area began around 4:30 p.m. (1530 GMT) and lasted until 9 p.m. Yesterday, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the

attack via its Amaq news agency, saying it killed and wounded 18 Nigerian soldiers and took vehicles and weapons before fleeing. The group said the attack was carried out on Nigerian army barracks in Gubio where militants clashed with sol-diers before the insurgents withdrew from the town.

Two military spokesmen did not immediately respond to phone calls and text messages seeking comment.

The resident said that armed men were able to move freely

for more than three hours after overpowering soldiers, and that they left without challenge.

Residents and security experts have said Islamic State is exploiting the new Nigerian military strategy to recruit people in the area. Reuters earlier this month reported that militants claiming affiliation to Islamic State passed through Gubio in August during which a fighter led evening prayers. Many Gubio residents chose to stay rather than flee to a gov-ernment controlled city.

Morocco journalist gets one-year in jailAFP/RABAT

A Rabat court yesterday sentenced a Moroccan journalist to one year in jail for having had an “illegal abortion” and sexual relations outside marriage. Her gynaecologist was sentenced to two years and her Sudanese fiance one year in prison, while an anaesthetist was handed a one-year suspended sentence and a medical assistant eight months, also suspended.

Demonstrators holding signs against the Kenyan governments, which plans to allow transport of goods from the Mombasa port only by railway, during a protest in Mombasa, Kenya. yesterday.

Sudan PM meets Darfur rebel chiefAFP/PARIS

Sudan’s prime minister has met a senior Darfur rebel leader living in France, President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday, hailing an “essential step” for peace in the troubled east African nation.

“We facilitated talks that Prime Minister (Abdalla) Hamdok had yesterday with Abdel Wahid Nour, who is in our country,” Macron said at a press conference with Hamdok after talks in Paris.

“I think the step taken yesterday is an essential step,” he added. “The Sudanese deserve to finally live in peace and security.”

Hamdok said that his meeting with Nour, which he had expected to last 30 minutes, went on for nearly three hours and involved “very profound exchanges”.

“We discussed the roots of the Sudanese crisis and possibil-ities for a solution and... we are going to lay the first stones for this edifice of peace,” he said. Darfur fell into widespread conflict in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated government of Omar Al Bashir, who was toppled in April this year. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the years-long conflict in Darfur and more than two million displaced, according to the United Nations.

US air strike on IS in Libya kills 7BLOOMBERG/TRIPOLI

A US air strike killed seven suspected Islamic State members in southern Libya, where a breakdown in security allowed the extremists who once controlled parts of the country to regroup, according to Africa Command. The strike on Sunday was the fourth this month, it said, adding that a total of 43 militants had died in the attacks. The forces of eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar swept through the oil-rich southwest at the start of 2019, saying they wanted to restore security and fight terrorism. But the intervention set off a deadly ethnic war between the Tebu people and Arab tribes allied with Haftar’s Libyan National Army.

The Shabaab claimed they had killed dozens in the attack, however the US Mission to Somalia and a Somali military official said there were no casualties.

13TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019 ASIA

PM: Innovations willfuel India to become$5 trillion economyIANS CHENNAI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday said the foundation of the 21st century rests on the pillars of innovation, team work and technology which would fuel India to become a $5 trillion economy.

Dividing the people into two kinds — those who live and those who exist — Modi told the stu-dents to decide as to the kind they want to become and said education does not end at the convocation, but it is a con-tinuous process.

Speaking at the 56th Convo-cation function of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM), Modi said the foundation of the 21st century rests on three pillars - innovation, team work and technology.

He said, India is working toward becoming a $5 trillion economy and the innovation, aspiration and application of technology of the students will make this dream come true.

He also urged the students to remember their motherland and its need wherever they work and live. Modi told the young graduates that they are passing out at a time when the world is looking at India as the land of unique opportunities.

“During the US visit, I met many heads of states, business leaders, innovators, investors. In our discussions, there was one common thread. It was optimism about New India,” Modi said. He

said the Indian community has made a mark for itself world over in science, technology and innovation and many of them were former IIT students.

Citing many IIT graduates entering the civil services, Modi told the students that they are making the brand India stronger.

Recalling his visit to IIT Research Park earlier in the day, Modi said he saw start-ups in

electric mobility, Internet of Things, healthcare, artificial intelligence and they would create a unique Indian brand.

According to him, Indian innovation is a blend of eco-nomics and utility and urged the graduates to take up the toughest challenges and come up with solutions that are acceptable and workable. Modi said the chal-lenge for start-ups is finding a market for their products and the government’s Start-Up India programme will extend help.

He urged the students not to stop dreaming as that is the way to evolve. Modi also said the start-ups in India are powered by people from tier-2, 3 cities and rural India. Tamil Nadu Gov-ernor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minsiter K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Pan-neerselvam, were also present.

‘Stop using single-use plastics’CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi (pictured)yesterday said he was not against use of plastics but was against single-use plastics.

He was speaking to party members who had come to the Chennai airport to receive him. “I am not saying use of plastic should be stopped. What I said single-use plastics should be stopped,” Modi said. He said the message against single-use plastics should be taken to the people across the country during the padayatra to be undertaken as part of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is working toward becoming a $5 trillion economy and the innovation, aspiration and application of technology of students will make this dream come true.

Students wearing helmets make a formation depicting Mahatma Gandhi as they take part in an event to mark Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary at a school in Chennai, yesterday.

Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary marked

State Disaster Response Force personnel on boats travel along a flooded road of a residential neighbourhood of Bahadurpur following heavy rainfalls in Patna, in the Indian state of Bihar, yesterday.

BrahMos supersonic cruise missile test successfulIANS/NEW DELHI

India successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the coast of Odisha along the Bay of Bengal.

Defence officials said that the missile was launched from the Interim Test Range in Chan-dipur at 10.20am. Defence

Minister Rajnath Singh extended his congratulations to scientists of the Defence Research & Development Organization and BrahMos Aerospace following the successful testing of the weapon. Featuring an Indian propulsion system, airframe, power supply and other major indigenous components, the

missile was successfully test-fired for its full range of 290km.

A defence official said the indigenous content in the formi-dable weapon has reached a high value with the successful mission thus bolstering India’s defence indigenisation and the flagship ‘Make in India’ programme of the Central government.

MNS to contest assembly polls in MaharashtraIANS MUMBAI

In a significant political devel-opment, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) will contest the October 21 state Assembly elections, party Pres-ident Raj Thackeray announced here yesterday.

“We will contest the Assembly elections and shall also win. The candidates and the seats on which we shall contest will be announced in the next couple of days,” Thackeray said amidst thunderous applause at a meeting of the party leaders and office-bearers.

The cousin of ruling alliance member Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray and nephew of the late Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, 52, had quit the party in 2006 and formed the MNS the same year.

Though the exact number of seats the MNS will contest is not clear as yet, following a meeting in the MIG Club at Bandra yes-terday afternoon, party sources indicated that it may be around 125 seats.

It is also not known if the party will consider putting up a candidate in Worli, from where Raj Thackeray’s nephew Aditya Thackeray will contest his

maiden election. The party has kept mum so far on its possible pre-poll tie-ups with other parties or alliances, though party leaders claim they would win sufficient numbers to emerge as the ‘king-maker’ in case the other two major alliances fail to get the majority.

The MNS is likely to put up candidates mostly in urban centres like Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Nashik and Pune and the campaign will be kicked off with a public rally here on October 5.

In the meantime, after a marathon central election com-mittee meeting of the BJP that went on till late in the night, the saffron party has finalised its list of candidates for Maharashtra leaving just 124 of the total 288 seats for its ally Shiv Sena, say sources. A small amount of seats are left for smaller allies like Ramdas Athawale-led Repub-lican Party of India (RPI).

Though the wranglings between Sena and BJP are ironed out, the bone of con-tention remains — Sena’s demand for Deputy Chief Min-ister’s post. I With the MNS’ entry into the poll fray, the state elec-torate has a plateful of choices before them besides the two ruling and opposition fronts.

Rahul to visit WayanadIANS / THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Wayanad Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will pay a quick visit to his constituency on October 3 solely with the aim of expressing solidarity with the youth who are on an indefinite protest against the nine-hour traffic ban on the Bengaluru-Kozhikode stretch of the National Highway passing through the Bandipur reserve forest. The protest entered the sixth day with the protestors demanding the lifting of night traffic bans on NH stretch.

More than 110 dead in UP and Bihar due to heavy rainsREUTERS LUCKNOW/MUMBAI

Heavy rains have killed at least 113 people in India’s Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states over the past three days, officials said, as flood waters swamped a major city, inundated hospital wards and forced the evacuation of inmates from a jail.

India’s monsoon season that begins in June usually starts to retreat by early September, but heavy rains have continued across parts of the country this year, triggering floods.

An official said that at least 93 people had died in most pop-ulous Uttar Pradesh since Friday after its eastern areas were lashed by intense monsoon showers. Rising water levels forced authorities to shift 900

inmates from a prison in eastern Ballia district, police officer Santosh Verma said.

In Bihar, an impoverished agrarian region that was hit by floods earlier this year, the death toll from the latest bout of rain had reached 20 yesterday, a state government official said.

Bihar’s capital city of Patna, home to around 2 million, has been badly hit, with waist-deep flood waters across many streets, and entering homes, shops, and even the wards of a major hospital. In some parts, authorities deployed boats to rescue residents.

“The rains have stopped but there is waterlogging in many areas,” Bihar’s Additional Sec-retary in the Disaster Relief Department Amod Kumar Sharan said. India’s Meteoro-logical Department said the

intensity of rainfall over Bihar was likely to reduce. Showers in Uttar Pradesh are also expected to abate this week.

The weather department said monsoon rains in India were 10% above average in 2019 and the highest in 25 years as sea-sonal rainfall continued longer than expected.

Extra June-September monsoon rainfall will help farmers expand areas under winter-sown crops such as wheat, rice rapeseed and chick peas, improving their earning potential and helping revive tepid rural demand that has stung Indian economic growth.

Water levels in India’s main reservoirs were at 89% of their storage capacity as on Sep-tember 27 against 74% a year earlier, government data shows.

INX Media case: Chidambaram’s bail plea rejectedIANS NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court yesterday dismissed the bail petition filed by former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in the INX Media case.

Justice Suresh Kumar Kait dismissed the bail petition on the grounds that after being a member of the Bar and of

Parliament, “there is a chance that he may influence the wit-nesses”. However, the court observed that Chidambaram is not at flight risk and is not likely to tamper with the evidence.

Kait dismissed the plea after hearing the arguments from both the sides.

During the course of hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated, “We are at a stage where we have exposed our evidence

to him as we have confronted the accused and hence, the risk of tampering and influencing is much higher.”

He submitted: “Some people are in so powerful position that their mere presence can influence the witnesses.”

“To say that I am a respon-sible and respected citizen is not an argument altogether. Those who have fleeced the country are the ones who are respected and

responsible and having business empire and what not,” the Solicitor General observed.

Sibal opposed the claims of the prosecution and said that Chidambaram is not at flight risk, there is no evidence of him tam-pering with evidence.

“After spending 40 days in prison, he will flee? They have to justify each day of incarcer-ation. What is it that you cannot do outside jail but can do inside

it,” said Singhvi on behalf of Chidambaram.

Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram were named in the case by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, who are cur-rently in jail in Mumbai in con-nection with the murder of Indrani’s daughter Sheena Bora. The ED too had filed a money laundering case against Chidambaram in this regard in 2017.

21 pilgrimsdead in Gujarat bus crashAFP NEW DELHI

At least 21 people returning from offering prayers at a temple in India’s western state of Gujarat died after their bus overturned yesterday, police said, with heavy rains hindering rescuers.

Police said the bus, carrying 70 passengers returning from the temple town of Ambaji to their villages in Anand district, flipped when the driver tried to navigate a sharp curve on the road at high speed in wet con-ditions caused by the late monsoon season.

“There were about 70 pas-sengers on board the bus of which 21 have died,” local police superintendent Ajit Rajian said.

“Thirty-five others injured have been sent to Palanpur civil hospital. The rescue operations were hampered because of heavy rain coupled with gushing wind.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose home state is Gujarat, tweeted that he was “extremely pained” by the loss of lives.

14 TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019ASIA

Two presidential candidatesclaim win in Afghan pollsAFP KABUL

Afghanistan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah claimed victory yesterday over incumbent Ashraf Ghani in the weekend’s presidential election, far ahead of the release of any official results.

The move is likely to stir political tensions across Afghan-istan and brings to mind the election Abdullah and his top rival Ghani bitterly contested in 2014 that sparked a constitutional crisis and prompted US intervention.

“We have the most votes in this election,” Abdullah said at a news conference, without pro-viding evidence. “The results will be announced by the IEC (Inde-pendent Election Commission), but we have the most votes. The election is not going to go to a second round.”

Abdullah’s announcement came after one of Ghani’s running mates, Amrullah Saleh, on Sunday claimed to have garnered the lion’s share of votes.

“According to our infor-mation, 60 to 70 percent of the people have voted for our team,” Saleh told Voice of America’s

Dari- and Pashto-language services. The claims come even before the IEC has finished tal-lying turnout from Saturday’s election, with hundreds of polling centres still unreported.

Preliminary results are not due until October 19, and if the leading candidate doesn’t secure more than 50 percent of the vote the top two will run off in a second round.

Almost immediately, senior IEC official Habib Rahman Nang s l a m m e d A b d u l l a h ’ s announcement as premature.

“No candidate has the right to declare himself the winner,” Nang said. “According to the law, it is the IEC that decides who is the winner.”

Abdullah, who is seeking the presidency for the third time after losing in 2009 and 2014, said his team would “make the new gov-ernment”. Without giving details,

Abdullah also mentioned reports of “some government officials” meddling in the election process.

His remarks follow the release on social media of several videos purporting to show election workers stuffing ballots in favour of Ghani.

Shortly after Abdullah’s com-ments, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called on candidates to respect the elec-toral timeline.

“We expect that the candi-dates exercise restraint, await the official announcement of prelim-inary and final results by the (IEC) and submit any evidence-based complaints through the estab-lished institutional complaints mechanism,” she said in a statement.

The IEC’s complaints division head, Zuhra Bayan Shinwari, said the panel had so far received 2,569 complaints. Previous

Afghan presidential candidate and current chief executive officer, Abdullah Abdullah (centre), speaks during a press conference in Kabul, yesterday.

Afghan polls have been marred by widespread allegations of systemic fraud, so the stakes are high for the IEC, which has promised a clean process this year with rigorous steps to curtail cheating.

Commentators suggested the videos of apparent ballot stuffing could either have been made by rivals trying to discredit Ghani, or else produced as proof that the rigging had actually been carried out. But even if true,

the IEC insists it has ample safe-guards against such blatant fraud through new technology and voter verification tech-niques, particularly biometric devices designed to ensure each person only voted once.

“The management of election day was better than pre-vious elections and security was better,” said Ahmad Zubair Habibzada, a spokesman for the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan, an election

watchdog that dispatched about 5,200 observers across the country. Despite a large pool of candidates, the election was seen as a two-horse race between Abdullah and Ghani.

They both claimed victory in the 2014 poll — a vote so tainted by fraud and violence that it forced the administration of then-US president Barack Obama to push for a com-promise that saw Abdullah awarded the subordinate role.

Pakistan summons India’s top diplomat over shellingREUTERS ISLAMABAD/MUZAFFARABAD

Pakistan government yesterday summoned India’s top diplomat in the country over accusations of deadly shelling by India in its portion of the disputed region of Kashmir, as tensions run high between the nuclear-armed rival nations.

A 60-year old woman and 13-year old boy were killed and three wounded in shelling over the Line of Control (LOC), near the informal border with India, on Saturday and Sunday, Paki-stan’s foreign ministry said. “The

ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a stra-tegic miscalculation,” said Paki-stan’s foreign ministry statement, adding that its spokesman had summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia to condemn the incident.

A spokesman for India’s foreign ministry said it had no immediate comment on the matter. India and Pakistan both accuse each other of breaching a 2003 ceasefire agreement by shelling and firing over the LOC, killing dozens this year.

India has also accused

Pakistan of providing support for militants on its territory, a claim Pakistan denies.

The latest incident comes amid tension between the neigh-bours that escalated sharply fol-lowing New Delhi’s move to revoke the autonomy of its portion of Kashmir in August.

Pakistan expelled India’s ambassador and suspended bilateral trade soon after and launched an international diplomacy campaign in an attempt to draw global condem-nation of India’s treatment of Kashmiris. Pakistan Prime Min-ister Imran Khan made an

impassioned address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, saying there would be a bloodbath once India lifts a curfew and that any all-out con-flict between the nations would reverberate far beyond their borders. Both India and Pakistan control Kashmir in part while claiming it in full. India says its revocation of autonomy is an internal matter that will allow its portion of Kashmir to develop economically.

At home, Khan faced the risk that rising anger in his country’s portion of the disputed region

could spiral into a confrontation with India as calls gathered for Kashmiris to storm the LOC.

A spokesman for a Kashmiri separatist group said yesterday that it was planning a large march in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on October 4, followed by an attempt to cross the LOC, in which tens of thousands were expected to take part.

“If law enforcement agencies stopped us...we will stage a sit-in there because we are peaceful and unarmed people,” said Rafiq Dar, spokesman for the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).

Search on for two UK mountaineers trapped near peakANATOLIA ISLAMABAD

Pakistani authorities continued rescue operations yesterday to retrieve the two British moun-taineers trapped on a mountain slope in the northwest of the country.

“Two British nationals and two local guides were rescued on Sunday however, two British trekkers are still trapped in the area,” Sanaullah, a local police officer, told Anadolu Agency, referring to the mountaineers stuck near the Koyo Zom peak in the district of Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

One British climber was injured after having fell from a height, while another is reported to be safe with mil-itary rescue teams trying to extract them, he added.

Koyo Zom, the highest peak in the Hindu Raj range with a summit at over 6700 metres high, is located between the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges at the boundary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan provinces. According to officials, the four British climbers went missing on Sunday when they were trying to scale Koyo in the Upper Chitral area.

Later, the Pakistani army found and rescued the two British climbers, transporting them to medical facilities for treatment. The other two remain missing. “The rescue team is trying to retrieve the trapped mountaineers but hel-icopters couldn’t land due to bad weather,” Sanaullah said.

Sri Lankan presidential nominee faces nationality issueREUTERS COLOMBO

A court in Sri Lanka set up a three-judge panel yesterday to hear a petition challenging the citizenship of presi-dential nominee Gotabaya Rajapaksa, which could disqualify the hardline former defence chief from the November 16 vote if it succeeds.

Rajapaksa is widely seen as the election frontrunner because of his popularity among majority Sinhala Buddhists over his role in ending a 26-year civil war in 2009, ushering in a decade of relative peace until Easter Day bombings that killed 250 people.

“A person who is not a citizen of Sri Lanka is not qualified to be elected to the office of the president,” two rights activists said in the petition filed on Friday.

They argue that Rajapaksa did not properly obtain dual Sri Lankan citi-zenship in 2005, when he was a United States citizen. “The purported dual cit-izenship certificate is null and void,” they added.

Rajapaksa, 70, renounced Sri Lankan citizenship in 2003 to obtain US nationality, but returned to Sri Lanka two years later, applying for dual citizenship after his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa won the presidency.

Sri Lanka does not allow dual

citizens or non-citizens to contest national elections. A spokesman for Rajapaksa, Keheliya Rambukwella, denied the contention.

“Not only are the allegations com-pletely false, this is to create uncer-tainty and create panic among the general public about Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s candidature,” he said.

Named by the main opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party as its presidential candidate last month, Rajapaksa also faces uncer-tainty over a legal battle regarding mis-appropriation of funds.

Still, Rajapaksa’s popularity has grown in recent months, especially after it emerged that the government

had failed to act on repeated intelli-gence warnings from India ahead of the blasts, which were claimed by mil-itant group Islamic State.

Most Buddhist leaders, and some victims of the terror attacks, have since expressed their desire for the Rajapaksa family to return to power.

The activists who filed the petition, Gamini Viyangoda, an official of a cit-izens’ group and Chandraguptha Thenuwara, an artist and lecturer, have campaigned for democracy, good gov-ernance and rule of law.

In the 2015 presidential election, they backed the winner, Maithripala Sirisena, against Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa waves after he was nominated as a presidential candidate during the Sri Lanka People’s Front party convention in Colombo, Sri Lanka on August 11.

Pakistan invites former Indian PMto Kartarpur road inaugurationANATOLIA KARACHI

Pakistan yesterday invited India’s former premier to the inauguration of a key border crossing for Sikh pilgrims, while the two nuclear armed neigh-bours suffer inflamed tensions over New Delhi’s controversial Kashmir move last month.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said his country decided to invite Manmohan Singh “after con-sultations”, a move which is seen considered as a diplo-matic bid to isolate India’s nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I, as the foreign minister of Pakistan, invite Sardar (an hon-orific to all Sikhs) Manmohan Singh to attend the inauguration

ceremony of this (Kartarpur cor-ridor),” Qureshi said in a written statement.

Pakistan and India are set to open the Kartarpur border, which connects Pakistan’s northeastern Narowal city to India’s western Gurdaspur dis-trict, ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion.

The celebrations are set to be held in November in Pakistan.

Qureshi said a written invi-tation would also be sent to the two-time Indian premier.

Pakistan also invited the Sikh community from across the globe, including India to attend the celebrations marking the birth of Baba Guru Nanak.

Kartarpur Sahib Temple is one of the most revered temples for the Sikh community as Baba

Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life there.

The distance between the temple and Gurdaspur is merely 3 kilometers (2 miles) but the closure of this crossing costs Sikh pilgrims from India to travel hundreds of kilometers, via Amritsar and Lahore, to reach here.

Tensions between the two South Asian nuclear neighbors have mounted following the Indian government’s move on Aug. 5 to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir has been under a near-complete lockdown since then, with the government blocking communication access and imposing restrictions on movement to thwart any pro-tests in the region.

PM Imran Khan says Islamic TV channel will be like BBCINTERNEWS/ISLAMABAD

Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday shared a picture of his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in which the three leaders decided to set up a TV Channel to fight Islamophobia.

Taking to Twitter, the prime minister shed further light on the project saying the English language TV Channel will be like BBC which will highlight the issues faced by the Muslim world.

The decision to launch a TV channel was taken in a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of recent UN General Assembly session in New York. “President Erdogan, Prime Minister Mahathir and myself held a meeting today in which we decided our three countries will jointly start an English language TV channel dedicated to confronting challenges posed by Islamophobia and setting the record straight on our great religion Islam,” PM Imran had announced in a series of tweets last week.

“Misperceptions which bring people together against Islam would be corrected; issue of blasphemy would be properly contextualized; series and films would be produced on Muslim history to educate/inform our own people and the world; Muslims would be given a dedicated media presence,” he went on to say. PM Imran, President Erdogan and Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad have been very vocal about the issued the Muslims facing amid rising trend of Islam-ophobia across the world. They also raised this issue in their speeches at the UNGA.

Abdullah Abdullah, who is seeking the presidency for the third time after losing in 2009 and 2014, said his team would “make the new government”.Without giving details, he also mentioned reports of “some government officials” meddling in the election process.

15TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019 ASIA

Xi vows to uphold ‘one country, two systems’ in HKAFP BEIJING

Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed yesterday to uphold Hong Kong’s special status on the eve of a huge military parade in Beijing that risks being upstaged by more protests in the semi-autonomous city.

Some 15,000 soldiers will march across Tiananmen Square and the latest military tech-nology will be displayed as part of the 70th anniversary celebra-tions, a patriotic show of strength to demonstrate the country’s emergence as a global superpower.

But while Beijing is preparing for huge celebrations, pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong threaten to steal the spot-light, with authorities in the financial hub yesterday warning of increased violence by “rioters”.

Xi told a reception in Beijing yesterday night that China would “continue to fully and faithfully implement the principles of ‘one country, two systems’” in Hong Kong.

“We are confident that with the full backing of the moth-erland and the concerted efforts of our fellow Chinese in Hong Kong and Macau who love the motherland... (Hong Kong) will prosper and progress alongside the mainland,” Xi said.

The Chinese president is

expected to speak again today ahead of the parade at the Gate of Heavenly Peace — the same spot where Chairman Mao Zedong announced the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949.

After the military march a civilian parade will involve 100,000 civilians and 70 floats, with organisers releasing 70,000 doves and 70,000 balloons before an evening performance and fireworks in Tiananmen.

The capital city was decked in red Chinese flags, flower dis-plays, lanterns and political slogans ahead of the tightly-cho-reographed festivities.

The final seating stands were pulled into place in Tiananmen yesterday, with the whole square and central Beijing set to be closed off by evening.

Some roads were already closed on Sunday.

State broadcaster CCTV played patriotic shows throughout yesterday and showed images of celebrating citizens, including ethnic

minorities in traditional dress waving Chinese flags.

Xi paid tribute to Mao’s embalmed body at the late leader’s mausoleum at Tiananmen Square.

But the city’s pollution levels remained high — uncharacter-istic ahead of a key event in China when authorities tend to close factories and produce clear

skies. The protests in Hong Kong today will be “very, very dan-gerous” Superintendent John Tse said, adding intelligence col-lected by the force suggested hardcore protesters were advo-cating “murdering” police, without elaborating where the information came from.

Shortly afterwards a group of protesters, their faces

obscured by masks and yellow hard hats, held an impromptu press conference in a park and called on people to hit the streets today.

“In the face of tyranny, we can only fight as if our last battle. When dictatorship is a fact, rev-olution becomes a duty,” one protester said, reading from a statement.

China’s President Xi Jinping (right) and China’s Premier Li Keqiang (left) walk during a wreath-laying ceremony marking Martyrs’ Day at Tiananmen Square, in Beijing yesterday.

Indonesia expects rainy season to help end forest firesREUTERS JAKARTA

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said it expects forest fires that have been raging through parts of Sumatra island and in Kalimantan on the Indo-nesian portion of Borneo island will end soon with the arrival of the rainy season.

Indonesia has spent months battling forest fires, often caused by slash-and-burn farming prac-tices, as an El Nino weather pattern intensifies the annual dry season and fires create a choking haze across the region.

“Referring to a report com-piled based on the latest satellite imagery and direct observations in the field, it can be concluded that the 2019 forest fires episode will soon be over,” BNPB spokesman Agus Wibowo said in a statement.

Indonesia’s weather agency said, based on satellite imagery, the number of hot spots had declined by 78% in the Sep-tember 26-28 period.

Indonesia has deployed

more than 29,000 personnel to fight fires and dozens of aircraft to conduct water bombing and cloud-seeding efforts to trigger rain.

Rain has fallen in areas such as Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra, as well as in Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island, the BNPB said.

The weather agency said it

would maintain cloud-seeding procedures in both Sumatra and Kalimantan to optimise the potential for rain.

The BNPB said more than 320,000 hectares (790,000 acres) of forest had been burned from January to August this year, in what is seen as the worst such damage to forests since 2015.

Smoke billows from forest fires next to palm oil plantation in Kapuas regency near Palangka Raya, in Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia, yesterday.

Japan lists Fukushimaradiation levels onS Korea embassy siteAFP TOKYO

Japan’s embassy in South Korea has begun posting the daily radi-ation levels of Fukushima and Seoul after new questions about the lingering effects of the 2011 nuclear disaster.

The embassy website said the information reflects that “interest in radiation levels in Japan has recently been increasing, particularly in South Korea”.

The move comes amid worsening ties between Japan and South Korea over a long-running disagreement about Japanese use of forced labour in South Korea during World War II.

The two countries have taken retaliatory trade measures against each other, and South Korea has tightened radiation checks on Japanese food imports.

The readings show levels in three Japanese cities are almost the same as in major cities outside of Japan, including

Seoul, the embassy says. “The Japanese government hopes the South Korean people’s under-standing about Japan’s radiation levels will deepen as we con-tinue to provide accurate infor-mation based on scientific evi-dence and explain it fully with clarity,” it says in Japanese and Korean on the site.

Questions have also been raised about the safety of the Olympics being held in Tokyo next year, with some South Korean lawmakers pushing for a boycott and travel ban over what they portray as radiation risks from Fukushima.

A 9.0-magnitude earth-quake in March 2011 triggered a massive tsunami that knocked out cooling systems at the Fuku-shima Daiichi atomic power plant on the Pacific coast in the nation’s northeast.

The plant spewed radio-active materials into the air, soil and water in the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986. Fukushima City will host baseball and softball games during the Olympics.

Indonesian students continue protestsUniversity students march to Indonesian Parliament building during a protest in Jakarta yesterday. The students have been protesting for several days against a new law they say has crippled the country’s anti-corruption agency.

Lawyers appealacquittal in Tepco caseAFP TOKYO

Japanese lawyers yesterday appealed a ruling clearing three energy firm bosses of profes-sional negligence in the only criminal trial stemming from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown, a court official said.

The three men were senior officials at Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, and had faced up to five years in prison if convicted.

The men — Tsunehisa Kat-sumata, 79, Sakae Muto, 69, and Ichiro Takekuro, 73 — were accused of professional negli-gence resulting in death and injury for failing to act on infor-mation about the risks from a major tsunami, but they argued the data available to them at the time was unreliable. “The lawyers filed an appeal today,” a Tokyo District Court spokes-woman said yesterday.

Factory fire in eastern China leaves 19 deadAFP BEIJING

A factory fire has killed 19 people in east China, local authorities said yesterday, in the latest deadly incident to hit the country’s industrial sector.

The fire broke out on Sunday at a factory in Ninghai county, eastern Zhejiang province, said the local gov-ernment on its official Twitter-like Weibo account.

The incident, which is under investigation, occurred at a facility owned by the Ruiqi Daily Necessities Company.

Among eight people rescued from the fire, three were injured and sent to hos-pital for medical treatment, said Ninghai authorities.

On Saturday, a packed bus collided with a truck in eastern Jiangsu province, killing 36 people.

Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced.

In March, a blast at a chemical plant in eastern Jiangsu province killed 78 people and injured hundreds.

Four months later in July, a huge explosion left 15 dead at a gas plant in central China.

Last November, a truck car-rying combustible chemicals exploded at the entrance of a chemical factory in Zhangjiakou, killing 23 people and injuring 22 others.

1MDB case in Malaysia to be moved to higher courtBLOOMBERG / KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysia is seeking to move the 1MDB-linked case against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to a higher court.

Authorities will apply to transfer the case to the High Court, from a magistrate court currently, on October 22, pros-ecutor Aaron Paul Chelliah said yesterday. The order came from the Attorney-General ’s Chambers, which didn’t specify its reasons, he said, adding that such a move is usually due to the seriousness of the case.

Units of the US bank face criminal charges of misleading investors when arranging $6.5bn of bond sales for state fund 1MDB while allegedly knowing that the funds would be misused. Malaysia is seeking fines in excess of the $2.7bn allegedly misappropriated and the return of $600m that Goldman made

from the bond deal.The case involves Goldman

Sachs (Asia) LLC, Goldman Sachs International (UK) and Goldman Sachs (Singapore).

The case has progressed slowly as Malaysia had struggled to serve criminal charges against the US bank’s units overseas. Prosecutors said in June that they had completed serving the charges, while Goldman said the charges were incomplete.

In a separate case, Malaysia has announced charges against 17 current and former Goldman executives around the world. They were directors of the three Goldman units involved in the bond sales.

Goldman is seeking to resolve its entanglement with the 1MDB scandal and “get the Malaysian people the money that they deserve,” the bank’s Pres-ident and Chief Operating Officer John Waldron said last week.

US man jailed over Singapore HIV data leakAFP SINGAPORE

An American man who leaked confidential details of thou-sands of HIV-positive people in Singapore, most of them foreigners, has been jailed in the United States for two years.

Mikhy Farrera Brochez was convicted by a Kentucky court in June for trying to extort the Singapore government using the stolen data.

The 34-year-old had obtained the data from his partner, a senior Singaporean doctor who also helped Brochez conceal his HIV-positive status to get a work permit for the city-state.

Brochez was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison on Friday, said a statement from the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Kentucky.

The President said China would “continue to fully and faithfully implement the principles of ‘one country, two systems’” in Hong Kong.

16 TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019EUROPE

MEPs disqualify two candidates for new EU CommissionAFP BRUSSELS

European lawmakers vetting candidates to form the new European Commission declared yesterday two of the 26 are unfit to take office, due to conflicts of interest.

The nominees put forward by Hungary and Romania were rejected by the European Parlia-ment’s legal affairs committee just ahead of confirmation hearings for the team picked by incoming Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

A German member of the committee, Tiemo Woelken, tweeted that members had decided that Romania’s Rovana Plumb and Hungary’s Laszlo Trocsanyi are “unfit to become commissioners.”

French member Manon

Aubry told journalists that a vote yesterday confirmed the com-mittee’s finding last week that the two commissioners “cannot take office because of conflicts of interest”.

The decision weakens von der Leyen’s hand as the European Parliament holds con-firmation hearings for the remaining commissioner

candidates from yesterday, running to October 8.

It also obliges Hungary and Romania to put forward new candidates.

Most of the rest of the team chosen by von der Leyen — who is already confirmed — are expected to get through the grilling, forming a near gender-balanced executive drawn from across the European bloc’s member states.

But the legal affairs com-mittee pre-empted the wider parliament’s hearings by using a new power to scrutinise candidates.

Trocsanyi, meant to take charge of EU enlargement issues, was tripped up over government contracts awarded to his law firm.

But Hungarian Prime Min-ister Viktor Orban claimed the

only “sin” of Trocsanyi — his former justice minister — was helping “to stop migration”.

Plumb, a former Romanian labour minister, was stymied over two problematic loans that raised suspicions of corruption.

Both candidates were effec-tively suspended from the con-firmation process as a result.

Hungary and Romania both initially stood by their candi-dates, but have said they have no lack of replacement names if necessary.

A spokeswoman for the European Commission said that von der Leyen would decide whether or not to ask for new nominees after she is officially informed by the parliamentary speaker of the committee’s decision.

Some of the other designated commissioners also have clouds

hanging over them. But, while they were likely to have uncom-fortable questions thrown at them in the public hearings, they were seen as being under less pressure.

The EU’s anti-fraud office OLAF declined to recommend charges against Poland’s can-didate commissioner, Janusz Wojciechowski, after he reim-bursed $12,300 for travel expenses improperly claimed while he was an MEP.

A similar OLAF probe into France’s Sylvie Goulard remains open, but she too has already paid back 45,000 euros.

Belgium’s Didier Reynders had a corruption probe against him set aside on Friday, while Spain’s Josep Borrell — named to become the EU’s foreign policy chief — was fined 30,000 euros last year for insider trading.

The European Parliamentary hearings were expected to also touch on a controversy von der Leyen created by giving the title of “Protecting our European Way of Life” to the commissioner in charge of migration.

Three commissioners-des-ignate were set to appear for hearings: Slovakia’s Maros Sefkovic, to handle interinstitu-tional relations; Ireland’s Phil Hogan, for trade; and Bulgaria’s Mariya Gabriel, for innovation and youth.

The hearings end with von der Leyen’s three executive vice-presidents being quizzed.

Britain is the one EU member state without a future commis-sioner in the mix as its gov-ernment is intent on it leaving the bloc on October 31, the day before the new European Com-mission takes office.

Spain PM says he is the ‘stable’ option as vote loomsAFP MADRID

Spain’s Socialist Premier, Pedro Sanchez yesterday offered himself as the only candidate who could guarantee “stability” as the country heads into its fourth elections in as many years.

Although his Socialists won the last election in April, they fell short of an absolute majority and Sanchez was unable to find the support necessary to be con-firmed as prime minister.

“We are the only political force that can offer stability, a sense of statehood and a clear roadmap,” he said in launching his campaign.

“There is no time to waste through complaining, playing games or casting blame,” said Sanchez, whose rivals have accused him of wanting new elections all along in order to strengthen his party’s majority.

Sanchez has blamed parties on both the far left and the right for the failure to reach a deal that would allow him to win a con-fidence vote and break the political deadlock.

Polls suggest the Socialists are on track for another victory but like last time, they would lack an absolute majority, forcing them to seek alliances to allow Sanchez to govern.

Parties on the left are heading into the election more

divided than ever after the former number two of Podemos said he would fight the election.

Inigo Errejon will contest the vote with a new list called Mas Pais, running in direct compe-tition with his former close friend Pablo Iglesias who heads Podemos.

Spain has been gripped by political instability since the tra-ditional two-party system col-lapsed in the December 2015 election with the emergence of Podemos and business-friendly Ciudadanos.

April’s election also brought another divisive element into the political spectrum with far-right upstart Vox entering parliament.

Spanish acting Prime Minister and Socialist Party PSOE’ Secretary-General, Pedro Sanchez, arrives to present the party’s electoral platform for the November 10 general elections, in Madrid, yesterday.

Far-right ‘terror’ group in dock in Germany over attack plotAFP BERLIN

The trial of a neo-Nazi “terrorist” cell accused of plotting a violent political uprising in Germany opened yesterday amid reports the country’s far-right scene is growing more armed and radical.

Eight members of the so-called Revolution Chemnitz group aged between 21 and 32 are answering to charges of “forming a right-wing terrorist organisation”.

The suspects are accused of “coming together to achieve their political goals — to shake the foundations of the state —with serious violent acts”, a spokeswoman for the superior regional court said.

They allegedly sought to carry out “violent attacks and armed assaults” against immi-grants, political “opponents”, reporters and members of the economic establishment.

Authorities believe the group’s members were trying to acquire semi-automatic weapons for a potential bloodbath last year in Berlin on October 3, Germany’s National Unity Day.

“This is one of the most important trials to date dealing with far-right terrorism,” chief federal prosecutor Peter Frank said.

Security agencies hope the trial, which is set to last until at least April 2020 and hear around 75 witnesses, will reveal what

exactly was being plotted and the scope of the network.

Almost a year to the day after most of the suspects’ arrest in coordinated raids, the pro-ceedings are taking place under tight security in Dresden, the capital of Saxony state, a stronghold of the extreme right.

Resentment runs deep in the region over Merkel’s liberal refugee policy that led to the arrival of more than a million asylum seekers to Germany since 2015.

The anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim Alternative for Germany (AfD) party scored 27.5 percent in a state election earlier this month, just shy of the 32 percent garnered by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives.

French member Manon Aubry said that a vote yesterday confirmed the committee’s finding last week that the two commissioners “cannot take office because of conflicts of interest”.

Greece to step up migrant transfers after Lesbos clashesREUTERS LESBOS

Greece will keep moving asylum seekers from overcrowded camps on its islands to the mainland, government officials said yesterday, after a woman died following clashes and a fire at a refugee camp on the island of Lesbos.

The violent clashes began at the Moria refugee camp on Sunday after a fire broke out inside a shipping container, one of the means Greek authorities use to house refugees. At least 17 people were hurt.

The migrant camp, the coun-try’s biggest, is operating at almost four times its capacity.

The charred remains of a woman were taken to hospital, the health ministry said in a statement.

Reports of a second victim remained unconfirmed, officials said, adding that the cause of the

fire was under investigation. Deputy Citizen Protection

Minister Lefteris Economou told reporters that 250 people would be transferred from Moria to the mainland by the end of Monday.

The issue would be discussed during a cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister, a gov-ernment official said.

About 12,000 migrants and refugees are holed up in Moria camp, a collection of tents and shipping containers, according to data released by the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

The government aims to move at least 3,000 people from its islands to the mainland by the end of October, the official said.

Moving asylum seekers from island camps to the mainland is not a new policy.

It was announced by the conservative government last month as part of measures intended to deal with a resur-gence in refugee and migrant

flows from neighbouring Turkey.More than 9,000 people

arrived in Greece in August, the highest number in the three years since the European Union and Ankara implemented a deal

to shut off the Aegean migrant route. More than 8,000 people have arrived in September, according to the UNHCR.

Nearly a million refugees, many of them fleeing war in

Syria, crossed from Turkey to Greece’s eastern Aegean islands in 2015.

Human rights groups have long criticised the poor condi-tions at the refugee camps.

Police officers, refugees and migrants gather around burnt containers at Moria camp on the island of Lesbos, yesterday.

Death of former Danske Bank executive ruled suicideAFP TALLINN

The former head of the Estonian branch of Denmark’s scandal-plagued Danske Bank committed suicide, police and prosecutors said yesterday.

Police found the body of Aivar Rehe, 56, in his yard last Wednesday, two days after he had gone missing.

Rehe was the head of Danske Bank’s Estonian branch from 2008 to 2015, two years before it found itself at the centre of a massive money-laundering scandal.

The bank is under investi-gation in Estonia, Denmark, the US, Britain and France, accused of helping launder about $230bn, primarily by Russians, through its

branch in Estonia between 2007 and 2015.

“Police and prosecutors confirm that all evidence and information at our disposal points directly to suicide,” the prosecutor general’s office said, adding that a forensic doctor drew the same conclusion.

Rehe was not considered a suspect in the investigation. But Estonian police detained 10 other former employees of the bank last year and went on to charge them all with money-laundering.

Earlier this year, Rehe had said he thought the anti-money laundering measures taken by Dansk Bank had been sufficient at the time, but that he never-theless felt responsible for what had happened.

One boy dead, many injured as strong winds hit Central EuropeAFP BRATISLAVA

One boy was killed and several of his schoolmates injured when strong winds uprooted a tree near Bratislava, police said, as Slovakia and its Central European neighbours issued weather warnings.“Strong wind caused a tree to fall on primary school pupils on a sidewalk in Nitra. A 14-year-old boy died on the spot,” Slovak police said on their Facebook page, adding that “several others” were injured, one seriously.

Slovak authorities issued wind warnings for the whole country, including a hurricane-force alert for the northern High Tatras mountain region where wind speeds could reach 135 kph.

Authorities in the neigh-bouring Czech Republic and Poland have also issued wind warnings. Howling winds caused power outages for some 30,000 households in the Czech Republic yesterday.

Falling trees hampered rail traffic across the country, while a driver escaped with injuries after a tree fell on his truck.

In Germany, long-distance lines from Berlin to Hamburg and Hannover, and to Stralsund in the country’s northeastern corner, were among those closed yesterday morning and then reopened. In southern Germany, a fallen tree forced the closure of the Nuremberg-Augsburg line.

Two people were injured in Poland when their vehicle crashed into a trailer buffeted by winds, local media reported.

Winds also brought down power lines in Poland, affecting thousands of households.

17TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019 EUROPE / AMERICAS 17TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019 EUROPE / AMERICAS

Queen sought advice on ousting Johnson: ReportANATOLIA LONDON

The British queen received advice on how to sack a prime minister from government before last week’s Supreme Court decision that Boris John-son’s prorogation of parliament was “unlawful”, according to local reports.

A report by the daily i said the Queen Elizabeth II (pictured) asked her aides about clarifi-cation on when and how she could dismiss a prime minister who refused to step aside. The daily’s report was based on infor-mation from an unnamed source.

According to the report, Johnson phoned the monarch following a Supreme Court decision, which declared the five-week prorogation of the parliament null and void, to per-sonally apologise to her for advising her to suspend the legislature.

“One well-placed source told me the Queen had, for the first time in her reign, sought advice on sacking a prime minister before the Supreme Court verdict,” the i report by Ian Birrell claimed.

It is a quirk of the British constitution that the Queen retains a number of personal dis-cretionary powers, which

include the right to appoint the prime minister and other min-isters, according to the report.

A House of Commons select committee established in 2003 that these powers also include a right for the sovereign in a “grave constitutional crisis” to act contrary to, or even without, ministerial advice, the i also reported.

The Buckingham Palace is quoted to have said it did not

comment on rumours. The political conundrum in

Britain continues around the controversial Brexit issue as opposition parties have already agreed to act against a total exit from the EU with no deal.

Led by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, the opposition are reported to be exploring the idea of setting up an interim gov-ernment in case they win a pro-posed no confidence vote against Johnson.

If Johnson loses such a vote and is unlikely to receive confi-dence in two weeks, he will have to step aside and the Queen can ask any MP who could provide a majority of votes in the House to form a new interim gov-ernment until the next election.

Johnson has said he would not ask for another extension from the bloc, despite a law which blocks a no-deal Brexit and requires the prime minister to request for such an extension if a deal can not be reached with the bloc by October 19.

Britain is set to leave the EU on October 31 and prospects of a deal are fading as EU officials say they have not received new workable plans to replace the Irish backstop clause, which has been the most problematic part of the deal reached by previous premier Theresa May.

According to the report, Johnson phoned the monarch following a Supreme Court decision to personally apologize to her for advising her to suspend the legislature.

Zelenskiy: We can’t be ordered to investigate Biden AP KIEV

Ukraine’s President said his country can’t be pressured into opening an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden or his son.

And both Ukraine and rival Russia are pushing back at the White House for releasing a tran-script of a private phone call between US President Donald Trump and another world leader.

President Volodymyr Zel-enskiy is trying to contain damage at home and abroad

after the world learned last week that Trump pushed him to “look into” Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a troubled Ukrainian gas company.

“We cannot be ordered to do anything. We are an independent country,” Zelenskiy told reporters yesterday during a visit to a Ukrainian military base, when asked about Trump’s request.

“We are open, we are ready to investigate, but it has nothing to do with me. Our independent law enforcement agencies are ready to investigate any viola-tions of the law,” he said. He

didn’t elaborate on what could trigger an eventual probe.

The Ukrainian president reit-erated his criticism of the White House decision to release a rough transcript of the July phone call in which Trump dis-cussed the Bidens with Zelenskiy. The call sparked a Congressional impeachment inquiry now dom-inating US political landscape.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine would probably not release its own transcript of the call, because “there are certain nuances and things that I think would be wrong to publish.”

The Kremlin — accused of meddling in the 2016 US election in Trump’s favour — appears to agree.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said yes-terday that transcripts of calls between him and Trump can only be published by mutual accord. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “diplomatic practice doesn’t envisage such publications.”

The political furor over the Trump-Zelenskiy call has come as a severe test for Zelenskiy, a comedian who promised to

uproot Ukraine’s endemic cor-ruption and end fighting with Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine’s east. The transcript portrays Zelenskiy as flattering Trump and trying to stay in his good graces.

A top Ukrainian presidential adviser, Andriy Yermak, insisted that Ukraine wants to maintain good relations with both Demo-crats and Republicans, and doesn’t want to get tangled up in US political tensions. “What is hap-pening there is internal US political doings, and we will not take part in this in any way,” he said.

Bolton rejects Trump’s claims of success on North Korea nukesBLOOMBERG WASHINGTON

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton said the US can’t “simply pretend” North Korea is making progress toward denuclearising and said Kim Jong-Un will never give up his nuclear stockpile without more pressure.

Defying key claims by Donald Trump and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Bolton said in his first public remarks since leaving the White House that Kim will keep pressing for sanctions relief while holding on to his nuclear program, leaving the US in a position of having to weigh military force against Pyongyang.

“It seems to me clear that the DPRK has not made a strategic decision to give up its nuclear weapons,” Bolton said yesterday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Wash-ington, using an acronym for North Korea. “The strategic decision that Kim Jong-Un is operating through is that he will do whatever he can to keep a deliverable nuclear weapons capability and to develop and enhance it further.”

Bolton was unexpectedly dismissed from the White House earlier this month, prompting yet another overhaul of the National Security Council and leaving Pompeo as Trump’s

most powerful adviser on foreign policy issues. Bolton wouldn’t comment on Trump’s “bromance diplomacy” with Kim but said international sanctions the US helped impose on North Korea in 2017 aren’t being effec-tively enforced. The famously hawkish Bolton warned that military options need to be part of the mix when dealing with the North Korea regime.

While some analysts view the use of military force as “unimaginable” because of the damage it would wreak on Seoul and the rest of South Korea, Bolton acknowledged, he quoted General Joseph Dunford, the recently departed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as saying that allowing a North Korean nuclear weapon to land in Denver, Colorado, was what he viewed as unimaginable.

“I think General Dunford was completely correct,” Bolton said.

“One reason — one very good, very troubling reason —why there’s no more testing of nuclear weapons for the moment, or of long-range mis-siles, is that North Korea has in its judgment, for well or ill, fin-ished testing and can produce nuclear warheads and long-range ballistic missiles,” Bolton said.

“That’s not an encouraging sign, that’s a sign to be worried about.”

Russia court quashes jail sentence for actorREUTERS MOSCOW

A Russian court yesterday quashed the jail sentence of an aspiring actor whose conviction for injuring a police officer on the sidelines of an opposition protest triggered a public outcry over alleged police brutality and judicial injustice.

Footage of Pavel Ustinov’s arrest on August 3 showed four national guardsmen in riot gear suddenly grabbing him while he was scrolling through his mobile phone in the street, apparently

minding his own business.Ustinov denied wrongdoing.

But a Moscow court earlier this month sentenced him to three and a half years in prison after finding him guilty of hurting one of the guardsman, who fell over in the melee.

A Moscow court yesterday quashed his jail sentence however, and gave him a one-year suspended sentence instead, a rare reversal by the Russian judicial system.

A public prosecutor had earlier told the court that while he still thought Ustinov was

guilty he didn’t believed he deserved a custodia l sentence.

Other people sentenced in connection with the protests remain behind bars, and Usti-nov’s case is seen by some oppo-sition activists as a way of de-escalating tensions with Kremlin critics while avoiding making bigger concessions.

His case became the focus of public anger, with Russian celeb-rities, including those who work on Kremlin-backed state TV, taking to social media to demand Ustinov be freed.

Actor Pavel Ustinov arrives for a court hearing in Moscow, yesterday.

Southeast Texasman charged withshooting roommatesAP BEAUMONT

Authorities said a Southeast Texas man has been charged in the fatal shooting of his four roommates during an argument.

Beaumont police said that a 22-year-old Lively James Stratton of Beaumont was being held yesterday on four murder counts. Bond was $4m.

According to officer Carol Riley, Sunday’s attack involved an ongoing disturbance.

Riley had no immediate details on the dispute at the res-idence with individual rented rooms, plus a shared living area and bathroom.

An officer on patrol heard gunfire. Police found 23-year-old Alvin Lee Bellard and 23-year-old Shannon Sutton dead at the scene.

Police said 39-year-old Bobby Wyatt and 33-year-old Elijah Rideau (REE’-doh) died at a hospital.

The officer added that one victim identified Stratton before dying.

World leaders pay final tribute to ChiracAFP PARIS

Dozens of world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, yesterday paid their final respects to ex-pres-ident Jacques Chirac as France held a national day of mourning for the popular former head of state.Putin, former US president Bill Clinton and other dignitaries joined President Emmanuel Macron for a funeral service at Saint-Sulpice church in Paris

Chirac’s death on Thursday aged 86 prompted a flood of tributes to the centre-right pol-itician whose career spanned four decades, capped by 12 years as president from 1995 to 2007.

Speaking to reporters after a commemorative lunch at the Elysee Palace, Clinton recalled Chirac as “always upbeat, always positive, always very French, very protective of French interests but in a way that brought people together not drove them apart.”

As Nato allies, the US and

France had “made it possible to end the Balkan wars”, he said, adding “I’ll miss Chirac, I liked him and I’ll miss him.”

Chirac’s coffin, draped in a French flag, was carried into the church by his former body-guards, to applause from around 1,000 onlookers lining the square outside.

After the hour-long service he was taken to Montparnasse cemetery and buried next to his eldest daughter Laurence, who died in 2016 aged 58 from anorexia.

Officials wait by the hearse of late French president Jacques Chirac after his final service at Saint Sulpice church, in Paris, yesterday.

Mexico closes notorious prisonAP MEXICO CITY

The Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon has closed one of the country’s most notorious prisons.

Gov Jaime Rodríguez said a park and state archives will replace the Topo Chico prison. In February 2016, 49 prisoners died in rioting at the lockup when two factions of the Zetas cartel clashed.

Inside, authorities found luxury cells with saunas, air conditioning, refrigerators, aquariums, a bar and food stands.

Rodríguez said yesterday that successive state adminis-trations had failed to act despite knowing the prison was over-populated and out of control.

On Sunday, Rodriguez was on hand to observe the trans-portation of the final group of prisoners.

18 TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019AMERICAS

Trump seeks treason inquiry into House impeachment leaderBLOOMBERG WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump called for the Democrat leading the House impeachment inquiry to be questioned for treason and demanded to meet the anon-ymous whistle-blower who lodged a complaint about the US leader’s request that Ukraine investigates his political oppo-nents.

The series of Twitter posts on Sunday night is his latest attack on the whistle-blower who raised concern over his controversial July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy now at the heart of an impeachment inquiry, and they’re likely to prompt new questions about whether Trump is violating protections in place for gov-ernment employees seeking to expose unethical behavior.

Trump went on to say he wants the identities of individuals who provided information cited in the whistle-blower report.

The whistle-blower is under federal protection out of fear for his or her safety, CBS News said,

citing a letter it obtained. The per-son’s lawyers sent a letter to Joseph Maguire, the acting Director of National Intelligence, thanking him for activating “appropriate resources” to ensure their client’s safety — and saying that “certain individuals” are offering a $50,000 bounty for the whistle-blower’s identity, CBS said.

The president further called for a treason inquiry into House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, saying the California Democrat had lied “in perhaps the most blatant and sinister manner” ever seen in the House of Representatives.

That came after Trump called for Schiff to “immediately resign” after the California Democrat began a committee hearing with

what he called a summary and what critics called an embel-lishment of Trump’s conversation with Zelenskiy.

Schiff said in an interview that Congress expects to hear “very soon” from the whistle-blower. The timing will depend on how quickly the security-clearance process for his or her lawyers can be completed. “We’re moving forward with all speed,” he added.

The string of Sunday evening tweets was a continuation of Trump’s attacks on those who have criticised his behaviour. In a meeting with diplomats in New York on Thursday, Trump described the controversy over the whistle-blower’s report as a “war” and equated the complaint to espionage.

“I want to know who’s the person, who’s the person who gave the whistle-blower the information? Because that’s close to a spy,” Trump said. “You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differ-ently than we do now.”

Those remarks prompted condemnation from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. House Democrats, including Schiff, released a statement on Thursday warning Trump to stop “repre-hensible witness intimidation.”

“We condemn the President’s attacks, and we invite our Repub-lican counterparts to do the same because Congress must do all it can to protect this whistle-blower, and all whistle-blowers,” the lawmakers said. “Threats of violence from the leader of our country have a chilling effect on the entire whistle-blower process, with grave consequences for our democracy and national security.”

Mark Zaid, an attorney for the whistle-blower, said that his legal team was continuing to work with congressional committees to coordinate a way for the whistle-blower to meet with con-gressional investigators.

Zaid said protecting the whistle-blower’s identity was “paramount” but did not imme-diately respond to a request for comment about the president’s tweets.

US violent crime down again in 2018, says FBIAFP WASHINGTON

Violent crime in the United States fell for a second straight year in 2018, underscoring a long-term downward trend that was briefly interrupted by an uptick in 2015 and 2016, the FBI said yesterday.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said there were some 1.2 million violent crimes in 2018, down 3.3 percent from the year before.

Homicides were down 6.2 percent from 2017, with 16,214 murders, almost three quarters of which were committed with a firearm.

By contrast, rape figures were up 2.7 percent, possibly as a result of more women reporting attacks to police in the wake of the #MeToo anti-sexual harassment movement.

Property crimes were down for the 16th consecutive year, mostly due to an almost 12 percent drop in burglaries, the FBI said. Victims of property crime collectively lost $16.4bn.

Following a peak in the 1990s, crime has been on a steady downward trajectory, aside from the years 2015-2016, which saw an increase in killings linked to drug trafficking and gang wars in several major cities like Chicago, Houston and Baltimore.

Jeff Sessions, the attorney general at the time, warned that the spike in violent crime was “a dangerous permanent trend.”

With a murder rate of five per 100,000 inhabitants, the United States is far less dangerous than many countries in Latin America (31 in Brazil, 62 in El Salvador, 25 in Mexico).

But the figure is worse than in European states, where Germany, Italy and France have a murder rate of one per 100,000, or Japan, with less than one, according to World Bank figures.

The President said Adam Schiff had lied “in perhaps the most blatant and sinister manner” ever seen in the House of Representatives.

Mark Milley takes over as US military chiefANATOLIA WASHINGTON

General Mark Milley took the oath of office yesterday to become the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as he hailed the US Army as the best equipped in the world.

The ceremony started with prayers and the new military chief took the oath during an outdoor ceremony at the White House from his predecessor, Gen Joseph Dunford, who was named to the post by then-Pres-ident Barack Obama in 2015.

US President Donald Trump nominated Dunford for a second two-year term in 2017.

Trump, Vice-President Mike Pence, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper were present.

Milley vowed to keep the US military a “primary fighting force, respected by our friends

and feared by our adversaries.”

“We stand ready to keep the peace or if necessary win a war, we are the best equipped, best trained, best-led military in human history,” he said.

Trump, for his part, said Milley will serve him as his top military adviser.

“I have absolute confidence he will fulfill his duty with the same brilliance and fortitude he has shown through his long and distinguished career,” said Trump.

Milley had been serving as Chief of Staff of the Army since 2015.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the nation’s highest-ranking military officer and serves as the principal mil-itary advisor to the president, defense secretary and National Security Council.

The new Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Army General, Mark Milley, speaks as US President Donald Trump looks on with Vice-President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Mark Esper during a welcome ceremony for Milley at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, in Virginia, yesterday.

Narda regains tropical storm force off MexicoAP MEXICO CITY

Narda, a soaking storm crawling up Mexico’s west coast, regained tropical storm strength after passing over the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta with heavy rains.

The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said that with Narda back over water, its maximum sustained winds increased to 65 kph as it heads for the Gulf of California.

It was heading to the northwest at 24kph and was predicted to slow as it slogs northwest. It could weaken again today as it scrapes along Mexico’s western mountains.

Authorities reported flooded roads and rivers, and the storm also toppled trees and billboards in Acapulco. Local media reported that a 26-year-old man died in Oaxaca state while trying to cross a river in San Pedro Mixtepec.

The Hurricane Center said Narda could continue to drop 3 to 6 inches of rain along the coast as far north as Sinaloa state, with isolated totals of 10 to 15 inches.

It warned that life-threat-ening flash floods and mud-slides were possible, especially in mountainous terrain.

Jury considers murder charge against former Dallas copREUTERS DALLAS

A jury began deliberation yesterday in the murder trial of an ex-Dallas police officer who shot and killed an unarmed neighbour after mistaking his apartment for her own, and prosecutors closed their case by calling her actions “unrea-sonable.”

“This case is about what is reasonable and what is absurd,” Assistant District Attorney Jason Fine said in a closing statement after a week-long trial.

Amber Guyger, 31, was

coming off a 13-1/2 hour shift when she walked into the central Dallas apartment of Botham Jean, a 26-year-old black PwC accountant. She shot him as he ate ice cream, mistaking him for a burglar in her apartment one floor lower.

Fine tried to focus the jurors’ attention on Jean, who he said was sitting on his couch, about to enjoy a quiet night watching TV when Guyger burst into his apartment with “guns blazing.”

“Before he can even get up he is shot dead in his own home,” Fine said.

Guyger said during tearful

testimony last week that she acted because at the time she had believed her life was in danger.

Prosecutors yesterday disa-greed with Guyger’s self-defense argument and argued that her actions were caused by a “series of unreasonable decisions.”

Guyger faces life in prison if found guilty of murder. The jury could also find her not guilty or guilty of the lesser crime of man-slaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The September 2018 shooting, one of a series of

high-profile killings of unarmed black men and teens by white US police officers, sparked street protests, particularly after pros-ecutors initially moved to charge Guyger with manslaughter, a charge for killing without malice.

Guyger’s defense attorneys insisted that the state had failed to prove the case beyond a rea-sonable doubt and said prose-cutors were trying to strike an emotional chord with the jury.

“They want you to be angry and upset because they can’t get over this burden of proof beyond reasonable doubt,” said defense lawyer Toby Shook.

Collins resigns from Congress ahead of expected guilty pleaAP NEW YORK

Rep Chris Collins, a Republican from western New York, submitted his resignation from Congress yesterday ahead of an expected guilty plea in an insider trading case in which he was accused of leaking confidential information during an urgent phone call made from a White House picnic.

Collins’ resignation will take effect when Congress meets in a brief session today, according to a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

A federal judge in Manhattan

scheduled a hearing for Collins to enter a guilty plea to unspec-ified charges in the case this afternoon.

A similar hearing has been scheduled on Thursday for the congressman’s son, Cameron Collins.

Collins, who was among the first members of Congress to support President Donald Trump’s run for the White House, had been scheduled to go to trial next year on charges of con-spiracy, securities fraud, wire fraud and making false state-ments to the FBI. Prosecutors accused him of sharing non-public information from a

biopharmaceutical company with his son, allowing Cameron Collins and another man to avoid nearly $800,000 in stock losses.

The case, filed in August of 2018, initially caused the 69-year-old Collins to drop a reelection bid, though he denied any wrongdoing and called the charges “meritless.”

But he restarted his cam-paign a month later as Repub-lican leaders were deliberating who would replace him on the ballot.

At the time he said the “stakes are too high to allow the radical left to take control of this seat in Congress.”

A file photo of US Representative Chris Collins being interviewed during the 2017 “Congress of Tomorrow” Joint Republican Issues Conference in Philadelphia.

Boy takes wrong turn on 5K race, wins 10K race instead

AP SARTELL

It took 9-year-old Kade Lovell longer than expected to finish his 5K race in Minnesota, but only because he was busy acciden-tally winning a separate 10K race.

Lovell’s mother became worried when he didn’t cross the finish line of the Francis Franny Flyer 5K in Sartell on September 21. The St. Cloud Times reported she drove along the 5K route looking for him and was “bawling” when no one else saw him, either.

“I had everyone looking for him, even a fireman,” Heather Lovell said. “I was like, ‘You need to go find my son.’”

Then, a spectator called Heather Lovell’s brother-in-law, who was in the 10K race, to let him know there was a “little kid who was running really well” in the 10K race.

Kade said a woman told him to keep going when he approached the 5K turn so he did, despite his confusion.

“A lady told me to keep going straight. So I kept going straight,” he said.

Race organisers told Kade’s mother he finished in first place and she thought they meant in his age group. But he was first-place overall. He finished in just over 48 minutes — a minute faster than the 40-year-old second-place contestant.

Even though he’s only 9 years old, Kade is already an experienced runner. He started running when he was 6.

24 TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2019MORNING BREAK

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum31oC 41oC

HIGH TIDE 05:59 – 17:46 LOW TIDE 00:57 – 13:17

Misty to foggy at places at first becomes

hot daytime with slight dust at times and

some clouds, humid by night.

FAJRSHOROOK

04. 10 AM

05. 26 AM

11. 24 AM

02.48 PM

05. 23 PM

06. 53 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

Study highlights affordability of child car seats in QatarTHE PENINSULA DOHA

A new study carried out by Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Hamad Trauma Center has found child car seats in Qatar are widely available and affordable.

The study, which was carried out as part of the Qatar Foundation National Priorities Research Program (NPRP 7-1681-3-429) Grant ‘Young Kids in Safe Seats’, was con-ducted by the Hamad Trauma Center in partnership with Primary Health Care Corpo-ration (PHCC) and the Inter-national Injury Research Unit of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Mar-yland, US.

“The primary objective of the study was to compare

interventions designed to increase the use of car seats by children under the age of five years old. The study also col-lected baseline information on other aspects of car seat or child restraint systems used amongst these children,” said Dr Ruben Peralta, Senior Con-sultant, Director of the Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fel-lowship Program at the Hamad Trauma Center.

Dr Peralta, who was also the Lead Principal Investigator for the study, said the findings of the research were very pos-itive, showing that a wide variety of car seats, at a wide price range, are available at retail outlets in the country.

“Importantly, all the car seats complied with the European standard for car seat quality. Based on the minimum wage to sponsor immediate

family members (spouse or children) to join them to live in Qatar, the median price for a child car seat was equivalent to one day’s pay,’’ said Dr Peralta.

“The World Health Organ-ization Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office has identified the need to increase the use of child car seats as a priority for

reducing the incidence of pre-ventable injuries to child pas-sengers in the region. Anec-dotal reports have attributed low child car seat use to their expense and unavailability, prompting car seat giveaway programmes, but an assessment of the local market had not been conducted before this recent study,” added Dr

Peralta. Dr Rafael Consunji, a co-investigator on the study and Director of the Hamad Injury Prevention Program explained that the study findings set the stage for future concerted efforts to support the implementation and enforcement of a national car seat law for Qatar.

“This study shows that the local market can provide glo-bally-certified and reasonably priced car seats for all children in Qatar. Unavailability and expense cannot be cited as bar-riers to their use and the market is prepared for legislation requiring car seats. This is of utmost importance because properly restraining children in car seats is the only proven means of preventing severe injuries and deaths to our most precious and vulnerable pas-sengers,” said Dr Consunji.

Dr Ruben PeraltaDr Rafael Consunji

El Anatsui’s maiden Mideast solo exhibition opens at MathafRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art yesterday launched acclaimed Ghanaian artist El Anatsui’s first solo exhibition in the Middle East which is the largest ever survey mounted of the work of perhaps Africa’s most prom-inent living artist.

Dubbed “El Anatsui: Tri-umphant Scale,” the exhibition was officially opened by H E Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Thani, and attended by Ahmad Al Namla, Acting CEO at Qatar Museums, and a number of VIP guests.

The survey — curated by the late poet and art critic Okwui Enwezor and Chika Okeke-Agulu, Professor of Art History at the Department of Art and Archaeology at Prin-ceton University — focuses on the triumphant and monu-mental quality of Anatsui’s sculptures.

Spread across ten gallery spaces, the exhibition encom-passes every medium in the artist’s prodigious 50 year career, including the signature bottle-cap series developed over the last two decades, wood sculptures and wall reliefs spanning the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, ceramic sculptures of the late 1970s, as well as drawings, prints and books. Amongst the prom-inent works on show is Log-oligi Logarithm, a specially

created installation for the gal-lery’s performance space. Structurally related to his 2010 work Gli (Wall), in this complex site-specific work, the diaph-anous form is achieved through the stitching patterns developed by Anatsui and his assistants using thin bottle cap seals. Logoligi Logarithm’s alluring play of light and material recalls the refraction of sunlight in a mist or fog. The work is dedicated to the Gha-naian poet, AtukweiOkai, who died in 2018.

Abdellah Karroum, Director, Mathaf, said: “I am proud that Mathaf is hosting this important exhibition, the first major show in the Middle East for El Anatsui, now regarded as one of Africa’s greatest living artists. This exhibition also stands for the close working relationship we

have enjoyed with Okwui Enwezor over many years. We are grateful for the immense legacy he has left us as an art historian and curator. We look forward to welcoming audi-ences in Doha for what we believe will be a boundary breaking exhibition for the region and a fitting celebration of a great artist.”

El Anatsui has consistently worked to transform the formal possibilities of African sculptural idioms. Over 50 years, he has repeatedly revised and reinvented his material and compositional

techniques to astonishing effect - from the early smaller wooden reliefs with their incised markings and broken ceramic forms, to the monu-mental outdoor cement sculp-tures, and, more recently, the vast and spectacular metal wall and floor works, which blur the boundaries between sculpture, painting and assemblage.

The artist generates meaning out of his material and technical process. For example, the bottle caps come from hard liquors introduced b y E u r o p e a n s a s

currency - and thus a means of subjugation - during the era of transatlantic slavery and colonisation. The process of cutting, flattening, squeezing, twisting, folding and stitching together with copper wire thousands of these bottle caps into a single work, speaks to the making of human commu-nities out of connected indi-vidual subjectivities.

The exhibition, which runs until October 31, is organised by Haus der Kunst, Munich in cooperation with Mathaf, the Kunstmuseum Bern and Gug-genheim Museum Bilbao.

One of the works on display at “El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale” exhibition, which opened at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, yesterday.

The exhibition is spread across ten gallery spaces, encompassing every medium in Ghanaian artist’s prodigious 50 year career, including the signature bottle-cap series, wood sculptures and wall reliefs, ceramic sculptures, as well as drawings, prints and books.

China to display military might to mark 70 yearsAFP BEIJING

Beijing’s massive 70th anni-versary celebrations for the People’s Republic of China today will be tightly choreographed and controlled.

President Xi Jinping, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party, will open the celebration with a speech.

Xi is the country’s most pow-erful leader since Mao Zedong, who founded the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949, at the end of a civil war that drove nationalists out to Taiwan.

The current Chinese leader bowed three times in front of a statue of Mao at Tiananmen Square and paid respects to his embalmed remains on Monday, according to state media.

Xi is likely to address familiar themes during his speech, such as his vision of the “Chinese dream” of “rejuvenation” to restore the country’s former glory.

The anniversary will be a chance for China to show the world its growing military might, with a phalanx of weapons and 15,000 soldiers parading across Tiananmen Square.

Tanks, bombers, a

supersonic drone and a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States are expected to be among nearly 600 pieces of military hardware and 160 aircraft on display. Xi is expected to watch from the south entrance of the Forbidden City, the same spot where Mao proclaimed the founding of the PRC.

Soldiers will not be the only ones marching today. Some

100,000 civilians will walk along the parade route, along with 70 floats highlighting the country’s accomplishments.

A replica of a space rocket has been spotted sticking out from behind a wall around the parking lot of the Workers Stadium along with other floats.

Numeric symbols will feature prominently, with the organisers releasing 70,000 doves and 70,000 balloons. In

the evening, artists will take over Tiananmen for a performance that will be capped by a fire-works show. The procession will also be shown in 70 movie the-atres across the country.

Roads will be closed in a massive perimeter spanning several blocks around Tiananmen Square.

Authorities have also banned the flying of kites and homing pigeons ahead of the event.

Soldiers march in Tiananmen Square before a wreath laying ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing, yesterday.

Polish daredevil abandons attempt to ski down EverestAFP KATHMANDU

A hanging chunk of ice the size of an apartment block has forced Polish daredevil Andrzej Bargiel to abandon his bid to ski down Mount Everest, he announced on his Facebook yesterday.

The 31-year-old — who last year skied down K2 — was making a rare attempt to summit the world’s tallest mountain and then ski down without supple-mental oxygen.

But a serac — a block of glacial ice — is hanging danger-ously above the already treach-erous Khumbu icefall that climbers have to cross to reach Camp 1.

Bargiel and other teams were waiting at the base camp hoping the serac — which he said is around 50 metres (165 feet) by 30 metres (98 feet) — would break off so they could pass.

“Walking underneath through the Icefall is extremely dangerous,” he posted on his Facebook page, adding he wouldn’t accept the risk.

“We are here for a long time, there is no progress and so no

acclimatisation beyond base camp. We therefore have to finish our expedition, because that’s the most reasonable decision.” The decision comes after another team abandoned its expedition last week, now leaving only a few climbers on the mountain.

Autumn expeditions on Everest are rare because of snowier terrain, shorter and colder days and a narrow summit window compared to the busy spring. Nepal has issued only 10 permits for the mountain this season.

Bargiel was eyeing the 8,848-metre-tall Everest (29,028 feet) only a year after he became the first person to ski down Pakistan’s K2, the second-highest mountain in the world.

He has previously also skied off Nepal’s Manaslu, Broad Peak in Pakistan and Shishapangma in Tibet. The world’s highest peak has seen a handful of ski descents, but never a continuous downhill without additional oxygen, as Bargiel had planned.

This year’s traffic-clogged spring climbing season saw a record 885 people summit on Everest.

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